1 . When almost everyone has a mobile phone, why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline (座机)?
These days you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesn’t own a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere, anytime.
Still, 55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter (29%) rely only on their smartphones according to a survey (调查). Of those Australians who still have a landline, a third concede that it’s not really necessary and they’re keeping it as a security blanket — 19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.
More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone. Age is naturally a factor (因素)— only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers who’ve perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. Age isn’t the only factor; I’d say it’s also to do with the makeup of your household.
Generation Xers with young families, like my wife and I, can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said, to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents, to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone (using Caller ID would take the fun out of it).
How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries?
1. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones?A.Their target users. | B.Their wide popularity. |
C.Their major functions. | D.Their complex design. |
A.Admit. | B.Argue. |
C.Remember. | D.Remark. |
A.They like smartphone games. | B.They enjoy guessing callers’ identity. |
C.They keep using landline phones. | D.They are attached to their family. |
A.It remains a family necessity. |
B.It will fall out of use some day. |
C.It may increase daily expenses. |
D.It is as important as the gas light. |
A.Jennifer. | B.Suzy. | C.Marie. |
3 . Simply saying thank you doesn’t seem enough in certain situations. I was considering this while working as a
My thoughts were soon
She was
And there you have it. To many people,
A.cleaner | B.chemist | C.nurse | D.doctor |
A.grades | B.meanings | C.needs | D.expectations |
A.brushed aside | B.put to the test | C.brought under discussion | D.taken into account |
A.departing | B.escaping | C.retiring | D.recovering |
A.attempting | B.choosing | C.pausing | D.promising |
A.eventually | B.fortunately | C.casually | D.secretly |
A.assessing | B.requiring | C.forming | D.proving |
A.slightly | B.accidentally | C.slowly | D.happily |
A.grateful | B.thoughtful | C.sorrowful | D.fearful |
A.surprise | B.delight | C.curiosity | D.disappointment |
A.operating | B.thinking | C.hesitating | D.leaving |
A.sorry | B.hello | C.goodbye | D.yes |
A.reached | B.consulted | C.introduced | D.persuaded |
A.wished | B.pretended | C.failed | D.refused |
A.enjoying | B.doing | C.securing | D.starting |
A.repeated | B.recited | C.replied | D.reported |
A.courage | B.patience | C.duty | D.care |
A.goal | B.given | C.push | D.greeting |
A.risking | B.changing | C.saving | D.building |
A.honour | B.ability | C.opening | D.extra |
4 . During an interview for one of my books, my interviewer said something I still think about often. Annoyed by the level of distraction (干扰) in his open office, he said, “That’s why I have a membership at the coworking space across the street — so I can focus”. His comment struck me as strange. After all, coworking spaces also typically use an open office layout (布局). But I recently came across a study that shows why his approach works.
The researchers examined various levels of noise on participants as they completed tests of creative thinking. They were randomly divided into four groups and exposed to various noise levels in the background, from total silence to 50 decibels (分贝), 70 decibels, and 85 decibels. The differences between most of the groups were statistically insignificant; however, the participants in the 70 decibels group — those exposed to a level of noise similar to background chatter in a coffee shop — significantly outperformed the other groups. Since the effects were small, this may suggest that our creative thinking does not differ that much in response to total silence and 85 decibels of background noise.
But since the results at 70 decibels were significant, the study also suggests that the right level of background noise — not too loud and not total silence — may actually improve one’s creative thinking ability. The right level of background noise may interrupt our normal patterns of thinking just enough to allow our imaginations to wander, without making it impossible to focus. This kind of “distracted focus” appears to be the best state for working on creative tasks.
So why do so many of us hate our open offices? The problem may be that, in our offices, we can’t stop ourselves from getting drawn into others’ conversations while we’re trying to focus. Indeed, the researchers found that face-to-face interactions and conversations affect the creative process, and yet a coworking space or a coffee shop provides a certain level of noise while also providing freedom from interruptions.
1. Why does the interviewer prefer a coworking space?A.It helps him concentrate. | B.It blocks out background noise. |
C.It has a pleasant atmosphere. | D.It encourages face-to-face interactions. |
A.Total silence. | B.50 decibels | C.70 decibels. | D.85 decibels. |
A.Personal privacy unprotected. | B.Limited working space. |
C.Restrictions on group discussion. | D.Constant interruptions. |
A.He’s a news reporter. |
B.He’s an office manager. |
C.He’s a professional designer. |
D.He’s a published writer. |
5 . Swap, Don’t shop!
You keep hearing about recycling, right? But it doesn’t end with bottles, cans, and paper. Clothing takes a huge amount of natural resources(资源)to make, and buying loads of new clothing(or throwing out old clothing)is not healthy for the environment. So what to do with all those perfectly-good-but-you’re-maybe-a-little-sick-of-them clothes piled on your bedroom floor?
A successful swap depends on the selection of clothes, the organization of the event, and, obviously, how much fun is had. It’s really easy to do! Here are a few pointers.
●Invite 5—10 people so you have a nice selection.
●
●Put different types of clothing on different surfaces in the room.
