NEW YORK (AP) — In a report, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have looked for information about themselves through Google or another search engine.

That is more than twice the 22 percent of users who did in 2002, but Pew senior research specialist Mary Madden was surprised that the growth wasn’t higher than it had been expected.

  “Yes it’s doubled, but it’s still the case that there’s a big chunk of Internet users who have never done this simple act of connecting their names with search engines,” she said. “Certainly more and more people have become aware of this, but I don’t know it’s necessarily kept pace with the amount of content we post about ourselves or what others post about us.”

About 60 percent of Internet users said they aren’t worried about the extent of information about themselves online, although they are increasingly concerned over how that data can be used.

Americans under 50 and those with more education and income were more likely to self-Google---in some cases because their jobs demand a certain online persona(形象).

Meanwhile, Pew found that 53 percent of adult Internet users admit to looking up information about someone else, famous people not included.

  Often, it’s to find someone they’ve lost touch with. But looking up information about friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbors also was common.

Although men and women equally searched for online information about themselves, women were slightly more likely to look up information about someone they are dating.

  In many cases, the search is not harmful, done to find someone’s contact information. But a third of those who have conducted searches on others have looked for public records, such as bankruptcies(破产) and divorce proceedings. A similar number have searched for someone else’s photo.

  Pew also found that teens were more likely than adults to limit the range of people who can see their information at an online hangout like Facebook or News Corp.’s MySpace, contrary to conventional wisdom.

  “Teens are more comfortable with the applications in some ways, (but) I also think they have their parents and teachers telling them to be very careful about what they post and who they share it with,” Madden said.

Mary Madden was surprised at the result that ______.

       A. fewer and fewer adult Internet users are looking for information about themselves

       B. the number of adult Internet users looking for information about themselves has doubled

       C. more adult Internet users should have looked for information about themselves

       D. so many people don’t know how to connect their names with search engines

According to the report some people haven’t looked for information about themselves because ______.

       A. they are not rich enough to get a computer

       B. they are not well educated

       C. they don’t know they can look for their own information on the Internet

       D. they think it unnecessary to look for their own information on the Internet

Which group of people are more likely to look for their own information on the Internet?

       A. Teens. B. Women.     C. The old.     D. The educated.

People look for others’ information on the Internet mainly to ______.

       A. see what they are doing    B. find someone they have lost touch with

       C. have a look at their photos       D. know their personal affairs


Rain was falling as my sister Jill and I ran out of the church, eager to get home and play with the   1  that Santa had left for us. Across the street was a gas station where the bus stopped. It was   2  for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing close to the locked door in an attempt to keep   3 .
We were on the way to our grandparents’ house for the Christmas dinner. We were approaching our destination(目的地)   4  my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, “I can’t   5  it! They are standing in the rain. They’ve got children. It’s Christmas. ”
When my father   6  the gas station, he rolled down his window. “Merry Christmas. You are waiting for the   7 ?” Father asked.
The man said that they were. They were going to Birmingham, where he had a brother and   8  of a job.
“Why don’t you all get in the car and I’ll   9  you up there. ”
After they settled in, Father looked back over his   0  and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Their sad faces gave him the   11 .
“Well, I didn’t think so,” my father said, “  12  when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having   13  finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys in my   14 . We’ll just   15  them first before I take you to your destination. ” All at once, the three children’s faces shone with   16 .
When we got out of the car at our house, the children   17  the front door and straight to the Christmas tree. One of the girls picked up Jill’s doll and   18  hugged it to her breast, and the other girl seized(抓住)something of mine.
All this happened many years ago, but the memory of it remains   19 . That was the Christmas when my sister and I learned the   20  of making others happy.

【小题1】
A.balls B.presents C.parcels D.trees
【小题2】
A.open B.familiar C.closed D.unexpected
【小题3】
A.clean B.energetic C.active D.dry
【小题4】
A.while B.when C.now that D.even if
【小题5】
A.understandB.admit C.deserve D.stand
【小题6】
A.pulled into B.drove away C.passed by D.looked at
【小题7】
A.truck B.brother C.bus D.driver
【小题8】
A.chances B.benefits C.emergenciesD.discoveries
【小题9】
A.show B.seek C.bring D.drive
【小题10】
A.window B.head C.shoulder D.children
【小题11】
A.sympathy B.answer C.problem D.belief
【小题12】
A.because B.though C.as if D.so
【小题13】
A.pleasure B.trouble C.confidence D.suffering
【小题14】
A.company B.car C.shop D.house
【小题15】
A.recognize B.buy C.fetch D.find
【小题16】
A.doubt B.disappointment C.curiosity D.excitement
【小题17】
A.ran through B.stared at C.watched outD.looked through
【小题18】
A.shyly B.immediately C.quietly D.slowly
【小题19】
A.sensitive B.worthwhile C.fresh D.weak
【小题20】
A.joy B.award C.patience D.attention

