We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing(惊人的) and can even change our lives. Every week, School Edition carries a story on Page 6 of some great new invention. Remember the smart home, the magic see-through-coat and robots searching Mars?

 But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives?

You are rushing to computer to finish your homework. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all right to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel?

 Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives.

Our family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today.

 The grandparents, with their daughter and grandsons Benjamin, ten and Thomas, seven, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house.

They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones.

The grandma Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.”

She believed life was less materialistic(物质享受的) . “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes,” she said.

The boys said they fought less. Probably they said, because there was less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy, beer-drinking granny, to one who cooked things”.

Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions!

(1) Don’t be available all the time. Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your emails every day.

(2) Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying(烦人的) .

(3) Make sure you spend more time talking to your family. Set aside one evening a week when you don’t turn on the television. Play cards and chat instead.

(4) Get a low-tech hobby. Every day, do something in the old fashioned way, such as walking to have a face-to-face meeting instead of using the email or telephone, or making a birthday card.

1. The writer uses the quote(引语)  at the beginning of the story to __________.

A. share a truth about life

B. tell us what was like long ago

C. point out that whatever time you live in, you experience some big problems and they may be the same

D. make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen

2. Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940s house?

A. Because they loved to live simple lives.

B. Because they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions.

C. Because they were troubled by modern inventions.

D. Because living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them.

3. The writer gives the example of “a family in UK back in time” to __________.

A. show the new inventions also bring people some problems

B. show the life in the past is better than that of today

C. explain why new inventions are so useful

D. test the life without new inventions is terrible

4. What do you think the underlined word “available” in the first suggestion offered by the writer means?

A. Able to be found by others. 　　　　　　　　　　   B. Online.

C. Free. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Busy.

5. According to the passage, the writer seems to think that__________.

A. technology brings us nothing but bad effects

B. technology sometimes makes people feel stressed and tired

C. the problems that technology brings can not be avoided

D. human beings are still not able to deal with the problems that the technology brings

“Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.” This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, it was written by an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 53.

We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing(惊人的) and can even change our lives. Every week, School Edition carries a story on Page 6 of some great new invention. Remember the smart home, the magic see-through-coat and robots searching Mars?

 But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives?

You are rushing to computer to finish your homework. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all right to get it done. How calm and happy do you feel?

 Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simpler lives.

Our family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today.

 The grandparents, with their daughter and grandsons Benjamin, ten and Thomas, seven, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house.

They had no washing machine, microwave, computer or mobile phones.

The grandma Lyn, said, “It was hard physically, but not mentally.”

She believed life was less materialistic(物质享受的) . “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes,” she said.

The boys said they fought less. Probably they said, because there was less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy, beer-drinking granny, to one who cooked things”.

Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions!

(1) Don’t be available all the time. Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day. Don’t check your emails every day.

(2) Don’t reply to somebody as soon as they leave a text message just because you can. It may be fun at first, but it soon gets annoying(烦人的) .

(3) Make sure you spend more time talking to your family. Set aside one evening a week when you don’t turn on the television. Play cards and chat instead.

(4) Get a low-tech hobby. Every day, do something in the old fashioned way, such as walking to have a face-to-face meeting instead of using the email or telephone, or making a birthday card.

1. The writer uses the quote(引语)  at the beginning of the story to __________.

A. share a truth about life

B. tell us what was like long ago

C. point out that whatever time you live in, you experience some big problems and they may be the same

D. make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen

2. Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940s house?

