When Gretchen Baxter gets home from work as a New York City book editor, she checks her Blackberry at the door. “I think we are attached to these devices in a way that is not always positive,” says Baxter, who’d rather focus at home on her husband and 12-year-old daughter. “It’s there and it beckons(召唤). That’s human nature (but)…we kind of get crazy sometimes and we don’t know where it should stop.”
Americans are connected at unprecedented(前所未有的) levels—93% now use cell phones or wireless devices; one third of those are “smart phones” that allow users to browse the web and check e-mails, among other things. The benefits are obvious: checking messages on the road, staying in touch with friends and family, efficiently using time once spent waiting around. The downside: often, we’re effectively disconnecting from those in the same room.
That’s why, despite all the technology that makes communicating easier than ever, 2010 was the year we stopped talking to one another. From texting at dinner to posting on Facebook from work or checking e-mails while on a date, the connectivity revolution is creating a lot of divided attention, not to mention social anxiety. Many analysts say it’s time to step back and reassess (再评价).
“What we’re going to see in the future is new opportunities for people to be plugged in and connected like never before,” says Scott Campbell. “It can be a good thing, but I also see new ways the traditional social construction is getting somewhat torn apart.”
Our days are filled with beeps and pings—many of which pull us away from tasks at hand or face-to-face conversations. We may feel that the distractions(干扰) are too much, but we can’t seem to stop posting, texting or surfing. “We’re going through a period of adjustment and rebalancing, ” says Sherry Turkle and she wants to remind people that technology can be turned off. “Our human purposes are to really have connections with people,” she says. “We have to reclaim it. It’s not going to take place by itself.”
【小题1】According to Paragraph 1, Gretchen Baxter thinks _____.
| A．the new technology always influences people’s life in a positive way |
| B．the new technology always influences people’s life in a negative way |
| C．the family isn’t that important compared to the new technology |
| D．people are too dependent on the new technology to let go |
| A．advantage | B．weakness |
| C．strength | D．effect |
| A．The wide use of mobile devices has nothing to do with the traditional social construction. |
| B．Mobile devices play a less important part in American life. |
| C．Mobile devices create a lot of divided attention and social anxiety. |
| D．Many analysts speak highly of the wide popularity of mobile devices. |
| A．Something must be done to get connection with people in reality again. |
| B．Using mobile services can help people get con- nection with each other. |
| C．Mobile services have a strong impact on people’s life. |
| D．The connection with people can happen naturally. |
【小题1】D
【小题2】B
【小题3】C
【小题4】A
解析【小题1】 D 推理判断题。从第一段可知，Gretchen Baxter认为人们非常迷恋这些电子设备，以至于不知道该在哪儿停下来。也就是说，人们太依赖新科技而不能放手。
【小题2】B 词义猜测题。前一句说的是新科技的优点，本句说的是缺点，所以downside意为“缺点”。
【小题3】C 细节理解题。从第三段第二句From texting at dinner to posting on Facebook from work or checking e-mails while on a date, the connectivity revolution is creating a lot of divided attention, not to mention social anxiety.可知，移动设备引起了注意力分散和社会焦虑。
【小题4】 A 推理判断题。从最后一段可知，人类的意图是与人真正地交流，可是科技对我们的干扰太多了，一时难以停下来，所以要想重新恢复人们之间真正意义上的交流，还需作出努力。
科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Some people can stay up all night and still get work done the next day.I'm not one of them.After a night without enough sleep, I feel bad?tempered.I have trouble remembering things.And all I want to do is to crawl into bed and sleep.
How do you feel after you've stayed up late to finish schoolwork? Or the day after an overnight party? Scientists now say that your answers to these questions may depend on your genes.
New research suggests that a gene called “period 3” affects how well you function without sleep.The “period 3” gene comes in two forms：short and long.Everyone has two copies of the gene.So, you may have two longs, two shorts, or one of each.Your particular combination depends on what your parents passed on to you.
Scientists from the University of Surrey in England studied 24 people who had either two short or two long copies of “period 3”．Study participants had to stay awake 40 hours straight.Then，they took tests that measured how quickly they pushed a button when numbers flashed on screen and how well they could remember lists of numbers.
Results showed that the people with the short form of “period 3” performed much better on these tests than the people with the long form did.In both groups，people performed worst in the early morning.
After the first round of experiments，participants were finally allowed to sleep.People in the group that performed well on the tests (those with the short form of “period 3”) took about 18 minutes to nod off.
People with the long “period 3” gene, by contrast, fell asleep in just 8 minutes.They also spent more time on deep sleep.That suggests that people with the long form of the gene need more and deeper sleep to keep their brains working in top form.
