【推荐2】At the doctor’s office, first I log onto a computer to announce my presence. Then I wait until a robotic nurse _______ me into the examination room. Soon, in steps the doctor, who also is a robot. He records my _______, does a few calculations and then _______ out a prescription（药方）. Having swiped（刷）the credit card at a machine on the way out, I return home without having come across another human being. This scene is my horrible _______ of the future, which hasn’t come to pass- _______ not yet now.

I really do like many aspects of _______. I have no desire to write my columns on a hand-operated typewriter or wash my dresses in the stream. I’m a big _______ of air conditioners in summer and heat in winter. But I don’t want machines to _______. When I call my dentist’s office and on the line actually get a human being, I am _______. When I call the airport and get the lady-computer who ________ asking me to report myself, I want to scream. When I see the slow occupation of self-service check-out stations at the supermarket, I feel like shouting, “When it ________ cashiers（出纳员）, make mine humans, please!”

After all, a human cashier might ________ that a bag of flour is leaking and get you a replacement. Real-life cashiers may have a ________ word for an elderly person struggling to get that last penny out of her purse. Even more than that, they often take an interest in particularly cute children, which can ________ a young mother’s day. I don’t want to go back to the Stone Age, but I’m also ________ about a completely computerized world, where face-to-face communication is ________ by swiping credit cards and feeding numbers. Self-service check-out stations and computerized voices can be efficient and they often get the job done just fine. But they lack a(n)________ so vital to everyday life. It is something that urges us to ________ others a smile, a hug or a prayer, which may be ________ what they need at that moment. Call it the spirit, the soul or the heart. It is something that no ________ will ever have.

1.

A．follows

B．wheels

C．directs

D．pushes

2.

A．identity

B．character

C．appearance

D．symptoms

3.

A．stands

B．prints

C．finds

D．calls

4.

A．imagination

B．situation

C．opinion

D．experience

5.

A．in short

B．in fact

C．beyond doubt

D．at least

6.

A．tradition

B．civilization

C．technology

D．culture

7.

A．creator

B．winner

C．fan

D．customer

8.

A．hand over

B．take over

C．turn over

D．get over

9.

A．excited

B．disturbed

C．skeptical

D．disappointed

10.

A．risks

B．escapes

C．keeps

D．delays

11.

A．comes to

B．goes to

C．starts with

D．compares with

12.

A．scan

B．expect

C．spot

D．remember

13.

A．joyful

B．sympathetic

C．bitter

D．regretful

14.

A．shorten

B．harden

C．broaden

D．brighten

15.

A．unconcerned

B．anxious

C．curious

D．crazy

16.

A．prevented

B．limited

C．replaced

D．exchanged

17.

A．element

B．function

C．role

D．material

18.

A．offer

B．promise

C．lend

D．wish

19.

A．merely

B．partly

C．exactly

D．necessarily

20.

A．human

B．cashier

C．doctor

D．machine

【推荐3】I log onto a computer at the doctor’s office to say I have arrived and then wait until a voice calls me into the examination room. There, a robotic nurse ________ me onto the scales and then takes my blood pressure. Some time later, in steps the doctor, who is also a robot. He notes down my ________ and gives me a(n) ________. I pay for my visit using a credit card and return home without having met another human being. This is my nightmarish vision of the future, which hasn’t happened ________ yet.

I should say I really do like many aspects of ________. I am a big fan of air conditioning in summer and heaters in winter. But I am writing this because I don’t want machines to ________.

When I call my dentist’s office and actually get a human being on the line, I am ________. And when I see the introduction of yet more self-service checkout stations at the grocery store, I feel like ________, “When it comes to cashiers, make mine a(n) ________, please!”

After all, human cashiers sometimes ________ you a store coupon for items you are buying.

Even more than that, real-life cashiers often take an interest in particularly cute children, which can ________ young mothers’ day. A cashier may also show compassion for an elderly person ________ to get that last penny out of his purse.

Machines can be ________ and cost-effective and they often get the job done just fine. ________ they lack an element so important to everyday life.

Call it the spirit, the soul or the heart. It is ________ no machine will ever have. It is human being that encourages us to smile at others, which may be what they need at that moment.

1.

A．tears

B．directs

C．follows

D．separates

2.

A．signals

B．symptoms

C．sculptures

D．symbols

3.

A．description

B．assumption

C．prescription

D．subscription

4.

A．at most

B．at last

C．at least

D．at intervals

5.

A．commerce

B．agriculture

C．literature

D．technology

6.

A．cut in

B．pass by

C．take over

D．go away

7.

A．annoyed

B．thrilled

C．discouraged

D．disappointed

8.

A．cursing

B．laughing

C．shouting

D．weeping

9.

A．machine

B．human

C．animal

D．plant

10.

A．give

B．remind

C．bargain

D．purchase

11.

A．brighten

B．darken

C．strengthen

D．widen

12.

A．turning

B．happening

C．describing

D．struggling

13.

A．urgent

B．efficient

C．frequent

D．consistent

14.

A．But

B．Because

C．Otherwise

D．Therefore

15.

A．everything

B．nothing

C．anything

D．something

【推荐1】Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D.   Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

Anyone planning to go camping or hiking should first learn to recognize poison ivy, _____ this plant can cause a rash resulting in reddened skin, an annoying itch, and painful blisters. A severe _____ can even force a person to remain in bed or become hospitalized. The best way to _____ these discomforts is to avoid the plant.

