Every Sunday morning, as most people line up outside neighborhood breakfast spots, watch TV news shows, or head for church, Chloris Noelke－Olson is tuning up her fiddle. She's preparing to enjoy bluegrass music the old－fashioned way: with friends, at home, for free.

“To be able to play with other people face to face and have that sort of connection, it's spiritual，” Ms. Noelke－Olson said of the weekly house concerts in Chicago she participates in. “It's like a good conversation with instruments—something that doesn't seem to happen much anymore because everyone is blabbering(饶舌) on their cell phones.”

She is among a growing group of Americans who are finding it pleasant to unplug from the digital grid, at least temporarily. While there is no exact data to track how many people are forming knitting groups, hosting house concerts, or organizing family game nights, it is possible to connect the dots between the rising price of entertainment and the rising sales of board games (棋类游戏) and craft supplies.

Between 2007 and 2008, the prices for restaurant meals, concert tickets, and movie tickets all increased. At the same time, board games sales rose 6 percent, while total toy sales decreased 3 percent.

These trends are expected to continue because of the struggling economy. Instead of outfitting their homes with expensive home entertainment systems, consumers are more likely to be interfacing the old－fashioned way: eye－to－eye. Families are rediscovering ways to come together that have nothing to do with high tech.

“People are turning inward to build in enjoyment time for family and home”， said Linda Bettencourt, an interior designer in San Francisco whose clients typically live in million－dollar homes. Over the past six months, Ms. Bettencourt has been hired to redesign living spaces to foster the kind of connectivity that doesn't involve wires. “The big game table is back，” she says. “People want to sit around and see each other's faces rather than facing a flat－screen TV.”

1. Why is Chloris Noelke－Olson enjoying bluegrass music the old－fashioned way?

A. Because she likes playing musical instruments.

B. Because she wants to provide free music for her friends.

C. Because she doesn't like talking on the cell phone.

D. Because she likes to form a close connectivity with people.

2. Ms. Bettencourt has been hired to ________.

A. connect the rich people with others

B. redesign living space for the rich people

C. give some advice to people on connectivity

D. help people to save money

3. We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

A. home designing has become a big business

B. rich people usually pay more attention to their living space

C. even rich people are changing their ways of entertainment

D. rich people spend more on home entertainment

4. This passage is about ________.

A. a new trend in people's entertainment in America

B. the present economic situation in America

C. the modern family life in America

D. the change of people's interest in America

5. If this passage is posted on the web, it most probably appears in the section of ________.

A. people  B. travel

C. environment  D. lifestyle

Jeffery Deaver looks more like a brainy villain （反派人物） in a James Bond movie than a "00" agent in Her Majesty's secret service.Best known for his thrillers starring criminalist （刑事专家） Lincoln Rhyme, Jeffery Deaver has a new mission: Bring Bond into the 21st century in a new 007 novel.
The yet-to-be-named book is cryptically （隐秘地） referred to as "Project X" by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd., which owns the rights to Fleming's work.Most of the details surrounding Project X, to be published in May, are being kept under wraps, but under gentle coaxing （用好话劝诱） Deaver begins to spill his guts."The novel," he says, "is set in the present day, in 2011.Bond is a young agent for the British secret service.He's 29 or 30 years old, and he's an Afghan war vet." That in itself is big news.After all, if Bond were aging in real time — he first appeared on the screen in 1953 — the now doddering （老态龙钟的） 007 would be nearly 90.
But first up: a new stand-alone Deaver novel, Edge （Simon & Schuster, $26.99）, to be published Tuesday.It's about a federal agent who risks his life to protect a Washington police detective from a man hired to extract information from him using any means at his disposal （任由个人支配的）.
Sipping coffee while seated on a leather chair in a sitting room decorated with portraits of his dogs and show ribbons, the mild-mannered author who writes about murderers and serial killers talks about his career and the solid fan base that has allowed him to pursue writing full time since 1990."I may not sell as many books as John Grisham（although he has sold a cool 20 million）, but I have a very loyal fan base," says Deaver, 60, who wrote some of his novels while working as a Wall Street lawyer.Deaver's initiation into the Bond family — more than 100 million 007 novels have sold worldwide — could significantly raise his profile （知名度）.
Other novelists have written Bond novels since Ian Fleming's death in 1964 — including Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and, most recently, Sebastian Faulks — but they all took place in the original era.Deaver is taking a new approach."There's no more Cold War to fight," says Deaver, so his new Bond, of the Fleming estate, will fight "post-9/11 evil." "I want to stay true to the original James Bond, who many people don't know much about," he says, referring to the secret agent Fleming portrayed in 14 novels, and not the movie Bond."People know Daniel Craig, they know Pierce Brosnan, they know Roger Moore and Sean Connery, all of whom brought a great deal to the stories of 007.But the original Bond was a very dark, edgy （另类的） character."

