People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.
【小题1】We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

The people below are going to make a trip in Australia. After the description of these people, there is information about six advertisements of organized tours A-F. Decide which tours would be most suitable for the person mentioned in descriptions 1-5 and then mark the correct letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one tour which you do not need to use.

____ 1. Victor is fond of nature and adventure and he is making a study tour into geology in Australia. So he wants to make a whole day trip, enjoy the natural beauty and study geological phenomena as well.

____ 2. Vanessa is planning a short city tour of Sydney so that she can enjoy the highlights of the city and attend an important lecture given by Professor Brown Smith at 2:00 pm at the University of Sydney.

____ 3. Charlie and his friends are making their first journey in Australia. Having traveled around the city of Sydney, they plan to visit Canberra, the capital and political center of the country.

____ 4. Jenny, a European woman with her children is visiting her relatives in Australia. They want to relax themselves by enjoying the sunshine on the sandy beaches along the coast and have fun with dolphins.

____ 5. Mike and Susan are from Brazil. They have been traveling in Australia for a couple of days. This weekend, they would like to have a change and travel to the countryside to have some idea of Australia grape farming and wine producing instead of making city tours around.

A. City Highlights, Manly Beach, Northern Beaches

B. New Parliament House, National Museum, Australian War Memorial

C. Cuddle a Koala, Kangaroos, Harbour Luncheon Cruise

D. Hunter Valley Wineries, Wine Tasting, Traditional Aussie Towns

E. Port Stephens, Central Coast Beaches, North Coast, Dolphin Watching

F. Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains, Adventure Caves

阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项(A、B、C、D、E和F)中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。

The people below are going to make a trip in Australia. After the description of these people, there is information about six advertisements of organized tours A-F. Decide which tours would be most suitable for the person mentioned in descriptions 1-5 and then mark the correct letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one tour which you do not need to use.

____1.Victor is fond of nature and adventure and he is making a study tour into geology in Australia. So he wants to make a whole day trip, enjoy the natural beauty and study geological phenomena as well.

____2. Vanessa is planning a short city tour of Sydney so that she can enjoy the highlights of the city and attend an important lecture given by Professor Brown Smith at 2:00 pm at the University of Sydney.

____3.Charlie and his friends are making their first journey in Australia. Having traveled around the city of Sydney, they plan to visit Canberra, the capital and political center of the country.

____4.Jenny, a European woman with her children is visiting her relatives in Australia. They want to relax themselves by enjoying the sunshine on the sandy beaches along the coast and have fun with dolphins.

____5. Mike and Susan are from Brazil. They have been traveling in Australia for a couple of days. This weekend, they would like to have a change and travel to the countryside to have some idea of Australia grape farming and wine producing instead of making city tours around.

A.City Highlights, Manly Beach, Northern Beaches

 B. New Parliament House, National Museum,Australian War Memorial

 C. Cuddle a Koala, Kangaroos, Harbour LuncheonCruise

 D. Hunter Valley Wineries, Wine Tasting,Traditional Aussie Towns

 E. Port Stephens, Central Coast Beaches, NorthCoast, Dolphin Watching

 F. Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains, AdventureCaves

People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.

1. 1.

   We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

   1. A.
      the spelling mistakes in the messages make her very annoyed
   2. B.
      only writing letters will bring friends and neighbors much closer
   3. C.
      she talks to plants more because no one shares her joys and sorrows
   4. D.
      gestures and the pen can express a lot more than the cold keyboard
2. 2.

   According to the writer, which of the following can support her opinion?

   1. A.
      She has been separated from all his classmates many years.
   2. B.
      No doctors write prescriptions by hand because of computers.
   3. C.
      In communication, we should write more letters than send messages.
   4. D.
      Less shy than school girls, boys rarely write letters to their friends.
3. 3.

   According to the passage, we can conclude that ________.

   1. A.
      the writer is a person full of emotions and treasures friendship and affections
   2. B.
      the writer becomes excited when she gets priceless gifts from other people
   3. C.
      her classmates would write to each other because they couldn’t send messages
   4. D.
      people put a smiley face at the end of a message just to show they are happy
4. 4.

   What message is conveyed in the passage?

