From email to online shopping, you may think you’ve heard everything there to know about the electronic frontier(新领域).But with hundreds of thousands of Web pages being added weekly, there are plenty of surprises out there.Here are some of the most intriguing(有迷惑力的).
Put your kid on a greeting card.Here is how:simply take some pictures with a regular camera, and then ask the photo service to develop them digitally(数字化).For a small fee, you’ll receive your photos on a desk.Put that into your computer and, with a few clicks of the mouse, you can view your photos on the screen.With a few more keystrokes, you can attach the photos to email and send them to friends and relatives worldwide.
Sign on to one or several greeting card’s Websites(www.cardcentral.net is an index of more than 1200 electronic card sites)and create an electronic birthday or holiday card.Using your digital photos, you can paste your grandchildren onto the cover.
If you don’t want to use your own photos, go to cards.amzon.com to browse(read through)hundreds of images in over 30 categories, all of which you can attach to an electronic greeting card for free.For a nominal fee you can choose from a library of 75,000 images as www.photodisc.com.
Call Australia for free.To have a telephone conversation over the Internet, the person you want to talk to no longer needs a computer.Now all you need to talk to someone in Sydney is one computer with speakers, a microphone, a sound card and some software(available at www.vocaltec.com or Microsoft.com).Typically, you’ll pay a monthly fee(usually under $20)to a service provider, but after that, the calls themselves are local.Sound quality is the same as that of a cell phone.
Even if you don’t have a computer, you can still use the Web to reduce your long distance phone costs.Some companies offer a service that lets you use an ordinary phone to call another ordinary phone, but charge only a few cents per minute for US calls, because they send them through the Internet.
Today 48 percent of American homes have computers… a figure that is expected to climb to 60 percent by 2003.And by the end of the next decade, Americans will-likely be spending more time shopping, banking, investing and learning on the Internet than in the real world.If you can’t do or find something on the Net today, you probably can tomorrow.
(1)
By the first two sentences the writer means that over the Internet, you ________.
[ ]
A.
can hear everything there
B.
will find email and online shopping are all about Internet
C.
will hear the things about the electronic frontier
D.
can always find some things that are very new and interesting
(2)
From the passage we can infer that ________.
[ ]
A.
fewer people will use the Internet in the following ten years
B.
more people will study in the regular school by the end of the next decade
C.
fewer people will go to the regular school in the following ten years
D.
more money will be needed for a long-distance call by the end of the next decade
(3)
If you want to attach a photo to your email, you have to ________ it.
[ ]
A.
digitalize
B.
take
C.
picture
D.
send
(4)
Which of the following is Not true?
[ ]
A.
A telephone conversation over the Internet can be carried out without computers.
B.
Over the Internet, the receiver of the phone conversation doesn’t need a computer.
C.
The phone conversations over the Internet are much cheaper.
Several more rounds of fierce storms, tornadoes and floods struck many parts of the American Midwest and Northeast as had weather continued across the US for a second month.
Monsoon Storms
A south west monsoon has caused great damage in parts of Sri Lanka.Government meteorologists said that unexpected monsoon winds blew directly across the country from the southern part of the earth at about 100 km/h, producing several rounds of stormy weather.Nearly 250 houses in the capital Colombo were damaged.
Mt Etna Erupts
Sicily Mount Etna volcano erupted shortly after midnight on July 1, shooting “bombs” of lava(岩浆)on the eastern side of the mountain.The 30 minute eruption could he seen for several miles but did not threaten any nearby villages.
Hurricane
Hurricane Blas lost strength as it moved over cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean to the west of Mexico.Bias formed off southwest Mexico during the last week, but the outer part of the storm swept western Michoacan State, killing four people when their wood and cardboard home fell down.
Monkey Repellent
After years of unsuccessful attempts to keep crop eating monkeys out of Japanese fields, a Tokyo research team believes that it may have finally found a way to prevent the damage caused by the monkeys.Animal ruins of crops were successfully prevented by shooting chili(辣椒)powder into the air, discomforting the eyes and noses of monkeys that passed in front of carefully placed warning sensors.“We've tried all kinds of preventive measures, but the monkeys are bright enough to outsmart the trick,” said Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station in western Tokyo.
(1)
The monsoon in Sri Lanka ________.
[ ]
A.
was of average strength
B.
destroyed more property than previous monsoons
C.
was rare for that time of the year
D.
affected only the outer areas of the nation
(2)
According to the information, which of the following statements is TRUE?
[ ]
A.
The eruption of Mt Etna lasted for a second month.
B.
Hurricane Blas was formed off the coast of Italy.
C.
The American Midwest had fine weather throughout July 2005.
D.
