Don’t talk to me; I’m busy with my iPhone

Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That’s not rudeness—people are just too busy to bother looking.

Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.

Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters（乘车上下班的人）. Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000—yes, that’s 40,000—“apps” （programs downloaded for the iPhone） have been designed.

Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “ steam” on your phone screen.

For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music—iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.

And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you occupied， then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all this entertainments, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train.

1.People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy ________.

A．playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films.

B．going to work

C．reading books

D．thinking private things

2.Those who like war games can download ________ to their iPhones.

A．Tube Exits   B．iShoot C．ISteam         D．iPod

3.The underlined word “occupied” in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A．delighted    B．busy    C．controlled   D．amused

4.The article tells us that ________.

A．London commuters are unfriendly to strangers

B．Apple has earned a lo of money from selling 40,000 iPhones

C．with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train.

D．technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time.

 

Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp

Everyone is forgetful, but as we age, we start to feel like our brains are slowing down a bit—and that can be a very annoying thing.  1     Read on for some techniques worth trying.

1.   2    

People who regularly made plans and looked forward to upcoming events had a 50 percent

reduced chance of Alzheimer's disease (早老性痴呆症), according to a recent study.   3  

Something as simple as setting a goal to have a weekly coffee date with a friend will do. There's evidence that people who have a purpose in life or who are working on long or short-term goals appear to do better. In other words, keep your brain looking forward.

2. Go for a walk.

Mildly raised glucose (葡萄糖) levels can harm the area of the brain that helps you form memories and physical activity can help get blood glucose down to normal levels. In fact,exercise produces chemicals that are good for your brain.   4    

3. Learn something new.

Take a Spanish class online, join a drawing club, or learn to play cards. A study found that mental stimulation (刺激) limits the weakening effects of aging on memory and the mind. But the best thing for your brain is when you learn something new and are physically active at the same time.   5     Or go dancing with your friends.

A.Focus on the future.

B.This can be especially harmful to the aged.

C.It should be something like learning gardening.

D.So take a few minutes each day to do some reading.

E.But don't worry if your schedule isn't filled with life-changing events.

F.Luckily, research shows there is a lot you can do to avoid those moments.

G.In other words, when you take care of your body, you take care of your brain.

 

    Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference; in London, people do not look at each other. In fact, eye contact is avoided at all time. That's not rudeness— people are just too busy to bother looking.
Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they're certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet reflection（沉思）.Nor are they reading a book. New techology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London Underground is an e-book.
Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters（乘车上下班的人）. Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40,000-yes, that's 40,000-"apps"(programs downloaded for the iPhone)have been designed.
Commuters love them because they are the perfect time-filler. One "app"，called iShoot, is a game that features tanks. Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination（目的地）. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the "steam" on your phone screen.
For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be the distraction（消遣）of choice. It's not just teenagers who "plug in" to their music-iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.
And if games, e-books and music aren't enough to keep you occupied. Then perhaps you would prefer a film? The development of palm（掌上）DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way to work. With all this distraction, it's amazing that people still remember to get off the train.
【小题1】People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because they are busy    .

A．going to work

B．reading books

C．thinking private thoughts

D．playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films

【小题2】In Paragraph 4, the underlined word “them” refers to “       ”.

A．habits

B．“apps”

C．iPhones

D．films

【小题3】Those who like war games can download     to their iPhones.

A．iShoot

B．Tube Exits

C．iSteam

D．iPod

【小题4】The underlined word "occupied" in the last paragraph probably means    .

A．delighted

B．busy

C．amused

D．controlled

【小题5】The article tells us that     .

A．London commuters are unfriendly to strangers

B．Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40,000 apps

C．technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time

D．with all the new time-fillers, London commuters often forget to get off the train.

