Cole Bettles had been rejected by a number of universities when he received an e-mail from the University of California, San Diego, last month, congratulating him on his admission and inviting him to tour the campus. His mother booked a hotel in San Diego, and the 18-year-old Ojai high school senior arranged for his grandfather, uncle and other family members to meet them at the campus for lunch during the Saturday tour.
“They were like ‘Oh my God, that’s so awesome (棒的)’, ” Bettles said. Right before he got in bed, he checked his e-mail one last time and found another message saying the school had made a mistake and his application had been denied.
In fact, all 28, 000 students turned away from UC San Diego, in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record, had received the same incorrect message. The students’ hopes had been raised and then dashed (破灭) in a cruel twist that shows the danger of instant communications in the Internet age.
UCSD admissions director Mae Brown called it an “administrative error” but refused to say who had made the mistake, or if those responsible would be disciplined (受训)。
The e-mail, which began, “We’re thrilled that you’ve been admitted to UC San Diego, and we’re showcasing (展示) our beautiful campus on Admit Day, ” was sent to the full 46, 000 students who had applied, instead of just the 18, 000 who got in, Brown said.
The error was discovered almost immediately by her staff, who sent an apology within hours.
“It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he’s crushed (压垮), ” said Cole’s mother, Tracy Bettles. “It’s really tough on them.”
The admissions director said she was in the office on Monday until midnight answering e-mails and phone calls from disappointed students and their parents. She said she took full responsibility for the error. “We accessed the wrong database. We recognize the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent.”
【小题1】How many students received an admission e-mail from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)?
A. 18, 000     B. 28, 000   C. 46, 000    D. 18
【小题2】 Which of the following statements is TRUE about the wrong e-mail message?

A.The mistake was made on purpose to cause pain among the applicants.
B.It was UCSD admissions director Mae Brown who made the mistake.
C.UCSD admissions staff got information from the wrong database.
D.Staff did not discover the mistake until next Monday.
【小题3】The admissions director Mae Brown did what she could to __________.
A.protect the person who made the mistake
B.punish herself for the mistake
C.make up for the mistake
D.help the disappointed students enter the university
【小题4】What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Cole Bettles was admitted to the UCSD.
B. Cole Bettles was rejected y a famous university.
C. USCD admissions office often makes “administration errors”。
D. False admission information raised the students’ hopes and then dashed them.

How far would you be willing to go to satisfy your need to know? Far enough to find out your possibility of dying from a terrible disease? These days that’s more than an academic question, as Tracy Smith reports in our Cover Story.
There are now more than a thousand genetic tests, for everything from baldness to breast cancer, and the list is growing. Question is, do you really want to know what might eventually kill you? For instance, Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, one of the first people to map their entire genetic makeup, is said to have asked not to be told if he were at a higher risk for Alzheimer’(老年痴呆症).
“If I tell you that you have an increased risk of getting a terrible disease, that could weigh on your mind and make you anxious, through which you see the rest of your life as you wait for that disease to hit you. It could really mess you up.” Said Dr. Robert Green, a Harvard geneticist.
“Every ache and pain,” Smith suggested, “could be understood as the beginning of the end.” “That ’s right. If you ever worried you were at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, then every time you can’t find your car in the parking lot, you think the disease has started.”
Dr. Green has been thinking about this issue for years. He led a study of people who wanted to know if they were at a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s. It was thought that people who got bad news would, for lack of a better medical term, freak out. But Green and his team found that there was “no significant difference” between how people handled good news and possibly the worst news of their lives. In fact, most people think they can handle it. People who ask for the information usually can handle the information, good or bad, said Green.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about James Watson?

A.He doesn’t want to know his chance of getting a disease.
B.He is strongly in favor of the present genetic tests.
C.He believes genetic mapping can help cure any disease.
D.He is more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
【小题2】The first paragraph is meant to__________.
A.ask some questionsB.satisfy readers’ curiosity
C.introduce the topicD.describe an academic fact
【小题3】According to Paragraphs 3 and 4, if a person is at a higher genetic risk, it is__________.
A.necessary to remove his anxietyB.impossible to hide his disease
C.better to inform him immediatelyD.advisable not to let him know
【小题4】The underlined part “freak out” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to“_________”.
A.leave offB.break downC.drop outD.turn away
【小题5】The study led by Dr. Green indicates that people__________.
A.can accept some bad newsB.tend to find out the truth
C.prefer to hear good newsD.have the right to be informed

Many drivers say the large digital billboards flashing ads every few seconds along Bay Area freeways are just too bright and too distracting. And they may be right.

A Swedish study published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention concludes that digital billboards hold the gazes of drivers longer than two seconds. Previous studies have shown that anything that takes a driver’s eyes off the road for that length of time increases the risks of a crash. “This study proves what is common sense when it comes to digital billboards,” says Mary Tracy, president of Scenic America, a national nonprofit group that seeks to limit billboards. “Bright, constantly changing signs on the sides of roads are meant to attract and keep the attention of drivers, and this study confirms that this is exactly what they do.”

The Federal Highway Administration allowed digital signs for the first time in 2007 after concluding they did not pose a significant danger. But a follow-up report is pending (待定的) and could be released this year. California has no law banning the billboards, and is one of 39 states that allows them. “We would need to review more research, so it’s too early to call for a ban,” says Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “There is a role for digital messaging, such as conveying urgent information and other safety messages.”

There are more than 1,800 digital billboards nationwide, more than double the number five years ago. While no data indicate an increase in accidents due to the Bay Area signs, many drivers are opposed to them.

“Monstrosities” is what Merlin Dorfman of San Jose calls them, while insurance agent David Whitlock says he has found them a major distraction. “They’re much too bright at night,” he says. “When the advertisement switches from a bright color to a darker one, your eyes cannot adjust fast enough, and you end up losing sight of the roadway.”

Officials with sign companies could not be reached for comment, but Bryan Parker, an executive vice president for Clear Channel Outdoor, told USA Today last year that “there’s no doubt in my mind that they are not a driving distraction.”

1.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The brightness of digital billboards is harmful to people’s eyes.

B. The Federal Highway Administration banned digital signs in 2013.

C. There is evidence indicating an increase in accidents duo to digital billboards.

D. Digital billboards are used to convey messages.

2.What do we learn from the text?

A. Scenic America is an organization that is in favor of digital billboards.

B. Drivers in the Bay Area are against the digital billboards.

C. California has banned digital billboards.

D. There were about 1,800 digital billboards nationwide five years ago.

3.What is Bryan Parker’s attitude towards digital billboards?

A. Supportive.          B. Indifferent.

C. Opposed.           D. Uncertain.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. Studies have shown digital billboards pose a danger to drivers.

B. People’s eyes cannot adjust fast enough to the brightness of digital billboards.

C. A study says flashing digital billboards are too distracting.

D. Experts doubt it is necessary to limit digital billboards.

5.We are most likely to find the text in the ________ section of a magazine.

A. international culture                   B. traffic and safety

C. fashion and travel                     D. personal health

 

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