I think I must have the long form of“period 3”．What about you?
【小题1】The purpose of this passage might be________.
| A．to tell us the importance of plenty of sleep |
| B．to tell the result of a research on sleepy gene |
| C．to inform the harm of lacking sleep |
| D．to announce the sleeping rules of humans |
| A．One short form. |
| B．One long copy. |
| C．One short and two long copies. |
| D．Period 3. |
| A．Those with two long copies of the gene. |
| B．Those with two short copies of the gene. |
| C．Those with one short and one long copy of the gene. |
| D．Those with three short copies of the gene. |
| A．at dawn | B．at night |
| C．in the afternoon | D．at noon |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness，happiness，goodness，and selfrespect？The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized (把……归类) as “honor” help you create this life of good feelings.
Here’s an example to show how honorable actions create happiness.
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item.If we keep silent，and profit from the clerk’s mistake，we would drive home with a sense of sneaky (暗中的) excitement.Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune.On the other hand，if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item，the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty.We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul.
Then，what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case，where we don’t tell the clerk，a couple of things would happen.Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief.In the process，we would lose some peace of mind and selfrespect.We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted，since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends.We damage our own reputations by telling others.In contrast，bringing_the_error_to_the__clerk’s__attention causes different things to happen.Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable.Upon leaving the store，we feel honorable and our selfrespect is increased.Whenever we take honorable actions we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility.
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions.Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions.Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence.And it’s easy to think and act honorably again when we’re happy.While the positive cycle can be difficult to start，once it’s started，it’s easy to continue.Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind，which is important for our happiness.
【小题1】According to the passage，the positive action in the example contributes to our________.
| A．selfrespect | B．financial rewards |
| C．advertising ability | D．friendly relationship |
| A．lying | B．stealing |
| C．cheating | D．advertising |
| A．telling the truth to the clerk |
| B．offering advice to the clerk |
| C．asking the clerk to be more attentive |
| D．reminding the clerk of the charged items |
| A．We’ll be very excited. |
| B．We’ll feel unfortunate. |
| C．We’ll have a sense of honor. |
| D．We’ll feel sorry for the clerk. |
| A．How to Live Truthfully |
| B．Importance of Peacefulness |
| C．Ways of Gaining Selfrespect |
| D．Happiness through Honorable Actions |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar with winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than 3,000 such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don’t really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”
Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”.
【小题1】 According to the first paragraph, the summer learning gap _____.
| A．helps children to gain weight |
| B．leads children to work harder |
| C．improves children’s memories |
| D．affects children’s regular studies |
| A．perform better and have more learning gains |
| B．have much less time for relaxation every year |
| C．have generally the same number of class days |
| D．hold more classes with more free weeks off |
| A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vocation. |
| B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap. |
| C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar. |
| D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation. |
| A．Because they cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much. |
| B．Because they are worried about the quality of the “summer school”. |
| C．Because they want their children to be forced to make up the gap. |
| D．Because they couldn’t afford to the further study during the vacation. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
There has been an outpouring of love for a 23-year-old disabled woman whose dog was killed in front of her while a groomer(美容师)tried to trim(修剪)its claws. 
Calls and e-mails came from as far away as the Upper Peninsula and Arizona as well as Oakland and Macomb counties, offering Laurie Crouch, who uses a wheelchair because of multiple sclerosis(硬化症), everything from dogs to money, such as that from Jason Daly of Roseville who said, “I would like to buy her a new dog. ”
A story about the death of Crouch’s pet, Gooch, was printed on the front page of Macomb Daily. Crouch said a groomer tied Gooch up with a collar, and then she and a man sat on the dog to trim its nails. Gooch died after one claw was trimmed.
Crouch yelled at the groomer to stop when she saw Gooch was struggling to breathe, but she said she was ignored. “If I could have walked, I would have put my hands on her and pulled her off my dog and physically stopped her, but I can’t do that. ”Gooch was not a trained service animal, but naturally helped Crouch by picking up things for her.
“This case is absolute animal abuse(虐待), ”Larry Obrecht, division manager of the Oakland County Animal Shelter in Auburn Hills said.
