It’s a Saturday night-what is a group of friends to do?They could go out to a bar or pub, they could enjoy a good meal or they could go to a club.That’s what may have happened a few years ago.However, new research has shown that three times as many Britons would rather stay in and cook a meal for friends than have a wild night out.These people are being described as the Stay Home and Entertain Friends(SHEF)brigade(队,组).

  Mark is an IT manager from Manchester and could be described as a SHEF.“I like to socialize with my friends, but going out every weekend can be really expensive.We’ve found another choice; head to the local pub for one or two drinks, then go back to one of our homes for food, drink and some music.Much less trouble and more fun than going into the city center and struggling to get a taxi at 2 a.m!”

  The survey also found that twice as many men as women associated romance with home-cooked, candlelit dinners with their partners, claming that this was a perfect way for a great Saturday night.

  According to another study by insurance company More Than, people are also turning to their homes as a source of entertainment and a shelter from the stress of modern living.The new“staying in”culture is driving increased spending on home improvement and entertainments systems within the home.Many people in the UK have set up home cinemas with plasma screen(等离子屏幕)televisions, satellite televisions and DVD players.

  Maybe, soon the popularity of this trend of staying in will decline and going out will become the new staying in!

(1)

What would be the best title for the text?

[  ]

A.

Trends in Britain Are Always Changing.

B.

Staying in Is the New Going Out.

C.

Staying in or Going Out?

D.

Stay in and Enjoy the Romance.

(2)

A SHEF is a person who ________.

[  ]

A.

is very generous to a friend

B.

tries to save money by having meals at home

C.

entertains a friend at home

D.

invites a friend out for entertainment

(3)

It can be learned from the text that men prefer to stay at home because ________.

[  ]

A.

they feel more pressure from modern life

B.

they like the romantic atmosphere with their partners

C.

they don’t like to socialize with their friends at weekends

D.

their partners don’t like them to go out

(4)

The author thinks that ________.

[  ]

A.

the popularity of this trend of staying in will be increased as time goes on

B.

people needn’t go out with everything at home

C.

people will have different trends at different times

D.

the trend of staying in will stay fixed for a long time

(5)

The underlined phrase“staying in”in the last sentence of the passage probably means ________.

[  ]

A.

experience

B.

force

C.

SHEF

D.

trend

Real-life Friends
Most people know the saying: A man's best friend is his dog; and that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. However, dogs can’t offer advice or make you a cup of tea when you need one; and precious stones are cold comfort when you need a hug, and a shoulder to cry on.
What are Friends?
There are many ways to describe a friend. Friends are the family you can choose for yourself. Friends are a much better medication(医疗)than medication is, and people who spend time with friends are happier with their lives as they are less lonely.
A good friend will put you to bed when you’re lost consciousness. Ensure you’re not laid on your back, and remember to remove your shoes. You should be able to tell a true friend anything without being judged by them.
How do Friendships Begin?
This is an easy question. Find someone else who has similar interests with you. You now have another person to talk to about your shared interest but remember they like to talk too, so be prepared to shut up and listen once in a while. Hopefully they will have other friends and will introduce you to them, thereby expanding your circle.
Friendships which begin due to location, for example, next-door neighbors or school classmates, rarely survive transitions such as moving to other neighborhoods, schools, colleges, jobs, immigration, and so forth. Attend a school reunion and you’ll wonder what on earth you ever had in common with these people other than your age, although it is possible to have a friendship with someone you met at school. Mutually maintain it, and eventually become godparent or “uncle” to each others’ children.
How Friendships are Maintained
To have a friend you must also be a friend and be prepared to be there for them should they need you. Failure in this respect would label you a fair-weather friend and you would most probably be abandoned.
Boundaries
Like every other relationship you have in your life, there are boundaries you shouldn’t cross with your friends. One of those is money: Don’t lend to your friend and don’t ask for a loan yourself.
Friends are unpaid counselors(顾问),but phoning them at 2 am because you’re awake and would like a chat is not a good idea. Neither is phoning them at 10 am if you know they’re a shift-worker. Friends are people who need some space and quiet time. Generally, it all boils down to mutual respect and understanding.
It’s not a good plan to interrupt your friend while they’re on a date/on holiday/attending an orchestral recital/at a funeral.
Trust
Trust is the most vital element in any relationship. If you’re not trustworthy then you probably don’t deserve friends, so try to remember that you promised to see that dull film with them or applaud them at their first attempt at a karaoke or an Open Mic night. If you have promised to look after their clothes while they go for a bet, then make sure you do. You might like to carry enough cash to help them out too, as you never know when that situation might be reversed.
Don’t lie to your friend: if they know you well they’ll know you’re lying or will at least be suspicious. If you find out something that you know will hurt your friend, be tactful(圆滑). Do they need to know? Would they appreciate knowing? Can you tell their mum so she can break the news? Cowardly, yes, but mums usually have a much better way with words. Remember, if you do decide to tell them and it’s painful, they will probably need some time alone, after lashing out at(抨击)the closest thing—you. In that case, play the waiting game. Then don’t beat them up about it afterwards.
A Friend for Life
Strong friendships can last a lifetime with care and consideration. The benefits are multi-folds; you’ve got someone to share birthday cake with, and especially for single people, a pub meal or a trip to the cinema is no fun alone, is it? Plus it’s always nice to know there’s someone there for you, as you’re there for them, through the bad times as well as the good. Altogether now: Oh I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends.
【小题1】According to the passage we can learn that good friends should be ___________.

