A new age is coming．Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society．It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work．Already we’re partly there, the percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World．Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise．More women are in the work force than ever before．There are more part-time jobs．More people are self-employed．But the range of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to important new way of thinking about the nature of work itself．Long-held ideas about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers — all these are being challenged．

We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead．No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots．Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes．But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more valid, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth．Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write．The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else．If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information service will be superior．It will be the way you do your job．

1．A characteristic of the new age mentioned in the passage is that _______．

      A．the service industry mainly relies on females

      B．manufacturing industries are steadily increasing

      C．more people are in the service industry than before

      D．the work in the service industry is more comfortable than that in manufacturing industry

2．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

      A．People’s traditional concepts about jobs need changing．

      B．The relation between employees and employers is becoming tense．

      C．More women than men are in the work force．

      D．Part-time jobs are more welcome than full-time jobs．

3．By mentioning the invention of “the chip”, the author means to say that_______．

      A．we haven’t paid enough attention to the importance of high technology

      B．the chip is the most important invention today

      C．the power of science and technology is beyond our imagination

      D．it’s a great challenge to apply new inventions to our life

4．We may draw a conclusion from the passage that _______．

      A．information will play a greater role in people’s work and daily life in the future

      B．we can foresee the future if technology develops fast enough

      C．the ability of performing routine tasks gives you an advantage in work

      D．robots will replace people to do all the work both in manufacturing and service industries

5．The author’s attitude to the coming age is _______．

      A．doubtful         B．enthusiastic     C．satisfied              D．uncertain

A new age is coming．Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society．It all translates to a fundamental change in the way we work．Already we’re partly there, the percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World．Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise．More women are in the work force than ever before．There are more part-time jobs．More people are self-employed．But the range of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to important new way of thinking about the nature of work itself．Long-held ideas about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers — all these are being challenged．

We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead．No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip, would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots．Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes．But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more valid, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth．Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write．The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else．If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information service will be superior．It will be the way you do your job．

1．A characteristic of the new age mentioned in the passage is that _______．

      A．the service industry mainly relies on females

      B．manufacturing industries are steadily increasing

      C．more people are in the service industry than before

      D．the work in the service industry is more comfortable than that in manufacturing industry

2．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

      A．People’s traditional concepts about jobs need changing．

      B．The relation between employees and employers is becoming tense．

      C．More women than men are in the work force．

      D．Part-time jobs are more welcome than full-time jobs．

3．By mentioning the invention of “the chip”, the author means to say that_______．

      A．we haven’t paid enough attention to the importance of high technology

      B．the chip is the most important invention today

      C．the power of science and technology is beyond our imagination

      D．it’s a great challenge to apply new inventions to our life

4．We may draw a conclusion from the passage that _______．

      A．information will play a greater role in people’s work and daily life in the future

      B．we can foresee the future if technology develops fast enough

      C．the ability of performing routine tasks gives you an advantage in work

      D．robots will replace people to do all the work both in manufacturing and service industries

5．The author’s attitude to the coming age is _______．

      A．doubtful         B．enthusiastic    C．satisfied               D．uncertain

He Qiangcheng, 22, a senior and geology major from Sichuan Normal University, has almost given up trying to act like his childhood hero, Lei Feng.

 “I once tried to help a woman with heavy luggage, and she gave me a suspicious look,” he complains. “Then another time, when I returned a lost dining card to the canteen, the staff asked me to use up the cash on it rather than bothering to find the owner.” But, despite having met with rejections, He still wants to be like his idol. His hero, Lei Feng, was a People’s Liberation Army soldier who came to represent altruism(无私), modesty and devotion.

March 5 marks the 50th year of Lei’s death. In 1963, Chairman Mao Zedong designated the day as “Learn From Lei Feng Day” and started a national campaign for people to copy his deeds.

Several decades after the campaign was initiated, there has been a debate about whether the spirit of Lei lives on, and whether an altruistic role model is relevant any more in a materialist society.

Some think it no longer rings a bell. “In a world when everyone emphasizes the importance of ‘me’, many of my peers think there’s little ground for giving up one’s interests purely for the sake of others,” says Lin Zi’en, 19, a sophomore English major from South China Normal University in Guangdong.

Commentators, however, point out those who regarded Lei’s spirit as being outdated have misinterpreted its meaning. Yang Haibin, deputy secretary of China Communist Youth League Beijing Committee said, “Learning from Lei Feng could be a mutually caring and benefiting act, which is the basis of civilized society. And, Lei’s spirit can be modern and relevant, says Yang. He believes that lending a helping hand for no reward is an early form of volunteering. “It’s also about being content with a simple and humble way of life,” Yang says.

Hu Danhua, 21, an international business major from China University of Political Science and Law, agrees. “I’ve gained peace of mind and spiritual fulfillment through small acts of kindness, such as teaching village pupils. I could obtain it from nowhere else,” Hu says.

