I HEAR America beeping(嘟嘟响).

 Beep,says my cellophane when it gets a text message.

  Beep,says my microwave oven when my sandwich  is warmed up. 

 Sometimes  I long for a natural sound:a bird singing,dog barking,children laughing, anything to drown out  the maddening beeps that have become the soundtrack(配乐)to modern life.

  My cellophane? It isn’t enough that its ring tone offerings seem to stretch from  “annoymg” toextremely “annoying”. It also has to beep whenever someone texts messages me. 

The microwave? A bell rings when it's finished heating my food.But is that enough? No.If I don’t rush to it right away, it starts beeping,like an impatient child tugging(用力拉) at my sleeve(袖子).

 The smoke detector(探测器) is the worst offender.When its batteries are in need of replacement,it 1ets out a series of chirps.The things that don’t beep buzz(嗡嗡响).And for some reason,beeping and buzzing is beneath them,they clear their throats and perform a symphony. Like my TV, each time I turn it on, it performs an aria(咏叹调):La di da di dum.Salutions! Here I am! Same thing when I turn it off: La di da di dum.Good bye, kind sir! Until the next time

But at 1east I know where each of these sounds is coming from.That isn’t always the case.For weeks, my wife and I were awoken in the night by a beeping.There,in the stillness, we went through the possible suspects.Could we have a text message? Could it be any of the devices(装置)able to make a sound? Curling iron, rice cooker, smoke detector, TV set,clock radio...

The only way to tell was to chase the sound down ,but no sooner  would we pull on our bathrobes than the beeping would stop. We didn’t hear it every night but often enough that we would climb into bed wondering whether our sleep  would be interrupted by that maddening sound,that beep.

  Finally,early one morning,my wife found it:in the study,under a desk,a big plastic cube that was plugged into the wall.It was an uninterruptible power supply that we’d inherited(继承)from my wife’s mother.We’d never known it was capable of speech. 

I think it just wanted someone to talk to.

14.What does the writer truly mean by saying“I hear America beeping”?

A.American people like devices that beep.

B.Americans are crazy about sending text messages.

C.In modern society people are dependant on technology.

D.The soundtrack to modern life is no longer natural.

15.Why couldn’t the author and his wife find the source of the noise in their house in the beginning?

A.There were too many devices for them to check.

B.They were unwilling to get up at midnight.

C.They had never known that thing could beep too.

D.The noise didn’t come every day.

16.After reading this passage,we can probably tell the author    

   A.enjoys being surrounded by beeps  B.has a touch of humor in his writing

C.tries to avoid using anything that beeps

D.understands the beeping is designed to be user-friendly

BEIJING (Associated Press美联社)—China  has a growing middle class, a tradition(传统) of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year.Selling educational toys should be easy.
While China may be the worlds biggest toy maker, many of the best are exported.Department stores here do not have enough high quality toys.It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.
A US company, BabyCare, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.
BabyCare works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals. People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child care books.
"We want to build a seven-year relationship with those people," said Matthew J.Estes, BabyCare’s president."It starts during pregnancy (孕期), when the anxiety and needs are highest." BabyCare works on a one to one basis.Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by BabyCare advise parents, explain toys that are designed for children at each stage (阶段) of development to age six.
BabyCare opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo.It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.
It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.
【小题1】What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A.Educational toys and foreign toy markets.
B.Problems with China’s toy market and education.
C.Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.
D.Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.
【小题2】.Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?
A.Club members buy BabyCare products for free child care advice.
B.Doctors in Beijing help in making BabyCare products.
C.Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club activities.
D.BabyCare trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.
【小题3】BabyCare is developing its business in China by.
A.opening stores in Beijing hospitals
B.offering 18-month courses on child care
C.setting up children’s education centers
D.forming close relationships with parents
【小题4】Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?
A.Mother’s Club in China.B.BabyCare and Doctors.
C.American Company Model.D.Educational Toys in China.

You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belyaev doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created Lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella.

The designer says he came up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “Once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(伞蓬)built into a street lamp,” he said.

The Lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(传感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians (行人) shelter whenever it starts raining.

In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360° motion sensor on the fiberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone is using the Lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.

According to the designer, the Lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lightning strike. Each Lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.

While there are no plans to take Lampbrella into production, Belyaev says he recently introduced his creation to one Moscow Department, and insists this creation could be installed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.

1.For what purpose did Belyaev create the Lampbrella?

A. To predict a heavy rain.

B. To check the weather forecast.

C. To protect people from the rain.

D. To remind people to take an umbrella.

2.What do we know from Belyaev’s worlds in Paragraph 2?

A. His creation was inspired by an experience.

B. It rains a lot in the city of Saint Petersburg.

C. Street lamps are protected by canopies.

D. He enjoyed taking walks in the rain.

3.Which of the following show how the Lampbrella works?

A. motor→canopy→sensors                                 B. sensors→motor→canopy

C. motor→sensors→canopy                                  D. canopy→motor→sensors

4.. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. The designer will open a company to promote his product.

B. The Lampbrella could be put into immediate production.

C. The designer is confident that his creation is practical.

D. The Lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow.

 

 

Consult the page adapted from an English dictionary and do Questions 45–48.

root1 /ru:t/ n [C]

1 ►PLANT◄ the part of a plant or tree that grows under the ground and gets water form the soil: Be careful not to damage the roots when repotting.| tree roots —see picture at germinate

2 ►CAUSE OF A PROBLEM◄ the main cause of a problem: Money is the root of all evil.| be/lie at the root of (=be the cause of a problem) Often allergies are at the root of a lot of the problems.| get to the root of (=find out the cause of a problem) | root cause (=the main reason for a problem)

3 ►OF A CUSTOM/TRADITION◄ roots the origins of a custom or tradition that has continued for a long time: has its roots in Jazz has its roots in the folk songs of the southern states of the US.

