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
Depression(抑郁症)is a serious problem today．Depression causes workers to be unproductive，causing companies and countries to lose billions of dollars．One expert says that depression is like cancer because it is “widespread，costly and deadly”．Depression hits one person in five around the world．
Although people have believed depression to be a problem among the rich and educated，studies show that depression is a problem among everyone。Over any six-month period，between five to seven percent of the world's population will be suffering from a serious depression．
uicide(自杀)rates among people suffering from the disease in its extreme，or clinical form were 80 percent higher than in the population at large，and sufferers were four times more likely to have heart attacks. People who suffer from depression often have problems sleeping，getting up on time，and doing work productively．
Depression，which researchers agree has its origin in the genes(基因)，brings loss of confidence and ability to concentrate-making it impossible for employees and managers to work efficiently．
Depression is made more serious in China by Chinese's inability to face it．Many people believe that depressed people are either weak or lazy． Besides，there is no good treatment，with few specialists available．
“Most patients in China just don't get help，”a Chinese doctor says．“In my hospital．I have to see 30 or 40 patients in a morning，just have time to say “Hello how do you feel？”
In Western countries，people are not afraid to admit that they have depression，but most do not tell it to their boss，because they fear that their boss would fire them．
“In my experience，aging bosses are the most willing to admit they have it. Because they feel the most secure about themselves，”an American doctor says．
Hopefully，in the near future，people around the world will be able to admit that they have depression so that they can get the right treatment．
1.Which of the following is true according to the passage？
A．It is widely believed that everyone may suffer from depression．
B．Depression brings great problems to its sufferers in their life and work
C．Depression is a commonly-existing problem only in rich countries．
D．The poorer and the less educated a person is，the less he will suffer from depression．
2.Compared to normal people，the depressed people are likely to be▁▁▁．
A．very unconfident and often absent-minded
B．easy to avoid being hit by heart attacks
C．working efficiently and productively
D．either weak or lazy
3.Depression becomes more serious in China because of．
A．the understanding of the problem
B．the lack of treatment and doctors
C．their unwillingness to tell it to their boss
D．the doctors' careless work
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A．People are suffering from depression because of the shortage of specialists．
B．The aging bosses around the world dare to say they are depressed．
C．More and more patients will turn to specialists for help．
D．Western people are braver than Chinese people．
Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate.” But not all experts (专家) agree that this is a good idea.
One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer. David does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate.” David Tebbutt thinks Computertowns are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do, they find out.The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People don’t have to learn computer terms(术语), but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming “people-literate.”
1.Which of the following is David Tebbutt’s ides on the relationship between people and computers?
A．Computer learning should be made easier.
B．There should be more computer clubs for experts.
C．People should work harder to master computer use.
D．Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.
2.We can infer from the text that “computer-lilerate” means_______.
A．being able to afford a computer
B．being able to write computer programs
C．working with the computer and finding out its value
D．understanding the computer and knowing how to use it
3.The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to the idea that Computertowns ___.
A．help to set up more computer clubs
B．bring people to learn to use computers
C．bring more experts to work together
D．help to sell computers to the public
4.David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of______.
A．making better use of computer experts
B．improving computer programs
C．increasing omputersales
D．popularising computers
My husband and I both work at home. We have four children, so the times when I am 36 in the house are few. Like many work-at-home moms, when I do get a 37 to be by myself, I fill that time with more 38 , whether it’s related to my career or taking care of the housework. Most of the time, I don’t mind. 39 , I wanted this job as wife and mother, and I knew from the start that it often 40 putting others’ needs before my own. But, other times, I can’t help but feel a little 41 because I seldom had any plans for myself, and everyone knew it. My life 42 on my family, but they seldom appreciated this, which often 43 me a lot.
One day, when the kids were at school, I 44 for the movie theater-alone, I’d 45 been to the movies alone before, so I was a little nervous. Would I look pitiful going to the theater by myself? Was I being ridiculous(荒唐可笑) by seeing a movie 46 so much work waited for me at home? I 47 myself to swallow these 48 and bought myself a ticket. And then I walked into the theater with my 49 held high and enjoyed every minute of the movie. I laughed and felt my good spirits 50 for a couple of hours, I was 51 wife or mother. I was just myself.
From that point on, I 52 that Fridays would be mine, 53 for a couple of hours. Some Fridays, I head to(前往) the beach with a good book. Other Fridays, I go shopping, 54 up a little fast food or some clothes just for myself. I really 55 my Fridays after a long week of caring of my family.
1. A．busy B．alone C．tense D．brave
2. A．chance B．way C．purpose D．fortune
3. A．fun B．fear C．work D．love
4. A．So far B．From then on
C．As a result D．After all
5. A．practiced B．advised C．meant D．considered
6. A．happy B．excited C．angry D．nervous
7. A．centred B．insisted C．depended D．knocked
8. A．moved B．bothered C．amused D．scared
9. A．applied B．waited C．longed D．headed
10. A．ever B．also C．never D．instead
11. A．if B．when C．unless D．until
12. A．forced B．allowed C．ordered D．taught
13. A．answers B．efforts C．thoughts D．results
14. A．hands B．head C．legs D．ticket
15. A．leave B．happen C．return D．weaken
16. A．everybody’s B．somebody’s C．anybody’s D．nobody’s
17. A．expressed B．declared C．agreed D．decided
18. A．at least B．at last C．in all D．in time
19. A．making B．picking C．taking D．bringing
20. A．come up with B．break away from
C．look forward to D．pay attention to
– I’m sorry I didn’t attend your birthday party because my mother was ill.
-- ________. Is your mother better now?
A．Forget it B．Go ahead C．Come on D．Take your time
The policeman stop him when he was driving home and ________him of speeding.
A．charged B．accused C．warned D．blamed
