— How do you find the film How to Train Your Dragon?
—       . I can’t think too highly of it.

T-shirts out; uniforms in

School uniforms（制服） are becoming more and more popular across the U.S.A. That’s no surprise, because they offer many benefits. They immediately end the powerful social sorting and labeling (标记) that come from clothing. If all students are dressed in the same way, they will not pay too much attention to their clothing, and some of them will not be laughed at for wearing the “wrong” clothes.

Some people are against the strict rule of school uniforms, but they do not realize that students already accept a kind of rule — wanting to look just like their friends. The difference is that the clothing students choose for themselves creates social barriers(障碍); school uniforms tear those barriers down.

As in other places, uniforms remind the wearers of their purposes and duties. For example, when a man or woman puts on a police uniform, he or she becomes, for a time, the symbol (象征) of law and order. The uniform means to the wearer his or her special duties and sends the same message to everyone the wearer meets. People with different jobs wear uniforms of one kind or another. For students, the school uniform reminds them that their task for the six or seven hours they are in school is to get an education.

Some parents are unhappy about uniforms, saying that school uniforms will affect their children’s “creativity.” First, the clothes students choose to wear do not necessarily express their individuality (个性). They just copy their classmates. Second, students have the rest of the day to be as creative as they like. While they’re in school, their job is to master reading, writing, and maths; this should take up all the creativity they have. Mastery of those skills will be good for the students to build up their creativity in every way.

1.From the passage we learn that uniforms in general       .

A. prevent the wearers from being laughed at

B. help the wearers keep their duties in mind

C. are seen as a symbol of power

D. help to create social barriers

2.Some people are against school uniforms because       .

A. they fail to realize that students have accepted the uniforms

B. they believe that uniforms will make students less creative

C. they don’t agree that uniforms can remove social barriers

D. they think that school uniforms are too popular

3.The author would probably agree that       .

A. it makes no difference whether to wear school uniforms or not

B. students’ individuality may not come from school education

C. students’ creativity is related to the clothes they choose

D. school uniforms help to create equality among students

4.School uniforms are becoming more and more popular and important because _____

A. they can stop the powerful social sorting and labeling.

B. if all students are dressed in the same way, they will not pay too much attention to their clothing.

C. uniforms can remind the wearers of their purposes and duties

D. school uniforms will affect their children’s creativity.

Contrary to common belief, social media websites such as Facebook do not weaken personal ties, they strengthen them in unique ways for different age groups, according to a new study．

The rapid spread of Facebook, which has more than 500 million users worldwide, has prompted concerns about its negative effects, but researchers at the University of Texas have reached a different conclusion．

"Our findings suggest that Facebook is not replacing face-to-face interactions between friends, family and colleagues," said S．Craig Watkins, an associate professor of radio, TV and film who headed the research team．

"In fact, we believe there is sufficient evidence that social media afford opportunities for new expressions of friendship, intimacy and community．"

The researchers questioned 900 college students and recent graduates about how and with whom they interact on Facebook．

More than 60 percent of Facebook users said posting status updates was among the most popular activities, followed by 60 percent who wrote comments on their profile and 49 percent who posted messages and comments to friends．

The researchers also found that although about the same number of men and women use Facebook, they do so in different ways．

"There is a noteworthy difference in aims in how to use a tool like Facebook．We found that for women the content tends to be more affectionate, and （they） are especially interested in using it for connection," said Watkins．

       "For men, it's more functional," he added．

       Watkins pointed out that, for example, women are more likely to post pictures of social gatherings with friends, while men are more likely to post pictures of hobbies, or post a political or pop-culture related link．

What's the popular viewpoint of ordinary people about the function of social media websites? They think ____．

     A．It is positive to personal ties

     B．It has negative effects on personal ties

     C．It makes no difference to personal ties

     D．It has both good and bad effects to personal ties

What's the meaning of the underlined word in the second paragraph?

     A．resulted from        B．had            C．showed      D．produced

What do Facebook users like to do mostly on Facebook? They like to ____．

       A．create new expressions of friendship                    '

       B．wrote comments on their profile

       C．update their personal statuses

       D．post messages and comments to friends

According to the study, ____．

       A．Men concentrate more on the functions of Facebook

       B．Much more men use Facebook than women

       C．Men and women use a tool like Facebook for the same aim

       D．Facebook is taking the place of face-to-face interactions between friends

------Do you know if Linda is willing to take charge of the program?

------____,does it？

Contrary to common belief, social media websites such as Facebook do not weaken personal ties, they strengthen them in unique ways for different age groups, according to a new study．

The rapid spread of Facebook, which has more than 500 million users worldwide, has prompted concerns about its negative effects, but researchers at the University of Texas have reached a different conclusion．

"Our findings suggest that Facebook is not replacing face-to-face interactions between friends, family and colleagues," said S．Craig Watkins, an associate professor of radio, TV and film who headed the research team．

"In fact, we believe there is sufficient evidence that social media afford opportunities for new expressions of friendship, intimacy and community．"

The researchers questioned 900 college students and recent graduates about how and with whom they interact on Facebook．

More than 60 percent of Facebook users said posting status updates was among the most popular activities, followed by 60 percent who wrote comments on their profile and 49 percent who posted messages and comments to friends．

The researchers also found that although about the same number of men and women use Facebook, they do so in different ways．

"There is a noteworthy difference in aims in how to use a tool like Facebook．We found that for women the content tends to be more affectionate, and （they） are especially interested in using it for connection," said Watkins．

"For men, it's more functional," he added．

Watkins pointed out that, for example, women are more likely to post pictures of social gatherings with friends, while men are more likely to post pictures of hobbies, or post a political or pop-culture related link．

1.What's the popular viewpoint of ordinary people about the function of social media websites? They think ____．

2.What's the meaning of the underlined word in the second paragraph?

3.What do Facebook users like to do mostly on Facebook? They like to ____．

4.According to the study, ____．