A.paid counselorsB.money lenders
C.good listenersD.next-door neighbors
【小题2】The author brings in the topic by ___________.
A.giving negative examplesB.raising a relative question
C.describing a natural factD.explaining what friends are
【小题3】The underlined phrase “a fair-weather friend” in Para 6 probably refers to a friend who _____.
A.likes only fine weather
B.will always stand by you
C.likes to make friends in fine weather
D.will run away from you when you need help badly
【小题4】What can be inferred from the passage?
A.The more friends you have, the happier you will be.
B.Medication is also a better way to maintain strong friendships.
C.You may lose a friend if you are always telling lies to him or her.
D.We should only make friends with those having similar interests.
【小题5】 From the last paragraph we can learn that the author ____________.
A.doubt whether there are true friends and friendship
B.has lost a lot of good friends without any reasons
C.has already benefited a great deal from his friends
D.has been tired of making friends with single people
【小题6】 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.How to make friends.B.Friends and friendship.
C.Ways to maintain friendship.D.Boundaries of friends.

These days we are all conditioned to accept newness, whatever it costs. Very soon, there is no doubt that Apple's tablet (平板电脑) will seem as a vital tool of modern living to us as sewing machine did to our grandparents. At least, it will until someone produces an even smarter, thinner and more essential tablet, which, if recent history is any guide, will be in approximately six months' time. Turn your back for a moment and you find that every electronic item in your possession is as old as a tombstone. Why should you care if people laugh just because you use an old mobile phone? But try getting the thing repaired when it goes wrong. It's like walking into a pub and asking for an orange juice. You will be made to feel like some sort of time-traveler from the 1970s. "Why not buy a new one?" you will get asked.
And so the mountain of electrical rubbish grows. An average British person was believed to get rid of quite a number of electronic goods in a lifetime. They weighed three tons, stood 7 feet high, and included five fridges, six microwaves, seven PCs, six TVs, 12 kettles, 35 mobile phones and so on. Even then, the calculation seemed to be conservative. Only 35 mobiles in a lifetime? The huge number of electronic items now regularly thrown away by British families is clearly one big problem. But this has other consequences. It contributes greatly to the uneasy feeling that modem technology is going by faster than we can keep up. By the time I've learnt how to use a tool it's already broken or lost. I've lost count of the number of TV remote-controls that I've bought, mislaid and replaced without working out what most of the buttons did.
And the technology changes so unbelievably fast. It was less than years ago that I spotted an energetic businessman friend pulling what seemed to be either a large container or a small nuclear bomb on wheels through a railway station. I asked. "What have you got in there? Your money or your wife?" "Neither," he replied, with the satisfied look of a man who knew he was keeping pace with the latest technology, no matter how ridiculous he looked. "This is what everyone will have soon—even you. It's called a mobile telephone."
I don't feel sorry for the pace of change. On the contrary, I'm amazed by those high-tech designers who can somehow fit a camera, music-player, computer and phone into a plastic box no bigger than a packet of cigarette. If those geniuses could also find a way to keep the underground trains running on the first snowy day of winter, they would be making real progress for human beings. What I do regret, however, is that so many household items fall behind so soon. My parents bought a wooden wireless radio in 1947, the year they were married. In 1973, the year I went to university, it was still working. It sat in the kitchen like an old friend—which, in a way, it was. It certainly spoke to us more than we spoke to each other on some mornings. When my mum replaced it with a new-style radio that could also play cassette-tapes, I felt a real sense of loss.
Such is the over-excited change of 21st-century technology that there's no time to satisfy our emotional needs. Even if Apple's new products turn out to be the most significant tablets I very much doubt if they will resist this trend.
【小题1】When you try getting an old mobile phone repaired, ____.

