Making an advertisement for television often costs more than a movie. For example, a two – hour movie costs ＄6 million to make. A TV commercial can cost more than ＄6 000 a second. And that does not include cost of paying for air time. Which is more valuable, the program or the ad? In terms of money – and making money is what television is all about – the commercial is by far the more important.
Research, market testing, talent, time and money —— all come together to make us want to buy a product.
No matter how bad we think a commercial is, it works. The sales of Charm went up once the ads began. TV commercials actually buy their way into our head. We, in turn, buy the product.
And the ads work because so much time and attention are given to them. Here are some rules of commercial ad making. If you want to get the low middle – class buyer, make sure the announcer has a though, manly voice. Put some people in the ad who work with their hands. If you want to sell to upper – class audience, make sure that the house, the furniture, and the hair style are the types that the group identifies with. If you want the buyer feel superior to the character selling the product, then make that person so stupid or silly that everyone will feel great about himself or herself.
We laugh at commercials. We don’t think we pay that much attention to them. But evidence shows we are kidding ourselves. The making of a commercial that costs so much money is not kid stuff. It’s big, big business. And it’s telling us what to think , what we need, and what to buy. To put simply, the TV commercial is a form of brainwashing.
1.TV commercials are more important than other programs to television because .
A．they bring in great profits B．they require a lot of money to make
C．they are not difficult to produce D．they attract more viewers than other programs
2.The purpose of all the efforts made in turning out TV commercials is .`
A．to persuade people to buy the product
B．to show how valuable the product is
C．to test the market value of the product
D．to make them as interesting as TV movies
3.From the rules set for making commercial ads, we can see that .
A．the lower – middle – class buyer likes to work with his hand
B．the more stupid the characters, the more buyers of the product
C．ad designers attract different people with different skills
D．an upper – class buyer is only interested in houses and furniture
4.It is believed by the writer that .
A．few people like to watch TV commercials
B．TV commercials are a good guide to buyers
C．TV commercials often make people laugh
D．people do not think highly of TV commercials
5.What does the author actually mean in the last paragraph?
A．He asks TV viewers never to laugh at the TV commercial ads.
B．Commercials are used to show the true value of a product to be sold.
C．TV commercials cost much and they do influence us in one way or another.
D．Brainwashing must be introduced to sell something on TV.
Harvard University named historian Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president on Sunday, ending a lengthy and secretive search to find a successor（接任者）to Lawrence Summers .
The seven-member Harvard Corporation elected Faust, a noted scholar on History of the American South and dean of Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, as the university’s 28th president.
“This is a great day, and a historic day for Harvard,” James R. Houghton, chairman of the presidential search committee, said in a statement. “Drew Faust is an inspiring and accomplished leader, a superb scholar, a dedicated teacher, and a wonderful human being.”
Her selection is noteworthy given the heated debates over Summers’ comments that genetic differences between the sexes might help explain the lack of women in top science jobs.
Faust has been dean of Radcliffe since 2001, two years after the former women’s college was combined into the university as a research center with a mission to study gender issues.
Some professors have quietly groused that the 371-year-old university is appointing a fifth president who is not a scientist. No scientist has had the top job since James Bryant Conant retired in 1953; its last four have come from the fields of classics, law, literature and economics.
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Faust is the first Harvard president who did not receive a degree from the university since Charles Chauncy, a graduate of Cambridge University, who died in office in 1762. She attended the University of Pennsylvania.
“Teaching staff turned to her constantly,” said Sheldon Hackney, a former president of the University of Pennsylvania and historian who worked closely with Faust. “She’s very clear. She has a sense of humor, but she’s very strong-minded. You come to trust in her because she’s so solid.”
1.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A．Harvard named its 1st female president.
B．History of Harvard University changed.
C．Debates on female equality ended
D．Drew Gilpin Faust, a famous woman historian.
2.Which is NOT true about Drew Gilpin Faust?
A．She is the 28th president of Harvard University.
B．She is a famous scholar from the American South.
C．She isn’t a graduate from Harvard University
D．She was head of Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
3.Lawrence Summers held the view that .
A．women cannot achieve as much as men in management
B．women cannot hold important positions in society
C．women can match men in science jobs
D．few women make top scientists owing to genes
4.The underlined word “groused” in the 6th paragraph means .
A．approved B．commented C．complained D．indicated
5.This passage probably appears in a .
A．biography B．personal letter C．research paper D．newspaper report
Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface(BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic school in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated（展示）a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“our brain has billions of nerve ceils. These send signals through the spinal cord（脊髓）to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles,” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp(头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to make sure that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
1.BCI is a technology that can______.
A．help to update computer systems B．link the human brain with computers
C．help the disabled to recover D．control a person's thoughts
2.How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
A．By controlling his muscles. B．By talking to the machine
C．By moving his hand. D．By using his mind.
3.Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair
C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair
4.The team will test with real patients to _____ .