Skateboarding has become one of several non-traditional activities that PE teachers around America are introducing to inspire kids to exercise regularly. Some PE classes feature in-line(滚轮) skating, yoga, and even rock climbing. Experts have called those types of activities “the new PE”.
Such activities are part of a larger effort to help kids develop lifelong fitness habits and to keep them from becoming overweight. Now, 9 million U.S. children and teens are overweight. Obesity (肥胖) can lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease later in life.
"Our children and youth are becoming unhealthy and obese," says Johnson. "Skateboarding is a great activity that keeps kids doing physical movement and gives them new skills and interest."
Some schools don't allow skateboarding because they say it is dangerous. Tim, however, argues that regular practice eliminates a great deal of the danger. "We teach students how to do it and how to do it safely," he says.
Some people say skateboarding teaches life lessons. “Skateboarding teaches kids to believe that if they stick with something they will finally succeed. ”says education expert Richard Savor from College in Portland.
Skateboarding inspires kids not to give up in learning difficult skills. "It's natural for kids to want to learn and get better at things," adds Tim. "When it comes to skateboarding, they'll try a trick hundreds of times before they succeed." That same effort could be made in schoolwork.
Eric Brown agrees that skateboarding requires kids to stop saying a task is too hard for them. "A baby will attempt to walk 600 to 900 times before he or she is successful," says Eric, "We tell students that they shouldn't say 'I can't do it' unless they've tried 600 to 900 times.
72. Skateboarding is introduced into American schools to ______________.
A. encourage students to compete bravely in competition  
B. teach students how to deal with risk.
C. prevent students suffering from heart disease later in life.
D. help students form the habit of doing sports
73. The underlined word "eliminates" in Paragraph 4 probably means ______________.
A. reduces.         B. increases         C. adds        D. brings
74. What life lesson do kids learn from skateboarding?
A. To succeed in life you have to learn skateboarding.
B. You will succeed in life if you don't give up.
C. Only after failing 600 to 900 times can you succeed.
D. There is no hard work after learning skateboarding well.
75. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The dangerous PE            B. Skills of skateboarding.  C. The new PE.      D. The change of PE.

You hear the comment all the time: the U.S. economy looks good by figures, but it doesn’t feel good. Why doesn’t ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Wealthy Society by John Kenneth Galbraith, who died recently at 97.
The Wealthy Society is a modern classic because it helped describe a new moment in the human condition. For most of history, “hunger, sickness, and cold” threatened nearly everyone, Galbraith wrote. “Poverty (贫穷) was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours.” After World War II, the fear of another Great Depression gave way to an economic growth. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
To Galbraith, materialism (物质主义) had gone mad and would cause discontent. Through advertising, companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn’t really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unsatisfying. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people wrongly considered government only as “a necessary bad.”
It’s often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else is standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving rich — overpaid chief managers, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people’s incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, people feel “squeezed” because their rising incomes often don’t satisfy their rising wants — for bigger homes, more health care, more education, and faster Internet connections.
The other great disappointment is that it has not got rid of insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As company unemployment increased, that part has gradually become weaker. More workers fear they’ve become “the disposable American,” as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict resulted from poverty, the arrival of widespread wealth suggested utopian (乌托邦式的) possibilities. Up to a point, wealth succeeds. There is much less physical suffering than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, wealth also creates new complaints.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the search for growth cause new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Wealth sets free the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-accomplishment. But the promise is so unreasonable that it leads to many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown. Figures indicate that happiness has not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We’ve simply confirmed an old truth: the seeking of wealth does not always end with happiness.
【小题1】The Wealthy Society is a book ________.   

A.about poverty in the past
B.written by Louis Uchitelle
C.indicating that people are becoming worse off
D.about why happiness does not rise with wealth
【小题2】According to Galbraith, people feel discontented because ________.   
A.materialism has run wild in modern society
B.they are in fear of another Great Depression
C.public spending hasn’t been cut down as expected
D.the government has proved to be necessary but ugly
【小题3】Why do people feel“squeezed”when their average income rises considerably?  
A.They think there are too many overpaid rich.
B.There is more unemployment in modern society.
C.Their material demands go faster than their earnings.
D.Health care and educational cost have somehow gone out of control.
【小题4】What does Louis Uchitelle mean by “the disposable American” ?  
A.People with a stable job.
B.Workers who no longer have secure jobs.
C.Those who see job stability as part of their living standard.
D.People who have a sense of security because of their rising incomes.
【小题5】What has wealth brought to American society?   
A.Stability and security.
B.Materialism and content.
C.A sense of self-accomplishment.
D.New anxiety, conflicts and complaints.

WASHINGTON---Think you’re savvy about food safety? That you wash your hands well, scrub away germs, cook your meat properly?