1. 1.

   Which of the following is NOT true about Jeffery Deaver?

   1. A.
      Jeffery Deaver is a "00" agent in Her Majesty's secret service in a James Bond movie.
   2. B.
      Jeffery Deaver was working as a lawyer while he wrote some novels about murderers and serial killers.
   3. C.
      It is the loyal fan base that has allowed Jeffery Deaver to keep on writing since 1990.
   4. D.
      Jeffery Deaver is best known for his thrillers rather than for 007 novels.
2. 2.

   Which statement best explains the meaning of “spill his guts” in Paragraph 2?

   1. A.
      Tell others what he knows about the yet-to-be-named 007 novel.
   2. B.
      Tell others everything he knows about Ian Fleming Publications Ltd..
   3. C.
      Have the courage to talk about the 007 agent James Bond.
   4. D.
      Have the determination to talk about "Project X".
3. 3.

   Who was the author of 007 novels?

   1. A.
      Jeffery Deaver
   2. B.
      Ian Fleming
   3. C.
      John Grisham
   4. D.
      Kingsley Amis
4. 4.

   What do you know about the new 007 novel from the passage?

   1. A.
      The book to be published in May is named "Project X" by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd..
   2. B.
      The book is about a federal agent risking his life to protect a Washington police detective.
   3. C.
      The book features a young James Bond, an Afghan war vet working for the British secret service.
   4. D.
      The book features a young James Bond who fights Cold War.

Jeffery Deaver looks more like a brainy villain （反派人物） in a James Bond movie than a "00" agent in Her Majesty's secret service．Best known for his thrillers starring criminalist （刑事专家） Lincoln Rhyme, Jeffery Deaver has a new mission: Bring Bond into the 21st century in a new 007 novel．

       The yet-to-be-named book is cryptically （隐秘地） referred to as "Project X" by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd．, which owns the rights to Fleming's work．Most of the details surrounding Project X, to be published in May, are being kept under wraps, but under gentle coaxing （用好话劝诱） Deaver begins to spill his guts．"The novel," he says, "is set in the present day, in 2011．Bond is a young agent for the British secret service．He's 29 or 30 years old, and he's an Afghan war vet．" That in itself is big news．After all, if Bond were aging in real time — he first appeared on the screen in 1953 — the now doddering （老态龙钟的） 007 would be nearly 90．

       But first up: a new stand-alone Deaver novel, Edge （Simon & Schuster, $26．99）, to be published Tuesday．It's about a federal agent who risks his life to protect a Washington police detective from a man hired to extract information from him using any means at his disposal （任由个人支配的）．

       Sipping coffee while seated on a leather chair in a sitting room decorated with portraits of his dogs and show ribbons, the mild-mannered author who writes about murderers and serial killers talks about his career and the solid fan base that has allowed him to pursue writing full time since 1990．"I may not sell as many books as John Grisham （although he has sold a cool 20 million）, but I have a very loyal fan base," says Deaver, 60, who wrote some of his novels while working as a Wall Street lawyer．Deaver's initiation into the Bond family — more than 100 million 007 novels have sold worldwide — could significantly raise his profile （知名度）．

       Other novelists have written Bond novels since Ian Fleming's death in 1964 — including Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and, most recently, Sebastian Faulks — but they all took place in the original era．Deaver is taking a new approach．"There's no more Cold War to fight," says Deaver, so his new Bond, of the Fleming estate, will fight "post-9/11 evil．" "I want to stay true to the original James Bond, who many people don't know much about," he says, referring to the secret agent Fleming portrayed in 14 novels, and not the movie Bond．"People know Daniel Craig, they know Pierce Brosnan, they know Roger Moore and Sean Connery, all of whom brought a great deal to the stories of 007．But the original Bond was a very dark, edgy （另类的） character．"

Which of the following is NOT true about Jeffery Deaver?

