Picture a library without books? Well, I can’t. Ever since I was little I would go to the library and take out numerous books. From picture books to beginning chapter books to YA books, books have always been a part of my life. Unlike many people today, I don't own a Kindle or a Nook or any type of e-reader. I prefer the old-fashioned book. There is something about holding a book and being able to turn the pages that I find comforting. In today's 21st century, books may become obsolete. For me that's something I find scary.
I am a fan of the old TV science-fiction series Twilight Zone. One episode(一段情節(jié))is about a librarian who has become obsolete. Though this episode aired in 1961, the writer of the series, Rod Serling was exactly on point when it came to predicting the future.
In fact, in San Antonio, Texas the first-ever bookless library in the country opened. The library is full of iMacs, tablets and iPads which cost a huge $2. 3 million. The library offers around 10,000 e-books. So the question is, is this what the future will soon be? Mary Graham, vice president of South Carolina's Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce states, "This is the future…If you're going to be building new library facilities, this is what you need to be doing."
It is our generation that will be the guinea pigs(試驗品)of increasing technology like this. Is this a good or bad thing? Well, digital libraries may help the environment by not using paper; however, I feel like something will always be lacking with a digital book. A digital library is just the beginning.
With all of this new technology, people seem to be more absorbed in their own world. One of my biggest complaints is when I am with my friends and they can't seem to get off their smart phone and talk to me. To make plans with a friend and then have them stuck on their phone the whole time is extremely rude. Not only is it disrespectful, but it reflects the direction of where human interactions are heading. Though social media is great, it also is addicting and has negative effects.
Often when I go on Facebook it just makes me feel worse about myself. I'll see many of my 800 Facebook friends showing off their newest accomplishment or acceptance to college. Additionally, our society is becoming increasingly lazy. For instance, instead of doing mental math, people use their phone to solve 89 + 74. It is simple tasks like these that are allowing people to lack important educational and social skills.
It is up to us to find a balance between technology and human values and interactions. With new technology being created every day, we need to learn how to use it alongside our great minds. After all, inventions are supposed to benefit society not harm it. In the day of technology, who knows what's next?
【小題1】The underlined word "obsolete" (Paragraph l)is closest in meaning to .
A.outdated | B.complex | C.expensive | D.meaningless |
A.The episode still enjoys great popularity nowadays. |
B.Rod Serling liked making predictions about the future. |
C.The situation of books today is similar to what Rod Serling predicted in the episode. |
D.The episode airing in 1961 was the most entertaining of the TV science-fiction series. |
A.It is the first-ever library in America. |
B.It is of no practical use although it costs so much. |
C.It holds an exhibition of much electronic equipment. |
D.People can read e-books there with the help of the new facilities. |
A.Great as social media is, it does have some negative effects. |
B.With the increasing use of social media, something will actually be lost. |
C.Through social media, people can develop educational and social skills around. |
D.As a result of social media, people may communicate less with the people around. |
A.Optimistic | B.Skeptical | C.Supportive | D.Objective |
【小題1】A
【小題2】C
【小題3】D
【小題4】C
【小題5】B
解析試題分析:設(shè)想一個沒有書籍的圖書館,這是讓作者不能接受的。作者更喜歡紙質(zhì)的書籍帶來的舒適感?萍冀o我們的生活帶來了巨大的變化,但科技并非是完美的,也會帶來一些負面的影響。
【小題1】根據(jù)“I prefer the old-fashioned book. There is something about holding a book and being able to turn the pages that I find comforting.”可知,在21世紀(jì),紙質(zhì)書籍顯得有點過時,但作者卻更喜歡紙質(zhì)的書籍,劃線詞與old-fashioned同義,故選A。
【小題2】根據(jù)“One episode(一段情節(jié))is about a librarian who has become obsolete.”可知,電視劇里的一個情節(jié)--一家圖書館變得過時,由此可知,電視劇的作者預(yù)見到了當(dāng)今書籍面臨過時的現(xiàn)狀,故選C。
【小題3】根據(jù)“in San Antonio, Texas the first-ever bookless library in the country opened ...The library offers around 10,000 e-books.”可知,San Antonio,和Texas的市民可以借助新的科技閱讀電子書,故選D。
【小題4】根據(jù)“I feel like something will always be lacking with a digital book ...people seem to be more absorbed in their own world ...With new technology being created every day, we need to learn how to use it alongside our great minds.”可知,作者認為,科技并非完美,人們更多地沉浸在自己的世界里,我們應(yīng)該學(xué)會使用科技,而不應(yīng)該被科技改變自己的態(tài)度、價值觀等,故選C。
【小題5】根據(jù)第四段“Well, digital libraries may help the environment by not using paper; however, I feel like something will always be lacking with a digital book. A digital library is just the beginning.”和最后一段“After all, inventions are supposed to benefit society not harm it.”可知,作者不贊同用電子圖書館取代紙質(zhì)書籍。作者認為,科技應(yīng)該給社會帶來益處而不是傷害。由此可見,就科技能否帶來便利來說,作者是持懷疑態(tài)度的,故選B。
考點:社會類短文閱讀
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
When Gretchen Baxter gets home from work as a New York City book editor, she checks her Blackberry at the door. “I think we are attached to these devices in a way that is not always positive,” says Baxter, who’d rather focus at home on her husband and 12-year-old daughter. “It’s there and it beckons(召喚). That’s human nature (but)…we kind of get crazy sometimes and we don’t know where it should stop.”
