In many parts of the world cars play an essential role in daily life and many societies would stop to function without them. So the claim that in 20 years’ time no one will own cars may be hard to believe. But this is the prediction made by a team of transport researchers who are taken seriously not only by governments but also by car manufacturers.

The Human Science and Advanced Technology Institute at Loughborough in the UK is part of an international research program. The team there believes that by 2020 all cars will be computerized, which will mean extremely large fuel savings, no accidents and better use of roads. The super-intelligent car of the 21st century will drive itself and it will not be owned by on individual. Instead, we will have a choice of cars and change them as frequently as we change our clothing.

According to Dr. David Davis, who leads the research team, these predictions are based on the rising cost of the car culture ,which had blocked up our cities, polluted our air and caused more deaths than both world wars put together.

Davis says cars will be fitted with intelligent cruise control devices to regulate the distance between one car and another. Brakes and accelerators (加速器) will become redundant(多余的) because the car will automatically speed up or slow down to match the speed of the car in front. Computers are much safer drivers than people, so cars in a road train will be able to drive much closer together than cars driven by people.

By 2010 Dr. David Davis believes car technology will give motorists a clear view of the road whatever the weather conditions by projecting an image of the road ahead onto the car’s windscreen. And by 2020 cars will travel in convoy linked to each other electronically. Cars will be connected by an electronic tow(牵引) bar to the car in front to form “road-trains”. “The front vehicle in such a train burns the ordinary fuel” says Davis. “But all the others in the train would burn about ten percent of the normal amount and so produce about ten percent of the pollution.

We know from the passage that governments and car manufactures ________.

   A. don’t believe the prediction that no one will own cars by 2020.

   B. are devoted to the technological innovation (创新) in car industry.

   C. consider the predictions made by the researchers seriously.

   D. have put the super-intelligent car into mass production.

Which of the following will NOT be the characteristics of the cars of 2020 ?

   A. There will be no brake and accelerator in cars.

   B. We will own as many cars as we want .

   C. All cars will be driven by computers.

   D. Car accident will no longer happen.

The expression closest in meaning to the underlined phrase “ in convoy”(Para 5) is ______.

   A. in line B. sidelong C. side by side D. next to one another

What will happen if cars are linked to each other electronically in 2020 ?

   A. Motorists will get a clear view of the road.

   B. The weather conditions won’t have effect on motorists.

   C. There will be a decrease in the pollution caused by car .

   D.All trains will burn less fuel than present.

Volunteers, as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for the public to participate in, serve and share the world exposition and a means to showcase the image of the host country and city. The following information is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China.

I. Basic Requirements for Volunteers

Be willing to participate in voluntary services of Expo 2010;

Age limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30, 1992 and Expo City Voluntary Service Station volunteers before April 30, 1994;

Obey the laws and regulations of the PRC;

Be able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010;

Possess necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position;

Be in good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions.

II. Further Information for Volunteers

Source

Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers.

Signup methods

Applicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup. They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations.

Time

May 1 – December 31, 2009

III. Volunteer Training

  Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training. General training is carried out through the Internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice.

IV. Volunteer Types

Expo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation, assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and volunteer management.

Information booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo’s information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site. They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid.

What’s the purpose of this writing?

A. To give some basic information of the World Expo 2010             

B. To recruit(招募) the volunteers for the World Expo 2010

C. To praise the hard work of the volunteers

D. To attract people to visit the World Expo 2010

If you were born in April 1993, where can you be a volunteer?

A. In the Expo Site.             B. In the host country.

C. In the Expo City.             D. In Chinese mainland.

Which of the training will be done on the Internet?

A. General training.              B. Position training.

C. Classroom training.          D. Special training.      

Which of the following service is offered by information booth volunteers?

A. Visitor flow management. B. Helping the disabled.

C. Assistance in media service.      D. Emergency first aid.

China has become Volvo's third largest market, with more of its car models to go on sale in the world's largest auto(汽车) market this year, Chief Executive Office (CEO) of Volvo Cars China said in Tianjin.
Alexander Klose, CEO of Volvo Cars China, told Xinhua at the Ninth Tianjin International Automobile Trade Show, being held from Friday to Wednesday.
Klose said Volvo Cars had entered a new time of fast development, adding that its sales volume in China roared in 2010.
Up to the end of September, Volvo's global sales volume was up 12.5 percent year on year(同年比), compared with 52 percent year-on-year rise in China, he said.
Two new Volvo sales centers opened in Beijing within merely one week in early October, about two months after east China's ZhejiangGeely Holding Group Co acquired(购得)the Swedish brand from the US auto giant Ford for $1.5 billion in early August.
Klose said he was confident of seeing tremendous(巨大的) growth in China's auto market in the next five years. "As the Chinese government has increased the tax rate for large displacement (排量)cars already, we now have a lot of cars below three liters(升), and I think we'll stick to that strategy, as you can see now the XC60 which was introduced today is just two liters," he said.
"As the technology advances, we'll probably even see 1.6 liter engines or 1.5 liter engines in the future," he added.
Volvo Cars is not the only automaker hoping to take advantage of China's rapidly growing auto market.
Bentley, the famous British luxury(豪华) carmaker, will open a new sales center in China at Tianjin Thursday, which is the 11th one in China, according to a press release(新闻发布) by Shanghai-based Zenith Integrated Communications Corp (Zenith) Saturday at the auto show.
Zenth is the public relations agent of Bentley in China. The automaker has sold 421 limousines(大型豪华轿车) to China in 2009, and the goal for 2010 is 777, the release said.
【小题1】The word underlined in the third paragraph would probably be___.      

