【推荐1】Last summer my daughter’s school was blown up. No students were harmed, but the main building was completely destroyed, as well as the nearby dorms.

Before you start trying to ask when this horrible act took place on U. S. soil, I should mention that this attack didn’t happen in reality, rather in my daughter’s carefully constructed Minecraft world. During an online journey with a few friends, a stranger came to her school and bombed the school she had carefully built. In a minute, her school was ruined. Sure, no actual property(财产)was damaged. But the emotional pain she felt was very much real. She thought this was a form of terrorism.

I shared this act of absurd online violence on my Facebook page, and fellow parents with Minecraft-loving children were just as shocked as I was. I had thought this was a unique experience, and my daughter was just unlucky that this happened to her. But, as it turned out, she was far from alone. The acts were performed by computer bullies(暴徒) known as “griefers”. The platform that my daughter was playing was the Minecraft: Pocket Edition(PE)version, which is popular with younger players. While she once only played in creative mode(模式), she began to play in the multi-player mode so that she and a few friends from school could build and create together. That multi-player choice made it possible for a stranger, one of these “griefers”, to do damage.

It was a painful lesson for my daughter that dangers happened suddenly. She understood we have to protect ourselves from bad people in the real world. Still, there was some goodness that came out of the ruins. Many fellow players of hers took the time to help her rebuild her school, which has been set up again. She is moved. Also, this experience opened her eyes.

1. What was the result of the daughter’s school being blown up?

A．All the buildings but the dorms were ruined.

B．Many students were seriously injured.

C．Money needed to be seriously injured.

D．The author’s daughter felt hurt a lot.

2. Before talking to other parents about the attack the author had thought that         .

A．her daughter should be blamed for it

B．this attack was just a rare incident

C．danger happened all of a sudden on the Internet

D．her daughter was too lonely

3. Which of the following is NOT true about the “griefers”?

A．They can help players build and create a new world.

B．They are performed by computer bullies.

C．They are likely to cause damage in the multi-player mode.

D．They disturb and cause sadness to game players.

4. What did her daughter do after the incident?

A．Quit playing Minecraft.

B．Gave up multi-player mode.

C．Learned to defend herself against bad people.

D．Decided to rebuild her school independently.

【推荐2】It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the pictures were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.

Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday. “We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private(私人的) information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”

On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.

“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion（侵犯）, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”

Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.

He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to deal with problems. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider law ways.”

The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.

1. The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.

A．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos

B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information

C．to ask them not to invade consumers’ privacy

D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo

2. Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C.mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___.

A．causes privacy invasion to happen frequently

B．causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information

C．can be used if permitted

D．causes personal information to be posted online without permission

3. If the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C.,___________.

A．The senators will turn to law ways

B．The companies will be closed

C．The companies will be fined

D．The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy

4. Where can we read about the passage?

A．In a travel brochure.	B．In a newspaper.
C．In a science report.	D．In a textbook.

【推荐3】The Bermuda Triangle is an area in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, near Florida in the USA, where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared mysteriously.

①The earliest suggestion of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in a September 17, 1950 article. Two years later, published “Sea Mystery at Our Back Door”, covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss of Flight 19. Flight 19 alone would be covered again in the April 1962 issue of American Legion magazine. In it, author Allan W. Eckert wrote that the flight leader had been heard saying, “We are entering white water. Nothing seems right. We don’t know where we are.” In the February 1964, the article “The Deadly Bermuda Triangle” argued that Flight 19 and other disappearances were just part of strange events in the area.

②Triangle writers have used a number of supernatural ideas to explain the events. One explanation refers to leftover technology from the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis. Some of the Triangle writers related the events to UFOs. This idea was used by Steven Spielberg for his science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, in which the lost Flight 19 aircrews were taken by aliens.

③But there are also some explanation relating to nature. For example, laboratory experiments carried out in Australia have proven that bubbles containing natural gas can sink a large ship by decreasing the density(密度) of the water. Because it has been assumed that the eruption of volcanoes(火山)may produce much natural gas, making large areas of bubbles under sea so that water is no longer able to provide enough supporting power for ships. If this were the case, such an area forming around a ship could cause it to sink very rapidly and without any warning.

④Violent weather is likely to be another reason. Powerful storms forming in tropical(热带的)waters have caused thousands of deaths and caused billions of dollars in damage. These storms have in the past caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle.

1. According to the passage, the loss of Flight 19 was first covered         .

A．in 1950	B．in 1952
C．in 1962	D．in 1964

2. The sentence “Persons accepting the Bermuda Triangle as a ‘Death Triangle’ have offered a number of ways to explain it.” should be put in          .

A．①	B．②
C．③	D．④

3. According to paragraph 4, which one is NOT the reason for the disappearance of ships?

A．the natural gas	B．large areas of bubbles
C．the eruption of volcanoes	D．the increase of water density

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The truth behind the disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle.

B．The puzzle of the Bermuda Triangle and its explanations.

C．Strange accidents that happened in the Bermuda Triangle.

D．The exploration of the Bermuda Triangle in history.

【推荐1】I remember little of the journey which started so early in the morning. I only know that the day seemed extremely long, and that we appeared to travel over hundreds of miles. Calmed by the sound of the coach wheels, I fell asleep. But I had not slept long when the coach stopped, the door was opened, and I saw a servant standing there.

