Today's personal computers are very different from the huge machines that were born during World War II-and the difference isn't only in their size. By the 1970s, these early PCs could not perform many of the tasks that today's computers can. Users could only do mathematical calculations(数学计算) and play simple games. Today PCs are used in many different kinds of ways. At home and at work, we use our PCs to do almost everything. It is nearly impossible to imagine modern life without them.
The earliest computers were not "personal" in any way: They were large and expensive, and they required a team of engineers and other experts to keep them running. One of the first and most famous of these, the Electronic Numerical Integrator Analyzer and Computer (ENIAC), was built at the University of Pennsylvania. ENIAC cost ﹩500, 000, weighed 30 tons and took up nearly 2, 000 square feet of floor space.
ENIAC and other early computers proved that the machines were worth so much money, space and manpower they needed. For example, ENIAC could solve in 30 seconds a problem that could take a team of human "computers" 12 hours to complete. At the same time, new technologies were making it possible to build smaller computers.
But one of the most important of the inventions that make way for the PC revolution was the microprocessor(微处理器). Microprocessors were the size of a nail. They could run the computer's programs, remember information and manage data(数据) all by themselves.
These new ideas made it cheaper and easier to produce computers than ever before. As a result, the smaller, cheaper "microcomputer"-soon known as the "personal computer"-was born. Today, portable computers, smart phones and ipads allow us to have a PC with us wherever we go.
1.What's mainly talked about in the first paragraph? ______
A.An even more relaxing lifestyle without PCs.
B.PCs can be made full use of to do everything.
C.Differences between modern and early PCs.
D.The difficult situation of PCs being born.
2.What do we know about the earliest computers? ______
A.It was easy to control them. B.They took up too much room.
C.Nobody could afford one. D.They were built by universities.
3.Why does the writer take ENIAC for example? ______
A.To predict high technology will make computers smaller.
B.To show computers are really smarter than human beings.
C.To explain why computers could deal with any problem.
D.To prove spending money on early computers was meaningful.
4.Which of the following makes the biggest contribution to microcomputers? ______
A.Microprocessors. B.Programs. C.Money. D.Imagination.
Michael Shirazi is a 67-year-old American who has been feeding more than 150 homeless cats in Shanghai for the past eight years. Every night, he leaves his home at 11:00 pm and takes 20 kilos of cat food to the street feeding the homeless cats. So he is called by people "the king of homeless cats".
Eight years ago, Michael came to Shanghai for his family's business. At that time, he was a successful businessman. Until one day after living in Shanghai for a year, a homeless cat he named "short tail" came into his life. He still remembers the night when he saw "short tail" and the way it searched for food in the garbage can for her and her newborn babies. He had pity on "short tail" and brought it food and water. Since then, he has been feeding more and more homeless cats. He even shut down his company and closed his family business because of it.
These homeless cats have brought many happy moments to Michael. Every time they see him, they jump with excitement and kiss him. But unfortunately, his wife left him because he no longer managed his family business and spent nearly 10, 000 yuan a month on cat food. Though all the things happened to Michael, he still leaves his home on time every night.
Michael said: "My experience makes me feel that people are made of love. We must return our love to the world so that we can find our inner(内心的) peace." This is the happiness he gets every night when he's on his way to feeding food: feeling loved and needed.
1.Why do people call Michael "the king of homeless cats"? ______
A.He plays with homeless cats. B.He raises homeless cats at home.
C.He takes photos of homeless cats. D.He gives food to homeless cats.
2.When did Michael start feeding homeless cats? ______
A.Before he came to Shanghai. B.After meeting "short tail".
C.When he was 62 years old. D.After closing his family business.
3.What can we infer from paragraph 3? ______
A.Homeless cats love and trust Michael. B.Michael's wife strongly supported him.
C.Michael made money by selling cat food. D.The feeding will never continue any more.
4.Which of the following can best describe Michael? ______
A.Kind and generous. B.Ordinary and shy.
C.Helpful and calm. D.Brilliant and serious.
Do you want to read some books? Here are some new books that you might be interested in.
Beyond the Sea of Life on a Bridge Called Why
Joel M Levin MD
www.authorhouse.com
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
﹩34.99 | ﹩20.99 | ﹩3.99
This book looks at some basic questions about human existence(生存).
Pages and Leaflets(小册子) of North Oxfordshire
My Lineage Pre-1700-1959 Angela Fortnum
www.authorhouse.co.uk
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
﹩25.94| ﹩12.90 | ﹩4.99
Every family has a story. And for Angela Fortnum, her family story would begin eight generations before her and date back to the turn of the eighteenth century in England. In the end, the story of the family lives on today, as this book acts as a legacy(遗产) to Angela and her mother's family.
A Time to Remember
Story of an American Family Terry Bass
www.xlibris.com
Hardback | Paperback | E-book
﹩71.99 | ﹩61.99 | ﹩3.99
This book shares the story of an American family in this heartwarming, moving description of 50 Christmases. It is a welcome story of family, celebration, confidence and love.
