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The New Technology ApplicationOn a more mundane level, third-generation mobile telephones, despite all the delays and the billions squandered on 3G licenses by telecom firms, are still（

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The United States ___ 51 ___a large part of the North American continent. Its neighbors are Canada ___ 52 ___ the north, and Mexico to the south.___ 53 ___ the United States is a big country, it&39; s not the largest in the world. In 1964 its population was over 160,000,000.

When this land first became a nation, after winning independence from England, it had thirteen states,___ 54 ___ of the states was represented on the American flag by a star. All the states were in the eastern part of the continent. As the nation grew towards the west, new states were in the eastern part of the continent. As the nation grew towards the west, new states were added and new stars ___ 55 ___ on the flag. For a long time, there were 48 states. In 1959, however, two more stars were added to the flag ___ 56 ___ the new states of Alaska and Hawaii.

Sometimes ___ 57 ___ is said that the Indians are the only real Americans. Most Americans, however, are descendants (后代) of people who came from all over the world to find a new ___ 58 ___ in a new land. ___ 59 ___ who came first and in greatest numbers to make their home on the eastern coast of North America were mostly from England. It is for that reason that the language of the United States is English and that its culture and customs are more like___ 60 ___of England than of any other

country in the world.

_________ 查看材料

A.does

B.makes

C.covers

D.gives

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Do you know insurance (保险)？Buying insurance is a means by which people can protect themselves____51____large losses. Protection against fire is one kind of insurance. Large numbers of people pay____52____sums of money to an insurance company. Although thousands of people have paid for fire insurance, only____53____will lose their homes by fire. The insurance company will pay for these homes out of the sums of money it has collected.

The first modem fire insurance company was____54____in London, England, in 1666. A great fire had just____55____most of the city, and people wanted to protect against____56____losses. The fire company grew rapidly. Soon, other companies were founded in other areas.

Benjamin Franklin helped form. the first fire insurance company in America in 1752. He also____57____a new kind of insurance for farmers. The new insurance would offer protection against the loss of crops by storm.

In 1759, Benjamin Franklin helped start____58____new insurance. This company, which offered life insurance, collected some money regularly from different men. Although a man died, his family was given a large sum of money. Today, this company is still in business.

Over the years, people have____59____from many new kinds of insurance when they have suffered from such accidents as car, plane crashes. Tomorrow, almost everyone has____60____kind of insurance.

______ 查看材料

A.against

B.to

C.from

D.on

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No one knows how man learned to make words. Perhaps he began by making sounds like those made by animals. Perhaps he grunted like a pig when he lifted something heavy. Perhaps he made sounds like those he heard all round him-water splashing, bees humming, a stone falling to the ground. Somehow he learned to make words. As the centuries went by, he made more and more new words. This is what we mean by language.

People living in different countries made different kinds of words. Today there are about fifteen hundred different languages in the world. Each contains many thousands of words. A very large English dictionary, for example, contains four or five hundred thousand words. But we do not need all these. Only a few thousand words are used in everyday life.

The words you know are called your vocabulary. You should try to make your vocabulary bigger. Read as many books as you can. There are plenty of books written in easy English for you to read. You will enjoy them. When you meet a new word, find it in your dictionary. Your dictionary is your most useful book.

From this passage， we know that________ 查看材料

A.man never made sounds

B.man made animal sounds

C.man used to be like animals to make sounds

D.man learned from the animals to make sounds

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"High tech" and "state of the art" are two expressions that describe the modem technology. High tech is just a shorter way of saying high technology. And high technology describes any invention, system of device that uses the newest ideas or discoveries of science and engineering. What is high tech？ A computer is high tech. So is a communications satellite. A modem manufacturing (生产) system is surely high tech. High tech became a popular expression in the United States during the early 1955’s. Because of improvements in technology, people could buy many new kinds of products in American stores, such as home computers, microwave ovens, etc.

"State of the art" is something that is as modem as possible. It is a product that is based on the very latest methods and technology. Something that is "state of the art" is the newest possible design or product of a business or industry. A state of the art television set, for example, uses the most modem electronic design and parts. It is the best that one can buy.

"State of the art" is not a new expression. Engineers have used it for years, to describe the best and most modem way of doing something. Millions of Americans began to use the expression in the late 1970’s. The reason was the computer revolution. Every computer company claimed that its computers were "state of the art".

Computer technology changed so fast that a state of the art computer today might be old tomorrow. The expression "state of the art" became as common and popular as computers themselves. Now all kinds of products are said to be "state of the art".

What is the purpose of the passage？________ 查看材料

A.To tell how "high tech" and "state of the art" have developed.

B.To give examples of "high tech".

C.To tell what "high tech" and "state of the art " are.

D.To describe very modem technology.

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Music comes in many forms; most countries have a style. of their own. At the turn of the century when jazz was born, America had no prominent ____51 ____ of its own. No one knows exactly when jazz was ____52____, or by whom. But it began to be heard in the early 1900s. Jazz is America’s contribution to popular music. In contrast to classical music, which follows formal European traditions, jazz is spontaneous and free in form. It bubbles with energy,____53____ the moods, interests, and emotions of the people. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America, and ____54 ____ it does today. The ____ 55 ____ of this music are as interesting as the music itself. American negroes, or blacks, as they are called today, were the jazz ____56____They were brought to Southern States as slaves. They were sold to plantation owners and forced to work long hours. When a Negro died his friends and relatives ____ 57____ a procession to carry the body to the cemetery. In New Orleans, a band often accompanied the ____58____ On the way to the cemetery the band played slow, solemn music suited to the occasion. But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Death had removed one of their ____59____, but the living were glad to believe. The band played happy music, improvising (即兴表演) on both the harmony and the melody of the tunes ____60 ____ at the funeral. This music made everyone want to dance. It was an early form. of jazz.

