题目内容
Being able to multitask---doing several things at the same time---is considered a welcome skill by most people. But if we consider the situation of the young people aged from eight to eighteen, we should think again.
What we often see nowadays is that young people juggle an ever larger number of electronic devices as they study. While working, they also surf on the Internet, send out emails, answer the telephone and listen to music on their iPods. In a sense, they are spending a significant amount of time in fruitless efforts as they multitask.
Multitasking is even changing the relationship between family members. As young people give so much attention to their own worlds, they seem to have no time to spend with the other people around them. They can no longer greet family members when they enter the house, nor can they eat at the family table.
Multitasking also affects young people’s performance at university and in the workplace. When asked about their opinion of the effect of modern gadgets on their performance of tasks, many young people gave a positive response. However, the response from the worlds of education and business was not quite as positive.
Educators feel that multitasking by children has a serious effect on later development of study skills. They believe that many college students now need help to improve their study skills. Similarly, employers feel that young people entering the job market need to be taught all over again, as modern gadgets have made it unnecessary for them to learn special skills to do their work.
1.What does the underlined word “juggle” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?
A.Want to buy. |
B.Take the place of. |
C.Use at the same time. |
D.Seek for information from. |
2.In Paragraph 3, the author points out that ________.
A.family members do not eat at the family table. |
B.family members do not greet each other. |
C.young people live happily in their families |
D.young people seldom talk with their family members |
3.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.multitasking is harmful to young people’s development. |
B.Young people benefit a lot from modern gadgets. |
C.Multitasking is an important skill to young people. |
D.Yong people must learn skills for future jobs. |
4.The author develops the passage mainly by ________.
A.providing typical examples |
B.following the natural time order |
C.comparing opinions from different fields |
D.presenting a cause and analyzing its effects |
1.C
2.D
3.A
4.D
【解析】略
While reading a story on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruiningg their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, certainly share their disappointment : my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we two are burdened by student loans(贷款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?
Consider some of these views shared in the story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.
I read that, and I thought what planet she is living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.
A 26-year-old in the story is disappointed that he can’t afford to get a Ph. D in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.
Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be increasing, Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments. “So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner.
This recession(经济衰退) will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful---for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day---than on longing for some kind of luxury life.
【小题1】. What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?
A.They expect everything to be easy for them. |
B.They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans. |
C.They are unwilling to face all of the challenges. |
D.They are burdened by student loans. |
A.baby production | B.pleasant | C.baby comfort | D.comfortable |
A.They can’t have children for at least a decade a decade to buy a house. |
B.They have only a one-bedroom apartment to live in. |
C.They can’t buy a house until 40 and are burdened by student loans. |
D.They despair at not being able to afford a PH. D in literature. |
A.Unbearable | B.Opposite | C.Doubtful | D.Understanding |
A.Young people afford to continue their study |
B.Young people can’t afford to buy a house |
C.Young people’s high hopes create despair |
D.The 20-somethings’ high expectations |
Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate.” But not all experts (专家) agree that this is a good idea.
One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer. David does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate.” David Tebbutt thinks Computertowns are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do, they find out.The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People don’t have to learn computer terms(术语), but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming “people-literate.”
1.Which of the following is David Tebbutt’s ides on the relationship between people and computers?
A.Computer learning should be made easier. |
B.There should be more computer clubs for experts. |
C.People should work harder to master computer use. |
D.Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them. |
2.We can infer from the text that “computer-lilerate” means_______.
A.being able to afford a computer |
B.being able to write computer programs |
C.working with the computer and finding out its value |
D.understanding the computer and knowing how to use it |
3.The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to the idea that Computertowns ___.
A.help to set up more computer clubs |
B.bring people to learn to use computers |
C.bring more experts to work together |
D.help to sell computers to the public |
4.David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of______.
A.making better use of computer expert |
B.improving computer programs |
C.increasing omputersales |
D.popularising computers |