In an age when technology moves faster than most can keep up with, a small group of people still remain in the time of old-fashioned letters. Frankly speaking, I was once certain that traditional letters could never be replaced by other means of communication.
But a story about online communication changed my mind.
An old man, who suffered a lot from Parkinson's disease, was not able to talk clearly and could hardly write his name. Living totally alone, he managed to keep in touch with nearly all the members of his family. How did he achieve this? He clicked out words on his computer keyboard.
I, therefore, managed to get an e-mail box as soon as the opportunity came. My life changed. E-mail, and all online communication, is something truly different. It has capabilities that few other products can match.
E-mail is convenient. It takes less time with its fast speed and 24-hour connection. The slow postal service is no match. If you wouldn't want to have a face-to-face talk with your manager, you might talk with him through e-mail even if you are in the same office.
Naming all the good things about online communication is not easy. But wait. E-mail can be inconvenient. It can waste time and energy. Just think what may happen when you take a short vacation and return to find your e-mail box filled with 200 unread messages. You could clearly spend half a day clearing junk ads.
Then, online communication will keep us staying at our computer while it connects us to distant strangers. Once we throw ourselves into the machine, we may forget the human touches we once held so dear. I'm sure there's and always will be a place for the old-fashioned letter, phone call, and face-to-face meeting even in the world of modem communication.
As I listen to the sound of the modem, I was excited at stepping out to the outside world but, at the same time, I sensed a loss of control over something valuable in my personal life.

1. 1.

   What caused the writer to become interested in e-mail and online communication?

   1. A.
      The sound of the modem.       
   2. B.
      His own illness.
   3. C.
      The changing of his life.        
   4. D.
      A sick old man's experience.
2. 2.

   What is the most probable meaning of the underlined word "junk" in Paragraph 7?

   1. A.
      Old and useless.                
   2. B.
      New and useful.
   3. C.
      Short but valuable.              
   4. D.
      Long but clear.
3. 3.

   What does the writer think of online communication?

   1. A.
      It should replace old-fashioned letters completely.
   2. B.
      It is perfectly and always does good to you.
   3. C.
      It is extremely useful and convenient, but it may be inconvenient or even harmful.
   4. D.
      It does more harm than good.
4. 4.

   How did the sick old man keep in touch with his family members?

   1. A.
      With the help of his computer.
   2. B.
      By writing letters with his pen.
   3. C.
      By making telephones calls.
   4. D.
      By visiting them regularly.
5. 5.

   According to the writer, traditional means of communication will never disappear because        .

   1. A.
      they are convenient and popular though they are slow
   2. B.
      they help to keep the friendly relationship between people
   3. C.
      most people cannot keep up with the development of technology
   4. D.
      modem means of communication does too much harm

We must ＿＿＿＿that our customs and habits aredifferent from theirs.

A. keep in mind    B. keep up with      C. keep in touch     D. keep to ourselves

We must ________ that our customs and habits are different from theirs.

    A．keep in mind       B．keep up with

    C．keep in touch      D．keep to ourselves

He must have been completely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on the windshield to get his attention.

“Is your taxi  1  ?” I asked when he finally looked  2  at me. He nodded, then said  3  as I settled into the back seat, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a  4  .” He  5  as if he had a cold .

“I am not in a hurry,” I told him. “Go ahead and finish your letter.” He  6  his head. “I've read it several times already. I guess I  7  know it by heart.”

“Letters from home always mean a lot,” I said. “From a child?”

“This isn't  8  ,” he replied. “Although it  9  just as well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 'Old Friend' when we'd meet. I'm not much good at  10 .”

“I don't think any of us keep  11  our correspondence (通信) too well,” I said. “I know I don't. But I take it he's someone you've  12  quite a while?”

“All my life. We were kids together, went to school together and all the  13  through high school.”

“There are not too many people who've had such a long friendship,” I said.

“ 14 ,” the driver went on, “I hadn't seen him more than once or twice a year over the past 25 or 30 years because I  15  away from the old neighbourhood and you kind of lose touch  16  you never forget.”

“You said 'was'. Does that mean—?” He nodded. “ 17  a couple of weeks ago.”

“I'm sorry,” I said. “It's no fun to lose any friend—and losing a real old one is  18  tougher.”

He didn't  19  to that, and we rode on in silence for a few minutes. But I realized that Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me: “I should have kept in touch.”

“Well,” I agreed, “we should all keep in touch with old friends more than we do. But things  20  and we just don't seem to find the time.”

When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away. First I had to write a letter and mail it.

1. available    B. acceptable          C. beneficial       D. occupied

2. A.       down      B.    up    C.    to    D. off

3. A.       unexpectedly      B. curiously        C. apologetically D.  definitely

4. A.       booklet       B. novel              C.       book          D. letter

5. A.       sounded   B. spoke  C.    seemed    D. continued

6. A.       hung      B.       nodded       C. shook       D. kept

7. A.       anyhow   B.    hardly     C.    almost     D. really

8. A.       friendship       B.    family     C.    leadership       D. colleague

9. A.       could      B. might  C.    maybe     D. would

10. A.     writing    B.    reading    C.    talking    D. earning

11. A.      up    B.    with C.    on    D. in

12. A.     found      B.    written    C.    known     D. seen

13. A.     curriculum      B.    coincidence     C.    life  D. way

14. A. Eventually   B.    Actually  C.    Additionally   D. Besides

15. A. removed      B.    left  C.    headed    D. moved

16. A.     even though    B.    as though C.    when       D. whereas

17. A.     Died       B. Suffered     C. Choked      D. Survived

18. A.     ever B.    even C.    fairly      D. quite

19. A.     appeal          B. reply    C.    adapt       D. talk

20.   A.    take up         B. pick up          C. come up             D. break up