Professor Barry Wellman of the University of Toronto in Canada has invented a term to describe the way many North Americans interact(互动)these days.The term is “networked individualism”.This concept is not easy to understand because the words seem to have opposite meanings.How can we be individuals(个体)and be networked at the same time?You need other people for networks.

Here is what Professor Wellman means.Before the invention of the Internet and e-mail,our social networks included live interactions with relatives,neighbors,and friends.Some of the interaction was by phone,but it was still voice to voice,person to person,in real time.

A recent research study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project showed that for a lot of people,electronic interaction through the computer has replaced this person-to-person interaction.However,a lot of people interviewed for the Pew study say that’s a good thing.Why?

In the past,many people were worried that the Internet isolated(孤立)us and caused us to spend too much time in the imaginary world of the computer.But the Pew study discovered that the opposite is true.The Internet connects us with more real people than expected—helpful people who can give advice on careers,medical problems,raising children,and choosing a school or college.About 60 million Americans told Pew that the Internet plays an important role in helping them make major life decisions.

Thanks to the computer,we are able to be alone and together with other people—at the same time!

The underlined phrase “networked individualism”probably means that by using computers people_______.

A.stick to their own ways no matter what other people say

B.have the rights and freedom to do things of their own interest

C.do things in their own ways and express opinions different from other people

D.are able to keep to themselves but at the same time reach out to other people

According to the Pew study,what do many people rely on to make major life decisions?

A.Networks.                                                    B.Friends.                   

C.Phones.                                                        D.Parents.

It can be inferred from the Pew study that_______.

A.people have been separated from each other by using computers

B.the Internet makes people waste a lot of time and feel very lonely

C.the Internet has become a tool for a new kind of social communication

D.a lot of people regard the person-toperson communication as good thing

Which would be the best title for this passage?

A.We’re Alone on the Internet.

B.We’re Communicating on the Internet.

C.We’re Alone Together on the Internet.

D.We’re in the Imaginary World of the Internet.

As teachers, we feel______our duty to teach our children to be good wherever we are.

A. this    B. that      C. it       D. there is 

Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful conditions. Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression(沮丧) to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.

    Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support money aid, material resources, and needed services - that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.

Interpersonal relationships are important because they can ________

    A. make people live more easily        

    B. smooth away daily problems

    C. deal with life changes                  

    D. cure types of illnesses

Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word "cushions"?

　  A. takes place of                       B. makes up of

　  C. lessens the effect of                    D. gets rid of

What is the subject discussed in the text?

    A. Interpersonal relationships.            

    B. Kinds of social support.

    C. Ways to deal with stress.               

    D. Effects of stressful condition.

On June 17, 1774, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer as follows:

    We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are sure that you mean to do us good by your proposal（提议）; and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be offended（冒犯） if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces: they were taught all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad manners, ignorant（无知的）of every means of living in the woods–they were totally good for nothing.

  　We are, however, not the less thankful by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and, to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them in all we know, and make men of them.

The tone(语气) of the letter as a whole is best described as________.

A. angry          B. pleasant            C. polite          D. ambitious

The Indian chief’s purpose of writing the letter seems to be to ____.

   A．politely refuse a friendly offer            B．express their opinions on equal treatment

   C．show their pride                D．describe Indian customs

According to the letter, the Indians believed that ____.

   A．it would be better for their boys to receive some schooling

   B．they were being insulted by the offer

   C．they knew more about science than the officials

   D．they had better way of educating young men

Different from the officials’ view of education, the Indians thought ____.

   A．young women should also be educated

   B．they had different goals of education

   C．they taught different branches of science

   D．they should teach the sons of the officials first