It’s 10:30 p.m., and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “R U awake?”
But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles（控制台）in his room. With so many devices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by TFK, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. “These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson.
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “But parents might have to step in sometimes.”
1.It can be learned from the text that _________.
A. many teenagers lack friends in their middle school
B. kids have too many electronic devices to choose from
C. Brandon feels annoyed about his late-night message
D. Olson is against teenagers’ using mobile phones
2.Which of the following is an example of multitasking?
A. Watching TV when using the computer.
B. Talking on the phone when lying on the sofa.
C. Playing video games after having lunch.
D. Listening to loud music while relaxing.
3.The underlined phrase “in check” in the last paragraph can be replaced by _________.
A. in order B. in store C. in control D. in sight
4.According to the text, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that kids should ______.
A. do homework while watching TV
B. have less homework
C. spend more time on homework
D. do homework in a place without disturbance
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Ludgate Hill, EC4
Underground: St. Paul’s; Bus: 6, 8, 11, 15, 22, 25
Open: Daily 8:00-19:00 (17:00 from Oct. to Mar.)
Entrance free
Designed by the great architect, Sir Christopher Wren, St. Paul’s Cathedral was built following the Great Fire of London of 1666, which destroyed the gothic cathedral on the site at that time. It is an inescapable attraction for all travellers to this great city and the most recognisable gothic cathedral in England. Its choir（唱诗班）is internationally famous. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married here in 1981.
Buckingham Palace
South end of the Mall (SW1)
Underground: St. James’s Park, Victoria, Hyde Park Corner, Green Park; Bus: 2, 11, 14, 16, 19, 22, 24, 29, 30, 38, 52, 73, 74, 137
Buckingham Palace is Queen Elisabeth II’s official residence（住所）, and has been the official residence of Britain’s monarch（君主）since 1837. The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace have been opening to the public for the Annual Summer Opening, in August and September, since 1993. The Queen is not at Buckingham Palace when it is open to the public; she goes to one of her country residences. The State Rooms are extremely grand. You can see many of the treasures of the Royal Collection: paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto; and beautiful examples of English and French furniture.
The Tower of London
Tower Hill, EC3
Underground: Tower Hill; Bus: 42, 78
Open: Mon.— Sat.9:00-18:00; Sun.8:00-19:00
Parts of the Tower of London are over nine centuries old, as building began under William the Conqueror in 1078. Famous as a prison in the distant past, the Tower has also been a royal residence, a zoo and an observatory（瞭望台）. It is now a museum and many thousands of people visit it every year in particular to see the Crown Jewels. Only by going inside can you experience nearly a thousand years of history and hear the myths and legends that make it “a day out to die for”.
Westminster Abbey
Broad Sanctuary, SW1
Underground: Westminster, St James’s Park; Bus: 3, 11, 12, 24, 29, 39, 53, 59, 76, 77, 88, 109, 155, 168, 170, 172, 184, 503
Open: Daily 8:00-18:00 (Mar. — Dec., Tuesday till 20:00)
Entrance free
Located next to the Houses of Parliament in the heart of London, Westminster Abbey is a gothic church and place of worship. The building of the present Abbey was started by King Henry III in 1245. The oldest parts of the building date back to 1050. Westminster Abbey has hosted many royal weddings including the wedding of The Queen and Prince Philip in 1947 and the wedding of Prince William and Kate in 2011. It is a traditional place of coronation（加冕礼）and burial for English monarchs—38 monarchs have been crowned at the Abbey. There are many tombs there, including those of Queen Elizabeth I, “Bloody” Queen Mary, naturalist Charles Darwin, many poets and writers.
1.You can see the inside of all the buildings all the year around except ______.
A. St. Paul’s Cathedral B. the Tower of London
C. Westminster Abbey D. Buckingham Palace
2.The two places you can visit by getting off at the same underground station are ______.
A. Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey
B. Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral
C. Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London
D. the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral
3.Where is the text most probably taken from?
A. A history book about London.
B. A guidebook for visitors to London.
C. A book about London’s development.
D. A book about London’s churches.
The space shuttle Discovery has had a long and busy career. For 27 years, it has worked for NASA, carrying astronauts to space and back on 39 missions. On March 9, 2011, after returning from its final voyage, the world’s most traveled spaceship was retired.
A crowd of shuttle workers, reporters and schoolchildren waited to greet Discovery at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Three minutes before noon, they watched as the shuttle appeared in the sky and made one last touchdown. “For the final time: wheels stop,” Discovery’s commander Steven Lindsey said when the shuttle rolled to a stop.
Discovery’s final trip was to the International Space Station (ISS), a giant space lab in the sky. Discovery’s crew took care of the last U.S. construction project at ISS. They delivered 10 tons of supplies for the ISS. The six-person crew also dropped off an unusual companion for ISS’s researchers: a human-like robot named Robonaut 2. Astronauts will assemble（组装）R2 at the ISS over several months.
