Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.

Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.

E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.

The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun see a great movie perhaps-and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may tire of telling the story.

With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.

E-mail is also an inexpensive way stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.

We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way ofstaying in touch. They don’t take the place of any of the old ways.

56. The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A. explain how to use the Internet

B. describe the writer’s joy of keeping up with the latest technology

C. tell the merits(价值) and usefulness of the Internet

D. introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet

57. The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to ________.

A. spend less time working

B. have more free time with his child

C. work at home on weekends

D. work at a speed comfortable to him

58. According to the writer, E-mail has an obvious advantage over the telephone because the former helps one ________.

A. reach a group of people at one time conveniently

B. keep one’s communication as personal as possible

C. pass on much more information than the later

D. get in touch with one’s friends faster than the later

       A long time ago, there was an emperor(皇帝). One day he told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and  36  as much land area as he liked, he would give him the area of land he had covered.  37  enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and  38  as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could. He  39  riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. Even when he was  40  or tired, he did not stop  41  he wanted to cover as much area as possible. When he at last covered a large amount of land, he was exhausted and was   42 . Then he asked himself, “Why did I  43  myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only  44  a very small area to  45  myself.”

       The above story is  46  to the journey of our  47 . We push ourselves very hard every day to make more  48 , to gain power or recognition. We neglect(疏忽，忘记) our  49  , time with our family and to appreciate(欣赏) the surrounding  50  and the things we love to do. One day  51  we look back, we will  52  that we don’t really need that much,  53  then we cannot turn back time for what we have  54 .

       Life is not about making money. Life is definitely(肯定地) not about work! Work is only  55  to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Do you know that          with wise men improves your mind?

   A. chat         B. Chats           C. chatted         D. chatting

When I said that some people are stupid I was not          you.

   A. talking to     B. referring to       C. turning to      D. listening to

         my English teacher, I have become what I am.

   A. Thanks for     B. Thank to       C. Thanks to        D. Thank for

It isn’t quite      that the director will be present at the meeting tomorrow.

   A. sure          B. right          C. certain         D. exact

It isn’t quite      that the director will be present at the meeting tomorrow.

   A. sure          B. right          C. certain         D. exact

It isn’t quite      that the director will be present at the meeting tomorrow.

   A. sure          B. right          C. certain         D. exact

The officers narrowly escaped          in the hot battle.

   A. have killed       B. to kill        C. to be killed       D. being killed

The boy is only five years old, but he is quite used          the telephone.

   A. to answer     B. to answering     C. of answering    D. by answering