A.you are travelling through timeB.you are thought to be out of date
C.you will find everything wrongD.you have got to buy a new one
【小题2】Throwing away so much electronic rubbish makes the writer feel quite _____.
A.lost and upsetB.unbelievably fast
C.broken or lostD.regularly wasteful
【小题3】The example of the businessman implies that____.
A.the businessman mastered the latest technology
B.mobile phones used to be quite big just years ago
C.the businessman was a very ridiculous person
D.the writer failed to follow modern technology
【小题4】The passage is organized in the pattern of ____.
A.time and eventsB.comparison and contrast
C.cause and effectD.examples and analysis
【小题5】Which of the following is conveyed in the passage?
A.The fast pace of change brings us no good.
B.We have to keep up with new technology.
C.Household items should be upgraded quickly.
D.We should hold on for new technology to last.

Have you got a Facebook account? Are you thinking of getting one? Jamie Simmonds has just signed up. Let's see how she's getting along.

My Diary

MONDAY: I'm officially a Facebooker. I find a few people I used to know and I've soon got seven friends. I've never felt so popular! I wonder if my old university flatmate Steve is on here…What do you know! He is! Maybe Facebook has its uses.

TUESDAY: I've received lots of nice welcoming messages on my wall. Later, I meet up with Steve for a drink after not seeing him for five years. We get on really well! Then, he uses his Facebook app for iPhone to suggest me as a friend to some other former classmates. Some of them even come to the pub and it's just like old times – possibly a bit too much like old times. During the night, photos are uploaded to Facebook.

WEDNESDAY: Disaster! My mum's on Facebook! Has she seen the photos of me dancing on the table last night? Has she shown them to dad? Oh. And I have a friend request – mum again!

THURSDAY: There's a message from my boyfriend, “so, it's over then, is it?” Obviously I haven't changed my settings to show I'm “in a relationship”, and I haven't even added him as a friend. Ah, well, I wonder what my ex-boyfriend is doing… Whoops! I accidentally type his name into my status box instead of the search  and now every one can see it on their news feed.

FRIDAY: Time to update my status: “Work is boring. Can't wait for the weekend!” Oh, look, I've received a comment! Someone must feel the same way. Lots of my friends now “like” this status.

SATURDAY: Good news! I've got 100 friends. But wait! Someone has “un-friended” me! I look through my “friend list” to try to work out who it was. Why did they do that? Am I really such a terrible person? I never knew Facebook could be this cruel.

SUNDAY: Wake up. Check my Facebook page. Make coffee. Check my Facebook page again. Get ready to leave. Change my mind and check my Facebook page … again. I am becoming addicted to it! I think it's time to end it all before it takes over my life. I delete my account. Back to good, old, simple e-mails. Oh, look, I've got a message: A friend invited you to join Twitter. . .  

In July 2010, Facebook had more than 500 million active users. The average Facebook user has 130 friends. Facebook is translated into more than 70 different languages. The world spends 700 billion minutes a month on Facebook. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page says he's a Harvard graduate, even though he actually dropped out to focus on Facebook. The site is valued at between $7.9 and $11 billion.

1.Why did Jamie's boyfriend ask her whether she had broken up with him?

A. He had seen photos of Jamie dancing on the table.

B. She showed in her Facebook that she was still not dating anyone.

C. Her boyfriend was angry that she refused to add him as her friend.

D. He saw the name of her ex-boyfriend on his news feed.

2.Which of the following is expressed in this article?

A. Visiting Facebook website took up a large part of Jamie's time and energy.

B. Jamie is enthusiastic about her present job.

C. Facebook was created by a Harvard graduate, Mark Zuckerberg.

D. Compared with Facebook, Twitter is a better choice for Jamie.

3.What does the word “un-friend” mean in “Someone has ‘un-friended' me!”?

A. Being unfriendly to others.

B. Having a quarrel with somebody.

C. Removing a name from the friend list.

D. Ending friendship with somebody.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage ?

A. Steve was Jamie's boyfriend in the university.

B. People all over the world spend 700 billion minutes a week on Facebook.

C. Jamie's mother saw her dancing on the table last night.

D. Jamie felt enthusiastic about Facebook at first.

5.It can be learned from the passage that the writer's attitude towards Facebook is _________  .

