题目内容

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.

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Whenever we see a button, we are eager to press it because we know something will happen. This is true in most cases, for example on a doorbell and on the “on/off” button on the TV. But some buttons are actually fake, like the “close” button on a lift.

Many people are in the habit of pressing the “close” button because they don’t have the patience to wait for the lift doors to shut. But lifts’ “close” buttons are a complete scam (骗局), at least in the US - the doors will not close any faster no matter how hard you press.

It started in the 1990s when the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in the US, making sure that all lifts stayed open long enough so that people with disabilities could enter. Only US firefighters and repairmen can use the buttons to speed up the door-closing process if they have a code or special keys.

But to normal lift riders, the buttons aren’t completely useless. According to psychologists, fake buttons can actually make you feel better by offering you a sense of control.

“Perceived (能够感知的) control is very important. It reduces stress and increases well-being,” Ellen J. Langer, a psychology professor, said, “ having a lack of control is associated with depression.”

Experts have revealed that a lot of buttons that don’t do anything exist in our lives for this same purpose. For example, many offices in the US have fake thermostats (温度调节器) because people tend to feel better when they think they can control the temperature in their workspace.

But psychologists found it interesting that even when people are aware of these little “white lies”, they still continue to push fake buttons because as long as the doors eventually close, it is considered to be worth the effort.

“That habit is here to stay,” John Kounios, a psychology professor, said. “Even though I have real doubts about the traffic light buttons, I always press them. After all, I’ve got nothing else to do while waiting. So why not press the button in the hope that this one will work?”

1. What was the author’s main purpose in writing the article?

A. To analyze the functions of fake buttons.

B. To describe some different kinds of fake buttons.

C. To explain the advantages and disadvantages of fake buttons.

D. To explore people’s different habits when it comes to pushing buttons.

2. In America, the “close” buttons on lifts _______.

A. are fake for the convenience of disabled people

B. work only when people press them hard for a while

C. were specially designed to give people a sense of control

D. cannot speed up the process of closing the door in any case

3. The underlined part “for this same purpose” in Paragraph 6 refers to _______.

A. making people more patient

B. giving people perceived control

C. helping people to build up confidence

D. making people with depression feel better

4.According to John Kounios, people who press fake buttons ______.

A. should give up this habit

B. probably do so to kill time

C. consider what they do to be meaningless

D. don’t know that what they press is fake

For my 22nd wedding anniversary, I determined that I would write my wife Sheila twenty-two ________ to describe my love to her. I also decided that I would have a unique ________ to give her a great surprise.

I started out months ________, writing poems and ________ with my wife’s friends and got their help in making cards for each of the twenty-two poems.

Had I known how ________ it was to make twenty-two cards for twenty-two poems, I might have ________ a different idea. ________, by the time I was about to ________, I was encouraged by our ________, so I kept on the task.

Some good friends ________ to host the party at their house. The question then was how to get my wife to the party without raising her ________. I told my wife for our anniversary I would make a(n) ________ at a nice restaurant, so she didn’t have to ________ anything. I had prearranged with the party host to call me before the party to say that she really needed to get back a ________ that I had borrowed. In my wife’s ________, I told him that we were heading out to dinner and could drop the book off on our way.

Finally, when we arrived at the ________, I suggested that perhaps Sheila should accompany me to the door and say a quick ________. We stepped into the house where the ________ happened. One at a time, twenty-one of Sheila’s friends presented her with a card and rose. Then, I ________ a poem titled “Pure Luck”. I wanted ________ to get it right—and I did!

That was five years ago, and I can still recited the whole poem by heart.

1.A. lettersB. poemsC. booksD. stories

2.A. partyB. mealC. programmeD. feeling

3.A. for instanceB. on purposeC. at mostD. in advance

4.A. arguingB. fightingC. dealingD. consulting

5.A. specialB. valuableC. difficultD. enjoyable

6.A. pay attention toB. looked forward to

C. come up withD. made up with

7.A. HoweverB. ThereforeC. OtherwiseD. Moreover

8.A. go onB. give upC. come outD. show up

9.A. lifeB. prideC. loveD. honesty

10.A. refusedB. hesitatedC. pretendedD. volunteered

11.A. wishesB. worriesC. doubtsD. enthusiasm

12.A. effortB. reservationC. decisionD. call

13.A. planB. shareC. missD. explain

14.A. bookB. cardC. bikeD. flower

15.A. performanceB. influenceC. presenceD. absence

16.A. dinnerB. houseC. meetingD. competition

17.A. goodbyeB. pityC. yesD. hello

18.A. accidentB. surpriseC. quarrelD. trouble

19.A. recitedB. readC. wroteD. sang

20.A. responsiblyB. thankfullyC. sensitivelyD. desperately

One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was, so I thought him______Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great strength masking its way by face strokes (猛力地划)to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me violently, and threw me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys.” Do you know what you have done?” they said, “It’s Amery; he is in Grade Six. He is champion at gym; he has got his football honor.”

I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when be was wrapped in a bath towel and so small.” He didn’t seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word,” My father, who is a great man, is also small.” At this be laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future, signified the incident was closed.

1.

A. was of similar size

B. was fond of games

C. looked like an animal

D. was good at sports

2.

A. he was laughed at by other boys

B. he played a joke on an outstanding athlete

C. Amery turned out to be in the same grade

D. he pushed Amery hard and hurt him

3.

A. challenged Amery B. threatened Amery

C. admired his father D. tried to please Amery

4.

A. The writer could run faster than Amery.

B. Amery forgave the writer for his rude behavior.

C. The writer liked playing on boys of all sizes.

D. Amery was a student in Grade Four.

He met her at a party. She was outstanding; many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised, so as not to appear rude, she went along.

As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, “Could you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee.”

They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, "Why salt with coffee?" He explained, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the sea. I could feel it salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there.”

She was deeply moved. A man who can admit that he's homesick must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible. She talked too, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was the start to their love story.

They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements. He was tolerant, kind, warm and careful. And to think she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee! So they married and lived happily together. And every time she made coffee for him, she put in some salt, the way he liked it.

After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said:

My dearest, please forgive my life-long lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous that I asked for salt instead of sugar. It was hard for me to ask for a change, so I just went ahead. I never thought that we would hit it off. Many times, I tried to tell you the truth, but I was afraid that it would ruin everything.

Sweetheart, I don't exactly like salty coffee. But as it mattered so much to you, I've learnt to enjoy it. Having you with me was my greatest happiness. If I could live a second time, I hope we can be together again, even if it means that I have to drink salty coffee for the rest of my life.

Her tears made the letter totally wet. Someday, someone asked her, “What’s the taste of salty coffee?” “It’s sweet,” she replied.

1.What does the writer mean by saying “she would have missed the catch”?

A. She meant to leave him on their first date.

B. She thought of him every now and then.

C. She nearly misunderstood his explanation.

D. She could hardly believe this simple fact.

2.Why did the man have salty coffee all his life?

A. To change lifestyle.

B. To please his wife.

C. To keep his word.

D. To remember the past.

3.The best title for the passage might be ________.

A. A Well-kept Secret

B. Salty Coffee

C. A mistake for love

D. A Homesick Man

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