Over the past few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been making changes to my brain. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Involving myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. That’s rarely the case any more.
I think I know what’s going on. For over a decade, I’ve been spending lots of time online. The Web has been a godsend to me as a writer. Research that once required days in the rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes by a few Google searches. Even when I’m not working, I’m scanning headlines or just tripping from link to link.
The Net is becoming a universal medium where information flows through my eyes and ears and into mind. The perfect recall of silicon memory (硅制存储器) can be a blessing to thinking. But that comes at a price. As the media theorist Marshall Mcluhan pointed out, media are not just passive channels of information. They supply the stuff of thought, but they also shape the process of thought. And what the Net seems to be doing is weakening my ability for concentration. Once I was a driver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a flying swallow.
I’m not the only one. When I mention my troubles with reading to acquaintances, Bruce Friedman, a blogger, also has described how the Internet has changed his mental habits. His thinking has taken on a “staccato (破碎)” quality. “I can’t read War and Peace any more” he admitted, “I’ve lost the ability to do that.”
A recently published study suggests that when reading online, we tend to become “more decoders (解码器) of information”. We are not only what we read; we are how we read.
1.According to the passage, the author thinks_______
A. the Net is merely a headache.
B. he can no longer die but swim shallowly.
C. the once naturally deep reading has become a struggle.
D. other people around rarely have similar feelings like him.
2.What is the author’s attitude towards the Internet?
A. Thoroughly passive.
B. Totally puzzled.
C. Gladly approving.
D. Evidently worried.
3.From the passage, the more people use the Web, _________
A. the more mental habits can be improved.
B. the more they have to fight to stay focused.
C. the more they are influenced in shape.
D. the more online activities they can enjoy.
4.Which of the following can best summarize the text?
A. Is the Net gradually making us stupid?
B. Long articles are hard to read nowadays.
C. Do people lack concentration to cover Web pages?
D. More Web involvement results from attention distraction(分心).
When you get a cut, you cover it with a bandage. How do you know when to change it? Maybe you just wait until it’s wet or dirty. But when people have long-term or chronic (慢性的)wounds that take months to get better, changing bandages too early or to late could make healing take even longer. Changing the dressing on a wound too often can provide an opportunity for infections to get in. But if a bandage gets very wet very quickly from the inside, it might be filling with pus (脓)--a sign an infection has begun. Judging just when to change is important.
Chronic wounds are common in people who are older or who have certain health conditions. Chronic wounds affect around 6.5 million people per year in the United States. When Anushka Naiknaware, 13, learned about chronic wounds, she decided to make a device that could alert a person when it’s time to change their bandages.
After a lot of trials and errors, the teen settled on a design that used an “ink” filled with carbon nanoparticles(纳米粒子). The teen loaded her ink into a printer cartridge (墨盒) to print onto her special paper, which was to be made into bandage. Well, actually, Anushka loaded her ink into many, many printer cartridges. Just changing a printer cartridge isn’t easy, and filling one is even harder.
The small printed papers cost only 5 to 10 cents, Anushka estimates. The Bluetooth sensor is more expensive, but the teen notes that it could be used over and over again. She also knows there is a long way to go before her design can help patients. It hasn’t been tested on a real person yet. “You have to make sure everything works perfectly,” she says.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. The right time to change bandages is significant.
B. Chronic wounds with a bandage won’t heal.
C. Changing bandages often will help cure wounds.
D. Older people are victims of chronic wounds.
2.What does the underlined word “alter” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Assist. B. Remind. C. Comfort. D. Control.
3.What is stressed in Paragraph 3?
A. The shape of the printer cartridge.
B. The discovery of materials of the bandage.
C. The amazing features of carbon nanoparticles.
D. The difficulty Anushka had with her invention.
4.What could be the best title for the text?
A. A bandage is widely used for injuries.
B. A girl decides to treat chronic wounds.
C. A bandage that can tell the changing time.
D. A teen invents a device that heals wounds.
All Jalen Bailey wants is for his mom to be happy. So, the 8-year-old boy is using a hobby that brings him much joy to make enough money to buy her a house.
Right now, they live in a small apartment in Fresno, California, because it's all they can afford, but Jalen is hoping to change that with his bakery. “I know Jalen wants me to have a bigger place, but I want the same for him,” Sharhonda Mahan, Jalen's mom, told TODAY. “He deserves a big kitchen to cook in and a backyard to run around in.”
