Today companies have branches around the world. More than 11% of the US managers and workers work online either full-time or part-time, and that number is continuing growing. It is believed that it is a waste of time and money to fly around the world for face-to-face meeting. An effective solution to this problem is to use Web meetings.
A large group of presentations, training classes and meetings are done online without losing the face-to-face experience. Web meetings are online meetings where an organizer invites attendees(参会人员) to listen to or watch an online presentation by presenters. Besides, Web meetings can be recorded for later use or downloaded for playback.
Presenters can take surveys to study how to hold a successful meeting. Some Web meeting software programs can watch the users’ desktop behavior to see if they become not focused on the presentation and begin working on other documents. If so, the program can tell presenters when the listeners lose their attention, which will help the presenters know which parts of the meeting need improving.
Web meetings can work well because they’re connected by a server(服务器). Companies have two choices when it comes to these servers. They can either buy a special Web meeting server to hold their meetings at high speed, or they can pay for a Web meeting service center every time to let it help connect every attendee, whose speed is always worrying. The choice depends on how frequently the company holds Web meetings and the average number of people attending the meetings.
Web meetings are an excellent example of how technology is changing the way we do business. With all the technologies today, the traditional office might soon be a thing of the past.
1.What is the advantage of Web meetings?
A.They leave more people unemployed.
B.They save people much time and money.
C.They cause more traffic accidents every day.
D.They make people spend more time on computer.
2.Attendees can re-watch the meetings by .
A.Turning to the meeting presenter B.Asking help from other attendees
C.Expecting next meeting D.Downloading the meeting
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Web meetings lose the face-to-face experience.
B.Some Web meeting programs help improve the meetings’ quality.
C.Web meetings improve the meetings’ atmosphere.
D.Companies must buy a special server to hold Web meetings.
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards Web meeting?
A.Concerned. B.Uninterested. C.Negative. D.Positive.
People have known for a long time that plants can hear, see, smell and communicate with each other. Now, they have been recorded making sounds when stressed.
In a study, Itzhak Khait and his team found that tomato and tobacco plants can make ultrasonic( 超声的 ) noises. The plant “cry out” due to lack of water, or when they are cut. The sound is just too high for human to hear.
Microphones were placed 10 centimeters away from the plants and picked up sounds in the range of 20 to 100,000 hertz( 赫兹). Human hearing usually ranges from 20 to 20,000 hertz. On average, “thirsty” tomato plants made 35 sounds an hour, while tobacco plants made 11. When plant was cut, tomato plants made an average of 25 sounds in the following hour, and tobacco plants 15.
Perhaps most interestingly, different types of stress led to different sounds. The researchers used a special machine to separate the plants’ sounds from those of wind, rain and other noises of the greenhouses. In most cases, it correctly told whether the stress was caused by dryness or a cut. Water-hungry tobacco made louder sounds than cut tobacco, for example. Although Khait and his team only looked at tomato and tobacco plants, they thought other plants also made sounds when stressed. Khait’s report also suggested that insects could hear the sound up to 5 meters away and respond.
The team said if farmers could hear these sounds, they could give plants the water they need. As climate change causes more droughts(干旱), they said this would be important information for farmers, for the sound that drought-stressed plants made could be used in agriculture.
If plants are screaming for fear of their survival, should we be thankful we can’t hear them?
1.Which did Khait and his team find from their research?
A.Only tomato plants could make ultrasonic noises.
B.Humans can hear plants crying while cutting them.
C.Plants were able to produce sounds when stressed.
D.Plants made ultrasonic noises to communicate with each other.
2.How did tomato and tobacco plants react to different stresses according to the text?
A.Cut tobacco plants made weaker sounds than drought-stressed ones.
B.Tomato plants reacted to different stresses with the same sound.
C.Cut tomato plants produced more sounds than water-hungry ones.
D.Tobacco plants made louder sounds than tomato plants when short of water.
3.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 5?
A.Farmers imagine what the future agriculture will be like.
B.Farmers have contributed a lot to the research.
C.Farmers can apply the result of the research to agriculture.
D.Farmers will face lots of challenges in the future.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A nature magazine. B.A novel. C.A diary. D.A guidebook.
