Parties and social gathering no longer excite us the same way they once did. This is not because of a lack of desire to socialize, but the mobile-phone.
At parties, more people are on their phones than on their drinks. According to a recent International Data Corporation Study, over half of all Americans have a smartphone and reach for it as soon as they wake up, keeping it in hand all day. In addition, too many people in society are using smartphones while driving and as a result, they get into car crashes. 34 percent of teenagers admit sending messages while driving, and they agree that sending messages is their number one driving interruption. People’s addiction(沉溺) to their smartphones is unbelievably becoming more important than the lives of themselves and others.
Just as drivers ignore the importance of focusing while on the road, many people also fail to recognize the importance of human communication. When with their friends, some people aimlessly check or send messages in front of a friend, which sends a message to that friend: the person I am texting is more important than you. In addition, relying on our smartphones to make friends does not give us the same advantage as being able to make new friendships in the real world. Face-to-face conversations will give us much stronger communication skills in the long run.
As many people risk their lives and the lives of people around them just to send a message or mindlessly check their messages, smartphones are in many ways more dangerous to people. The quality of this technology is preventing societal achievements and weakening the value of communication. Not only is the smartphone affecting our desire to communicate face to face, but it is also lowering society’s ability to communicate.
1. The purpose of the passage is to .
A. call for an end to use the smartphone while driving
B. tell us to pay attention to communication skills
C. express a concern about the overuse of the smartphone
D. advise us to be careful about the addiction to face-to-face communication.
2.The second paragraph is developed by .
A. giving examples B. time order.
C. comparing facts D. analyzing the effects
3.The author advises us to make new friends .
A. by using smartphones B. in a face-to-face way
C. in different ways D. by writing letters.
4.Over-dependence on the smartphone leads to the fact that .
A. parties and gathering limit their social circle.
B. people are more and more easy-going.
C. people’s communication skills are weakened.
D. face-to-face communication becomes more and more dangerous.
There are some strange driving laws in different countries.
Vietnam: If you’re in Vietnam without a Vietnamese driver’s license, you risk a prison sentence of up to 3years.
Russia: In Moscow, if your car is dirty enough to draw dust art, you will be fined about 2,000 rubles. Worse yet, it’s not legal to wash your car by hand in public places—forcing you to take it to one of the few car wash facilities.
Thailand: Drivers--males or females--can’t drive shirtless, whether it’s a car, a bus or a tuk-tuk.
France: France requires its drivers to carry a potable breathalyzer(呼气酒精测试仪) all the time when driving a car. The one-time breathalyzer cost around US $ 5, and if you don’t have one, you will be fined US $ 15.
Cyprus: Raising your hands in the car can get you fined of US $ 35. The law states a driver can be fined if the person is not in a regular position inside the car or raises his hands from the steering wheel unnecessarily.
Japan: Politeness isn’t just the culture in Japan; it’s part of driving laws. Splashing a person by driving through a puddle(小水坑) with your car will cost you over US $ 60. The country is also strict with its DUI(酒驾) laws---riding with or lending your car to a driver who gets caught drinking can lead to a fine costing thousands of dollars.
1.Where should you go to wash your car when you are in Moscow?
A. The car wash facilities. B. Any public place.
C. Your home. D. The forest.
2. What can get you fined for in Cyprus?
A. Forgetting to carry a portable breathalyzer.
B. Not having a Cyprus driver’s license.
C. Putting your hands above your head when you are driving.
D. Driving without a shirt.
3.If you are fined thousands of dollars in Japan, you may have been .
A. in an irregular position in your car.
B. sitting in a car with a drunken driver.
C. splashing a person with mud.
D. impolite to other drivers.
4.This text can most likely be found in .
A. a diary.
B. a fashion magazine
C. an international newspaper.
D. a column on interesting cultures.
I am a taxi driver. One Monday morning, I had stopped at New York Hospital when I found a well-dressed man dashing down the steps. He was waving to me. I waited until he jumped into the cab. “ LaGuardia Airport, please,” he said.
