What if you could have your whole backpack at the touch of your fingertips? In the first month of the Apple iPads release, 25million were sold! People all over the world use iPads for all sorts of different things, but one of their finest qualities is the ability to be a textbook. ___1.____
To begin with, iPad are less expensive. Textbooks become outdated and schools have to buy new books, but with an iPad schools can update them for free. __2.___ Schools don’t have to spend $500 every year for iPads because they last a while and can be updated.
___3.__ Students usually have multiple classes, which results in multiple textbooks. Heavy backpacks filled with books can cause back problem. A solution to that is an iPad, which only weighs 1.33 pounds and can hold all of a student’s textbooks.
Third, schools should get rid of their textbooks and get iPads because they have more capabilities. Some might think all of the apps are distracting, but the apps actually make iPads more efficient. 4.___ Textbooks cannot do those tasks, but iPads can easily do them with just a tap of the fingertip.
Lastly, iPads are a better choice for schools instead of textbooks because these devices allow students to access their learning anywhere at any time. __5.____ With iPads, they find it easier to get their homework done.
In conclusion, schools should get rid of their clumsy textbooks and switch to iPads. iPads have allowed this generation to have their entire backpack in the palm of their hands.
A. These tablets are perfect for busy students.
B. Second, iPads cost less and are more popular.
C. Therefore, they can use the saved money for other programs.
D. iPads have already replaced textbooks in over 600 American counties.
E. Moreover, in high school, textbooks have an average of 4.8 pounds each.
F. Schools have every reason to do away with their school books and switch to iPads.
G. iPads absorb the need to buy calculators, dictionaries, and other items that are found within the device.
The earth is dying before us yet we sit and watch. If the TV or the game system breaks, we run off to the stores to get it fixed immediately no matter what the cost. Why aren’t we willing to fix our earth? Are our televisions and game systems more important to us than where we live? Where shall we continue to live, until the end of time?
The earth is our home and cannot be replaced. We must take care of it. We have come up with so much technology that limits us instead of helping us. Take that game system we run to repair. What does it do? It occupies kids’ time! The earth has already given kids plenty of entertainment in the forms of fields and hills, forests and plains, water and land. However, instead of using what the earth has given us, and helping kids by giving them exercise as they run around, we decide to ruin kids’ minds with game systems that glue them to the screen for hours, and make them ignore their homework and chores. We have polluted this earth by making these things which do not even help in any way!
We have already messed up this world, we have ruined the air, water, and animals that it has so willingly provided for us. We need to stop this destruction of life and bring back the world we had before. It will not be easy, but everybody can help! What about something as simple as turning the lights off when you leave a room? Recycling what can be recycled? Picking up litter? Donating money to an environmental organization? None of these things are very hard. We can’t just always say, “Oh, the earth is a mess. Ah, well, those big companies that are polluting so much can stop and fix it.” Instead, we need to help out. It’s not only those big companies; it’s everyday things that we do too that are ruining the earth. So stop and think about what you can do to make a difference to our world!
1.Why does the author mention televisions and game systems in Paragraph 1?
A. To make people better aware of the urgency to the protection of the earth.
B. To explore the great harm done to the earth by too much technology waste.
C. To show the relationship between overuse of those things with early death.
D. To remind people to spend less on them and use the saved money in a wiser way.
2.It can be inferred from the second paragraph that the author________
A. thinks we must take care of our irreplaceable home-----the earth.
B. thinks running around in fields occupies too much of kids’ time.
C. takes an extremely negative attitude to things like game systems.
D. takes it for granted that technology gives kids plenty of entertainment.
3.We can clearly feel that the author wrote this passage with deep_______
A. anger B. emotion C. sadness D. regret
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To criticize those big companies that ruin the earth
B. To ask people to save kids from the harm done by pollution.
C. To give kids plenty of entertainment in a clean environment
D. To call on people to stop ruining the earth
Washington: NASA has announced evidence that Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, has a saltwater ocean under its icy surface. The ocean seems to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface, according to new Hubble observation.
New Hubble observations of Ganymede's magnetic field strongly suggest that the moon, which is the largest in our whole solar system, is home to a subsurface ocean.
Scientists estimate the ocean is 95 kilometres thick, which is about 10 times deeper than Earth's oceans. But unlike our salty waters, Ganymede's ocean is buried under 150 kilometres of ice.
