题目内容
________ the 2007 Asian Cup cost Floyd so much time that he should have spent on his experiment．
- A.To watch
- B.Watching
- C.Watched
- D.Having watched
Zhu Haoyu, 18, a history major, wears his iPod everywhere on campus. The freshman has it going out for a walk, visiting the library or lying in bed. However, he found that his habit is like displaying a big “Do not disturb ”sign for himself.
As time slips away, he has begun to regret not having conversed much with his peers around . “As I put the little buds (耳机) into my ears, I’m immersed in a universe of my own, forgetting all troubles in the real world,” said Li.
The MP3 player is one of a number of gadgets (小玩意)—starting with the Sony Walkman, which led to the iPod, iPhone and iPad —that give people the ability to shut themselves off from world around them.
Youngsters delight in handset (手持的) technology. In public, students chat on their cell phones, stopping only to talk briefly to friends. On buses or trains it’s common to see youngsters with PlayStations instead of playing poker or sharing jokes or games. And during airline flights, people watch episodes (连续剧) of US TV dramas on their iPads, rather than talking.
The BBC News magazine recently published an article saying that headphone wearing culture is making us anti-social. “Half of humankind is wired to a parallel universe that leaves them ignoring their surroundings and fellows,” wrote Tom de Castella.
Actually, it’s a decade since Apple unveiled the iPod, which promised “1,000 songs in your pocket”. In 2007 more than half of Western residents were using an iPod or MP3 player.
Entertainment is on offer in all surroundings, not just at home. But in the meantime, it has created barriers between us. Many people subscribe to the view that the headphone culture is creating a “spoilt, selfish generation that lacks civic（公民的）culture”.
However, many users of portable MP3 players argue that the device, as a mind drug, helps them relieve stress by escaping for a while. It is also said to be able to help some students concentrate on work or study. “If you want to get away from the hucksters (小贩) on the way, just start listening to your player,” said Liu, a freshman. “They do not approach people with headphones on.” This might also mean he’s blocking those who want to ask him for the directions.
Experts, however, say that short contacts or mini conversations with strangers are helpful to our mind. Many experts warn that it is dangerous to lose touch with people in our lives.
【小题1】Zhu Haoyu found that his wearing the iPod .
| A．disturbed others |
| B．made it easy for him to keep in touch with others |
| C．made it easy for him to visit the library |
| D．made others unwilling to talk to him |
| A．lost | B．involved | C．engaged | D．interested |
| A．Students are always busy chatting on their cell phones in public. |
| B．Young people are fond of portable listening or visual devices. |
| C．Young people like to watch US TV dramas on their iPads. |
| D．People like to enjoy the networking. |
| A．Headphone wearing culture makes people ignore their surroundings and fellows. |
| B．Apple released the iPod ten years ago. |
| C．There are still many people support the headphone culture. |
| D．It’s dangerous to have conversations with strangers. |
| A．Agreeable. | B．Critical. | C．Doubtful. | D．Neutral. |
(B)
British author JK Rowling was at the release of her latest Harry Potter book called “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” at the Natural History Museum in London, Friday July 20, 2007.
J.K. Rowling has been spotted at cafes in Scotland working on a detective novel, a British newspaper reported Saturday.
The Sunday Times newspaper quoted Ian Rankin, a fellow author and neighbor of Rowling's, as saying the creator of the "Harry Potter" books is turning to crime fiction.
"My wife spotted her writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novel," the newspaper quoted Rankin as telling a reporter at an Edinburgh literary festival.
"It is great that she has not abandoned writing or Edinburgh cafes," said Rankin, who is known for his own police novels set in the historic Scottish city.
Rowling famously wrote initial drafts of the Potter story in the Scottish city's cafes. Back then, she was a struggling single mother who wrote in cafes to save on the heating bill at home.
Now she's Britain's richest woman - worth $1 billion, according to Forbes magazine - and her seven Potter books have sold more than 335 million copies worldwide.
In an interview with The Associated Press last month, Rowling said she believed she was unlikely to repeat the success of the Potter series, but confirmed she had plans to work on new books.
"I'll do exactly what I did with Harry - I'll write what I really want to write," Rowling said.