When life tries to bring you down, just dance! That’s the message from Peng Xiaoying, 45, and her 49-year-old husband, Fan Deduo, in Zhejiang province. The couple-farmers who grow corn in Ruian, Wenzhou - recently went viral on the Internet with a shuffle dance(鬼步舞) they invented. They’ve cheered up millions of Chinese with smiling faces and easygoing attitude to life. The couple turned to dancing about four years ago. Fan was in low spirits after a serious traffic accident in Yunnan province 18 years ago. He became nervous, easily upset by small matters, and had trouble sleeping at night due to the accident. The couple then decided to end their shoe-selling business in Yunnan and returned to their hometown, Ruian.
To help overcome his sadness, Peng, who was a big fan of dancing in public squares, invited Fan to join her. As he danced, his suffering disappeared like magic. The couple then continued square dancing. That’s where they invented the shuffle, mixing some elements(元素) of rural life such as combing hair.
During the novel coronavirus epidemic(新冠病毒流行病), the couple uploaded their dance videos to Douyin, also known as TikTok, and began live-streaming on the sharing platform. Their big smiles and unique dance steps took cyberspace by storm, with more than 1.6 million netizens now subscribing to(订阅) their channel and following their dancing on the platform.
“Look at them! I think that’s really what dancing is about-not showing off but really bringing happiness and joy to the dancers themselves in a simple way. This is the most beautiful dancing I’ve ever seen,” one netizen said.
1.Why did the couple turn to dancing?
A.They wanted to invent a new type of dancing.
B.They were eager to show off their dancing.
C.They hoped to cheer up other people.
D.They decided to lead a more positive life.
2.What’s the similar meaning of the underlined word “viral”?
A.Cheerful. B.Popular. C.Familiar. D.Enjoyable.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.Their dance is closely related to their daily life.
B.They learned shuffle dance from videos online.
C.They felt sad because of their business failure.
D.Shuffle dance can make people forget trouble in life.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Shuffle dance became popular online. B.Shuffle dance was the most beautiful dancing.
C.Shuffle dance changed the couple’s life. D.Shuffle dance came out of square dance.
Seoul is a modern city full of delicious food options (选择) as well as great attractions, historical sights, and places to shop.
Best time to visit
The best month for sightseeing in Seoul is during the warm weather between summer and early fall.
Getting around
In Seoul, you have three main forms of transportation: train, subway, and taxi. The fastest option to get around Seoul is the Airport Railroad Express train. It has two options: the Express and the All-stop. While the All-stop option is cheaper, it’s about 15 minutes slower than the Express. Seoul has one of the largest subway stations in the world with 14 lines. It may seem a bit awful, but once you get used to it, it’s pretty easy.
Another option to get around Seoul is to rent a car. This is one of the least used options as Seoul has a convenient public transportation system.
Places to visit
Everland—the largest theme park in Korea.
Lotte World—a great theme park for kids with never-ending thrill rides.
Seoul Tower—a symbolic skyscraper where you can take breathtaking views of the city. Trickeye 3D museum—if you love photos, you will find strange photos in this museum.
Where to stay
There are lots of places to stay at Seoul. Below are our top recommendations (推荐): Myeongdong is tourists’ popular option. It has great shopping malls, great food, and lively nightlife. You can stay at the Aloft Seoul Myeongdong.
Gangnam is another popular district, which has become famous thanks to the song Gangnam Style. One of the best areas in Gangnam is Garosugil,where you will find cafes, art galleries, retail (零售) stores. A great hotel option in this area is the Dormy Inn Premium Seoul Garosugil.
1.Which month below is the best time to visit Seoul?
A.December. B.February. C.April. D.August.
2.Where may kids most like?
A.Everland. B.Seoul Tower. C.Lotte World. D.Garosugil.
3.What can we learn from the text?
A.The Express offers a faster but more expensive service.
B.Myeongdong is a great shop favored by tourists.
C.Gangnam has become popular only because of a hit song.
D.Renting cars is a common way to get around Seoul.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What worsened Lily’s fatness?
A.Short of exercise. B.Loss of confidence. C.Love of computer games.
2.Why did Lily want to lose weight?
A.To find a boyfriend. B.To buy a wedding dress. C.To get married as planned.
3.How much did Lily weigh on her wedding day？
A.135 pounds. B.146 pounds. C.206 pounds.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why is Debby go to New York?
A.For work. B.For fun. C.For study.
2.Why did the Greens move out of the city?
A.Because they wanted to learn to make cookies.
B.Because they got tired of the life in city.
C.Because they didn’t like the weather in city.
3.How does Mr. Green go to work now?
A.By train. B.By bus. C.By car.
4.What is the Greens’ plan for tomorrow night?
A.Holding a party. B.Throwing a pot. C.Visiting a neighbour.