Fortunately this plant is easy to _____. Whether it grows as a bush or a vine, the shape of it is always _____. Each leaf stalk has three glossy leaves, usually with jagged edges. In early spring the leaves are red, turning. And then the autumn comes, the leaves _____ to become bright red or orange. The poison ivy plant is found _____ everywhere in North America. Because many birds eat its berries, its seeds are _____ distributed. The plant loves the sun and flourishes along beaches, in fields, and by roadsides. It also grows ____ in light shade and is often found in parks and pine forests. However, in thick woods the story is different. It is not _____ there. That is because the leaves of the trees block out the sun, which the plant needs to grow.

The poison in poison ivy is in the form of an oil that is in all parts of the plant. It is extremely _____. Merely touching the plant is enough contact for a person to be infected by the _____. Touching clothing or shoes that have brushed against the plant can also cause a rash and blisters. Even the smoke from a fire where poison ivy is burning can cause the skin poisoning.

A person who makes ____ with the plant should wash all infected areas with a strong laundry soap as soon as possible. Clothes that have come in contact with the ____ should be dry cleaned or washed in soap and water. There is one good way to prevent the ____. Stay away from the plant!

1.

A．since

B．so

C．therefore

D．then

2.

A．cold

B．cough

C．case

D．accident

3.

A．keep

B．prevent

C．protest

D．cut

4.

A．forget

B．grow

C．fertilize

D．recognize

5.

A．the same

B．various

C．beautiful

D．ugly

6.

A．become

B．change

C．get

D．avoid

7.

A．barely

B．always

C．usually

D．almost

8.

A．widely

B．narrowly

C．practically

D．strongly

9.

A．very poor

B．very good

C．quite well

D．quite worse

10.

A．supported

B．discovered

C．watered

D．disturbed

11.

A．deep

B．high

C．catching

D．beautiful

12.

A．oil

B．part

C．form

D．contact

13.

A．combination

B．contact

C．access

D．soap

14.

A．smoke

B．fire

C．plant

D．clothing

15.

A．poisoning

B．weeding

C．growing

D．seeding

【推荐2】Children like to copy what they hear. They copy their parents, their friends and even the TV. This teaches them _______ to speak the language. They don’t practise grammar, _______ use the language to talk about things that interests them. They don’t worry about their _______ or poor grammar. They can find ways to _______ themselves, and they do it successfully.

Copying also good for students to learn a foreign language.When you listen to foreigners speaking English, _______   what they say as loudly as you can. You should also pay your attention to communication. Look for chances to _______ with native speakers of English. If you can’t find a _______ to talk to, talk with other students in English _______. You can also join an English club or go to an English corner to talk about music, movies or_________interests you.

Don’t worry about   making ____________. The aim is to learn how to communicate (交流) easily and comfortably. Remember that you can communicate successfully even with a small vocabulary.

1.

A．how

B．where

C．when

D．why

2.

A．so

B．or

C．but

D．nor

3.

A．course

B．vocabulary

C．passage

D．composition

4.

A．express

B．understand

C．teach

D．remind

5.

A．prepare

B．master

C．hold

D．repeat

6.

A．walk

B．camp

C．talk

D．help

7.

A．foreigner

B．teacher

C．classmate

D．parent

8.

A．too

B．instead

C．though

D．since

9.

A．whichever

B．wherever

C．whatever

D．whenever

10.

A．tricks

B．noises

C．notes

D．mistakes

【推荐3】There are too many fat people in America, so many Americans are fighting against overweight. But the _______thing is that the French, who consume rich food, _______to stay thin. Now a _______by Cornell University suggests _______life style and decisions about _______may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to stop eating when they feel _______. However, Americans tend to stop when their _______are empty or their favorite TV show is over.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a _______expert, the French see eating _______an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a ________time at the table, while Americans see eating as ________to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans ________the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have ________. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and ________foods for the week. The French, ________tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a ________of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.

After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get fat, decided to ________about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid ________. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.

In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style ________may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity(肥胖)—or extreme overweight—among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains ________and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17%—and is growing.

1.

A．present

B．natural

C．strange

D．modern

2.

A．continue

B．move

C．try

D．expand

3.

A．research

B．novel

C．book

D．newspaper

4.

A．that

B．what

C．how

D．when

5.

A．working

B．living

C．studying

D．eating

6.

A．sensitive

B．sad

C．happy

D．full

7.

A．pockets

B．refrigerators

C．houses

D．plates

8.

A．education

B．health

C．literature

D．speech

9.

A．into

B．as

C．inside

D．to

10.

A．fairly long

B．fairly short

C．very exciting

D．rather fast

11.

A．anything

B．something

C．everything

D．nothing

12.

A．get

B．bring

C．lose

D．receive

13.

A．kept

B．enjoyed

C．went

D．stopped

14.

A．hot

B．cool

C．warm

D．frozen

15.

A．therefore

B．instead

C．however

D．merely

16.

A．choice

B．message

C．order

D．number

17.

A．write

B．read

C．speak

D．think

18.

A．fruit

B．food

C．oil

D．egg

19.

A．examples

B．tradition

C．changes

D．stories

20.

A．failure

B．success

C．acceptance

D．rejection