阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示，2）首字母提示，3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。
Volunteering not only has a meaningful and positive effect on your
neighborhood but also can have many (益处) to you. First, whether 1.
you help c the rooms for the old, do something for the disabled, 2.
teach the children to sing, you’ll gain some valuable skills and 3.
experience. Then by (使用) them you can make your study or 4.
your future job better. Volunteering b together a variety of people 5.
from different backgrounds. You’ll be e to a new environment. 6.
And maybe you’ll learn you can’t learn at school. It can also help 7.
you reward society, break down barriers of (误解), and even 8.
have fun. B , it is a good way for us students to learn and 9.
communicate with others, and it is great importance to our society. 10.
Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But they can also cause a lot of problems, sending you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
Barry Brown is with the Mobile Life Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. The center studies human-computer interaction, or HCI, especially communications involving wireless devices. We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay.
Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they had put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of “garbage in garbage out”. Mr. Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment.
Barry Brown: “One problem with many GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.”
Barry Brown: “One of the things that struck us, perhaps the most important thing was that you have to know what you’re doing when you use a GPS. There are these new skills that people have developed. There are these new competencies that you need to have to be able to use a GPS because they sometimes go wrong.” Barry Brown says this goes against a common belief that GPS systems are for passive drivers who lack navigational (导航) skills.
“The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS” lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.
1.What is the best title for this passage?
A. Is GPS system reliable to use? B. What is the use of GPS?
C. How to make the most of GPS? D. Blame! GPS or Passengers?
2.What is the implication of the underlined part?
A. GPS is just a garbage device.
B. GPS will not correct human errors.
C. GPS adjusts your wrong destination.
D. GPS is just as smart as human beings.
3.Which is NOT mentioned as a GPS shortcoming in the passage?
A. Small screen. B. Timing of commands.
C. Outdated maps. D. Dear cameras GPS uses.
4.According to the passage, people commonly believe that ___________.
A. you have to know where to go when using GPS
B. you need to have new competencies to use GPS well
C. GPS is proper for drivers with little sense of direction
D. GPS is fit for people having good understanding of maps
“Image is everything.” An entire industry has been built upon the assumption that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough. If there is no substance（事实）behind the image, the product, service or person will fail eventually.
First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services. Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection. Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back. For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness. But the recent scandal (丑闻) showed that behind that image, it cheated in business practices. Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit. Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm.
Similarly, personal advisers can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars. Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons. But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune. With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close.
To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the “selling” of a person. But image is only half of the equation. What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself —— the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success.
1.The downfall of the Arthour Andersen accounting firm is due to ___________.
A. its dishonesty in business B. its previous images
C. its bad management D. its poor service
2.Why did some famous people fall from grace?
A. Their images were not well built up.
B. They failed to live up to their images.
C. They felt much pressure from the public.
D. They paid little attention to fame and fortune.
3.The structure of the passage is ___________.
A: Argument P: Point C: Conclusion
4.The author tries to argue that ___________.
A. image creates everything
B. image is the key to success.
C. truth is unlikely ever to be equaled
D. truth and image are equally important
Today is National Bike-to-Work Day. And on New York City’s jammed streets, people are cycling on hundreds of miles of new bike lanes. But New York’s widespread efforts to make streets safer for bikes have also left some locals complaining about the loss of parking spots and lanes for cars.
When the weather is good, Aaron Naparstek likes to pedal（用踏板踩）his two young kids to school on a special Dutch-made bicycle. Naparstek supports the new lane.
Aaron: The bike lane on Prospect Park West is really introducing a lot of new people to the idea that it’s possible to use a bike in New York City for transportation or to travel around. This is what 21st century New York City looks like.
Prospect Park West is still a one-way road, but where it used to have three lanes of car traffic, now it has two, plus a protected bike lane. Supporters say that makes the road safer for everyone, including pedestrians, by slowing down cars and taking bikes off the sidewalk. But some longtime residents disagree. Lois Carswell is president of a group called Seniors for Safety. She says the two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents who are used to one-way traffic.
Lois: We wanted a lane — the right kind of lane that would keep everybody safe, that would keep the bikers safe. But we want it to be done the right way. And it has not been done the right way.
Craig Palmer builds bars and restaurants in Manhattan. I was interviewing him for a different story when he brought up the bike lanes all on his own.
Craig: I think the biggest problem is that Bloomberg put all these bike lanes in. You took what used to be a full street and you’re shrinking it.
Then there are the Hasidic Jews in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who forced the city to remove a bike lane through their neighborhood. But polls show that the majority of New Yorkers support bike lanes by a margin of 56% to 39%. Bicycle advocate Caroline Samponaro of Transportation Alternatives calls that a mandate.
