Anyone who works in an office knows the power of technology. When it works, life is wonderful. Information files across the world in seconds. It saves time and makes our jobs easier. But when technology goes wrong, everyone hates it.
In March, Peter Golota received a gas bill for $0.00. He threw it away. In April, he received another bill for $0.00. He threw that one way, too. In May, the gas company sent him a letter which said he had to pay his gas bill. If he didn’t pay it, they were going to cut off his gas. He called and told them the bill was for $0.00. They said it was a computer error. But the bills continued. Finally, he sent a check for $0.00. This caused the bank’s computer to crash. After a lot of angry phone calls and the letters between the man, the gas company, and the bank, the case went to court. The gas company lost, and had to pay Peter Golota $8,000. It all happened because of a bill for $0.00.
A man from Colorado appeared on the news when he shot his computer because it crashed all the time. The man, who owned a bar, put the “dead” laptop on the wall for everyone to see. The police said, “It’s the first time someone shot a computer because he was angry with it.” They arrested him.
In December, Margaret Smart, of Energies Solutions, stood up in front of 2,000 people in Taxes. As she began to speak, her microphone stopped working. They found another one. After two minutes, that one also died. When she decided to show her notes on PowerPoint, the computer refused to start up. The title of her presentation was “Technology: The way Forward”.
64. Why did the bank’s computer crash?
A. Because it kept sending gas bills for $0.00.
B. Because Peter Golota sent a check for $0.00.
C. Because the gas company sent a letter to the bank.
D. Because the gas bill case went to court.
65. Who got angry with his computer and shot it?
A. A bar owner. B. A policeman.
C. Peter Golota. D. A bank manager.
66. Margaret Smart’s computer refuses to start up probably because ________.
A. there was a power failure B. it worked too long
C. it went wrong D. someone shot her computer
Besides calling 911, here is what to do in some life-threatening emergencies when no one is
around to help.
Lost in the wilderness
First, you’ve got to acknowledge you’re in trouble. Stay where you can be seen clearly and remember to rest. Keeping a sense of humor helps too—it reduces stress and helps creative thinking.
In a wide open area, make a colorful cross out of rocks to show your present position.
Choking
Aim to hit the top of the chair against your stomach, in the soft part below the bony upside-down V of the ribs(肋骨). Make a sudden push against the chair. If you still can’t breathe after six tries, call 911, even if you can’t talk. Write the word choking somewhere nearby, and leave the line open until help arrives.
Severe bleeding
Use your hand or clean cotton, or paper towels, or a scarf, or any cloth you can find, and push down on the wound until the bleeding stops. But if you put a band around your leg tightly, you’re going to close the vessels(血管)to the entire leg. In this way, you could lose your foot.
Bear attack
If you surprise a bear, don’t run away. That invites an attack. Instead, stand up and back away slowly, without looking the bear in the eyes. If it does charge at you, stick out your chest, raise your arms, and spread your legs. Shout at the bear, to frighten it. If it’s going to attack, lie facedown, with your handsheld firmly behind your neck. Play dead until you’re sure the bear is gone.
60. When you see a colorful cross made of rocks in the wilderness, you know .
A. someone is bleeding B. someone is choking
C. someone is attacked by a bear D. someone is lost
61. If you are still choking after six tries, you should .
A. call 911 and leave the line open B. keep a sense of humor
C. use your hand our clean cotton D. lie down with your hands behind your neck
62. Don’t tie around your bleeding leg tightly, or you could .
A. stop bleeding B. reduce stress C. cause breathlessness D. lose our foot
63. The passage is mainly teaching us how to .
A. avoid a bear attack B. survive the emergencies
C. deal with a choke D. find our way
第三部分 阅读理解 (共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Watching television more than two hours a day early in life can lead to attention problems later in adolescence, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The roughly 40 percent increase in attention problems among heavy TV viewers was observed in both boys and girls. The link was established by a long-term study of the habits and behaviors of more than 1,000 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973.
The children aged 5 to 11 watched an average of 2.05 hours of weekday television. From age 13 to 15, time spent in front of the tube rose to an average of 3.1 hours a day.
"Those who watched more than two hours, and particularly those who watched more than three hours, of television per day during childhood had above-average symptoms of attention problems in adolescence," Carl Landhuis of the University of Otago in Dunedin wrote in his report, published in the journal Pediatrics.
Young children who watched a lot of television were more likely to continue the habit as they got older, but even if they did not the damage was done, the report said.