46 What is JK Rowling famous for?
| A. detective novels | B. crime fiction | C. Harry Potter books | D. love stories |
| A. He is a writer famous for police novels. |
| B. Most of the stories in his novels happened in the historic Scottish city. |
| C. It was Rankin himself who witnessed JK Rowing writing her Edinburgh criminal detective novels. |
| D. He told the British newspaper The Sunday Times about JK Rowling’s novels. |
| A. Because she was a romantic woman and the atmosphere in the cafes gave her lots of inspiration. |
| B. Because she was a single mother at that time and she wanted to find a husband there. |
| C. Because her children were so naughty at home and she had to go to a quiet place for her writing. |
| D. Because she thought that writing in a cafes could help her save some money. |
| A. The seven Harry Potter series made JK Rowling a success. |
| B. JK Rowling had made enough money so she decided to stop writing. |
| C. Rowling planned to write new books because Harry Potter was not exactly what she wanted. |
| D. Ian Rankin and his wife earned money by telling reporters news about JK Rowling. |
| A. Harry Potter and JK Rowing | B. Ian Rankin, A Neighbour of JK Rowling |
| C. A Successful Woman JK Rowling | D. JK Rowling writing Detective Novels |
In June,2007,a group of students from eight high schools in Winnipeg,the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province,will begin test-launching(试发射)a satellite the size of a Rubik’s cube.
The one-kilogram Win-Cube satellite,named for its home city and its shape,will be put into low orbit.Once in space,it can perform for a few months or up to several years,communicating information that could help find the early signs of earthquakes.
There are 80 similar satellite projects worldwide,but this is the first high-school based program of its kind in Canada.30 Manitoba high school students are having a hand in designing and building the satellite,in cooperation with aerospace(航空航天的)experts and 10 students from the University of Manitoba,and with support from two other organizations.
The Win-Cube project is not something that goes on a piece of paper,it is real-world engineering,allowing high school students to have an opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of engineering through their participation in this challenging program.It is also taken as a wonderful example of the unique partnerships within Manitoba.Designing,building and lauching a satellite with high-school participation will bring this world-class educational project into reality and Manitoba closer to space.
“These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for their enthusiasm, innovation(创新)，and a strong love for discovery,”said Education,Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson.“We want to make science more relevant(相关的),interesting and attractive to high school students by showing them how classroom studies can relate to practical experience in the workplace or,in this case,in space,”Bjornson added.
The Win-Cube program is mainly aimed at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students.It also shows Manitoba’s devotion to research and innovation and the development of a skilled workforce—all important drivers of knowledge-based economic growth.
【小题1】According to the passage,the Win-Cube satellite is_______.
| A．named after Manitoba and its shape |
| B．intended for international communication |
| C．designed like a Rubik’s cube both in shape and size |
| D．challenged by university students around the world |
| A．those Manitoba high school students are worth praising |
| B．the study of space can be practically made in classroom |
| C．Manitoba high schools are famous for the sutdy of space |
| D．scientific research is too far away from high school students |
| A．find the early signs of earthquakes |
| B．relate studies to practical experience |
| C．help high school students study real-world engineering |
| D．inspire a strong desire for discovery among the students |
| A．Manitoba School | B．Win-Cube Program |
| C．Space Cooperation | D．Satellite Launching |
When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices（装置）tell the time—which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
But while the wise have realized that they don’t need them, others—apparently including some distinguished men of our time—are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £250.000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions—but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as“investments”(投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £350, 000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from £15, 000 to £30, 000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It's a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up—they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that £350, 000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.
1.It seems ridiculous to the writer that_______________.
|
A．people dive 300 metres into the sea |
|
B．expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones |
|
C．cheap cars don’t run as fast as expensive ones |
|
D．expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell |
2.What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?
|
A．It’s hard for the industry to beat its competitors. |
|
B．It targets rich people as its potential customers. |
|
C．It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising. |
|
D．It’s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches. |
3.Which would be the best title for the passage?
|
A．Watches? Not for Me! |
|
B．My Childhood Timex |
|
C．Timex or Rolex? |
|
D．Watches—a Valuable Collection |