Which are you more likely to have with you at any given moment-your cell phone

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Which are you more likely to have with you at any given moment-your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electronic scanner.
In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its stores. This is the first pay-by-phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more wireless payment alternatives as something called near field communication (NFC) gets into America’s consumer electronics. Last December, some new smart phones which contain an NFC chip were introduced to the public.
Already in use in parts of Asia and Europe, NFC allows shoppers to wave their phones a few inches above a payment terminal – a contact- free system built for speed and convenience. But before NFC becomes widely adopted in the U.S., a few problems need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable transaction（交易）fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave-and- pay systems that use NFC-enabled credit cards, cell phone service providers may try to muscle their way into the point-of-sale（POS）market. Three big cell phone service providers have formed a joint venture（合资企业）that will go into operation over the next 15 months. Its goal is “to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.”
The other big NFC issue, apart from how payments will be processed, is security. For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pick-pocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against you in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,” says Jimmy Shah. A mobile- security researcher, “Users may also be able to set transaction limits, perhaps requiring a password to be entered for larger purchases.”
Still uneasy about this digital-wallet business? Keep in mind that if you lose your smart phone, it can be located on a map and remotely disabled. Plus, your phone can be password protected. Your wallet isn’t.
小题1:What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?

A．The expansion of cell phone companies.

B．The boom of pay-by-phone business.

C．The disappearance of credit cards.

D．The increase of Starbucks sales.

小题2:The NFC technology can be used to __________.

A．ensure the safety of shoppers

B．collect transaction fees easily

C．make purchase faster and simpler

D．improve the quality of cell phones

小题3:Three cell phone service providers form a joint venture to __________.

A．strengthen their relationship

B．test the NFC technology

C．sell more cell phones

D．get a share in the payments industry

小题4:According to the passage, what can users do if they lose their smart phones?

A．Stop the functioning of their phones.

B．Set up a password.

C．Get all the money out of their phones.

D．Report it to the bank.

答案

小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:D
小题4:A

解析

文章讲述的是新兴的用手机快速消费的方法，和与其相关的一些待处理的问题。
小题1:事实细节题。根据第二段but we’re likely to see more wireless payment alternatives as something called near field communication (NFC) gets into America’s consumer electronics可知，人们喜欢这种无线的方便的消费方式。
小题2:事实细节题，根据第三段NFC allows shoppers to wave their phones a few inches above a payment terminal – a contact- free system built for speed and convenience可知，这种消费方式方便快捷。
小题3:根据第三段get to collect the profitable transaction（交易）fees可知，是为了从交易中收取费用。
小题4:事实细节题，根据最后一段it can be located on a map and remotely disabled.可知，可以远程控制，让手机失灵（disabled）

举一反三

The common cold is the world’s most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病) that people receive.
The most widespread fallacy(谬误) of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses(病毒) passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds. In the Second World War prisoners at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp(奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet（湿透）in drafty（通风的）room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other time, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片) such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms.
小题1:The writer offered _______ examples to support his argument.

A．4

B．5

C．6

D．3

小题2:Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.

A．they are working in the isolated arctic regions

B．they are writing reports in terribly cold weather

C．they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions

D．they are coming into touch again with the outside world

小题3:Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit probably _______.

A．suffered a lot	B．never caught colds
C．often caught colds	D．became very strong

小题4:The passage mainly discusses _______.

A．the experiments on the common cold

B．the fallacy about the common cold

C．the reason and the way people catch colds

D．the continued spread of common colds

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The day after news broke of a possible revolution in physics ——particles （粒子） moving faster than light ?a scientist leading the European experiment that made the discovery calmly explained it to a standing-room- only crowd at CERN．
The physicist, Dario Auterio, did not try to explain what the results might mean for the laws of physics, let alone the broader world．After an hour of technical talk, he simply said, "Therefore, we present to you today this difference, this unusualness．"
But what unusualness it may be．From 2009 through 2011, the massive OPERA detector （探测器）buried in a mountain in Gran Sasso, Italy, recorded subatomic particles called neutrinos （中微子） arriving faster than light can move in an empty space．The neutrinos generated at CERN are hardly detectably early．If confirmed, the finding would throw more than a century of physics into disorder．
"If it"s correct, it"s phenomenal．" said Rob Plunkett, a scientist at Fermilab, the Department of Energy physics laboratory in Illinois．"We"d be looking at a whole new set of rules" for how the universe works．Those rules would bend, or possibly break, Albert Einstein"s special theory of relativity, published in 1905．Basical at the time, the theory tied together space and time, matter and energy, and set a hard limit for the speed of light, later measured to be about 186, 000 miles per second．
No experiment in 106 years had broken that speed limit．Physicists expect strict study to follow, which OPERA and CERN scientists welcomed．
Fermilab operates a similar experiment, called MINOS, that shoots neutrinos from Illinois to an underground detector in Minnesota．In 2007, MINOS discovered a just detectable amount of faster than-light neutrinos, but the permissible difference of error was too big to "mention" , Plunkett said．
Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data, which will take six to eight months．In 2013, the MINOS detector, now offline, will restart after an upgrade．It could then offer confirmation of the results．
小题1:Why are the European scientists not sure about the results of the experiment?

A．Because they are so unexpected．

B．Because the scientists do not believe them．

C．Because the scientists are careful and calm．

D．Because they are against the present law of physics．

小题2:The underlined word " phenomenal" in the fourth paragraph has the closest meaning to .

A．amazing

B．attractive

C．embarrassing

D．sensitive

小题3:The best title for the passage may be _____．

A．Are the laws of physics in disorder?

