Technology has utterly transformed our ability to communicate with each other. Linking to each other both literally and figuratively, many of us connect through cell phones, email, instant messaging, blogs, and networking web sites, yet we may be less connected to each other than we think.
According to a study, Americans are becoming increasingly socially isolated. The study reveals, for example, that one quarter of Americans say that they have no one to discuss important personal issues with, and that the number of close friends that American have has dropped from three to two. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that this spreading isolation is experienced more sharply among those with less education, people of color, and older Americans. Unsurprisingly, those who are young, white, and well educated tend to have stronger social networks.
From my own experience I have to say that I’ve never felt more connected, thanks to a web of friends, family, and colleagues. One of my closest friends is someone I met through an online discussion group who lives hundreds of miles away from me. We have met face-to-face only twice, yet our regular electronic correspondence and cell phone calls sustain our close friendship. And, speaking of blogging, my blog has introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise and has led to enduring and important friendships.
On the other hand, I recently saw a scene unfold that proved to me how deeply disconnected we as Americans have become. I had just wrapped up a presentation on mediation at a family therapy(治療) center. As I was leaving, I noticed a mother and her teenage son who had just completed their session with their family therapist(臨床醫(yī)學(xué)家). After making their next appointment, they both took out their cell phones, placed calls, and began loud conversations with whoever was on the other end. I walked out behind them to the parking lot to my car. They both jumped into their SUV, and, as I saw them drive off, they were still talking on their cell phones.
But, alas, not to each other.

  1. 1.

    What does the passage lead you to believe?

    1. A.
      Americans are more socially connected today.
    2. B.
      Americans are more socially isolated today.
    3. C.
      Technology plays a bigger role in American society.
    4. D.
      Americans don’t make good use of technology.
  2. 2.

    Which of the following has nothing to do with the isolation among Americans?

    1. A.
      Age.             
    2. B.
      Education.               
    3. C.
      Skin color.              
    4. D.
      Sex.
  3. 3.

    The author himself _______.

    1. A.
      has a wider range of friends because of technology
    2. B.
      has failed to take advantage of technology
    3. C.
      can only find true friendship through the Internet
    4. D.
      can’t make true friends in actual life
  4. 4.

    What is true about the mother and son in the passage?

    1. A.
      They came for therapy in the same car.
    2. B.
      They were quite close to each other.
    3. C.
      There was not much communication between them.
    4. D.
      They preferred talking to each other on cell phones.
  5. 5.

    The author probably feels ________ with the mother and son.

    1. A.
      puzzled        
    2. B.
      disappointed      
    3. C.
      amused                
    4. D.
      surprised
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科目：高中英語 來源：甘肅省天水一中2010屆高三下學(xué)期第三次模擬考試試卷（英語） 題型：閱讀理解


Matches made over the Internet often do not last long because people end up choosing unsuitable
partners and forming emotional bonds before meeting face-to-face, an Australian university researcher
has found.
Women may especially find Mr. Wrong, as they tend to be attracted by fine comments or clever
emails, said psychologist Matthew Bambling from the Queensland University of Technology.
“You can never assume things are the way they seem online,” Bambling said. “The fact that they
can write a clever comment or a witty email doesn’t mean they will be Mr. Right, that’s for sure,” he
said, adding some men use the concept of “netting”, sending emails to dozens of women and hoping
one might respond. Bambling said you can find a partner online, but warned those using the Web to
find love to be aware of the traps. “There’s definitely an uncontrolled effect online,” he said, with
people more likely to exaggerate their good points while hiding anything negative. “Few guys for
example would say ‘look, I’m a middle aged alcoholic who’s been married five times, pick me’.
They’re going to present themselves as a good catch.” He said it was easy for people to quickly invest
too much emotionally in an online relationship because they don’t see the full picture of the person
they are emailing.
Bambling said people can avoid many of the problems by meeting early in the actual relationship,
rather than by getting to know each other only by email. He suggests couples arrange to meet over
coffee after a few emails, which will help people from building up a fantasy image of their match.
“The main thing to remember is to make real life contact as soon as possible if you are interested in
someone, because then you will know contact as soon as possible if you are interested in someone,
because then you will know if a relationship is a possibility.” He said.
1. Why were women quite likely to find Mr. Wrong over the Internet?
A. Because they often judge a person by his appearance.
B. Because single women usually felt more lonely.
C. Because the emotional bonds were hard to break.
D. Because they were easily attracted by fine comments.
2. About the online relationship Bambling suggests we should be ______.
A. rejective    B. favorable      C. cautious      D. hopeful
3. The underlined word “exaggerate” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
A. enlarge     B. invent         C. remove       D. cover
4. What is suggested by Bambling for a better online relationship?
A. Writing clever comments or emails to girls frequently.
B. Finding a partner online through one night respond.
C. Making real life contact before further development.
D. Investing much emotion in your partner.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2010屆高考二輪復(fù)習(xí)英語閱讀理解二十篇精讀 題型：閱讀理解


