It’s an ordinary morning,like all the others.But instead of being woken up by the buzzing of an alarm clock, you’ll be roused by the smell of freshly made coffee,light entering your room as the curtains open automatically,and a gentle back massage(按摩)provided by your high-tech bed.

This is what a typical(典型的) person's life will be like two decades from now,according to The Guardian. Want to know more?

After you get up, your apartment will be like an electronic orchestra with you as the conductor. With simple moves of your hand and spoken instructions, you’ll be able to control your apartment’s temperature, humidity, music and lighting. You’ll be able to look through the day’s news on translucent screens while your breakfast waits for you in the automatic oven.

As you move into your kitchen, you might accidentally hit your toe on a cupboard. If you do, you’ll grab your cell phone and open the diagnostics(诊断) app. Inside your phone there will be a tiny microchip(芯片) that uses X-ray waves to scan your body. The scan will tell whether your toe is bruised or broken.

After breakfast, your driverless car will take you to work. While you “drive”, your central computer system will suggest a list of chores(家务事) that your housekeeping robots can do that day and it will also remind you to buy a gift for your mother’s upcoming birthday.

As you can see, with the help of advanced technology, our lives will be more efficient(有效率的). Technology will mitigate our forgetfulness and free us of many small burdens that distract us, such as buying a ticket. Our brain will therefore be able to focus on more important things like preparing for a presentation or doing “deep thinking”.

However, the development of technology might have some disadvantages as well. By 2036, we’ll be relying heavily on the virtual(虚拟的) world, which will mean that all of our data will be stored in the cloud, a remote digital storage system with near limitless capacity(容量). That will increase the possibility of someone else accessing, sharing or manipulating(操控) our personal information.

1.What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To stress the importance of developing technology.

B. To remind people not to depend too much on computers.

C. To introduce one new invention that will benefit our future lives.

D. To describe how advanced technologies will affect our future lives.

2.According to the text, in two decades, ________.

A. you’ll be able to rely on an electronic orchestra to wake you up instead of an alarm clock

B. a tiny microchip in your phone will treat you when you are sick

C. you will be able to adjust the conditions of your apartment via oral instructions or simple hand gestures

D. technology will be smart enough to help us with important things like preparing for a presentation

3.What does the underlined word “mitigate” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A. Make up for. B. Worsen. C. Cure. D. Take advantage of.

World leaders from nearly 200 countries have signed an important historic agreement to fight global climate change. The agreement came after two weeks of talks between the leaders at the 21st Conference in Paris, France.

As part of the Paris agreement, countries said they would cut down on pollution However, according to the terms of the deal, countries that don’t do this will not be punished, or fined. Instead,the document is meant to show that governments around the world take climate change seriously and are willing to work together to fight global warming.

World leaders have met many times to discuss climate change. But, the 21st Conference of Parties, or COP21, which began on November 30 in Paris, was the first time they agreed on a global, legal pact (协定).

Before the conference, each nation was asked to create plans on how to reach the shared goal. The pact that was signed allows countries to decide the best way to cut down their gas pollution. No matter how they decide to go green, each country must report honestly on all of their efforts. Every five years, nations must look at the work they’ve done and submit new plans on how they will improve over the next five years.

In the pact, the countries pledge(承诺)to limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted(排放) by human activity to the levels that trees,soil and oceans can absorb naturally. It urges countries to spend trillions of dollars on creating new energy sources, like solar and wind power. It also requires countries to raise at least $ 100 billion each year to help developing countries.

However, critics of the pact say it is not detailed enough, and doesn’t include specifics about how the plan will be enforced and how improvements will be measured. The pact does include one large, specific goal: how countries will aim to keep global temperatures from rising more than 3. 60℉(20℃) by 2100.

Nonetheless,the agreement is considered by many world leaders to be a major victory. The U. N. has been working more than two decades to convince governments to work together to reduce man-made emissions.

“History will remember this day,” U. N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said. “The Paris agreement on climate change is a monumental success for the planet and its people.”

1.When was the legal pact probably passed?