A. subjective           B. objective            C. negative           D. positive

 

Real-life Friends

Most people know the saying: A man's best friend is his dog; and that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. However, dogs can’t offer advice or make you a cup of tea when you need one; and precious stones are cold comfort when you need a hug, and a shoulder to cry on.

What are Friends?

There are many ways to describe a friend. Friends are the family you can choose for yourself. Friends are a much better medication(医疗)than medication is, and people who spend time with friends are happier with their lives as they are less lonely.

A good friend will put you to bed when you’re lost consciousness. Ensure you’re not laid on your back, and remember to remove your shoes. You should be able to tell a true friend anything without being judged by them.

How do Friendships Begin?

This is an easy question. Find someone else who has similar interests with you. You now have another person to talk to about your shared interest but remember they like to talk too, so be prepared to shut up and listen once in a while. Hopefully they will have other friends and will introduce you to them, thereby expanding your circle.

Friendships which begin due to location, for example, next-door neighbors or school classmates, rarely survive transitions such as moving to other neighborhoods, schools, colleges, jobs, immigration, and so forth. Attend a school reunion and you’ll wonder what on earth you ever had in common with these people other than your age, although it is possible to have a friendship with someone you met at school. Mutually maintain it, and eventually become godparent or “uncle” to each others’ children.

How Friendships are Maintained

To have a friend you must also be a friend and be prepared to be there for them should they need you. Failure in this respect would label you a fair-weather friend and you would most probably be abandoned.

Boundaries

Like every other relationship you have in your life, there are boundaries you shouldn’t cross with your friends. One of those is money: Don’t lend to your friend and don’t ask for a loan yourself.

Friends are unpaid counselors(顾问),but phoning them at 2 am because you’re awake and would like a chat is not a good idea. Neither is phoning them at 10 am if you know they’re a shift-worker. Friends are people who need some space and quiet time. Generally, it all boils down to mutual respect and understanding.

It’s not a good plan to interrupt your friend while they’re on a date/on holiday/attending an orchestral recital/at a funeral.

Trust

Trust is the most vital element in any relationship. If you’re not trustworthy then you probably don’t deserve friends, so try to remember that you promised to see that dull film with them or applaud them at their first attempt at a karaoke or an Open Mic night. If you have promised to look after their clothes while they go for a bet, then make sure you do. You might like to carry enough cash to help them out too, as you never know when that situation might be reversed.

Don’t lie to your friend: if they know you well they’ll know you’re lying or will at least be suspicious. If you find out something that you know will hurt your friend, be tactful(圆滑). Do they need to know? Would they appreciate knowing? Can you tell their mum so she can break the news? Cowardly, yes, but mums usually have a much better way with words. Remember, if you do decide to tell them and it’s painful, they will probably need some time alone, after lashing out at(抨击)the closest thing—you. In that case, play the waiting game. Then don’t beat them up about it afterwards.

A Friend for Life

Strong friendships can last a lifetime with care and consideration. The benefits are multi-folds; you’ve got someone to share birthday cake with, and especially for single people, a pub meal or a trip to the cinema is no fun alone, is it? Plus it’s always nice to know there’s someone there for you, as you’re there for them, through the bad times as well as the good. Altogether now: Oh I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends.

1.According to the passage we can learn that good friends should be ___________.

A.paid counselors

B.money lenders

C.good listeners

D.next-door neighbors

2.The author brings in the topic by ___________.

A.giving negative examples

B.raising a relative question

C.describing a natural fact

D.explaining what friends are

3.The underlined phrase “a fair-weather friend” in Para 6 probably refers to a friend who _____.

A.likes only fine weather

B.will always stand by you

C.likes to make friends in fine weather

D.will run away from you when you need help badly

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

A.The more friends you have, the happier you will be.

B.Medication is also a better way to maintain strong friendships.

C.You may lose a friend if you are always telling lies to him or her.

D.We should only make friends with those having similar interests.

5. From the last paragraph we can learn that the author ____________.

A.doubt whether there are true friends and friendship

B.has lost a lot of good friends without any reasons

C.has already benefited a great deal from his friends

D.has been tired of making friends with single people

6. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A.How to make friends.

B.Friends and friendship.

C.Ways to maintain friendship.

D.Boundaries of friends.

 

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