When you do some minor image editing (修正) on your computer screen, you may make some mistakes, so from time to time you’d click undo (撤消).

There are things in life we cannot undo as easily and completely as we would with our computer files. A wrong turn, a hurtful word said to a loved one, a bad move — these we all commit as we walk our life’s journeys, no matter how careful we are in our steps. Once committed, we can no longer undo many of these mistakes, especially because unlike with our computer documents, each thing we do and say has vast impact as they involve not just us — the file that we are working on — but also others, the unopened files and computer programs in our system.

So I guess our life’s mistakes are not like our pencil scrawls (潦草书写) that can be effectively corrected with an eraser, or errors on our computer works that can be undone with an undo button. But there are effective and reliable tools we can use—APOLOGY and FORGIVENESS. Simply click the APOLOGY button when you have committed a mistake that has hurt a loved one and the words “I’m Sorry” will flash on the other person’s screen. But, you have to be truly sorry and you must be prepared not to commit the same mistake again for your APOLOGY to work. Sincerity is definitely a necessary part.

When someone clicks the APOLOGY button and the words “I’m sorry” flash on your screen, all you have to do is click back the FORGIVENESS (原谅) button. It means that you have wholeheartedly accepted the other person’s APOLOGY. But not only that. You also have to click it when someone has sent you back the message “It’s okay. Forget about it.”. It means that you are also forgiving yourself for your mistake; that you won’t keep feeling so bad having committed it.

And lastly, don’t forget to keep clicking the SAVE button. Going through the whole process of editing—of doing and undoing, of apologizing and forgiving — is useless if you fail to save the LESSON for future use. Let the saved file be a reminder of the healing process you once went through to make yourself better; for you not to forget the lesson; and for others to access and learn from.

 

1.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. However careful we are, we still make mistakes in life.

B. Things we do and say can affect computer programs in our system.

C. We can undo life’s mistakes if we are careful enough.

D. An eraser is an effective tool for our computer works.

2. The APOLOGY button should be clicked when ________.

A. one wants to make the computer work perfectly

B. one’s mistakes won’t influence others any more

C. one is actually saying “I’m sorry”

D. one won’t make the same mistake again

3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

   A. The UNDO button.                      B. The APOLOGY button.

   C. The SAVE button.                          D. The FORGIVENESS button.

4.We need to click the SAVE button in life because ________.

A. we want to go through the whole process of editing

B. we need to learn a lesson from the past mistakes

C. we want to make the healing process faster

D. we need to use the computer properly

 

四．任务型阅读：

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked,“So, how have you been?”And the boy—who could not have been more than seven or eight years old—replied. “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”

This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed” until we were in high school.

The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.

Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?

Human development is based not only on natural biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.

In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation(揭示)machine has been installed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, and indiscriminately(不加区分地), to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.

Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

Title: Change in Today’s Children

Main comparisons	Contexts
Different(1)_____	Children in the past just did what they were(2)_____to.
Children today(3)____as if they were adults.
Different(4)_____	Children in the past never experienced(5)___.
Sometimes sadness(6)_____to children nowadays.
Different(7)_____to get knowledge	Children in the past: in a (8)____and guided process.
Children nowadays: by(9)_____TV without control.

 

A phenomenon worth noting
The author’s(10)_____to children’s change	He prefers communication through print for children, which can control what children are to learn.

 

 

An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit(追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched(发起) the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长) appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A．To invite authors to guide readers.

B．To encourage people to read and share.

C．To involve people in community service.

D．To promote the friendship between cities.

【小题2】 Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A．They had little interest in reading.

B．They were too busy to read a book.

C．They came from many different backgrounds.

D．They lacked support from the local government.

【小题3】According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A．In large communities with little sense of unity.

B．In large cities where libraries are far from home.

C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population.

D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached.

【小题4】 The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean      .

A．exchanged ideas with each other

B．discussed the meaning of a word

C．gained life experience

D．used the same language

【小题5】According to Nancy, the degree of students of the project is judged by           .

A．the careful selection of a proper book

B．the growing popularity of the writers

C．the number of people who benefit from reading

D．the number of books that each person reads

Federal regulators(调整者) Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergence alert (警报) system using text messages delivered to cell phones.

Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry's trade association, CTIA, estimates（估计） more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month.

The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires improvements to the nation's emergency alert system. The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies.

"The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.

Participation in the alert system by carriers –telecommunications companies is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.

The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.

There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.

The first would be a national alert from the president, likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The second would involve "approaching threats," which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction (绑架) emergencies, or so-called Amber Alerts.

The service could be in place by 2010.

What is the purpose of the approved plan?  

A. To warn people of emergencies via messages.

B. To popularize the use of cell phones.

C. To estimate the monthly number of messages.

D. To promote the wireless industry.

The improvement to the present system is in the charge of ____. 

A. CTIA     B. the Warning Alert and Response Network

C. FCC      D. federal regulators

The carriers’ participation in the system is determined by _____. 

A. the US federal government      B. mobile phone users

C. the carriers themselves         D. the law of the United States

Which of the following would be the best title for the text?  

A. Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students   B. Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry

C. Cell Phone Alerts of National Disasters  D. Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon

阅读下面的短文，然后按要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

   Middle and high school days are both fun and busy. Students spend their days in class, listening to the interesting and sometimes boring words of the teacher. They spend the short breaks running, playing, and shouting happily before going back to the classroom again. But how should students spend their free time outside school?

In Western countries, it is common for students to have a part-time job after school and at weekends. Students can earn their own money and learn more about the “real world”. They enjoy the extra independence and money, and parents enjoy the quiet house. However, it seems that, in China, parents worry so much about their children’ studies that they would prefer to see their children spending most of their free time studying and preparing for all those exams.

It is natural for parents to feel that way, but I believe the answer lies in balance. Sometimes, Western school children work long hours after school to make money, and so they become too tired to listen in class or have no time for homework. But Chinese students spend so much time on their studies that all else becomes less important until they want that new MP4 player.

So, find a good and healthy balance! If you have a part-time job, you’ll be happy, and your parents will also be happy because you’re spending your hard-earned money and not theirs!

[写作内容]

1） 概括短文的内容要点，该部分的字数大约30词左右；

2） 就“如何利用课余时间”这个主题发表你的看法，至少包含以下的内容要点，该部分的字数大约120词左右:

    a. 以自身为例，简述你平时是怎样打发课余时间的；

b. 你如何看待自己利用课余时间的方式；

    c. 你的父母对你利用课余时间的态度及你的看法。

 [写作要求]

       你可以使用实例或其它论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不要抄袭阅读材料中的句子。

[评分标准]

       概括的准确性、语言的规范性、内容的合适性以及篇章的连贯性。