Gaudi Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag --- one that's built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded (嵌于) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.
That's where the similarities end: this bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you're about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you take an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.
Surely, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. Dupont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty (耐磨損的) cycle.
As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $ 150, which is the price of an average leather purse.
Here's how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip onto your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you've forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse's handles will notify the computer that you've picked up the purse and are ready to go.
Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring - and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years - making for a booming market for wearable computers that don't look like something out of science fiction.
【小題1】 According to the passage, the new wearable computers _______.

A．require users to operate on the stomach

B．pick up the signals through wires and chips

C．a(chǎn)re being applied in some different areas now

D．a(chǎn)re smarter but more expensive than the old ones

【小題2】What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The new wearable computers have become fashionable.

B．People would like to learn more about the new computers.

C．New wearable computers promise to sell well in the future.

D．The idea of the purse-like computers comes from science fiction.

【小題3】The purpose of the passage is to ________

A．introduce a new kind of computer

B．explain the functions of computers

C．compare different types of computers

D．show how high technology affects our life

There are numerous similarities between Muhammad Ali and his 23-year-old daughter Laila. She is the only one of his nine sons and daughters to have those genes that led to the ring (拳擊場). Her father’s great status had nothing to do with Laila’s decision to pursue a boxing career. She has always been proud of his achievements, but he was never a great man to her ---- just dad.
What attracted her to take up boxing was the unusual sight of two women in the ring on the television screen when she was about to watch a Mike Tyson fight five years ago. She was very excited and said to herself, “I can do that.”
Laila’s father would prefer her not to take up the dangerous sport. Johnny McClain, her husband and manager (former boxer himself) feels the same way. Even though both the men in her life worry about her, they’re 100 percent supportive. “They don’t want me to get hurt,” she says.
Long before entering the ring, Laila was a fighter. Being the daughter of an outstanding boxer made her an easy target for high school kids to see how tough she was. They, not she, failed in the test. For the public, her biggest test took place last summer in the New York State when she took on Jacqui Frazier Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, her father’s most famous opponent (對手) during the 1970s.
That fight provided the biggest shot in the arm that women’s boxing has received. News reporters poured in. Some called it “Ali/Frazier – Generation II”. No match involving women had ever attracted so much attention. Laila had a narrow victory in the fight.
Like it or not, she accepts the fact that she is the face of female boxing. And she hopes that her name and fame will help get the public to take it more seriously.
The name Ali has and always will bring her attention. But she is determined to make her own mark on opponents’ faces as well as in boxing history books. She says, “I want women’s boxing to get its due respect.”
【小題1】Laila took up boxing because of _____.

A．her father’s great status	B．a(chǎn) Mike Tyson fight
C．her admiration for her father	D．her interest in boxing

【小題2】From the passage we can know _____.

A．Laila’s husband is still a boxer now

B．Laila wants to make contributions to the sport of boxing

C．Laila’s husband doesn’t think boxing is a dangerous sport

D．when Laila was in high school, she often failed in the fight with other kids

【小題3】What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．That fight proved that Laila was a person of physical power.

B．That fight made female boxing more popular.

C．That fight provided people with a good change to enjoy themselves.

D．Laila made her first public appearance in that fight.

【小題4】 Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．A female boxer ---- Laila Ali	B．The best-known fight
C．Ali/Frazie ---- Generation II	D．Muhammad Ali and his daughter

s I crammed myself onto a crowded train this morning, I noticed there was a very pregnant(懷孕的) woman standing near me, jammed in tightly and hanging on for dear life．I looked at the passengers sitting in the seats that are supposed to be surrendered to the elderly, physically challenged, and other people who need to sit, Not one of them even looked up; everyone was too absorbed in what they were listening to, reading, or watching to even notice the pregnant passenger．

Over the past few years, there have been countless discussions on minding our manners within our new modes of communication．But while we’ve been debating the dos and don’ts of technology etiquette（禮節(jié)）, it appears that many of us have forgotten some of the old school manners that have nothing to do with a keyboard or a monitor, but have everything to do with the long-forgotten Golden Rule．Maybe technology has eroded our brains so much that we can never go back to those golden days．

“Giving up your seat to someone is so easy．Even when people don’t accept your offer, I think it’s nice to get up and stay standing so they know you’re sincere． The more that we become the good example, the more it will catch on．” Lizzie Post, says great-great granddaughter of Emily Post ．

Sophisticated technology doesn’t mean that good manners have to be a thing of the past． In fact, Post says she defines good manners using three simple, everyday principles: consideration, respect, and honesty． “Apply those to any situation and toward all the people involved including yourself and the solution will make sense．”

66．No one gave up his seat to the pregnant women because______．

A．The woman doesn’t need a seat at all．

B．It’s not common to give up his seat to others who need it

C．No one noticed her on the such crowed train

D．Everyone is so tired that all want to have a rest．

67．Paragraph 2 suggests that________．

A．We are always having discussions on minding our manners

B．Many of us have forgotten some of the old school manners

C．It’s technology that has eroded our brains so much

D．Students always care about their own business instead of school manners

68．The underlined phrase “ catch on ” in the third paragraph refers to____．

A．being understood     B．being popular     C．being taken     D．being caught

69．What did Lizzie Post say shows that she was ______?