People who read the story contacted Oakland Press to offer help. A message, from Rebecca Amett of Giggles N Wiggles Puppy Rescue in Roseville, said, “We have puppies to donate and want to help the young woman who lost her service dog. ”
“When Gooch was with me I was happy, ”Crouch said, “I think I can be happy again but no animal can replace Gooch. There’s never going to be another Gooch out there but I think I will find a dog that can bring me joy again. ”
【小题1】People called and emailed to .
| A．give their angry voice to the groomer |
| B．offer help and care to Laurie Crouch |
| C．tell Crouch how to punish the groomer |
| D．offer a cure for Crouch’s disease |
| A．the groomer was careless |
| B．the groomer didn’t know how to trim the dog’s nails |
| C．the groomer sat on the dog with another man |
| D．the dog was wearing a collar |
| A．It was a specially trained service dog. |
| B．It was trained to do many things for people. |
| C．It was Crouch’s only friend. |
| D．It could offer some help to Crouch. |
| A．A disabled woman’s service dog. |
| B．A cruel groomer killed a disabled woman’s dog. |
| C．People’s love for a disabled woman who lost her dog. |
| D．A disabled woman loves to have the dog as company. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season. “Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money buying at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology.” Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products.
“Here in 2012, $252 on average–the technology spend for consumers this year.” From tablet computers to smartphones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. “It’s kind of hard to make a decision.”
Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.
“The hardware inside is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.” Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. “If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest group of apps that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most.”
Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera. “You can literally take a picture, upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things.”
Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smartphones, laptops and tablets.
With the growing popularity of Internet shopping, many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product, and then go online to find it at a lower price. Stores like Best Buy understand that and they want to stay competitive.
“We have something called the perfect match promise which means if you buy a certain device and you find it cheaper within 30 days we’ll go ahead and price match that for you.” Elman Chacon said.
【小题1】According to Brain Tong, ________.
| A．the Apple’s iPad Mini is more suitable for enthusiastic readers |
| B．the hardware in iPad Mini is more advanced than that in Nexus 7 |
| C．Nexus 7 has fewer apps than iPad Mini |
| D．iPad mini is more eco-friendly |
| A．you are sure to get double the amount you paid |
| B．you can return the device and get your money back |
| C．the store will return the price differences |
| D．the store will lower the price within 30 days |
| A．Smart cameras. | B．Streaming media boxes. |
| C．Wireless speaker systems. | D．Tablet computers. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
When I started my career in management, I was really green, but I always tried to stay positive on the job. I was working for a new company that was having a difficult time with its customers. Actually, at one point my General Manager told me he liked me and suggested I should start looking for a new job as we were about to lose our only order. Every day we faced people leaving the company, customers complaining, and upper management preparing to close the place.
One night, I went home thinking about the problems. My wife told me to forget about work and see a movie. We went and saw Slumdog Millionaire. Jamal, an eighteen-year-old Indian young man, is from a poor family and becomes rich later. He tries his best to change his position. I realized what we needed to do was to correct the situation.
The next day I called my customers to have a talk. I promised to do my best to solve the problems if they would give us some time. As a result, we were given one month to turn the situation around. This was our only chance to correct the situation. To achieve this, I worked day and night with my team. I can remember working from 6 a. m. and not going home until 2 a. m. the next day.
To make a long story short, we succeeded in solving all of the problems and at the same time increased our productivity(生产率). The customers and management were very happy, and I knew at that moment we had saved our jobs. Actually things went so well that we ended up having our pay doubled.
Through this experience I understand that you can achieve what you desire as long as you work at it and stay positive.
【小题1】 The General Manager advised the author to look for a new job mainly because .
| A．he knew the author didn’t want to stay there |
| B．his company was too small to hire so many people |
| C．he believed the author could get more pay that way |
| D．the management was preparing to close the department |
| A．The hero in a movie. | B．His wife. |
| C．His boss. | D．The customers. |
| A．8 hours. | B．15 hours. |
| C．20 hours. | D．24 hours. |
| A．if a person does his best and keeps positive, he’ll succeed |
| B．if a person takes advice from others, he’ll make progress |
| C．if a person is clever, he’ll realize his dream sooner or later |
| D．if a person wants to change his fate, he mustn’t change his job |
| A．My Work Experience |
| B．My First Management Job |
| C．How to Correct Your Situation |
| D．The Importance of Working Hard |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The young man arrived on the Massachusetts beach early carrying a radio, a shovel(铁锹), and a strange set of tools: a brick layer’s trowel, a palette knife, spatulas, spoons, and a spray bottle.
He walked down near the water — the tide(潮水) was out — and switched on the radio to listen to soft rock. Then he shoveled wet sand into a pile nearly four feet high and as many feet across. Then he created a square shape.
After that, he set to work with palette knife, spatulas, and spoons. He shaped a splendid tower, topped walls, fashioned beautiful bay windows, and carved (雕刻)out a big front gate.
The man knew his sand. He smoothly finished some surfaces and carved artistic designs on others. As the shapes began to dry, he gently kept them slightly wet with water from the spray bottle, in case they might break in the wind.
