Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting(抵抗) 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 declaring 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. adaption C. attraction D. attempt
2.From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.
A. provide the latest information
B. attract people to buy their products
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. may enjoy life better without overused technology
D. can regain freedom without high-tech devices
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?
A. Optimistic B. Objective
C. Approving D. Disapproving
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to decorate the outside of the Taj Mahal. Construction of the Taj Mahal took around 20 years. The building, which was made from white marble from the quarries (采石场）of Rajasthan, appears pink in the morning, white in the day and golden in the moonlight.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan
It took 10 years to construct the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It connects the city of Kobe, on Japan’s mainland, with Iwaya on Awaji Island. Before it opened, the only way to get between the two cities was ferry. However, the waterway was prone to (易于) severe storms and when two ferries capsized (倾覆) in 1955, killing 168 people, public anger convinced (使确信) the government of the need for a bridge. It’s the longest suspension (悬浮) bridge in the world, with a length of 1,991 meters.
Panama Canal, Panama
More than 4.5 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of this canal’s locks and dams. The Panama Canal is a 77-kilometer (47-mile) long waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earth and rubble excavated (挖掘) to make way for it was enough to bury Manhattan to a depth of four meters. A series of locks allow ships to pass through the water; each of the moveable lock doors weighs 750 tons and each of the locks fills with 52 million gallons of water to accommodate the 15,000 ships that use the canal every year. Completion date: January 7, 1914 after 10 years of building.
Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona, America
The Skywalk’s foundation is strong enough to support 71 million pounds. Located 1, 219 meters above the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon’s Skywalk consists of one million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass. It was the creation of Las Vegas businessman David Jin, who approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon in 1996. The Skywalk was assembled (装配) on site. Completion date: March 28, 2007.
1.Which construction took the longest time to build?
A. The Taj Mahal.
B. The Panama Canal.
C. The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.
D. The Grand Canyon Skywalk.
2.The Japanese government decided to build the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge ________________.
A. in the year of 1955
B. following public opinion
C. to show its national power
D. to develop Japan’s economy
3.According to the text, we can infer that the Panama Canal _______________.
A. is 77 miles long
B. is close to Manhattan
C. benefits the shipping companies
D. allows 15,000 ships to pass through daily
4.In which section of a book can the passage probably be seen?
A. Health. B. Agriculture.
C. Education. D. Architecture.
Letter to the Editor
A heated debate is currently going on in our town. Should we allow the cinema to be constructed in the Havenswood Shopping Center? There is just one large area left to build on, and the theater would use up all of that space. Some people are excited at the idea of finally having our own movie theater. Others would rather travel ten miles to the nearest theater to keep our quiet town the way it is. They say it is enough to have Marvin’s Movie Video Rentals. After all, Marvin’s store keeps thousands of the latest videos.
There are certainly benefits to renting videos. For one thing, you can plan your own schedule when it is convenient for you. You can relax on your sofa, and take a break whenever you need one. You can also talk to others without bothering any strangers seated nearby. In addition, it is a less expensive way to view a movie, especially if more than one person is watching the video.
On the other hand, seeing a movie in a theater is an experience all its own. First, you can see the movie on a wide screen as the filmmaker intended. To be viewed on a television screen, a film must be changed in some way to make it smaller. One is the “pan-and-scan method, which involves removing some of the details in the picture. The other way, called “letterboxing, keeps the image the way it is on the big screen, with one annoying exception; because the big-screen style is wide, the same picture on a television screen must be long and narrow.
Another problem is sound. The sound from a television cannot compare with the sound system in a theater. Your experience of a movie improves when you can clearly hear all of the sounds. Furthermore, at home, viewing companions often talk during a movie, which makes you miss out on what’s happening in the film.
Besides, having a movie theater will not mean that you can’t still go to Marvin’s! You will just have a choice that you didn’t have before. Isn’t it time for Havenswood residents like me to enjoy a little progress?
1.Who is the author probably?
