I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps (快照), maybe occasionally for magazines. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, “Can I have one of those?” He looked perturbed (不安).“Do you want to try it first?" he said. It didn't quite sound like a question. "Do I need to?" I replied. "There's nothing wrong with it?" This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad. "No, no. But you should try it," he said encouragingly." Compare it with the others. "

     I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.

     But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers... and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well.

      Why do we think that new options (选择) still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.

1. The shop assistant insisted that the writer should __ .

     A. try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it

     B. compare the camera he had chosen with the others

     C. get more information about different companies

     D. trust him and stop asking questions

2. What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"  (Paragraph 2) ?

     A. He should get a 50% discount.

     B. The price of the camera was unreasonably high.

     C. The quality of the camera was not good.

     D. The camera would soon fall in value.

3. The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he __ .

     A. knew very little about it

     B. didn't trust the shop assistant

     C. wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best

     D. had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __

     A. people waste too much money on cameras

     B. cameras have become an important part of our daily life

     C. we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product

     D. famous companies care more about profit than quality

I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps (快照), maybe occasionally for magazines. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, “Can I have one of those?” He looked perturbed (不安).“Do you want to try it first?" he said. It didn't quite sound like a question. "Do I need to?" I replied. "There's nothing wrong with it?" This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad. "No, no. But you should try it," he said encouragingly." Compare it with the others. "

     I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.

     But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers... and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well.

      Why do we think that new options (选择) still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.

1. The shop assistant insisted that the writer should __ .

     A. try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it

     B. compare the camera he had chosen with the others

     C. get more information about different companies

     D. trust him and stop asking questions

2. What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"  (Paragraph 2) ?

     A. He should get a 50% discount.

     B. The price of the camera was unreasonably high.

     C. The quality of the camera was not good.

     D. The camera would soon fall in value.

3. The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he __ .

     A. knew very little about it

     B. didn't trust the shop assistant

     C. wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best

     D. had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __

     A. people waste too much money on cameras

     B. cameras have become an important part of our daily life

     C. we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product

     D. famous companies care more about profit than quality

I needed to buy a digital camera, one that was simply good at taking good snaps (快照), maybe occasionally for magazines. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, “Can I have one of those?” He looked perturbed (不安).“Do you want to try it first?" he said. It didn't quite sound like a question. "Do I need to?" I replied. "There's nothing wrong with it?" This made him look a bit insulted and I started to feel bad. "No, no. But you should try it," he said encouragingly." Compare it with the others. "

     I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.

     But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers... and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well.

      Why do we think that new options (选择) still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.

1. The shop assistant insisted that the writer should __ .

     A. try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it

     B. compare the camera he had chosen with the others

     C. get more information about different companies

     D. trust him and stop asking questions

2. What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"  (Paragraph 2) ?

     A. He should get a 50% discount.

     B. The price of the camera was unreasonably high.

     C. The quality of the camera was not good.

     D. The camera would soon fall in value.

3. The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he __ .

     A. knew very little about it

     B. didn't trust the shop assistant

     C. wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best

     D. had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers

4. It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer's opinion, __

     A. people waste too much money on cameras

     B. cameras have become an important part of our daily life

     C. we don't actually need so many choices when buying a product

     D. famous companies care more about profit than quality

  What will you be doing when you are 26 years old? Studying at university or working for a living? Take a look at what Albert Einstein was doing at the age of 26.

100 years ago, Einstein was working in Switzerland. His hobby was physics. Without much money or help, he wrote five papers(论文) for a physics magazine. Three of these greatly changed the study of physics and our understanding of space, time, light and matter(物质). His most famous work is on the Theory of Relativity(相对论). Einstein was given the Nobel Prize for his discoveries. Although he also did many other things later, the years 1905 has been called Einstein’s “Year of Wonders”. It has been 100 years since then. Because of this, the UN has named 05 the World Year of Physics.

Today, over fifty years after Einstein’s death, a question is asked,  “ Will there ever be another Einstein?” It may take a long time. After all, Einstein was born more than 200 years after Sir Isaac Newton, another great scientist. Besides, physics is a different field now, and education is different, too. Even if you can’t be the next great scientist, it is still helpful to remember some of the things that made Einstein great. He thought independently(独立地) and read widely. He left with us a formula(公式) for life: If A is a success in life, then A="X+Y+Z." X is work, Y is play, and Z is keeping your mouth shut.

1.The year 1905 is known as Einstein’s “Year of Wonders” because           .

2.Why hasn’t there been another scientist as great as Einstein?

3.The UN has named 05 the World Year of Physics because           .

4. What does Einstein’s formula for life mean?

   What will you be doing when you are 26 years old? Studying at university or working for a living? Take a look at what Albert Einstein was doing at the age of 26.

   100 years ago, Einstein was working in Switzerland. His hobby was physics. Without much money or help, he wrote five papers(论文) for a physics magazine. Three of these greatly changed the study of physics and our understanding of space, time, light and matter(物质). His most famous work is on the Theory of Relativity(相对论). Einstein was given the Nobel Prize for his discoveries. Although he also did many other things later, the years 1905 has been called Einstein’s “Year of Wonders”. It has been 100 years since then. Because of this, the UN has named 05 the World Year of Physics.

   Today, over fifty years after Einstein’s death, a question is asked,  “ Will there ever be another Einstein?” It may take a long time. After all, Einstein was born more than 200 years after Sir Isaac Newton, another great scientist. Besides, physics is a different field now, and education is different, too. Even if you can’t be the next great scientist, it is still helpful to remember some of the things that made Einstein great. He thought independently(独立地) and read widely. He left with us a formula(公式) for life: If A is a success in life, then A=X+Y+Z. X is work, Y is play, and Z is keeping your mouth shut.

The year 1905 is known as Einstein’s “Year of Wonders” because           .

A. Einstein was working in Switzerland in 1905            B. Einstein was 26 years old in 1905

C. Einstein made some very important discoveries in 1905    D. Einstein studied physics in 1905

Why hasn’t there been another scientist as great as Einstein?

A. Because the study of physics is not enough.

B. Because it is hard to make important discoveries as Einstein did.

C. Because people don’t work hard any more.

D. Because physics is getting more and more difficult.

The UN has named 05 the World Year of Physics because           .

A. Einstein is 100 years old this year     

B. Einstein has been dead for more than 50 years

C. there have been other great discoveries after Einstein’s death 

D. it is the 100^th year since Einstein’s “Year of Wonders”

What does Einstein’s formula for life mean?

A. Success means years of hard work.   

 B. Success means all study and no play.

C. Success means working hard, relaxing and not talking too much.

D. Success is a secret that nobody knows.