One evening in February 2007 . a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote in Wales . She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path . That's when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train.Her Renault Clio parked across a railway line. Second later,she watched  the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks.
Ceely's near miss  made the news because she blamed it on her GPS device(导航仪).She had never driven the route before .It was dark and raining heavily . Ceely was relying on her GPS. But it made no mention of the crossing ."I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train ,"she told the BBC.
W ho is to blame here ? Rick Stevenson ,who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail US, finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says,
but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small  problems. And it’s not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless key boards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s  not clear why he only focuses digital technology,while  there may be a number of other possible  causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor signaling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the CPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.
It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an accout of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors .
The game between humans and their smart devices  is complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be  way a wiser use of technology.   
If there is such a way, it should involve more than just  an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands  of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long .
【小题1】
What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident?           

A．closebit

B．heavyloss

C．narrow escape

D．bigmistake

请阅读下列寓言小故事和故事寓意，从所给的六个选项（ A、B、C、D、E和F）中，选出附和各小题要求的最佳选项
下面是几则寓言小故事：
46. An ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of drowning.  A dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her.  The ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank.  Shortly afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, aiming at the dove.  The ant, perceiving his design, stung him in the foot.  In pain the birdcatcher shouted, and noise made the dove take wing.
47. Two men were travelling together, when a bear suddenly met them on their path.  One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and hid himself in the branches.  The other, seeing that he must be attacked, fell flat on the ground, and when the bear came up and felt him with his snout, and smelt him all over, he held his breath, and pretended to be dead as much as he could.  The bear soon left him, for he will not touch a dead body.  When he disappeared, the other traveler descended from the tree, and asked his friend what it was the bear had whispered in his ear.  “He gave me this advice,” his companion replied.  “Never travel with a friend who deserts you at the approach of danger.”
48. A prince had some monkeys trained to dance.  Being naturally good at learning, they showed themselves excellent pupils, and in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well as any of the courtiers.  Their performance was often repeated with great applause, till on one occasion a courtier, bent on mischief, took from his pocket a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage.  The monkeys at the sight of the nuts forgot their dancing and became (as indeed they were) monkeys instead of actors.  Pulling off their masks and tearing their robes, they fought with one another for the nuts.  The dancing spectacle thus came to an end in the laughter and ridicule of the audience.
49. A cock was once strutting up and down the farmyard among the hens when suddenly he noticed something shining in the straw.  “Ho! Ho!” said he, “that’s for me,” and soon rooted it out from beneath the straw.  It turned out to be a pearl that by some chance had been lost in the yard.  “You may be a treasure,” signed the cock, “to man, but for me I would rather have a single barley-corn.”
50. An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around hi to give them some parting advice.  He ordered his servants to bring in a bunch of sticks, and said to his eldest son: “Break it.”  The son tried hard, but with all his efforts was unable to break the bundle.  The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful.  “Untie it,” said the father, “and each of you take a stick.”  When they had done so, he called out to them: “Now, break,” and each stick was easily broken.
请阅读下面的故事寓意，然后匹配与之对应的小故事。
A. Not everything you see is what it appears to be.
B. One man’s pleasure may be another’s pain. / One man’s meat is another’s poison.
C. Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
D. One good turn deserves another.
E. Union gives strength.
F. Precious things are for those that can prize them.

阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意，然后从36~55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

        One day before Christmas, all of us children from the Children's Home Society Orphanage(孤儿院) were taken to the Mayflower Hotel in downtown to attend a Christmas party.

After the man on the stage said a prayer        （祈祷）, we were told to  　36　 . Within minutes we were   37    a meal which was fit for a king. I ate   38  I could eat no more. As we ate, Santa Clause came walking out onto the  39  . The kids cheered with  40  . Everyone began clapping their hands and yelling as   41  as they could.

I too was excited   42   but I knew better than to yell（叫喊）out loud or to jump up and scream. Mrs. Winters, the head matron, sat only three seats from me. She had   43   it very clear to everyone that we were to behave ourselves in "a proper manner" and that there was to be "no yelling or shouting".

One orphan   44  was led up onto the stage and each kid was handed a   45   by Santa Claus himself.

As the line became shorter and shorter my   46   finally came. He smiled at me. Then he reached over and handed me a   47   box which had two gold ribbons(丝带) on it. As I leaned(向前倾) to take the box I tripped and I   48  to my knees. Santa reached over and helped me to my feet.

"Move  49   Kiser." called out Mrs. Winters.

I was now leaning against Santa Claus' leg and I was looking   50   into his eyes. His face was less than an inch from mine.

"Can I   51   you Santa?" I asked him.

The next thing I knew Mrs. Winters had caught me up by my shirt collar and was  52   me away from the line of children.

I sat down in my chair just crying. Once in a while I would  53   at the stage to see if my gift was still sitting by Santa Claus.

When we all lined up waiting, I  54  "HO HO HO" coming from behind me.

As I   55  , there stood Santa Claus holding my large box. Then he knelt down and he hugged my neck as hard as he could.