Guess again.

Scientists put cameras in the kitchens of 100 families in Logan, Utah. What was caught on tape in this middle-class, well-educated college town suggests why food poisoning hits so many Americans.

People skipped soap when hand-washing. Used the same towel to wipe up raw meat juice as to dry their hands. Made a salad without washing the lettuce. Undercooked the meat loaf. One even tasted the marinade in which bacteria-ridden raw fish had soaked.

Not to mention the mom who handled raw chicken and then fixed her infant a bottle without washing her hands.

Or another mom who merely rinsed(冲洗) her baby’s juice bottle after it fell into raw eggs---no soap against the salmonella(沙门氏菌) that can lurk(潜伏) in eggs.

“Shocking,” was Utah State University nutritionist Janet Anderson’s reaction.

Specialists call this typical of the average U.S. household: Everybody commits at least some safety sins(罪恶) when they are hurried, distracted by fussy children or ringing phones, simply not thinking about germs. Even Anderson made changes in her kitchen after watching the tapes.

The Food and Drug Administration funded Anderson’s $50,000 study to detect how cooks slip up. The goal is to improve consumers’ knowledge of how to protect themselves from the food poisoning that strikes 76 million Americans each year.

“One of the great barriers in getting people to change is they think they’re doing such a good job already,” said FDA consumer research chief Alan Levy.

Surveys show most Americans blame restaurants for food-borne illnesses. Asked if they follow basic bacteria-fighting tips---listed on the Internet at www.fightbac.org---most insist they’re careful in their kitchens.

Levy says most food poisonings probably occur at home. The videotapes suggest why. People have no idea that they’re messing up, Anderson said. “You just go in the kitchen, and it’s something you don’t think about.”

She described preliminary(初步的) study results at a food meeting last week. Having promised the families anonymity, she didn’t show the tapes.

For $50 and free groceries, families agreed to be filmed. Their kitchens looked clean and presumably(perhaps) they were on their best behavior, but they didn’t know it was a safety study. Hoping to see real-life hygiene, scientists called the experiment “market research” on how people cooked a special recipe.

Scientists bought ingredients for a salad plus either Mexican meat loaf, marinaded halibut or herb-breaded chicken breasts with mustard sauce---recipes designed to catch safety slip-ups.

Cameras started rolling as the cooks put away the groceries.

There was mistake No. 1: Only a quarter stored raw meat and seafood on the refrigerator’s bottom shelf so other foods don’t get contaminated(污染) by dripping juices.

Mistake No. 2: Before starting to cook, only 45 percent washed their hands. Of those, 16 percent didn’t use soap. You’re supposed to wash hands often while cooking, especially after handling raw meat. But on average, each cook skipped seven times that Anderson said they should have washed. Only a third consistently used soap---many just rinsed and wiped their hands on a dish towel. That dish towel became Anderson’s nightmare. Using paper towels to clean up raw meat juice is safest. But dozens wiped the countertop(台面板) with that cloth dish towel---further spreading germs the next time they dried their hands.

Thirty percent didn’t wash the lettuce; others placed salad ingredients on meat-contaminated counters.

Scientists checked the finished meal with thermometers, and Anderson found “alarming” results: 35 percent who made the meat loaf undercooked it, 42 percent undercooked the chicken and 17 percent undercooked the fish.

Must you use a thermometer? Anderson says just because the meat isn’t pink doesn’t always mean it got hot enough to kill bacteria.

Anderson’s study found gaps in food-safety campaigns. FDA’s “Fight Bac” antibacterial program doesn’t stress washing vegetables. Levy calls those dirty dish towels troubling; expect more advice stressing paper towels.

Anderson’s main message: “If people would simply wash their hands and clean food surfaces after handling raw meat, so many of the errors would be taken care of.”

1.Where did this article most likely come from?

A.The Internet.       B.A newspaper.       C.A Textbook.        D.A brochure.

2. What is the purpose of Paragraphs 4 through 6?

A.To present the author’s opinion about the study.

B.To explain how the study was conducted.

C.To state the reason for the food safety study.

D.To describe things observed in the study.

3. What prevents many Americans practicing better food safety in their kitchen?

A.They don’t trust the Food and Drug Administration.

B.They’ve followed basic bacteria-fighting tips on the Internet.

C.They think they are being careful enough already.

D.They believe they are well-informed and well-educated enough.

4. Which of the following would prevent most cases of food poisoning in the home?

A.Washing hands and cleaning surfaces after handling raw meat.

B.Strictly following recipes and cooking meat long enough.

C.Storing raw meat on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator.

D.Using paper towels t clean up raw meat juice.

5. What is the main purpose of this article?

A.To discourage people from cooking so much meat at home.

B.To criticize the families who participated in the study.

C.To introduce the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety campaigns.

D.To report the results of a study about the causes of food poisoning.

 

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