A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world’s first long-distance signing device(装置), the LongPen.
After many tiring book-signing tours from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them. She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here’s how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens.
Work on the LongPen began in Atwood’s basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed, test runs were made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here , Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.
The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.
“It’s really fun”, said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. “Obviously you can’t shake hands with the author, but there are chances for a connection that you don’t get from a regular book signing.”
The response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she is trying to end book tours. But she said, “It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn’t afford it.”
1.Why did Atwood decide to invent the LongPen?
A. To set up her own company.
B. To win herself greater popularity.
C. To write her books in a new way.
D . To make book signings less tiring.
2.How does the LongPen work?
A.It copies the author’s signature and prints it on a book.
B. It signs a book while receiving the author’s signature.
C. The webcam sends the author’s signature to another city.
D. The fan uses it to copy the author’s signature himself.
3.What do we know about the invention of the LongPen?
A. It has been completed but not put into use.
B. The basement caught fire by accident.
C. Some versions failed before its test run.
D. The designers were well-prepared for the difficulty.
4.How could the LongPen be used in the future?
A. To draft legal documents.
B. To improve credit card security
C. To keep a record of the author’s ideas.
D. To allow author and fan to exchange videos
5.What could be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6?
A. Atwood doesn’t mean to end book tours.
B. Critics think the LongPen is of little use
C. Bookstore owners don’t support the LongPen
D. Publishers dislike the LongPen for its high cost.
Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars. The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.
1.What is the piggy bank strategy?
A. Paying 1% income tax at a time.
B. Setting a goal before making a travel plan.
C. Aiming high even when doing small things.
D. Putting aside a little money regularly for future use.
2.Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?
A. To delight him with the latest fashion.
B. To encourage him to climb mountains.
C. To help him form the habit of saving.
D. To teach him English pronunciation.
3.What does the underlined word “something”(Paragraph 3) most probably refer to?
A. Money B. Gifts
C. Financial success D. Good luck
4.The piggy bank originally was _________.
A. a potter’s instrument
B. a cheap clay container
C. an animal-shaped dish
D. a pig-like toy for children
5.The last paragraph talks about ________.
A. the seriousness of educating children
B. the enjoyment of taking a great trip
C. the importance of managing money
D. the difficulty of starting a business
A large variety of languages exist in the world. Every language has 1. own special words and expressions. And a story can be told about each of them.
Hot is a simple, 2. (easy) understood word. So are most of the 3. (express) made with the word hot. 4. not always, as we shall see. The words hot and potato, for example, give you no idea at all to the meaning of the expression, hot potato.
The potato is a popular vegetable in the United States. Many people like 5. (bake) potatoes, cooked in an oven or fire. Imagine trying to carry a hot potato in your hand. It would be difficult, even painful, to do so.
Now we are getting close to the meaning of hot potato. Some publicly disputed （广泛争议的 ）issues are highly sensitive. The issues must be treated carefully, or they will be difficult and painful if 6. elected official has to deal with them. They will be as difficult and painful 7. holding a hot potato.
One such hot potato is taxes. Calling for 8. (high) taxes can mean defeat for a politician. And yet, 9. taxes are not raised, some very popular government programs could be cut. And that also can make a politician very unpopular. So the questions must 10. (deal) with carefully, the same way you would handle any other hot potato.
As a general rule, all forms of activity lead to boredom when they are performed on a routine(常规)basis. As a matter of fact, we can see this at work in people of all ages. For example, on Christmas morning, children are about playing with their new toys. But their soon wears off and by January those same toys can be found put away in the basement. The world is full of stamp albums and unfinished models, each standing as a monument to someone’s interest. When parents bring home a pet, their child bathes it and brushes its fur. Within a time, however, the burden of caring for the animal is handed over to the parents. Adolescents enter high school with great excitement but are soon looking forward to . The same is true of the young adults going to college. And then, how many , who now complain about the long drives to work, drove for hours at a time when they first their driver’s license ? Before people retire, they usually to do a lot of things, which they never had time to do while working. But soon after retirement, the golfing, the fishing, the reading and all of the other pastimes (消遣) become as boring as the jobs they . And, like the children in January, they go searching for “new ” .
1.A. principle B. habit C. weakness D. power
2.A. surprised B. moved C. excited D. satisfied
3.A. confidence B. interestC. anxiety D. sorrow
4.A. well-organizedB. colorfully-printed C. newly- collected D. half-filled
5.A. missingB. passingC. developingD. falling
6.A. silently B. impatientlyC. gladlyD. worriedly
7.A. interestingB. short C. long D. boring
8.A. graduation B. independence C. responsibilityD. success
9.A. childrenB. students C. adults D. retirees
10.A. carefully B. eagerly C. nervously D. bravely
11.A. requiredB. obtained C. noticed D. discovered
12.A. needB. learn C. start D. plan
13.A. great B. strong C. difficult D. correct
14.A. lostB. chose C. left D. quit
15.A. pets B. toys C. friends D. colleagues
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。
Dear editor,
I have been getting along well with my father. However, as I’m in Senior Three now, the question whether I should live at school or come back home for the nights has come to our family discussion. My father and I have different opinions over the matter and we are arguing over it these days.
My father insists that I should live at school. In the previous two years, I have been spending about 80 minutes every day to and from school. Living at school can help save a lot of time. In this way, I can have more time for my studies.
On the other hand, what I believe is that I should spend my nights at home. First of all, if I come home for the nights, I will have more freedom to arrange my studies. Meanwhile, I will have more time to communicate with my parents, which will make us understand each other better.
I don’t want to make compromises（妥协） and neither does my father, as it seems. Could you tell me what I should do? I would be grateful if you could give me some advice.
Your sincere reader,
Teddy
【写作内容】
假设你是某英文报社的编辑，读了Teddy的来信后，想告诉他你的看法。以下是你回信的内容：
1. 以约30个词概括以上短文的内容。
2. 以约120个词表达你对住校这件事情的看法，内容包括：
1）建议Teddy听从父亲的劝告，并在原文的基础上补充理由;
2）以你自己的经历支持你的观点;
3）给Teddy提一些建议。
【写作要求】
1. 可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
【评分标准】
概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。
Dear Teddy,
Yours,
Editor Li
最近科学家研究发现，现在的年轻人走路很少，这对于他们的健康不利。现在请你把这个发现和专家的建议写成一篇英语短文，以提醒身边的人们要重视运动，关注健康。以下是短文的内容：
[写作内容]
研究机构和对象： | The Researchers 杂志对2000人进行调查 |
研究发现： | 18-24岁的年轻人中有四分之一平均每天步行不到5分钟 |
原因： | 1. 很多人把步行少归咎于科技的发展； 2. 有些年轻人觉得没有人一起散步也是步行少的一个原因。 |
专家建议： | 1.每天多步行，不要总是开车或搭公车； 2.每天多步行20分钟可以降低很多疾病发生的风险，如心脏病和中风(stroke)。 |
[写作要求]
只能使用5个句子表达全部内容
[评分标准]
句子结构准确，信息内容完整，篇章结构连贯。