Jalen, who started baking at 5, opened Jalen's Bakery out of his kitchen on July 1 and has already raised $200. “I love baking because it's kind of like science,” Jalen said. “You get to put different baking materials into a bowl and make something new, which is what science is all about.”
For now, he's delivering the baked goods locally around Fresno with the help from his mom — but he launched a GoFundMe, hoping to eventually ship nationwide. Jalen has always been a little entrepreneur(企业家), taking after his mom, a full-time nanny. In fact, he also has a photography business on the side.
At 6, he started an annual back-to-school drive at a local homeless shelter and made bracelets to sell at school carnivals. He also took a business class in early June to learn how to start a lemonade stand, but decided to use those same skills to instead open a bakery.
“Everyone in the family kept telling him how good he is at baking and suggested doing that instead of a lemonade stand,” Mahan said. “He agreed with them and the very next day, he was filling out an application to get his baking license.” Once he had his license, he attended his first business mixer. While networking with local bakers, he met one who offered to donate Jalen an oven, so he could bake even more cookies and banana bread.
1.What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Jalen’s hobby. B. A great deal of money.
C. Jalen’s family members. D. The state of living in a small house.
2.What can we know about Jalen from the passage?
A. He likes delicious banana bread.
B. His favorite subject is science.
C. He’s fond of scientific invention.
D. He’s interested in doing business.
3.What made Jalen finally choose to open a bakery?
A. The local bakers’ suggestion.
B. The baking license he had got.
C. His family’s advice and support.
D. His related knowledge and skills.
4.What can we learn about Jalen’s bakery from the passage?
A. It has opened for three years.
B. It has brought him enough money.
C. It has got the aid of the locals’ help.
D. It has become a famous local bakery.
Best Travel Guides by Continent
We’ve broken down (分类)the best travel guides, by continent, to help you find student discounts and travel like a local on your next adventure.
Europe—let’s Go Europe 2019: The Students Travel Guide
Let’s Go was founded about 56 years ago when a Harvard student had an idea to provide accessible, budget travel tips for young people. Students love its amusing pages. let’s Go Europe 2018 has everything you need for your trip—from the best beer in Brussels to how to avoid the lines at the Louvre.
Africa—The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route
With its colorful photos and detailed tips on how to make the most of South Africa, The Rough Guide is the book to get when visiting Africa. You may not have access to Google Maps when you’re out exploring but that’s OK. The Rough Guide also comes with easy use to maps. It can be purchased as an eBook, or as a paperback (平装本).
Asia—Lonely Planet: South –East Asia on a Shoestring
This guide is perfect for those backpacking through the hidden treasures of South-East Asia. With detailed recommendations from experts in the area, this guide helps first-times as well as experienced backpackers. This book can be purchased as a paperback travel guide. A download for an eBook or separate chapters can be purchased to serve as a guide to specific cities.
North America—Lonely Planet USA Travel Guide
With detailed reviews of the best places to eat, sleep, and explore, Lonely Planet is linked with budget-friendly attractions and that is why it makes our best travel guides list. This travel guide is available in paperback.
1.What is the common character of the four travel guides?
A. They are all expensive.
B. They are intended for students.
C. They all have a very long history.
D. They are all available online.
2.Which travel guide can be downloaded partly online?
A. let’s Go Europe 2019: The Students Travel Guide.
B. The Rough Guide to Cape Town, the Winelands, and the Garden Route.
C. Lonely Planet USA Travel Guide.
D. Lonely Planet: South –East Asia on a Shoestring.
3.Why does the author recommend Lonely Planet USA Travel Guide?
A. It contains recommendations from experts.
B. It introduces the attractions in an amusing style.
C. It has colorful photos and vivid travel videos.
D. It provides cheap but attractive travel destinations.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the purpose of the talk?
A. To announce changes of a race.
B. To tell about a weekend event.
C. To introduce some runners.
2.When should runners arrive at the Town Hall?
A. At 8:30. B. At 9:15. C. At 9:45.
3.What are the prizes especially for the winners?
A. Money. B. T-shirts. C. Running shoes.
4.What’s the special price for the whole family?
A. $6. B. $5. C. $4. 5.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What’s the destination of the trip?
A. Vancouver. B. San Diego. C. San Francisco.
2.How many days did the total trip last?
A. 42. B. 40. C. 36.
3.What transport did the man mostly use?
A. Train. B. Bus. C. Bicycle.
4.What’s the last question about?
A. The repair shops. B. The tools to take. C. The cost of the trip.
