People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(選擇權). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.
【小題1】We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.
| A．the spelling mistakes in the messages make her very annoyed |
| B．only writing letters will bring friends and neighbors much closer |
| C．she talks to plants more because no one shares her joys and sorrows |
| D．gestures and the pen can express a lot more than the cold keyboard |
| A．She has been separated from all his classmates many years. |
| B．No doctors write prescriptions by hand because of computers. |
| C．In communication, we should write more letters than send messages. |
| D．Less shy than school girls, boys rarely write letters to their friends. |
| A．the writer is a person full of emotions and treasures friendship and affections |
| B．the writer becomes excited when she gets priceless gifts from other people |
| C．her classmates would write to each other because they couldn’t send messages |
| D．people put a smiley face at the end of a message just to show they are happy |
| A．The writer wastes much time in reading many rubbish text messages every day. |
| B．Few people can write letters well in modern society owing to texting messages. |
| C．Now people are too busy to communicate with each other face to face often. |
| D．The writer prefers personal communication rather than electronic equipment. |
| A．Because she thinks the annoyance of reading text messages is originated from it. |
| B．Because we have more options to keep in touch with each other than ever before. |
| C．Because advanced technology partly takes the blame for lacking the human touch. |
| D．Because she thinks humans today become colder with the development of society. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Critic. | C．Sympathetic. | D．Pessimistic. |
閱讀快車系列答案科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
請認真閱讀下列短文，并根據所讀內容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一個最恰當的單詞。注意：每個空格只填1個單詞。請將答案寫在答題卡上相應題號的橫線上。
Health researchers have noticed that some groups of people are more consistently healthy than others, and wondered… Is it race? Income? Where you live? In the United States, these disagreements in health outcomes have been the focus of intense research for the past several decades.
Harvard University health policy researcher Ellen Meara says scholars have found some clues as to why some groups of people have more or less disease than others. She says one important factor in people’s health is the amount of education they have.
In her most recent paper, Meara looked at data from the United states census. These counts of people occur every 10 years. Meara and her colleagues examined data from several decades.
“We looked at life expectancy(預測壽命) at age 25,” Meara says.
“How many additional years can you expect to live if you arrive at age 25 and your education has stopped at high school, or sooner? Versus how many years, can you expect to live if you’ve reached aged 25 and you’ve gone on to at least some college…”
Meara says they found that in 1990, a 25-year-old who only had some secondary school could expect to live for a total of 75 years. In 2000, a 25-year-old with some secondary education could also expect to live to the age of 75.
In contrast, for a better educated 25-year-old, they could expect to live to the age of 80 in 1990. Someone with a similar education level in the year 2000, could expect to live to be more than 81 years, 81.6 years to be exact.
Meara says, not only do better-educated people live longer to begin with, but in the past ten years, more educated people have made gains in the length of their lives. Meanwhile, the life expectancy hasn’t changed for less educated people.
Some of these gains can be explained. Meara says researchers know that people who are more educated are more likely to quit smoking cigarettes, or not start at all, compared to people with less education.
“I think it’s a reminder not to be satisfactory,” Meara says. “Just because a population overall appears to be getting healthier, it doesn’t always mean that those advantages and successes that many people have enjoyed really extend into all parts of the population. And I think that’s something to really pay attention to regardless of whether you live in the US or elsewhere.”
Meara points out that education can often determine income---people with more education frequently make more money. This makes them aware of health care, and purchase other resources and services that can keep them healthier. But the data on income do NOT show that people who make more money are automatically healthier.
Meara says education is key. People need to be educated in order to take advantage of opportunities for better health.
| Title | The Amount of Contributes to People’s Health | ||||
| The less educated people | The ______ educated people | ||||
| Comparisons | In 1990 | They could live for 75 years | They could live to the age of 80 | ||
| In 2000 | Their life expectancy was the same as in 1990. | They could live to the age of 81.6 ____ | |||
| ___ of the research | In the past ten years | Their life expectancy remained _____. | They’ve made gains in the length of their lives, partly due to their __ smoking. | ||
| People are getting healthier, but it doesn’t mean that the advantages and successes extend into all parts of the ____. | |||||
| Education____income. | People with more education make more money | ||||
| Getting more money helps to increase their___ of health care, which can keep them healthier. | |||||
| ____ | Education is the key to better health. | ||||
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Talking to Teachers—Teachers are just people．Behind that desk, is a living, breathing human being．And just like any human being, they will probably be friendly to people who talk nicely to them．Teachers also seem to get along better with children who take schoolwork seriously and are prepared for class．And, just like any other human being, teachers like to be appreciated．The next time your teacher helps you solve a math problem or figure out a science project, say thank you with a smile.
Talking to Parents—Parents can be very supportive if their children ask for help．If you think there’s something your parents can do to help you socialize more or feel more comfortable around people, then ask them．Very often, parents want very much to help, but really don’t know what to do．Pick a quiet time of the day and ask to talk．Tell them how you feel．Maybe they had the same trouble when they were kids.
