A funny thing happened on the way to the communication revolution: we stopped talking to one another.
I was walking in the park with a friend recently, and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were, walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and suddenly, I became invisible, absent from the conversation.
The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communication technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction. With email and instant messaging over the Internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice-mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.
As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated, the emotional distance index goes up. You can’t even call a person to get the phone number of another person any more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.
I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card, a voice-mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn’t wise. They’re a great help to us. It's some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.
More and more, I find myself hiding behind email to do a job meant for conversations or being relieved with voice-mail picking up because I don't really have time to talk. The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier.
1.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A. The Advance of Modern Technology
B. The Consequences of Communication Technology
C. The Story of Communication Revolution
D. The Automation of Modern Communication
2.Which is NOT TURE according to the passage?
A. The author has decided not to use his phone when he is with his friend.
B. Modern technology makes it hard for people to have a face-to-face talk.
C. The limited use of communication device brings much inconvenience to the author.
D. The industry intended to keep people in touch is taking them away from each other.
3.The writer feels that the use of modern communication is ______.
A. satisfying B. encouraging
C. disappointing D. embarrassing
4.The passage implies that ______.
A. modern technology is bridging the people
B. modern technology is separating the people
C. modern technology is developing too fast
D. modern technology is interrupting people
My childhood and adolescence were a joyous outpouring of energy, an endless pursuit for expression, skill, and experience. was only a background to the great delight of lessons in music, dance, and dramatics.
Then one night at a high school dance, a remark, not intended for my , injured my youthful happiness: “That girl, what a pity she is blind.” Blind! A(n) word that implied everything dark, blank and helpless. I turned and called out, “Please don’t feel sorry for me, I’m having lots of fun.” the fun was not to last.
In college years, I began to struggle with the problem of earning a living. Part-time teaching of piano and occasional giving concerts proved only sources of economic support. In terms of time and effort involved, the financial return was . Self-doubt and dark moods sparked within me. to my misery was the repeated experience of knowing my sisters and friends dating excitedly. How I was to my piano, I could dissolve my frustration, accompanied by Chopin, Brahms, and Beethoven.
Then one day, I met a girl, an army nurse, whose faith was to change my life. As our acquaintance into friendship, she sensed my . She said, “Stop knocking on closed doors. I know your opportunity will come. You’re trying too hard. Why don’t you relax? And have you ever tried ?” The idea was strange to me. I had always believed that if you wanted , you had to go and get it for yourself. Yet, my sincerity and hard work had yielded poor returns, so I was to try anything else. Self-consciously, I performed the daily practice of prayer. I said, “God, show me the for which You sent me to this world.
In the years to follow, the answers began to arrive, satisfying my most optimistic expectation. One of the answers was Enchanted Hills, where my friend and I had the privilege of seeing blind children come alive in God’s out-of-doors. are the sources of pleasure and comfort I have found in friendship, and most important of all, I closer to God and, through Him, to immortality (永生).
1.A. School B. Society C. Family D. College
2.A. mind B. direction C. eyes D. ears
3.A. rude B. ugly C. dirty D. strange
4.A. quickly B. slowly C. gently D. quietly
5.A. Thus B. And C. But D. Though
6.A. adequate B. partial C. full D. rich
7.A. discouraging B. uninspiring C. encouraging D. convincing
8.A. Referring B. Contributing C. Adapting D. Adding
9.A. grateful B. excited C. proud D. sensitive
10.A. who B. which C. what D. where
11.A. jumped B. ran C. grew D. became
12.A. joy B. depression C. pleasure D. pity
13.A. practicing B. nursing C. praying D. volunteering
14.A. anything B. everything C. nothing D. something
15.A. able B. willing C. eager D. devoted
16.A. destination B. purpose C. meaning D. answer
17.A. with B. off C. beyond D. from
18.A. doctor B. teacher C. nurse D. prayer
19.A. Other B. Others C. Another D. Either
20.A. draw B. arrive C. drag D. pull
Our daughter doesn’t know what to ______ at the university; she can’t make up her mind about her future.
A. take in B. take over C. take up D. take on
______ from endless homework on weekends, the students now find their own activities, such as taking a ride together to watch the sunrise.
A. Freed B. Freeing C. To free D. having freed
— Tom, you are caught late again.
— Oh, ______.
A. not at all B. just my luck C. never mind D. that’s all right
Kathy’s cat is so cute and lovely, but I don’t think I have enough time to keep ______.
A. this B. that C. it D. one