A. On November 30. B. On December 4.

C. On December 8. D. On December 12.

2.According to the agreement, countries_________ .

A. have to give a yearly report about their work

B. will be published if they fail to reduce pollution

C. are required to ensure investment in fighting pollution

D. should try to reach the agreed standard in five years

3.What is each country required to do before the Paris conference?

A. Provide a work plan. B. Give an oral explanation.

C. Provide a large amount of money. D. Give a written assessment.

4.The pact is thought to be imperfect because_______.

A. it doesn’t consider developing countries

B. it is not detailed enough

C. it is not attractive to all countries

D. it only benefits some countries

This time last year I entered two long-distance mass-participation swimming events, including the Jubilee River 10 km swim. At the last minute, just before both swims, I decided to pull out. The reality is, I live in fear of coming last.

Last year, before the two events, I realized that I couldn’t deal with coming last. I had looked at the swim times of those who had completed the previous year and calculated that, at my current swim pace, I would probably have come last. I just couldn’t face it. But when next year came around, I decided to enter those same events again.

For a few months, I trained hard, but I didn’t get any faster. Then it was June 5, the day of the Jubilee River 10 km. The event started at 9:30 am, and the swimmers were anxious and eager to start. As I swam along, the river was quiet and clean and everything was peaceful. The sun shone, Meadows (草地)rolled by and every now and then someone would wave at the scene unfolding in the water.

As the day wore on, somehow I didn’t mind that, predictably, almost everyone was ahead. There were at least some swimmers still near me, and although we shared the same river we quietly occupied our own spaces. As I concentrated on doing my own thing, watching the sky, the bank, the other swimming caps passing or not passing, I realized I was enjoying myself.

In the end, four hours and 29 minutes after I’d started, I staggered (摇摇晃晃地走)out of the water and was greeted with a smile and a “well done” from the race organizer. I glanced back over my shoulder toward the water and noticed that there were a small handful of swimmers who were still to finish, behind me, out of a field of around 300 swimmers. But it didn’t matter. I was just relieved, proud and happy to finish.

As I drove away, my thoughts turned to my next long race of the season and how much I was looking forward to it, my fears of coming last gently receding(渐渐远去).

1.The author intended to quit swimming mainly because _______.

A. she feared that she couldn’t finish the two races

B. she was afraid that she would let family members down

C. she was unwilling to accept the possibility of finishing last

D. she didn’t fully prepared for the two races

2.The author hopes to convey the message that ______.

A. never give up when facing challenges

B. it is process that matters most

C. failure is the mother of success

D. winners always take it all

3.What did the underlined sentence mean in the fifth paragraph?

A. She took pride in leaving all the other swimmers behind

B. She was proud that she was not the last one in the race

C. She was glad to finish the race and had a sense of relief

D. She was proud to be praised by the organizer

4.It can be inferred from the end that the author is likely to _______.

A. participate in another race without any hesitation

B. analyze the reason why she failed in the race

C. lose confidence completely

D. decide whether she is suitable for the race

How to keep a nearly lost friendship alive

There are times when a friendship has to go through huge tests. It is a battle between staying together and moving away from each other. 1.More often than not, it is pride that destroys a friendship.

Relax your pride. This is easy to say, but very difficult to do. You may ask yourself, “Why should I say sorry when he does not show any regret for what he has done?”

2.If you find yourself saying any of these things, you should understand that it is your pride talking. Allowing your pride to control your feelings will leave you bitter and confused.

Talk about the problem. Face the problem calmly. 3. it may sound silly, but it could certainly heal the wounds that you have caused each other. If you avoid facing the problem, your pain will only grow. Remember, you want to keep the friendship and not worsen the problem.

Laugh about it. 4. After some time, when both of you have become calm and renewed your confidence in each other, go back to the time when you had nearly fallen apart. Laugh about your foolishness, and promise to never let pride take over your friendship.

Friendship is a valuable thing. 5.Rapport(融洽的关系)is what creates a friendship. Love, understanding, acceptance and forgiveness are what lead to a long-lasting friendship.

