The internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Website(非法网站). Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care Online shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought.
The thieves then go shopping with your card number—or sell the information over the Internet. Computer hackers(黑客)have broken down security(安全) system, raising questions about the safety of card holder information.
Several months ago, 25,000 customers of a CD universe, an online music retailer(批发商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay US $ 157,828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against online fraud. Master-card is working on plans for Web only credit-card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping online. However , there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm’s online rules: under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US $ 78 of any fraudulent spending. And shop only at secure sites: send your credit-card information only if the Website offers advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start http://--the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.
1.The underlined word “fraud” in the first paragraph probably means ______.
A．cheating B．sale C．payment D．use
2.According to this passage most people worry about shopping on the Internet because ______.
A．a great number of stolen credit-cards are sold on the Internet every day
B．fraud on the Internet happens very often
C．many Websites break down every day
D．there are too many illegal Websites on the Internet
3.Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card ______.
A．because many customers lost their cards
B．by paying money for people working in the information companies
C．because of the carelessness of the customers
D．by stealing the information from Websites
4.If the passwords of your credit-cards are not probably kept, _____.
A．the bank and the shop will suffer great losses
B．you will not be able to get back your information
C．you might suffer great losses
D．the bank will answer for your loss
5.What’s the best title of the passage?
A．How to Beat Online Credit-card Thieves
B．How to Shop on the Internet
C．Never Use Credit-card Without an Advanced Computer
D．Why Thieves Steal Credit-card Information
I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “ full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故的)woman said to me, “ If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “ If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today.. that long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course—keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation—would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There are seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens that leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens , especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believe that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him , and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.
1.What is said about the two diseased elderly women?
A．They lived out a natural life
B．They died of exhaustion after the long plane ride
C．They weren’t used to the change in weather.
D．They died due to lack of care by family members.
2.The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because ______.
A．he wanted to comfort the two families
B．he was an official from the community
C．he had great pity for the deceased
D．he was minister of the local church
3.People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _____.
A．they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow
B．they believe that they were responsible
C．they had neglected the natural course of events
D．they didn’t know things often turn in the opposite direction
4.According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that_____.
A．everything in the world is predetermined
B．the world can be interpreted in different ways
C．there is an explanation for everything in the world
D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world
5.What’s the idea of the passage?
A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery.
B．Every story should have a happy ending.
C．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault.
D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away.
As I was leaving to meet Lynne，my roommate told me that I’d better take some money，but I didn’t listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me.
I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I’d been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant and a waitress came and took our order. The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尴尬) when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said，“Oh！I forgot my money! Can I call my roommate，please？” The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate.
In a few minutes he arrived with some money，but he couldn’t hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home.
Now，I think it’s funny too. But at the time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner meant the same thing in the United States as in my country. I guess you have to understand that your customs（习俗） are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country，you have to learn about their customs，too.
1.Customs can be ________in different countries according to this passage.
A．close to each other B．entirely different C．quite the same D．very similar
2.The writer’s roommate advised the writer to take some money with him to________.
A．invite Lynne to dinner B．pay for the table
C．share the cost of the meal D．pay for the restaurant
3.The writer and Lynne________.
A．shared a successful dinner B．had a talk for three hours
C．traveled to Saudi Arabia together D．enjoyed their meal without talking
4.Why didn’t Lynne pay the check for the writer?
A．Because she thought it was natural for people to pay their own check.
B．Because she didn’t have the meal.
C．Because she wanted to embarrass the writer.
D．Because she didn’t have enough money with her.
5.The roommate laughed all the way home because the writer________.
A．was embarrassed when he couldn’t pay his breakfast
B．would not listen to him when he left the house
C．telephoned him to bring some books to him
D．hadn’t told Lynne the truth
Thanksgiving Day is special holiday in the United States and Canada. Families and friends gather to eat and give thanks for their blessing.
Thanksgiving Day is really a harvest festival. This is why it is celebrated in late fall, after the crops are in. But one of the first thanksgivings in America had nothing to do with a good harvest. On December 4, 1619, the Pilgrims from England landed near what is now Charles City, Virginia. They knelt down and thanked God for their safe journey across the Atlantic.