Riding a London subway, a person from other countries will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other．In fact, eye contact is avoided at all times. That’s not rudeness ― people are just too busy to bother looking．

　　Busy doing what, you ask? Well, they’re certainly not using the time for a moment of quiet thinking．Nor are they reading a book．New technology has replaced quiet habits．Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book．

　　Apple must earn a fortune from London commuters（使用月票上下班者）. Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40, 000 ― yes, 40, 000 “apps” have been designed．

　　Commuters love them because they are the perfect time - fillers. One “app”, called iShoot, is a game that features tanks．Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the train to be closest to the exit of their destination. iSteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone. You can then write in the “steam” on your phone screen．

　　For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be the distraction (消遣) of choice. It’s not just teenagers who “plug in” to their music － iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages．

　　And if games, e-books and music aren’t enough to keep you occupied, then perhaps you would prefer a film? The development of palm DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV shows or films on the way to work．With all these distractions, it’s amazing that people still remember to get off the train．

1.Those who want to save time to reach where they go can download ________ to their iPhones

A. iShoot                         B. Tube Exits         C. iSteam               D. iPod

2.People in London do not make eye contact on the subway because ________．

A. they are going to work and have no time to communicate with each other

B. they love reading books and do not want to be disturbed

C. they feel sleepy because of getting up early

D. they’re busy playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films

3.The underlined word “apps” in the third paragraph means ________．

A. computers

B. programs downloaded for the iPhone

C. computer companies

D. fortune from London commuters

4.The main idea of the passage is that ________．

A. London commuters are unfriendly to strangers

B. Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40, 000 apps

C. technology is changing how London commuters spend their traveling time

D. riding a London subway is a must when visiting London

 

As summer approaches, a lot of people will be in search of a great book to read while they are relaxing on the beach or by the pool. Here we have made a list of four e-books that we think are great summer reads.

Stark by Ben Elton--- If you have read a lot of books then you may know that Ben Elton is  one of the funniest writers around the world. This book is one of his best pieces of work to date and it will certainly leave you in hysterics(狂笑). You may find yourself laughing out loud constantly when reading this book.

1984 by George Orwell---there is a big chance that some of you may have read this book ,but even if you have, it’s still well worth reading again. This is a great holiday book and it will shock you constantly due to the accuracy of the book. The book was actually written in 1948 and was written about what the author (George Orwell) fell the world would be like in 1984,and he was pretty spot-on .This book is thrilling and will probably leave you a little scared at the end of it.

The Road---This book is a fantastic read and will leave you hanging on edge all the way through it. This book is quite dark, however, and it certainly had some shocking moments throughout. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic(浩劫后的) world where modern life has been destroyed and in which there is no wildlife and a lot of humans have actually turned to cannibalism(同类相食).This book is fantastic if you enjoy a thrilling read that will leave you on the edge of your seat every few seconds. This certainly isn't a book for the faint of heart.

The Theory of Everything by Stephen Hawking---If you haven’t read this book yet then you really must .If you’re looking for a non-fiction and highly informative book for your summer then this is the book for you. This book was written by Professor Stephen Hawking and is extremely famous.

1.What is the text mainly about?

A．An introduction to four e-books that are great summer reads.

B．Advice on how to choose great e—books for summer reads.

C．The contents of four e-books that are famous around the world

D．People’s opinion on reading e-books on the beach.

2.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Ben Elton is the funniest writer all over the world.

B．If you’ve read 1984, there’s no need to read it again.

C．The Road presents a world in which there are no humans.

D．The Theory of Everything is full of information that is helpful to readers.

3.We can learn from the passage that____________

A．George Orwell wrote what the world in 1948 was like in his book

B．Readers will surely be scared after reading 1984.

C．The Theory of Everything is a work of popular fiction.

D．Readers who are fond of comedies may like to read Stark

4.If Mark likes reading thrilling and exciting stories, which of the following should he choose?

A．Stark

B．1984

C．The Road

D．The theory of Everything

5.In which section of a magazine would you most probably read the text?

A．Literature

B．Travel

C．Lifestyle

D．Nature.