●Set a starting time. Maybe you say “go,” or turn on a certain song, or whatever.
A.Less people than that |
B.Hold a clothing swap |
C.If two people are competing |
D.Just keep music playing throughout |
E.Donate whatever clothes are left over |
F.Have everyone put their clothes in the right spots |
G.Tell everyone to bring clean clothes in good condition |
6 . Over the past 38 years, Mr. Wang has pretended to be someone else many times,and has even learned to
The 60-year-old is not an actor, but a
In the 1990s, a group of thieves often sold stolen goods with the help of some beggars. To look into the
“I often
Wang, who is often in
Wang's
A.teach | B.compare | C.assess | D.speak |
A.lawyer | B.doctor | C.policeman | D.businessman |
A.role | B.study | C.family | D.audience |
A.minor | B.case | C.future | D.question |
A.interviewed | B.joined | C.arrested | D.assisted |
A.challenge | B.experience | C.appearance | D.freedom |
A.vote | B.sympathy | C.permission | D.trust |
A.invited | B.forced | C.helped | D.expected |
A.drunk | B.deserted | C.bored | D.lost |
A.guide | B.persuade | C.excuse | D.allow |
A.refer to | B.note down | C.ask about | D.miss out |
A.plan | B.agreement | C.direction | D.information |
A.awkward | B.dangerous | C.unfortunate | D.strange |
A.separate | B.recover | C.escape | D.hear |
A.courage | B.honesty | C.kindness | D.optimism |
7 . When I was 9, we packed up our home in Los Angeles and arrived at Heathrow, London on a gray January morning. Everyone in the family settled quickly into the city except me. Without my beloved beaches and endless blue—sky days, I felt at a loss and out of place. Until I made a discovery.
Southbank, at an eastern bend in the Thames, is the center of British skateboarding, where the continuous crashing of skateboards left your head ringing .I loved it. I soon made friends with the local skaters. We spoke our own language. And my favorite: Safe. Safe meant cool. It meant hello. It meant don’t worry about it. Once, when trying a certain trick on the beam(横杆), I fell onto the stones, damaging a nerve in my hand, and Toby came over, helping me up: Safe, man. Safe. A few minutes later, when I landed the trick, my friends beat their boards loud, shouting: “ Safe! Safe! Safe!” And that’s what mattered—landing tricks, being a good skater.
When I was 15, my family moved to Washington. I tried skateboarding there, but the locals were far less welcoming. Within a couple of years, I’d given it up.
When I returned to London in 2004, I found myself wandering down to Southbank, spending hours there. I’ve traveled back several times since, most recently this past spring. The day was cold but clear: tourists and Londoners stopped to watch the skaters. Weaving(穿梭)among the kids who rushed by on their boards, I found my way to the beam. Then a rail—thin teenager, in a baggy white T—shirt, skidded(滑)up to the beam. He sat next to me. He seemed not to notice the man next to him. But soon I caught a few of his glances. “I was a local here 20 years ago,” I told him. Then, slowly, he began to nod his head. “Safe, man. Safe.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Safe.”
1. What can we learn about the author soon after he moved to London?A.He felt disappointed. | B.He gave up his hobby. |
C.He liked the weather there. | D.He had disagreements with his family. |
A.Be careful! | B.Well done! | C.No way! | D.Don’t worry! |
A.To join the skateboarding. | B.To make new friends. |
C.To learn more tricks. | D.To relive his childhood days |
A.Children should learn a second language. |
B.Sport is necessary for children’s health. |
C.Children need a sense of belonging |
D.Seeing the world is a must for children. |
1. 分析优势与不足;
2. 提出学习建议。
注意:
1. 词数100左右;
2. 题目和首句已为你写好。
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9 . Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding (繁育) programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf (犀牛幼崽). When the tiny creature arrived on January 31, she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity (圈养).
Paul Beer, head of rhino section at Port Lympne, said: “Obviously we’re all absolutely delighted to welcome another calf to our black rhino family. She’s healthy, strong and already eager to play and explore. Her mother, Solio, is a first-time mum and she is doing a fantastic job. It’s still a little too cold for them to go out into the open, but as soon as the weather warms up, I have no doubt that the little one will be out and about exploring and playing every day.”
The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild. The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global black rhino population has dropped as low as 5500, giving the rhinos a “critically endangered” status.
1. Which of the following best describes the breeding programme?A.Costly. | B.Controversial. | C.Ambitious. | D.Successful. |
A.She loves staying with her mother. | B.She dislikes outdoor activities. |
C.She is in good condition | D.She is sensitive to heat. |
A.They had their first born in January. | B.They enjoyed exploring new places |
C.They lived with their grandmothers. | D.They were brought to the reserve young |
A.The rhino section will be open to the public. |
B.It aims to control the number of the animals. |
C.It will continue to work with the World Wildlife Fund. |
D.Some of its rhinos may be sent to the protected wild areas. |
I've always loved the ocean. In the
I decided to do something
One day, I saw a commercial for a health-care company. People in the ad were using plastic straws (吸管). I found the contact information of the company
I kept going. Whenever I heard of businesses using plastic, I'd send an email. One of the biggest companies I wrote to