People are being lured(引诱) onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service, and don’t realize that they’re paying for it by giving up loads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data（资料） to advertisers that want to send targeted (目标的)messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook, because people don’t really know what their personal details are worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook—you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things—your city, your photo, your friends’ names—were set, by default（默认）, to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience.”
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senators rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade（侵犯）our privacy, it’s only the beginning，which is why I’m considering deactivating（撤销） my account(账号). Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t trust. That is too high a price to pay.
1.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
A. It is a website that sends messages to targeted users.
B. It makes money by putting on advertisements.
C. It earns money by selling its user’s personal data
D. It provides a lot of information to its users
2.What does the author say about most Facebook users?
A. They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook
B. They are unwilling to give up their personal information
C. They don’t identify themselves when using website
D. They care very little about their personal information
3.Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
A. To help its users make more friends
B. To obey the Federal guidelines
C. To make money by attracting more users
D. To offer better service to its users
4.What does Senator Charles Schumer argue for?
A. Setting guidelines for advertising on websites
B. Setting rules for social-networking sites
C. Stopping sharing user’s personal information
D. Removing ads from all social-networking sites
5.Why does the author plan to stop using his Facebook account?
A. He is dissatisfied with its service.
B. He finds many of its users untrustworthy.
C. He doesn’t want his personal data badly used.
D. He is upset by its frequent rule changes.
With more and more cars on the road, traffic jams are inevitable. Traffic jams can lead to increased accidents as there are more cars, with more people trying to get to their destination, all the while getting worse. Although it’s impossible to avoid traffic jams altogether, there are some tips you can follow to reduce the amount of time on the road.
Check for traffic jams before you leave. You can listen to the radio for traffic news, or check on the Internet to get up-to-minute information on traffic. If the route you want to take is heavy with traffic, you can choose another.
Look for a different route all the time. Most traffic jams happen on busy roads. Using country roads could see you avoiding a lot of traffic. Although the distance you may have to travel is further, it can work out quicker.
Set your car radio to receive traffic bulletins. Many new car stereo systems (汽车音响系 统) are equipped with a radio system by which you can hear the traffic channel. This way you can get the latest traffic information and change your journey if necessary.
__________ Most traffic jams usually occur during rush hour, so try to avoid this time period if possible. Some jobs offer flexible working hours so that you can travel to work outside of rush hour. Some jobs even allow you to work at home so as to avoid moving altogether. Ask your manager to see what you can do if traffic is a problem for you.
Use public transport alternatives where available. The easiest way to avoid traffic jams is to take buses or the underground instead of driving your own car. Not only will you avoid traffic jams but you will most likely be saving money as the cost of motoring rises.
1.The underlined word “inevitable” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.
A. hard to accept B. impossible to avoid
C. getting less serious D. seen everywhere
2.The author wrote the text in order to ______.
A. explain why there are traffic jams
B. tell us how to save time on the road
C. tell us what we can do on the road
D. tell us the negative effects of traffic jams
3.To get the latest traffic information, you could do the following EXCEPT ______.
A. surfing the Internet
B. listening to the radio for traffic news
C. listening to the traffic channel
D. turning to other drivers for information
4.Which of the following can be put in the blank in the text?
A. Choose a job that has flexible working hours
B. Make friends with your manager
C. Try traveling at different time
D. Work from home
5.According to the author, we should use public transport because __________.
A. it is cheaper and can avoid traffic jams
B. it is useful to us
C. it is environmentally-friendly
D. it is completely free from traffic jams
When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write and illustrate my own books. Half the students sneered. The rest nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be silly, only geniuses can become writers,” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this semester.” I was so humiliated(羞辱) that I burst into tears.
That night I wrote a short sad poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the Capri’s Weekly newspaper. To my astonishment, they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and paid writer. I showed it to my teacher and fellow students. They laughed. “Just plain dumb luck,” the teacher said. I tasted success. I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was fine with me.
