What is eBay? The simple answer is that it is a global trading platform where nearly anyone can

trade practically anything. People can sell and buy all kinds of products and goods, including cars, movies and DVDs, sporting goods, travel tickets, musical instruments, clothes and shoes- the list goes on and on.

The idea came from Peter Omidyar, who was born in Paris and moved to Washington when he was still a child. At high school, he became very interested in computer programming and after graduating from Tuft University in 1988, he worked for the next few years as a computer engineer. In his free time he started eBay as a kind of hobby, at first offering the service free by word of mouth. By 1996 there was so much traffic on the website that he had to upgrade(升级) and he began charging a fee to members. Joined by a friend, Peter Skill and in 1998 by his capable CEO, Meg Whitman, he has never looked back. Even in the great.com crashes of the late 1990s, eBay has gone from strength to strength. It is now one of the ten most visited online shopping websites on the Internet.

eBay sells connections, not goods, putting buyer and seller into contact with each other. All you have to do is take an e-photo, write a description, fill out a sales form and you are in business: the world is your market place .Of course for each item (商品)sold eBay gets a percentage and that is great deal of money. Every day there are more than sixteen million items listed on eBay and eighty percent of the items are sold.

1.We learn from the text that eBay provides people with_______.

A. a way of buying and selling goods

B. a website for them to upgrade

C. a place to exhibit their own photos

D. a chance to buy things at low prices

2. Why did Peter create eBay after graduating from university?

A. For fun.                             B. To make money.

C. For gathering the engineers.         D. To fulfill a task of his company.

3.From “he has never looked back”in Paragraph 2, we learn that Peter______.

A. did not feel lonely                  B. was always hopeful

C. did not think about the past         D. became more and more successful

4.How does eBay make money from its website?

A. By bringing sellers together.           B. By charging for each sale.

C. By listing items online.               D. By making e-photos.

 

A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man — the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.

       This attitude toward manual(体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education. 

1. From paragraph 1, we can know that in America _________.

A. people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man

B. people can always rise to the top through their won efforts

C. college professors win great respect from common workers

C. people feel painful to mention their fathers as labors.

2. According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because _________.

A. servants in American are hard to get

B. she takes pride in what she can do herself

C. she can hardly afford servants

D. It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food

3. The expression “ wait on table” in the second paragraph means “_________”.

A. work in a furniture shop                 B. keep accounts for a bar

C. wait to lay the table                        D. serve customers in a restaurant

4. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?

A. A Respectable Self-made Family             B. American Attitude toward Manual Labor

C. Characteristics of American Culture        D. The Development of Manual Labor

I used to be a mortgage broker(贷款中间人) in the Phoenix area. In April 2007, the company that I had been with for a year went out of business. That was the latest of the four companies that I had worked for since 2000 .They all either went under or let most of the employees go, including me.

  In December 2007, the bank took back my house, and I had no choice but to move in with my parents, five miles away. My sister has three children, and she had no room. My fiancée(未婚妻), Brandi Wetch, and I have been living in my parents’ house for about a year and a half now.

  My mother, Sue, works part-time at a high school library. My father left for a job in the Marshall Islands a few months ago and will be gone for two years.

  I’m trying to be patient with finding a new job, but it’s been hard. I check the Internet for jobs every morning. I have sent countless letters but have never got a job. I have no idea how many other people are applying for the same job.

  I do the housework and washing, and I take care of the garden. Sometimes, I feel like the best part of my life is over. The worst part of the day is when I chat with my friends on the Internet. I’ve talked to about 10 old friends online. The first thing they usually ask is what I’m doing now.

  My mother, who is in her 60s, has been so patient and supportive. She acts like she’s happy to have us, not like we’re crowding her. We have learned what’s important since I lived here.

1. We can infer that the writer is living a _________ life.

A. busy                           B. rich                    C. difficult                D. hopeful

2. How long has the writer been out of work?

A. For more than a year                                  B. For a year and a half

C. For less than two years                                 D. For more than two years

3.Which of the following types of work is NOT done by the writer in his parents’ house?

A. Looking after children                                B. Doing the housework.

C. Washing clothes and dishes                           D. Applying for a job online.

4.It can be learned from the passage that the writer now________.

A. is preparing for his wedding                        B. is fond of doing the housework

C. is patient with job-hunting                           D. is afraid of being asked about work

 

Tuvalu, north of Fiji, is a tiny country in the Pacific Ocean.