The Lakes in My Head
Paddling an Unexplored Wilderness Lesli Chinnock Anderson
www.xlibris.com
Paperback | E-book
﹩19.99 | ﹩3.99
This book focuses on Lesli Chinnock Anderson's life when she suffered from a serious illness. It describes her journey through loss, change and building a strong relationship with God.
1.What will you choose if you are interested in human existence? ______
A.The Lakes in My Head. B.Beyond the Sea of Life on a Bridge Called Why.
C.A Time to Remember. D.Pages and Leaflets of North Oxfordshire.
2.What do we know about A Time to Remember ? ______
A.It doesn't have any hardbacks. B.The E-book costs ﹩4.99.
C.Love can be found in the story. D.It is a story of an English family.
3.Who is the character of the book The Lakes in My Head? ______
A.Terry Bass. B.Angela Fortnum. C.Joel M Levin M D.Lesli Chinnock Anderson.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
A recent UN report shows that many of us are working longer and harder than ever. In the past, employees worked eight or nine hours a day. Today, however, many companies expect their employees to work longer. In addition, the boundary between work and personal life has become less clear. If we are not working in the office, we might be working at home. We are required to be on call whenever our company needs us. In short, we are all working and having less time with family and friends.
This over-emphasis (过分强调) on work can lead to serious problems in our personal lives. The more time we spend at work, the less time there is available for maintaining relationships with our friends and family. Many of us spend so much time on the job that we hardly ever get to see our partners or children. When we do get home, we are often tired and lack the energy to spend time doing what we really enjoy.
There are, however, a number of ways in which we can regain control of our lives and correct the work-life balance. First of all, workers, especially those employed in offices, have to realize that work is rarely finished. In other words, taking work home does not usually decrease the amount of work. As one task finishes, another one appears. This means that, unless there is a strict deadline, work should stay at work.
Another way to regain a work-life balance is to plan your free time. Most of us spend a lot of time planning our working week. Few of us put the same effort into organizing our leisure time. However, if we don’t have a plan, there is a danger that we will miss out on the things that we really enjoy doing. So, if you like going to the cinema, make sure that you go regularly. Write it in your diary. If you enjoy having friends visit, plan a time and write that in your diary too. It’s all too easy to let your precious time slip away.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo (冰屋) hotel.
1. ( build) in a small town, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over. In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation 2. (be) nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says.“We just look forward to replacing 3..
Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was 4. successful that he designed the present one, 5. measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks 6. (pile) 1, 000 tons of snow onto a wooden base. When the snow froze, the base 7. (remove).
After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success. Without8. (window) and places to hang clothes, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing hotel break with temperatures below 0℃. “It's great fun,” Bergqvist explains. “As well as a good start in survival training.”
The 9. (popular) of the igloo is beyond doubt. It is now attracting tourists 10. all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only ten rooms.
Jadav Payeng, an Indian, has been planting a tree every day since he was just 16 years old. Now, almost 40 years later, he has created a ______ of 1,360 acres on what was once a _____ land.
Growing up on Majuli, the world’s largest river island, he once ______ hundreds of animals dying from drought among the ______ greenery on the island, so he was ______ to plant one tree every day.
After almost four ______ of growth, his forest is now home to hundreds of elephants, tigers, deer and birds. Payeng says he has lost ______ of how many trees he has planted—but he ____ there are now thousands of trees providing ______ to the wildlife.
“It’s not as if I did it ______,” Payeng said. “You plant one or two trees, and they have to seed. And once they seed, the wind knows how to plant them, the birds here know how to ____ them, cows know, elephants ______, and even the river knows. The entire ______ knows.”
Island locals used to call Payeng “crazy” for his ______, but since he was accidentally ___ by a wandering wildlife journalist in 2007, the “Forest Man of India” has been ______ as a role model for protecting the environment.
Payeng doesn’t plan on ______ any time soon—he wants to continue planting trees “until his last ______”. He hopes to one day ______ the entire island with 5,000 acres of trees. “Nature is everything. It ______ me. It gives me power…As long as it survives, I survive.”
1.A.lake B.forest C.park D.hole
2.A.big B.fertile C.poor D.flat
3.A.witnessed B.imagined C.reported D.rescued
4.A.remote B.amazing C.fresh D.decreasing
5.A.delighted B.moved C.determined D.convinced
6.A.decades B.years C.months D.weeks
7.A.interest B.count C.control D.sight
8.A.argues B.dreams C.hopes D.believes
9.A.food B.care C.water D.shelter
10.A.by accident B.by myself C.by mistake D.by all means
11.A.eat B.pass C.repair D.sow
12.A.know B.work C.rest D.run
13.A.village B.ecosystem C.planet D.desert
14.A.confidence B.position C.ambition D.experiment
15.A.discovered B.connected C.decided D.regarded
16.A.ordered B.observed C.praised D.studied
17.A.stopping B.returning C.hiding D.waiting
18.A.purpose B.view C.breath D.picture
19.A.tighten B.restart C.arrange D.save
20.A.improves B.inspires C.changes D.forbids