During the next two years I sold dozens of poems, letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I graduated from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks filled with my published work. I never mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and if people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their dreams.
I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. While the children slept, I typed on my ancient typewriter. I wrote what I felt. It took nine months, just like a baby.
A month later Crying Wind, the title of my book, became a best seller, was translated into fifteen languages and Braille and sold worldwide. I appeared on TV talk shows. I traveled from New York to California and Canada on promotional tours. My first book also became required reading in native American schools in Canada.
People ask what college I attended, what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is: “None.” I just write. I’m not a genius. I’m not gifted and I don’t write right. To all those who dream of writing, I’m shouting at you: “Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Don’t listen to them.” I don’t write right but I’ve beaten the odds. Writing is easy, it’s fun and anyone can do it. Of course, a little dumb luck doesn’t hurt.
1.Why did many students laugh after hearing what the writer said?
A. Because they didn’t like him
B. Because they wished he could be successful as a writer
C. Because their teacher laughed, too
D. Because they felt it impossible for him to succeed
2.When the writer graduated from high school, ___________.
A. he had become a famous writer
B. he had made progress in his studies.
C. his classmates and teachers changed their attitudes towards him
D. he decided he wouldn’t become a writer
3.What prevented him telling others about his writing?
A. The characters in his story. B. His teacher.
C. His early experience.D. His parents.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. It is difficult for a person, who cares about what others say, to succeed.
B. It is important for a person to tell others what he wants to do.
C. It is necessary for a person, who wants to succeed, to take others’ advice.
D. It is impossible for an ordinary person to be a writer in the future.
5.Which of the following is the best title?
A. A famous writer
B. I Hate My Classmates and Teachers
C. I Never Write Right
D. A Genius Can Be a Writer
One day, a well-known speaker was invited to give a lecture to an audience of 200. He started his lecture by a $ 20 bill. He looked around the room, and asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?” started going up.
He said, “I am going to this $20 to one of you, but first, let me do this.” He crumpled up (揉皱) the 20-dollar bill. He then asked, “Who wants it?” Still the hands were in the air.
“Well”, he replied,“ I do this ?” And he dropped it on the and started to step on it with his shoes. He picked it up. Now it was crumpled and .
“Now, who wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.
“My friends, we have all learned a very lesson. No matter what I did to the , you still want it because it doesn’t decrease in . It is still worth $20, with we can buy what we need.
Many times in our lives, we are , and trampled underfoot by the decision we and the circumstances that come our way. We feel we were worthless. But no matter what has happened or what may happen to us, you will never your value. Dirty or clean, you are still priceless to those who do love you. The worth of our lives is determined not by we do or who we know, but by who we are. You are . Don’t ever forget it.”
If you this lesson in mind, it will help you to again when you fall. Each time it makes you grow much stronger.
1.A. holding up B. picking upC. keeping up D. bringing up
2.A. Chats B. Voices C. Hands D. Talks
3.A. pass B. give C. show D. lend
4.A. ever B. even C. alsoD. still
5.A. on B. off C. upD. out
6.A. What forB. How come C. What about D. What if
7.A. floor B. desk C. shelf D. dustbin
8.A. usableB. smallC. dirty D. old
9.A. meaningless B. amazing C. rare D. valuable
10.A. money B. paperC. book D. card
11.A. shape B. value C. quality D. size
12.A. which B. what C. that D. whose
13.A. warned B. pushed C. dropped D. reminded
14.A. prefer B. receiveC. faceD. make
15.A. as though B. even thoughC. if only D. only if
16.A. take B. lose C. miss D. win
17.A. how B. what C. whereD. who
18.A. honest B. wiseC. youngD. special
19.A. keep B. forget C. impressD. leave
20.A. stand up B. put up C. take upD. jump up
--- Sweetheart! You will never believe this. I just won a car!
---________! I don’t believe it!
A. Cheer up B. Good work C. Good Heavens D. That’s awful.
It is said the factory is now __________ large as what it was.
A. twice as B. as twice C. twice much D. much twice
