Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality. People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that "addicted" was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the _ of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol. The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern. I see people trapped in a pathological relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money. What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that "too much of a good thing is wonderful." But it's time to discover that it does not work for technology. Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that "we can be swept away by our technologies." To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without... From the passage, technology companies aim to _ . A) attract people to buy their products B) provide the latest information C) improve people's quality of life D) deal with cultural diseases
A
Mr. Black was very forgetful. Each time when Mrs. Black wanted her husband to do something, she had to tell him again and again not to forget it. Once Mr. Black was asked to post a letter, " Do remember to put it into the letter box on your way to work." The wife said. " This time I won't forget." Mr. Black said to his wife. "I will hold the letter in my pocket." "Oh, my dear, you may go now. Please come back early." Mrs. Black said. As Mr. Black was shown out, he felt as if his wife touched him affectionately on the back. Hand in his pocket, Mr. Black walked slowly down the street. Soon a man caught up with him from behind and smiled at him, "Don't forget to post the letter." Mr. Black was wondering how the man knew he had a letter to post. Then a girl passed him and turned to smile at him, too."Now be sure to post the letter," the girl said. Mr. Black was even more puzzled, "Why are they smiling at me? And how do they know I'm going to post a letter?" he thought to himself. According to the passage we can infer Mrs. Black touched her husband on the back so as to _ . A) stick something on his back B) show her love C) warn him not to forget to post the letter D) let him go to work right now
A
Q: Many Christmas customs are based on the birth of Christ, such as giving presents because of the Wise Men, who brought presents to the baby Jesus Singing Christmas carols is based on the scene of the birth with figures of shepherds, the Wise Men and animals surrounding the baby Jesus. The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in the present-day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. After his death around 340 A. D. he was buried in Myra, but in 1087 Italian sailors were believed to steal his remains and removed them to Italy, greatly increasing St. Nicholas' popularity throughout Europe. His kindness and reputation for generosity gave rise to claims that he could perform miracles and devotion to him increased. St. Nicholas became the patron saint of Russia, where he was known by his red cap, flowing white beard, and bishop's mitre. In Greece, he was the patron saint of sailors; in France, he was the patron of lawyers, and in Belgium, the patron of children and travelers. Thousands of churches across Europe were dedicated to him and sometime around the 12th century an official holiday was created in his honor. The Feast of St. Nicholas was celebrated on December 6 and the day was marked by gift-giving and charity. After the Reformation, European followers of St. Nicholas declined, but the legend was kept alive in Holland where the Dutch spelling of his name Sint Nikolass was eventually transformed to _ . Dutch children would leave their wooden shoes by the fireplace, and Sinterklaas would reward good children by placing treats in their shoes. Dutch colonists brought this tradition with them to America in the 17th century and here the English name of Santa Claus appeared. What was the Feast of St. Nicholas held for? A) Celebrating Christ's birthday. B) Giving thanks to churches. C) Marking a holiday. D) Honoring St. Nicholas.
A: D
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V. Stiviano says Donald Sterling's racist comments on an audio recording leaked to the public were not the first by the Los Angeles Clippers owner in conversations with her. "There's been a number of occasions where Mr. Sterling and I had conversations just like this one. This was one of very many," Stiviano told Barbara Walters on ABC's "20/20" in an interview that aired Friday night. "Part of what the world heard was only 15 minutes. There's a number of other hours that the world doesn't know." Sterling, who has been banned for life by the NBA for the remarks, also spoke for the first time since the scandal. "I wish I had just paid her off," Sterling told DuJour.com, referring to Stiviano. According to the person who conducted the interview, Sterling "expressed remorse." Sterling told Stiviano in the recording that she should not post online photos of herself with black people, including basketball great Magic Johnson, or bring black people to Clippers' games. The recording, which an attorney for Stiviano said was leaked by a third party, led to public outcry across the country and the NBA. Some sponsors dropped the Clippers and others re-evaluated their relationship with the NBA. On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life, fined him $2.5 million, and urged league owners to force him to sell the team. A three-quarters vote by the NBA owners is required to force him to sell. Though Stiviano told Walters that Sterling should " ly" apologize, she said she still loves him like a father figure and does not believe he is a racist. "I think Mr. Sterling is from a different generation than I am," she said. "I think he was brought up to believe these things . . . segregation, whites and blacks. But through his actions he's shown that he's not a racist. He's shown to be a very generous and kind man." Stiviano said that since the ban, Sterling has felt confused, alone, and not supported by those around him. "I think he's highly more traumatized and hurt by the things that he said himself," she... Which of the sections does this article probably appear in a newspaper? A) Sports Section. B) Business Sections. C) Lifestyle Section. D) Science Section.
(A).
A