Owning a smartphone may not be as smart as you think. It may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are…but it also turns you into a workaholic, it seems.
A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobile phone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.
The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have email-enabled phones, with a third accessing them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess(承认) they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they make work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m., with more than a third checking their first emails in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 p.m. and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, “The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smartphones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smartphones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become , the more is expected of us in a work capacity(容量).”
1.What can we conclude from the text?
A. All that glitters is not gold.
B. It never rains but pours.
C. Every coins has two sides.
D. It’s no good crying over spilt milk.
2.The underlined word “accessing” in the third paragraph can be replaced by “________”.
A. calling B. reaching C. getting D. using
3.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The average UK working time is between nine and twelve hours.
B. Nine- tenths spent over three hours checking work emails.
C. One-fourth check their first mail between 11 p.m. and midnight.
D. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 a.m. and 8 .am ..
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Workaholics like smartphones.
B. Smartphones bring about extra work.
C. Smartphones make our life easier.
D. Employers don’t like smartphones.
The US plans to extend its endangered species protection to lions in Africa. US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will classify lions in southern and eastern Africa as threatened. The move will place tighter restrictions on the import of lion “trophies(纪念品)”, such as paws or heads.
While the US cannot regulate hunting in other countries the move is significant because around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans. According to FWS data, more than 5, 600 lions have been killed and imported by American hunters over the past decade.
Under the new FWS rules, bringing lion parts to the US will be banned(禁止) in most circumstances if the animal is from a country where lions are endangered. Hunters will have to show the trophies were “legally obtained” from countries that have a scientifically sound management program that benefits the subspecies in the wild.
This regulation is expected to place a far greater burden of proof upon hunters who claim that the money from lion hunting has been used to help communities in Africa and the overall conservation of lions. The persistent downward trend in lion numbers, due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists, suggests there has been little conservation(保护) benefit from organized hunts.
An international study, published in September, found African lion numbers have decreased by half since 1993, with a further 50% decline expected over the next 20 years for populations in west, central and east Africa.
“The lion is one of the planet’s most beloved species and an irreplaceable part of our shared global heritage,” said Dan Ashe, director of the FWS. “If we want to ensure that healthy lion populations continue to wander around the African savannas(大草原) and forests of India, it’s up to all of us—not just the people of Africa and India--to take action.”
1.Why is the move of US significant?
A. The lions have been killed and imported by American hunters.
B. That is due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists.
C. Around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans.
D. The money from lion hunting has been used to help communities in Africa .
2.Where do most of the lion hunters come from?
A. Southern Africa. B. America.
C. Eastern Africa. D. India.
3.What may be the result of the move?
A. The import of lion parts will be strictly limited.
B. Lion-hunting will be illegal all over the world.
C. communities in Africa will benefit a lot.
D. Lion parts will never be legally obtained.
4.What does Dan Ashe really want to tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Almost everybody loves lions.
B. It’s everyone’s duty to protect lions.
C. Lion populations will increase rapidly.
D. Measures must be taken to keep lions fit.
I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives (观点) by creating worlds we could step into, take part in and live in.
With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.
Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction (文学作品)．As a law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter — the volume (量) of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to have in my lifetime.
1.What can be inferred about the author as a child?
A. He never watched TV.
B. He read what he had to.
C. He found reading unbelievable.
D. He considered reading part of his life.
2.The underlined word “voice” in the second paragraph most probably means “ ”.
A. an idea B. a sound quality
C. a way of writing D. a world to write about
3.What effect does reading have on the author?
A. It helps him to realize his dream.
B. It opens up a wider world for him.
C. It makes his college life more interesting.
D. It increases his interest in worldwide travel.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of this text?
A. Why do I read? B. How do I read?
C. What do I read? D. When do I read?
书面表达
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Peter近期打算来中国，他对中国的乡村生活很感兴趣。
你打算邀请他去体验一下你家乡的“农家乐”。请用英文写封信向他推荐，要点如下：
1．“农家乐”兴起的原因；
2．“农家乐”的服务特色。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3．参考词汇：农家乐agritainment
Dear Peter,
.
.
.
.
.
.
Yours．
Li Hua
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改短文，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。每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：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，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。
For students learning instruments, summer is always a ¨music season". During vacation times, we are always busy attending variously lessons, taking exams and partici-pating in competitions. This summer I joined a music competition but was lucky to get the second place. It was the first time that I had played on the stage in front of such many peo- ple. I felt very upset at first, but the encourage from my teacher keeps me going ahead.
Surprising,1 was given the silver medal, that increased my confidence. If we try our best to get ahead, we will be able to achieve what we desire and deserve it.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填人适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。将答案填写在答题卡的相应位置。
Sammy Armstrong was driving to his office when he 1. (notice)a car was stuck on railroad tracks, Then he heard a train whistle. Sammy threw down his sunglasses and keys and ran toward the car. 2. elderly man, Jean Papich , eight-four, sat in the driver-s seat, _3. (turn) the key and hitting the gas. His wife, Marion, seventy-eight, was loo- king _4. (nervous) at him. Then Sammy walked _5. the car and pushed it forward, but his boots slipped on the warm asphalt（沥青）. He could see the train approaching fast.
It might be _6. (easy) to push the car backward, Sammy thought. He ran around to the front of the vehicle and shouted at Jean 7. (put) the car in neutral（空挡）.Sammy could feel the ground trembling under his feet. He put his boots against the track and pushed forcefully. Finally, the car rolled off the tracks. When Sammy looked up, the train was just a couple of 8. (foot) away. Sammy, shocked and _9. (speech), went back to work as crowd gathered at the scene.
Weeks later, Marion called to thank Sammy. He responded, "I just did 10. I had to do.”