58. He Qiangcheng is talked about in Paragraph 1 in order to______.

A. tell an interesting story about Lei’s spirit   B. lead in the topic about Lei’s spirit

C. praised him as a good example of Lei’s spirit                           D. show he chases Lei’s spirit

59. The passage is mainly developed by ______.

A. analyzing causes                                      B. making comparisons

C. examining differences                                                              D. listing quotations

60. What does the underlined part “it no longer rings a bell” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A. Lei’s spirit is out of date.                           B. Lei’s spirit is like a ring.

C. Lei’s spirit is as good as a bell.                 D. Lei’s spirit is the same as a bell ring.

61. Who has a negative attitude towards Lei’s spirit according to the passage?

A. He Qiangcheng.        B. Lin Zi’en.             C. Yang Haibin.       D. Hu Danhua.

One of the World’s richest Self-made Men and His Vision Bill Gates, the head of the world’s biggest computer software companies, the Microsoft Corporation, had mission: ”to put a computer on every office desk and in every home．“ Bill Gates has had this mission since he was a university student nineteen years ago．This deep personal motivation (动机), together with his technical skill and his business marketing skills have helped him to create a giant computer company and to make him wealthy．Although he is so wealthy, Bill Gates does not want to retire．He is still very interested in his vision and he travels the globe, from Beijing to London, making quick stops in cities to promote (推销) the new software products of his company.

    The central vision of Bill Gates is the “information highway”．This is a .network of fiber-optic cables (电缆) for computers that will link every home, office and shopping mall in the future．This computer network system will have an effect on business transactions, shipping and education．Bill Gates says that the main application of this new technology will be in communication．It will be a way to find people with common interests and to share opinions with them.

    But is this communication by computer along the “information highway” really a good thing? Won’t we be sitting at home, only “socializing” with our computer, paying big companies money so that we can receive information that some large communications corporation somewhere has decided is “acceptable” for us to read ？No, says Bill Gates．He thinks that the phrase “information highway” is a terrible phrase．It makes people think that we are all going down the same road, he says．In fact, the computer network will let us choose our own intellectual (智力的) direction．It will give us freedom．It will also bring good to society, because it will allow for the spread of education．When more and more people have access (通路) to education, the gap between rich and poor will narrow.

    In the mean time, however, the gap between the rich and poor is still there．To be added to, this now is the gap between those with computers and those without.

1．Bill Gates’ success lies in ________.

A．his university life, his education and his vision

B．his strong will, his quick-mind and his friendship

C．his deep personal motivation, his technical skill and his business marketing skills

D．his long years of planning

2．The main application (使用) of the “information highway” is ________.

A．education

B．communication

C．money-making

D．word-formation

3．Bill Gates thinks that “information highway” is ________.

A．not a good thing, but a good phrase

B．really a good thing instead of a terrible phrase

C．a good thing and a good phrase

D．a bad thing and a terrible phrase

4．The computer network will ________.

A．develop one’s intelligence (智力) in some way

B．stop people from using their heads

C．make people lazy in learning

D．fill the gap between rich and poor

 

One of the World’s richest Self-made Men and His Vision Bill Gates, the head of the world’s biggest computer software companies, the Microsoft Corporation, had mission: ”to put a computer on every office desk and in every home．“ Bill Gates has had this mission since he was a university student nineteen years ago．This deep personal motivation (动机), together with his technical skill and his business marketing skills have helped him to create a giant computer company and to make him wealthy．Although he is so wealthy, Bill Gates does not want to retire．He is still very interested in his vision and he travels the globe, from Beijing to London, making quick stops in cities to promote (推销) the new software products of his company.

    The central vision of Bill Gates is the “information highway”．This is a .network of fiber-optic cables (电缆) for computers that will link every home, office and shopping mall in the future．This computer network system will have an effect on business transactions, shipping and education．Bill Gates says that the main application of this new technology will be in communication．It will be a way to find people with common interests and to share opinions with them.

    But is this communication by computer along the “information highway” really a good thing? Won’t we be sitting at home, only “socializing” with our computer, paying big companies money so that we can receive information that some large communications corporation somewhere has decided is “acceptable” for us to read ？No, says Bill Gates．He thinks that the phrase “information highway” is a terrible phrase．It makes people think that we are all going down the same road, he says．In fact, the computer network will let us choose our own intellectual (智力的) direction．It will give us freedom．It will also bring good to society, because it will allow for the spread of education．When more and more people have access (通路) to education, the gap between rich and poor will narrow.

    In the mean time, however, the gap between the rich and poor is still there．To be added to, this now is the gap between those with computers and those without.

1．Bill Gates’ success lies in ________.

A．his university life, his education and his vision

B．his strong will, his quick-mind and his friendship

C．his deep personal motivation, his technical skill and his business marketing skills

D．his long years of planning

2．The main application (使用) of the “information highway” is ________.

A．education

B．communication

C．money-making

D．word-formation

3．Bill Gates thinks that “information highway” is ________.

A．not a good thing, but a good phrase

B．really a good thing instead of a terrible phrase

C．a good thing and a good phrase

D．a bad thing and a terrible phrase

4．The computer network will ________.

A．develop one’s intelligence (智力) in some way

B．stop people from using their heads

C．make people lazy in learning

D．fill the gap between rich and poor