1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did the program say about the life in the future?| A．People’s way of consumption will change. |
| B．More supermarkets will come into existence. |
| C．More free time will be available for people. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Dismissive. |
2 . Myspace launched in September 2003. Friendster gave inspiration to the founders of Myspace, and the social network officially went live on the web in January 2004. After its first month online, over one million people signed up. By November 2004, that number grew to 5 million. By 2006, Myspace was visited more times than Google Search and Yahoo, becoming the most visited website in the United States. In June of that year, Myspace was reportedly responsible for nearly 80 percent of all social media traffic.
As explosive as Myspace was, it paled in comparison to how quickly Facebook grew into the internet giant it is today. In April 2008, both Facebook and Myspace attracted 115 million unique global visitors per month, with Myspace still winning in the U. S. alone. In December 2008, Myspace experienced peak (顶峰) U. S. traffic with 75. 9 million unique visitors. As Facebook grew, Myspace sustain a series of downsizing and redesigns as it tried to redefine itself as a social entertainment network. It was estimated (估价) in March 2011 that the site had dropped from attracting 95 million to 63 million unique visitors within the past year.
Although several factors triggered Myspace’s fall, one argument held that the company never figured out how to innovate well enough to keep up with the competition. Officially, however, Myspace is far from dead. If you go to myspace.com, you’ll see that it is very much still alive, though it has mostly transitioned away from social networking to become a site for planning music and entertainment. As of 2019, the site boasted over 7 million monthly visits. On Myspace’s front page, you’ll find a variety of entertainment news stories not just about music, but also movies, sports, food, and other cultural topics. Profiles are still a central feature of the social network, but users are encouraged to share their own music, videos, photos, and even concert events.
1. How long has it taken Myspace to become the most visited website in America since its establishment?| A．About 2 years. | B．About 3 years. |
| C．About 5 years. | D．About 8 years. |
| A．adapted | B．acquired | C．challenged | D．experienced |
| A．Lack of improvement. | B．Too much competition. |
| C．Unclear business positioning. | D．Cutting down too many workers. |
| A．Profiles. | B．Social networking. |
| C．Entertainment news. | D．Music and entertainment. |
3 . One morning soon, you’ll get on your bike and ride from one end of America to the other, because the Great American Rail Trail is 53% complete, making a cross-country bike ride closer to a reality.
The idea of a bike trail(小路) made up of scenic paths, trails and former rail lines from Washington DC to Washington State has been 30 years in the making. Now, with more than 50% of the trail up and running, the project, run by the Rails to Trails in cooperation with local authorities, is building up, with hundreds of miles of trails in development now. Though not entirely complete, the rail trail has drawn people of all types.
Last August, Ryan Gardill and a colleague biked 350 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. Their travels took them through some beautiful and historical parts of the American East. “The trail connected me to our revolutionary and industrial history. Most of the towns on the trail were once important to America.”
The major goal of the trail is to provide the American public with the opportunity to explore their beautiful country, without getting in their car. A secondary objective is to bring prosperity(繁荣) back to the small towns and cities that once prospered along the country’s now diminished rail system, according to National Geographic.
One of these is Muncie, Indiana, a city located on a former rail system and a part of the Rail Trail. The city is already seeing the economic benefits of the trail. “A large majority of our customers are local, but the Rail Trail could help grow tourism,” said Jason Allardt, owner of the historic Kirk’s Bike Shop.
This is the hope for many once-prosperous towns and cities all throughout America, though it may take nearly 20 years to get the entire trail up and running.
1. What has made the trail attractive to people?| A．It’s a bike trail with good scenery. | B．It’s a rail line across the country. |
| C．It offers good adventurous paths. | D．Its construction lasted 30 years. |
| A．They were the basic part of the U.S. railways. |
| B．They are mostly located in the mountains. |
| C．They enjoy great popularity as destinations. |
| D．They’re no longer important towns in America. |
| A．Enlarged. | B．Protected. | C．Decreased. | D．Destroyed. |
| A．The Trail will link its scenery to the outside. | B．The Trail will help its economic recovery. |
| C．It has bike paths designed for local citizens. | D．The railway has brought about its prosperity. |
Cash is king, or so they say. In one form or another, human beings have been carrying around money for hundreds of years. Metal was first coined into cash between 700 and 600 BC by the Lydians, and banknotes have been in circulation since
5 . THE TIME MACHINE
It was at ten o'clock today that the first of all Time Machines began its career. I gave it a last check, and sat myself in the leather seat. I pushed the starting lever (操纵杆) on the main panel forwards an inch then immediately backwards again. Looking around, I saw my laboratory exactly as before. Had anything happened? I thought my mind had tricked me. Then I saw the clock. A moment before, it was a minute or so past ten; now it nearly half past three!