A. Because they loved to live simple lives.

B. Because they were curious about how people lived without modern inventions.

C. Because they were troubled by modern inventions.

D. Because living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them.

3. The writer gives the example of “a family in UK back in time” to __________.

A. show the new inventions also bring people some problems

B. show the life in the past is better than that of today

C. explain why new inventions are so useful

D. test the life without new inventions is terrible

4. What do you think the underlined word “available” in the first suggestion offered by the writer means?

A. Able to be found by others. 　　　　　　　　　　   B. Online.

C. Free. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Busy.

5. According to the passage, the writer seems to think that__________.

A. technology brings us nothing but bad effects

B. technology sometimes makes people feel stressed and tired

C. the problems that technology brings can not be avoided

D. human beings are still not able to deal with the problems that the technology brings

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意，然"后从1—25各题所给的四个选项中,选出一个最佳答案。 (A)

　　　　    Old Mr. Williams was very worried. He and his wife were pensioners (领退休金者)and he had spent the whole morning1 their pension books. He looked 2 , but he was not able to find them. At the same time, his wife was busy.She had been 3 all morning. She had 4 a delicious meal. She　　 made the soup, followed by a lovely 5 , which she baked in the oven (烘箱). Mr. Williams always enjoyed his food, but he6 wasn't enjoying his lunch.

　　　　　　    "What's the matter, Tom?" his wife asked. Mr. Williams had to tell her that he had 7 their pension books.　　 　　

　　 　　　　    "I know,"Mrs. Williams said, with 8 on her face."I've got them."　　

　　 　　　　    "You've got them?"

　　 　　　　    "Yes—and guess where I found them!"

　　 　　　　    Mr. Williams suddenly 9 . "In the oven! I put them there for　　 10 ."He smiled as she drew them out of her pocket.

1. A. discovering    B. looking    C. looking for    D. waiting for

[    ]

2. A. everywhere    B. somewhere    C. something    D. everything

[    ]

3. A. doing    B. making    C. singing    D. cooking   

[    ]

4. A. tasted    B. tried    C. held    D. prepared  

[    ]

5. A. pancake    B. cream    C. milk    D. beer   

[    ]

6. A. clearly    B. terribly    C. finally    D. strangely

[    ]

7. A. found    B. lost    C. forgot    D. left   

[    ]

8. A. a feeling    B. a message    C. a smile    D. tears   

[    ]

9. A. said    B. thought    C. forgot    D. remembered

[    ]

10.A. self-choosing    B. safe-keeping   

C. man-finding    D. easy-burning

[    ]

　　(B)

　　　　    Two years ago I moved to a new neighborhood. There seems to be very 11 people in this area who are without telephones.12 I hoped to get a new phone quickly, I　　 13 one as soon as I moved into my new house.

　　    "We aren't 14 many new phones in your area,"an engineer told me." A lot of people want new phones 15 and the company is 16 fewer engineers than last year so as to　　 17 money. A new phone 18 you much money, but it will take a little time. We can't do anything for you before 19 ."

　　 　　    You need a lot of 20 if you're waiting for a new phone and you need a few 21 whose phones you can　　 22 as well. Fortunately, I had both.

　　    December came and went,but there was　　 23 sign of a phone. I went to the company's office to ask about it. "They told me I'd have a phone 24 December, "I said angrily. "　　 25 ?"the assistant asked.

11. A. few    B. many    C. much    D. such

[    ]

12. A. Because    B. So    C. Though    D. Since

[    ]

13. A. looked after    B. asked for    C. found out    D. picked up

[    ]

14. A. supplying    B. selling    C. building    D. repairing

[    ]

15. A. over a moment    B. for a long time   

C. at that time　　 D. at the moment

[    ]

16. A. competing    B. suggesting    C. examining    D. employing

[    ]

17. A. spend    B. make    C. save    D. get

[    ]

18. A. will pay    B. won't pay    C. will cost    D. won't cost

[    ]

19. A. December    B. this year    C. Christmas    D. next year

[    ]

20. A. temper(脾气)　　 B. patience(耐心)   

C. money　　　　    D. time

[    ]

21. A. engineers    B. lawyers    C. friends    D. guides

[    ]

22. A. lend    B. take    C. use    D. answer

[    ]

23. A. no    B. not    C. a     D. the

[    ]

24. A. in    B. by    C. after    D. for

[    ]

25. A. Really　　       B. Is that proper   

C. Are you right    D. Which year

[    ]