People are being lured(引诱)onto Facebook with the promise of a fun and free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook, because people don’t really know what their personal details are worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook—you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things—your city, your photo, your friends’ names—were set, by default(默认), to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-- president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience.”
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator(议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senators rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it’s only the beginning, which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销)my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That is too high a price to pay.
1.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
A. It is website that sends messages to targeted users
B. it makes money by putting on advertisements
C. It provides loads of information to its users
D. It profits by selling its users’ personal data
2.Why does Facebook make changes to its according to Elliot Schrage?
A. To provide better service to its users B. To follow the Federal guidelines
C. To improve its users’ connectivity D. To expand its scope of business
3.What does Senator Charles Schumer advocate(主张)?
A. Setting guidelines for advertising on websites
B. Banning the sharing of users’ personal information
C. Removing ads from all social—networking sties
D. Formulating (制订)regulations for social—networking sties
4.Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
A. He is dissatisfied with its current service
B. He doesn’t want his personal data abused
C. He finds many of its users untrustworthy
D. He is upset by its frequent rule changes
Smoking is harmful. But as soon as you quit the habit, everything will be OK, right?
Wrong
New research has found that even if you give up smoking, the damage it has done to your genes(基因) will stay there for a much longer time. In the research, a team of US scientists studied the blood of 16,000 people. Among them, some were smokers, some used to smoke, and the rest were non-smokers. Scientists compared their genes and found that more than 7,000 genes of smokers had changed—a number that is one-third of known human genes.
According to NBC News, both heart disease and cancer are caused by genetic changes. Some people may have had the changes when they were born, but most people get them in their day-to-day lives while doing things like smoking.
When you stop smoking, a lot of these genes will return to normal within five years.
This means your body is trying to heal (治愈) itself of the harmful effects of smoking. But the changes in some of the genes stay for longer. They can stay for as long as 30 years. It’s almost like leaving a footprint on wet cement (水泥)—it will always be there, even when you’ve walked away and when the cement becomes dry.
Although the study results may make people unhappy, there is a bright side: the findings could help scientists invent medicine to treat genetic damage caused by smoking or find ways to tell which people have heart disease or cancer risks.
1.The function of Paragraph 1 is to ________.
A. show the main idea of the passage B. give an example
C. make an argument D. introduce the topic of the passage
2.Most genetic changes happen because of ________.
A. people’s condition at birth B. people’s bad living habits
C. environmental pollution D. heart disease and cancer
3.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 6 refers to ________.
A. the genetic change B. the cement
C. the harmful effect D. the footprint
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A. The findings are the fruit of more than three years’ research.
B. The findings have prevented more people from starting smoking
C. The findings help to find cures for genetic damage caused by smoking.
D. The findings offer evidence that a damaged gene can heal itself.
When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late, but it’s not my fault; the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on the person. You should accept that the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about—creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stop on for success.
1.The underlined word “remedy” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.
A. avoid B. improve
C. accept D. consider
2.According to the passage, winners ________.
A. have responsible and able colleagues
B. meet with fewer difficulties in their lives
C. deal with problems rather than blame others
D. blame themselves rather that others
3.When your colleague brings about a problem, you should ________.
A. find a better way to handle the problem
B. blame him for his lack of responsibility
C. tell him to find the cause of the problem
D. ask a more able colleague for help
4.When problems occur, winners take them as ________.
A. excuses for their failures
B. barriers to greater power
C. chances for self-development
D. challenges to their colleagues
Keeping the kids busy over the school holidays can be discouraging and cost parents a lot. But we’ve found some cheap and cheerful ways to enjoy family time this Easter from free days out to fun-filled theme parks which won’t cost us much. We’ve done the homework so you can get started on having a great time.
Theme Parks
♦ Save from 10% to 25% off the price of tickets for Legoland in Windor by booking in advance online. A family of four can save up to ₤45.90 on a one-day ticket, paying ₤137.70.
♦Book seven days in advance and save ₤43 off the price of a family of four tickets for Drayton Manor Theme Park. Call 0844-472-1950 or book online and you’ll pay ₤65 on the day.
♦ You can pick up a family of four ticket for a day at Alton Towers in Staffordshire for ₤43.80 off the day price.
♦ Save ₤16 off the price for a family trip to The Making of Harry Potter by buying a family ticket (two adults and two children) online. Family of four ₤101, compared to ₤117.
Activities
Students looking for a cut-price trip to see the animals can save 15% off the ticket price at Bristol Zoo and pay ₤12.71 rather than the full adult price ₤14.53. Teens should show their identity as students.
Freebies(免费赠品)
Let your kids discover what it’s like to be an animal on the African Plain in the ocean. Or, they can learn to love leaf beetles（甲壳虫） or become a scientist for the day at the Natural History Museum in London.
1.Which of the following theme parks can save you most on Easter Day?
A. Alton Towers. B. Legoland in Windsor
C. Drayton Manor Theme Park. D. The Making of Harry Potter.
2.How can tourists enjoy a cut-price trip at Bristol Zoo?
A. By showing their birthdays and birthplaces.
B. By showing their family addresses
C. By showing their driving licenses.
D. By showing their students’ cards
3.Who is the text mainly intended for?
A. The students. B. The scientists
C. The families D. The kids
暑假即将来临，你班同学讨论了假期计划，提出了不同看法。请根据提示写一篇有关讨论的英语短文，并谈谈你的看法。
| 优 点 | 缺 点 |
待在家中 | 花费少、舒适方便 | 不能亲身了解外界 |
外出旅游 | 增长知识、开阔眼界 | 花费多、旅途不便 |
注意：1．短文写在答题卡上的指定区域，词数80—120（不含已写好部分）。
2．短文必须包括表中所列要点，可根据内容分段表述。
3．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
The summer holiday is coming. Our class have had a discussion about what to do during the holiday.
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改句子，请你修改你同桌写的以下句子。每句中有一处错误，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的词。
注意：每处错误及其修改均仅限一词
I have received and read your letter, in which you said you want to lose weight by dieting. It is natural that young girls at your age hopes to look beautiful. And in my opinion, health is more important than beauty. Do not let others’ ideas to affect your normal life. However, if you do want to lose weight, it is good idea to do it by taking more exercise. The most important thing is that you keep up a health state of mind. And it will help you on your studies and help us get over difficulties on dieting. I hope my advices will be helpful to you and I’m looking forward to hear from you soon.