Americans are connected at unprecedented(前所未有的) levels—93% now use cell phones or wireless devices; one third of those are “smart phones” that allow users to browse the web and check e-mails, among other things. The benefits are obvious: checking messages on the road, staying in touch with friends and family, efficiently using time once spent waiting around. The downside: often, we’re effectively disconnecting from those in the same room.
That’s why, despite all the technology that makes communicating easier than ever, 2010 was the year we stopped talking to one another. From texting at dinner to posting on Facebook from work or checking e-mails while on a date, the connectivity revolution is creating a lot of divided attention, not to mention social anxiety. Many analysts say it’s time to step back and reassess (再評價).
“What we’re going to see in the future is new opportunities for people to be plugged in and connected like never before,” says Scott Campbell. “It can be a good thing, but I also see new ways the traditional social construction is getting somewhat torn apart.”
Our days are filled with beeps and pings—many of which pull us away from tasks at hand or face-to-face conversations. We may feel that the distractions(干擾) are too much, but we can’t seem to stop posting, texting or surfing. “We’re going through a period of adjustment and rebalancing, ” says Sherry Turkle and she wants to remind people that technology can be turned off. “Our human purposes are to really have connections with people,” she says. “We have to reclaim it. It’s not going to take place by itself.”
【小題1】According to Paragraph 1, Gretchen Baxter thinks _____.
A.the new technology always influences people’s life in a positive way |
B.the new technology always influences people’s life in a negative way |
C.the family isn’t that important compared to the new technology |
D.people are too dependent on the new technology to let go |
A.a(chǎn)dvantage | B.weakness |
C.strength | D.effect |
A.The wide use of mobile devices has nothing to do with the traditional social construction. |
B.Mobile devices play a less important part in American life. |
C.Mobile devices create a lot of divided attention and social anxiety. |
D.Many analysts speak highly of the wide popularity of mobile devices. |
A.Something must be done to get connection with people in reality again. |
B.Using mobile services can help people get con- nection with each other. |
C.Mobile services have a strong impact on people’s life. |
D.The connection with people can happen naturally. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
A new study has found that it may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, increasing the brainpower they had at birth.
Until now,it has been widely assumed that the kind of mental ability that allows us to solve new problems without having any relevant previous experience—what psychologists call fluid intelligence—is innate and cannot be taught(though people can raise their grades on tests of it by practicing).
But in the new study,researchers describe a method for improving this skill,along with experiments to prove it works.
The key, researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory—the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it.This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence,so the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence.
First they measured fluid intelligence of volunteers using standard tests.Then they trained each in a complicated memory task—the child’s card game,in which they had to recall a card they saw and heard.During the course, they needed to ignore irrelevant items, monitor ongoing performance,manage two tasks at the same time and connect related items to one another in space and time.
The four groups experienced a half-hour of training daily for 8, 12, 17 and 19 days, respectively.To make sure they were not just improving their test-taking skills,the researchers compared them with control groups that took the tests without the training.
The results, published Monday in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,were striking.Improvement in the trained groups was a lot greater.Moreover,the longer they trained, the higher their scores were.All performers,from the weakest to the strongest,showed significant improvement.
“Our results show you can increase your intelligence with proper training.” said Dr Jaeggi, a co-author of the paper.“No one knows how long the gains will last after training stops,” he added, “and the experiment’s design did not allow the researchers to determine whether more training would continue to produce further gains.
【小題1】By writing the article,the writer intends to ______________.
A.inform the readers of a new study |
B.call on people to be trained to increase intelligence |
C.prove one’s born brainpower can be improved |
D.tell people the improved intelligence will last forever |
A.memorizing telephone numbers |
B.improving working memory |
C.training in concentration |
D.recalling a card |
A.ignoring irrelevant items |
B.monitoring ongoing performance |
C.managing two tasks at the same time |
D.using previous experience |
A.trained the four groups for the same period of time |
B.only made comparisons between the four groups |
C.compared the four groups with control groups |
D.trained the four groups together |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Have you ever picked a job based on the fact that you were good at it but later found it made you feel very uncomfortable over time? When you select your career, there's a whole lot more to it than assessing your skills and matching them with a particular position. If you ignore your personality, it will hurt you long-term regardless of your skills or the job's pay. There are several areas of your personality that you need to consider to help you find a good job. Here are a few of those main areas;
1) Do you prefer working alone or with other people?
