It is Saturday night and you want to turn on your television. Can you? Or do you first need to call your partner, or your child, or whoever it is in your household who knows which handset to use and which buttons to press? If so, you are not alone. Our televisions are an unspoken disaster zone. Finally, somebody has said something.
All hail (致敬) the Duke of Edinburgh. “To work out how to operate a television set, you practically have to make love to the thing,” he says, in this week’s Saturday Review. “And why can’t
you have a handset that people who are not ten years old can actually read?”
The Duke is often a reactionary (反动者), but this is not reactionary thinking. Our computers become ever easier to operate. Our cars almost drive themselves. Some mobile telephones, such as the phone, are obvious wonders: successful designs that could be operated by a child. The remote control of your television, by comparison, has changed only for the worse.
The first wide – spread commercial remote control was the Zenith Space Command, designed in 1956. It had four buttons: power, channel up, channel down and volume. Oh, for such simple things in our lives today. Before long, the remote control was out of control. Not just with televisions, but with video players, too. They came and went, and a whole generation never figured out how to use them. Why not? In all other ways, televisual technology has developed a great deal. The screens have grown grander, the picture definition (清晰度) has grown higher, and the sound clearer. The remote controls have merely grown. Nobody ever uses half those buttons. A remote revolution is long overdue.
1.What does “Our televisions are an unspoken disaster zone” mean?
A. Television is actually a great danger to humans.
B. It is very difficult to use many TV handsets properly.
C. We should treat televisions in a friendly way.
D. Somebody has said something about television.
2.What the Duke of Edinburgh says actually means that ________.
A. TV remote controls should be made easier to use
B. we must learn to respect TVs
C. we should love watching TV
D. we should buy handsets to control our TVs
3.What’s the author’s attitude to television remote controls?
A. Positive. B. Negative. C. Neutral (中立的). D. Indifferent (漠然的)
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Remote Revolution. B. From Buttons to Handsets.
C. Televisions－Out of Control. D. Computers－Under Control.
On May 3
On May 3, 1937, Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel “Gone with the wind”.
On May 3, 1898, Golda Meir, the fourth prime minister of the State of Israel, was born.
On May 3, 1802, Washington, D.C. officially became a city.
On May 2
On May 2, 1903, Benjamin Spock, the American pediatrician (儿科医生) whose book on child rearing (扶养) influenced generations of parents, was born.
On May 2, 1885, Harper’s Weekly featured a cartoon about the construction of the Statue of Liberty.
On May 1
On May 1, 1967, Singer Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas.
On May 1, 1907, Kate Smith, the American singer who was considered the “first lady of radio”, was born.
On May 1, 1880, Harper’s Weekly featured a cartoon about the mass migration of Southern blacks to the West.
On April 30
On April 30, 1945, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler committed suicide (自杀) along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun, as Russian troops approached his Berlin Bunker.
On April 30, 1902, Theodore Schultz, the American economist who won a Nobel Prize for his important studies of the human factor in the workplace, was born.
On April, 30, 1859, Harper’s Weekly featured a cartoon about a U.S. military expedition to Paraguay (巴拉圭).
1.Arrange the following events in order of time they happened.
a. Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize b. Benjamin Spock was born
c. Elvis Presley got married d. Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler died
A. a-b-c-d B. b-a-d-c C. b-a-c-d D. a-b-d-c
2.Who later became a political leader?
A. Golda Meir B. Elvis Presley C. Kate Smith D. Theodore Schultz
3.Harper’s Weekly is most probably _____.
A. a daily newspaper with a cartoon column
B. a cartoon newspaper started in the late 19th century
C. an American magazine with a cartoon column
D. a European cartoon magazine with a long history
4.The section of a newspaper containing this type of information can best be titled _____.
A. History focus B. History’s celebration
C. Important historical events D. On this day in history
In a house with more than one kid, there are bound to be some problems. When brothers and sisters don’t get along，it’s called sibling rivalry(敌对). It’s normal, but too much competition can make for an unhappy home life. Let’s talk about getting along with brothers and sisters．
What is sibling rivalry?
A little competition isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes it can keep you working hard, but some sibling rivalry involves arguing. People who love each other might argue sometimes, but too much fighting is unpleasant for everyone.
Have you ever heard of the green–eyed monster called jealousy (嫉妒)? Sometimes brothers and
sisters are jealous of one another. For instance, if your sister always does well at school, it may be frustrating for you, especially if your grades are lower.
Although you’re probably proud of your sibling or siblings, it’s normal to be a little jealous, too. It may make you feel better to focus more on doing your own personal best, rather than comparing yourself with a brother or sister.