A．make profits from them B．prove the technology useful to them
C．make them live longer D．learn about their physical condition
5.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center
B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works
C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled
D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries
Few people ever took notice of Mr. Jimmy Tan whenever he entered a room. He was a shy, quiet and simple man who preferred to keep to himself in public. On the other hand, Mr. Thomas Kim, a fellow scientist, was a man everyone would notice on the streets. He wore bright outfits with huge flower prints, spoke with a booming voice, and his laughter could be heard from all corners of a room. In addition to the differences in their characters, Mr. Kim and Mr. Tan were also great rivals at work in the Institute of Future Science.
On Christmas Eve, everyone left work early to celebrate the special occasion, except for Mr. Tan and Mr. Kim. They were in their laboratory analyzing the results of their latest experiments. Mr. Tan realized that something special was taking place in his experiment —the bacteria he had cultured were growing extremely quickly under high pressure and at a very low temperature. After noting down the findings in his notebook, he left the room to prepare for another round of tests. Shortly after, Mr. Kim entered.
“Hey Jimmy,” Mr. Kim called out, “do you have an extra copy of the laboratory booking form?”
There was no reply, so Mr. Kim looked through Mr. Tan’s things. He soon found Mr. Tan's notebook and was horrified to see that Mr. Tan had managed to make one of the most important discoveries in modern science. He then looked into the deep-freeze cupboard where a dish containing the bacteria was kept. He put them into his pocket and returned to his own laboratory.
Mr. Tan came back an hour later to find his notebook and the dish missing. He knew that Mr. Kim had taken them and went to Mr. Kim's laboratory to find out. When he opened the door, he found Mr. Kim lying on the floor motionless. His face was pale and his skin had turned black. The deadly bacteria had been handled improperly. He shook his head and left.
1.From the first paragraph we know Mr. Kim was a quite person.
A．famous B．hardworking
C．wealthy D．outgoing
2.The underlined word "rivals" in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to .
A．enemies B．colleagues
C．competitors D．friends
3.What does the underlined word “them” refer to in the 4th paragraph?
A．the most important discoveries
B．the notebook and the dish
C．the cupboard and the bacteria
D．the dish and the bacteria
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Mr. Kim was afraid Mr. Tan might succeed ahead of him.
B．Mr. Tan's bacteria grew very fast in a warm container.
C．Mr. Tan worked much harder than Mr. Kim.
D．Mr. Kim was so tired that he fell down into sleep.
5.What happened to Mr. Kim in the end?
A．He died on Christmas Eve.
B．He was arrested by the police.
C．He shared the success with Mr. Tan.
D．He succeeded ahead of Mr. Tan.
Whenever we do something wrong, Jesus Christ sees it. He loves us and doesn’t say it. Perhaps he’s wondering how long we’ll keep our mind suffering. A little boy named Johnny was visiting his grandparents on their farm and he was given a slingshot(弹弓) to play with out in the woods. He 36 for some time but he could never hit the target he had set for himself. Getting a little 37 , he walked back to the farmhouse for dinner. As he was _ 38 back, he saw Grandpa’s pet duck. Just out of 39 , he let the slingshot fly , hitting it in the head ,and killed it. In a panic, he 40 the dead duck in the woodpile, only to see his sister Sally 41 be watching him. Sally had seen all this, but she said _42 . After lunch that day Grandma said, “Sally, it’s your turn to wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.” And then she spoke _43 to him, “Remember the duck？” So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if 44 wanted to go fishing, but Grandma said, “I’m sorry but I need Sally to help me make supper.” But Sally just smiled and said, “Well, that’s all right because Johnny told me he was too 45 to help you. And she whispered again, “Remember the duck?” So Sally went fishing and Johnny 46 to help make supper. After several days of doing both his 47 and Sally’s, Johnny finally couldn’t 48 it any longer. He came to his Grandma and told her that he had killed the duck .Grandma smiled and gave him a big 49 . “Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was watering the flowers at the window 50 I saw you shoot my duck with the slingshot, and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I 51 you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally 52_ of you.”
In reality, no matter how 53__or how uncomfortable it is to admit our wrongdoing, we should always choose to 54 it and work it through instead of running away from it. Hard as it is, it 55 us and makes us who we are.
1. A．promoted B．exercised C．practiced D．consumed
2. A．delighted B．upset C．amazed D．scared
3. A．running B．rushing C．heading D．leaving
4. A．sympathy B．pride C．impulse D．politeness
5. A．hung B．presented C．protected D．hid
6. A．should B．shall C．must D．might
7. A．nothing B．everything C．something D．anything
8. A．loudly B．softly C．guiltily D．innocently
9. A．Sally B．Johnny C．the children D．Grandma
10. A．reluctant B．willing C．curious D．cautious
11. A．kept up B．held back C．left behind D．stayed behind
12. A．chores B．homework C．games D．sports
13. A．accept B．stand C．withdraw D．allow
14. A．hug B．blow C．reward D．award
15. A．whereas B．as C．while D．when
16. A．appreciate B．admire C．forgive D．force
17. A．put the blame B．make friends C．put pressure D．make a slave
18. A．doubtful B．grateful C．harmful D．painful
19. A．reject B．control C．face D．witness
20. A．develops B．shapes C．ruins D．prepares
out after a long walk ,Tom called and said he couldn’t come to the party.
A．Having worn B．Being worn C．To wear D．Worn
