Lawmakers in the United States have expanded an investigation into the use of l
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Lawmakers in the United States have expanded an investigation into the use of location-tracking systems on mobile devices. The action follows recent reports about the storing of information on the Apple iPhone. Some people consider location tracking to be a threat to personal privacy and security.
Allan Friedman, the research director, says, “All wireless companies do some location tracking as part of their networks. This information is usually stored by the companies, not the devices, and there are laws to protect it. Law enforcement(执法) agencies, for example, have to have a fairly high standard before it can access that data. And the phone company is also prohibited from selling that information.
Now, two researchers report that location tracking information is being stored directly on Apple devices. They said Apple’s newest operating systems gather global positioning system and timestamp information. The information is stored on the device in a file that is also uploaded (上传) to any computer that the device is connected to. The researchers say the information is available to anyone who has access to the device or computer.
Allan Friedman says, “This raises additional concerns. There’s the idea that because it’s on my phone and on my computer, rogue applications(恶意程序) that I pay for or that I’m tricked into downloading may be able to access this data and somehow misuse it.”
Apple says it is “not tracking the location of your iPhone”. It is simply keeping a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell phone towers near the user’s location. This information is meant to help the iPhone quickly find its location when needed.
Letters have been sent to some of the leading mobile device developers, including Apple and Google. The letters asked for more information about their location tracking systems. Allan Friedman calls this an important start to strengthening privacy laws. He says, “There aren’t strong controls over things like location information, what they are doing with it, how long they are keeping it. And perhaps the most important question is, is my location data with other facts about me?”
小题1:Why did American lawmakers investigate the use of location-tracking systems on cell-phones?| A．Because the systems can store users’ information | | B．Because many users have suffered loss after using them. | | C．Because it is thought to threaten users’ privacy. | | D．Because many reporters have shown the problem of the systems. |
小题2:Allan Friedman believes that ________.| A．wireless companies focus on personal privacy. | | B．people are forbidden to get access to private data at will | | C．phone companies may sell private information secretly | | D．customers may ask wireless companies to locate their tracking |
小题3:What do we know from Paragraph 3?| A．Location tracking information is stored online. | | B．Apple’s newest operating systems collect all kinds of information. | | C．Location tracking information may be uploaded to any iPhone. | | D．Apple’s newest operating systems may reveal the private information of users. |
小题4:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Apple denies that it tracks the location of users. | | B．The researchers may misunderstand the Apple’s systems. | | C．The global positioning system is to blame for rogue applications. | | D．The iPhone can quickly find its location by using its user’s information. |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:D
小题4:A |
解析
文章是关于手机定位服务中的信息泄漏，以及各方的反应。
小题1:细节题。根据第一段最后一句Some people consider location tracking to be a threat to personal privacy and security.可知人们认为是对个人隐私和安全的威胁。故选C。
小题2:推理题。由第二段最后一句the phone company is also prohibited from selling that information.以及第四段最后rogue applications(恶意程序) that I pay for or that I’m tricked into downloading may be able to access this data and somehow misuse it.”可知Allan Friedman反对这样的行为。
小题3:段落大意题。根据第三段They said Apple’s newest operating systems gather global positioning system and timestamp information. The information is stored on the device in a file that is also uploaded (上传) to any computer that the device is connected to. 可知苹果公司也许会泄漏个人信息。
小题4:细节题。根据文章倒数第二段Apple says it is “not tracking the location of your iPhone”. It is simply keeping a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell phone towers near the user’s location.可知苹果公司否认泄漏数据。 |
举一反三
Can you imagine living in a house built by recycled waste?
