Cast your mind back to the past twenty years and hardly did anyone have their own email account. The Internet had just taken off in 1991 and people were only using office and PC­based email exchanges.

In the mid 1990s external email providers appeared. The most famous of these was Hotmail, the first free email provider and web­based email service. Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith launched Hotmail on July 4, 1996. And Microsoft took note of and bought Hotmail for $400 million on December 30, 1997, a nice birthday present for Bhatia who turned 29 that day. It was relaunched as MSN Hotmail and in 2007 was relaunched again as Windows Live Hotmail.

Fast forward the present day and most of us have at least a personal web­based email account. It seems impossible to live without them. One of the biggest advantages of email is the fact that communication has become so much easier, especially with those across different time zones. Email takes seconds to send a message whereas letters, as we used to communicate by, could take weeks. Of course there was the fax, that beeping invention from the 1980s, but it wasn’t as secure as email and you never knew if the person on the other end had picked up your fax or if it had got lost somewhere in the office.

In conclusion, one of the best inventions from the 1990s has to be email. But sometimes people are too closely connected to their email and have a compulsion to check it several times a day. At work, people have become lazy and instead of going to speak to the person sitting next to them, they send an email,causing an in box to pile up with more time spent reading email and responding rather than working. Clearly, an invention that saved time because of its quick and speedy connection can now also cause us to waste a lot of time.

1.The earliest web-based email came into being probably _______.

A. in 1991                            B. in 1996                   C. in 1997                   D. in 2007

2.The author mentions “fax” in the third paragraph in order to tell us that _______.

A. it is exactly as good as email

B. it is much better than email

C. it is less convenient than email

D. it is easier and faster than email

3.The underlined word “compulsion” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_______”.

A. strong desire                  B. common sense               C. special curiosity          D. general idea

4.Which is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. We should check email boxes frequently.

B. Lazy people like sending an email.

C. Email brings us great convenience.

D. Good inventions also cause problems.

 

Cast your mind back to the past twenty years and hardly did anyone have their own email account. The Internet had just taken off in 1991 and people were only using office and PC­based email exchanges.

In the mid 1990s external email providers appeared. The most famous of these was Hotmail, the first free email provider and web­based email service. Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith launched Hotmail on July 4, 1996. And Microsoft took note of and bought Hotmail for $400 million on December 30, 1997, a nice birthday present for Bhatia who turned 29 that day. It was relaunched as MSN Hotmail and in 2007 was relaunched again as Windows Live Hotmail.

Fast forward the present day and most of us have at least a personal web­based email account. It seems impossible to live without them. One of the biggest advantages of email is the fact that communication has become so much easier, especially with those across different time zones. Email takes seconds to send a message whereas letters, as we used to communicate by, could take weeks. Of course there was the fax, that beeping invention from the 1980s, but it wasn’t as secure as email and you never knew if the person on the other end had picked up your fax or if it had got lost somewhere in the office.

In conclusion, one of the best inventions from the 1990s has to be email. But sometimes people are too closely connected to their email and have a compulsion to check it several times a day. At work, people have become lazy and instead of going to speak to the person sitting next to them, they send an email,causing an in box to pile up with more time spent reading email and responding rather than working. Clearly, an invention that saved time because of its quick and speedy connection can now also cause us to waste a lot of time.

1.The earliest web-based email came into being probably _______.

A. in 1991                            B. in 1996                   C. in 1997                   D. in 2007

2.The author mentions “fax” in the third paragraph in order to tell us that _______.

A. it is exactly as good as email

B. it is much better than email

C. it is less convenient than email

D. it is easier and faster than email

3.The underlined word “compulsion” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_______”.

A. strong desire                  B. common sense               C. special curiosity          D. general idea

4.Which is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. We should check email boxes frequently.

B. Lazy people like sending an email.

C. Email brings us great convenience.

D. Good inventions also cause problems.

 

Ellis Island is located in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is open daily year-round from 9:30am to 5:00pm, with extended hours during summer. It is closed on December 25. There is no admission charge to Ellis Island; donations are gratefully accepted.

At Your Fingertips

   Park information       (212) 363- 7620

   Emergencies          (212 ) 363- 3260

   Ferryboat information   (212) 269- 5755

   Lost and found         (212) 344- 7620

   Dining, gifts, & audio tour  (212) 344- 0996

Transportation

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry: Boats leave from Battery Park, Manhattan, and from Liberty State Park, New Jersey. They run about every 30 to 45 minutes beginning at 9: 15 am. (ferry schedule subject to change).

Hours: May vary; call the number below

Closed: December 25

Ferry fees (Includes Liberty and Ellis Islands): adults, $ 7; senior citizens, $6; children (age 3 to 17), $ 3. (lower group rates are available for 25 or more adults)

Ticket & schedule information: (212) 269- 5755

1.In summer, visitors will have ___________ to visit Ellis Island.

   A. no enough money   B. a longer time   C. a shorter time     D. a wonderful time

2. Which number would you call if your friends were suddenly ill?

   A. (212) 344- 0996    B. (212) 363- 7620   C. (212 ) 363- 3260   D. (212) 269- 5755

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. People can visit Ellis Island free of charge.

B. The boats departure time from Battery Park is at 9:15 a.m. all the year round.

C. Ferry fees for children are cheaper than for adults.

D. Ferry fees for group visitors can be reduced.

4. We may infer from the passage that _____________.

A.  visitors prefer to go to Ellis Island by boat  B. there are more visitors in winter

C.  Ellis Island is open every day   D. Boat is the only transportation to Ellis Island[

 

 

During his life Dr James Naismith worked as a doctor, taught P.E and wrote several books. While he never thought it very important, Dr Naismith is today best known for one thing. He was the inventor of basketball.

Dr James Naismith was born in Canada in 1861 and his first job was at a special sports school in the USA. One day the school principal told James he was having a problem with the students. Because of heavy snow, the students could not go outside. He told James that they needed a sport the boys could play indoors and gave the teacher two weeks to think of something.

It was on the very last day that James came up with his idea. The “birth of basketball” is said to be on December 21, 1891, when two teams from the school played the first game. It was quite different from the basketball games of today. It had 9 players on each team and footballs were used instead of basketballs. Soon after, the game changed to 5 players on each side, using special “basketballs” through nets.

Although Dr Naismith did not live to see basketball become the worldwide game it is today, in 1936, just three years before his death, basketball became an Olympic sport at the Games in Berlin.

1.

Which of the following things did Dr James Naismith NOT do?

   A. Teach P.E in school.                                  B. Write some books.

   C. Work at a hospital.                          D. Take part in the Olympic Games.

2.

 In which season did Dr Naismith invent basketball?

   A. Summer.                 B. Winter.                 C. Spring.                  D. Autumn.

3.

Why is December 21 thought to be the birthday of basketball?

  A. It was on this day that Dr Naismith came up with his idea for basketball.

  B. It was the day on which Dr Naismith was born.

C. It was the day on which Dr Naismith was asked by his boss to invent a new game.

D. It was on this day that the first game of basketball was played.

4.

At the time of Dr Naismith’s death, which of the following was true?

   A. Basketball was already a worldwide game.

   B. Basketball was played with 9 players on each side.

   C. Basketball was an Olympic sport.

   D. Basketball was still played using footballs.  

 

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