When we think about giving help to developing countries, we often think about giving money so that these countries can build schools and hospitals, buy food and medicine, or find clean water supplies. These seem to be the most important basic needs of the people we are trying to help. However, it’s far from enough. Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got to come up with some better ideas to help them.
I was very surprised, then, when I read about a plan to make cheap laptop computers(便携式电脑)for children in developing countries. A man called Nicholas Negroponte invented a cheap laptop computer, which can run without electricity. He decided to invent this computer after he visited a school in Cambodia.
The laptop which Mr. Negroponte has designed is a little different from the normal laptop computers you can buy in the shops. One difference is that it will be covered in rubber so that it is very strong and won’t be damaged easily. As an electricity supply can be a problem in developing countries, the computer also has a special handle(把手)so that children can wind(摇)the computer up to give it extra power when needed.
These special laptop computers will cost less than 100 US dollars and Mr. Negroponte wants to build as many as 15 million machines in the first year of production. The idea is that these computers will help the children’s education as they will be able to access the Internet. These computers might not help the people in developing countries immediately, but by improving children’s education they should help people to find their own solutions to their problems in the long term.
Another idea to help children in developing countries is to recycle old mobile phones so that they can be used again. In the UK, and, probably in many other countries too, millions of mobile phones are thrown away every year. The waste created by throwing away these old phones is very bad for the environment, so it seems to be an excellent idea to recycle them. In this way we will be able to achieve two important goals(目标)at the same time. We will reduce the waste we produce and help others. In other words, we will be able to “kill two birds with one stone”, and that is always a good thing.
  1  : Some new and better ways to help developing countries

Traditional way 
Giving money to help them meet the most important basic   2    such as food and medicine.
New ideas
Making cheap
laptop computers
for children there
  3   
Nicholas Negroponte
Reason
His   4   to a school in Cambodia
Features
1. Being covered in rubber
2. Running  5  electricity
3. Being able to access the Internet
 6   
Less than $100
Purposes
1. To help  7    children
2. To help people solve problems
  8 old mobile phones for reuse
  9   
Throwing away old mobile phones easily creates waste, which does       ___10   to the environment.
Goals to achieve
We’ll reduce the waste; meantime, we will help others.

Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people,but I also explain that there's a big difference between “being a writer” and writing.In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter. “You've got to want to write, ”I say to them, “not want to be a writer”.

    The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S. Coat Guard to become a freelance writer, I had no hope at all.What I did have was a friend who found me a room in a New York apartment building.It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom.I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer.

    After a year or so.However, I still hadn't gotten a break and began to doubt myself.It was so hard to sell a story that I hardly made enough to eat.But I knew I wanted to write,l had dreamed about it for years.I wasn't going to be one of those people who die wondering, what if? I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure.This is the shadow land of hope,and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

1.The purpose of the passage is to         

A.warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience

B.advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer

C.show young people it's unrealistic for a writer to seek wealth and fame

D.encourage young people to be a writer over a long period of time

2.What can be concluded from the passage?

A.Real writers often find their work interesting and rewarding.

B.A writer's success depends on luck rather than on effort.

C.Famous writers usually live in poverty.

D.The chances for a writer to become successful are little.

3.Why did the author begin to doubt himself after the first year of his writing career?

A.He wasn't able to produce a single book.

B.He hadn't seen a change for the better.

C.He wasn't able to have a rest for a whole year.

D.He found his dream would never come true.

4.“…people who die wondering,what if?” refers to “those          ”.

A.who think too much of the dark side of life

B.who regret giving up their career halfway

C.who think a lot without making a decision

D.who are full of imagination even upon death

5.“shadow land” in the last sentence means         

A.the wonderland one often dreams about

B.the bright future that one is looking forward to

C.the state of uncertainty before one's final goal is reached

D.a world that exists only in one's imagination

 

When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings. Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn’t a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud and so on. I tried to bear all these things as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.

He listened to me quietly, then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you are really like? Well, you now have the girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said, mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to other things she said.”

I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half of the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself.