While scientists have speculated(推测) since 1970s about the presence of an ocean on Ganymede------the largest moon in our solar system------ until now the only observational evidence came from a brief flyby by the Galileo spacecraft, which didn’t observe the moon long enough to confirm a liquid ocean.
This discovery marks an important milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish. In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy surface of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth.
Scientists have already confirmed the existence of an ocean on Europa, another moon orbiting Jupiter, and NASA has announced plans to send an unmanned mission there searching for the life that might come with liquid water.
Hubble is a telescope that orbits Earth, but because of its impressive gravitational analyses it can be used to study the inside of far distant planets. Using these same principles, scientists could theoretically detect oceans on distant planets as well.
1.What can we learn about the Ganymede from the passage?
A. It is a planet with the largest moon in our whole solar system.
B. Its ocean adds to people’s excitement about life beyond Earth.
C. It will be used by NASA as a base for the Hubble telescope.
D. Its liquid ocean was first proved by the Galileo spacecraft.
2.Which of the following best describes the writer’s attitude towards Hubble?
A. Cautious B. Doubtful
C. Negative D. Favourable
3.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 6 mean?
A. An underground ocean has been found in Europa.
B. The presence of an underground ocean in Europa is not possible.
C. It is now certain that there is an ocean on Europa.
D. No evidence has shown the existence of an ocean on Europa.
4.What type of writing does this passage belong to?
A. A term essay B. A news report
C. An experiment report D. An exploration review.
I went online to check if my pay was in my bank account. To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I knew I’d have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. Easier said than done.
The bank couldn’t help as it wasn’t a bank problem. The human resources department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully, I had a sympathetic(同情的) call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company Daniel worked for.
I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully(正当地) his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape(繁琐手续) made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do--admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.
1.The underlined phrase “beside myself”(in Paragraph1) probably means___________.
A. very fortunate B. very angry
C. really thankful D. at ease
2.What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?
A. He didn’t know what to do with it.
B. He felt lucky to get it.
C. He thought of keeping it for himself.
D. He wanted to return it to the right person.
3.From the passage we can infer that___________.
A. the bank could solve the problem soon and easily with the red tape
B. some large organizations usually have troublesome official rules
C. Daniel didn’t know the error before he contacted the author
D. the company gave the wrong account to the bank
4.How was the problem solved in the end?
A. The author and Daniel solved the problem themselves.
B. It cost Daniel a lovely bottle of wine to get back his money.
C. The author gave the money back to the company.
D. The call operator offered to solve their problem
Have you ever been to the world’s smallest bookstore?
The World’s Smallest Bookstore，whose official name is just these three words，sits quietly about 100 miles northeast of Toronto．
The bookstore is about 10 feet by 10 feet，so it is easy to imagine how tiny it really is．The bookstore is open 24 hours a day．Inside the bookstore are various books，especially literary books and classic authors’ works．So if you are looking for something less popular，you may get a bit disappointed there．
Another special feature of this bookstore is that each book only costs three dollars．All the expenses are paid on the honor system，which means buyers should make a note of what they’ve bought and leave their money by themselves．So the tools of the trade in this bookstore are quite simple: pens，papers，light bulbs and a label-maker．
In order to catch passers-by’s attention，the billboards(广告牌）of the bookstore are several times bigger than the store itself．With these large eye-catchers，many people are willing to stop by and have a visit．
1.What’s the passage mainly about?
A．The world’s smallest bookstore．
B．A strange way of selling books．
C．The popular books nowadays．
D．The popular bookstores in the world．
2.Which of the following books might you most probably get in the store?
A．Books on popular science．
B．Literary books．
C．The year book of a university．
D．Books on economic control．
3.How could you buy a book from the store?
A．The salesman will help you find the book．
B．The salesman will get the money for the book．
C．Choose the book(s）and leave the money there．
D．Pay on the net and then get the book(s）in the store．
书面表达 (满分25分)
请你根据对右面这幅漫画的理解，以Come Back to Reality为题，用英语写一篇作文。
你的作文应包括以下内容：
1. 简要描述漫画的内容。
2. 概述你对这幅图的理解。
3. 举例说明你会怎样做。
注意：
1. 可参照漫画适当发挥。
2. 作文词数150左右。
3. 作文中不得提及有关考生个人身份的任何信息，如校名、人名等。
Come Back to Reality
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