The most frightening words in the English language are, “Our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, “I’m sorry, I can’t sell you a ticket. Our computer is down.”
“If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket.”
“I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so.”
I looked down on the computer and every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the black screen. Then I asked her, “What do all you people do?”
“We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly with us or not.”
“So when it goes down, you go down with it.”
“That’s good, sir.”
“How long will the computer be down?” I wanted to know.
“I have no idea. Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There’s no way we can find out without asking the computer, and since it’s down it won’t answer us.”
After the girl told me they had no backup(备用) computer, I said. “Let’s forget the computer. What about your planes? They’re still flying, aren’t they?”
“I couldn’t tell without asking the computer.”
“Maybe I could just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he’s flying to Washington, ” I suggested.
“I wouldn’t know what gate to send you to. Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn’t take you if you didn’t have a ticket.”
“Is there any other airline flying to Washington within the next few hours?”
“I wouldn’t know, ” she said, pointing at the dark screen. “Only ‘IT’ knows. ‘It’ can’t tell me.”
By this time there were quite a few people standing in lines. The word soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down. Some people went white, some people started to cry and still others kicked their luggage.
1.The best title for the article is _______.
A. When the Computer Is Down B. The Most Frightening Words
C. The Computer of the Airport D. Asking the Computer
2.What could the girl in the ticket office do for the passengers without asking the computer?
A. She could sell a ticket. B. She could write out a ticket.
C. She could answer the passengers’ questions. D. She could do nothing.
3.Why do you think they had not a backup computer?
A. Because it was easy down B. Because it was very expensive.
C. Because it was not advanced enough. D. Because it was not as big as the main computer.
4.The last paragraph suggests that _______.
A. a modern computer won’t be down.
B. computers can take the place of humans
C. sometimes a computer may bring suffering to people
D. there will be great changes in computers
It was always thought that Treasure Island was the product of Robert Louis Stevenson's imagination. 16___ , recent research has found the true story of this exciting work.
Stevenson, a Scotsman, had lived 17 for many years. In 1881 he returned to Scotland for a 18 , with him were his American wife Fanny and his son 19 .
Each morning Stevenson would take them out for a long 20 over the hills. They had been 21 this for several days before the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. Kept indoors by the heavy rain Lloyd felt the days 22 . To keep the boy happy, Robert asked the boy to do some 23 .
One morning, the boy came to Robert with a beautiful map of an island. Robert 24 that the boy had drawn a large cross in the middle of 25 . "What's that ?" he asked. "That's the 26 treasure." said the boy. Robert suddenly 27 something of an adventure story in the boy's 28 . While the rain was pouring, Robert sat down by the fire to write a story. He would make the 29 a twelve-year-old boy just like Lloyd. But who would be the pirate?
Robert had a good friend named Henley, who walked around with the 30 of a wooden leg. Robert had always wanted to 31 such a man in a story. 32 Long John Silver, the pirate with a wooden leg, was 33 .
So thanks to a 34 September in Scotland, a friend with a wooden leg, and the imagination of a twelve-year-old boy, we have one of the greatest 35 stories in the English language.
1.A. However B. Therefore C. Besides D. Finally
2.A. alone B. next door C. at home D. abroad
3.A. meeting B. story C. holiday D. job
4.A. Lloyd B. Robert C. Henley D. John
5.A. talk B. rest C. walk D. game
6.A. attempting B. missing C. planning D. enjoying
7.A. quiet B. dull C. busy D. cold
8.A. cleaning B. writing C. drawing D. exercising
9.A. doubted B. noticed C. decided D. recognized
10.A. the sea B. the house C. Scotland D. the island
11.A. forgotten B. buried C. discovered D. unexpected
12.A. saw B. drew C. made D. learned
13.A. book B. reply C. picture D. mind
14.A. star B. hero C. writer D. child
15.A. help B. problem C. use D. bottom
16.A. praise B. produce C. include D. accept
17.A. Yet B. Also C. But D. Thus
18.A. read B. born C. hired D. written
19.A. rainy B. sunny C. cool D. windy
20.A. news B. love C. real-life D. adventure
______ no possibility ______he can win the game this time.
A．There's; that B．There’s; whether C．It’s; that D．It’s; whether
Though ________ experience, he soon got a higher pay by working hard.
A. lacked B. lacking of C. lacking D. lacked in
Come and see me whenever _____.
A. you are convenient B. you will be convenient
C. it is convenient for you D. it will be convenient for you
They covered the body of the little hero with a flag, ____his face to the public.
A to expose B exposing C exposed D expose