A. Try to save your friendship.

B. It cannot be bought or demanded.

C. It is often said that laughter is the best medicine.

D. Do not wait for the other person to make the first move.

E. There are many complex reasons why a friendship falls out.

F. Write a letter and read it out loud to the other person.

G. You may also say, “I have not done anything wrong, and I don’t want to say sorry.”

Senior citizens are permitted to travel cheaply on a bus if they have a special card. Women may get cards when they are sixty.

Mrs. Matthews lives in the country but she went into town once a week to buy food and other things for the house, and she usually went by bus. She always had to pay the full price for her ride.

Then she reached the age of sixty and got her senior citizen’s card, but when she used it for the first time on the bus, it made her feel very old.

The bus driver had often seen her traveling on the bus before, and he notices that she was feeling unhappy, so after she had paid her money, he winked(眨眼)at her and whispered, “Don’t forget to give your mother’s card back to her when you see her again.”

Mrs. Matthews was very happy when she heard this.

1.Senior citizens in the story refer to ________.

A. those who have special cards

B. old people with special cards

C. those who want to travel cheaply

D. people holding high positions

2.Women over sixty________.

A. have to pay their special card

B. don’t have to pay for taking buses

C. have to pay the full price for their ride

D. pay less for their ride if they have a special card

3.How often does Mrs. Matthews go to the town?

A. twice a week B. once a year C. every other week D. once a week

4.Mrs. Matthews felt unhappy on the bus because ________.

A. she still had to pay for the tide B. the card wasn’t hers

C. she felt she was now an old woman D. the driver whispered to her

5.The driver whispered to Mrs. Matthews because _________.

A. he hoped to make her feel younger

B. he knew her mother was still alive

C. she did not pay money for taking the bus

D. she shouldn’t have used her mother’s card

Half off usually unaffordable products? Only $49.99 for that $100.00 dinner? That’s the magic of Groupon, but for some small business owners the “great business” offered by Groupon can be equal to the kiss of death. How could that occur?

The math of Groupon seems simple at a glance, but upon further inspection the numbers don’t add up when it comes to smaller businesses. A Groupon typically offers a 50% discount on a product or service, then the remaining profit is divided between Groupon and the small business. While Groupon has already received the profit in advance, the merchant is left waiting for their cut. Those worrying numbers are assuming the price cut is 50/50, which, in some cases, is being generous.

When you break it down to numbers, a Groupon deal seems disastrous, but it’s not only the numbers small business owners have to worry about. The point of Groupon deals is to attract new and hopefully long term customers. Yet, does this actually happen? The majority of consumers buying the Groupon are there for the bargain and don’t return after using their Groupon. CFHS Junior Angelita Pope stated, “I love the deals offered by Groupon! They can really save you so much money.” However, she went on to say that she hadn’t returned once to any of the businesses after using her Groupon.

For some small businesses, the pressure lies with the responses of their loyal customers, who watch as new faces get the same product or service for half the price that they have been paying for years. When you break it down, Groupon indicates that the business offering the deal is not only willing to be flexible with their price, but also that their product or service isn’t worth the price they’re charging for. When combining these factors, it’s no wonder loyal customers are put off by the idea of their favorite shop offering Groupons.

Now I by no means say Groupon have bad effects on all businesses; however the storm of Groupon is actually a disaster for a small business.

1.What is good about Groupon?

A. It can offer a large discount.

B. It helps add up the numbers.

C. It can improve the quality of the product.

D. It brings small business owners more profit.

2.CFHS Junior Angelita Pope’s statement suggests that _______.

A. small business owners needn’t worry about deals

B. people like using Groupon in the same business

C. the purpose of Groupon is to promote business

D. Groupon may not bring customers back

3.What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. New faces. B. Loyal customers.

C. Groupon dealers. D. Small businesses.

4.What could be the best title for the text?

A. A new business trend—Groupon dealing

B. The development of a Groupon company

C. The effects of Groupon on small businesses

D. A fantastic shopping experience—Groupon

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