There are isolating(使孤立)jobs that will drive an outgoing person crazy and also interactive jobs that will make a shy person uneasy. Most people are not extremes in either direction but do have a tendency that they prefer. There are also positions that are sometimes a combination of the two, which may be best for someone in the middle who adapts easily to either situation.
2) How do you handle change?
Most jobs these days have some elements of change to them, but some are more than others. If you need stability in your life, you may need a job where the changes don't happen so often. Other people would be bored of the same daily routine.
3) Do you enjoy working with computers?
I do see this as a kind of personality characteristic. There are people who are happy to spend more than 40 hours a week on a computer, while there are others who need a lot of human interaction throughout the day. Again, these are extremes and you'll likely find a lot of positions somewhere in the middle as well.
4) What type of work environment do you enjoy?
This can range from being in a large building with a lot of people you won't know immediately to a smaller setting where you'll get to know almost all the people there fairly quickly.
5) How do you like to get paid?
Some people are motivated by the pay they get, while others feel too stressed to be like that. The variety of payment designs in the sales industry is a typical example for this.
Anyway, these are a great starting point for you. I've seen it over and over again with people that they make more money over time when they do something they love. It may take you a little longer, but making a move to do what you have a passion for can change the course of your life for the better.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Isolating jobs usually drive people mad. |
B.Almost everyone has a tendency in jobs. |
C.Interactive jobs make people shy easily. |
D.Extreme people tend to work with others. |
A.Before you select your job, you should assess your skills and match them with your position |
B.You should ignore your skills when you select job. |
C.Nothing is important than assessing skills and match them with the position when you select job. |
D.There are more important things than assessing skills and match them with the position when you select job. |
A.Design. | B.Changes. | C.Cooperation. | D.Hobbies. |
A.Lifestyles and Job Pay | B.Jobs and Environment |
C.Personalities and Jobs | D.Job Skills and Abilities |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
LONDON(Reuters)—Organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep.That is what Gabriel Gold prefers, and he is willing to pay for it.If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.
“Organic produce is always better,” Gold said.“The food is free of pesticides(農(nóng)藥), and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms.And more often than not it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty.” Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business.But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences—but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete.For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products.And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet growing demand.“The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market,” said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.
【小題1】More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because _____.
A.they are getting richer |
B.they can get the food anywhere |
C.they like home-grown fruit |
D.they consider the food free of pollution |
A.It grows indoors all year round. |
B.It is grown on family farms |
C.It is produced outside Britain. |
D.It is produced on large farms. |
A.better quality of organic food. |
B.growing interest in organic food. |
C.rising market for organic food. |
D.higher prices of organic food. |
A.The making of organic food in Britain. |
B.Organic food—to import or not? |
C.Good qualities of organic food. |
D.Organic food—healthy, or just for the wealthy? |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism(網(wǎng)癮), a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. Such behavior has seriously affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log(寫日志) on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked(著迷) on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world.
【小題1】The main idea of the passage is about__________.
A.the cause of weboholism |
B.the advantage of weboholism |
C.the popularity of weboholism |
D.the effect of weboholism |
A.weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers |
B.students can hardly balance real and virtual life |
C.people are addicted to games on the Internet |
D.virtual life is more vivid and attractive than real life. |
A.It contributes to the development of the web. |
B.The chat room language may change social culture. |
C.The problem will be getting more and more serious later. |
D.People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Cut off from society
You're on your way to school as usual when suddenly an invisible barrier appears out of nowhere, trapping you underneath it and isolating you from the outside world. What do you do?
This is the scary experience the residents of a fictional town called Chester’s Mill are going through in the US TV series Under the Dome. Based on famous US author Stephen King’s 2009 best-selling novel, the show has become “the highest-rated summer show in 21 years” since debuting (首播) on June 24, reported the New York Post.
The series begins with the dome (穹頂) making its alarming appearance. As the earth trembles and birds take off, an enormous, invisible barrier slices down, cutting the town off from the rest of the world.
The residents quickly realize they are trapped, probably for quite some time. Families are separated, emergency services are unreachable and water, food and fuel are strictly limited.
There is no way out or in. But who or what is responsible? Nobody knows. Thus, the residents are at the mercy of unknown forces and their internal conflicts.