A.shouted loudlyB.increased in large numbers
C.reduced rapidlyD.burned brightly
【小题2】From this passage we can infer that ___.                       
A.The Ninth Tianjin International Automobile Trade Show was held from Friday to Wednesday.
B.Volvo Cars is a world-famous carmaker in Britain.
C.Of all the auto sales volume Volvo sales volume is only number one in China
D.Volvo sales centers are developing very fast in China recently
【小题3】The text is mainly about____.                       
A.China Becomes Volvo's 3rd largest market
B.Volvo Cars in China
C.Volvo Sales Volume in China
D.Carmakers in China
【小题4】How many carmakers are mentioned in this passage which opened and will open new sales centers in China recently?                                 
A.OneB.TwoC.ThreeD.Four


On March 23, 2010, Google Inc took a major step in withdrawing(收回) its search-engine services from Beijing to Hong Kong. Google acknowledged that it failed to make progress in talks with the Chinese government for permission to let Google stop censoring(审查) its search results.
Since posting the announcement on its website, Google’s stock(股票) price has fallen from $595 to about $567, while Baidu, the leading search engine in China, has seen its stock price rise by 50%. A potential foreign beneficiary(受益者) is Bing, Microsoft’s new search engine. And while Bing may not exactly have got the keys to a very rich kingdom, its managing group understand their good fortune and have not been shy about sticking the knife into Google. Craig Mundie, a chief officer of Bing, told China Daily that “we feel good enough now,” adding, “but it’s a 20-year journey, and not just three years. And Microsoft is here to stay.”
Several other Chinese Internet companies are no doubt moving swiftly to take advantage of this situation. Both Sohu. com—a Yahoo-like website in China— and a hugely successful instant-messaging company called Tencent(腾讯) are already trying to hire Google China staff. Analysts believe that of the two, Tencent is in the better position. Nearly 70% of China’s 400 million Internet users use instant-messaging, and of those, 80% use Tencent’s system, known as QQ. That’s the major reason why Tencent’s potential market is bigger than Baidu’s, and an insider at the company acknowledges that the search business is full of opportunities.
All the competitors of Google do what the Chinese government requires: censor their search results. If Microsoft and the others intend to be in China “to stay,” as Craig Mundie put it, there is no chance that the censoring principle will change for them.
As to the Google’s exit, one of its investors made the comment recently, “There’re still a lot of us who believe that they’ve made the wise choice. But Google is apparently out and I guess we just get to accept.” However, some Chinese netizens regretted the loss of its professional services on google. cn, such as maps, videos, music and translations.
73.Google.cn stops its business in China because _____.
A. too many companies enter the market         B. its stock price has fallen sharply
C. Chinese companies hire its workers           D. it refuses to censor the search results
74.How many Chinese beneficiaries are mentioned in the passage?
A. Two.               B. Three             C. Four.               D. Five.
75.When Google withdraws, _______.
A. Chinese netizens won’t have any professional service
B. only Chinese companies will provide search service
C. China’s attitude towards censoring won’t be changed
D. the Google managing group will regret its decision
76.A suggested title for this news would be ______.
A. When Google Withdraws From China        B. Who Wins in China’s Search Business
C. Who Will Profit When Google Exits         D. Why Google Loses to Other Competitors

Making an apology is not the same as making amends. Sometimes we apologize just because it’s the easiest thing to do. What’s actually important is to identify where we go wrong, take full responsibility for our mistakes and , if possible, try to make up for them.

A recent case involving Hewlett-Packed, the US computer giant, shows the importance of presenting a sincere apology. The Chinese consumers who had bought notebook computers of certain models, which have been put on Chinese market since 2007, suffered a massive flash screen failures and overheating problems. Through investigation, Chinese AQSIQ(国家质检总局) identified these HP computers had quality problems and HP admitted this. HP made a proposal that they would extend the warranty period of such computers, but this could not satisfied the consumers. What they needed was a thorough description of the truth. HP has “sincerely” apologized. But the consumers remain angry, and say that only a product recall—as HP has done in the past—will prove that the apology is sincere.

Another apology that fell flat on its face was that of Thierry Henry, the famous French footballer. His deliberate handball in November 2009 created the goal which knocked Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup. The incident caused great anger in the football world, and eventually Henry issued and apology. Two days later, he wrote, “I’m not the referee…but if I hurt someone I’m sorry.” Better late than never, perhaps, but even then he passed the blame onto the referee!

Such high-profile cases, which attract a lot of publicity often under the spotlight, but similar incidents occur in our everyday lives. Stress caused by schoolwork and tiredness can sometimes result in outbursts of anger against friends and family. Have you ever lost your temper for minor reasons? After calming down, most people are quick to realize their mistake and apologize. But it’s just as important to identify what caused the error in the first place and take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

No one should hold a negative attitude to making a sincere apology. Empty words are easy to say, but they are as useless as they sound. A real show of remorse demands hard work and commitment to put error right. 

46. What does the author intend to tell us in the case of HP?

A. A true apology needs sincere actions.

B. HP should recall all the faulty computers.

C. Good quality makes a good company.

D. A company should apologize and pay for their mistakes.

47. According to the author, when we do anything wrong we firstly __________ .

A. make an apology face to face honestly

B. admit we were wrong and try to make the wrong right

C. take the responsibility for apologizing to others

D. choose the easiest thing to do

48. We can infer from the case of Thierry Henry that ______________ .

A. It’s never too late to say “I’m sorry.”

B. Writing an apology is not a good idea.

C. Henry didn’t identify his fault.

D. The football fans were mad with Henry.

49. Which of the following can best explain the word “commitment” in the last paragraph?

A. decision                B. promise             C. agreement                D. responsibility

50. What’s the best title of this passage?

A. What really puts things right                     

B. Don’t apologize easily

C. Making an apology—no one is out of exception

D. How to judge an apology—sincere enough?

 

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