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15、 In what now seems like the prehistoric times of computer history, the earth’s postwar era, there was quite a wide-spread concern that computers would take over the world from man one day. Already today, less than forty years later, as computers are relieving us of more and more of the routine tasks in business and in our personal lives, we are faced with a less dramatic but also less foreseen problem. People tend to be over-trusting of computers and are reluctant to challenge their authority. Indeed, they behave as if they were hardly aware that wrong buttons may be pushed, or that a computer may simply malfunction(失误).
Obviously, there would be no point in investing in a computer if you had to check all its answers, but people should also rely on their own internal computers and check the machine when they have the feeling that something has gone wrong.
Questioning and routine double-checks must continue to be as much a part of good business as they were in pre-computer days. Maybe each computer should come with the warning: for all the help this computer may provide, it should not be seen as a substitute for fundamental thinking and reasoning skills.
1. What is the main purpose of this passage?
A) To look back to the early days of computers.
B) To explain what technical problems may occur with computers.
C) To discourage unnecessary investment in computers.
D) To warn against a mentally lazy attitude towards computers.
2. According to the passage, the wide-spread concern about computers was that they might _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) change our personal lives
B) take control of the world
C) create unforeseen problems
D) affect our businesses
3. The passage recommends those dealing with computers to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) be reasonably doubtful about them
B) check all their answers
C) substitute them for basic thinking
D) use them for business purposes only
4. The passage suggests that the present-day problem with regard to computers is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) challenging B) psychological C) dramatic D) fundamental
5. It can be inferred from the passage that the author would disapprove of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) investment in computers
B) the use of one’s internal computer
C) double-checks on computers
D) complete dependence on computers for decision-making
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2、Americans believe so much in moving ahead that they are _ 1 _ researching, experimenting and exploring. They treat time as if it _ 2 _ real — a precious resource. They budget it, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it, account for it and charge for it. A foreigner’s first impression _ 3 _ the U.S. is that everyone is in a rush and often _ 4 _ pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going, restlessly seeking attention or elbowing others. Foreigners who miss smiles, brief conversations, or leisurely exchanges with strangers should not feel hurt by this. Americans value time so highly, they dislike anyone “wasting” it _ 5 _ an appropriate amount. New arrivals to the States will miss the custom of social talk during a business call because Americans generally _ 6 _ or enquire about their visitors professionally rather than socially. They start talking business very quickly; time is always ticking in their heads. They work hard at saving time _ 7 _ labor-saving devices so they communicate rapidly by fax, phone or email rather than through _ 8 _ contact. The impersonality of electronic communication has _ 9 _ to do with the significance of the matter _ 10 _ hand.
1. A. engaged to B. committed to C. devoted themselves to D. contribute to
2. A. were B. is C. was D. are
3. A. in B. on C. of D. to
4. A. under B. by C. in D. on
5. A. on B. to C. in D. beyond
6. A. assess B. assure C. assume D. access
7. A. in B. of C. to D. through
8. A. personnel B. personal C. personality D. impersonal
9. A. little B. no C. less D. least
10. A. of B. to C. at D. in
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12、On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln went to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The Civil War was still going on. There was much criticism of President Lincoln at the time. He was not at all popular. He had been invited to speak at Gettysburg only out of courtesy. The principal speaker was to be Edward Everett, a famous statesman and speaker of the day. Everett was a handsome man and very popular everywhere.
It is said that Lincoln prepared his speech on the train while going to Gettysburg. Late that night, alone in his hotel room and tired out, he again worked briefly on the speech. The next day Everett spoke first. He spoke for an hour and 57 minutes. His speech was a perfect example of the rich oratory of the day. Then Lincoln rose. The crowd of 15,000 people at first paid little attention to him. He spoke for only nine minutes. At the end there was little applause. Lincoln turned to a friend and remarked, “I have failed again.” On the train back to Washington he commented sadly, “That speech was a flat failure, and the people are disappointed.”
Some newspapers at first criticized the speech. But little by little, as people read the speech, they began to understand better. They began to appreciate its simplicity and its deep meaning. It was a speech which only Abraham Lincoln could have made.
Today, every American school child learns Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address by heart. Now everyone thinks of it as one of the greatest orations ever given in American history.
1. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) very critical B) unpopular C) very popular D) very courteous
2. Lincoln was invited to speak at the National Soldiers Cemetery because he was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) a famous orator
B) very handsome
C) President of the United States at the time
D) a popular statesman
3. It can be inferred from the text that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) Lincoln prepared his speech very carefully before he went to Gettysburg
B) Lincoln was very busy at the time and didn’t have much time to prepare his speech
C) Lincoln’s speech was full of rich oratory
D) Lincoln’s speech was very long
4. Lincoln’s speech was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) an immediate success B) warmly applauded
C) a total failure D) not well-received at first
5. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A) Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address has deep meaning.
B) Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is simple in style.
C) Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is memorized by every American school child.
D) Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is the greatest speech ever delivered in the United States.
