1 . Today we communicate over the Internet all the time. In this blog post, I want to discuss how we keep our Internet communications well protected.
"How are the mobile apps safe?" I can hear you ask. It is a good question. They all use encryption（加密）to make sure no one else can eavesdrop on your messages with your friends, family, and business partners. Apple is one of the first to do this for its users; however, it started encrypting the message between iCloud users and the shortcoming is that the encryption only works between iCloud users.
Many of us are used to being able to take our computers down to the local coffee shop or with us when we travel, connect to any Wi-Fi, and then keep doing what we always do on the Internet. What you may not be aware of, however, is that public Wi-Fi is not encrypted. Anything done on those wireless networks can be known by some bad people. So how do you protect the wireless? It can be protected by using a Virtual Private Network（VPN）.
As with the encryption protection for E-Mail and messaging, there are a lot of VPN providers out there that don't cost a lot of money. Any person or organization can research and decide which one is best for their needs. Using a free VPN isn't suggested. Free VPN providers can be uncertain because they get much of their pay through pushing ads to their users. And they can follow and record what to do, which kind of fails the purpose of using a VPN in the first place.
Returning to how a VPN can protect your communications, we could go into a lot of details about what a VPN does, but we will keep it simple instead. Unlike the protection above, which is very specific, a VPN works by creating a passage between you and a distant server. This passage is encrypted, which means that everything you send through it is protected from being listened. This can be especially useful if you are working at a coffee shop or an airport.
1. Where does the text probably come from?| A．A website. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A personal diary. | D．A scientific magazine. |
| A．Care about. | B．Miss out on. |
| C．Get something by accident. | D．Listen secretly to something. |
| A．It works slowly. | B．It costs you too much. |
| C．It is unsafe sometimes. | D．It is limited to certain user. |
| A．requires extra fees for long-time usage |
| B．may cause risks to personal information |
| C．pushes ads according to your interest |
| D．fails to be encrypted sometimes |
2 . Being a relatively new technology, VR technology is clearly just beginning to take off. There are companies producing their own VR headsets, but they are still not as big as other products that are meant to entertain. Apart from the limited choices, one more thing that is worth noting about the current state of VR is the fact that content is limited, as well as applications. Most of the products available on the market today are aimed at gamers and mostly special for high-end buyers because of its expensive price.
Despite being full of potential, however, there are also some challenges that should be dealt with in order to ensure the success of VR. Among others, one of the most significant would be the need for powerful devices that would complement the headsets. For Oculus Rift, for instance, a powerful video card is needed for a computer, something you might not have at home, making the VR technology inapplicable.
In addition, there are also challenges when it comes to beauty. Today's VR headsets look almost entirely the same-they are huge and heavy and they look silly. Producers must find a way in order to make the design more beautiful.
Producers will also be challenged to make VR headsets more affordable so that more people will be able to purchase them. Most of the models currently available are just too expensive for average buyers.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the challenge is to find more applications. It is currently being centered on game paste applications. Producers are challenged to come up with creative ways in order to increase the usefulness of such a promising device.
In sum while it is undeniable that VR is big in today's time, there's a lot of room for improvement. There are limited choices when it comes to VR products available on the market, and for many, it is still a bit expensive. Others lack knowledge on how it works, which results in hesitation. There are also some problems that have yet to be solved and more opportunities to be uncovered. It would be safe to say that it is new, still in its infancy, but hopefully it is getting to the top.
1. What is needed for your computer when you use Oculus Rift?| A．A useful videotape. | B．A powerful video card. |
| C．A powerful video camera. | D．A useful video phone. |
| A．To lower its price. | B．To simplify its headset. |
| C．To widen its application. | D．To beautify its appearance. |
| A．Worried. | B．Concerned. | C．Confident. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．The Challenges of VR | B．The Development of VR |
| C．The Popularity of VR | D．The Importance of VR |
3 . This happened several years ago when I was still quite new in the city. I was doing my grocery shopping one day, and when I wanted to pay for my things, it turned out that I didn't have enough funds on my bank account for the things I’d chosen. It seemed something had been paid from my account that I had forgotten about.
I was so embarrassed and ashamed. There was a queue forming behind me. I became very flustered（慌乱的）and very close to tears. I tried to quickly pick some things out that weren’t so urgent for me to buy. The cashier（收银员）, a patient, elderly man, saw how upset I was and gently said, “Please, don't worry about picking out groceries to leave behind and you can pay me back for the difference another day.” I immediately refused since I didn't know him, but he insisted he would pay for the difference because he also had daughters and sometimes life could be hard. I thanked him greatly while I packed my things. I asked him what his name was so I could bring the money another day. He said, “Just ask for Baba（Father）and everyone calls me that here.”
I came back a few days later with the money, a thank-you card, and some homemade cookies. I asked a young salesman if he'd seen the old man and he immediately told me, “Oh! That must be Baba!” It was clear that he was very familiar with him. I explained what had happened and he nodded. "Yes, that is something he would do. He is a bit of an extra father to all of us working here, too. He isn't working today but I will make sure he gets this."
Thank you, Baba, for looking out for me that day, and for taking good care of your coworkers, too! I think it is people like Baba that make the world beautiful.