   1. A.
      The writer wastes much time in reading many rubbish text messages every day.
   2. B.
      Few people can write letters well in modern society owing to texting messages.
   3. C.
      Now people are too busy to communicate with each other face to face often.
   4. D.
      The writer prefers personal communication rather than electronic equipment.
5. 5.

   Why does the writer mention the telegram?

   1. A.
      Because she thinks the annoyance of reading text messages is originated from it.
   2. B.
      Because we have more options to keep in touch with each other than ever before.
   3. C.
      Because advanced technology partly takes the blame for lacking the human touch.
   4. D.
      Because she thinks humans today become colder with the development of society.
6. 6.

   Which of the following best describe the tone of this passage?

   1. A.
      Optimistic.
   2. B.
      Critic.
   3. C.
      Sympathetic.
   4. D.
      Pessimistic.

The people below are going to make a trip in Australia. After the description of these people, there is information about six advertisements of organized tours A-F. Decide which tour would be most suitable for the person mentioned in descriptions 61-65 and then mark the correct letter (A-F). There is one extra paragraph about one tour which you do not need to use.

_________61. Victor is fond of nature and adventure and he is making a study tour into geology in Australia. So he wants to make a whole day trip, enjoy the natural beauty and study geological phenomena as well.

_________62. Vanessa is planning a short city tour of Sydney so that she can enjoy the highlights of the city and attend an important lecture given by Professor Brown Smith at 2:00p.m at the University of Sydney.

_________63. Charlie and his friends are making their first journey in Australia. Having traveled around the city of Sydney, they plan to visit Canberra, the capital and political center of the country.

_________64. Jenny, a European woman with her children is visiting her relatives in Australia. They want to relax themselves by enjoying the sunshine on the sandy beaches along the coast and have fun with dolphins.

_________65. Mike and Susan are from Brazil. They have been traveling in Australia for a couple of days. This weekend, they would like to have a change and travel to the countryside to have some idea of Australia grape farming and wine producing instead of making city tours around.

A.    City Highlights, Manly Beach, Northern Beaches

Tour the highlights of Sydney, then cross the Sydney Harbor Bridge to Manly and the Northern Beaches. Capture the beauty and lifestyles of the harbor city form Gray Line’s specially selected points.

Departs: 8:30 a.m.  Adult: $51.00

Returns: 11:50 a.m.  Child: $25.50

B.    New Parliament House, National Museum, Australian War Memorial

The nation’s capital―a purposely built city, modern, with wonderful architecture yet a rural charm of lakeside, gardens and open spaces. This hi-tech city is the seat of Parliament and home of national monuments, museums and galleries.

Departs: 8:30 a.m.  Adult: $110.00

Returns: 9:15 p.m.  Child: $55.00

C.    Cuddle a Koala, Kangaroos, Harbour Luncheon Cruise

Observe and meet our unique native animals with a lot of opportunities to get to know the Cuddly Koala. Then enjoy lunch on beautiful Sydney Harbour. You can choose between the Matilda Cruises Sailing Catamarans, the stream-lined Captain Cook Cruisers or Magistic Cruises.

Departs: 8:40 a.m.   Adult: $115.00

Returns: 2:00 p.m.   Child: $57.50

D.    Hunter Valley wine factory, Wine Tasting, Traditional Aussie Towns

It is believed that famous Australian wines are from the vineyards of the rolling hills and valleys’ of the Hunter region. The Hunter Valley is Australian’s oldest commercial wine producing district with over 7,000 acres under vine.

Departs: 8:40 a. m    Adult: $127.00

Returns: 6:40 p.m     Child: $63.50

E.    Post Stephens, Central Coast Beaches, North Coast, Dolphin Watching

Discovering the beautiful Central Coast north of Sydney with its holiday villages, white sandy beaches and the sparkling Pacific Ocean. Ride the wave crests with the Dolphins in the blue waters. This quiet arm of the blue Pacific Ocean is home to nature’s most lovable and intelligent marine mammals.

Departs: 8:30 a. m.    Adult: $126.00

Returns: 7:00 p. m.        Child: $ 63.00

F.    Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains, Adventure Caves

The Blue Mountains National Park is a kaleidoscope(万花筒) of contrasts and colour rich in Australian bush and wildlife. Spectacular Jenolan Caves―the brilliance and timelessness of nature are revealed.

Departs: 8:40 a. m.        Adult: $114.00

Returns: 6:40 p. m.              Child: $57.00