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14、Robert Spring, a 19th century forger (伪造文件者), was so good at his profession that he was able to make his living for 15 years by selling false signatures of famous Americans. Spring was born in England in 1813 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1858 to open a bookstore. At first he became rich by selling his small but genuine collection of early U.S. autographs（签字）. Discovering his ability at copying handwriting, he began imitating signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin and writing them on the title pages of old books. To lessen the chance of detection, he sent his forgeries to England and Canada for sale and circulation.
Forgers have a hard time selling their products. A forger can’t approach a respectable buyer but must deal with people who don’t have much knowledge in the field. Forgers have many ways to make their work look real. For example, they buy old books to use the aged paper of the title page, and they can treat paper and ink with chemicals.
In Spring’s time, right after the Civil War, Britain was still fond of the Southern states, so Spring invented a respectable maiden lady known as Miss Fanny Jackson, the only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson. For several years Miss Fanny’s financial problems forced her to sell a great number of letters and manuscripts（手稿）belonging to her famous father. Spring had to work very hard to satisfy the demand. All this activity did not prevent Spring from dying in poverty, leaving sharp-eyed experts the difficult task of separating his forgeries from the originals.
1. Why did Spring sell his false autographs in England and Canada?
A) There was a greater demand there than in America.
B) There was less chance of being detected there.
C) Britain was Spring’s birthplace.
D) The prices were higher in England and Canada.
2. After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) southern money
B) signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin
C) southern manuscripts and letters
D) Civil War battle plans
3. Robert Spring spent 15 years _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) running a bookstore in Philadelphia
B) corresponding with Miss Fanny Jackson
C) as a forger
D) as a respectable dealer
4. According to the passage, forgeries are usually sold to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) sharp-eyed experts B) persons who aren’t experts
C) book dealers D) owners of old books
5. Who was Miss Fanny Jackson?
A) The only daughter of General “Stonewall” Jackson.
B) A little-known girl who sold her father’s papers to Robert Spring.
C) Robert Spring’s daughter.
D) An imaginary person created by Spring.
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9、Engineering design aims to link economic, social, environmental and of course safety factors to produce the best solution. This is especially true in earthquake engineering where it is possible to design a building that is “safe” for all types of earthquakes but does not fit the design brief. For example, it is not economically feasible to design buildings in Bristol to withstand a large earthquake as the chances are very small. Similarly a square concrete structure that has small windows and thick walls may be the ideal design for a particular area; however, it wouldn’t fit a design brief asking for a modern high-tech design. This balance of factors can only be achieved by engineers combining experience and knowledge of the area where the structure is to be located.
Design practice has been changing over the last few years. The older design requirements used to insist that in an earthquake the building should maintain enough structural integrity to remain standing. This meant that if the serviceability limit state was passed the structure would have to be demolished, as it would be no longer safe to use. Although this concept saves lives as people can escape from buildings, it does nothing to prevent the huge financial cost of a large earthquake as a large proportion of buildings have to be demolished and rebuilt. Thus the new design requirements demand that the structure should remain standing in an earthquake and additionally not have to be demolished.
The other factor often left unconsidered is the effect of after shocks. These shocks generally have little effect on undamaged buildings; however, on damaged ones they can have destructive effect and stop rescue operations. In the assessment of buildings the energy from an aftershock should be considered.
Apparently the damage caused by earthquakes is almost entirely associated with man-made structures. Earthquakes only cause death by the damage they induce in structures such as buildings, dams, bridges and other works of man. And this is one of the reasons why earthquake engineering is so important.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A) Earthquake engineers with experience and knowledge.
B) Some factors for building design in earthquake engineering.
C) Buildings to withstand all possible earthquakes.
D) Equal consideration in earthquake engineering.
2. The word “demolish” in the second paragraph means _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) pull down B) pull up C) pull away D) pull apart
3. Which of the following is not true about the new design requirement?
A) Building should remain integrated in an earthquake.
B) Building should be reconstructed after an earthquake.
C) Building should let people escape in an earthquake.
D) Building should be made to avoid rebuilding after an earthquake.
4. The damage of all the following causes the death of people except _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) dams and bridges B) buildings and dams
C) bridges and buildings D) some works like steel works and brick works
5. When assessing buildings, we should take into account the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) undamaged buildings B) man-made structures
C) effect of aftershocks D) rescue operations
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11、When I was about six years old, my mother came home one day and found that I had collected half a dozen babies of the neighbourhood — all of them too young to walk — and had them sitting before me on the floor while I was teaching them to wave their arms. When she asked the explanation of this, I informed her that it was my school of dance. She was amused, and placing herself at the piano, she began to play for me. This school continued and became very popular. Later on, little girls of the neighbourhood came and their parents paid me a small sum to teach them. This was the beginning of what afterwards proved a very lucrative occupation.
My mother took me to a famous ballet teacher, but his lessons did not please me. When the teacher told me to stand on my toes I asked him why, and when he replied “Because it is beautiful,” I said that it was ugly and against nature and after the third lesson I left his class, never to return. This stiff and commonplace gymnastics which he called dancing only disturbed my dream. I dreamed of a different dance. I did not know just what it would be, but I was feeling out towards an invisible world into which I guessed I might enter if I found the key.
