It’s 10:30 p.m., and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “R U awake?”
But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles（控制台）in his room. With so many devices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by TFK, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. “These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson.
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “But parents might have to step in sometimes.”

1. 1.

   It can be learned from the text that _________.

   1. A.
      many teenagers lack friends in their middle school
   2. B.
      kids have too many electronic devices to choose from
   3. C.
      Brandon feels annoyed about his late-night message
   4. D.
      Olson is against teenagers’ using mobile phones
2. 2.

   Which of the following is an example of multitasking?

   1. A.
      Watching TV when using the computer.
   2. B.
      Talking on the phone when lying on the sofa.
   3. C.
      Playing video games after having lunch.
   4. D.
      Listening to loud music while relaxing.
3. 3.

   The underlined phrase “in check” in the last paragraph can be replaced by _________.

   1. A.
      in order
   2. B.
      in store
   3. C.
      in control
   4. D.
      in sight
4. 4.

   According to the text, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that kids should ______.

   1. A.
      do homework while watching TV
   2. B.
      have less homework
   3. C.
      spend more time on homework
   4. D.
      do homework in a place without disturbance

Japan's 24-hour convenience stores, already struggling with lagging sales and growth, may soon face yet another threat - moves to limit business hours and close the stores late at night. The district of Saitama, which borders Tokyo, may follow in the footsteps of the western city of Kyoto and urge convenience stores to close during late night hours in an effort to limit carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）emissions, Japanese media reported.

 Kyoto, a former capital, wants to persuade convenience and other 24-hour stores to close late at night so as to improve evening views of the city and cut down on energy use. The Nikkei business daily said closures could last from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. The move is strongly opposed by the industry, which fears a bad impact on an already troubled sector also grappling with the specter of a higher tobacco tax, which could hit overall sales.

 "Even if we only operate the stores for 16 hours, we can't stop the refrigerators," said Toshiro Yamaguchi, the president of Seven-Eleven Japan Co, which is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, at a news conference in Saitama on Tuesday. He said such cuts in operating hours would reduce each store's profit by 20 percent. "If this happens, our current business model will lose its foundation."

 Analysts said that while it is difficult to estimate the potential impact of the move without a concrete plan, their overall impression was that it was likely to be negative. "This could cut profits and lead to less efficient operations and the increased loss of opportunities," said Masafumi Shoda, an analyst at Nomura Securities. "But it depends on the store -- urban stores do better than others. There are some in the countryside that are inefficient."

 Some have suggested that if governments were sincere about reducing carbon emissions there were much more efficient methods, such as cutting back on the huge number of automatic vending machines（自动售货机）

Which of the followings was the first to try to limit convenience store hours?

 A. Saitama           B. Tokyo C. Kyoto D. Nomura Security

What's the main goal of the proposal?

  A. To give employees more free time.

  B. To limit carbon dioxide emissions.

  C. To sell more tobacco products.

  D. To reduce each store’s profit.

How's the convenience store sector doing in Japan?

 A. It is not mentioned.    B. It's doing great. Business is booming.

 C. Not very well.        D. It’s about to close.

According to the passage, which convenience stores are generally more successful?

 A. The ones in big cities.     B. The ones in the countryside.

 C. The ones in Tokyo.       D. The ones in Saitama.

According to the convenience store industry, what impact would closing for the night have on a typical store?

  A. It could cause a 10% increase in sales.

  B. Its effect would be maximal. It would close soon.

  C. Its effect would be minimal. People would simply shop earlier.

  D. It could cause a 20% decrease in profits.

She’s already an hour late, What _____to her?

A can have happened       B may happen

C should have happened       D may have happened

He’s rather walk than ___ a bus in the rush hour.

A. take   B. to take  C. taking   D. took

It’s necessary for you to _____ at least an hour each day to learn the new vocabulary.