Passage Eleven (Superconducting Materials)
The stone age, The Iron Age. Entire epochs have been named for materials. So what to call the decades ahead? The choice will be tough. Welcome to the age of superstuff. Material science -- once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new, practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics. But superconductors are just part of the picture: from house and cars to cook pots and artificial teeth, the world will someday be made of different stuff. Exotic plastics, glass and ceramics will shape the future just as surely as have genetic engineering and computer science.
The key to the new materials is researchers’ increasing ability to manipulate substances at the molecular level. Ceramics, for example, have long been limited by their brittleness. But by minimizing the microscopic imperfections that cause it, scientists are making far stronger ceramics that still retain such qualities as hardness and heat resistance. Ford Motor Co. now uses ceramic tools to cut steel. A firm called Kyocera has created a line of ceramic scissors and knives that stay sharp for years and never rust or corrode.
A similar transformation has overtaken plastics. High-strength polymers now form bridges, ice-skating rinks and helicopter rotors. And one new plastic that generates electricity when vibrated or pushed is used in electric guitars, touch sensors for robot hands and karate jackets that automatically record each punch and chop. Even plastic litter, which once threatened to permanently blot the landscape, has proved amenable to molecular tinkering. Several manufacturers now make biodegradable forms; some plastic six-pack rings for example, gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight. Researchers are developing ways to make plastics as recyclable as metal or glass. Besides, composites – plastic reinforced with fibers of graphite or other compounds – made the round-the-world flight of the voyager possible and have even been proved in combat: a helmet saved an infantryman’s life by deflecting two bullets in the Grenada invasion.
Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic cable that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.
But new materials have no impact until they are made into products. And that transition could prove difficult, for switching requires lengthy research and investment. It can be said a firmer handle on how to move to commercialization will determine the success or failure of a country in the near future.
1.How many new materials are mentioned in this passage?
A.Two          B.Three          C.Four               D.Five
2.Why does the author mention genetic engineering and computer science?
A.To compare them with the new materials.
B.To show the significance of the new materials on the future world.
C.To compare the new materials to them.
D.To explain his view point.
3.Why is transition difficult?
A.Because transition requires money and time.
B.Because many manufacturers are unwilling to change their equipment.
C.Because research on new materials is very difficult.
[D]Because it takes 10 years.
4.Where lies success of a country in the New Age of superstuff?
A.It lies in research.
B.It lies in investment.
C.It lies in innovation.
D.It lies in application.

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科目：高中英語 來源：山東莘縣實驗高中2009—2010學(xué)年度高二下學(xué)期階段測試 題型：閱讀理解


D
A sunflower is a sunflower . A mobile phone is a mobile phone . But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment?
As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower. A biodegradable (能進行生物遞降分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and able to change shape. Overtime it can also break down into the soil without giving out any toxic chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸鉀). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. Engineers have designed a small transparent window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. "We've only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time," said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly people are constantly  throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists. "The seed is released and the flower grows in the pot so you don't have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it," said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.
67. The main idea of the passage is ________ .
A. the relationship between high tech and environment
B. the phone technology is developing
C. how to grow sunflowers
D. mobile phone and environment
68. The purpose of introducing a biodegradable mobile phone is ______ .
A. to encourage consumers to recycle
B. to prevent consumers from throwing their phones away
C. to meet consumers’ need
D. to help consumers know which flower can best perform
69. What is the possible meaning of the underlined word ?
A. pleasant    B. poisonous    C. useful    D. new
70. Which of the following statements is NOT true ?
A.Engineers have designed a small transparent window to hold the rose seed .
B. Mobiles with biodegradable covers can do good to nature .
C.Manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling mobiles .
D. The flower only grows when the phone is thrown away .

