Imagine you’re at a party full of strangers.You’re nervous.Who are these people?How do you start a conversation?Fortunately,you’ve got a thing that sends out energy at tiny chips in everyone’s name tag(标签).The chips send back name,job,hobbies,and the time available for meeting—whatever.Making new friends becomes simple.
This hasn’t quite happened in real life.But the world is already experiencing a revolution using RFID technology.
An RFID tag with a tiny chip can be fixed in a product,under your pet’s skin,even under your own skin.Passive RFID tags have no energy source—batteries because they do not need it.The energy comes from the reader,a scanning device(装置),that sends out energy(for example,radio waves) that starts up the tag immediately.
Such a tag carries information specific to that object,and the data can be updated.Already,RFID technology is used for recongnizing each car or truck on the road and it might appear in your passport.Doctors can put a tiny chip under the skin that will help locate and obtain a patient’s medical records.At a nightclub in Paris or in New York the same chip gets you into the VIP(very important person) section and pays for the bill with the wave of an arm.
Take a step back:10 or 12 years ago,you would have heard about the coming age of computing.One example always seemed to surface:Your refrigerator would know when you needed to buy more milk.The concept was that computer chips could be put everywhere and send information in a smart network that would make ordinary life simpler.
RFID tags are a small part of this phenomenon.“The world is going to be a loosely coupled set of individual small devices,connected wirelessly,”predicts Dr.J.Reich.Human right supporters are nervous about the possibilities of such technology.It goes too far tracking school kids through RFID tags,they say.We imagine a world in which a beer company could find out not only when you bought a beer but also when you drank it.And how many beers.Accompanied by how many biscuits.
When Marconi invented radio,he thought it would be used for ship-to-shore communication,not for pop music.Who knows how RFID and related technologies will be used in the future.Here’s a wild guess:Not for buying milk.
1.The article is intended to ______.
A.warn people of the possible risks in adopting RFID technology
B.explain the benefits brought about by RFID technology
C.convince people of the uses of RFID technology
D.predict the applications of RFID technology
2.We know from the passage that with the help of RFID tags,people ______.
A.will have no trouble getting data about others
B.will have more energy for conversation
C.will have more time to make friends
D.won’t feel shy at parties any longer
3.Passive RFID tags chiefly consist of ______.
A.scanning devices
B.radio waves
C.batteries
D.chips
4.Why are some people worried about RFID technology?
A.Because children will be tracked by strangers.
B.Because market competition will become more fierce.
C.Because their private lives will be greatly affected.
D.Because customers will be forced to buy more products.
5.The last paragraph implies that RFID technology ______.
A.will not be used for such matters as buying milk
B.will be widely used,including for buying milk
C.will be limited to communication uses
D.will probably be used for pop music
Over the last 70 years,researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference.Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes.However,of all the factors,wealth and age are the top two.
Money can buy a degree of happiness.But once you can afford to feed,clothe and house yourself,each extra dollar makes less and less difference.
Researchers find that,on average,wealthier people are happier.But the link between money and happiness is complex.In the past half-century,average income has sharply increased in developed countries,yet happiness levels have remained almost the same.Once your basic needs are met,money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends,neighbors and colleagues.
“Dollars buy status,and status makes people feel better,”conclude some experts,which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways—scientists or actors,for example—may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.
In a research,Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires—not just for money,but for friends,family,job,health—rose furthest beyond what they already had,tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap(差距).Indeed,the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone.“The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income,”says Michalos.
Another factor that has to do with happiness is age.Old age may not be so bad.“Given all the problems of aging,how could the elderly be more satisfied?”asks Professor Laura Carstensen.
In one survey,Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94,and asked them to fill out an emotions questionaire.She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people,but negative emotions much less often.
Why are old people happier?Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it,or they’re more realistic about their goals,only setting ones that they know they can achieve.But Carstensen thinks that with time running out,older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t.
“People realize not only what they have,but also that what they have cannot last forever,”she says.“A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85,for example,may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”
1.According to the passage,the feeling of happiness ______.
A.is determined partly by genes
B.increases gradually with age
C.has little to do with wealth
D.is measured by desires
2.Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs ______.