Don’t lose your cool．
Sometimes when you’re jealous and frustrated, it’s easy to lose your temper. Try to follow these tips to avoid getting into a fight with your brother or sister: Firstly, take a deep breath and think a bit. Secondly, remind yourself that you have special talents. Finally, try to congratulate your siblings on their achievements and share their happiness. If you do this for them, they’ll be more likely to do it for you.
Hopefully, these tips will work. But if the situation gets out of control and you and your brother or sister start fighting a lot, you may need to talk to someone.
1.The underlined word “sibling” in Paragraph 1 may be replaced by “________”.
A. classmates B. history books
C. brothers and sisters D. parents
2.How does the author organize the passage?
A. In the order of space. B. By presenting a question and solving it.
C. In the order of time. D. By illustrating causes and effects.
3.Suppose your sister always does better in studies than you, the author may advise you to ________.
A. neglect her achievements B. congratulate her and share her happiness
C. speak ill of her behind her back D. quarrel with her and look down upon her
4.How many tips does the author give to avoid fighting with your brother or sister?
A. One. B. Two. C. Three. D. Four.
A diner in a very splendid restaurant started to take off his jacket. Seeing this, the head waiter dashed over to his table and said, “I’m afraid I must ask you to keep your jacket on, sir, for it is not good manners to do it in such a smart restaurant.”
“Now listen”, said the diner. “I’ll let you know that the Queen of England gave me permission to remove my jacket here.”
“The Queen of England ?” said the waiter in great surprise.
“Sure”, replied the diner, “when I was in England last month, a friend of mine who had a very important position in high society took me to see the Queen. It was rather hot so I started taking my coat off. The Queen looked over and said, “you may do that in the United State, but you may not do it here.” So I got the Queen’s permission, right?”
1.It can be sure that the story happened ________.
A. in England B. in the Queen’s palace
C. in America D. in an ordinary restaurant
2.The diner thought he could take off his jacket because ________.
A. he was permitted by the Queen of England to do so in the U. S.
B. the weather was so hot that no one could stand it
C. he had the freedom of taking off his clothes anywhere
D. he was in such a shabby (破旧的) restaurant
3.What the Queen really meant was that _________.
A. people in the U. S. were less polite
B. he shouldn’t take off his coat in such a formal occasion in England
C. she permitted him to take off his jacket in America
D. the English and the Americans enjoyed different ways of life
4.What do you think of the diner? I think he was ________.
A. a person who had excellent understanding
B. one who didn’t have good understanding
C. such a man as used to make trouble
D. always ready to do what the Queen told him to
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to 1the house-building business and live a more 2life with his wife and 3his extended family. He 4the paycheck (工资) each week, but he wanted to retire. They could get by.
The employer was 5to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, 6over time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He used 7workmanship (工艺; 手艺) and inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to 8a dedicated (献身的) career.
When the carpenter finished his work, his employer came to 9the house. Then he handed the front-door 10to the carpenter and said, “This is your house…my 11to you.”
The carpenter was shocked!
What a 12! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
13it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting 14than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we 15we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over again, we would do it much differently.
You can’t 16. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer in a nail, position a board, or build a wall. Someone 17said, “Life is a do-it-yourself project”. Your 18, and the choices you 19today, help build the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build 20!
1.A. continue B. start C. leave D. find
2.A. leisurely B. lonely C. orderly D. friendly
3.A. support B. share C. enjoy D. care
4.A. will miss B. would miss C. missed D. miss
5.A. polite B. nervous C. proud D. sorry
6.A. but B. while C. when D. before
7.A. perfect B. good C. bad D. beautiful
8.A. satisfy B. improve C. meet D. end
9.A. buy B. repair C. see D. sell
10.A. roof B. window C. key D. design
11.A. gift B. promise C. salary D. words
12.A. disappointment B. shame C. pleasure D. success
13.A. So B. Yet C. As D. Such
14.A. worse B. more C. rather D. less
15.A. realize B. explain C. think D. admit
16.A. step forward B. go back C. come out D. look around
17.A. never B. again C. once D. nearly
18.A. attitude B. experience C. skill D. advantage
19.A. learn B. take C. see D. make
20.A. badly B. wisely C. early D. confidently
地球温室效应是全世界人类关注的焦点，如今世界各国都在倡导低碳生活以尽量减少二氧化碳排放来保护地球，请你以“低碳生活”为标题写一篇关于提倡低碳生活，保护地球从我做起的文章。
参考信息：
1.每周有一天吃素
2.不使用时，关掉所有电器，包括灯
3.尽量使用自己的杯子和餐具
4.不要购买没必要的衣物
5.外出尽量走路或骑自行车
6.取消不必要的打印工作
参考词汇：低碳low carbon 电器 appliances
字数要求：120词左右
