B
The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone, which has been called a “geometrical masterpiece of tooled geology (地质). ” Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire , in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.
Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally , the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of precise steps.
Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones -8pairs-are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!
Kays is a small firm, employing than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.
59.What IS true about Kays?
A.It is a family business.            B.It’s a brand of curling stones.
C.It’s a place in Scotland.                     D.It’s the name of a curling stone dealer.
60.How many curling stones are needed for two games happening at the same time?
A.8.                           B.16.                  C.32.               D.96.
61.Which of the following shows the right process of making a curling stone?
A. Slicing—shaping—polishing. 
B.Weighing—measuring—polishing.
C. Cutting—running—edging—computer—matching
D. Cutting—measuring——shaping——polishing


C
Fix it on your own
Did you know that a bowl of rice could save your iPod if you drop it in a swimming pool by accident? Or that the camera on your phone could tell you what's wrong with your TV remote control? The experts at Geek Squad (geelsquad.co.uk) have made a gadget(小机件) rescue guide. So, let’s take a look at some of their useful advice.
● How to get more juice out of your phone battery(电池)
If your battery goes dead but you need to get a number or send one last text, try warming it up. That may give you a tiny bit of power. Take the battery from the phone and rub it between your hands. Or warm it under your arm for a few minutes. Then try to start the phone – but use it quickly.
● What to do if your gadget gets wet
First, try drying it out with a vacuum cleaner. If a vacuum cleaner isn’t at hand, fill a pot or bowl with uncooked rice and put your we gadget inside. The dry, uncooked rice will absorb all the water and, after a few hours, you should be able to use the gadget. Don’t forget to remove the battery and SIM card before you dry it.
● What to do if your TV remote control stops working
If replacing the batteries doesn’t work, get the camera function up on your phone and point the remote at the lens(镜头). When you press a button on the remote, if it's working then the glass bobble(小球) at the front of the remote will light up when you look at it on the screen of your phone. This is because the screen on a phone or digital camera picks up infrared rays (红外线), even though your eyes don't. If the glass bobble doesn’t light up, the remote is broken. If it does, the receiving device is broken.
43.If your cell phone falls into a sink, you can         .
A.warm it up under your arm.       B.put it into the uncooked rice.
C.press it with both of your hands.    D.remove the battery after you dry it.
44.Why can a phone be used to prove the TV remote control works well?
A.Because it can receive infrared ray.
B.Because it can reflect infrared ray.
C.Because it can improve the TV remote control.
D.Because it can picture the TV remote control.
45.In which section of a newspaper can we possibly read this text?
A.Entertainment     B.Finance        C.Culture       D.Life
46.The purpose of the passage is to give people        .
A.professional guides     B.necessary warnings
C.practical tips              D.personal opinions

J.K. Rowling set children’s imaginations on fire. Can the creator of Harry Potter do the same for a grown-up audience? The British author will find out on September 27, when more than 2 million hardcover(精装书) copies of her first novel for adults hit bookstores in the UK and the US, along with the digital edition. Set in a little English town, The Casual Vacancy is about an election held after an unexpected death.

Michael Pietsch, Rowling’s US publisher, says the novel reminded him of Dickens “because of the humanity, the humor, the social concerns, the intensely real characters”. No magic though, apparently: “This book isn’t Harry Potter”, says Pietsch. “It is a completely different concern”. As with Harry Potter, there are no advance copies for the media, no early reviews. To date, the seven-book series has sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, and it became one of the most successful movie franchises in July 21, 2007.

Back then, fans could buy books at midnight parties hosted by bookstores. But recent years have seen a great challenge for brick-and-mortar(实体的) bookstores. People are still buying books, indeed more books than in 2007, according to figures released by the Association of American Publishers. But they are reading them in a new format(样式)—the e-book. The Harry Potter series just became available digitally for the first time in April. It will be different for The Casual Vacancy, with the publisher simultaneously releasing an e-book. For Rowling fans who once queued up for Harry Potter, this means that instant satisfaction is now only a click away.

Moving from children’s books to adult literature is a big transition. Will Rowling’s new book be successful? Arthur Levine, the US co-editor of the Harry Potter books, seems confident: “If you read or re-read the Harry Potter books, you can see that Rowling has all the strengths she needs for great success as a fiction writer –you have great characters, an involving plot, a sense of humor and great empathy”.

1.In Paragraph 2, what Michael Pietsch says means that_____.

