Once upon a time if we wanted to make a phone call or wait for someone to contact us, we had to sit at home or at our desks. There were public phones in the street of course, but it could be hard to find one that was working and there were often long queues to use them. And of course you had to bring a lot of coins to pay for the calls.
So people didn't phone their friends as often. Mobile phones, these small pieces of electronic equipment which allow us to talk with friends and family while we are on the move, have greatly changed the way we live. Before the age of the mobile phone, our loved ones would sit around worried sick if we were late coming home. There were no quick calls to tell mum that there would be additional guests coming for dinner. We would have to depend on notes left on fridges or desks to communicate messages.
But mobile phones have also had a negative effect and what people don't seem to realize is that we've lost something very valuable: our privacy. Now our friends and family can contact us wherever and whenever they want to. We can never get away from them. The way people communicate with each other is totally different now. It's difficult to have a conversation face-to-face with a friend without being disturbed every couple of minutes by the ring of their phones, ,most people don't see anything wrong in having a long conversation on their mobile phone while forgetting all about the person sitting opposite. It seems the art of real conversation may be dying.
Of course, people could leave their mobile phones at home or even switch them off but no one ever does that. Why not? Because the worrying thing is we can't live without our phones. We've become communication addicts, unable to spend even a few minutes out of contact, in case we miss something 'important'.
1. What does the underlined sentence tell us?
A、 No all-day public phone service was provided in the street.
B、 Public phones were in poor condition and not always available.
C、 Public phones were everywhere but they were always in use.
D、 You could always see people repairing the public phones.
2.What's the writer's point about using telephones before the invention of mobile phones?
A、 Using a telephone was expensive.
B、 Phone calls were much shorter.
C、 People made fewer phone calls.
D、 People relied on notes a lot.
3.What does the writer think about life before mobile phones?
A、 Life was less convenient.
B、 People were more punctual.
C、 Things were more relaxed.
D、 Everyone managed very well.
4. What's the writer's main argument against mobile phones?
A、 They have damaged relationships.
B、 We give out too much information.
C、 They are harmful to our body and mind.
D、 It's impossible to escape from them.
5.Which word best describes how the writer feels about the use of mobile phones.'?
A、 Disappointed. B、 Satisfied.
C、 Worried. D、 Surprised.
6.What's the writer's main purpose in writing this article?
A、 To inform people about means of communication in the past.
B、 To show disadvantages of the way people communicate today.
C、 To advise readers to stop using the mobile phone.
D、 To compare different types of phone conversation.
Rewrite the following sentences as required.
1.You have to pay to park here. (改为否定句)
You ______ _______ to pay to park here
2.Henry Ford invented the world’s first assembly line in 1913. (划线提问)
_______ ________ Henry Ford invent the world’s first assembly line?
3.They created a Children’s Fund to provide money for those who are ill. (保持句意)
They _______ ________ a Children’s Fund to provide money for those who are ill.
4.The newspapers will publish the results of the survey. (改为被动语态)
The results of the survey will _____ _______ in the newspapers.
5.We cannot drink salt water . we cannot take a shower with it, either. (保持句意)
We can _____ drink salt water ____ take a shower with it.
6.“Have you collected any materials about earthquakes?” asked Ms Ward. (改为宾语从句)
Ms Ward asked me _____ I _____ collected any materials about earthquakes.
7.a blanket, covered, Tom’s, with, legs, were (连词成句)
____________________________________________.
Complete the sentences with the given words in their proper forms.
1.With my saving, I bought _________ a mobile phone for his birthday. (he)
2.Our ______ have been polluted by waste from factories. (river)
3.The wheelchair gives him the _______ to go out on his own. (free)
4.Black shoes go very well with jeans, and are much _________ to keep clean. (easy)
5.One soldier was killed and three others were _______ when their tank was hit by a rocket. (wounD、
6.The modern fashion in education is to let the child _____ everything. (decision)
7.Hundreds of houses were ______ damaged in the hurricane. (heavy)
8.The growing problem of _______ cats and dogs has caused much trouble in the town. (home)
A、 no longer B、 completely C、 compete D、 given up E、 encourage |
Though the sale of bottled water is still on the rise. Certain policy makers have taken steps to reduce it and 1. people to drink tap water. In September 2009, the Australian city of Bundanoon became the first city in the world to 2. stop bottled water from being sold in stores, building water fountains instead.
Among the cities in America that have taken action are San Francisco and Seattle, which 3. buy water for city use, and Chicago which adds a five-cent tax on each bottle. Several restaurants in those cities have also 4. bottled water for tap water. Other cities are also considering taking action.
A、 source B、 on average C、 plastic D、 fixed E、 examined |
The US public uses about 50 billion water bottles a year and most of those 1. bottles are not recycled, according to Elizabeth Royte’s book Bottlemanid: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.
More than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water in the U.S. in many developing countries where there isn’t a safe 2. of tap water, bottled water is the only choice.
In the US, tap water is controlled by the government and often 3. for dangerous substances(物质). Each American drinks 79 litres of bottled water per year 4. . The bottled water industry is so successful that it has outpaced milk, coffee, and juice in the number of gallons of drinks sold – putting it behind only beer and soda.
–I’m sorry I’m late – the traffic was terrible.
-____. The traffic situation is getting worse these days.
A. That’s OK B. You’re welcome
C. I don’t think so D. Please go ahead.