While it provides an enjoyable TV thrill ride, the movie’s science fiction is closely linked with reality.
“Not only is it worrying, suspenseful (懸疑的) and full of splendid special effects, but it has big thoughts about environmentalism and the future of the commented The Denver Post planet,”
As King himself explained to The Telegraph: “The dome is a microcosm (微觀世界) of life. We all live under the dome. We live on this little blue planet and so far as we know that’s all we’ve got,” he said. “The resources that we’ve got are the resources that we’ve got; they’re limited.”
But the show explores many themes in addition to environmental destruction. It also shows “how quickly the social order we take for granted can disappear when people are isolated and afraid”, said the Los Angeles Times.
It is “a science-fiction social study”, said The Washington Post. “Once the people of Chester’s Mill realize they are indefinitely trapped without means of food supply, outside communication and power, their polite sense of small-town, American civilization begins to fall apart.”
【小題1】The underlined word “isolating” in the first paragraph probably means _______.
A.separating | B.protecting |
C.discouraging | D.distinguishing |
A.Because it is suspenseful and uses splendid special effects to reflect modern life. |
B.Because it gets us to think about the future of the earth and the importance of environmental protection. |
C.Because it attaches great importance to following the social order even in frightening situations. |
D.Because the residents in the TV series live almost the same life as ordinary Americans do. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
It is a wonderful morning,as I write this:hot,but without being too hot. Outside my window,I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water. It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer’s temporary nature —a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year's holiday,time is running out .
It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. You might say this sounds like saying you are not very good at drinking tea or listening to music. What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing?
So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holidy too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a carefully itemized list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it.
Thankfully, I am not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey highlighted the downside(負面)of holidays, with the results shoeing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year's the Idler magazine published its book of awful holidays .Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically--damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website. Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life. The leisure(休閑)industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book's editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays.
【小題1】According to the first paragraph We can know that the writer .
A. has a strong desire to book a holiday |
B. wishes that the weather would change |
C. finds it is too late to enjoy the sunshine |
D. realizes it’s time to decide whether to go on a holiday |
A. people may find the man unbelievable |
B. People think traveling is not so easy an act as drinking tea |
C.The writer often regrets not taking a holiday. |
D. The writer doesn't like drinking tea or listening to music |
A. it usually takes too much time |
B. he is tired of making preparations too much for holidays |
C. it is far less enjoyable than breaks planned in advance |
D. he feels embarrassed when other people are having fun but he isn't |
A. pretend to enjoy their holiday |
B. fail to relax while they are on holiday |
C. feel that the benefits of going on holidays are limited |
D. have made the some decision as the writer and most of his friends |
A. damage the reputation of the magazine |
B.prove his idea to be more popular than expected |
C. indicate that his dislike of holidays is widely shared |
D. foucs entirely on bad personal experiences of holidays |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Water runs downhill from mountaintops to streams to rivers to oceans. But downhill isn’t the only way that water moves .A new study measures how water travels from country to country for human consumption. This flow isn’t the type we usually think about .These scientists looked at the water used to grow and make the products which get shipped from nation to nation as imports or exports. They call this a flow of“virtual water(虛擬水)”.
We typically think about water as the liquid that flows from a tap. However,92%of the water used by people goes into growing crops,according to water researcher Arjen Hoekstra. He recently studied the hidden travels of virtual water used in products made from things like crops and meats .These products are shipped around the world.
For example.consider a sugary soft drink. Hoekstra estimated that to produce one half-liter of the drink requires between 170 and 310litersofthewater—about 95%—is used to grow and process the ingredients(原料).Another 4%goes into the packaging and labeling. In Hoekstra’s calculation, when one country produces a half-liter of soda and sells it abroad,it exports as much virtual water as would fill a large refrigerator.
According to Hoekstra’s new report,dry countries like Israel and Kuwait,both in the Middle East, get the majority of their virtual water from other countries,through imported products. More surprisingly, some wetter countries,like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, also get the majority of their virtual water from other places. That means that most of the water used to grow or produce the products and food consumed in those countries came from other countries.
In the United States most of the virtual water used comes from American sources .In China even less of the water associated with its products
【小題1】What is the best title for the passage?
A.Crops and Virtual Water | B.Import and Export of Water |
C.Benefits of Virtual Water | D.Water’s worldwide travels |
A.how water flows |
B.what virtual water is |
C.where virtual water exists |
D.why water is imported and exported |
A.how drinks are made | B.how virtual water is used |
C.how virtual water is exported | D.how drinks are shipped |
A.lsrael and America | B.America and the Netherlands |
C.China and the United Kingdom | D.Kuwait and the Netherlands |
A.science news report | B.book review |
C.newspaper advertisement | D.science fiction story |
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