A. An editor of a newspaper.
B. The manager of the nearest theatre.
C. The owner of Marvin’s Movie Video Rentals.
D. A concerned citizen in Havenswood.
2.What is the advantage of renting videos?
A. It won’t take up the large area in the town.
B. People can enjoy better sound system.
C. There’s no strict limit to the viewing time.
D. People can fully concentrate on their movies.
3.In the author’s opinion, the construction of a theatre will _________.
A. save movie-goers’ money and time
B. offer people another experience
C. reduce the profit of the Movie Video Rentals
D. disturb the peace in the town
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
(①-⑤stand for the paragraphs in the article)
(CNN) — An ultra-marathoner trying to “run” from Florida to Bermuda in a human-powered inflatable (充气的) bubble was rescued Saturday morning, after he signaled for help, the Coast Guard said.
Reza Baluchi, according to his website, has set a goal of running across more than 190 recognized nations to encourage world peace.
The Coast Guard first came across Baluchi on Wednesday after receiving a report about a man in a bubble off the coast of Miami, disoriented and asking for directions to Bermuda, a Coast Guard press release said. It was not clear when he started his adventure.
A Coast Guard ship found Baluchi. Officials described the craft as a “hydro pod bubble” and a man in a 2013 YouTube video called a Baluchi bubble “a big hamster wheel.” It moved along the ground as Baluchi ran inside.
In the press release, the Coast Guard said Baluchi had protein bars, bottled water, a GPS and a satellite phone. The Coast Guard warned him of the voyage’s dangers and asked Baluchi to quit his journey because he didn’t have enough supplies. But he wouldn’t leave his bubble, officials said.
The Coast Guard monitored his progress and on Saturday morning exhausted Baluchi activated(激活) his personal locating beacon(灯塔), the Coast Guard said.
A Coast Guard airplane and a helicopter, along with the boat Maersk Montana, were sent to rescue Baluchi 70 miles east of St. Augustine, the Coast Guard said.
He was exhausted and taken to the Coast Guard air station, where his medical condition was evaluated. There were no reported injuries, the Coast Guard said.
“Part of his effort was to make world peace but he got caught up in the Gulf Stream,” said Coast Guard public affairs specialist Mark Barney. “The chances of muscling out of the Gulf Stream were pretty low.”
Baluchi could not be reached for comment, but a video posted on Baluchi’s Facebook page described his plans to travel in the bubble across the Caribbean, as well as his other athletic exploits.
The CNN.com story quoted Baluchi saying he’d run across the United States twice and around its border once. He said he fled Iran to escape persecution (迫害). Now he is an American citizen.
1.What happened to Baluchi when he first came across the Coast Guard?
A. He was confused about which direction he should go.
B. His bubble was broken.
C. He was exhausted by the adventure.
D. He activated his locating beacon.
2.From the passage, we can know that __________.
A. The Coast Guard advised Baluchi to quit the journey because the weather was terrible.
B. Baluchi ended his journey since he hadn’t enough supplies.
C. In the press release, Baluchi described his plan to cross the Caribbean in the bubble.
D. Although Baluchi was exhausted, there were no reported injuries after his being rescued.
3.Which of the following words can best describe Reza Baluchi’s personality?
A. Optimistic B. Adventurous
C. Hardworking D. Careless
书面表达
某英文报社准备刊发一篇题为”Living in a City”有关城市生活利和弊的文章。根据下面提示写一篇英语短文。
优点：找工作容易；交通便利；有公园、饭店等休闲场所。
缺点：生活消费高；人口多，拥挤；空气污染，居住环境差。
要求：1. 覆盖以上全部内容，可适当发挥。
2. 词数100左右，标题已给出。
Living in a City
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写得以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误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）不记分。
Last month while I was walking in the street, the foreigner came towards me. She seemed to be losing. She asked me if I could help him. I said yes, but when she started talking, I couldn’t understand that she said. I could only say “I don’t know”, and then slowly walk away. Though I have studied English for six years, but I still can’t understand English good enough. I know I’m not interested in English and I’ve also been very lazy to study it. Now I know the importances of learning English. I’ve decided change my attitude towards English and work hard on it.