1. What happened to the author as she went shopping?| A．She forgot to bring money with her. |
| B．She regretted choosing something expensive. |
| C．She couldn't afford the goods she had picked. |
| D．She couldn’t remember the password of her account. |
| A．To make herself calm down. |
| B．To give up some high-priced things. |
| C．To remove some items less necessary. |
| D．To take out all the goods she had chosen. |
| A．Shy and honest. | B．Talented and friendly. |
| C．Generous and hardworking. | D．Kind and warm-hearted. |
| A．Every job is meaningful. | B．We need people like “Baba". |
| C．Giving is a kind of happiness. | D．An embarrassing shopping experience. |
4 . When young, I loved going on trail（小路） runs. It was my favorite way to escape stress. So, when I was back in my hometown after a tough first year of my Ph. D. program, I thought a trail run was just what I needed. But instead of helping me relax, the run did just the opposite.
After I moved to the city for college, where my runs were on flat concrete paths instead of winding dirt trails, I used a GPS watch. When I went on trail runs again in the country, it constantly reminded me of the fact that I wasn’t keeping up with my usual pace. I turned my watch off, thinking that would allow me to enjoy my surroundings and find the peace I expected, but I worried I was underperforming. “Why can’ t I let go and just enjoy myself?” I wondered. But after some introspection（反省）, I realized why I was struggling—both on trail runs and in graduate school.
Going into my Ph. D. , I had thought that my solid undergraduate track record would set me up for instant success. To my surprise, I was wrong. I lacked confidence in my research abilities which I thought stopped me performing well and I constantly felt my progress was too slow. Other students’ self-confidence and their excellent results made me feel insecure. Finally, one day I broke down in tears in my adviser’ s office.
Then came my visit home: I was having trouble because I hadn’ t properly adjusted my expectations to the differences between an urban run and a trail run.
A Ph. D. is like a trail run: Sometimes you can run fast. Sometimes you might find yourself climbing up a steep, winding trail at a snail’ s pace. And that’ s OK. Barriers are unavoidable, and success looks and feels different on a challenging trail than it does on a smooth, flat path. Sometimes it’ s best to take a deep breath and do your best to meet the challenge.
1. How did the author feel when he was on trail runs again?| A．Relaxed. | B．Tired. |
| C．Anxious. | D．Happy. |
| A．His lack of confidence. | B．His lack of hard work. |
| C．His poor research abilities. | D．His poor track record. |
| A．His desire for success. | B．His confidence of trail runs. |
| C．His expectations in his study. | D．His realization after the trail run. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Working out regularly is beneficial. |
| C．It’ s important to make necessary adjustments. |
| D．It’ s vital to turn to others for help. |
5 . I remember the first time I got on a horse. When I was a little boy aged two, my mom agreed to let me take a short ride and that was it! From then on, I drove my parents crazy begging for a horse.
When I was four, I had mutism, in which children stop speaking in certain social situations. I went days, weeks, months without a sound at school. At most, I might quietly whisper to a friend. I suffered silently through school until I was ten when a psychologist (心理学家) had an idea. He asked me what I wanted more than anything else in the world. He explained I was going to be given a chance to work for that. And I was permitted to whisper the answer in my mother’s ear, “A horse.”
I was to get a pony, but I had to live up to my end of the bargain (讲价). I had a list of weekly tasks I had to finish. I had to answer the phone five times per week, something I had never done before. I had to say one word to my teacher at school and the list went on. For a child with mutism, saying one word to someone can be like climbing Mount Qomolangma. I did everything that was asked of me and the day came. His name was Sequoia, whom I fell in love with immediately. When I was in Sequoia’s presence, I forgot all about my problems and felt strong and secure.
I am a fully participating member of society these days. My horse and I made it through a master’s degree. I may have made it otherwise, but I’m not sure. I feel I owe my life to the horse and I try to give it back to him. He has given me the best gift I could ever imagine, my life.
1. What was the situation like when the author was four?| A．He didn’t say a word at all. |
| B．He learned how to ride a horse. |
| C．He found his classmates unfriendly. |
| D．He had difficulty in communicating. |
| A．He completed some tasks easily. |
| B．He pushed himself extremely hard. |
| C．He fell in love with Sequoia gradually. |
| D．He found the psychologist’s idea useless. |
| A．To share his unfortunate childhood. |
| B．To give tips on how to cure mutism. |
| C．To show his deep gratefulness to his horse. |
| D．To encourage kids struggling against mutism. |
6 . Once I spoke at a high school. After the speech, I was asked to see a special student. An illness had kept the boy at home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed. He was Matthew. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal weight lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles(障碍) and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain(抱怨). He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. He knew what he was talking about. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.
When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion(冠军). You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I got the news that Matthew had died and a letter Matthew had written me a few days before:
Dear Rick,
My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. The doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more. But I still smile as much as I can.
I told you some day I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I’ll never make it. But I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you.
Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
Matthew
1. The boy wished to meet the writer because .| A．he wished to take part in the Olympics |
| B．he admired the author very much |
| C．he hoped to make friends with the author |
| D．he enjoyed weightlifting |
| A．Matthew was good at weight lifting. |
| B．Rick had the similar disease as a child. |
| C．Matthew never gave up in face of disease. |
| D．Rick encouraged the boy to become a champion. |
| A．He didn’t need Rick’s pity. |
| B．Rick looked on the medal as the most important thing. |
| C．The gold medal was very dear to Rick. |
| D．He thought he was not worthy of it. |
| A．Rick was unhappy before death． |
| B．Rick kept in touch with Matthew． |
| C．Matthew sent some pictures to Rick． |
| D．Matthew got an Olympic gold medal． |