Now, NASA is winding down its shuttle programme. NASA is to begin work on new spaceships that can travel longer distances. Discovery’s retirement is the first of three. Endeavor, another shuttle, is scheduled to make its final voyage soon. And Atlantis’s last trip is planned for the end of June.
Museums across the country have requested the retired shuttles. The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, in Washington, D.C., was the lucky recipient（接收者）of Discovery. The museum’s collection contains hundreds of NASA artifacts.
Where will the other shuttles go? You’ll have to wait to find out. NASA will announce its decision on April 12, the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launching. Stay tuned!
1.As part of the final mission, Discovery’s crew___________.
A. carried researches to space
B. assembled the Robonaut 2 at the ISS
C. brought supplies to the ISS
D. went on a spacewalk
2.The underlined phrase “winding down” in Paragraph 4 probably means _________.
A. improving B. ending C. changing D. testing
3.What can we infer from the text?
A. Discovery completed 39 missions during its two decades of space travel.
B. The ISS is a big project and six researchers live on the station.
C. American space exploration will focus on longer missions.
D. The shuttles Endeavor and Atlantis will make their last missions next month.
4.According to the text, we can learn about ___________.
A. people’s opinions of Discovery’s retirement
B. the government’s concern about the shuttles’ future
C. the shuttles’ final homes after retirement
D. museums’ great interest in the retired shuttles
假如你班要就“如何为高考做准备”开一个班会，请写一篇发言稿，谈谈你对高考备考过程中要注意的事项及建议理由：
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注意事项 |
理由 |
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1. 保持良好的心态 2. 目标明确 3. 与父母、老师或同学沟通 4. 作息合理，饮食均衡 5. …… |
1. 有助于减轻焦虑，还能增强克服困难的勇气 2. 正确评价自己 3. …… 4. …… 5. …… |
注意： 1. 词数100-120 ，开头已为你写好（不计入总词数）；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 参考词汇：明确的 (definite) 评价(estimation)
No doubt every Senior 3 student wishes to be successful in the National College Entrance Examination. ____________________________________________________________________
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下面文中共有10处语言错误，要求你在错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（/\），并在该句下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：
1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
A Frenchman was once visiting London．He wished to take a walk to see a city．But he was afraid he might get lost because he knew no words of English．So before he left his hotel, he stopped in the first corner and carefully copied in his notebook the names of the street that he was staying．Then he walked on．At last, he got being lost．After several hours he found a policeman．The Frenchman tried his best to explain the policeman that he didn’t know the name of his hotel, and he knew the name of the street．He then showed the policeman that he copied in his notebook．It was read: “One-way street”．
下面文章中有五处（第81-85题）需要添加小标题。请从以下选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中选出符合各段意思的小标题。选项中有一项是多余选项。
A. Use business recordings
B. Speak slowly and clearly
C. Learn telephone manners
D. Practice often with a friend
E. Always be considerate of your friends
F. Make sure you understand the other speaker
Telephone tips
If the phone rings and someone speaks in English, don’t be afraid to answer it! The fear of talking on the phone in a second language will disappear if you practice often. Here are a few tips for helping you improve your ability to answer a call in English.
81._______________
Listening to someone speaking in a second language over the telephone can be very challenging because you cannot see the person you are trying to hear. However, it may be even more difficult for the person you are talking with to understand you. You may not realize that your pronunciation isn’t clear because your teacher and fellow students know and understand you. Pay special attention to your weak areas of your pronunciation when you are on the phone.
82._______________
Don’t pretend to understand everything you hear over the telephone. Even native speakers ask each other to repeat and confirm information from time to time. This is especially important if you are taking a message for someone else. Learn the appropriate expressions that English speakers use when they don’t hear something properly. Don’t be afraid to remind the person to slow down more than once. Keep your telephone in an area that is away from other noise distractions such as a radio or television.
83._______________.
Ask another student to practice talking on the phone with you. You might choose one night a week and take turns phoning each other at a certain time. Try to talk for at least fifteen minutes. You can talk socially, or role play different scenarios in a business environment. The most important thing about practicing telephone English is that you are not able to see each other’s mouths.
84. _______________.
There are many ways to get free telephone English practice. After business hours, you can call and listen to recorded messages. Write down what you hear the first time, and then call back and check if your notes are accurate. Make sure you have a pen handy so that you can repeat the information and check your comprehension.
85._______________.
The way that you speak to your best friend on the phone is very different from the way you should speak to someone in a business setting. Many speakers make the mistake of being too direct on the telephone. It is possible that the person on the other line will think that you are being rude on purpose if you don’t use formal language in certain situations. Sometimes just one word such as could or may is necessary in order to sound polite. Take the time to learn how to answer the phone and say goodbye in a polite manner, as well as all the various ways one can start and end a conversation casually.
Listening to someone on the telephone is like listening to a taped recording in class. The only difference is that you have to talk back! Follow the tips above and remember that practice makes perfect!
