People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.
【小题1】We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

A.the spelling mistakes in the messages make her very annoyed
B.only writing letters will bring friends and neighbors much closer
C.she talks to plants more because no one shares her joys and sorrows
D.gestures and the pen can express a lot more than the cold keyboard
【小题2】According to the writer, which of the following can support her opinion?
A.She has been separated from all his classmates many years.
B.No doctors write prescriptions by hand because of computers.
C.In communication, we should write more letters than send messages.
D.Less shy than school girls, boys rarely write letters to their friends.
【小题3】According to the passage, we can conclude that ________.
A.the writer is a person full of emotions and treasures friendship and affections
B.the writer becomes excited when she gets priceless gifts from other people
C.her classmates would write to each other because they couldn’t send messages
D.people put a smiley face at the end of a message just to show they are happy
【小题4】What message is conveyed in the passage?
A.The writer wastes much time in reading many rubbish text messages every day.
B.Few people can write letters well in modern society owing to texting messages.
C.Now people are too busy to communicate with each other face to face often.
D.The writer prefers personal communication rather than electronic equipment.
【小题5】Why does the writer mention the telegram?
A.Because she thinks the annoyance of reading text messages is originated from it.
B.Because we have more options to keep in touch with each other than ever before.
C.Because advanced technology partly takes the blame for lacking the human touch.
D.Because she thinks humans today become colder with the development of society.
【小题6】Which of the following best describe the tone of this passage?
A.Optimistic.B.Critic.C.Sympathetic.D.Pessimistic.


Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. Then I was born in E1 Paso,Texas and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles.
Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They influenced us with the concepts of family, faith and nationalism.
I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad injured his back working in a cardboard­box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little shopping mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr.Ben’s Coiffure.
The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week,which meant getting up at 3 a.m..To pick up rubbish, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I’d sleep in the car on the way home.
I did this for two years,but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired discipline and a strong work ethic(道德), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life’s competing interests-in my case,school,homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of a high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping burgers at a fast­food joint while taking a full load of college preparation courses.
The hard work paid off. I attended the U.S.Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California State Assembly(州议会).In these jobs and in everything else I’ve done, I have never forgotten those nights in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor.
59. Before my father got injured,we________.
A. didn’t like living in the USA                   B. lived a poor but happy life
C. were lucky to move to the USA                 D. had many ways to make money
60. When he recovered,to make a living my father________.
A. ran a small shopping mall                  B. did a part­time job
C. worked as a barber                        D. became a street cleaner
61. Working in the parking lot for two years had taught me________.
A. how to obey school discipline             B. how to do two things well at a time
C. that discipline and work were of equal value 
D. that I must do as many things as possible at a time
62. The author tells us in the last paragraph that we should be proud of those who________.
A. have done all kinds of jobs                      B. are cleaning the parking lot
C. have achieved a lot in their lives               D. are bearing their responsibilities


Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway has announced she is engaged(订婚).The actress, 29,confirmed the news after she was photographed wearing a ring while with her boyfriend Adam Shulman in Brooklyn yesterday. Shulman, an actor and jewellery designer, worked with Kwiat Heritage Jewels to create the ring. The pair quietly began dating in November 2008,but weren't pictured together until the following year.
“We hit it off immediately the first time we met each other but it took us a pretty long time to get together," she has said of Shulman. “He thought that I had a boyfriend and I thought that he had a girlfriend, so I thought that I'd better keep my distance because I didn't want to be that girl. She described their union as more mature than her previous experiences, adding, “Being mature doesn't always make for a good story, but it makes for a good life.”
Speaking about the relationship in the September issue(期刊)of U.K.s Marie Claire, she said, “Adam totally ruined my plan. I was really actually looking forward to a little time alone tod then I fell in love like a fool. Her romance with Shulman followed a disastrous relationship with an Italian real estate(地产)developer Raffaello Follieri. She split up with him in 2008 when he was arrested on fraud(欺诈)charges and he was later sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
The actress, whose film credits also include Brokeback Mountain and One Day, will next star in the new The Dark Knight Rises. She plays Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman.
【小题1】How many films Anne Hathaway acted in are mentioned in the passage?