My art was already in me when I was a little girl, and it was owing to the heroic and adventurous spirit of my mother that it was not stifled. I believe that whatever the child is going to do in life should be begun when it is very young. I wonder how many parents realize that by the so-called education they are giving their children, they are only driving them into the commonplace, and depriving them of any chance of doing anything beautiful or original.
1. When her mother came home one day, the narrator of the story _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) was teaching half a dozen babies to dance
B) was teaching half a dozen babies to walk
C) was collecting babies of the neighbourhood
D) was making babies of the neighbourhood sit before her on the floor
2. The attitude of the narrator’s mother toward her school of dance was one of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) despise B) contempt C) support D) indifference
3. The narrator thought that ballet was _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) the most graceful dance
B) stiff, ugly and unnatural
C) a dance that she had dreamed of
D) an invisible world into which she guessed she might enter
4. According to the narrator, she owed her success in art to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) the good education her parents gave her
B) the support of her understanding and adventurous mother
C) her inborn talent
D) her ballet teacher
5. The central idea of the passage is that _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A) parents should try to discover the natural gift in their children and help to develop it while they are young
B) the so-called good education parents give their children only drives them into the commonplace and deprives them of any chance of doing anything orginal
C) mother should be heroic and adventurous
D) ballet is no good as a form of dance
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3、2,
Because speech is the most convenient form of communication, in the future we want essentially natural conversations with computers. The primary point of contact will be a simple device that will act as our window on the world. It will have to be small enough to slip into your pocket, so there will be a screen but no keyboard: you will simply talk to it. The device will be permanently connected to the internet and will send relevant information up to you as it comes in. Such devices will evolve naturally in the next five to ten years.
Just how quickly people will adapt to a voice-based internet world is uncertain. Many believe that, initially at least, we will need similar conventions for the voice to those we use at present on screen: click, back, forward, and so on. But soon you will undoubtedly be able to interact by voice with all those IT-based services you currently connect with over the internet by means of a keyboard. This will help the internet serve the entire population, not just technofreaks.
Changes like this will encompass the whole world. Because English is the language of science, it will probably remain the language in which the technology is most advanced, but most speech-recognition techniques are transferable to other languages provided there is sufficient motivation to undertake the work.
Of course, in any language there are still huge problems for us to solve. Carefully dictated, clear speech can now be understood by computers with only a 4-5 percent error rate, but even state-of-the-art technology still records 30-40 percent errors with spontaneous speech. Within ten years we will have computers that respond to goal-directed conversation, but for a computer to have a conversation that takes into account human social behavior is probably 50 years off. We’re not going to be chatting to the big screen in the living room just yet.
1. Computers can now understand _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ of carefully dictated, clear speech.
A. 4-5% B. 30-40% C. 91-92% D. 95-96%
2 The simple device, possibly with a screen but no keyboard, can be put to use _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A. within fifty years B. fifty years later
C. in the next five to ten years D. within the next five years
3. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?
A. Internet and Human Voice B. Computers and Artificial Speech
C. Screen and Speech Recognition D. Computers and Human Behavior
4. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Speech is the most convenient form of communication.
B. Speech-recognition techniques can be used between different languages.
C. The tone of the passage is blindly hopeful.
D. Lots of problems are waiting to be solved for the speech recognition.
5. The word “state-of –the-art” (Para. 4) most probably means _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A. most advanced B. most popular C. most practical D. most complicated
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5、When a conductor in Spain asked to see her train ticket, Janet Loops, and exercise instructor from Palo Alto, Calif., reached for her purse — and discovered her wallet was gone. She had no ticket, passport, credit cards, traveler’s checks, cash. It took nearly a week to get a new passport and traveler’s checks. Her trip was almost ruined.
To guard against such disasters, especially overseas, some experts suggest carrying your money and documents in a small, flat pouch around your neck and tucked under your clothing. A fanny pack can be used if carried in front, but be alert — it can be cut off. Other possible ways to foil pickpockets: Wrap rubber bands around a wallet to make it harder to lift from a pocket. Have zippers sewn into your blazer pocket.
The key is to stay alert and “pack your common sense,” says Alfred Boza, a Miami Beach police detective. Know, for instance, that the honest-looking woman you ask to take your picture might run away with your camera. Or that thieves could be watching for you to leave your bags unattended briefly at airport security checkpoints.
1. Janet Loops _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A. had not bought her ticket B. was a traveler
C. was a train conductor D. had her wallet robbed
2. It is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for overseas to keep their money and documents safe.
A. difficult B. precarious C. possible D. perilous
3. “Be alert” in Paragraph 2 means _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A. be careful B. be watchful and ready to meet danger
C. be alternative D. be ready to stop thief
4. If you are a traveler, you should _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A. not ask others to take your picture
B. put your passport, credit cards traveler’s checks and cash individually
C. not carry cash on you
D. stay alert and pack your common sense
5. The best title for the passage may be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .
A. How to Travel B. How to Keep Money Safe
C. Watch for Thieves D. Guard Against Disasters