All this took hours. People gathered. At last he stood back, obviously satisfied with a castle worthy of the Austrian countryside or Disneyland.
Then he gathered his tools and radio and moved them up to drier sand. He had known for a while what many in the crowd still ignored: the tide was coming in. Not only had he practiced his art with confidence and style, he also had done so against a powerful, irresistible(不可抵抗的) deadline.
As the crowd looked on, water came at the base of the castle. In minutes it was surrounded. Then the rising flood began to eat into the base, walls fell, the tower fell, and finally the gate fell. More minutes passed, and small waves erased bay windows — soon no more than a small part was left.
Many in the crowd looked terribly sad; some voiced fear and discouragement. But the man remained calm. He had, after all, had a wonderful day, making beauty out of nothing, and watching it return to nothing as time and tide moved on.
【小题1】In this passage, why did the young man start early in the day?
| A．He needed the sun to help dry the sand. |
| B．It gave plenty of time for the crowd to gather. |
| C．He knew the tide was out on this particular morning. |
| D．It was easier to begin his work with only a few people around. |
| A．It is time to begin working. |
| B．It is the end of a day’s work. |
| C．It is the busiest time of the day. |
| D．It is time for lookers-on to leave. |
| A．They were disappointed to see the art ruined. |
| B．They tried their best to save the sand castle. |
| C．They were nervous about their own belongings. |
| D．They helped the artist finish the castle. |
| A．payment for his work |
| B．personal satisfaction |
| C．popularity as an artist |
| D．attention from the crowd |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Picture a library without books? Well, I can’t. Ever since I was little I would go to the library and take out numerous books. From picture books to beginning chapter books to YA books, books have always been a part of my life. Unlike many people today, I don't own a Kindle or a Nook or any type of e-reader. I prefer the old-fashioned book. There is something about holding a book and being able to turn the pages that I find comforting. In today's 21st century, books may become obsolete. For me that's something I find scary.
I am a fan of the old TV science-fiction series Twilight Zone. One episode（一段情节）is about a librarian who has become obsolete. Though this episode aired in 1961, the writer of the series, Rod Serling was exactly on point when it came to predicting the future.
In fact, in San Antonio, Texas the first-ever bookless library in the country opened. The library is full of iMacs, tablets and iPads which cost a huge $2. 3 million. The library offers around 10,000 e-books. So the question is, is this what the future will soon be? Mary Graham, vice president of South Carolina's Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce states, "This is the future…If you're going to be building new library facilities, this is what you need to be doing."
It is our generation that will be the guinea pigs（试验品）of increasing technology like this. Is this a good or bad thing? Well, digital libraries may help the environment by not using paper; however, I feel like something will always be lacking with a digital book. A digital library is just the beginning.
With all of this new technology, people seem to be more absorbed in their own world. One of my biggest complaints is when I am with my friends and they can't seem to get off their smart phone and talk to me. To make plans with a friend and then have them stuck on their phone the whole time is extremely rude. Not only is it disrespectful, but it reflects the direction of where human interactions are heading. Though social media is great, it also is addicting and has negative effects.
Often when I go on Facebook it just makes me feel worse about myself. I'll see many of my 800 Facebook friends showing off their newest accomplishment or acceptance to college. Additionally, our society is becoming increasingly lazy. For instance, instead of doing mental math, people use their phone to solve 89 + 74. It is simple tasks like these that are allowing people to lack important educational and social skills.
It is up to us to find a balance between technology and human values and interactions. With new technology being created every day, we need to learn how to use it alongside our great minds. After all, inventions are supposed to benefit society not harm it. In the day of technology, who knows what's next?
【小题1】The underlined word "obsolete" （Paragraph l）is closest in meaning to .
| A．outdated | B．complex | C．expensive | D．meaningless |
| A．The episode still enjoys great popularity nowadays. |
| B．Rod Serling liked making predictions about the future. |
| C．The situation of books today is similar to what Rod Serling predicted in the episode. |
| D．The episode airing in 1961 was the most entertaining of the TV science-fiction series. |
| A．It is the first-ever library in America. |
| B．It is of no practical use although it costs so much. |
| C．It holds an exhibition of much electronic equipment. |
| D．People can read e-books there with the help of the new facilities. |
| A．Great as social media is, it does have some negative effects. |
| B．With the increasing use of social media, something will actually be lost. |
| C．Through social media, people can develop educational and social skills around. |
| D．As a result of social media, people may communicate less with the people around. |
| A．Optimistic | B．Skeptical | C．Supportive | D．Objective |
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