A. Dickens’ works are too impressive to forget.

B. J.K. Rowling has all the strengths of Dickens.

C. The new book is similar to Dickens’ works in some way.

D. The new book is quite different from the works of Dickens.

2.The underlined word “simultaneously” has the closest meaning with“______”.

A. willingly????????????? ????? B. meanwhile??????? C. especially????????????? ????????????? ? D. eventually

3.What’s the main purpose of Paragraph 3?

A. To explain why the new book will have a digital edition.

B. To show the Harry Potter series are popular with readers.

C. To compare J.K. Rowling’s old books and her new book.

D. To clarify the great challenges for brick-and-mortar bookstores.

4.What do the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy have in common?

A. They are both intended for children.

B. They both show the author’s great talent.

C. Their characters both have magical power.

D. Both of them won’t be read on the Internet.

 

Teachers say the digital age has had a good influence - and a not-so-good influence - on this generation of American teenagersMore than 2,000 teachers took an online surveyThree-quarters of the teachers said the Internet and digital search tools have had a "mostly positive" effect on their students' research habits and skillsBut 64 percent said the technologies "do more to distract(使 - - - ---分心) students than to help them academically" And 87 percent agreed that these technologies are creating an "easily distracted generation with short attention spans"

The Pew Internet Project did the survey with the National Writing ProjectJudy Buchanan is the vice director of the National Writing Project and a co-author of the reportMsBuchanan says digital research tools are helping students learn more and faster"Teachers really favor these tools because they are ways to make some of the learning exciting and engagingYoung people favor these toolsThe goal is to really help them become creators of meaningful content, and not just sort of consumers"

But one problem the survey found is that many students lack digital literacyThey trust too muck of the information they find on the InternetJudy says these students haven't developed the skills to determine the quality of online information"It's something that really has to be taught and paid attention toBecause in a world in which things happen quickly, you do need to step back, reflect and analyze the information you have"

Another problem is blamed on something that might not seem like a problem at all: being able to quickly find information onlineTeachers say the result is a reduction in the desire and ability of their students to work hard to find answersThey say students are overly dependent on search engines and do not make enough use of printed books or research libraries

Many teachers are also concerned that the Internet makes it easy for students to copy work done by others instead of using their own abilities

1.The text mainly tells us____

Aall the students use digital tools

Bthe Internet is playing a key role

Cteachers encourage using digital tools

Ddigital tools bring about benefits and problems

2.Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?

3.The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means

Astudents do not have the right digital tools

Bstudents do not always have access to the Internet

Cstudents haven't the ability to adjust themselves

Dstudents can't judge online information properly

4.Some students don't tend to work hard because

Athey can get answers on the Internet quickly

Bprinted books and libraries around aren't enough

Cthe Internet can't make students concentrate

Dthey can copy each others' work without being punished

 

Some say the Internet will kill off papers. Others say not so fast.

Are newspapers dying?

That’s the heated debate these days. Many say the disappearance of the daily paper is just a matter of time. The future of journalism is in news websites, not newsprint.

However, others say, newspapers have been with us for hundreds of years, and while all news may be online some day, papers can exist for some time.

So who’s right? I’ll outline the arguments on both sides, and then you can decide.

Newspapers Are Dead

Newspapers are in trouble. Circulation is dropping, display and classified ad income is drying up, and the industry has experienced a hard time. Big metro papers like the Rocky Mountain News have stopped operating, and even bigger newspaper companies like the Tribune Co. go bankrupt(破产).

And where are newspaper readers going? To the Web. A recent study has found that Internet users read online newspapers for an average of 53 minutes per week in 2008. That’s highest level recorded in the eight years when the study has been done.

The study found that 22 percent of users said they stopped their subscription(订阅)to a printed paper or magazine because they could access the same content online.

Some people say the Internet is just a better place to get the news. “On the Web, newspapers are live, and they can supplement(增补)their coverage with audio, video, and the valuable resources of their vast contents,” says Geffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future.

1.How does the author present the topic to be discussed?

A. By presenting others’ prediction

B. By asking a question

C. By providing opposite opinions

D. By talking about the background

2.The purpose of writing the text is to _____.

A. try to draw a general conclusion

B. encourage readers to use their judgment

C. compare the advantages of two media    

D. invite readers to express their opinions freely

3.Some readers no longer buy printed newspapers because they _____.

A. want to save money

B. hope to protect the environment

C. don’t care about news

D. can read online newspapers

4.What’s the advantage of the news website compared with printed newspapers?

A. it provides news vividly      B. the news is more reliable

C. it can reach more readers      D. it is much cheaper in price

 

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