A.Two.B.Three.C.Four.D.Five.
【小题2】Which of the following is the correct order to describe Anne's life according to the passage?
a. She confirmed the news that she was engaged.
b. She split up with Raffaello Follieri.
c. She was photographed wearing a ring.
d. She and Adam Shulman were pictured together.
A.b-d-c-aB.d-b-a-cC.b-a-d-cD.d-c-b-a
【小题3】The underlined part “hit it off” in Paragraph 2 probably means “_______”.
A.gave upB.took downC.got on wellD.turned away
【小题4】It can be inferred from the passage that  _______.
A.Marie Claire is a travel guide
B.Anne split up with Raffaello because of Shulman
C.Follieri totally ruined Anne's life
D.the relationship with Raffaello hurt Anne

People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.

  1. 1.

    We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

    1. A.
      the spelling mistakes in the messages make her very annoyed
    2. B.
      only writing letters will bring friends and neighbors much closer
    3. C.
      she talks to plants more because no one shares her joys and sorrows
    4. D.
      gestures and the pen can express a lot more than the cold keyboard
  2. 2.

    According to the writer, which of the following can support her opinion?

    1. A.
      She has been separated from all his classmates many years.
    2. B.
      No doctors write prescriptions by hand because of computers.
    3. C.
      In communication, we should write more letters than send messages.
    4. D.
      Less shy than school girls, boys rarely write letters to their friends.
  3. 3.

    According to the passage, we can conclude that ________.

    1. A.
      the writer is a person full of emotions and treasures friendship and affections
    2. B.
      the writer becomes excited when she gets priceless gifts from other people
    3. C.
      her classmates would write to each other because they couldn’t send messages
    4. D.
      people put a smiley face at the end of a message just to show they are happy
  4. 4.

    What message is conveyed in the passage?

    1. A.
      The writer wastes much time in reading many rubbish text messages every day.
    2. B.
      Few people can write letters well in modern society owing to texting messages.
    3. C.
      Now people are too busy to communicate with each other face to face often.
    4. D.
      The writer prefers personal communication rather than electronic equipment.
  5. 5.

    Why does the writer mention the telegram?

    1. A.
      Because she thinks the annoyance of reading text messages is originated from it.
    2. B.
      Because we have more options to keep in touch with each other than ever before.
    3. C.
      Because advanced technology partly takes the blame for lacking the human touch.
    4. D.
      Because she thinks humans today become colder with the development of society.
  6. 6.

    Which of the following best describe the tone of this passage?

    1. A.
      Optimistic.
    2. B.
      Critic.
    3. C.
      Sympathetic.
    4. D.
      Pessimistic.

根据下列句子及所给汉语注释或单词的首字母,在句子右边的横线上写出空缺处各单词的正确形式。(每空只写一词)

1.She is so interested in German that she keeps a         (日记)in the

       Language to improve herself.                                    1.         

2.Spring has come, and the trees are thick with green         (叶子). 2.         

3.(赢得)the support of the majority requires time, energy and devotion.     3.         

4.Here, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who has         (鼓励)

       and supported me.                                             4.         

5.The students sat in front of me, talking          (兴奋)for hours

        about their life in universities.                                    5.         

6.There are many things we need to take into c         before we buy

       an expensive product.                                           6.         

7.When I c       my shopping list, I found I had forgotten to buy eggs.    7.         

8.— you didn’t come to the party yesterday, Jane ?

— I had meant to, but I had an u         guest.                                 8.         

9.—Are you going to the United States for your holiday?

—No, I’ll go to some E         countries with my family.                   9.          

10.Nobody likes that old man because he is too g       . He is never

       satisfied with what he already has.                                       10.          

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