___________ 查看材料

A.music

B.song

C.melody

D.style

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Television has changed the lifestyle. of people in everyindustrialized country in the world. In the United States, where sociologistshave studied the effects, some interesting observations have been made.

Television, although not essential, has become an importantpart of most people’s lives. It alters people&39;s ways of seeing the World; inmany ways, it supports and sustains(维持) modem life. Televisionhas become a baby-sitter, an introducer of conversations, the major transmitterof culture and a keeper of tradition. Yet when what can be seen on TV in oneday is critically .analyzed, it becomes evident that television is not ateacher but a sustainer; the poor quality of programming does not elevate(提高)people into greater, understanding, but rather maintains and encouragesthe life as it exists.

The primary reason for the lack of quality in Americantelevision is related to both the history of TV programming development and theeconomics of TV. Television in America began with the radio. Radio companiesand their sponsors first experimented with television. Therefore, the close relationshipwhich the advertisers had with radio programs became the system for American.TV. Sponsors not only paid money for time within programs, but many actuallyproduced the programs. Thus, in American society, television is primarilyconcerned" with reflecting and attracting society rather thanexperimenting with new ideas. Advertisers want to attract the largest viewingaudience possible&39;. To do so requires that the programs be entertaining ratherthan educational, attractive rather than challenging.

Television in America today remains, to a large extent, with thesame organization and standards as it had thirty years ago. The hope forfurther development and true achievement-toward improving society will requirea change in the entire system.

According to theauthor， American television is poor in quality because________ 查看材料

A.advertisers are interested in experimenting with new ideas

B.it is still at an early stage of development， compared withthe radio

C.the programs have to be developed in the interests of thesponsors for economic reasons

D.it is controlled by radio companies

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Much unfriendly feeling towards computers has been based on the fear of widespread unemployment resulting from their introduction. Computers are often used as part of automated(自动化的) production systems requiring a least possible number of operators, causing the loss of many jobs. This has happened, for example, in many steelworks.

On the other hand, computers do create jobs. They are more skilled and better paid, though fewer in number than those they replace. Many activities could not continue in their present form. without computers, no matter how many people are employed. Examples are the check clearing (交换) system of major banks and the weather forecasting system.

When a form. introduces computers, a few people are usually employed in key posts (such as jobs of operations managers) while other staff are w-trained as operators, programmers, and data preparation staff. After the new system has settled down, people in non-computer jobs are not always replaced when they leave, resulting in a decrease in the number of employees. This decrease is sometimes balanced by a substantial increase in the activity of the frim, resulting from the introduction of computers.

The attitudes of workers towards computers vary. There is fear of widespread unemployment and of the takeover of many jobs by computer-trained workers, making promotion for older workers not skilled in computers more difficult.

On the other hand, many workers regard the trend toward wider use of computers inevitable.They realize that computers bring about greater efficiency and productivity, which will improve the condition of the whole economy, and lead to the creation of more jobs. This view was supported by the former British Prime Minister, James Callaghan in 1954, when he made the point that new technologies hold the key to increased productivity, which will benefit the economy in the long ran.

The unfriendly feeling towards computers is developed from 查看材料

A.the possible widespread unemployment caused by their introduction

B.their use as part of automated production systems

C.the least possible number of operators

D.the production system in steelworks

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Trees are useful to man in three important ways: they provide him with wood and other products; they give him shade; and they help to prevent droughts and floods.

Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. In his eagerness to make money from trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. And besides, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. So the forests slowly disappear.

This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. The results are even more serious for where there are trees, their roots break up soil allowing the rain to sink in and also bind the soil, thus preventing it from being washed away easily; but where there are no trees, the rain fall son hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich topsoil. When all the topsoil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert.

Two thousand years ago a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It set up the empire but, without its trees, its soil became poor and it grew weak. When the empire fell to pieces, the home country found itself faced with floods and starvation.

What is the most important service of trees to man according to the passage？ 查看材料

A.They help him make money

B.They give him wood and other products

C.They help him prevent droughts and floods

D.They give him shade

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No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 155 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Distinguished dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However, the Post and the Times are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or LeMonde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed accounts of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or cite news.

Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the "sensational", which feature crime, sex and rumor, to the serious, which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions American newspapers try to entertain as well as give in-formation, for they have to compete with television.

Just as American newspapers give way to all tastes, so do they also try and apply to readers for all political persuasions. A few newspapers support extremist groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers attempt to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are essentially moderate. Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.

As in other democratic countries American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once bravely uncovered political scandals (丑闻) or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair. The newspapers drew the attention of the public to the fears of the Vietnam War.

There are fewer national newspapers in_______ 查看材料

A.Britain than in the US

B.France than in Britain

C.the USA than in Britain or France

D.France than in the USA or Britain

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Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s a big difference between "being a writer" and writing. In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hour alone at a typewriter. "You’ve got to want to write," I say to them, "not want to be a writer. "

The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded. When I left a 20 year career in the U. S. Coast Guard to become a freelance (自由栏目) writer, I had no prospects at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer.

After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t gotten a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that I barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write, I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering: What if？ I would keep putting my dream to the test even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.

The passage is meant to__________ 查看材料

A.warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience

B.advise young people to give up their idea of becoming a professional writer

C.show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to pursue wealth and fame

D.encourage young people to pursue a writing career