阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。
A
As prices and building costs keep rising, the “do-it-yourself” (DIY) trend (趋势) in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We needed furniture(家具) for our living room.” C, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $ 420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course, I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourself”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.
1. We can learn from the text that many newly married people _______.
| A．find it hard to pay for what they need |
| B．have to learn to make their own furniture. |
| C．take DIY courses run by the government. |
| D．seldom go to a department store to buy things |
| A．run a DIY shop | B．make or repair things |
| C．save time and money | D．improve the quality of life. |
| A．makes shoes in his home | B．does extra work at night |
| C．does his own car and home repairs | D．keeps house and looks after his children |
| A．his car repairs cost too much | B．the car repair class was not helpful |
| C．he could no possible do two job | D．he had to raise the children by himself |
2 . Gifts.com provides more than just ideas. Sure, our unique (独特的) and unforgettable gift suggestions are a big part of why people love us, but we also offer endless ideas and tools to make every day a reason to celebrate. Here are our Great Christmas Gift Ideas:
Christmas Gifts for Parents
You love your parents like no one else, and you want to give them something special for Christmas. But what would make their holiday bright? Finding them the perfect Christmas gift will be easy this year, with all our top picks in one place.
Christmas Gifts for Parents Under $45
Holiday Gift Baskets
The gift basket is a great way to give a gift to a group. Our gift basket ideas come from all the top stores online, so you can easily find everything from fruit gift baskets to wine gift baskets in one place.
Gift Baskets Under $50
Ideas for Teens
Trying to find the right gift for a teen? Teens can be a challenge (挑战). What do they want? What could they use? They're all unique, but we think we've got something for them, even though they're a special group that are hard to deal with.
Top Picks for Teens Under $20
The Secret Santa Exchange (交换)
The Secret Santa is a great way to exchange gifts in the office, when it's often impossible to give everyone a present. We've got an office guide right here to help you find proper gifts for the workplace. And then there's always the gift basket, with things that are sure to please everyone in the office.
Business Gifts Under $25
1. What makes Gifts.com popular?| A．Its special gift ideas. |
| B．Its endless new gifts. |
| C．It is organized according to personal taste. |
| D．It gives people a good reason to celebrate. |
| A．They are much cheaper. |
| B．They make a holiday brighter. |
| C．They list popular gifts in one place. |
| D．They include top choices from parents. |
| A．provide gift baskets |
| B．sell gifts from top stores online |
| C．have a guide to help people choose gifts |
| D．are designed for people working in offices |
| A．a parent | B．a teenager |
| C．a group | D．a businessman |
| 好处 | 弊端 |
| 能增长知识，了解国内外大事，紧跟时代；有利于学习英语；能结交很多朋友。 | 上网玩游戏影响学习；而且对视力有害；易受不良信息的影响。 |
| 建议：适度上网；要把学习、健康和安全放在首位等。 | |
注意：1.词数100左右；
2．标题及开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Going Online
Recently going online has become more and more popular with middle school students.________________
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4 . Often people use laptops (笔记本电脑) on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer programme that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1, 500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a $10 million computer programme at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. Besides, they will be able to use email to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop programme is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fastfood restaurant or under the trees — anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable (可行的). As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. Also, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programmes at other universities, too.
1. The main purpose of the laptop programme is to give each student a laptop to ________.| A．do their school work |
| B．have access to the Internet |
| C．send emails |
| D．connect them to libraries |
| A．talk with speakers |
| B．talk with one’s mouth |
| C．communicate |
| D．use the computer language |
| A．It is an old college in America. |
| B．1, 500 students have laptops. |
| C．All students use computers. |
| D．Students there can do everything. |
5 . Facebook users may feel socially successful in cyberspace (虚拟空间) but they are more likely to perform poorly in exams, according to a new research into the academic impact of the social networking website.
About 83% of British 16 to 24-year-olds are thought to use social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo (视频博客), to keep in touch with friends and organize their social lives.
“Our study shows people who spend more time on Facebook spend less time studying,” said Aryn Karpinski, a researcher in the education department at Ohio State University. “Every generation has its distractions, but I think Facebook is a unique phenomenon.”
Karpinski and a colleague questioned 219 US undergraduates and graduates about their study practices and general Internet use, as well as their specific use of Facebook.
