Miss sending letters? Try Lettrs! This new service brings back the art of letter writing by marrying it to the Internet.

Lettrs, a new site, is attempting to bring back the old-fashioned idea of letter writing by providing a space that feels a little bit like a writing desk.

Of course, there’ll be purists who say that to truly enjoy letter writing you must do it on fancy letter paper and envelope in the mail is part of the fun. And if you’re into that sort of thing, go for it. But I can’t be the only one who is now so much faster at typing that writing by hand is painfully slow. Nor can I be the only one who likes to write on a whim (一时兴起) when I’m going to be on a crowded train or airplane, both of which are situations where writing on the computer is far easier.

The site tries, pretty seriously, to approximate(接近) what it’s like to have your very own writing desk and paper to choose from (which comes in various prints and colors) as well as corresponding(通信)types of prints and cursive writing (草写体) that come out on your screen as you write. There’s also a “desk drawer” for letters you’ve already sent, a “fridge” to post letters publicly, a “kitchen counter” for letters you have just received, and “shoebox” to store your letters in.

And if you need inspiration there are even old-style letters that are great examples of the kind of correspondence people used to send. Lettrs is such a great idea, because you get the best parts of communicating online (typing rather than writing, the speed, no lost mail, and it’s free! ) with the nice parts of a letter-the sense of sitting down to write, quietly, to one person in a meaningful way.

Who would you write to?

1.How does Lettrs work according to the text?

A. By providing real paper for letter writers.

B. By making room for people to write letters.

C. By supplying writing desks to letter writers.

D. By combining letter writing with the Internet.

2.It can be inferred from the text that the author_________.

A. is one of the purists

B. prefers writing to typing

C. always hopes to get paper letters

D. likes using Lettrs to write letters

3.A Lettrs user can find a newly received letter in or on a“_________”.

A. desk drawer B. fridge

C. kitchen counter D. shoebox

4.What is the main purpose of the author writing the text?

A. To advise readers to use Lettrs.

B. To tell readers how to write letters.

C. To persuade readers to write letters.

D. To show the advantage of the Internet.

5.What is the text mainly about?

A. An old art of letter writing.

B. A new service of letter writing.

C. The advantages of letter writing.

D. The development of letter writing.

A recent report found 46% of parents agreed that their child knew more about the Internet than they did. And now new research shows parents are turning to their children for lessons in technology.

The new study of around 1,000 parents showed that 67% of parents have asked their teenager children for technology-related advice. 44% have asked their teenager for help using the Internet, and 41% have received teen advice about how to use the TV or home entertainment system.

Ahad Surooprajally, a father of five children, says his children help him with technology in the home. “They’ve grown up surrounded by technology,” he explains. “We have four computers and four iPads in our house. If I want to know something technical they're the ones I go to.”

He says his nine-year-old son Habeeb is the only person in the house who really understands the TV. So he tells Habeeb which film he wants to watch and Habeeb connects his mobile phone to the TV. “You teach your kids everyday life lessons, but the tables are turned when it comes to technology,” says Ahad.

As well as learning how to use technology properly, there is another advantage of parents asking their children to help them understand the digital world. They may be able to get a better understanding of what their kids are doing online.

Will Gardner of the charity Childnet International says, “We have to continuously encourage parents to find out more about what their children are doing online. If the kids are using a social networking site, get them to show you around it if you are not using it already.”

1.What do we know about the new study?

A. Few parents trust their children to give them advice.

B. About half of the parents have no idea how to use a computer.

C. Most teenagers know more about the Internet than their parents.

D. Over two-thirds of parents turned to their teenagers on tech matters.

2.What does the underlined part “the tables are turned” probably mean?

A. The duty is carried out.

B. The situation is changed.

C. The pleasure will increase.

D. The difficulty becomes less.

3.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Internet: Open to our kids too early

B. Children: Parents' technology advisors

C. Parents: Confused by new technology

D. Technology: Challenge for everyone

Climbing Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, just became more challenging. The government of Nepal is telling climbers they cannot leave rubbish on the trails (山径). Each climber will have to come down the mountain with at least 18 pounds of garbage. That’s the average amount of rubbish a climber leaves behind on Everest.

Officials say climbers are responsible for their own rubbish. “We are not asking climbers to pick up rubbish left by someone else,” said Maddhu Sudan Burlakoti, who works for the Nepal Tourism Ministry. “We just want them to bring back what they took up.”

More than 4,000 people have reached the 29,035-foot mountain top in the past 60 years. Leaving rubbish along the way helps climbers keep their bags light so they have energy to reach the top. “The rubbish problem in Mount Everest is not new,” Burlakoti says. “When the people started to climb the mountain, they started to leave their garbage there.” They have left behind cans, tents, food wrappers, and equipment. Last year, climbers carried down a total of four tons of rubbish.

The new rule came into effect in April of 2014. To make sure it is followed, climbers will have to deposit money before the climb. Once they climb back down the mountain, officials will check climbers at a return camp to make sure they have the required 18 pounds of rubbish. If they do, their money will be returned to them. If they do not, climbers will not receive their deposit and they will not be given a permit the next time they want to climb Everest.

The goal is to make sure no more litter will be left on Everest, which has earned the nickname (绰号) the World’s Highest Dustbin. “As we offer Mount Everest to all the people of the world they should take responsibility to clean it,” Burlakoti says, “After seeing the results from this, we will extend this rule to other mountains also.”

1.What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A. Mount Everest is suffering white pollution.

B. A new rule was made to punish climbers.

C. Climbers were asked to clean up after themselves.

D. Mountains of garbage are left behind by climbers.

2.Why was a new rule made?

A. The rubbish problem there suddenly became serious.

B. Mount Everest was considered to be a big dustbin.

C. Climbers produced four tons of rubbish last year.

D. The number of climbers there was beyond control.

3.We can learn from Paragraph 4 that _____.

A. the new rule was once discussed in April of 2014

B. those who deposit money first will not be punished

C. all climbers are advised to take rubbish down

D. measures are taken to make sure the rule is followed

4.What can be inferred from what Burlakoti says?

A. The rule is being successfully carried out.

B. The rule is not effective as expected.

C. The effect of the rule remains to be seen.

D. The rule will be applied to other mountains.

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