Caroline: If this was an election, we would have already had our victory. The public has spoken and they keep speaking. And I think, more importantly, the public is starting to vote with their pedals.
1.What does Aaron mean by saying “This is what 21st century New York City looks like.”?
A. There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in 21 st century New York City.
B. Drivers slow down their cars and bikes are taken off the sidewalk in New York.
C. Bikes are used as a means of transport in 21 st century New York City.
D. It’s possible to make the streets safe for pedestrians in New York.
2.According to the passage, which of the following CANNOT support the opponents of these new bike lanes?
A. Drivers lose parking spots and lanes for cars.
B. The two-way bike lane is dangerous to older residents.
C. We took what used to be a full street so the road is broader than before.
D. The removal of one bike lane through a neighbourhood in Brooklyn was not supported.
3.“A mandate” in Paragraph 8 was referred to a demand or command from ___________.
A. the authority B. the public
C. the supporters D. the government
4.What of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Ride on National Bike-to-Work Day
B. A New Bike Lane Appears in New York
C. A Bike Lane Divides New Yorkers
D. Who Wins an Election
Below is a web page from http://www.parents.com/.
Kid of the Year Photo Competition
Enter your kid’s photo today and win! We’re giving away
52 weekly $250 prizes from Readers’ Choice votes. PLUS our
editors will select one entry to win our grand prize of $7,000.
Official Competition Rules
No purchase necessary to enter or win.
The Kid of the Year Photo Competition entry period begins at 12:00 a.m. January 23, 2011, and ends January 21, 2012 (“Entry Period”). Entries must arrive by 9:00 p.m. on January 21, 2012 (“Entry Deadline”). Entries will not be acknowledged or returned.
SPONSOR(赞助商): Meredith Corporation, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa.
ENTRY: There will be two methods of entry.
Share My Entry:
Visit http://www.parents.com/photos/photo-contests-1/kid-of-the-year/ and click the button to enter.
Facebook Entry:
Visit http://Facebook.com/ParentsMagazine and click the Kid of 2011 tab(选项卡).
Then complete the registration form and follow the instructions to upload one album of up to six photos of your child aged three months to eight years. You may provide one description and one album title that will be applied to all photos. Photos, without any brand names or trademarks, must be taken by participants, non-professional, unpublished and may not have won any prize or award. Photos must be .jpeg or .bmp image formats (格式) and cannot be over 3 MB.
This promotion is in no way sponsored, supported or run by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to Parents Magazine and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used to run the promotion and register for Parents.com.
LIMIT: One entry per family, per child, per week. One weekly prize per child. For entries of more than one child in a family, the entry process must be completed separately for each child. No group entries.
1.We can learn from the passage that ___________.
A. you should buy something first before you enter the contest
B. your entry will not be returned even if you don’t win the contest
C. you should send your entry before 9:00 p.m. on January 21, 2011
D. the editors of the contest will decide who will win the 20,000 dollars in prizes
2.Linda, a mother with seven-year-old twins, wants to enter the competition. She must ___________.
A. provide a description and an album title for the kid’s photos
B. go to Meredith Corporation to fill out the registration forms
C. complete the entry process separately for each of her kids
D. provide the information to Facebook if she chooses Facebook Entry
3.To enter the competition, photos must ___________.
A. be taken by non-professional participants
B. have won some prize or award
C. contain brand names or trademarks
D. contain parents’ personal information
4.The purpose of the passage i___________.
A. to advertise the website Facebook. com
B. to attract photographers’ interest in a photo contest
C. to introduce two methods of entering a photo contest
D. to encourage parents with children to enter a photo contest
Traditional fairytales are being abandoned by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found.
Research revealed one in five parents has ditched old classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favour of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the horrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and execution. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing.
The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9 p.m. on Watch, and sees six episodes(片段) based on traditional fairytales. The poll found a quarter of parents polled wouldn’t consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age of five, as they prompt too many awkward questions from their offspring(后代子孙).
Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: “Bedtime stories are supposed to soothe children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see in GRIMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children.”
“As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five year old with an over active imagination could take things too seriously. Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as we see in GRIMM, good will triumph over evil and there is always a moral to the story.”
The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares.
However, half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids’ books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.
1.Why don’t some parents want to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids?
A. Rumplestiltskin is too long.
B. Rumplestiltskin is too difficult.
C. Rumplestiltskin forgives stealing.
D. Rumplestiltskin may influence Children badly.
2.We can learn from paragraph 3 that Grimm is ___________.
A. a fairytales book
B. a movie for children
C. a play loved by children
D. a drama based on traditional fairytales
3.The underlined word “soothe “in paragraph4 can be replaced by___________.
A. put down B. calm down C. take down D. come down
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards traditional fairytales?
A. Optimistic B. Not mentioned
C. Casual D. Disapproving