They found that 65% of Facebook users accessed their account daily (刷新个人主页), usually checking it several times to see if they had received new messages. The amount of time spent on Facebook at each login varied from just a few minutes to more than an hour.
The Ohio report shows that students who used Facebook had a “significantly” lower grade point average — the marking system used in US universities — than those who did not use the site.
“It is the equivalent of the difference between getting an A and a B,” said Karpinski, who will present her findings this week to the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association.
Some UK students have already spotted the potential danger. Daisy Jones, 21, an undergraduate in her final year at Loughborough University, realized the time she was spending on Facebook was threatening her grades — prompting her to deactivate (注销) her account.
Jones is among the few to have recognized the risks.According to Karpinski’s research, 79% of Facebookusing students believed the time they spent on the site had no impact on their work.
Facebook said, “There is also academic research that shows the benefits of services like Facebook. It’s in the hands of students, in consultation with their parents, to decide how to spend their time.”
1. According to the passage we know that most present students like to get in touch with their friends by ________.| A．sending short messages | B．chatting online |
| C．Facebook site | D．sending emails |
| A．the equivalent of the difference between getting an A and a B |
| B．not less grades in all studies |
| C．more ambitious to succeed in their studies |
| D．just the same |
| A．their study practices |
| B．their general Internet use |
| C．their specific use of Facebook |
| D．their habits of living |
| A．news | B．text |
| C．report | D．essay |
6 . Americans are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet. And experts say the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as 10% of all retail sales in the United States. This has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.
Lynne used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her wedding and holiday gifts for her husband and stepdaughter. Other than food, 90% of her purchases were made on her home computer. “I find that, by being able to go online, choose the things that I need, and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I eliminate all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise of that, and I usually get a better selection.”
There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December. 57% of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed Melaughlin says they can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. Besides, some stores can please customers by offering to repair electronic products.
Bill Martin is the founder of Shopper Trak. His business helps stores learn about their customers. He said, “There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision, you know, that takes place. Often you need that last sense of ‘Boy, this is exactly what I want’ before you are ready to part with money, and you can’t always get that online. It’s a rather cold process.”
While online shopping worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services like FedEx and UPS is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS Manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of year. UPS is so busy that it has filled 55, 000 temporary worker positions during the holiday season.
1. The example of Lynne is mentioned in the passage to show ________.| A．online business has changed many Americans’ life |
| B．online sales will replace traditional sales sooner or later |
| C．traditional stores can't offer enough food to their customers |
| D．traditional stores find new ways to keep their customers loyal |
| A．include | B．decrease |
| C．discourage | D．avoid |
| A．UPS has filled more worker positions than FedEx |
| B．business owners are concerned about delivery services |
| C．FedEx is keeping up with UPS on the number of packages |
| D．delivery services are facing more and more pressure from online sales |
| A．the challenge online owners are faced with |
| B．the challenge ecommerce causes to traditional sales |
| C．the difference between online sales and traditional sales |
| D．the trouble that customers often meet when purchasing online |
7 . The Internet has opened up a whole new online world for us to meet, chat and go where we’ve never been before.
But just as in face to face communication，there are some rules of behavior that should be followed when online. The basic rule is simple: treat others in the same way you would want to be treated.
If someone in the chat room is rude to you, your instinct (本能) is to fire back in the same manner. But try not to do so.
It is not polite to ask others personal questions such as their age, sex and marital status.
| A．It’s natural that there some people who speak rudely or make mistakes online |
| B．Repeat the process till you feel sure that you’d feel comfortable saying the words to the person’s face |
| C．Everyone was new to the network once |
| D．Imagine how you’d feel if you were in the other person’s shoes |
| E．When you send short messages to a person online, you must say something beautiful to hear |
| F．You should either ignore the person, or use your chat software to block their messages |
| G．Unless you know the person very well, and you are both comfortable with sharing personal information |
I am a android. My owner is an eight-year-old boy.
His mother buys me from a store last month and
gave me to him for a birthday present. He likes me
very much, so I can do a lot of things. For example,
I can tell him stories and helps him with his homework.
When he feels alone, I play with him. However,
there was a problem now. He has become lazy.
He likes asking me questions instead thinking by himself.
I’m really worried about that. I do think he should
learn how to solve the problem on his own. Only in this way
will he really master what he has learnt.
