Last year I ruined my summer vacation by bringing along a modern convenience that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad. Instead of looking at nature, I checked my email. Instead of paddling a small boat, I followed my Twitter feed (推特简讯). Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading four newspapers each morning. I was behaving as if I were still in the office. My body was on vacation but my head wasn’t.
So this year I made up my mind to try something different: withdrawal (退出) from the Internet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, since I’m bad at self-control. But I was determined. I started by giving the iPad to my wife.
The cellphone signal at our house was worse than in the past, making my attempts at cheating a frustrating experience. I was trapped, forced to go through with my plan. Largely cut off from e-mail, Twitter and my favorite newspaper websites, I had few ways to connect to the world except for radio and how much radio can one listen to, really? I had to do what I had planned to all along: read books.
This experience has had a happy ending. With determination and the strong support of my wife, I won in my vacation struggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was I, not the iPad, that was the problem. I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi. “I don’t need it,” I said.
However, as we return to post -vacation life, a harder test begins: Can I continue when I’m back at work? There are times when the need to know what’s being said right now is great. And I have no intention of giving up my convenience completely. But I hope to resist the temptation (诱惑) to check my e-mail every five minutes, which leads to checking my Twitter feed and a website or two.
I think a vacation is supposed to help you reset your brain to become more productive. Here I hope this one worked.
1.What do we know about the author’s last summer vacation？
A. He was determined to enjoy the beautiful view.
B. He felt satisfied that he had stuck to his usual timetable.
C. He was regretful for acting as if he were at work on vacation.
D. His iPad ruined his plan of finishing a great novel.
2.What did the author do to keep away from the Internet this year？
A. He cut off his cellphone signal.
B. He handed his iPad to his wife.
C. He refused to cheat in his house.
D. He listened to the radio most of the time.
3.When back at work, the author will probably choose to_______.
A. continue to read more and more books.
B. stay away from the Internet for ever.
C. stop checking what is being said right now completely.
D. keep control of when and how to use the Internet.
4.What is the author’s opinion of a great vacation in the passage？
A. A vacation means a change of pace to make one more creative and efficient.
B. A vacation is a period of time to do whatever one wished to.
C. A vacation is having nothing to do but read all day.
D. A vacation proves that a life of pleasure is overvalued.
5.How does the author sound when telling the story?
A. Curious B. Anxious C. Cautious D. Humorous
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What does the man think of listening when students learn a language?
A. Easy. B. Hard. C. Interesting.
2.What can exhaust us most about listening?
A. Understanding our native language.
B. Understanding a foreign language.
C. Understanding a foreign language with accents.
3.What should we do if we don’t catch every word most of the time?
A. We should try not to worry.
B. We should try to understand everything.
C. We should ask the speakers to repeat everything.
4.How do most people feel when they are asked to repeat themselves?
A. Afraid. B. Pleased. C. Annoyed.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What information does the man ask about?
A. The parking fees.
B. The way to the town centre.
C. The shops in the town centre.
2.How much is it to the town centre by taxi?
A. About 2 pounds. B. About 12 pounds. C. About 16 pounds.
3.How long is the bus ride to the town centre?
A. About 5 minutes. B. About 10 minutes C. About 15 minutes.
4.What is the woman?
A. The man’s wife. B. A travel agent. C. A policewoman.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the man going to throw into the trash?
A. The hard bread. B. The soft tomato. C. Vegetables.
2.Why does the woman want the soft tomato and the hard bread?
A. To fill in her trash. B. To waste less food. C. To cook supper for the man.
3.What does the woman think of the meat?
A. It goes bad. B. It turns hard. C. It doesn’t look fresh.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the woman think of the video?
A. Satisfying. B. Disappointing. C. Confusing.
2.Who is Lenny?
A. A film actor. B. A video editor. C. A friend of the man.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the woman want to do?
A. See a musical. B. See a movie. C. Go home.
2.How much extra money does the woman pay the taxi driver?
A. Two dollars and seventy-five cents.
B. Two dollars and twenty-five cents.
C. Seven dollars and twenty-five cents.