"Is there a little girl called Jane Eyre here?" she asked. I answered "Yes," and was then lifted out. My trunk handed down, the coach instantly drove away. I looked about me. I could see a house with many windows. There were lights burning in some of them. We went up a wide pebbly path, splashing wet, and were admitted at a door. Then the servant led me through a passage into a room where she left me. I stood and warmed my frozen fingers at the fire and looked around. There was no candle, but the light from the fire showed papered walls, a carpet, curtains and gleaming furniture. Then the door opened, and a tall lady with dark hair, dark eyes entered followed by another who looked younger. "The child is very young to be sent alone," said she, putting her candle down on the table. She looked at me for a minute or two and then added, "She had better go to bed soon; she looks tired."

Led by the younger lady, Miss Miller, through passage after passage, we came, at last, to a long, wide room filled with the hum of many voices. There were many tables, and seated all round on benches were a large number of girls aged from nine to twenty. Seen in the dim light of the candles, their number appeared above eighty. Each was dressed in a brown old-fashioned dress of cheap material. It was their hour of study.

Miss Miller signed to me to sit on a bench near the door, then walking up to the top of the long room she cried out "Monitors, collect the lesson-books and put them away!"

Four tall girls arose and went round, gathered the books and removed them. Miss Miller again ordered, "Monitors, fetch the supper-trays!" The tall girls went out and returned presently, each bearing a tray. Some food and water was in the middle of each tray. The food was handed round and everyone drank from the same mug. When it came to my turn, I drank too, for I was thirsty, but I did not touch the food. From there I was taken to my hard bed where I thankfully fell asleep immediately.

1. Where can you conclude the little girl Jane Eyre arrived at last?

A．At a library.	B．In a gymnasium.
C．In a boarding school.	D．In a royal theatre.

2. What transportation conveyed Jane Eyre to her destination in the article?

A．She went there on a bus.	B．She got there by ship.
C．She was transported there in a car.	D．A coach carried her to the destination.

3. How did Jane Eyre feel when she was admitted by the servant at a door?

A．She must be very excited about the unfamiliar place.

B．She should be extremely nervous.

C．She should be worn out after the long journey.

D．She could be suspected by others.

4. Jane Eyre_ .

A．slept very long before she was led by the young lady, Miss Miller.

B．had nothing for supper after she arrived that night.

C．heard the hum of many voices instantly she arrived.

D．was lifted out by a tall lady with dark hair and dark eyes.

【推荐3】Frank Smithson woke up and leaned over to turn off the alarm clock. "Oh no!" he thought to himself. " Another day at that office; a boss who shouts at me all the time."
As Frank went downstairs his eyes fell on a large brown envelope by the door. He was overjoyed when he opened it and read the letter inside. "Bigwoods Football Pools(足球赌博公司)would like to congratulate you. You have won half a million pounds."
Frank suddenly came to life. The cigarette fell from his lips as he let out a shout that could be heard halfway down the street.
At 11:30 Frank arrived at work. "Please explain why you're so late," his boss said. "Go and jump in the lake," replied Frank. "I've just come into a little money so this is good-bye. Find yourself someone else to shout at."
That evening Frank was smoking a very expensive Havana cigar(雪茄) when a knock was heard on the door. He rushed to the door. Outside were two men, neatly(整洁) dressed in grey suits. "Mr. Smithson," one of them said, "we're from Bigwoods Football Pools. I'm afraid there's been a terrible mistake…"
1. What do we know about Frank?

A．He was a lazy man.

B．He made a lot of money.

C．He didn't get on well with his boss.

D．He was a lucky person.

2. When he heard the knock at the door, Frank probably thought_______.

A．someone had come to make an apology

B．someone had come to give him the money

C．his friends had come to ask about the football pools

D．his friends had come to congratulate him on his luck

3. On hearing "…there's been a terrible mistake…" Frank was most likely to be ______.

A．disappointed	B．worried
C．nervous	D．curious

【推荐1】Imagine you are 10 years old. You live in a big city and want to visit your best friend, a five-minute walk away, and then you can go to the park, another 10 minutes’ walk. The problem is that there’s a big dangerous road between you and your friend, and another between your friend’s home and the park. When you ask your parents if you can walk there, they say no. But they are too busy to take you there themselves.

Instead, you have a video conversation with your friend, or perhaps you play a video game on the sofa. You’ve lost out on exercise and time outside, interacting with your neighborhood and, of course, play time with your friend. This is the reality for many kids today - but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Tim Gill, the author of Urban Children: Growing Up in a Risky Society, says a child-friendly city is one that allows “everyday freedom”, so children can spread their wings as they grow. “It’s not enough to just talk about playgrounds and nice, pretty public spaces. That just creates play places they have to be taken to by adults,” says Gill.

“Society’s mistake is that our planning systems just focus on cars, house-building and the economy - rather than the environment, health and quality of life,” argues Gill, “You won’t find any urban planners who can disagree with that. It’s because our decision-makers fail to look beyond the next two or three years.”

Tim Gill lists five challenges for urban children in his book: traffic and pollution, high-rise living, crime and social fears, inadequate and unequal access to the city.

Designing cities with young people in mind - particularly outdoor spaces that encourage safe movement and social interaction - stands to be an issue of growing concern globally. By 2050, around 70 percent of people will live in cities, and the majority of them will be under 18. Today, over a billion children are growing up in cities.

1. Why does the author make an assumption in the first paragraph?

A．To show his doubts.	B．To give an example.
C．To present the issue.	D．To express his opinion.

2. What problem does the author want to raise about urban children?

A．They have few friends.

B．They spend much time on videos.

C．They are unhealthy for lack of exercise.

D．They lose “freedom” because of the risky society.

3. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Low quality of life.	B．Lack of public spaces.
C．Improper city planning.	D．Criticism on city planners.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Paying attention to young children	B．The call for a child-friendly city
C．Challenges for urban children	D．Problems in modern cities