    Storms and huge waves are a constant threat and none of Tuvalu's nine little islands is more than five metres above sea level. Salt water is already entering the country's drinking water supply, as well as damaging plants that produce fruit and vegetable.It fears it will be swallowed up by the sea. Without urgent help, the country's days are numbered.

    But Tuvalu is not the first place to face sinking into the sea. Venice, a historic city in Italy best known for its canals, has sunk about 24cm over the past 100 years. Experts say that it will have sunk another 20-50cm by 2050. A century ago, St. Mark's Square, the lowest point in the city, flooded about nine times a year. Nowadays, it happens more than 100 times.

While Venice is slowly sinking into the mud on which it stands, Tuvalu's rising sea level is caused by global warming.

The average global temperature has increased by almost 0.5 centigrade degree over the past century; scientists expect it to rise by an extra 1-3 degrees over the next 100 years.

Warmer weather makes glaciers melt, adding more water to the ocean. The warmer temperatures also make water expand, so it takes up more space, causing the sea level to rise. The sea level has risen about 10-25cm in the last 100 years.

 People have been increasing the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as CO2, through burning coal, oil and gas. This adds to the power of the greenhouse effect, making the planet even warmer.

Many scientists believe that, if the warming is not stopped, there will be huge climate changes. The sea level could rise by one metre this century.

Should this come true, millions of homes would be swallowed up by the sea and the world will be flooded with "climate refugees" looking for somewhere else to live.

1. We can infer from Paragraph 2 that ______.

    A. Tuvalu is in danger of being swallowed up by the sea

    B. all Tuvalu’s islands are about five meters above the sea level

    C. drinking water in Tuvalu has been destroyed

    D. Tuvalu is often flooded by storms and waves

2.The author uses Tuvalu and Venice as examples in order to explain ______.

    A. they are the first places sinking into the sea

    B. they are both sinking into the mud where they stand

    C. they will disappear in the future

    D. their trouble is caused by global warming

3. What does the underlined word “refugees” mean?

    A. People forced away from their homeland.

    B. Sudden changes caused by world climate.

    C. Animals whose lives are closely connected with weather.

    D. Bad effect of climate changes.

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?

    A. The main cause of global warming is human pollution.

    B. The average global temperature has risen by 1-3 centigrade degrees over the past 100 years.

    C. The warmer temperature causes the sea level to rise.

    D. There will be huge climate changes unless the warming is stopped.

5.According to the passage, the root cause of global warming is _______.

A. the burning of coal, oil and gas             B. the position change of the solar system  

C. human pollution                          D. carbon dioxide emission

 

 

B

Today, robots come in all shapes and sizes. They can’t complain, even if the work is heavy and dangerous. And they can work or play all day without getting bored. Unlike a human’s arms, a robot’s joints will never get stiff (僵硬的). The end of the arm can be fitted with devices (装置) to perform different tasks. These could be a welding (焊接) point, suction cups (吸附杯) or gripping fingers (钳形指) for lifting and moving objects. Such an arm of these computer controlled industrial robots can work 24 hours a day.

Robopets (机器人宠物) are high-tech robots programmed to play. They can communicate with their owners and recognize their voices. Each one will develop a different “personality”. They can be a lot of fun to play with, but these robots can also be helpful to people who are sick and can’t look after a real animal. Many doctors believe that when a person is happy and laughing, their body recovers faster. A robopet might be just what the doctor ordered.

NeCoRo is a robot cat that has been developed to be more than a toy. The robot uses sensors (传感器) that can detect movement and sound. It can even store helpful information in its memory. Its behaviour changes over time, just like a real pet.

60. From Paragraph 1 we learn that ________.

A. a human’s arms never get stiff

B. robots sometimes get bored just as humans do

C. robots can do some work which humans can’t

D. robots can work all day but they can’t play

61. Rob pets are especially useful in ________according to the passage.

A. schools                  B. Hospitals       C. cinemas              D. factories

62. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. A robot never says “NO” to the dangerous work.

B. A robot can “remember” useful information.

C. NeCoRo is a robot dog.

D. NeCoRo’s behaviour changes over time.

63. What does the underlined word “detect” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. Recognize.          B. Create.          C. Store.                 D. Destroy.