Michael, a typical American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal in order to connect with the office. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Michael is imaginary, but his life style is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.

The world of business is one area in which technology is isolating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. In addition, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their check. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts.          Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.

36. After work, Michael likes to ________.

   A. listen to music at the concert hall    

B. watch a movie in his living room

   C. run a program on his computer in his office

   D. play baseball with his workmates

37. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

   A. Clerks will be able to work at home.    

   B. One can play baseball on the computer.

   C. One can listen to music without disturbing others.

   D. One can borrow books from libraries at home.

38. The sentence “Michael is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible” means ________.

   A. Michael is a person full of imagination and he can make his dreams come true

   B. Michael is not a real person but the lifestyle does exist

   C. Michael has ambitions but he can’t make his dreams come true

   D. Michael is a person full of imagination and his lifestyle is common nowadays

39. What will the author most probably discuss after the last paragraph?

   A. Games and sports.                                          B. Personal banking.

   C. Music and films.                                         D. International business.

40. What is the main idea of the passage?

   A. We may no longer need to communicate with other human beings.

   B. Modern technology seems to be separating human being.

   C. We may no longer need to work in the office.

   D.Modern technology makes it possible for us to work and entertain ourselves at home.

Professor Barry Wellman of the University of Toronto in Canada has invented a term to describe the way many North Americans interact(互动)these days.The term is “networked individualism”.This concept is not easy to understand because the words seem to have opposite meanings.How can we be individuals(个体)and be networked at the same time?You need other people for networks.
Here is what Professor Wellman means.Before the invention of the Internet and e-mail,our social networks included live interactions with relatives,neighbors,and friends.Some of the interaction was by phone,but it was still voice to voice,person to person,in real time.
A recent research study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that for a lot of people,electronic interaction through the computer has replaced this person-to-person interaction.However,a lot of people interviewed for the Pew study say that’s a good thing.Why?
In the past,many people were worried that the Internet isolated(孤立)us and caused us to spend too much time in the imaginary world of the computer.But the Pew study discovered that the opposite is true.The Internet connects us with more real people than expected—helpful people who can give advice on careers,medical problems,raising children,and choosing a school or college.About 60 million Americans told Pew that the Internet plays an important role in helping them make major life decisions.
Thanks to the computer,we are able to be alone and together with other people—at the same time!
【小题1】The underlined phrase “networked individualism”probably means that by using computers people_______.

One of the best-known American writers of children’s books is Alfred Strong, or Doctor Strong, as he is better known to readers everywhere. Now, an art show called “Doctor Strong From Then to Now” is travelling around the United States. The pictures and drawings show the history of Doctor Strong.

Doctor Strong first became famous almost fifty years ago when his first children’s book was published. Since then, he has written forty-five books that have sold more than one hundred million copies around the world.

Doctor Strong’s books are known for their easy use of words and colorful, hand-drawn pictures. These drawings bring life to his imaginary creatures. The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and hundreds of others.

The San Diego Museum, in California, organized the art show. It included about three hundred Doctor Strong’s original(最早的) drawings and some of his writings.

Most of Doctor Strong’s books, although written in a funny way, have serious messages. For example, in Mc Elligot’s Pool, he describes the danger of pollution. He discusses the arms race in The Butter Battle Book, written in 1984.

Doctor Strong is almost eighty-four years old now. He says he never planned to write stories just for children. He says he writes stories that interest people of all ages. He says he uses easy words so that everyone, even a child, can understand.

1. Alfred Strong is a famous _______ in the United States.

A．doctor            B．artist             C．writer            D．reader

2. Doctor Strong first became famous in __________.

A．his eighties when an art show was travelling around the United States

B．his fifties when his drawings and writings were published

C．1984 when his book Mc Elligot’s Pool was published

D．his thirties when his first book was published

3. Doctor Strong’s books are very popular in America because __________.

A．they are stories about animals such as cats, elephants and so on

B．they are written in easy words with colorful pictures

C．he organized the art show in California

D．they are written in a funny way

4. His purpose in writing many such books is __________.

A．to show his original pictures and drawings

B．to organize a special art show of his own

C．to make his readers laugh or smile when they read his books

D．not only to interest people but also to uncover some serious social problems

第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

   阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

The ancient Greeks made a list of places they thought people should see. This list was named the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The only one of the ancient wonders that still exists is the Great Pyramid of Giza. Pyramids were built as tombs for the leaders of Egypt called Pharaohs.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is special because people do not know for sure if it existed. It was located on the bank of the Euphrates River.

The Statue of Zeus was built to honor the Greek god Zeus. It was made of wood and decorated with gold and ivory. Unfortunately, the statue was destroyed by a fire.

In addition to Zeus, the Greeks also built a very big statue to honor the Greek sun god, Helios. This wonder is known as the Colossus of Rhodes(罗德港巨人雕像). It is about the same size as the Statue of Liberty.

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus(阿耳忒弥斯神庙) in what is now Turkey was built to honor the goddess of hunting, nature, and fertility. The temple was made of marble and had many bronze statues. The temple was later burned down.

Another wonder was the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. This tomb was built for King Mausolus of Caria. Later, several earthquakes damaged it. However, it remained longer than any of the wonders, other than the Great Pyramid.

The Pharos of Alexandria was a lighthouse. A large mirror inside it was used to reflect sunlight to help warn ships getting close to the Egyptian shoreline. It was later ruined by earthquakes. 

1. Which of the following countries didn’t have one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World?

  A. Greece.            B. China.             C. Egypt.           D. Turkey. 

2. Based upon the passage, which of the following is only a wonder built for a practical use?

A. the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.              B. the Pharos of Alexandria.

C. the Colossus of Rhodes.                          D. The Statue of Zeus.

3. Why can’t people visit most of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the Ancient World?

A. They no longer exist.                           B. They are imaginary.

C. It is dangerous to go to those places.            D. They are well guarded.

Standardized exam in American public education are being reformed. Over the next four years, hundreds of university professors and testing experts will work together to design new assessment system.
The new tests will be computer-based and will measure higher-order skills ignored by the multiple-choice exams used in all states，including students’ ability to read complex texts, synthesize(合成)information and do research projects．
Because the new tests will be computerized and will be administered several times throughout the school year, they can provide faster feedback(反馈)to teachers．If these plans work out, It’ll turn the current testing system upside down．
One group，led by Florida，will be made up of 25 states and the District of Columbia．The group was awarded $170 million．The other group, whose membership over-laps the first，has31 states and is led by Washington．The group was given $160 million．Twelve of the 44 states are
participating in both groups but are expected eventually to choose one set of tests．
The two groups are supposed to work in a friendly competition，though their plans are very similar．Both groups will produce tests that rely heavily on technology and both groups’ tests will include so-called performance-based tasks，designed to mirror complex，real-world situations．
In performance-based tasks，students are given a problem－they could be told, for example, to suppose they are a mayor who needs to reduce a city’s pollution—and must write about how they would solve the problem．
The new tests could be useful to teachers by giving them information on what their students are learning, but it might also require some mid-course adjustments.
Over the past decade, the federal No Child Left Behind law has emphasized helping low-achieving students improve their basic reading and math by encouraging states to produce tests that measure relatively low-1evel skills. Although the Bush-era law is still on the books, two
years of Obama administration policy have been leading schools in new directions．   
【小题1】. . What is the main idea of this passage?