As always, I wondered about my passenger. “ What do you do?” “ I am in the neurology department(神经内科) at the hospital.” For some unknown reason, I decided to ask for his help.
“ Could I ask a favor of you?” He didn’t answer. “ I have a son, 16. He’s doing well in school. He wants a job this summer. Is there any possibility that you might get him a summer job?” After a pause, he said, “ The medical students have a research project. Maybe he could fit in. Have him send me his school records.” He searched his pocket and handed me a card.
That evening, I pulled the card from my pocket. “ Robbie,” I announced proudly, “ this could be a summer job for you. Send him your school records.” He read it out loud, “ Fred Plum, New York Hospital.” “ Is this a joke?” he said in disbelief. After I shouted and threatened(恐吓) to cut off his pocket-money, Robbie promised to send off his grades the next morning.
Two weeks later, when I arrived home, my son handed me a letter from Plum. He was to phone Plum’s secretary for an interview.
Robbie got the job. The white coat he wore made him feel more important than he really was. As high school graduation neared, Plum was kind enough to write letters of recommendation(推荐) for universities. To our delight, Robbie was admitted to New York Medical College.
It never occurred to me that a stranger should change my son’s future.
1.Who does the underlined phrase “ a well-dressed man” in the first paragraph refer to?
A. The author. B. Plum.
C. Robbie. D. A patient.
2.The author threatened to cut off Robbie’s pocket-money probably because .
A. he was tired after a day’s work
B. he didn’t earn enough money
C. Robbie was unwilling to work
D. Robbie didn’t believe what he said.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that Plum is .
A. patient and selfless
B. generous and respectful
C. kind and helpful
D. wealthy and handsome
4.What message does the passage want to tell us?
A. A stranger may change your life.
B. One must be friendly to strangers.
C. A father should be responsible for his son.
D. Doctors may have a great effect on people.
书面表达
义工旅行是由国外传到中国的一种非常流行的旅行方式，指青年旅行者在青年旅舍做义工换取免费食宿并借工作空余时间在当地游玩。假设你是李明，今年暑期想以这种方式到丽江去游玩。请你根据自己的情况写一封自荐信给当地的青年旅社，申请一份为期一个月的义工工作。
要求：1. 简要介绍个人情况；
2. 简述自荐承担何种工作及理由（不少于两条）；
3. 词数为100左右；
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之问交换修改作文，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。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。
Cities, whether big and small, should be clean. Only when we live in a clean city we live a happy life. As we know, a clean city, that disease may be reduced and people’s health may be better, are good both to our mind and body. No one believes people lived in a dirty city with waste everywhere can live happy. However, for more and more people moving into cities, it is not easy to keep our city clean. Beside, some factories still pour out waste into the air, river and onto the ground, making it is hard to keep our city clean. To make our city a better place to live , we still have a lot to do.
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。将答案填写在答题卡的相应位置。
Robot teachers are now very popular with pupils in some primary schools in South Korea. Compared with human teachers, the robot teachers are 1. (patient). They never get angry and are always kind to the students. That’s 2. the children can always get on well with their robot teachers.
English teaching robots 3. (send) to three primary schools for eight weeks last December. 4. (equip) with a microphone and video camera, the robots teach students as teachers. Researchers found that the English-teaching robots helped raise students’ interest in the language and build up their5. (confident). More and more students came to like studying and they got better grades in exams. Meanwhile, other robot teachers, 6. can teach math, science and art, have also been developed.
Many people think these robot teachers should be used 7. faraway village schools so that the children there can also receive a good education. 8. (give) rural school children more learning chances, the South Korean government has expressed great interest in 9. (develop) these robots.
No doubt there will be more and more robot teachers working with students. Perhaps they will 10. (complete) replace human teachers one day in the future. Who knows ?