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科目：高中英語 來源：2012屆安徽省安慶市高三第二次模擬考試英語試卷（1）（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解


Keeping a busy social life among lots of friends may keep people thinner than spending hours doing some exercises, according to scientists. They say that socialising and meeting with friends help increase levels of brown fat in the body which burns calories(卡路里)to produce heat.
Living in an exciting social environment was found to reduce fat in mice's belly by half over four weeks, even if they ate more. US researchers say that social excitement aids weight loss by turning white fat into brown. White fat stores calories and makes us fatter, while brown burns energy to produce heat. Turning white fat into brown is extremely difficult，normally
requiring long- term stay in cold conditions or exciting part of the body's nervous system.
However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown. The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice. Those, who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to excite themselves and then lost far more weight over the course of the study than their “couch potato" fellows.
Study author, Dr Matthew During, whose team's findings appear in the journal Cell Metabolism, said, "I'm still amazed at the degree of fat loss that occurs." Explaining how new technology had threatened face-to-face socialising, he added, "It's not just a sedentary(久坐 的)lifestyle and high calorie foods, but an increasing lack of social activities." Co-author Dr Lei Cao said，"Loneliness is a potential factor for cancer and death; it's equal to cigarette smoking to a certain extent. Social activities are very vital.，，
【小題1】What information can we get from the first two paragraphs?

A．Brown fat stores calories and makes us fatter.
B．It doesn't take long to turn white fat into brown.
C．Social excitement helps gain more weight.
D．Brown fat can burn energy to produce heat.
【小題2】Which of the following statement does the text support?
A．Levels of brown fat can be increased by socialising.
B．The mice lacking social life lose more weight.
C．The research findings haven't been published so far.
D．Dr Matthew During wasn't convinced of the result.
【小題3】We can conclude from the text that _______.
A．the fat in mice's belly was reduced because of the relaxing environment
B．a(chǎn) sedentary lifestyle and high calories foods influence people's social life
C．surfing the Internet may influence people's face-to-face communication
D．cancer and death are mainly caused for lack of social life
【小題4】What’s the main idea of the text?
A．Brown fat is beneficial to people's health.
B．Socialising is unnecessarily important in people's daily life.
C．White fat can be changed into brown fat.
D．Socialising contributes to people's losing weight.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆寧夏銀川一中高三第六次考試英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解

Hundreds of students from around the world gathered in New York City last week for the Microsoft Imagine Cup finals. They came to present their ideas for using technology to solve world problems.
Microsoft education director Suzi Levine says the nine-year-old program began mainly as a competition to create technology.
SUZI LEVINE: "When we realized that students really actually want to have a purpose for what they're creating, we introduced the idea of inspiring them with the UN Millennium Development Goals and suggesting that they use those for their muse(靈感). "This past year we also rolled out something called the Imagine Cup Solve This library（創(chuàng)新杯求解計劃知識庫）, where IGOs, NGOs and nonprofits can submit some of the technical challenges that they would like students to consider for their solutions."
Microsoft says over 350，000 high school and college students registered for this year's competition. Judges chose more than four hundred of them to attend the finals.
SUZI LEVINE: "One from Thailand was called NewKrean, where they created a Windows Phone 7 application that allows you to broadcast your location to your social network of friends so that you can be more easily rescued." They named their application Terra.
Suzi Levine says there were also ideas from Egypt inspired by the revolution that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February.
SUZI LEVINE: "One was to use Bluetooth as sort of a Twitter equivalent so that if the government shuts down the Internet, you actually can still have a massive social distribution."
Students competed in nine categories. For example, in software design the top prize of twenty-five thousand dollars went to Team Hermes from Ireland. The students developed a device for cars to collect information on road conditions, driving behavior and traffic incidents.
A team from Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University won first place in the embedded（內(nèi)嵌的） development category. They developed a network of wireless devices to help plot the safest escape routes during a fire.
Next year's awards ceremony will take place in Australia. Registration for Imagine Cup twenty-twelve opened Friday. Also, Microsoft announced plans for a three million dollar program to help Imagine Cup winners further develop their projects.
【小題1】Which of the following is true ?

A．The program is sponsored by Microsoft.
B．Next year, the awards ceremony will be held in New York City.
C．Any high school or college student can attend the finals.
D．The initial purpose of the program is to solve world problems using technology.
【小題2】 What can we infer from the third paragraph?
A．The UN offers great help to the program.
B．Microsoft sets up a library for the students who want to achieve their goals.
C．IGOs, NGOs and nonprofits also provide help for the students.
D．Microsoft takes effective measures to inspire the students.
【小題3】What does the underlined word “overthrew ” in Paragraph 6 mean ?
A． AbandonedB．SupportedC．Drove awayD．Overturned
【小題4】What can we know from Paragraph 7?
A．They want to replace Bluetooth with Twitter.
B．They want to combine Bluetooth with Twitter.
C．They want to replace Twitter with Bluetooth.
D．Twitter can still be used without the Internet.

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