Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological（病态的）relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming(声明) the wisdom that “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it’s time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection, people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today’s overused technology.
1. The underlined word “allure” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
A. advantage B. attraction
C. adaption D. attempt
2. From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.
A. attract people to buy their products
B. provide the latest information
C. improve people’s quality of life
D. deal with cultural diseases
3. It can be inferred from this passage that people ______.
A. consider too much technology wonderful
B. have realized the harm of high-tech devices
C. can regain freedom without high-tech devices
D. may enjoy life better without overused technology
4. What’s the author’s attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?
A. Neutral. B. Sceptical.
C. Disapproving. D. Sympathetic.
Hello. I’m Jan from Mrs. Lake’s class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt a highway.
Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean.
The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up.
We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean，please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake’ room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we' ll try to pick an area to adopt and clean.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean!
1.What is the Adopt-a-Highway Program about?
A. Giving names to the highways.
B. Drawing pictures of highways.
C. Picking up litter along the roads.
D. Putting up signs near the roads.
2.What should the students do first if they want to join the program?
A. Pick a spot to care for.
B. Call Mrs. Lake next week.
C. Write a letter to their parents.
D. Go to a meeting on Wednesday.
3.What is the purpose of this speech?
A. To encourage students to join the program.
B. To introduce the traffic system.
C. To show drivers how to drive safely.
D. To tell a story about adopting a pet.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Adopt-a-Pet
B. Adopt-a-Highway
C. Ways to Protect the Environment
D. Volunteers on Roads
假设你是李华，一名高三学生，在网络上看到一所国外大学的招生信息 (admission information), 该大学对中国学生开设30多个专业（major），你对此非常感兴趣,打算用英语撰写一份个人申请，主要内容包括：
1. 想申请的专业； 2. 个人优势； 3. 进入大学后的设想。
注意：1. 词数：100左右；2. 书信格式已给出； 3. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir or Madam,
Yours Sincerely,
Li Hua
短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(^ )，并在其下面写出该加的词。 删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
It was a year ago that Joshua got a bike for Christmas, but he rode it every day．One morning, he suddenly found the bike gone．Ran to his front yard, he saw a man loading it into his car．He shouted, but the man drive off．As a devoted Christian, he told his dad he real forgave the thief．What's more, he wanted the thief know he was forgiven．So the next day, he posted the message on a poster-board and put it in the front yard．"To the person which stole my bike: You hurt my feelings. But I am a Christian and I forgive him!" When he left for home the next morning, at the end of the driveway, the bike was back with new brake．
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
One day a young man was walking along the road when he heard a cry. It seemed 1.___(come) from underneath a bridge. As he approached the bridge, the sound got louder and then he saw 2. pitiful sight. There, 3. (lie) in the muddy riverbed was a little dog about two months old, 4. front legs were tightly tied with ropes. It had wounds on its head and was covered with mud.
The young man wanted to help the dog, 5. as he approached, the dog started to bark. The young man did not give up. He sat down and started 6. (gentle) talking to the dog. It took a long time but eventually the dog 7. (stop) barking and the man was able to touch it. The young man carried the dog home, cared 8. its wounds, and gave it food and water. Even with all of this, the dog was still 9. (friend) every time the young man approached. But the young man did not give up. Weeks went by and the man continued attending to the dog. Then one day, as the young man approached, the dog wagged its tail.
It was consistent love and kindness 10. won a lifelong friendship of loyalty.
War started in our house in late July with a month to go before my first day of college. It was a battle of wills over what college I was to attend. Mom wanted me to attend a famous school, and I wanted to go to a small writing college. Every night for two weeks, we argued, shouted and gave treatments until both sides went to bed with regrets.
It was mostly my . Since my junior year of high school, I had at being a nurse. I took all the science courses, and even worked as a in my town’s local hospital. My was to help the sick and be superwoman to the world.
Yet, graduation and college neared, it all changed.Treating the sick was , but not what I was meant to do for the of my life. I could picture myself in hospitals, making rounds, and taking , but I couldn’t picture myself happy. It wasn’t the I wanted.
Then, I realized I had been creating and writing stories for as long as I could . I loved it, and writing was what I had been doing as a . It was going to be my career. And it had to be.
On August 1st, Mom and I sat down at the dinner table and I told her that she had every to choose where to spend her money, just like I had every right to decide where I wanted to go to school. If it was her choice not to any of my college education, then I would take a year off to work and earn money so I could go to the college I wanted.
Standing by my decision to be a writer had my firm belief to my mom. Finally we were at , and she decided to support me, which the world to me.
Before that time, I had never stood up my parents on any major decision. Choosing which college to attend me to become a separate and complete adult. I am now finished with my first semester as a Professional Writing major and I cannot wait to see what comes next.
1.A. cooking B. gardening C. nursing D. writing
2.A. medical B. warm C. mental D. silent
3.A. fault B. success C. duty D. turn
4.A. wondered B. aimed C. pointed D. looked
5.A. student B. volunteer C. graduate D. doctor
6.A. goal B. job C. task D. post
7.A. before B. after C. until D. as
8.A. rough B. noble C. mild D. easy
9.A. part B. whole C. rest D. half
10.A. notices B. examinations C. temperatures D. drugs
11.A. future B. effect C. drill D. idea
12.A. see B. wait C. find D. remember
13.A. process B. hobby C. rule D. business
14.A. chance B. time C. right D. ability
15.A. expect B. raise C. offer D. finance
16.A. doubted B. followed C. shaken D. proven
17.A. peace B. war C. ease D. play
18.A. attached B. applied C. devoted D. meant
19.A. for B. against C. over D. by
20.A. forced B. promised C.allowed D.reminded
