Today, there’s hardly an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the tons

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Today, there’s hardly an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. “If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology,” says Microsoft, “a new car would cost about $ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas. And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza.”
Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers. Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. “We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend,” says Merrill Lynch, “along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity.”
You would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets. And even after you’ve moved on to your final resting place, there’s no reason those you love can’t keep in touch. A company called FinalThoughts.com offers a place for you to store “afterlife e-mails” you can send to Heaven with the help of a “guardian angel”.
Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable(能预测的) future. Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than $75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Pa

ckard Foundation. Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52% of those connected to the Internet. Most kids use computers to play games (some for 30 hours or more a week), and many teenage girls think nothing of rushing home from school to have e-mail chats with friends they have just left.
What’s clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an

ever growing part of our lives and there is no turning back. “The Internet is just 20% invented,” says cyber pioneer Jake Winebaum. “The last 80% is happening now.”
小题1:What can we learn from the Microsoft’s remark?

A．Today’s cars and airplanes are extremely overpriced.

B．Information technology i

s developing at an amazing speed.

C．Information technology has reached the point where improvement is difficult.

D．There’s more competition in information technology industry than in car industry.

小题2:According to the author, the biggest benefit of the Internet is that___.

A．it saves companies huge amounts of money	B．it speeds up profit making
C．it brings people incredible convenience	D．it provides easy access to information

小题3:The author gives the example of FinalThoughts.com to make the point that____.

A．there are some genius ideas on the Internet	B．almost anything is available on the Internet
C．people can find good bargains on the Internet	D．some websites provide novel services to increase hits

小题4:What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?

A．There is a link between income and computer ownership.

B．Many American children don’t put computers to good use.

C．Studies show that boys are more computer literate than girls.

D．The U.S. will stay ahead in the information technology in years.

小题5:Which sentence has the phrase that possesses the same meaning as the one underlined in the fifth paragraph?

A．Some can tell you that he has changed their lives, while others think nothing of him.

B．Think nothing of it. It was my pleasure.

C．He thinks nothing of staying up all night in the Café bar.

D．He thinks nothing of the pain in his back for the moment.

小题6:What is the message the author intends to convey?

A．The Internet is going to get firm hold of our lives some day.

B．The Internet is going to influence our lives even more greatly.

C．We should have a positive attitude towards the changes the Internet brings.

D．Children should be well prepared for the challenges in the information age.

答案

小题1:B
小题1:A
小题1:B
小题1:D
小题1:C
小题1:B

解析

略

举一反三

Employees are being flooded with too much information that has little to do with their work, according to a new survey.
On average, white-collar workers spend 51 percent of their work time receiving and processing information. Only one third of it was relevant to their work, the survey found. Information overload for white collar workers has become a global issue. The huge amount of information has already affected their efficiency in management as well as their performance at work.
Buried with e-mails
Every morning, a secretary at the human resources department of an auto parts company opens her e-mail box, only to find it crammed with at least 50 unread mails. For her, even scanning through these e-mails every day takes at least half an hour. Some of her colleagues are not so lucky — they have to read at least 100.
Bothered with calls
Telephone calls are also causing a problem. More than 40 percent white-collar workers chose mobile phones as the preferred way to communicate important and urgent business matters.
Talking saves time and energy over the clicking, reading and replying to e-mails, but phone calls are also more distracting(分心的). While answering a call, a clerk is likely to put away a much more important task at hand and start the business being talked about on the phone.
Solution? Not yet.
Many companies start with providing staff with better computers, better Internet access and more advanced gadgets(装置). For example, staff members above a certain level in one company will be provided with a blackberry phone for easier access to their e-mails. The company has also organized many lectures on efficient ways of e-mail management. Yet most white-collar workers think their companies can do more.
小题1:What does the new survey find about white-collar workers?

A．They spend 51% of their work time on meetings.

B．Only half of the information they receive is useful.

C．Over 60% of them prefer to use the telephone.

D．Some of them have to read at least 100 e-mails every day.

小题2:Telephone calls cause a problem because ________.