This Stranger Thing—This is always a tough one．How do you deal with a neighbor, the mail carrier, or someone walking down your street—situations that often seem to cause arguments between kids and parents．The answer to these questions will vary from kid to kid, from parent to parent because all cultures are different．Some folks live in small towns where a hello to everyone is “what’s done”．Then there are kids who live in the city who may have been taught not to speak to anyone they don’t know．If you’re having trouble with this and always feel awkward in these kinds of situations, you might want to talk to your parents or a teacher about it．Where do they think you should draw the line? When is silence rude and when is it wise?
From the first paragraph we may learn that teachers dislike____ .
A．being talked to nicely
B．their students to be serious with the schoolwork
C．the students’ appreciation
D．the students who are not ready for classes
If your parents are not supportive and you are not getting along quite well with your parents, who or what is to blame?
A．Your parents. B．Yourself.
C．Lack of communication. D．Your teachers.
The underlined word in the third paragraph is close in meaning to____.
A．afraid B．puzzled C．strange D．familiar
The passage doesn’t say but it implies that in daily communication____.
A．arguments often happen between kids and parents
B．we should talk to the neighbors and other people according to different cultures
C．city people and country people greet in the same way
D．we should fit our words with proper situations
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
1970 was World Conservation Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger. They hoped that governments would act quickly in order to conserve nature. Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland but now only 866 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man and his technology. We are changing the earth, the air and water, and everything that grows and lives. We can’t live without these things. If we continue like this, we shall destroy ourselves.
What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask “what must we do now?” the people who will believe in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know that conversation is necessary. Many are helping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers in forests, and so on. In a small town in the United States a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11kilometers of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called “no one’s going to change our world.” It was made by the Beatles, Cliff Richard, and other singers. The money from it help to conserve wild animals.
There are fewer plants, trees and flowers in Holland now because________
A. There has been a lot of conservation in Holland
B. Holland does not need so many plants, trees and flowers
C. many plants, trees and flowers do not grow there any more
D. some plants, trees and flowers are dangerous
We shall destroy ourselves if we don’t change_______
A. The United Nations
B. modern technology
C. our rivers and forests
D. the government of Holland
“No one’s going to change our world” was________
A. an important book published in 1970
B. an idea that nobody would accept
C. a record calling all people to conserve nature
D. a rule worked out by the United Nations
What is the most important thing for us to do to save our world?
A. we should plant more trees and flowers
B. we should clean the banks of our rivers
C. we should know what will happen in the future
D. we should know what we must do and begin to do now
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary(當代的) societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (療養(yǎng)的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel.
1. The author believes that the population explosion results from _______.
A. an increase in birthrates B. the industrial development
C. a decrease in death rates D. human beings’ cultural advances
2. It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.
A. it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work
B. the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation
C. old people were given the task of imparting the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations
D. death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of the hardships of life
3. According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?
A. Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough.
B. Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement.
C. When they reach a certain age, compulsory retirement is necessary and beneficial.
D. With the growing inflation, they must suffer more from unbearable burdens than ever.
4. The phrase “this need” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.
A. prolonging the dying old people’s lives
B. reducing the problems caused by the retired people
C. making profits through caring for the sick or weak people
D. taking care of the sick or weak people
5. Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes and convalescent hospitals?
A. Sympathetic. B. Approving. C. Optimistic. D. Critical.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm. The rain caused the streets to 1 and the subway system almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were 2 to go home. Some battled to 3 a taxi or to get on a bus. Still others faced the 4bravely, walking miles to get to work.
I 5 to be one of people on the way to work that morning. I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most 6 had stopped. After making my way 7 crowds of people, I finally found a subway line that was 8. Unfortunately, there were so many people waiting to 9 the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the 10 . So I took the train going in the opposite direction, and then switched back to the downtown train.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the train 11 my stop. Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I finally got to my office, I was 12 through, exhausted and 13. w.w.k.s.5.u.c.o.m
My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off. When it was 5:00 pm, I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer 14 I received an email from Garth, my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and 15 went to work. It is always reassuring(令人欣慰), at times like these, when employees so clearly show their 16 to their jobs. Thank you.
Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that 17 message than I ever did from a textbook. The email taught me that a few words of 18 can make a big difference. The rainstorm and the traffic 19 had made me tired and upset. But Garth’s words immediately 20 me and put a smile back on my face.
1. A. confusion B. flood C. sink D. crash
2. A. forced B. refused C. adjusted D. gathered
3. A. order B. pay C. call D. search
4. A. climate B. scenery C. storm D. burden
5. A. occurred B. promised C. deserved D. happened
6. A. practice B. routine C. process D. service
7. A. to B. through C. over D. for
8. A. operating B. cycling C. turning D. rushing
9. A. check B. carry C. find D. board
10. A. street B. ground C. floor D. platform
11. A. paused B. crossed C. reached D. parked
12. A. wet B. weak C. sick D. hurt
13. A. ashamed B. discouraged C. surprised D. helpless
14. A. while B. when C. where D. after
15. A. hardly B. casually C. absolutely D. eventually
16. A. devotion B. donation C. concern D. reaction
17. A. accurate B. urgent C. brief D. humorous
18. A. promise B. appreciation C. admiration D. guidance
19. A. troubles B. signals C. rules D. signs
20. A. corrected B. supported C. amazed D. refreshed
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