B

As a teenager of the digital era, it is really hard to say no to fantastic electronic gadgets(电子产品). Many of us can’t get through a day without using our mobile phones or checking our e-mails. No matter if we’re “@home”, “@school” or“@play”, living without technological toys seems more and more unthinkable.

However, although gadgets bring convenience, many of us can start to feel stressed out by them. And, a lot of electronics are fairly expensive. Fashionable gadgets come and go in the digital age in the blink of any eye. So, think twice before you pulling out your wallet.

Here are some of the most popular gadgets and their pros and cons:

Pros: Laptops have made our lives much easier. You can take your books, movies, music and homework everywhere.

Cons: They cost at least 4,000 yuan! If you only want to share photos or games with your friend, then a flash memory stick is a great cheap alternative.

Pros: As well as carrying your favourite music, a video MP3 player can play up to 150 hours of movies and TV programmes.

Cons: The price—sometimes more than 2,000 yuan—is the first concern. Secondly, though music is really important to young people, ask yourself if video is really necessary. A regular MP3 player is a lot cheaper. And remember, don’t let the loud volume damage your hearing.

Pros: New mobile phones combine traditional functions with a digital camera, MP3 player and even a radio. Some can also send and receive e-mails.

Cons: Always trying to keep up with the latest model can be a waste of money. There are always new, improved phones coming out. Don’t be a fool. Do you really need all these functions? Think twice before you buy.   

60. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true?

   A. Teenagers can’t live through a day without fantastic electronic gadgets.

   B. Teenagers can hardly live happily without electronic gadgets.

   C. Teenagers’ life is full of expensive electronic gadgets.

   D. It’s all but impossible for many teenagers to live without fantastic electronic gadgets.   

61. What conclusion can we draw from the passage?

A. Never buy the most updated gadgets.   

B. You should buy the gadgets with as many functions as possible.

C. We needn’t always pay the most part to buy the most up-to-date gadgets with many functions.

D. Never buy the latest model, it’s much too expensive.

62. Choose the statement most similar in meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph2.

   A. Fashionable gadgets are updated in the digital times in a flash.

B. Fashionable gadgets are transported everywhere in the digital age in the blink of any eye.   

C. People keep buying and throwing away expensive fashionable gadgets in the digital age in the blink of any eye.   

D. People use all kinds of fashionable gadgets all the time in the digital age.

63. What do the words “pros and cons” mean in the selection?

   A. Agreements and disagreements.

B. The views that are favoured and not favoured by people.

C. Benefits and bads.   

D. Advantages and disadvantages.

A study involving 8,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a series of reports from NatWest that has started a five-year research project into teenagers and money, arc particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts man any before.

University tuition fees (学费) are currently capped at ??3,000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.

In the research, the teenagers were presented with die terms of four different loans but 76 per cent failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be earning on average ?? 31.000 by the age of 25, although the average salary for those aged 22 to 29 is just ?? 17,815. The teenagers expected to be in debt when they finished university or training, although half said that they assumed the debts would be less than ?? 10.000. Average debts for graduates are ?? 12，363.

Stephen Moir, head of community investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group which owns NatWest, said. "The more exposed young people are to financial issues, and the younger they become aware of them, the more likely they arc to become responsible, forward-planning adults who manage their finances confidently and effectively."

Ministers are deeply concerned about the financial pressures on teenagers and young people because of student loans and rising housing costs. They have just introduced new lessons in how to manage debts. Nikki Fairweathcr. aged 15. from St Helens, said that she had benefited from lessons on personal finance, but admitted that she still had a lot to learn about money.

1. Which of the following can be found from the five-year research project?

A. Students understand personal finances differently.

B. University tuition fees in England have been rising.

C. Teenagers tend to overestimate their future earnings.

D. The students' payback ability has become a major issue.

2. The phrase "to raise the ceiling" in paragraph 2 probably means "______".

A. to raise the student loans      B. to improve the school facilities

C. to increase the upper limit of the tuition     D. to lift the school building roofs

3. According to Stephen Moir, students_______.

A. are too young 10 be exposed 10 financial issues

B. should learn 10 manage their finances well

C- should maintain a positive attitude when facing loans

D. benefit a lot from lessons on personal finance

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Many British teenagers do not know money matters well

B. Teenagers in Britain are heavily burdened with debts.

C. Financial planning is a required course at college.

D. Young people should become responsible adults.

A study involving 8,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found thai most of them are ignorani when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a scries of reports from NatWesl that has started a five-year research project into teenagers and money, arc particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts man any before.

University tuition fees (学费) are currently capped at ??3,000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.

In the research, the teenagers were presented with die terms of four different loans but 76 per cent failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be earning on average ?? 31.000 by the age of 25, although the average salary for those aged 22 to 29 is just ?? 17,815. The teenagers expected to be in debt when they finished university or training, although half said that they assumed the debts would be less than ?? 10.000. Average debts for graduates are ?? 12，363.