A．they take up the time to receive and send e-mails

B．they are often not answered

C．they are mostly not about business

D．they may lead to the changing of work schedule

小题3:How do some companies try to solve the problem of information overload?

A．They start to give staff a pay rise.

B．They plan to employ more people.

C．They provide employees with more advanced equipment.

D．They organize lectures on how to reduce stress.

小题4:What is the major issue discussed in this text?

A．Poor management leads to inefficiency at work.

B．Junk mail is causing big trouble.

C．White-collar workers suffer from information overload.

D．Better computers are in need in workplaces.

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AHeading off to college this year? Here are some fashion tips from our experts you should keep in mind:
Dress to impress: Stylist and business consultant Daniela Smith says, “Girls should keep in mind that your college professors will often be the bridge that connects you to your future career and your classmates will become your professional network. You don’t need to dress like you’re going to the office, but you should display an ability to properly present yourself with appropriate maturity and confidence, and look put together.”
Logo mania (品牌狂热症): Wearing the logos of brands aimed at younger customers physically identifies you as part of that age group, so consider the targeted age group of the stores you shop at. It’s tempting to load up on logos, especially well-known logos that signify high-end brands. But consider this: college is a time of self-discovery, a chance to develop your own personal style. Instead of wearing logos head to toe, “walking advertisement”-style, why not express who you really are?
Wear real pants! The combination of leggings and baggy shirts is all too common on college campuses. Smith points out that leggings, yoga pants, and sweatpants are entirely unacceptable in public unless you’re exercising. Although leggings worn as pants are a common trend among high school and college girls, they are not an appropriate choice for daywear. As a young woman, your style choice should begin to reflect your maturity level. So, get rid of leggings and wear real pants!
Keep the cute factor to a minimum: Stay away from sweaters and T-shirts with smiling animals, cartoon characters, or Hello Kitty on them. Sure, kittens might be cute, but they’re not doing you any favors in the style department. Dressing too cutesy can take years off your look, and not necessarily in a good way!
小题1: The second paragraph indicates the importance of ________.

A．impressing professors	B．getting on well with classmates
C．creating a professional image	D．dressing appropriately

小题2:The author believes that college girls should ________.

A．choose a logo that suits their age

B．try to load up on well-known logos

C．use logos to show who they are

D．find their identity by trying different logos

小题3:The author recommends wearing real pants because ________.

A．leggings and baggy shirts are too common

B．yoga pants and sweatpants are not as comfortable

C．real pants can present you with appropriate maturity

D．people like real pants better than the other pants

小题4:What’s the writer’s attitude towards sweaters with animals on them?

A．They make people look lovely.

B．They are very fashionable these days.

C．They will show you’re an animal lover.

D．They are not suitable for college-aged students.

小题5:In which magazine would you most likely find this passage?

A．Business Week.

B．Parents.

C．In style.

D．Travel & Leisure.

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British society is considered to be divided into three main groups of classes－the upper class，the middle class．and the lower or working class．This is known as the class system and it is important

to know something about it if you mean to understand British people and society．Most British people grow up with a deep knowledge and understanding of the class system even if they are not very conscious（意识到的）of it．As a result，more people know which class they belong to and are able to tell which class other people come from by the way t

hey speak，the kind of clothes they wear，their interests and hobbies or even the type of food they eat．
Social class is not only about behavior and attitudes．For example，although many upper class people are rich and may own a lot of land，having a lot of money does not necessarily make a person one member of the upper class．It is also important to come from a particular kind of family，have friends who are considered suitable，have been to a certain type of private school and speak with the right kind of accent．There are people who are poor but who do not think of themselves as working class because their family background，education，political opinions，etc．are basically different from those of most working－class people．Many people do not like the class system but it is impossible to pretend that these differences do not exist or that British people do not sometimes form opinions in this way．
小题1:The idea of the class system in Britain __________．

A．exists only in the mind of foreigners	B．is deeply rooted in the British people
C．is now under attack	D．is regarded as a long custom

小题2:If an Englishman has a lot of money，__________．

A．he belongs to the middle class

B．he must be a member of the upper class

C．he is not likely to be from the upper class

D．he may buy an upper class title with money

小题3:What does the second paragraph mainly discuss?

