Gaudi Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag --- one that's built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded (嵌于) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.
That's where the similarities end: this bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you're about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you take an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.
Surely, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. Dupont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty (耐磨损的) cycle.
As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $ 150, which is the price of an average leather purse.
Here's how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip onto your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you've forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse's handles will notify the computer that you've picked up the purse and are ready to go.
Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring - and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years - making for a booming market for wearable computers that don't look like something out of science fiction.
1. According to the passage, the new wearable computers _______.
A. require users to operate on the stomach
B. pick up the signals through wires and chips
C. are being applied in some different areas now
D. are smarter but more expensive than the old ones
2.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
A. The new wearable computers have become fashionable.
B. People would like to learn more about the new computers.
C. New wearable computers promise to sell well in the future.
D. The idea of the purse-like computers comes from science fiction.
3.The purpose of the passage is to ________
A. introduce a new kind of computer
B. explain the functions of computers
C. compare different types of computers
D. show how high technology affects our life
Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in reading throughout the world.
But have you ever considered why you are a fan of the Harry Potter series?
JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children.
The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places. Anything could happen there. Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction.
The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories. At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives.
Much of the appeal also comes from the characters. In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts. Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background. And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard. We see him as both Hero and Victim. He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him.
This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans. People are fond of Harry Potter series. With books like these, it’s hard not to be.
1.Harry Potter series become popular partly because ____________.
A. they remind us of the childhood and environment we had in the past
B. they take us to a world beyond our imagination and expectation
C. they offer us ever-lasting nature of the stories
D. they set an example of hero for us to follow
2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. The supporting characters are not necessary in the story.
B. Readers care only about Harry but not those supporting characters.
C. Even the supporting characters are attractive in the story.
D. Those supporting characters only appear all of a sudden.
3.The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain ____________.
A. prejudice and love B. good and evil
C. death and sacrifice D. safety and peace
4.People care for Harry Potter because ____________.
A. they think of classic literature when reading the story
B. they find different experiences from theirs on Harry
C. they share the experiences with Harry
D. they like JK Rowling’s description very much
STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes.
1.What do you think the similarities of these parties are?
A. All the parties have very strict rules for their members.
B. If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.
C. All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.
D. All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old.
2. In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?
A. Speed dating. B. Lock and key party.
C. Dinner in the dark. D. Message party.
3.If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ________.
A. you have to wear night vision glasses
B. you have to eat with your hands
C. guests eat all the courses in the darkness
D. your dining partners will help you choose the food
4. How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?
A. 1. B. 2. C. 3. D. 4.
Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko Uchida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie’s arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.
Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.
Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko’s stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko’s stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled (咯咯响) when he talked.
Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she used them in several of her stories.
The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up.
1.The author tells about Mr. Toga’s false teeth in Paragraph 3 in order to ____________.
A. show health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s
B. provide an interesting detail in Yoshiko’s life and stories
C. show Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening
D. tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write
2. In Paragraph 4 “the stars” probably refer to ____________.
A. family relationships B. terrors in the night
C. limitless possibilities D. sacrifices to benefit others
3. What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
A. Yoshiko loved to write about parades.
B. Yoshiko met many interesting people.
C. Yoshiko liked to go for long walks with others.
D. Yoshiko preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people.
4. What is the main idea of this story?
A. People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country.
B. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with as many writers as possible.
C. Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years.
D. Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material.
While Andrew was getting ready for work one Friday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt nervous. 16 Mr. Larchmont refused to 17 his request? Andrew had 18 so hard in the last 18 months. 19 , he deserved a wage increase.
The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak 20 . Late in the afternoon he finally gathered the 21 to approach his superior. To his 22 and surprise, the ever-frugal (一贯节省的) Harvey Larchmont agreed to give Andrew a 23 !
Andrew arrived home that evening, 24 their dining table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal 25 his favorite dishes. Immediately he 26 someone from the office had tipped her off!
Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful lettered 27 . It was from his wife, which read: “ 28 , my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I’m so 29 of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to 30 how sensitive and caring Tina was.
After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen 31 he observed a second card had slipped out of Tina’s pocket. He picked it up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you 32 you didn’t get the increase.”
Tears 33 in Andrew’s eyes. Total acceptance! Tina’s support for him was not 34 upon his success at work.
The fear of rejection is often softened and we can undergo almost any setback or rejection when we know someone loves us 35 our success or failure.
1. A. What about B. How come C. How about D. What if
2.A. grant B. admit C. submit D. guarantee
3. A. managed B. studied C. worked D. conducted
4. A. Finally B. Absolutely C. Successfully D. Effectively
5. A. for the weight B. at the knees C. in the heart D. for the leg
6. A. thoughts B. force C. strength D. courage
7. A. shock B. enjoyment C. delight D. amazement
8. A. praise B. award C. reward D. raise
9. A. to find B. to appreciate C. to notice D. to decorate
10. A. as B. through C. including D. for
11.A. understood B. recognized C. figured D. predicted
12. A. letter B. note C. envelope D. mail
13.A. Best wishes B. Good news C. Congratulations D. Wonderful job
14. A. cool B. admirable C. cheerful D. proud
15. A. call on B. reflect on C. feed back D. remind of
16.A. while B. before C. until D. when
17. A. as though B. even though C. whether D. unless
18. A. welled up B. flowed over C. rushed out D. streamed down
19. A. qualified B. restricted C. conditional D. concerned
20.A. despite B. without C. either D. regardless of
—Jones! Roy has broken the glass.
— Such things happen.
A. Doesn’t matter. B. How come?
C. What a pity! D. What has become of him?