I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it, “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just closing your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something that is said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to other people’s opinions, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”

Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice. 

1.The underlined sentence “Week by week her list grew” means “__________”. 

A. Week by Week, my shortcomings grew more serious

B. She had made a list of shortcomings and kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer

C. I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on

D. Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and point them out

2.Why did her father listen to her quietly? 

A. Because he believed that what her daughter’s enemy said was mostly true.

B. Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while.

C. Because he didn’t believe in his daughter

D. Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth.

3.What did the father do after he heard his daughter’s complaint? 

A. He told her not to pay any attention to what her “enemy” said.

B. He criticized her and told her to overcome her shortcomings.

C. He told her to write down all that her "enemy" had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true.

D. He refused to take the list and have a look at it.  

4.Which do you think would be the best title for this passage? 

A. Not an Enemy, but a Best Friend  

B. My Father

C. The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had        

D. My Childhood

 

People used to say, “The hand that rocks (摇) the cradle (摇篮) rules the world.” and “Behind every successful man there is a woman.”

    Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them.

    Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men.

    The American women’s liberation movement was started by women who didn’t want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay.

    A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, “You have come a long way, baby.” she will smile and answer, “Not nearly as far as I’m going to go, baby!”

    This movement is quite new, and many American women don’t agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women’s lives--- in men’s lives, too.

1. “Behind every successful man there is a woman:” means______.

A. men are always successful but not women

B. women are not willing to stand in front of men

C. women do play an important part in men’s lives and work

D .women can be as successful as men

2.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. Some American women want to work side by side with men and get the same pay for the same work.

B. Most American women want to be more successful than men.

C. Not every American woman wants to get a job.

D. The American women’s liberation movement did make some changes in women’s lives.

3.“Not nearly as far as I’m going to go” means ______.

A. I’m still going to work farther away from home

B. I’m not going to work far away from home

C. I’m not satisfied with what I’ve done

D. What I have done is not far from success

4.The American women’s liberation movement ________.

A. has still a long way to go

B. is a failure

C. was started by many successful women

D. is a new thing not accepted by the writer

 

House buyers have three main choices: building from the ground up, moving into an old house or buying a new one. All the three are very different and should be considered carefully. Your budget will probably have the biggest effect on your choice. Comparing the three will help you make a good decision.

New houses are untouched and fresh, which means they can suit your personality and you know exactly where all of the materials come from. New houses won’t hold many unpleasant surprises, such as weak foundations, or other damaged areas. Most of these modern houses are also far more eco-friendly, with future decoration being just as easy to make and do as you like. Buying new houses is also a great way to save money, and you may find its benefit with the price going up in the future.

Some buildings, such as those that are rare or in certain areas, are of value over the years. Sometimes it is the history that draws more buyers into older houses. A famous person may have lived there, or an important event may have taken place in the house. This may not add any value to the house, but it can add to the attraction. There may be more repairs which will need to be done in the old houses,so before you think you’ve found a great bargain, be sure to get a careful inspection.

There are those who prefer building from the ground up. Building your own house can be a very rewarding, tiring, and expensive experience. While people have many expectations of planning and building their own houses, one thing is sure: it will take a while. There are always difficulties during construction, so you always find the construction time will be longer than your plan, not to mention the budget. Time can add up as well as materials and costs. Building is a good choice for those who are able and qualified.

1.In Paragraph 2, the writer mainly tells readers _____.

A.How to choose a good new house.

B.The benefits of buying a new house

C.Things to consider when they buy a house.

D.How to save money when they buy a new house.

2.What does the writer suggest people do when they are buying an old house?

A.Check whether the price is low

B.Check whether it is a rare house

C.Check carefully whether lots of repairs are needed

D.Check whether a famous person has lived in it

3.The writer seems to believe that building a house of one’s own is ____.

A.easy                                 B.costly

C.interesting                            D.impossible

4.What is the writer’s purpose in writing this passage?

A.To encourage readers to build a house of their own

B.To explain why it is hard to decide what house to buy

C.To tell readers how to find a great bargain when they are buying a house

D.To help readers make a better decision when they are buying a house

 

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