36. A. stand up                B. go out                    C. sit down                D. keep silent

37. A. taken                     B. served                    C. brought                 D. supplied

38. A. until                         B. unless                    C. before                    D. after

39. A. table                         B. hotel                       C. seat                        D. stage

40. A. encouragement           B. excitement          C. disappointment           D. astonishment

41. A. loud                         B. big                           C. high                        D. low

42. A. outside                   B. beside                   C. aside                      D. inside

43. A. took                         B. made               C. demanded           D. warned

44. A. at a time               B. at one time           C. at time’s                D. at time

45. A. favor                      B. box                       C. gift                         D. medal

46. A. turn                         B. way                       C. chance                  D. gift

47. A. golden                     B. yellow                   C. small                     D. large

48. A. sat                           B. fell                         C. dropped               D. turned

49. A. by                             B. on                        C. in                            D. out

50. A. quickly                  B. directly                 C. immediately        D. finally

51. A. tell                             B. call                         C. hug                        D. leave

52. A. pushing                   B. keeping                  C. stopping                D. pulling

53. A. look                        B. jump                    C. put                       D. stand

54. A. watched                B. found           C. heard                             D. observed

55. A. turned around        B. turned up              C. turned away         D. turned down

One evening in February 2007 . a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote in Wales . She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path . That's when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train.Her Renault Clio parked across a railway line. Second later,she watched  the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks.

     Ceely's  near miss  made the news because she blamed it on her GPS device(导航仪).She had never driven the route before .It was dark and raining heavily . Ceely was relying on her GPS. But it made no mention of the crossing ."I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train ,"she told the BBC.

   W ho is to blame here ? Rick Stevenson ,who tells Ceely's story in his book When Machines Fail US, finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says,

      but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small  problems. And it’s not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless key boards.

     The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s  not clear why he only focuses digital technology,while  there may be a number of other possible  causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor signaling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the CPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.

It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an accout of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors .

The game between humans and their smart devices  is complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be  way a wiser use of technology.   

If there is such a way, it should involve more than just  an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands  of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long .

1.

What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident?           

 A. She was not familiar with the road.           

 B. It was dark and raining heavily then.   

C. The railway works failed to give the signal.

D. Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing

2.

The phrase”near miss” (paragraph 2 ) can best be replaced by _______.    

A. closebit                    B. heavy loss             C.narrow escape         D. big mistake    

3.

Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?          A. Modern technology is what we can’t live without.

B. Digital technology often falls short of out expectation.    

C. Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be.   

D. GPS error is not the only cause for Celery’s accident. 

4.

In the writer’s opinion, Stevenson’s argument is________.

A. one-sided     B. reasonable      C.puzzling      D.well-based

5.

What is the real concern of the writer of this article?

A.The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts.

B.The relationship between humans and technology

C. The shortcomings of digital devices we use.           

D. The human unawareness  of technical problems.

阅读下面短文, 掌握其大意，然后从36~55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
One day before Christmas, all of us children from the Children's Home Society Orphanage(孤儿院) were taken to the Mayflower Hotel in downtown to attend a Christmas party.
After the man on the stage said a prayer      （祈祷）, we were told to 　36　 . Within minutes we were   37   a meal which was fit for a king. I ate   38 I could eat no more. As we ate, Santa Clause came walking out onto the  39 . The kids cheered with  40 . Everyone began clapping their hands and yelling as   41 as they could.
I too was excited   42  but I knew better than to yell（叫喊）out loud or to jump up and scream. Mrs. Winters, the head matron, sat only three seats from me. She had   43  it very clear to everyone that we were tobehaveourselves in "a proper manner" and that there was to be "no yelling or shouting".
One orphan   44 was led up onto the stage and each kid was handed a   45  by Santa Claus himself.
As the line became shorter and shorter my   46  finally came. He smiled at me. Then he reached over and handed me a   47  box which had two gold ribbons(丝带) on it. As I leaned(向前倾) to take the box I tripped and I   48 to my knees. Santa reached over and helped me to my feet.
"Move  49  Kiser." called out Mrs. Winters.
I was now leaning against Santa Claus' leg and I was looking   50  into his eyes. His face was less than an inch from mine.
"Can I   51  you Santa?" I asked him.
The next thing I knew Mrs. Winters had caught me up by my shirt collar and was  52  me away from the line of children.
I sat down in my chair just crying. Once in a while I would  53  at the stage to see if my gift was still sitting by Santa Claus.
When we all lined up waiting, I  54 "HO HO HO" coming from behind me.
As I   55 , there stood Santa Claus holding my large box. Then he knelt down and he hugged my neck as hard as he could.
36. A. stand up           B. go out               C. sit down            D. keep silent
37. A. taken               B. served               C. brought             D. supplied
38. A. until                  B. unless               C. before               D. after
39. A. table                   B. hotel                 C. seat                   D. stage
40. A. encouragement  B. excitement        C. disappointment D. astonishment
41. A. loud                  B. big                   C. high                  D. low
42. A. outside               B. beside              C. aside                 D. inside
43. A. took                  B. made            C. demanded         D. warned
44. A. at a time          B. at one time        C. at time’s            D. at time
45. A. favor                      B. box                C. gift                  D. medal
46. A. turn                   B. way                 C. chance              D. gift
47. A. golden                      B. yellow              C. small                D. large
48. A. sat                     B. fell                  C. dropped            D. turned
49. A. by                     B. on                 C. in                    D. out
50. A. quickly            B. directly            C. immediately      D. finally
51. A. tell                            B. call                  C. hug                  D. leave
52. A. pushing              B. keeping             C. stopping            D. pulling
53. A. look                 B. jump              C. put                 D. stand
54. A. watched           B. found               C. heard                      D. observed
55. A. turned around      B. turned up          C. turned away       D. turned down