A．honest             B．polite            C．respectable             D．friendly

70． What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Where Are Our Manners     B．The Long-forgotten Golden Rule

C．Give up your Seat          D．Sophisticated Technology

Multitasking

People who multitask all the time may be the worst at doing two things at once, a new research suggests. The findings, based on performances and self-evaluation by about 275 college students, indicate that many people multitask not out of a desire to increase productivity, but because they are easily distracted (分心) and can’t focus on one activity. And “those people turn out to be the worst at handling different things,” said David Sanbonmatsu, a psychologist at the University of Utah.

Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues gave the students a set of tests and asked them to report how often they multitasked, how good they thought they were at it, and how sensation-seeking (尋求刺激) or imperative (沖動) they were. They then evaluated the participants’ multitasking ability with a tricky mental task that required the students to do simple mathematical calculations while remembering a set of letters.

Not surprisingly, the scientists said, most people thought they were better than average at multitasking, and those who thought they were better at it were more likely to report using a cellphone while driving or viewing multiple kinds of media at once. But those who frequently deal with many things at the same time were found to perform the worst at the actual multitasking test. They also were more likely to admit to sensation-seeking and impulsive behavior, which connects with how easily people get bored and distracted.

“People multitask not because it’s going to lead to greater productivity, but because they’re distractible, and they get sucked into things that are not as important.” Sanbonmatsu said.

Adam Gazzaley, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not a member of the research group, said one limitation of the study was that it couldn’t find out whether people who start out less focused  toward multitasking or whether people’s recognizing and understanding abilities change as a result of multitasking.

The findings do suggest, however, why the sensation-seeker who multitask the most may enjoy risky distracted driving. “People who are multitasking are generally less sensitive to risky situations.” said Paul Atchley, another researcher not in the group. “This may partly explain why people go in for these situations even though they’re dangerous.”

67. The research led by Sanbonmatsu indicates that people who multitask ______.

A. seek high productivity constantly

B. prefer handling different things when getting bored

C. are more focused when doing many things at a time

D. have the poorest results in doing various things at the same time

68. When Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues conducted their research, they ______.

A. assessed the multitasking ability of the students

B. evaluated the academic achievements of the students

C. analyzed the effects of the participants’ tricky mental tasks

D. measured the changes of the students’ understanding ability

69. According to Sanbonmatsu, people multitask because of their ______.

A. limited power in calculation

B. interests in doing things differently

C. inability to concentrate on one task

D. impulsive desire to try new things

70. From the last paragraph, we can learn that multitaskers usually ______.

A. drive very skillfully

B. go in for different tasks

C. fail to react quickly to potential dangers

D. refuse to explain the reasons for their behavior

If I have to choose three critical factors in achieving success in my career, these would be my choices—belief, action and discipline.

Belief

  In order to achieve success in your career, you have to first believe. You need to believe that you can achieve it. You need to have faith in your goals and your path to success. Once your mind is convinced that you can do it, everything is possible. Belief is the “mind and heart” part of the three critical success factors.

Action

  Nothing moves until you do something. Believing alone is not going to achieve anything. It must be followed up with concrete action. Your plan for career success is nothing unless you act upon it wholeheartedly. When you act upon what you believe, there is focus. And there is energy. That energy propels (drive forward) you to greater heights. Action is the “hands and legs” part of the three critical success factors.

Discipline（自制力）

  Action in itself is not enough to increase the chances of success. But disciplined action would do that. One of the main reasons why people fail is that there is no discipline in their action. They give themselves excuses when they cannot consistently go ahead with their plans. You need some form of sacrifice（犧牲）if you want to achieve success in your career. That sacrifice takes discipline. Discipline also ensures that you can be persistent（堅持的）, especially when you’re faced with challenges after challenges in your journey to success. Discipline is the “untiring, determined hands and legs” part of the three critical success factors.

  When what you think, feel and do become one, there is nothing that can stop you from achieving career success

 

Topic	How can you 66___________in your career?
67________.	Belief	1. You need to feel 68________.  About your goals and your path to success. 2. Once you are convinced that you can do it, nothing is 69.________   .
Action	1. You must act on your plan for career success70.__________ and soul. 2. You must devote all your 71. ______________so that you can reach greater heights.
Discipline	1. It means that you must 72______________yourself. 2. You need to 73.______________ something when you gain something. 3. You must be persistent when you are faced with 74. ________________.
75________	If you combine all the three factors, you are sure to achieve career success.