When people wanted to find their way to a place in the past,they used to have to buy a map.But they don't have to do that any more.Now they can either buy a GPS,or go online and find maps for just about anywhere.

Is this an improvement?Perhaps,but some people think some of the online companies are going too far,because they have been sending out cars with photographic equipment on their roofs,to photograph every street and house in the country.

One of these cars arrived on a Wednesday morning in the quiet English village of Broughton.The camera was on a meter-high stick an top of the car and could see over walls and into people's gardens.Some of the villagers came and stood around the car,and then asked the driver and photographer to go away.Reporters quickly arrived on the scene,and soon the event was news all over the country.

Of course,the online company in question says that it is simply collecting information that people on the Internet want.But the villagers feel differently."We used to have privacy in this country—now companies just come and take photographs of our home without even asking,"said one villager."It' not right.We mustn't let this happen.We mustn't lose our right to live privately."

There is,of course,no law to prevent people from taking photographs of houses,so the villagers cannot go to court.But many people are asking the question:"OK,it's legal,lout is rt right?"

1.How is Paragraph 1 developed?

A. By analyzing causes. B. By describing experiences.

C. By ma king comparisons. D. By providing explanations.

2.What does the underlined phrase "going too far" in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. Doing a lot of work. B. Walking a long distance.

C. Taking more pictures than necessary. D. Behaving in a way that upsets people.

3.How do the locals in Broughton feel about the online company?

A. Uncaring. B. Angry.

C. Friendly. D. Thankful.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Why is GPS Important? B. The Improvement of Maps

C. It's Legal—But is It Right? D. The Development of the Internet

The tough economy is bringing new shoppers to the secondhand market.Plato's Closet in Charlotte,NC is a private company,which mainly buys and sells used clothes.While Charlotte has outstanding secondhand stores offering high-end and graceful brands for women,most of their stock applies to adults.Plato's closet targets teens and those in their 20s.

Plato's Closet,with stores in Matthews and the university area,sells clothes and accessories(装饰品)that are currently popular at about one third the retail(零售)prices.

The two hottest brands,for buying and selling,are Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch.Even though the offerings tend to be suitable for young people,there are a variety of shoppers at Plato's Closet of varying ages.Women in their 30s,40s,and older could easily find a purse,jacket or piece of jewelry they like.

If you are selling

Unlike higher-end resale stores which usually work on consignment(寄售),Plato's Closet buys on the spot.

Items can be gently used,but must be in very good condition.

Clothes should be less than two years old and styles should be the same as those still being sold at the shopping center.

There is no negotiation;prices are set company-wide.If what you sell amounts to $30 or less,they'll give you cash.More than that,you'll get a Visa cash card.

Secondhand success

Don't get discouraged if you can't find something on your first trip.Resale shops are always getting new lists of goods and change their styles with each season.

Be sure to check each piece carefully before buying.

Price comparison

Jackets: New York & Company black blazer,$12; retail: $37.

Pants: Express Editor-style pants,$12; retail: $69.90.

Shoes: Nine West black peep-toe pumps,$12; retail: $89.

Jewelry: Necklaces,$3-$5; retail: $18-$30.

1.Plato's Closet is different from other secondhand stores in that .

A. its offerings are more expensive

B. its target customers are young people

C. its stock mainly applies to female adults

D. it only offers high-end brands for women

2.If you want to sell something at Plato's Closet,you .

A. are surely paid by cash B. can bargain with buyers

C. should sell on consignment D. should make sure it's in good condition

3.If you buy a pair of Express Editor-style pants in Plato's Closet,you can save .

A. 57.9 dollars B. 15 dollars

C. 77 dollars D. 25 dollars.

In a time when ivory poaching (偷猎) has gotten so bad that it threatens to wipe out several animal species, a young Dutch designer is creating “egalitarian (平等主义) jewelry^ made of our very own ivory—teeth.

Lucie Majerus got the idea for her “human ivory” collection after having her wisdom teeth removed. She kept them and soon realized they would make great material for a jewelry collection. “Why wouldn’t we value our own material instead of the precious material from other species? And what if we mine our own ivory and turn it into pearls?” she asks.

Her own teeth became a ring,but in order to create a whole collection, she needed more material, and since having more of her teeth removed wasn’t a very pleasant choice, she asked her dentist to save his patient’s unwanted teeth. Most people choose not to keep their pulled teeth, so they are usually donated to dentistry schools. Majerus also received the lost teeth of two of her teachers at Design Academy Eindhoven, so she had a nice supply of human ivory to experiment with.

To turn human teeth into attractive pieces of jewelry, Lucie Majerus first bleaches (漂白) them, and then uses a stone polishing machine to shape the teeth into various shapes.

Majerus displayed her human ivory jewelry collection at this year’s Dutch Design Week, and claims that people’s reaction was mostly positive. “Surprisingly, most people aren’t frightened at the sight of the jewelry, but really like the idea,” Majerus told Fast Co Design. “Some regret that they didn’t keep their tooth at the dentist and some, who will have teeth taken out soon, are now looking forward to it.”

1.When did Majerus get the idea of collecting human ivory?

A. After she bought a ring.

B. After her wisdom teeth were pulled out.

C. Before she was lacking in pearls.

D. Before her wisdom teeth appeared.

2.Seeing Majerus’s human ivory jewelry collection, most people felt .

A. frightened. B. curious

C. sad D. interested

3.It can be inferred form the next that .

A. Majerus is the first woman to create jewelry using human teeth

B. other species teeth are more precious than human teeth

C. most people don’t like keeping their pulled teeth at home

D. Majerus’s teachers objected to her experiments with teeth

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A. Elephants and Ivory

B. Human Ivory Jewelry

C. A Designer Removed Her Teeth

D. The Drawbacks of Human Teeth

Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? What about traveling into the future? There’s an easy way to do it.

One way you can make a time travel journey is by writing a letter to your future self to be opened in the future. To your future self, the letter will be a visit from the past. What can be gained by writing a letter to yourself? It depends on how good your letter is. You have the chance to say something to your future self. What would you want to communicate? You’ll be able to talk to yourself 5, 10, 15 years down the road. There may be instructions for your future self, or you may have goals that you will want to check up on.

There are a lot of things you could include in your letter or letters to yourself. The more you include, the better the letter will be to you. Here are some ideas of things to include in your letter:

Your thoughts and feelings about life, religion, politics, society, etc.

Your feelings for your family.

Your likes and dislikes.

Your dreams.

The type of person you want yourself to become.

Be creative with what you put in your letter. Include a picture of yourself or family to show the period from which the letter came.

You can store your letter in many different ways. You can give your letter to a friend or family member to keep and mail to you. If you can get others to take part, have them write letters to themselves as well and ask someone to be the letter holder until it’s time to send the letters. You can also use a service online to store your letter and e-mail it to you.

Make the most of your letter writing, and you will help your future self make the most of the present.

1.How can you travel into the future?

A. By traveling back in time.

B. By writing a letter to your future self.

C. By opening a letter from the past.

D. By paying a visit to the future.

2.If you want to gain more in the future, you should ________.

A. have the chance to say something to your future self

B. talk to yourself 5, 10, 15 years down the road

C. write more about instructions for your future self

D. include as many things as possible in your letter

3.Why do you put a picture in your letter?

A. To check up on your goals.

B. To share your feelings with your family.

C. To show the time when the letter was written.

D. To find out your thoughts and feelings now.

4.Which can be the best title for the passage?

A. How to Write a Letter to Your Future Self.

B. What to Communicate with Your Future Self.

C. What to Include in a Letter to Your Future Self.

D. How to Make the Most of Your Letter.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网