A.make them feel much better
B.provide chances to make friends
C.improve their social position
D.satisfy their professional interests
3.Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more ______.
A.optimistic
B.successful
C.practical
D.emotional
4.Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if ______.
A.the gap between reality and desire is bigger
B.they have a stronger desire for friendship
C.their income is below their expectation
D.the hope for good health is greater
Almost every child is scared of something,from monsters in the cupboard to dogs in the park.But the fact that such fears are common and normal doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly.Kids experience fears and phobias(恐惧症) much more strongly than adults.And the influence of the fear can be physical as well as psychological(心理的).It can build up so they almost seem scared of everything—a kind of childhood anxiety.Dr.Creswell says:“Your child may always seem to expect the worst to happen and lack confidence in his or her ability to deal with any challenge.”So don’t make the same old mistake of treating them as if they’re silly for being a “scaredy cat”.Handling the fears is essential.
Children can be born nervous and,if you have such a baby,you’ll tend to prevent them from getting worried.So if they fear dogs,you’ll keep them away from dogs,but in fact that can just confirm to the child that dogs are scary.What is worse,keeping your child away from what they fear can turn that feeling into a phobia.Instead,you should encourage them to get in touch with the thing they fear,in a safe and supportive environment.Dr.Andy Field,a researcher of childhood fears,says:“You shouldn’t force,for example,a dog—anxious child to go up to a dog.But you can approach it yourself,show them there is nothing to be afraid of,stroke(抚摸) it,and talk about the dog being friendly.Once your child dares to stroke a dog—one that’s good with children,of course—then you should encourage them to carry on until they feel calmer,and reward them for ‘being brave’.”
1.Children’s fears are usually taken lightly because ______.
A.they will not develop into phobias
B.their influence is psychological
C.they exist widely in the world
D.they will disappear gradually
2.If we fail to help children to overcome fears,they will ______.
A.make the same old mistake
B.overcome them by themselves
C.experience the worst of things
D.grow up lacking self-confidence
3.According to Dr.Andy Field,if a child is afraid of a cat,parents should ______.
A.tell the child not to be afraid of it
B.show the child how to approach it
C.keep the child away from it
D.ask the child to stoke it
How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?
In the southwest African country of Namibia,and the Sahara lands of Mall further north,the desert elephant does just that.
Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant,the desert cousin differs in many ways.Their bodies are smaller,to absorb less heat,and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces.They are taller,to reach higher branches.They have shorter tusks(象牙),and most importantly,longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.
Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and water-holes,and have a larger group of families.They drink only every 3-4 days,and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat,which is only used when badly needed.Desert elephants are careful feeders—they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches,and thus maintain what little food sources are available.Young elephants may even eat the dung(粪便) of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage.
During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly.Desert elephants have sand baths,sometimes adding their own urine(尿液) to make them muddy!
As we continue to overheat our weak planet,it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.
1.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means “_______”.
A.remains in the African countries
B.drinks 120 liters of water a day
C.manages to live in desert areas
D.eats 150 kilograms of food daily
2.Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they ______.
A.rarely ruin trees
B.drink only every 3-4 days
C.search for food in large groups
D.protect food sources for their young
3.The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with ______.
A.stories and explanation
B.facts and descriptions
C.examples and conclusion
D.evidence and argument
4.What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?
A.Overheating the earth can be stopped.
B.Not all animal species are so adaptable.
C.The planet will become hotter and hotter.
D.Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants.
Karen,grown up in a very traditional family in the western United States,maintained high moral(道德的) standards throughout her youth.In 1984,at the age of 23,she married Bill.They were blessed with two children,a boy and a girl.
By 1991 their love had deepened,and they were happy.Later that year,Bill developed a white spot on his tongue.He visited a doctor.
One day shortly after that,Bill called Karen to sit beside him.He said with tears in his eyes that he loved her and wanted to live forever with her.The doctor suspected that he had been infected with HIV,the virus that leads to AIDS.
