When Gretchen Baxter gets home from work as a New York City book editor, she checks her Blackberry (黑莓手机) at the door. ‘I think we are attached to these devices in a way that is not always positive,’ says Baxter，who’d rather focus at home on her husband and 12-year-old daughter. ‘It’s there and it beckons (召唤). That’s human nature (but)…we kind of get crazy sometimes and we don’t know where it should stop.’
Americans are connected at unprecedented (前所未有的) levels一93% now use cell phones or wireless devices；one third of those are ‘smart phones’ that allow users to browse the Web and check e-mail，among other things. The benefits are obvious: checking messages on the road，staying in touch with friends and family，efficiently using time once spent waiting around. The downside：often，we’re effectively disconnecting from those in the same room.
That's why，despite all the technology that makes communicating easier than ever，2010 was the Year We Stopped Talking to One Another. From texting at dinner to posting on Facebook from work or checking e-mail while on a date，the connectivity revolution is creating a lot of divided attention，not to mention social anxiety. Many analysts say it's time to step back and reassess.
‘What we’re going to see in the future is new opportunities for people to be plugged in and connected like never before,’ says Scott Campbell. ‘It can be a good thing，but I also see new ways the traditional social fabric (社会结构) is getting somewhat torn apart.’
Our days are filled with beeps and pings·----many of which pull us away from tasks at hand or face-to-face conversations. We may feel that the distractions are too much，but we can’t seem to stop posting，texting or surfing.
‘We're going through a period of adjustment and rebalancing,’ says Sherry Turkle and she wants to remind people that technology can be turned off.
‘Our human purposes are to really have connections with people,’ she says. ‘We have to reclaim it. It’s not going to take place by itself.’
1.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. 2010: The year technology developed quickly.
B. 2010: The year technology sped up our life pace.
C. 2010: The year technology replaced talking.
D. 2010: The year technology made communicating easier.
2.According to Paragraph l，Gretchen Baxter thinks_________.
A. the new technology always influences people’s life in a positive way
B. the new technology is so tempting that she could even put her daughter and husband behind
C. it is encouraging to see progress on the new technology every year
D. people are too dependent on the new technology to let go
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The wide use of mobile devices has nothing to do with the ‘traditional social fabric’.
B. Mobile devices play a less important part in American life.
C. Mobile devices create a lot of divided attention and social anxiety.
D. Many analysts speak highly of the wide popularity of mobile devices.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Something must be done to get connection with people in reality again·
B. Using mobile services can help people get connection with each other.
C. Mobile services have a strong impact on people’s life.
D. The connection with people can happen naturally.
DONATE YOUR OLD JEANS AND DO THE PLANET GOOD
What Will Be Done With All This Denim?
All the denim (牛仔布) will be donated to Cotton. From Blue to Green. This denim drive recycled jeans into UltraTouchTM Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, which is used to help build houses in places that have been damaged by hurricanes and other natural disasters. Your jeans will help keep clothes out of landfills, and build houses for families to live in! UltraTouchTM is made of 85% recycled fibers and is an environmentally safe, natural cotton fiber insulation.
It’s a Fact: It takes about 500 pairs of old jeans to insulate one average-size US house.
Here’s How You Can Get Involved!
1. Get a parent’s permission and select as many denim jeans as you like. (Any denim clothing is OK.)
2. The denim must be used and can be any brand.
3. The denim can be any color or size but must have been worn by a human. (no doll clothes!)
4. Jeans must be received by June 30, 2011.
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All job Advertisements are reviewed and uploaded usually within 24 hours.
Standard Job Advertisement
$65.00 + GST (Goods and Service Tax) = $ 71.50
Premium Job Advertisement
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No additional costs for all the features below.
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1.The denim clothing that you intend to donate ____________.
A. can be either new or second-hand B. can be of any size or color
C. must be a certain famous brand D. can be worn by dolls and humans
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the ad?
A. UltraTouchTM may be the name of a building material.
B. UltraTouchTM can protect houses from natural disasters.
C. The deadline of the denim clothing donated is July 20, 2011.
D. The denim clothing is collected to provide clothes for the homeless.
3.Premium Job Ad is different from Standard Job Ad because it ____________.
A. doesn’t need paying additional money B. can be shown on top of the main job search page
C. is active for more than 30 days online D. can be inserted HTML links on your own website.
When I was young, I belonged to a club that did community service work. There was one specific 36 that was unusual for me. I spent three or four hours handing out warm dinner to the homeless 37 in the streets. After that I went to a homeless shelter not far from the Bay Bridge.
I was in high school and at the time my sister was too young to 38 . She wanted to help, 39 she made many chocolate chip cookies for me to 40 and hand out to people. When getting to the shelter, I began making sandwiches and 41 them with the crowd. I had the containers with my sister’s cookies in them and began to 42 around, offering them to anyone near me.
I approached an old gentleman and said, “Sir, would you like a cookie?” He stopped and turned around, looked at me and said, “What did you say? Did you call me sir?” I told him I had, and his eyes watered a little bit and said, “No one has 43 called me sir.’ He was completely moved.
It 44 me.
I explained I had been raised that regardless of color and social status, everyone deserved respect. It 45 me to think that just because he was homeless, no one 46 him the honor. It broke my heart. I just didn’t understand 47 no one ever called him sir. I had never thought that anyone was below me because I wasn’t raised that way. Every 48 person deserves to be treated with respect. Years later, I still carry that memory and the 49 it taught me. Sometimes, what we take for granted can 50 make a difference in someone’s life.
1.A. case B. chance C. event D.accident
2.A. out B. far C. away D. off
3.A. participate B. decide C. choose D. attend
4.A. however B. but C. yet D.so
5.A. enjoy B. eat C. collect D. take
6.A. shared B. provided C. helped D.returned
7.A. walk B. turn C. run D. show
8.A. never B. ever C. still D. yet
9.A. encouraged B. attracted C. struck D.defeated
10.A. persuaded B. saddened C. frightened D.moved
11.A. handed B. offered C. reminded D.promised
12.A. what B. how C. whether D. why
13.A. single B. usual C. ordinary D.normal
14.A. lesson B. class C. truth D.reality
15.A. possibly B. nearly C. really D.usually
---Mom, I’m going to the graduation dance tonight but I don’t think I look attractive enough.
---Oh, darling, don’t worry. _________.
A. They don’t know what beauty is. B. Nobody will care about it.
C. You look perfect the way you are. D. Impossible is nothing.
---May I look at your map for a little while?
---Of course, ________, Jack.
A. don't worry B. I don't mind C. enjoy yourself D. take your time
To their disappointment, the couple ________ the house but couldn’t find the missing ring, which was to bring them into great trouble.
A. got through B. went through C. lived through D. passed through
