But George Eastman is not how he died, and the Eastman Kodak Company is not how it is being killed. Though the ends be needless and premature, they must not be allowed to overshadow the greatness that came before. Few companies have done so much good for so many people, or defined and lifted so profoundly the spirit of a nation and perhaps the world. It is impossible to understand the 20th Century without recognizing the role of the Eastman Kodak Company.
Kodak served mankind through entertainment, science, national defense and the stockpiling of family memories. Kodak took us to the top of Mount Suribachi and to the Sea of Tranquility. It introduced us to the merry old Land of Oz and to stars from Charlie Chaplin to John Wayne, and Elizabeth Taylor to Tom Hanks. It showed us the shot that killed President Kennedy, and his brother bleeding out on a kitchen floor, and a fallen Martin Luther King Jr. on the hard balcony of a Memphis motel. When that sailor kissed the nurse, and when the spy planes saw missiles in Cuba, Kodak was the eyes of a nation. From the deck of the Missouri to the grandeur of Monument Valley, Kodak took us there. Virtually every significant image of the 20th Century is a gift to posterity from the Eastman Kodak Company.
In an era of easy digital photography, when we can take a picture of anything at any time, we cannot imagine what life was like before George Eastman brought photography to people. Yes, there were photographers, and for relatively large sums of money they would take stilted pictures in studios and formal settings. But most people couldn’t afford photographs, and so all they had to remember distant loved ones, or earlier times of their lives, was memory. Children could not know what their parents had looked like as young people, grandparents far away might never learn what their grandchildren looked like. Eastman Kodak allowed memory to move from the uncertainty of recollection, to the permanence of a photograph. But it wasn’t just people whose features were savable; it was events, the sacred and precious times that families cherish. The Kodak moment, was humanity’s moment.
And it wasn’t just people whose features were savable; it was events, the precious times that familes cherish.  Kodak let the fleeting moments of birthdays and weddings, picnics and parties, be preserved and saved. It allowed for the creation of the most egalitarian art form. Lovers could take one another’s pictures, children were photographed walking out the door on the first day of school, the person releasing the shutter decided what was worth recording, and hundreds of millions of such decisions were made. And for centuries to come, those long dead will smile and dance and communicate to their unborn progeny. Family history will be not only names on paper, but smiles on faces.
The cash flow not just provided thousands of people with job, but also allowed the company’s founder to engage in some of the most generous philanthropy in America’s history. Not just in Kodak’s home city of Rochester, New York, but in Tuskegee and London, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He bankrolled two historically black colleges, fixed the teeth of Europe’s poor, and quietly did good wherever he could. While doing good, Kodak did very well. Over all the years, all the Kodakers over all the years are essential parts of that monumental legacy. They prospered a great company, but they – with that company – blessed the world.
That is what we should remember about the Eastman Kodak Company.
Like its founder, we should remember how it lived, not how it died.
History will forget the small men who have scuttled this company.
But history will never forget Kodak.

1. 1.

   According to the passage, which of the following is to blame for the fall of Kodak?

   1. A.
      The invention of easy digital photography
   2. B.
      The poor management of the company
   3. C.
      The early death of George Eastman
   4. D.
      The quick rise of its business competitors
2. 2.

   It can be learnt from the passage that George Eastman         .

   1. A.
      died a natural death of old age.
   2. B.
      happened to be on the spot when President Kennedy was shot dead.
   3. C.
      set up his company in the capital of the US before setting up its branches all over the world.
   4. D.
      was not only interested in commercial profits, but also in the improvement of other people’s lives.
3. 3.

   Before George Eastman brought photography to people,             .

   1. A.
      no photos has ever been taken of people or events
   2. B.
      photos were very expensive and mostly taken indoors
   3. C.
      painting was the only way for people to keep a record of their ancestors.
   4. D.
      grandparents never knew what their grandchildren looked like.
4. 4.

   The person releasing the shutter (Paragraph 5) was the one        .

   1. A.
      who took the photograph
   2. B.
      who wanted to have a photo taken
   3. C.
      whose decisions shaped the Eastman Kodak Company
   4. D.
      whose smiles could long be seen by their children
5. 5.

   What is the writer’s attitude towards the Eastman Kodak Company?

   1. A.
      Disapproving
   2. B.
      Respectful
   3. C.
      Regretful
   4. D.
      Critical
6. 6.

   Which do you think is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Great Contributions of Kodak
   2. B.
      Unforgettable moments of Kodak
   3. C.
      Kodak Is Dead
   4. D.
      History of Eastman Kodak Company

In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live, Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.

1. 1.

    According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by __________.

   1. A.
      diseases and aging
   2. B.
      accidents and war
   3. C.
      accidents and aging
   4. D.
      heart disease and war
2. 2.

    In the author’s opinion, today’s most important advance in technology lies in __________.

   1. A.
      brain cell
   2. B.
      the Internet
   3. C.
      medicine
   4. D.
      human organ
3. 3.

   Humans may live longer in the future because _________.

   1. A.
      heart disease will be far away from us
   2. B.
      human brains can decide the final death
   3. C.
      the basic materials of cells will last forever
   4. D.
      human organs can be repaired by new medicine
4. 4.

   How long can humans live in the future according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Over 100 years.
   2. B.
      More than 120 years.
   3. C.
      About 150 years.
   4. D.
      The passage doesn't tell us.

Have you ever heard anyone say “It’s raining cats and dogs”? It means “It’s raining hard!”
But sometimes cats and dogs do drop from the sky! Here’s how it happens.
Not so long ago, a country far away had many large rats. The people there said, “ We need cats!” So cats were sent to them by airplane. But the country had many mountains. It was hard for an airplane to land. So the cats came down by parachute(降落伞). Did the cats like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are still catching rats!
In another country far away, there is snow the year around. People sometimes got lost in it.
“We need big dogs!” the people said, “The dogs could find people lost in the snow. The dogs could help bring them home. Where can we get big dogs?”
A man across the sea had big dogs to sell. “I will send dogs to you,” he said. “ I have some very big ones. They can find people lost in the snow.”He sent the dogs by airplane.
But the airplane did not land in the snow. The dogs came down by parachute ---- you guessed it !Did the dogs like the ride? They didn’t say they didn’t! And today they are well and happy.They find anyone who gets lost in the snow. Then they help him get home. Good dogs!Remember it, so you can say, “ Yes, it does rain cats and dogs sometimes. They came down by parachute!”
【小题1】The underlined word “ it” In Paragraph  2  refers to __________.