Stephen Moir, head of community investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group which owns NatWest, said. "The more exposed young people are to financial issues, and the younger they become aware of them, the more likely they arc to become responsible, forward-planning adults who manage their finances confidently and effectively."

Ministers are deeply concerned about the financial pressures on teenagers and young people because of student loans and rising housing costs. They have just introduced new lessons in how to manage debts. Nikki Fairweathcr. aged 15. from St Helens, said that she had benefited from lessons on personal finance, but admitted thai she still had a lot to learn about money.

Which of the following can be found from the five-year research project?

A. Students understand personal finances differently. 

B. University tuition fees in England have been rising.

C. Teenagers tend to overestimate their future earnings.

D. The students' payback ability has become a major issue.

 The phrase "to raise the ceiling" in paragraph 2 probably means "______".

A. to raise the student loans                             

B. to improve the school facilities

C. to increase the upper limit of the tuition     

D. to lift the school building roofs

According to Stephen Moir, students_______.

A. are too young 10 be exposed 10 financial issues

B. should learn 10 manage their finances well

C- should maintain a positive attitude when facing loans

D. benefit a lot from lessons on personal finance

What can we learn from the passage?

A. Many British teenagers do not know money matters well

B. Teenagers in Britain are heavily burdened with debts.

C. Financial planning is a required course at college.

D. Young people should become responsible adults.

As we all know sewing-machine(缝纫机) repair is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world today. Newspapers, women’s magazines, high schools and colleges are all encouraging millions of American women to do their own sewing, not only to make their own shirts and sweaters, but also to make nice clothes for their husbands, sons, or boyfriends. The lattes figures(数字) show that over 89 million American women, because of the high costs of ready-to-wear clothing are now making almost all of their families’ clothes. Most of these women get great satisfaction from making the family clothes on their own sewing machines. So it is natural that the demand(要求) for excellent service of sewing machines is growing.

Think of it! 89 million or more sewing machines, not including another 10 million sewing machines in schools of all kinds, need service at least once a year, and quite possibly four or more times each year. I know some women who return their sewing machines to repairmen time after time to get them fixed properly. I’ve seen sewing machines come out of repair shops in worse condition than they were when they went in.

So I’ve decided to write an introduction book to sewing-machine repair and teach people how to repair their own sewing machines at home. It’s not that difficult. In the book, I will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair your sewing machine.

The author wrote the passage to        .

  A. teach women to repair their sewing machines.

  B. explain his or her purpose in writing the book

  C. introduce the reasons for doing one’s own sewing

  D. tell us that sewing-machine repair is a fast-growing business

American women make clothes by themselves because        .

  A. they cannot buy the clothes they see in magazines

  B. their husbands or boyfriends want them to do so

  C. ready-to-wear clothes cost a great deal of money

  D. they can’t get great satisfaction from buying clothes

We learn from the passage that sewing machines        .

  A. aren’t very difficult to be repaired

  B. cannot work well after one year

  C. don’t easily get broken

  D. need service 4 times a month

It can be inferred from the passage that        .

  A. the book will also show you how to make nice clothes

  B. there are not enough sewing-machine-repair shops in America

  C. over 99 million sewing machines need service at least once a year

  D. the demand for excellent service of sewing machines grows the fastest in America

As we all know sewing-machine(缝纫机) repair is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world today.Newspapers,women’s magazines,high schools and colleges are all encouraging millions of American women to do their own sewing,not only to make their own shirts and sweaters,but also to make nice clothes for their husbands,sons,or boyfriends.The lates figures(数字) show that over 89 million American women,because of the high costs of ready-to-wear clothing are now making almost all of their families’ clothes.Most of these women get great satisfaction from making the family clothes on their own sewing machines.So it is natural that the demand(要求) for excellent service of sewing machines is growing.

Think of it! 89 million or more sewing machines,not including another 10 million sewing machines in schools of all kinds,need service at least once a year,and quite possibly four or more times each year.I know some women who return their sewing machines to repairmen time after time to get them fixed properly.I’ve seen sewing machines come out of repair shops in worse condition than they were when they went in.

So I’ve decided to write an introduction book to sewing-machine repair and teach people how to repair their own sewing machines at home.It’s not that difficult.In the book,I will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair your sewing machine.

The author wrote the passage to        .

  A.teach women to repair their sewing machines.

  B.explain his or her purpose in writing the book

  C.introduce the reasons for doing one’s own sewing

  D.tell us that sewing-machine repair is a fast-growing business

American women make clothes by themselves because        .

  A.they cannot buy the clothes they see in magazines

  B.their husbands or boyfriends want them to do so

  C.ready-to-wear clothes cost a great deal of money

  D.they can’t get great satisfaction from buying clothes

We learn from the passage that sewing machines        .

  A.aren’t very difficult to be repaired

  B.cannot work well after one year

  C.don’t easily get broken

  D.need service 4 times a month

It can be inferred from the passage that        .

  A.the book will also show you how to make nice clothes

  B.there are not enough sewing-machine-repair shops in America

  C.over 99 million sewing machines need service at least once a year

  D.the demand for excellent service of sewing machines grows the fastest in America