Today, there's hardly an aspect of our life that isn't being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. "If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology," says Microsoft, "a new car would cost about $ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas. And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza." Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers. Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. "We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend," says Merrill Lynch, "along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity." You would be hard pressed to name something that isn't available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets. And even after you've moved on to your final resting place, there's no reason those you love can't keep in touch. A company called FinalThoughts.com offers a place for you to store "afterlife e-mails" you can send to Heaven with the help of a "guardian angel". Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable future. Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than $75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52% of those connected to the Internet. Most kids use... What is the message the author intends to convey? A) The Internet is going to get firm hold of our lives some day. B) Children should be well prepared for the challenges in the information age. C) We should have a positive attitude towards the changes the Internet brings. D) The Internet is going to influence our lives even more greatly.
D
One night, as Diaz stepped off the train and onto a nearly empty platform, a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife. "He wanted my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go '" Diaz says. As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm." The robber looked at him puzzled, saying, "Why are you doing this?" Diaz replied, "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me....." Diaz says he and the teen went into a diner and sat in a booth. "The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. The kid said, "You know everybody here. Do you own this place?" "No, I just eat here a lot," Dias said. "But you're even nice to the dishwasher," he said. Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?" "Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said. When the bill arrived, Diaz said, "You're going to have to pay for this bill because you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you." The teen returned it immediately. "I gave him $20.... I figure maybe it'll help him." Diaz says he asked for something in return--- the teen's knife--- "and he gave it to me." Afterwards, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch." "I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world." For what Diaz did, his mother showed an attitude of _ . A) complaint B) concern C) criticism D) praise
D
Q: The United States is not part of the Kyoto Protocol.But since 2005 more than 1,000 mayors across the country have agreed to sign their own version of the protocol. It is called the United States Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.Local leaders have agreed to follow the suggestions of the Kyoto Protocol in their communities.They have also agreed to urge state and federal governments to follow these suggestions.One goal is to reduce air pollution to the 1990 levels by 2012. A "green" city might work on several kinds of environmental goals and programs.These include air quality,reducing electricity use, green building, public health, the reuse of materials, water quality and clean transportation. The Natural Resources Defense Council works to protect the environment through action, law and science.One of its online projects is called Smarter Cities, which lists some cities that have made important environmental steps. Washington,D.C.is also a leading city for green roofs,with over 92,000 square meters of green rooftops.The city also launched a program called "Skip the Bag,Save the River."Stores charge people a fivecent tax for using plastic or paper shopping bags instead of reusable bags.Money from the tax will be used to clean up a local river. New York City is using water as a renewable energy source.For several years, the city has experimented with water in the East River to create energy.Officials operating the program recently asked for permission to put into place 30 river turbine devices. The people of Portland, Oregon are among the top recyclers in the nation.People living there recycle over half of the waste they throw out.The city has also worked to provide green transportation by providing safe bike paths and free parking spaces where electric cars can get recharged. In Oakland, California, you can ride on one of several public hydrogenpowered buses.These buses release zero pollution into the air.However,they cost about five times more than common buses. One obvious disadvantage of adopting hydrogenpowered buses is _ . A) its high cost B) side effect C) zero pollution D) large space
A: A
Q: Meat and vegetables are measured in grams and kilograms. Milk and other liquid foods are measured in liters or milliliters. These units only measure quantity: they do not measure the value of the food to the body. The unit which measures the quality or value of food is the calorie the amount of heat given off by food when it brurns. This measurement tells how much energy a certain food has when it is completely used by the body. Our bodies use varying amount of calories. The more exercise we take, the more calories we burn. If we eat food which contains more calories than we use up, then it is possible that we would increase in weight. In order to avoid becoming overweight, it is advisable to eat a balanced diet and not eat too many foods that have a high calorie rating. The table below gives you some idea of the number of calories in food. Which word in this passage means "heavier than normal"? A) Advisable. B) Overweight. C) Balanced. D) Measurement.
A: B