题目内容
—No one answered when I phoned this morning. Where were you?
—I for teeth in the dental clinic.
| A.was being treated | B.have been treated |
| C.was treated | D.Treated |
A
解析
Technology has totally transformed our ability to communicate with each other. Linking to each other both literally and figuratively, many of us connect through cell phones, email, instant messaging, blogs, and networking web sites, yet we may be less connected to each other than we think.
According to a study, Americans are becoming increasingly socially isolated(孤立的). The study suggests, for example, that one quarter of Americans say that they have no one to discuss important personal issues with, and that the number of close friends that Americans have has dropped from three to two. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that this spreading isolation is experienced more sharply among those with less education, people of color, and older Americans. Unsurprisingly, those who are young, white, and well educated tend to have stronger social networks.
From my own experience I have to say that I’ve never felt more connected, thanks to a web of friends, family, and colleagues. One of my closest friends is someone I met through an online discussion group who lives hundreds of miles away from me. We have met face-to-face only twice, yet our regular electronic correspondence and cell phone calls maintain our close friendship. And, speaking of blogging, my blog has introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise and has led to enduring and important friendships.
On the other hand, I recently saw a scene unfold that proved to me how deeply disconnected we as Americans have become. I had just wrapped up a presentation on mediation at a family therapy (治疗) center.
As I was leaving, I noticed a mother and her teenage son who had just completed their session with their family therapist. After making their next appointment, they both took out their cell phones, placed calls, and began loud conversations with whoever was on the other end. I walked out behind them to the parking lot to my car. They both jumped into their cars, and, as I saw them drive off, they were still talking on their cell phones but not to each other.
【小题1】What does the passage lead you to believe?
| A.Americans are more socially isolated today. |
| B.Americans are more socially connected today. |
| C.Americans don’t make good use of technology. |
| D.Technology plays a bigger role in American society. |
| A.Sex. | B.Education. | C.Skin color. | D.Age. |
| A.They came for therapy in the same car. |
| B.They were quite close to each other. |
| C.There was not much communication between them. |
| D.They preferred talking to each other on cell phones. |
| A.The writer is totally against the modern technology. |
| B.The mother and the son have finished their family therapist and get a better relationship. |
| C.As far as the writer is concerned, he has benefited a lot from the modern technology. |
| D.Those black and well-educated people have stronger social network than aged white people. |
The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, and no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected.
In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A more emotional man might describe her state “Oh, she is a goddess”, whereas an Englishman might just say “Oh, she’s all right.” An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It’s not bad you know”, or on seeing some very unusual scenery he might convey (表达) his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that “all right,” “not bad,” and “nice,” very often have the sense of “first-class,” “excellent,” “beautiful”. This unique style of language use is particularly common in England, and is known as restrained statement.
【小题1】According to the passage, the English are different from other nationalities in _______.
| A.habits | B.attitudes | C.character | D.all of the above |
| A.calm and controlled | B.polite and friendly |
| C.nervous and quiet | D.silent and kind |
| A.talk with others as much as possible |
| B.behave just like the English do |
| C.say nothing about yourself |
| D.shake hands with everyone you meet |
| A.not bad | B.correct | C.quite right | D.wonderful |
| A.doesn’t like to show his feelings so much |
| B.has less emotion than people of other nationalities |
| C.finds it easy to express his emotion |
| D.likes to have a joke with strangers |
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for-its stadium and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years.
Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe, But they were not.
In August of AD 79 , Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii . When the eruption ended , Pompeii was hurried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861,an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD79 , There were streets and fountains, houses and shops, There was a stadium with 20,000 seats , Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine, They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in the bakery .In one bakery there were 81 round , flat loaves of bread –a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today . Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup.
【小题1】Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?
| A.To find the volcano |
| B.To shop and eat there |
| C.To watch sports and plays |
| D.To see how Pompeians lived |
| A.Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
| B.The city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
| C.Scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
| D.Nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
| A.They lived more or less the same as Italians now do . |
| B.They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup. |
| C.They enjoyed a lazy life with drinking and eating. |
| D.They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD79. |
After graduation I returned home to my small town in Indiana. I didn’t have a job yet. Mr. Hobbs, a friend of my father’s, owned a small shirt factory in town. Within the past five years it had grown from twenty to eighty workers. Mr. Hobbs was worried that his plant was getting too big and inefficient, so he asked me to come in on a short-term basis as a consultant.
I went to the plant and spent about a week looking around and making notes. I was really a mazed at what I saw.
Most curious of all, there was no quality control at all. No one inspected the final product of the factory. As a result some of the shirts that were put in boxes for shipment were missing one or two buttons, the collar, and even a sleeve sometimes!
The working conditions were poor. The tables where the workers sat were very high and uncomfortable. Except for a half hour at lunchtime, there were no breaks in the day to relieve the boring work. There was no music. The walls of the workrooms were a dull gray color. I was amazed that the workers hadn’t gone on strike.
Furthermore, the work flow was irregular. There was one especially absent-minded young man in the assembly(组装)line who sewed on buttons. After a while I recognized him as "Big Jim", who used to sit behind me in math class in high school. He was very slow and all the shifts were held up at his position. Workers beyond him in line on his shift had to wait with nothing to do; therefore, a great deal of time and efficiency were lost as Big Jim daydreamed while he worked. All week I wondered why he wasn’t fired.
After I made observations for a week, Mr. Hobbs asked me for an oral report of my findings.
【小题1】The shirts from Mr. Hobbs’ factory can be described as ____.
| A.of low quality | B.of high quality | C.fashionable | D.unfashionable |
| A.The factory was too big. |
| B.The factory was not producing fast enough. |
| C.The factory was not big enough. |
| D.The writer was a college graduate. |
| A.The workers will have more rest in the day. |
| B.Someone will examine the final product. |
| C.New machines will be bought. |
| D.The factory will be repainted. |
| A.he was slow |
| B.he wasted much time |
| C.he was absent-minded |
| D.the work flow was irregular |