B．Particles faster than light; Revolution or mistake?

C．Faster than light measurement: right or wrong?

D．Is Einstein"s theory still right today?

小题4:What may be discussed in the paragraphs to follow?

A．Different opinions about the experiment．

B．How Albert Einstein"s theory developed．

C．The new rules for how the universe works．

D．How Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data．

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If parents bring up a child with the aim of turning the child into a genius（天才）, they will cause great damage to him. According to several leading educational experts, this is one of the biggest mistakes that some parents make. Generally, the child will understand very well what the parents expect, and will fall. Unrealistic expectations of the parents can cause great damage to children.
However, if parents are realistic about what they expect their children to do, and are hopeful in a sensible（明智的） way, the child may succeed －especially if the parents are very supportive to their children.
Michael Li is very lucky. He is very fond of music and his parents help him a lot by taking him to concerts and let him attend piano and violin lessons. Although his father is a good musician, he never makes Michael enter music competitions if he is unwilling to.
Michael’s friend, Winston Chen, however, is not so lucky. Both his parents are successful musicians, and they set too high a goal for Winston. They want their son to be as successful as they are and so they enter him for every piano competition held. They are very unhappy when he does not win. “When I was your age, I used to win every competition I entered.” Winston’s father tells him. Winston is always afraid that he will disappoint his parents and now he is always quiet and unhappy.
小题1:This passage is mainly about_______.

A．how parents should bring up their children

B．what aim can be easier for a child to achieve

C．how parents should make a child a musician

D．what differences there are between parents

小题2:Michael is fortunate because_______.

A．his parents help him in a practical way

B．he was born in a rich family

C．his father is a successful musician

D．he can do anything he likes

小题3:Winston’s parents set so high a goal for him that_______.

A．he has to do his best to do everything

B．he has made greater progress in music

C．he is afraid he may disappoint them

D．he wants to be a great musician someday

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The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is one of the world’s greatest art museums. Millions of people have entered its doors to see paintings by the world’s fine artists. But if these priceless masterpieces are to be preserved, the Gallery must protect them carefully. The Gallery’s 135-man guard force has successfully prevented them from being stolen, but protecting the paintings from nature is a greater problem.
In past times, the owners of paintings did not protect them from damaging changes in humidity（湿度）and temperature. As a result, the life of these paintings were shortened. In the National Gallery, however, humidity and temperature are carefully controlled. The building is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter. The air-conditioning and heating system are so important to the life of the painting that the Gallery has two of each system. If one should fail, the extra one can take over.
Light is another enemy of paintings. Ultraviolet rays（紫外线）in light cause paintings to fade（褪色）. Long ago, paintings often hung in dark churches and palaces. A coat of varnish（清漆）was a protection from the weak light. But when museums took over the care of many paintings, they were often hung in brighter light than before. Soon they were in danger of fading. The damaging effects of light were increased when the museums removed the varnish coating, yellowed with age.
To protect its paintings, the National Gallery put a special kind of glass in its skylights. This glass allows visible lights to enter the building but it keeps out harmful ultraviolet rays. The Gallery has also developed new and better varnishes which help to keep paintings from fading. Thanks to these new precautions, many of the world’s greatest paintings are being well protected for future generations to enjoy.
小题1:The text mainly tells us about_________________________.

A．the guard force in the National Gallery

B．protecting great paintings from nature

C．priceless paintings of past times

D．the air-conditioning and heating systems in the National Gallery

小题2:Which of the following is NOT an enemy of paintings?

A．Varnish.

B．Temperature.

C．Light.

D．Humidity.

小题3:The underlined word “precautions” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ____________.

A．decorations

B．problems

C．suggestions

D．applications

小题4:From the text we can infer that________________________.

A．great artists painted in dark churches and palaces

B．you can touch these paintings while you are in the National Gallery

C．the care of the world’s greatest paintings is both a big responsibility and a great challenge

D．the guard force in the Gallery has not done a good job

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What’s the most important thing for you to have in your life? Somebody mentions hard-work, others suggest knowledge, love and luck.
If you arrange the 26 English letters alphabetically(按字母表的顺序)and use numbers to represent each of them, for example, 1 for a, 2 for b, 3 for c…, you can change an English word into a number. So hard-work becomes 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11="98," meaning 98 is its mark; knowledge: 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5="96," while love :12+15+22+5="54," and luck : 12+21+3+11="47," a small mark. None of these words can give one a full mark. What about money or prayer(祈祷)? They can’t , either.
Then what else? Don’t be worried. You can always find an answer to a problem in your life, when you change your way of looking at things or doing things, or your attitude(态度).Yes, attitude is the word. See for yourself: attitude:1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5=100，a full mark.
Different attitudes lead to different courses of life. Most times people hope for a better life. It is possible that one will have a change for the better after one has changed one’s attitude.
When you change your manner and became friendly towards others, you’ll meet more smiling faces towards you. In the same way, if you take a positive(积极地)attitude towards failure(失败),you’ll find it’s also rewarding though it has caused you losses.
小题1:In the writer’s opinion , what is the most important things in a person’s life?

A．Hard-work.

B．Knowledge.

C．Money.

D．Attitude.

小题2:According to the passage, if you meet with problems, the best way out is to _________.

A．ask for help from others	B．say your prayers to God
C．change your attitude	D．try maths-solving methods

小题3:From the passage we can learn that ______________.

A．diffrent attitudes come from different courses of life.

B．mathematics can solve every problem easily in our daily life

C．failure sometimes can bring you good if you take a positive attitude

D．none of the English words except “attitude” equals to 100 or more

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