“Any time! Any where! Decades ago there was no such thing” – “Communication”.

Then, September 7th 1987, the global system for mobile communication or GSM was born. And international agreements that laid out the standards, regulations and practices gave rise to a global mobile phone industry.

To be honest, the world’s first mobiles were not so attractive and the range of effectiveness wasn’t very good. But they became a must-have among those wealthy people who could afford that. However, by advantage of GSM which has many different elements to it, we can all enjoy the ability to go around the world in 217 countries, land in that country and know that a phone would work.

There are other cell phone systems using different technology in the world. The majority of the United States and parts of South America have been using something called CDMA which is very rare in Europe. In some Asian countries like China, GSM and CDMA both exist at the same time. But the GSM Association claims 85% of the global mobile phone market. They estimated there are now about 2.5 billion different users who make more than 7 trillion minutes of calls everyday, and that’s not all.

20 years later, the mobile phone is so much more than just a phone. You can use it to send text messages, take pictures, show video, even surf the internet.

“The phone itself is involved from just being a communication tool, to be a tool for round-the-clock connectivity, you can not live without it even in a minute.” Mobile consultant Nick Lane also points out with so many customized styles and features, your mobile phone will become a symbol of you.

Where will the global mobile phone industry be in another 20 years? Certainly, there will be more connections than better coverage. As for where else technology will take us, one can only imagine.

1.According the passage, we can know that GSM is ____________.

A. a global-used mobile phone                   B. a global mobile phone industry

C. a global mobile phone association           D. a global mobile communication system

2.It's most difficult to find a CDMA mobile phone in ____________.

A. the United States              B. South America               C. Europe                 D. China

3.From this passage, we can infer that ____________.

A. as soon as the first mobiles appeared, they became popular and many people have one

B. with a GSM mobile phone, you can make a phone call in most parts of the USA

C. there are only two cell phone systems in the whole world: GSM and CDMA

D. most of the mobile phone users in the world now are using the GSM mobile phone

4.By pointing out “your mobile phone will become a symbol of you”, what does Nick Lane want to tell us about the mobile phone in the future?

A. You can have a mobile phone with the unique look and functions as you like.

B. Others can find us without any difficulties if we carry our mobile phone.

C. The mobile phone can be used as a permit when you enter some places.

D. The mobile phone we carry can show others how wealthy we are.

5.What does the writer feel about the GSM development in the following 20 years?

A. Satisfied.　　          B. Worried.　　             C. Confident.　　        D. Confused.

It's an annual argument. Do we or do we not go on holiday? My wife says no because we have no savings to save us. I say you only live once and we work hard and what's the point if you can't go on holiday. The joy of a recession (不景气) means no argument next year - we just won't go.

Since money is known to be one of the things most likely to bring a relationship to its knees, we should be grateful. For many families the recession means more than not booking a holiday A YouGov survey of 2, 000 people found 22% said they were arguing more with their partners because of concerns about money. A recent research shows arguments about money were especially damaging to couples.　

Kim Stephenson, an occupational psychologist, believes money may be different things to men and women. “People can say the same things about money but have different ideas of what it's for.” he explains. “They'll say it's to save, to spend, for security, for freedom, to show someone you love them.” He says men are more likely to see money as a way of buying status and of showing their parents that they've achieved something.

　　“The biggest problem is that couples assume each other know what's going on with their finances, but they don't. There seems to be more of a taboo (禁忌) about talking about money than about death. But you both need to know what you're doing, who's paying what into the joint account and how much you keep separately. In a healthy relationship, you don't have to agree about money, but you have to talk about it.”

1.What does the author say about going on holiday in Paragraph 1?

A.It will cost them too much money.

B. Few people can afford it without working hard.

C. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.

D. It is the chief cause of family quarrels.

2.According to the text, what does Kim Stephenson believe?

A.Money is often a symbol of a person's status.

B.Money means a great deal to both men and women.

C.Men and women spend money on different things.

D.Men and women view money in different ways.

3.The author suggests that couples should ______ .

A.put their money together instead of keeping it separately

B.discuss money matters to maintain a healthy relationship

C.make efforts to reach agreement on their family budgets

D.avoid arguing about money matters to remain romantic

Andy was born with a developmental(发展的disorder. The two sides of his brain were not        normally together. The right side of his        could not communicate with the left.  At the age of three, it was      for him to walk, speak, and play. He could only echo (重复) back a few words, and walked        while someone held each of his hands.

Then came the     . He attended an all-day center where he       every unimaginable treatment. He struggled, sometimes in        , to get stronger. Andy hated it when his parents would       him there in the

mornings. However, they       —against all odds(逆境)—that he would grow up to live a       healthy life. They believed it for themselves, and for Andy.

It      .Today Andy is a successful 13-year-old high school student and has won the gold medal for his math competition. His _____ has been nothing short of a wonder. He receives special help with a few things, but _____ his friends in all the activities he loves. Andy overcame a lot of      to move from adversity (逆境) to victory.  

Ask yourself: “What are the seeds of       hidden in my struggles today? If I get up when I      , what will that make possible tomorrow? ”

Love in a Box