The eruption of Mt Ema did not destroy local villages.
(3)
Toshiaki Wada, Director of the Tokyo Forestry Experiment Station, would describe the monkeys as ________.
[ ]
A.
happy
B.
clever
C.
harmless
D.
lovable
(4)
The information in the “Earth Week” diary ________.
[ ]
A.
tells people future weather patterns
B.
gives advice on dealing with monsoons
C.
shows that weather can change unexpectedly
D.
show the effects that storms have on animals
阅读理解
Is education compulsory after age 16?
Under the present law, the school leaving age is 16.after 2013 the education leaving age will rise to 17.And from 2015 it will rise again, to 18.
The government is raising the leaving age because research shows that young people who carry on learning or training until the age of 18 earn more money, are likely to be healthier and less likely to be in trouble with the police.
So although at the moment your child can leave education once they’re 16, it’s worth thinking carefully about the benefits of carrying on.
What options are available after 16?
Education after16 doesn’t just mean staying at school full-time:your child can stay at school, go to college, or take up an apprenticeship or a part-time training course.They can earn money and learn new skills at the same time if they want to.
The main qualifications available are:
Diplomas:providing the background for a range of careers
Vocationalqualifications:
for young people who already know what career they want to follow and need training for specific jobs
Alevels:
offered as specific mainly academic subjects
InternationalBaccalaureate:offering a wider range of subjects than A levels
What financial help is available?
If your child continues in education after 16 and your household income is less than £30,810 a year, your child should be eligible for up to £30 a week to help with their costs.It won’t affect any benefits you get as an individual or as a family, and the money will be paid directly into your child’s bank account.This money is known as Education Maintenance Allowance(EMA).
(1)
What would be the best title for this text?
[ ]
A.
What education is waiting for you after the age of 16?
B.
What should you choose for your future after the age of 16?
C.
Who can you turn to when in difficulty after the age of 16?
D.
What happens after the age of 16?
(2)
What does the author thin k of taking a training course?
[ ]
A.
It is not as worthwhile as staying at school full-tine.
B.
It is better worth while than staying at school full-time.
C.
It is as worthwhile as going to school or college.
D.
It is better to take a training course and earn money at the same time.
(3)
The following are requirements for a family to apply for EMA, except _________.
[ ]
A.
The child is over 16.
B.
The child is in education.
C.
The child is one of the top students
D.
The annual income is less that £30,810.
(4)
What kind of people is the passage intended for?
[ ]
A.
Children around the age of 16.
B.
Parents whose children are about 16.
C.
Teachers whose students are about 16.
D.
Government officials whose job is about teenagers.
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
Is education compulsory after age 16?
Under the present law, the school leaving age is 16.After 2013 the education leaving age will rise to 17.And from 2015 it will rise again, to 18.
The government is raising the leaving age because research shows that young people who carry on learning or training until the age of 18 earn more money, are likely to be healthier and less likely to be in trouble with the police.
So although at the moment your child can leave education once they’re 16, it's worth thinking carefully about the benefits of carrying on.
What options are available after 16?
Education after16 doesn't just mean staying at school full-time:your child can stay at school, go to college, or take up an apprenticeship or a part-time training course.They can earn money and learn new skills at the same time if they want to.
The main qualifications available are:
Diplomas:providing the background for a range of careers
Vocational qualifications:for young people who already know what career they want to follow and need training for specific jobs
A levels:offered as specific mainly academic subjects
International Baccalaureate:offering a wider range of subjects than A levels
What financial help is available?
If your child continues in education after 16 and your household income is less than £30, 810 a year, your child should be eligible(符合条件的)for up to £30 a week to help with their costs.It won't affect any benefits you get as an individual or as a family, and the money will be paid directly into your child's bank account.This money is known as Education Maintenance Allowance(EMA).
(1)
What would be the best title for this text?
[ ]
A.
What education is waiting for you after the age of 16?
B.
What should you choose for your future after the age of 16?
C.
Who can you turn to when in difficulty after the age of 16?
D.
What happens after the age of 16?
(2)
What does the author think of taking a training course?
[ ]
A.
It is not as worthwhile as staying at school full-tine.
B.
It is better worth while than staying at school full-time.
C.
It is as worthwhile as going to school or college.
D.
It is better to take a training course and earn money at the same time.
(3)
The following are requirements for a family to apply for EMA, except ________.
[ ]
A.
The child is over 16.
B.
The child is in education.
C.
The child is one of the top students
D.
The annual income is less that £30, 810.
(4)
What kind of people is the passage intended for?
[ ]
A.
Children around the age of 16.
B.
Parents whose children are about 16.
C.
Teachers whose students are about 16.
D.
Government officials whose job is about teenagers.