Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans for company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It is an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (参与者) must sit at their computer and they will be connected over the Internet.
Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work time is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during the web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing cost for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation (住宿) for participants. All this means that less energy is used.
Many companies actively do many things to reduce their negative impact (影响) on the environment. So web conferencing is much cheaper and greener and more people are willing to host and attend a web conference.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A.Ways of protecting the environment.
B.Green benefits of web conference.
C.Ways of hosting a web conference.
D.Impacts of web conferencing on costs.
【小题2】According to paragraph 1, many companies use web conferencing because they________.
A.are interested in using any new technology
B.believe that web conferencing is more convenient
C.want to do something to protect the environment
D.haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference
【小题3】Web conferencing has all of the following advantages EXCEPT _________.
A.saving timeB.promoting understanding
C.saving energyD.saving paper
【小题4】The participants of a web conference_________.
A.will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference
B.are required to sit in the office together
C.will receive many paper materials
D.must have access to the Internet

Transportation and communication networks bring people together.Yet sometimes people themselves create barriers(障碍)to transportation and communication.
In some countries,laws stop people from moving freely from place to place.Over the centuries,many groups of people have been denied the freedom to travel because of their race,religion,or nationality.In the Middle Ages,for example,Jews were often forbidden to move about freely within certain cities.South Africa’s government used to require black Africans to carry passes when they travel within the country.Some governments require all citizens to carry identification papers and to report to government officials whenever they move.
Countries set up customs posts at their borders.Foreign travellers must go through a customs inspection before they are allowed to travel in the country.Usually travellers  have to carry special papers such as passports and visas(签证).Some countries even limit the number of visitors to their country each year.Others allow tourists to visit only certain areas of the country,or they may require that travellers be with an official guide at all times during their stay.
Many of those barriers to travel also act as barriers to communication.When two governments disagree with each other on important matters,they usually do not want their citizens to exchange news or ideas freely.Countries often try to keep military or lndustrial information secret.
Today,people have the ability to travel,to communicate,and to transport goods more quickly and easily than ever before.Natural barriers that were difficult or dangerous to cross a hundred years ago can now be crossed easily.The barriers that people themselves make are not so easy to overcome.But in spite of all the different kinds of barriers,people continue to enjoy travel and the exchange of goods and ideas.
【小题1】Choose the best title for the passage.

A.Progress of Human Society
B.Restrictions on Transportation
C.Functions of Communication
D.Barriers Made by People
【小题2】The author uses the examples in the second paragraph to tell people that_______.
A.travellers have to carry special papers such as visas
B.customs posts are necessary at the borders of the countries
C.people have been allowed to travel freely within the country
D.people have not been permitted to travel freely for various reasons
【小题3】Why do some governments limit the freedom of communication?Because they______.
A.intend to keep their national secrets unknown to others
B.think such freedom will lead to wars
C.often disagree with each other on important matters
D.want to show their authority over communication
【小题4】We may learn from the passage that_______.
A.people do not care about the removal of barriers between countries
B.people can not remove the obstacles made by themselves
C.man-made barriers are sometimes harder to overcome than natural ones
D.barriers should be taken for granted as they always exist

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