题目内容
【题目】 Last week Amazon announced Word Runner, a new tool for reading Kindle books. Word Runner is a software update that shows one word at a time, instead of words, sentences and paragraphs on one page.
Amazon says Word Runner was developed to make reading faster. By seeing one word at a time on the screen, you will not lose your place on the page. It may help you to focus on what you are reading.
Opinions about Word Runner are mixed. Carmen Blyth, Ph. D.， and a teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL), says Word Runner is not optimal reading.
In the Kindle Forums at Amazon, a commenter called CB Retriever says, “Thanks，but that absolutely will not work for me as I too do lines and blocks of text at a time __ I think the last time I read word by word was back when I was learning to read. ”
Len Edgerly, business journalist and host of The Kindle Chronicles podcast, had a chance to try out Word Runner. In his podcast, Edgerly said that Word Runner is “a dramatically different way to read”.
Brake
You can pause Word Runner by tapping the pause button, called Brake. Brake lets you move words forward and backward. You can go back and re-read words using Brake.
Availability
According to Amazon, Word Runner will be available soon for some English-language books on the Kindle app for Android devices and on Fire tablets.
Word Runner will work with select English-language Kindle books from Amazon sites in all countries, says an Amazon representative. Amazon has not yet said whether Word Runner will be coming to the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad.
Dynamic Pacing
Word Runner uses a feature called “Dynamic Pacing” to adjust the speed around complicated words. Dynamic Pacing automatically slows the speed of Word Runner for complicated words, punctuation, and paragraph breaks. It makes changes based on the natural rhythm of your reading.
【1】In CB Retriever’s opinion, _____________.
A.Word Runner provides one with necessary information to understand what he is reading
B.good readers can read four words at a time
C.Word Runner is not so practical for him as he reads lines and blocks of text at a time
D.Word Runner is “a dramatically different way to read”
【2】From the passage, we can draw the conclusion that ___________.
A.Word Runner will soon be available for iPhone and iPad
B.Word Runner will work with all English language books in all countries
C.Word Runner is a software which updates one word at a time
D.people will soon be able to use Word Runner to read some English-language books on Android devices and Fire tablets
【3】“Dynamic Pacing” is designed to _________.
A.regulate the speed of reading
B.quicken the speed of reading something easy
C.let you move words forward and backward
D.allow you to see all of the words on a page on your screen
【答案】
【1】C
【2】D
【3】A
【解析】
这是一篇说明文。文章介绍了亚马逊上周宣布了一款阅读Kindle电子书的新工具Word Runner。Word Runner是一个软件更新，每次只显示一个单词，而不是在一页上显示单词、句子和段落。亚马逊表示，开发Word Runner是为了提高阅读速度，可以帮助你专注于你正在阅读的内容。
【1】细节理解题。根据第四段第一句In the Kindle Forums at Amazon, a commenter called CB Retriever says, “Thanks, but that absolutely will not work for me as I too do lines and blocks of text at a time（在亚马逊的Kindle论坛上，一个名为CB Retriever的评论者说:“谢谢，但这对我来说绝对行不通，因为我一次只能写几行或几段文字。）可知在CB Retriever看来，Word Runner对他来说不太实用，因为他一次只能阅读几行和几段文字。故选C。
【2】细节理解题。根据倒数第三段According to Amazon, Word Runner will be available soon for some English-language books on the Kindle app for Android devices and on Fire tablets.可知据亚马逊称，Word Runner很快就会在Android设备和Fire平板电脑上的Kindle应用程序上推出一些英文书籍。即人们很快就能使用Word Runner在Android设备和Fire平板电脑上阅读一些英语书籍，故选D。
【3】细节理解题。根据最后一段第一句Word Runner uses a feature called “Dynamic Pacing” to adjust the speed around complicated words.（Word Runner使用一个名为“Dynamic Pacing”的功能来调整复杂单词的速度。）可知“Dynamic Pacing”旨在调节阅读速度。故选A。
【题目】请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只写一个单词。
The loss of handwriting in our high-tech world saddens me. People of all ages openly admit their handwriting as keyboards replace pen and paper. Increasingly, schoolchildren deal with assignments on computer and struggle to write, having had little practice. I am of the generation that learnt to write with a dip pen in kindergarten and a fountain pen in high school; by the time I reached university, like everyone else. I used a functional ballpoint. Handwriting has filled every aspect of my life since I was first taught to shape letters on the lined pages of my exercise books.
From the age of 12,I kept a handwritten journal, recording my thoughts and feelings regarding both the significant and mundane aspects of my life. Through this daily practice I connected with myself, explored experiences and found a way to interpret and make sense of my relationships. Although I rarely reread my written material, the process of writing has remained with me as a means of processing my feelings and filtering（过滤） my experiences.
Yet today, handwritten letters are as rare as a red panda. Few of us write any longer, even to those to whom we are close, We communicate difficultly when we e-mail or text, both methods characterized by speed and informality. The deep thinking which accompanied a handwritten letter is almost entirely absent. We may be communicating more frequently and with more people, but the depth and quality of our communication has reduced.
Sadly, modern technology tends to be temporary. Few of us keep old e-mails or even print them out, so a sense of history and memory is lost. Archivists（档案管理者）report that more information has been lost in the past decade than in the previous 150 years. It is too easy to press the delete button.
In many other areas of records, material is now in the digital format. Yet saving material in a digital format only is extremely unstable. How it will survive the future remains a problem.
In this digital world of text, e-mails and instant messaging, the perceived value of writing is no longer obvious and the case for retaining the practice of writing needs to be made. Should we save the bumble pen and paper when laptops and mobiles are functional, universal and unstoppable? Should children continue to be taught to write with a pen and paper?
With its passing a good mode of self-expression is being lost. I invite readers to engage with handwriting and become aware of this special skill that has created civilization for centuries.
Paragraph outline | Detailed information |
The current 【1】of handwriting | ▲Students 【2】to computers to complete their homework ▲With little practice, students have 【3】 writing. ▲We seldom write letters even to people we are close to. |
The author’s link with handwriting | ▲The author【4】 himself to handwriting from kindergarten to university ▲The author kept 【5】of his thoughts and feelings by keeping writing journals. ▲The author also takes 【6】of writing to process his feeling and filtering his experiences. |
The 【7】with modern communication methods | ▲There is an 【8】of depth and quality in e-mail and texts ▲The temporariness of modern technology tends to give 【9】 to the loss of some history and memory ▲Saving materials only in a digital format is not very stable. ▲A style of self-expression is being lost. |
The author’s 【10】to people for handwriting | Write as much as possible and realize the importance of this special art |