"This suggests that the effects of childhood viewing on attention may be long lasting," Landhuis wrote.
Landhuis offered several possible explanations for the association.
One was that the rapid scene changes common to many TV programs may over stimulate(刺激)the developing brain of a young child, and could make reality seem boring by comparison. "Hence, children who watch a lot of television may become less tolerant of slower-paced and more mundane tasks, such as school work," he wrote.
It was also possible that TV viewing may supplant other activities that promote concentration, such as reading, games, sports and play, he said.
Previous studies have linked the sedentary固定不动的)habit of TV watching among children to obesity and diabetes, and another study in the same journal cited the poor nutritional content of the overwhelming majority of food products advertised on the top-rated US. children's television shows.
Up to 98 percent of the TV ads promoting food products that were directed at children aged 2 through 11 "were high in either fat, sugar, or sodium," wrote Lisa Powell of the University of Illinois in Chicago.
56. The recent survey shows that _________.
A. watching TV can cause all kinds of diseases for children
B. Watching TV over 2 hours a day early in life can cause attention problems later in adolescence
C. TV sets have played an important part in our daily lives
D. watching TV has side effects on children’s future
57. People used to think that _________.
A. the sedentary habit of TV watching among children could easily lead to obesity and diabetes
B. watching TV more than 2 hours every day did good to children’s health
C. the children wasn’t patient with their homework because of watching TV too much
D. it was very important for children to watching TV early in life
58. The underlined word “Hence” means _________.
A. In that case B. And yet C. For this reason D. On the contrary
59. In Landhuis’ opinion, _________.
A. how to develop children’s attention problems is a lasting problem
B. attention problems caused by watching TV during childhood may be hard to get rid of
C. the key of settling attention problems is not watching TV.
D. there shouldn’t have many food products ads on children's television shows
第二节完形填空 (共20小题,每小题1分,满分20分)
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从36至55各个题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When we visit another country, differences in music and dance are 36 some of the first things that we notice. Every culture has 37 its own types of music and dance, which are very different from those of other societies.
Each type of music usually has a distinctive rhythm and a special sound, 38 on the kinds of instruments that are used to produce it. The most common type of instruments are 39 instruments, such as guitars and violins; wind instruments, including horns and flutes. Many different kinds of musical sounds 40 be created by using different combinations of instruments.
The human voice is a very special kind of instrument, 41 it can produce a great number of different sounds with different 42 , ranging from loud to soft. Singing is very popular in most cultures because it allows us to 43 words and ideas with music.
Societies coordinate body movements with musical rhythms to create 44 . Sometimes people dance for fun and individual expression. Dances can also be used to 45 ideas to an audience. Hawaiian dancers, 46 , use arm and hand movements to express the meaning of a song. In the same way, many societies use dances in religious ceremonies 47 to tell about important events.
Music and dance are passed from one 48 to another and thus become a permanent part of the society and 49 culture. Of course, as cultures come 50 contact with each other, the music and dance of one society may be accepted by other societies, or the different styles may be combined to 51 a new kind of music or dance. Some Latin American music, for example, has taken 52 from Indian cultures and mixed them with those from European and African cultures. 53 , popular music from England and the US can be heard in countries 54 the world, 55 it has had an influence on musical tastes, especially among young people.
36. A. unlikely B. likely C. probably D. surely
37. A. installed B. meant C. developed D. established
38. A. focusing B. depending C. playing D. resting
39. A. thread B. string C. cord D. band
40. A. might B. can C. must D. should
41. A. when B. after C. since D. although
42. A. heights B. sizes C. tones D. volumes
43. A. explain B. express C. provide D. compose
44. A. sounds B. songs C. moves D. dances
45. A. give B. communicate C. translate D. perform
46. A. such as B. for example C. that is D. on the contrary
47. A. just B. as C. only D. or
48. A. country B. generation C. people D. time
49. A. their B. its C. form D. the
50. A. to B. for C. into D. with
51. A. join B. show C. form D. become
52. A. advantages B. features C. styles D. origins
53. A. However B. On the contrary C. Similarly D. Besides
54. A. over B. through C. across D. along
55. A. when B. where C. which D. what
The Expo site should be _______ from anywhere in the city of Shanghai within 90 minutes by bus, subways and special taxis.
A. adoptable B. acceptable C. available D. accessible
The doctor said jokingly that his own infection of the virus _______ the discovery of a vaccine (����)of the disease.
A. stood for B. called for C. paid for D. contributed to