Texas home builder Dan Phillips transforms trash into artful treasures, creating beautiful floors with wood pieces, kitchen counters from ivory -colored bones and roofs out of license plates （牌照）．
The fantastic houses which spring from his imagination are made almost entirely of materials which would otherwise have ended up in a garbage area．
" People have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years; using whatever is available to build shelter, " Phillips said．"If you think about carefully what could be used, then building materials are everywhere．
The thirteen homes he has built so far would fit better in an art museum than the residential streets of Huntsville, a conservative town of about 35 ,000 people．
Living in these houses is a bit like living in a roadside attraction．"Almost every day, somebody knocks on the door and says " Is there any way that we could see?" "said Edie Wells, an artist who rents a room in the Bone House．Her home features a stairway made of bones, floors covered in wine corks （软木塞） and beer bottle caps．Wells said visitors are most impressed when they see a bathroom with its walls, floor and ceiling entirely covered with broken mirror pieces．
In addition, each house is highly energy efficient with plenty insulation （隔热材料） , an on-demand solar hot water heater and a system that can collect and recycle rainwater to clean the toilet and wash clothes．
Phillips founded Phoenix Commotion 12 years ago with the aim of creating a new model for sustainable housing．For as little as $ 10,000 it builds affordable homes for single parents, low-income families and artists．
The company has used hundreds of tons of construction waste by recycling the materials into habitable buildings．
Phillips tries to spread his recycled-house idea by speaking at events across the United States, and by using the Internet to reach out to like-minded individuals．Phillips said: "I"m not going to be saving the world anytime soon．But there needs to be at least some visibility for this model in this century．
小题1:Which of the following is NOT the advantage of the homes built by Phillips?| A．environmentally-friendly | B．energy efficient | | C．convenient | D．cheap |
小题2:What do we know about Dan Phillips?| A．He is serious and hard-working． | | B．He is full of imagination and intelligence． | | C．It didn"t take him long to build the houses． | | D．He didn"t give speeches in the United States． |
小题3:According to the passage, the houses are like artful treasures because they are .| A．made of bones | B．museums | | C．admired by people | D．made of various trash |
小题4:Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?| A．Home Builder Dan Phillips | | B．Green Homes | | C．Home Builder Dan Phillips Tunis Trash into Green Homes | | D．A Home Builder" s Life |
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Have you heard of the movie Benji off the Leashf This Benji story7 begins when his mother, a pretty black furry dog, escapes from the puppy mill with Colby, a boy who loves her．He tries to hide her in an abandoned house．The boy" s father discovers her there and takes mother and pups back home to the puppy mill, but leaves Benji behind because he doesn"t look purebred （纯血统的） enough to be sold for money．Colby comes back later to rescue the tiny puppy and keeps Benji in his wooden clubhouse, bringing Mom to come to visit him in secret．
As Benji grows bigger, it becomes harder to keep him in the clubhouse, and eventually the boy" s father discovers him and Benji is forced to flee to the streets．But despite his fear of Colby" s father, Benji cannot forget about his mother, who is growing steadily weaker and sicker．He continues to sneak back to the puppy mill yard to spy on the goings-on there and plan a way to rescue her．
Benji"s doggie pal, Scrappy enters the story when he is pushed out of a car into a country lane．Once his paws hit the ground, Scrappy wags his tail once helplessly after the car as it drives away, and then is immediately up to his neck in hapless mischief （顽皮）. Scrappy is a lovably stupid little dog who barely manages to escape the animal control officers who are determined to catch him．
One of the wonderful things about this movie is that the two stars are not highly trained purebred dogs．Both Benji and Scrappy were rescued mixed breed dogs found at local animal shelters．Adorable Benji and his stupid pal, Scrappy, demonstrate that mixed-breed rescue dogs are just as intelligent and trainable as any purebred dog．
Benji Off the Leash clearly demonstrates the connection between people who abuse animals and people who abuse people．Colby" s father takes out his anger on those who are weaker than him, namely by frightening his wife and the dogs．He attempts to frighten Colby, but the boy bravely refuses to let him．
Children who are used to fast-paced action films with catchy theme songs may not have the patience for the slower pace of this film．But for rescue volunteers, older children, and anyone who loves dogs, this is a heartwarming movie that shows how even in today" s world of deserted dogs and backyard puppy mills, there can still be happy endings for homeless dogs．
小题1:What can be learned from the passage?| A．Two dogs star the movie． | | B．The boy" s mother is very disgusting． | | C．The movie will be liked by all the children． | | D．The movie is fast-paced． |
小题2:We can infer from the passage that _____．| A．The movie is in praise of deserting homeless dogs． | | B．We shouldn"t have mercy on homeless dogs． | | C．We human beings need to love animals because they are our friends． | | D．mixed-breed rescued dogs are less intelligent and trainable than purebred dogs． |
小题3:What" s the passage mainly about?| A．Reviewing a Him． | | B．Giving a summary of a movie． | | C．Thinking highly of the relationship between animals and humans． | | D．Criticizing people deserting animals． |
小题4:What" s the purpose of writing the passage?| A．To attract more people to see the movie． | | B．To call on children to help homeless pets． | | C．To show anger about abusing animals． | | D．To urge people to care and love animals． |
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Have you ever heard of Paynes Prairie(大草原)？ It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21,000 acres. This protected land is called a reserve, which is managed by the Florida Park Service.
The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone(石灰石）broke down and the ground settled. It is covered by wet prairie plants. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it was flooded enough to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.
Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10,000 B.C.. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest farm where cattle are fed in Florida was on Paynes.
William Bartram who lived 200 years ago visited Paynes Praire in 1774. Bartram was the first person who described nature through personal experiences as well as scientific observations. At that time he called Paynes Prairie the “great Alachua Savannah". Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of animals live here in winter. The variety of animals is increased by the presence of pine flat woods, wetlands and ponds.
The Paynes Prairie Reserve State Park is open all year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for entertainment. In the park you can camp and picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horses. And you can see Florida as it was in the early days.
小题1:The second paragraph is mainly about _______.| A．how the present Paynes Prairie basin came into being | | B．what the present Paynes Prairie basin is covered by | | C．why the present Paynes Prairie basin is unchanged | | D．when the present Paynes Prairie basin began to exist |
小题2:All of the following statements are true EXCEPT that _______| A．the Florida Park Service manages Paynes Prairie | | B．you can have fun in the Paynes Prairie Reserve State Park | | C．there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie | | D．William Bartram was the first person to visit Paynes prairie |
小题3:The purpose of the passage is to _______.| A．call on people to protect wildlife of Paynes Prairie | | B．introduce Paynes Prairie to people | | C．tell people the recorded history of Paynes Prairie | | D．attract people to visit Paynes Prairie |
小题4:What will the writer most probably talk about in the paragraph that follows?| A．The effect of tourism on Paynes Prairie. | | B．The history and present of Florida. | | C．The natural resources of Florida. | | D．The future development of Paynes Prairie. |
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Keeping a busy social life among lots of friends may keep people thinner than spending hours doing some exercises, according to scientists. They say that socialising and meeting with friends help increase levels of brown fat in the body which burns calories(卡路里)to produce heat.
Living in an exciting social environment was found to reduce fat in mice"s belly by half over four weeks, even if they ate more. US researchers say that social excitement aids weight loss by turning white fat into brown. White fat stores calories and makes us fatter, while brown burns energy to produce heat. Turning white fat into brown is extremely difficult，normally
requiring long- term stay in cold conditions or exciting part of the body"s nervous system.
However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown. The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice. Those, who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to excite themselves and then lost far more weight over the course of the study than their “couch potato" fellows.
Study author, Dr Matthew During, whose team"s findings appear in the journal Cell Metabolism, said, "I"m still amazed at the degree of fat loss that occurs." Explaining how new technology had threatened face-to-face socialising, he added, "It"s not just a sedentary(久坐 的)lifestyle and high calorie foods, but an increasing lack of social activities." Co-author Dr Lei Cao said，"Loneliness is a potential factor for cancer and death; it"s equal to cigarette smoking to a certain extent. Social activities are very vital.，，
小题1:What information can we get from the first two paragraphs?| A．Brown fat stores calories and makes us fatter. | | B．It doesn"t take long to turn white fat into brown. | | C．Social excitement helps gain more weight. | | D．Brown fat can burn energy to produce heat. |
小题2:Which of the following statement does the text support?| A．Levels of brown fat can be increased by socialising. | | B．The mice lacking social life lose more weight. | | C．The research findings haven"t been published so far. | | D．Dr Matthew During wasn"t convinced of the result. |
小题3:We can conclude from the text that _______.| A．the fat in mice"s belly was reduced because of the relaxing environment | | B．a sedentary lifestyle and high calories foods influence people"s social life | | C．surfing the Internet may influence people"s face-to-face communication | | D．cancer and death are mainly caused for lack of social life |
小题4:What’s the main idea of the text?| A．Brown fat is beneficial to people"s health. | | B．Socialising is unnecessarily important in people"s daily life. | | C．White fat can be changed into brown fat. | | D．Socialising contributes to people"s losing weight. |
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Many cities in the world are benefiting from the night activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.
In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the effort of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.
Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look depressing in the winter months.
The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr. Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.
He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to restore neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition.
小题1:These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______.| A．at the request of the government | | B．nearby their house | | C．often in return for others’ help | | D．out of their own free will |
小题2:Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants in order to ______.| A．plant more flowers in the path | | B．beautify the neighborhood | | C．attract attention for his ad agency | | D．make the plants a feast for his eyes |
小题3:The guerrilla gardeners often return to their night working places with the purpose of ______.| A．looking after these plants | | B．enjoying these beautiful flowers | | C．helping plants live through winter months | | D．changing the varieties of the plants |
小题4:It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______.| A．are mainly from the United Kingdom | | B．will later get well paid | | C．are still not accepted by the local government | | D．become more and more organized |
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