I drew a breath, gripped(紧握) the lever and pushed it forwards. The laboratory went hazy around me. My niece came in to fetch something, maybe her handkerchief, apparently without seeing me. It probably took her a minute, but to me she moved like a rocket! I pushed the lever further. Night came as if a lamp was being turned out, and in another moment came the day. Tomorrow night came, then skipped to day, again and again, faster and faster still.
It is hard to explain the strange and unpleasant feeling of time travelling. It felt like I was being driven fast on a winding road. As my pace grew faster, the walls of the laboratory fell away, and I was left in the open air. The sun and moon looked as if they were being thrown across the sky, but soon there was division between night and day. Around me I saw trees growing like puffs of smoke; they grew, spread, and died in moments. I saw huge buildings rise up, then disappear like in a dream. The whole surface of the earth was being changed, melting and flowing before my eyes. I calculated that I was being pushed through time at hundreds of years a minute.
I had a strong urge to look at the random things that were being flashed before my eyes! I had thought about the risk of stopping the Time Machine many times. So long as I travelled at maximum speed, it didn't matter. But if I stopped and the same space was being occupied by something else, we would be forced together and explode like a bomb! Like an impatient fool, I pulled the lever backwards hard. With a sudden jolt, the Time Machine was flipped on its side, and I was thrown through the air.
I was stunned for a moment, and then heard the sound of thunder. I was sitting in the rain in some mud next to the machine. “A fine welcome,” I said, “for a man who has travelled thousands of years to be here!”
(Adapted from the novel The Time Machine written by H.G.Wells, a novelist famous for the science fiction)
1. How does the Time Traveller first know he has travelled through time?| A．He saw the clock move forward. |
| B．He noticed the tomorrow night came. |
| C．He spotted his niece moving like a rocket. |
| D．He was being driven fast on a winding road. |
| A．Doubtful and depressed. | B．Safe and happy. |
| C．Strange and unpleasant. | D．Excited and joyful. |
| A．Because he would be forced together with something else and explode like a bomb. |
| B．Because he was being pushed through time at hundreds of years a minute. |
| C．Because some random things would be flashed before his eyes. |
| D．Because the same space would be destroyed by something else. |
| A．On a winding road. | B．In some mud in the rain. |
| C．In the muddy leather seat. | D．Along the walls of the laboratory. |
6 . Created from natural materials such as mulberry leaves and bamboo, the earliest umbrella in China was used to protect themselves from dangers. Sometime in 1st century BC, first paper umbrellas appeared and they very quickly found their way to the hands of wealthy females who by then accepted the sun-shade umbrella as a necessary part of their fashion accessory (配件) like animals’ skin and fur. Even though carefully produced and delicate umbrellas from paper and silk weighed only few hundred grams, they were capable of protecting their bearers from the rain because of the special process of applying oil on their cover.
Because of their shortage and high cost, umbrellas quickly became a symbol of power in China and surrounding Asian countries. To differentiate themselves from the rest of the population, Chinese royal members carried only red or yellow umbrellas, while the rest used blue ones. As the centuries went on, the cost of Chinese umbrellas went down, which enabled them to be used by general population and even males. Personal use was not the only application for umbrellas, and many creative designs were introduced even as early as 3rd century AD.
Surrounding countries adopted the umbrella into their tradition, often showing beautiful designs and artwork with great pride, especially by royal members in Korea, Burma and Siam. Travelers from the West soon carried Chinese umbrellas to continental Europe which was just exiting Dark Ages and was eager to adopt new fashion from distant lands. Umbrellas soon took over the female nobility (贵族) in Italy, France and England, where they managed to slowly evolve umbrellas into the general accessory that is used by everyone today.
Even though modern plastic umbrellas represent the majority of worldwide sales, traditional Chinese umbrellas are still respected by many. They are always in great demand. Fujian and Hunan Provinces are still making millions of them every year and the most respected Hangzhou-style umbrellas are now known for their quality and beauty.
1. Why did people carry different umbrellas in China?| A．To follow new fashion then. |
| B．To indicate their social positon. |
| C．To show inequality of different sexes. |
| D．To advertise various styles of umbrellas. |
| A．They lack practical functions. |
| B．They have declined in sales for years. |
| C．They remain popular among people. |
| D．They will replace plastic umbrellas. |
| A．The history of umbrellas. |
| B．The popularity of umbrellas. |
| C．The various designs of umbrellas. |
| D．The major functions of umbrellas. |