9 . My Grandpa has arthritis (关节炎), and it’s getting harder and harder for him to do certain things.
When I was a little girl, my grandpa would play this game with me. He would tell me to hold out my hand, and in it he would place a shiny silver quarter. Wow, I thought I had the world sitting in my hand. He would tell me that if I could keep it away from him, I could have it. I knew that I couldn’t keep it away from him, but I would always try. Then he would tell me that if I could get it away from him, then he would give it back to me.
I remember feeling so small compared with him, and I also remember feeling embarrassed because I knew there was no way that I could get that quarter from him. But I tried. I would climb down from my chair, with defeat weighing heavily on my back.
“Bug?” he’d say.
“Ya Grandpa?” I’d reply, trying to sound as sad as possible.
“Here.”
There in his outstretched hand would be my quarter. It always ended the same. He would always hand it over. I always knew that I would have to wait until the game was over to get my quarter, because he had so much pride and self-worth that he couldn’t lose to a 4-year-old girl. After I grew up, when we played the game again, I never wanted to defeat him. I just wanted to be with him. I loved to hear him tell me what I did wrong, and how to get it right the next time, and I loved the pride in his voice.
1. In which order did the following things happen during the game?a. Grandpa placed a shining silver quarter in my hand.
b. Grandpa told me if I could get it away from him, I could keep it.
c. He gave the quarter over to me and I got it.
d. Grandpa told me if I could keep it away from him, I could keep it.
| A．a d b c | B．a b c d |
| C．a b d c | D．a c d b |
| A．the writer’s grandpa’s serious arthritis |
| B．the writer’s deep feeling for her Grandpa |
| C．games between the grandpa and the writer |
| D．grandpa’s success in all games |
| A．She couldn’t defeat her grandpa. |
| B．She liked to see his pride. |
| C．She didn’t want to shame her grandpa. |
| D．She was afraid that Grandpa wouldn’t play with her. |
10 . The Internet brings us many advantages.
With the Internet, people can send and receive e-mails. On the Internet, people can skim over news. Using the Telnet, the user anywhere on the Internet can log into any other machine on which he has an account. It is possible to use the FTP program to copy files from one machine on the Internet to another.
But the Internet also brings us troubles.
Internet use seems to cause a fall in psychological (心理的) health, according to research at Carnegie Mellon University. Even people who spent just a few hours a week on the Internet experienced more depression and loneliness than those who logged on less often, the two-year study showed. And it wasn’t that people who were already feeling bad spent more time on the Internet, but that using the Net actually seemed to cause the bad feelings.
Researchers are puzzling over the results, which were completely opposite to what they had expected. They expected that the Net would prove socially healthier than television, since the Net allows users to choose their information and to communicate with others.
The fact that Internet use reduces time used for family and friends may be the reason for the drop in health, researchers said. Faceless, bodiless “virtual” (虚拟的) communication may be less psychologically satisfying than actual conversations, and the relationships formed through it may not be so deep. Another possibility is that exposure to the wider world through the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives.
“But it’s important to remember this is not about the technology; it’s about how it is used,” said one of the researchers. “It really points to the need for considering social factors (因素) when you design new inventions.”
1. The writer mainly wants to tell us that _________.| A．the Internet can bring people many advantages |
| B．the Internet use may cause psychological problems |
| C．the Internet users are not satisfied with their lives |
| D．we shouldn’t use the Internet |
| A．Because the results were completely different from what they had thought. |
| B．Because the Net proved socially healthier than television. |
| C．Because the Internet users were all healthier. |
| D．Because the Internet users experienced less depression and loneliness. |
| A．Internet use reduces time used for family and friends. |
| B．Virtual communication is less psychologically satisfying than actual conversations. |
| C．Exposure to the wider world through the Net makes users less satisfied with their lives. |
| D．All the above. |
| A．Users anywhere on the Internet can log into any other machine. |
| B．The two-year study showed that using the Net seemed to cause the bad feelings. |
| C．People who are already feeling bad spend much more time on the Internet. |
| D．Relationships formed through the Internet are usually deep. |
| A．What matters is not the technology but how it is used. |
| B．This passage is not about the technology but about how it is used. |
| C．We should remember to learn about the technology. |
| D．We should remember to learn how to use computers. |