A．Many rich people do not belong to the upper class．

B．Today many British people do not like the class system．

C．Many poor people do not consider themselves a lower class．

D．An Englishman’S social class is determined by many factors．

小题4:What would be the best title for the passage?

A．An Unequal Society	B．Social Class in Britain
C．British People and Society	D．Information about Britain

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Students who work during term time to support themselves at university are far more likely to graduate with a poor degree, according to a government-funded study published yesterday.
Undergraduates with part-time jobs are a third less likely to get a first or upper second-class degree than other students, harming their career chances. Students from the poorest backgrounds were most likely to take jobs during term because they could not depend on help from their parents.
The report, commissioned (委托) by the Department for Education and Skills, also found a clear relation between fear of debt and employment in non-graduate jobs. Students from poorer backgrounds are known to he more unwilling to be in debt than those from middle class families.
The study of 8,600 people who graduated in 1999 was made by Peter Elias, of Warwick University, and Kate Purcell, from Bristol Business School. They found that twice as many first-class degrees were awarded to students who did not work during term compared with those who did. Between 35 and 38 percent who worked during term achieved a lower second, compared with about 28 percent of those who did not.
Professor Elias said that the increase in school fees next year to ￡3,000 would have to be monitored (监控) carefully for its effect on poorer students. "Higher education is going to be a harder struggle for those who do not come with all the advantages," he said.
He suggested that universities could get in touch with employers to provide work experience on good salaries to choose students during holidays, so that they did not have to work during term.
小题1:What"s the main idea of the passage?

A．Students at university like to take part-time jobs to support themselves,

B．Term-time jobs at university lead to poorer examination results.

C．The school fees are becoming higher and higher at university.

D．Students at university have much difficulty getting first-class degrees.

小题2:Why did lots of students take term-jobs at university?

A．No one would lend them money to continue their study.

B．They wanted to improve themselves by taking part-time jobs,

C．Their families were poor and couldn"t afford the high expense.

D．They thought earning money was more important than studying.

小题3:Students who took term-jobs at university ____.

A．had no possibility to study better than those who didn"t

B．couldn"t graduate from school normally in the future

C．might have trouble in finding a job in the future

D．were more independent than those who didn"t in the future

小题4:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Poor students can"t take part-time jobs all the time at university.

B．Employers have the duty to help poor students solve the money problem.

C．First class degrees couldn"t be given to the students whose families were poor.

D．High school fees are one of the important reasons why students have to take term-jobs.

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The Coalition for the Homeless is an organization that seeks to address the needs of the homeless population in the United States．It is a network of offices, some of which provide food and houses for the homeless population．and some of which fight for the passing of laws that would give every American the right to a place to call home．According to the Coalition’s studies, of over two hundred million people living in the United States, up to three million are homeless—and the number is still growing since the late 1970s, fast rising house prices, large cuts in government supported housing programs, and economic recession have made it impossible for many Americans to meet housing costs．Sadly, this has resulted in a number of persons being forced to leave their homes and or unable to find new affordable homes．According to another research．families with children appear to be the fastest-growing part of the homeless population, making up 39% of it．T

he old idea of a homeless person, that of the single man who gets drunk all the time, is no longer true．A much larger part of the population now finds itself homeless．Even worse, once a person becomes homeless, he often finds it impossible to find a job, since most employers require anyone who wants a job from them to provide a home address on a job application
小题1:The word “address” in the first line probably means ．

A．talk about

B．deal with

C．fight for

D．write to

小题2:How many people are homeless in the U．S．according to the Coalition studies?

A．39% of the population．	B．200 million people．
C．About 3 million people．	D．About one-fifth of the population．

小题3:Homeless people often have difficulty finding a job because________．

A．they have no home addresses

B．they mostly have a drinking problem

C．they aren"t supported by government programs

D．they often don"t have enough work experience

小题4:What is the main cause of the rising number of the homeless in the U．S．?

A．The passing of new housing laws．	B．The fast growth of family size．
C．The slow construction of houses．	D．The ever-rising price of housing．

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