The family was tested,Bill and Karen’s results were positive.Bill had become infected before he met Karen;then he passed the virus on to Karen.The children’s results were negative.Within three years,Bill was dead.“I don’t know how to express what it is like to watch the once handsome man you love and intend to live with forever dying slowly.I cried many nights.He died three months short of ten years of our marriage,”says Karen.Though a doctor told Karen that she would soon follow her husband into death,she is still alive.The infection has progressed to the early stages of AIDS.
Karen is but one of about 30 million people now living with HIV/AIDS,a figure larger than the combined populations of Australia,Ireland and Paraguay.According to one UN report,Africa has 21 million of these victims.By the turn of the century that number could reach 40 million and the disease will bring on the greatest disaster in human history.Of the world’s sexually active adults aged 15 to 49,1 in 100 has already been infected with HIV.Of these,only 1 in 10 realizes that he or she is infected.In some parts of Africa,25 percent of the adults are infected.
Since the beginning of the spread of AIDS in 1981,about 11.7 million people have died of it.It is roughly calculated that in 1997 alone,about 2.3 million people died of it.Nevertheless,there are fresh reasons for optimism in the battle against AIDS.During the past few years,there has been a drop in new AIDS cases in wealthy nations.In addition,promising drugs hold out hope of better health and longer life.
1.By telling the story of Karen,the author intends to ______.
A.warn people against high risk behaviors
B.stress the importance of medical tests
C.express sympathy for AIDS victims
D.show the consequences of AIDS
2.The underlined part in Paragraph 1 most probably means “_______”.
A.were lucky in having
B.were asked to adopt
C.regretted having
D.gave birth to
3.Bill was suspected of being infected with HIV after ______.
A.he got married to Karen
B.the family members were tested
C.Karen persuaded him to see the doctor
D.he found something wrong with his tongue
4.It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
A.promising drugs will soon stop AIDS
B.the spread of AIDS could be controlled
C.it is hopeless to win the battle against AIDS
D.the death rate of AIDS patients has been reduced
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Many years ago,I owned a service station and roadhouse on the main road between Melbourne and Adelaide.
One very cold,wet night at about 3:30 a.m.,there was a 1on the front door of our house.A young man,wet from 2to toe,explained that he had 3out of petrol about 30 km up the road.He had left his pregnant(怀孕的) wife and his two children 4at the car and said that he would hitchhike(搭便车) back.
Once I had 5a can with petrol,I took him back to his car where his two-year-old and four-year-old children were both 6,saying that they were cold.Once the car had started,I suggested that he 7me back.
Before leaving,I had turned the heater 8in the roadhouse,so that when we went in,it was nice and 9.While the little ones played and ran 10,I prepared bread and butter for the children,and hot chocolate for the 11.
It was about 5 a.m. before they 12.The young fellow asked me how much he 13
me and I told him that the petrol pump(加油泵) had 14$15.He offered to pay “call-out fee”,but I wouldn’t accept it.
About a month later,I received a 15from Interstate,a large bus company that we bad been trying to 16to stop off at our roadhouse for a long time.It 17out that the young fellow I had helped was its general manager,the most 18person in the company.
In his letter,he thanked me again and 19me that,from then on,all their buses would stop at my service station.In this 20,a little bit of kindness was rewarded with a huge amount of benefits.
1.A.kick B.hit C.beat D.knock
2.A.finger B.shoulder C.head D.hand
3.A.driven B.used C.come D.run
4.A.away B.behind C.over D.out
5.A.supplied B.poured C.equipped D.filled
6.A.sleeping B.crying C.quarrelling D.fighting
7.A.allow B.ring C.lead D.follow
8.A.on B.off C.in D.over
9.A.neat B.hot C.warm D.attractive
10.A.around B.inside C.nearby D.along
11.A.drivers B.guests C.customers D.adults
12.A.left B.arrived C.ate D.disappeared
13.A.gave B.paid C.owed D.offered
14.A.appeared B.exhibited C.calculated D.shown
15.A.call B.letter C.check D.notice
16.A.get B.force C.require D.hope
17.A.pointed B.turned C.worked D.found
18.A.generous B.successful C.serious D.powerful
19.A.praised B.persuaded C.informed D.convinced
20.A.lesson B.business C.aspect D.case
