"Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?" How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admit the one-eyed monster into our homes,  we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theaters, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talk occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the "goggle-box". We rush home or gulp down（吞咽）our meals to be in time for this or that program. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do-anything providing it doesn't interfere with the program. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a program, he is quickly silenced.

The whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly (television). Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is universal pacifier（抚慰者）．It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set.It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or violence－so long as they are quiet.

There is little limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of programs are bad:  it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programs,  the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate（无文字的）communities. We become completely dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with secondhand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We got so lazy; we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountain, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the repetitive oppression of King Telly.

1.According to this passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．We used to have hobbies and go to theaters and sporting events.

B．We have a leisurely evening meal and exchange the news when we watch TV.

C．We quickly finish our meals so as to be in time for TV programs.

D．We are usually silent and attentive in front of TV.

2. The main idea of the second paragraph is to show that_____.

A．children are very noisy

B．TV is full of rubbishy commercials or violence

C．television disturbs our sleep

D．the whole generations are fascinated with TV

3.Which is the best title for this passage?

A．Television Encourages Passive Enjoyment

B．Television Is Doing Irreparable（不能挽回的）harm

C．Television Is a Universal Pacifier

D．We Can't Live Without TV

4.This passage is an article of_____.

A．narration	B．description
C．criticism	D．argumentation

 

Public transportation is a great method of decreasing(减少)pollution and traffic within an urban setting. However, as with any public setting, it is important to take safety measures to avoid any unpleasant situations.

Tips for staying safe on the bus, train or subway:

Report any unusual activities.

Report any broken or missing equipment.

Report any strange noises or smells.

If you see an unattended(无人看管的)package, do not touch it, and immediately report it to the nearest employee.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. This will decrease your chance of getting sick or spreading germs(细菌).

While on public transportation the most important safety measure to take is simply paying attention to your surroundings. By taking these steps you can have a better and more enjoyable experience while using the public bus, train or subway.

Safety measures and regulations(规章制度)

Sometimes stories of tragic public transportation are released(发布) through the media（媒体）. When this happens it is natural to question the safety of using public transportation. When the driving itself is out of your control, it is important to know what measures and regulations are put into place to keep you safe.

One of the greatest concerns for public transportation safety is the lack of safety belts. While accidents involving buses or trains is not common, when they do occur they are highly dangerous due to the lack of safety belts. Passengers are likely to be injured simply from being hit by another passenger.

Good drivers make safe passengers

With hundreds of thousands of public bus passengers every day, it is important that the drivers of these vehicles(车辆)are trained and experienced enough to manage the dangerous situations that can happen on the road. Bus and train drivers must meet the standards set by their state.

1. One advantage of public transportation is that __________________________.

A. it’s cheaper                                   B. it saves more time

C. it has more safety measures      D. it helps protect the environment

2. To keep safe on public transportation, you are advised to _____________.

A. repair any broken equipment if necessary

B. cover your nose with your hand to keep germs away

C. pay attention to any unusual activities and report them in time

D. take the package which nobody takes care of to the employee

3. We can know from the passage that ___________________________.

A. few reports are about public transportation accidents

B. passengers seldom get hurt in public transportation accidents

C. safety belts are useless for passengers on public transportation

D. it is important to know some safety measures for public transportation

4. What is important to make a good public transportation drivers?

A. Skills at handling traffic accidents

B. Higher standards and shorter working hours.

C. Polite service and clean working environment.

D. Proper training and rich driving experience.

 

Specialists say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” is the term these specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. There are three stages of culture shock, say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more.

There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems—the telephone, post office, or transportation—may be difficult to work out. The most simple things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.

Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new self-image.

Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation (迷惘). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves for the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience—these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.

When people move to a new country, they _______.

will get used to their new surrounding with difficulty

have well prepared for the new surroundings

will get used to the culture of the country quickly

will never be familiar with culture of the country  

According to the passage, factors that give rise to culture shock include all of the following except _____.  

A. language communication          B. weather conditions and customs

C. public service systems            D. homesickness

According to the passage, the more successful you are at home, __________.

the fewer difficulties you may have abroad

the more difficulties you may have abroad

the more money you will earn abroad

the less homesick you will feel abroad

What is the main idea of the last passage?

A. Escape unfamiliar environment

B. The feeling of homesickness.

C. Homesickness can solve the problem of culture shock.

D. The best way to overcome culture shock: get familiar with the new culture.

If you look up the word “create” in the dictionary , you will find it means “to bring into being, to cause to exist something each of us does daily”．

We are creative whenever we look at or think about something in a new way First, this includes an awareness of our surroundings．It means using all of our senses to become aware of our world．This may be as simple as being aware of color and texture（质地）,as well as taste, when we plan a meal．Above all, it is the ability to notice things that others might miss．

A second part of creativity is an ability to see relationships among things．If we believe the expression, “There is nothing new under the sun, the creativity is remaking or recombining（重组） the old in new ways．”For example, we might do this by finding a more effective way to study or a better way to arrange our furniture, or we might make a new combination of camera lenses and filters to create an unusual photograph．

A third part of creativity is the courage and drive to make use of our new ideas, to ask for them to achieve some new results．To think up a new idea is one thing; to put the idea to work is another．

These three parts of creativity are included in all the great works of geniuses, but they are also included in many of our day-to-day activities．

1.Which of the following activities is NOT a creative one according to the passage?

A．To prepare for a meal．

B．To arrange the furniture in a special way．

C．To buy some books from a bookstore．

D．To“write”a letter with the computer．

2.“There is nothing new under the sun” really implies that _________．

A．a new thing can only be created at the basis of earlier things  

B．a new thing is only a tale

C．we can seldom create new things

D．we can hardly see really new things in the world

3.What does the author think about the relationship between a new thought and its being put into practice?

A．It’s more difficult to create a new thought than to use it in practice．

B．To find a new thought will clearly lead to the production of a new thing．

C．A man with an excellent ability of practice can easily become an inventor．

D．One may come up with a new thought, but can not put it into practice．

4.The best title for this passage is__________．

A．How to Develop One’s Creativity

B．What Is Creativity

C．The Importance of Creativity 

D．Creativity, a Not Faraway Thing

 

Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars,  a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences.

Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy.  The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.

Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.

Dr Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby.”

1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because          .

         A．baby boys are much more active

         B．baby girls like bright colors more

         C．their parents treat them differently

         D．there is a natural difference between them

2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3 ?

        A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all.

         B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls.

         C．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is.

         D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys.

3.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?

         A．Adults purposely influence their babies preference.

         B．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings.

         C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting.

         D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted.

4.We may read this article in a         section of a newspaper.

         A．science       B．health   C. education   D．entertainment