The first New England Thanksgiving did celebrate a rich harvest. The Pilgrims landed at what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. They had a difficult time and the first winter was cruel. Many of the Pilgrims died. But the next year, they had a good harvest. So Governor Bradford declared a three-day feast（盛宴）. The Pilgrims invited Indian friends to join them for their special feast. Everyone brought food.
In time, other colonies（殖民地）began to celebrate a day of thanksgiving. But it took years before there was a national Thanksgiving Day. During the Civil War, Sarah Josepha Hale persuaded Abraham Lincoln to do something about it. He proclaimed（宣布）the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day of thanksgiving. Today, Americans celebrate this happy harvest festival on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving Day in much the same way as their American neighbours. But the Canadian thanks-giving Day falls on the second Monday in October.
1.Thanksgiving Day is celebrated .
A．in spring B．summer C．in autumn D．in winter
2.The first to celebrate thanksgiving were .
A．some people from England B．the American Indians
C．Sarah Josepha Hale D．Governor Bradford
3.We can infer from the passage that New England must be .
A. in the U. S. A. B. in Great Britain C. in Canada D. on some island off the Atlantic
4.Which of the following is NOT true?
A．Thanksgiving Day used to be a holiday to celebrate a good harvest.
B．Abraham Lincoln was not the first to decide on thanksgiving celebrations.
C．Thanksgiving Day is celebrated to express the American and Indian people’s thanks to God.
D．There’s little difference between the American way and the Canadian way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
5.The passage mainly tells us .
A. how Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the U. S. A.
B. how Thanksgiving Day came into being and the different ways it is celebrated
C. that Thanksgiving Day is in fact a harvest holiday
D. how the way to celebrate Thanksgiving Day changed with the time and places
Our three-year-old daughter Becky wanted a dog. But we were too busy to buy one. One day, Becky ran in, shouting, “Mom! Come to see my dog!” Her face was red with 36 .
I followed her to the bush and found a 37 ! He was hurt. Seeing me, he stood up 38 ! I could see his teeth! God! My mouth felt dry. “Don’t be afraid. That’s Mom. She 39 you, too.” Becky said. Then he became friendly. It was 40 !
I 41 to find my husband and told him about the wolf. We should have 42 the wolf, but Becky loved him. Besides, he was gentle(温柔的) to Becky. So we called the vet finally.
Becky named the wolf (狼) Ralph , 43 she carried food to him every day. Later, Ralph got well. They played together in the daytime. At night, Ralph would return to the mountains. Sometimes he 44 but came back several days later.
On Becky’s first day of school, we could see Ralph’s 45 . After the school bus left, Ralph lay by the side of the road and 46 . When Becky returned, he got happy again. This 47 throughout Becky’s school years.
Twelve 48 passed.
One day we heard that a she-wolf was killed. The other wolf was hurt and ran away. We were 49 about Ralph. That night, Ralph returned with a wound (伤). Fifteen-year-old Becky held his head and 50 him. We hope he could come through. However, he 51 .
Becky cried. I noticed something strange in the bush — two little yellow eyes! Ralph’s 52 ! Before he died, Ralph 53 his child to us! He knew he would be 54 here, as he had been. Ralph, Ralph... I was 55 .
“Don’t be afraid, little ... Ralphie. That’s Mom. She loves you, too.”
1. A．encouragement B．entertainment C．agreement D．excitement
2. A．dog B．fox C．wolf D．tiger
3. A．lovely B．finally C．suddenly D．patiently
4. A．hurts B．loves C．kills D．hates
5. A．wonderful B．unhappy C．unbelievable D．normal
6. A．prepared B．rushed C．pretended D．wanted
7. A．loved B．found C．damaged D．killed
8. A．and B．but C．so D．or
9. A．disappeared B．turned C．passed D．came
10. A．sadness B．dream C．understanding D．anger
11. A．slept B．left C．sang D．waited
12. A．stopped B．joined C．lived D．continued
13. A．days B．weeks C．months D．years
14. A．surprised B．puzzled C．worried D．careful
15. A．comforted B．beat C．washed D．amused
16. A．succeeded B．died C．cried D．woke
17. A．mother B．father C．wife D．child
18. A．posted B．brought C．sold D．threw
19. A．safe B．happy C．warm D．friendly
20. A．confused B．disappointed C．moved D．frightened
If you keep on, you will succeed ________.
A．in time B．at one time C．at the same time D．on time