       A．Jeffery Deaver is a "00" agent in Her Majesty's secret service in a James Bond movie．

       B．Jeffery Deaver was working as a lawyer while he wrote some novels about murderers and serial killers．

       C．It is the loyal fan base that has allowed Jeffery Deaver to keep on writing since 1990．

       D．Jeffery Deaver is best known for his thrillers rather than for 007 novels．

Which statement best explains the meaning of “spill his guts” in Paragraph 2?

       A．Tell others what he knows about the yet-to-be-named 007 novel．

       B．Tell others everything he knows about Ian Fleming Publications Ltd．．

       C．Have the courage to talk about the 007 agent James Bond．

       D．Have the determination to talk about "Project X"．

Who was the author of 007 novels?

       A．Jeffery Deaver      B．Ian Fleming    

       C．John Grisham         D．Kingsley Amis

What do you know about the new 007 novel from the passage?

       A．The book to be published in May is named "Project X" by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd．．

       B．The book is about a federal agent risking his life to protect a Washington police detective．

       C．The book features a young James Bond, an Afghan war vet working for the British secret service．

       D．The book features a young James Bond who fights Cold War．

Jeffery Deaver looks more like a brainy villain （反派人物） in a James Bond movie than a "00" agent in Her Majesty's secret service．Best known for his thrillers starring criminalist （刑事专家） Lincoln Rhyme, Jeffery Deaver has a new mission: Bring Bond into the 21st century in a new 007 novel．
The yet-to-be-named book is cryptically （隐秘地） referred to as "Project X" by Ian Fleming Publications Ltd．, which owns the rights to Fleming's work．Most of the details surrounding Project X, to be published in May, are being kept under wraps, but under gentle coaxing （用好话劝诱） Deaver begins to spill his guts．"The novel," he says, "is set in the present day, in 2011．Bond is a young agent for the British secret service．He's 29 or 30 years old, and he's an Afghan war vet．" That in itself is big news．After all, if Bond were aging in real time — he first appeared on the screen in 1953 — the now doddering （老态龙钟的） 007 would be nearly 90．
But first up: a new stand-alone Deaver novel, Edge （Simon & Schuster, $26．99）, to be published Tuesday．It's about a federal agent who risks his life to protect a Washington police detective from a man hired to extract information from him using any means at his disposal （任由个人支配的）．
Sipping coffee while seated on a leather chair in a sitting room decorated with portraits of his dogs and show ribbons, the mild-mannered author who writes about murderers and serial killers talks about his career and the solid fan base that has allowed him to pursue writing full time since 1990．"I may not sell as many books as John Grisham（although he has sold a cool 20 million）, but I have a very loyal fan base," says Deaver, 60, who wrote some of his novels while working as a Wall Street lawyer．Deaver's initiation into the Bond family — more than 100 million 007 novels have sold worldwide — could significantly raise his profile （知名度）．
Other novelists have written Bond novels since Ian Fleming's death in 1964 — including Kingsley Amis, John Gardner and, most recently, Sebastian Faulks — but they all took place in the original era．Deaver is taking a new approach．"There's no more Cold War to fight," says Deaver, so his new Bond, of the Fleming estate, will fight "post-9/11 evil．" "I want to stay true to the original James Bond, who many people don't know much about," he says, referring to the secret agent Fleming portrayed in 14 novels, and not the movie Bond．"People know Daniel Craig, they know Pierce Brosnan, they know Roger Moore and Sean Connery, all of whom brought a great deal to the stories of 007．But the original Bond was a very dark, edgy （另类的） character．"
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT true about Jeffery Deaver?