4 ►OF AN IDEA/BELIEF◄ the main part of an idea or belief which all the other parts come from: be/lie at the root of Foucault is challenging the very root of 20th century liberalism.

5 ►FAMILY CONNECTION◄ sb’s roots your con- nection with a place because you were born there, or your family used to live there: Naita has come to Ghana in search of her roots.

6 put down roots if you put down roots somewhere, you start to feel that this place is your home and to have relationships with the people there

7 ►TOOTH/HAIR ETC◄ the part of a tooth, hair etc that fixes it to the rest of your body

8 take root a) if an idea takes root, people begin to accept or believe it: The concepts of democracy and free trade are finally beginning to take root.b) if a plant takes root, it starts to grow where you have planted it

9 have a (good) root round informal especially BrE to search for something by moving other things around

10 root and branch if you destroy something root and branch, you get rid of it completely and permanently because it is bad

11 ►LANGUAGE◄ technical the basic part of a word which shows its main meaning, to which other parts can be added: The suffix ‘ness’ can be added to the root ‘cold’ to form the word ‘coldness’.—compare stem1 (4)

12 ►MATHEMATICS◄ technical a number that when multiplied by itself a certain number of times, equals the number that you have: 2 is the fourth root of 16.

         —see also cube root, square root, grass roots

root2 v

1 ►SEARCH◄ [I always + adv/prep] to search for something by moving things around: [+ through/in/ around] “Hang on a second,” said Leila, rooting through her handbag for a pen.| [+ for] pigs rooting for food

2 ►PLANT◄ a) [I] to grow roots: New shrubs will root easily in summer.b) [T usually passive] to fix a plant firmly by its roots: The bush was too firmly rooted in the hard earth to dig up easily.| root itself Clumps of thyme had rooted themselves between the rocks.—see also deeply rooted (deeply (5))

3 be rooted in to have developed from something and be strongly influenced by it: policies that are rooted in Marxist economic theory

4 be rooted to the spot to be so shocked, surprised, or frightened that you cannot move

         root for sb phr v [T] informal 1 to give support and encouragement to someone in a competition, test or difficult situation, because you want them to succeed: Good luck – we’ll all be rooting for you! 2 especially AmE to support a sports team or player by shouting and cheering: We’ll all be rooting for the Dallas Cowboys in the Superbowl.

         root sth ↔ out phr v [T] 1 to find out where a particular kind of problem exists and get rid of it: Racism cannot be rooted out without strong government action.2 informal to find something by searching for it: I’ll try and root out something suitable for you to wear.

         root sth ↔ up phr v [T] to dig or pull a plant up with its roots

1.What’s meaning of the word “roots” in the sentence “Many Americans have roots in Europe.”?

         A.The underground part of a plant.       B.One’s connection with a place.

         C.The origins of a custom or tradition.      D.The main cause of a problem.

2.What’s the fourth root of 81?

         A.27.  B.9.    C.6.    D.3.

3.Which phrase can complete the sentence “Do you think it is possible to ____ crime?”

         A.root for                B.root out               C.root up                D.root through

4.In which of the following situations can we use the phrase “be rooted to the spot”?

         A.A bush is so firmly rooted in the ground that it is difficult to pull it up.

         B.A football fan got excited when his favorite football team scored a goal.

         C.A girl became too scared to walk when she caught sight of a long snake.

         D.A man is unable to walk because he was caught in a car accident years ago.

 

One silly question I simply can't understand is "How do you feel?" Usually the question I asked of a man's action-a man on the go, walking along the street or busily working at his desk. So what do you expect him to say? He'll probably say," Fine, I'm all right," but you've put a bug in his ear. ——Maybe now he's not sure. If you are a good friend, you may have seen something in his face, or his walk, that he overlooked(忽略)that morning. It starts him worrying a little. First thing you know, he looks in a mirror to see if everything is all right, while you go merrily on your way asking someone else. "How do you feel?"

Every question has its time and place. It's perfectly acceptable, for example, to ask "How do you feel?" if you're visiting a close friend in hospital. But if the fellow is walking on both legs, hurrying take a train, or sitting at his desk working, it's no time to ask him that silly question.

When George Bernard Shaw, the famous writer of plays, was in his eighties, someone asked him, "How do you feel?" Shaw put him in his place. "When you reach my age," he said, "either you feel all right or you're dead."

1.According to the writer, greetings such as "how do you feel"_______. 

A.show one's consideration for others.

B.are a good way to make friends

C.are proper to ask a man in action

D.generally make one feel uneasy.

2.The question "How do you feel" seems to be correct and suitable when asked of________.

A.a man working at his desk.

B.a person having lost a close friend.

C.a stranger who looks worried.

D.a friend who is ill.

3.The writer seems to feel that a busy man should _______.

A.be praised for his efforts.

B.never be asked any question.

C.not be bothered(烦扰).

D.be discouraged from working so hard.

4.You've put a bug in his ear means that you've ________.

A.made him laugh.

B.shown concern for him

C.made fun of him

D. given him some kind of warning.

 

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