7期 阅读

报刊阅读（7）（A）Just 25 years ago, the top three career hopes for young people in Britain were teacher, banker and doctor. Now, they yearn (渴望) to be sports star, pop star and actor, according to a survey cited by the Guardian newspaper.Rachel, a character in popular TV show Glee, may be said to speak for British teenagers: “Nowadays being anonymous (默默无闻的) is worse than being poor.”Emma Brockes, a reporter with the Guardian, believes it is “the corrupting (腐化的) influence of celebrity culture” that is to blame. “When children wanted to be doctors, it wasn‟t because they were genuinely more interested in the function of the spleen (脾) than they are now; you go where the respect is and the respect has gone to some weird (奇怪的) places,” she wrote.It could explain why there has been such an increase in levels of anxiety and depression (郁闷).Dr Carlo Strenger, of Tel Aviv University in Israel, studied the sense of self for his new book The Fear of Insignificance: Searching for Meaning in theTwenty-first Century. He told the Daily Mail that young people now are “defined by the intimate (密切的) connection to the global infotainment (娱乐资讯节目) network, which has turned ranking and rating people on scales of wealth and celebrity into an obsession (痴迷).”“As humans we naturally measure ourselves to those around us, but now we live in a …global village‟. We are comparing ourselves with the most …significant (重要的)‟ people in the world –and finding ourselves wanting,” he said. Today, even high achievers constantly fear that they are insignificant when they compare themselves to success stories in the media.The solution? Simply stop measuring your achievement through a fantasy of wealth and celebrity. Dr Strenger told the Daily Mail that it is a process called “active self-acceptance through a constant quest (追寻) for self-knowledge through life”.“The fear of insignificance can only be overcome through strong individual and cultural identity over and above measurable achievement,” he said.1. The main purpose of the article is to _____.A. show the side effects of living in a global villageB. criticize the obsession with and negative effects of celebrity cultureC. analyze the reasons behind the obsession with fame and give solutionsD. explain why we should seek a new cultural identity in the new century2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?A. Teachers, bankers and doctors are no longer respected in Britain.B. Emma Brockes thinks it is bad that many British children now respect fame.C. Today‟s British children are interested in jobs that are interesting inthemselves.D. Those who are themselves able to achieve needn‟t be concerned about celebrityculture.3. Which of the following leads to the fear of insignificance, according to DrCarlo Strenger?A. Access to the global network.B. Comparing oneself with celebrities.C. High levels of anxiety and depression.D. Ranking and rating people all the time.4. Dr Carlo Strenger’s suggestion is that young people should ____.A. seek self-understanding and inner strengthB. stop comparing themselves with othersC. regard wealth and fame as unimportantD. stop measuring achievement(B)Solar storms are caused by massive (大规模的) explosions on the sun. The explosions release waves of X-rays and ultraviolet (紫外线的) radiation, which hit the Earth within minutes, disrupting radio signals, and damaging the They are followed 10 to 20 minutes later by a electronics of satellites (卫星) . burst of energetic particles (粒子) which cause even more damage to satellites. They are then followed 15 to 30 hours later by charged plasma (带电等离子) that hits the Earth‟s magnetic field. The plasma causes power cuts as a result of the sudden surge (飙升) of electricity in power lines and creates the Northern Lights.The damaged satellite systems and power supplies affect the GPS, the computer, the mobile phone and other cool electronic gadgets (小器具) that have become part of our world.The strongest solar eruption in five years sent billions of charged plasma flying towards the Earth on February 15, disrupting radio signals. And a far bigger solar storm could hit the Earth as the sun is entering the most active period of its 11-to-12-year natural cycle, scientists warned at the American Association for the Advancement of Science s‟ annual meeting on February 19. If the storm is powerful enough it could even crash stock (股票) markets and cause power cuts that last weeks or months, they said.Although it is still hard to predict precisely when a solar storm will occur, humans have some measures to deal with its impact. They include shutting off the power of satellites and cut power supplies to the at-risk areas until the danger passes.Today‟s society is more at risk from solar storms than it was in the past, because human society relies more upon satellite systems to regulate computers, phone networks, positioning and so on. Take GPS for example. They can be seen everywhere now helping climbers, cars and aircraft to find their way.“The last time we had a maximum in the solar cycle, about 10 years ago, the world was a very different place. Cell phones are now ubiquitous (普遍存在的); they were certainly around but we didn‟t rely on them for so many different things,” said Jane Lubchenco, head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.1. The main purpose of the article is to _____.A. warn us to abandon our hi-tech lifestyleB. describe a typical sun storm and give solutionsC. show us how important satellite systems are for societyD. explain how and why solar storms could have strong impact on human beings2. Which of the following gives the correct order of stages of a solar storm?a. the release of X-rays and ultraviolet radiationb. huge explosions on the sunc. the Earth‟s magnetic field‟s being affectedd. a burst of energetic particlese. satellites‟ electronics being harmedA. baedcB. badecC. baecdD. bdeac3. What can we conclude from the article?A. Solar storms will harm greatly those who use the Internet.B. Solar storms cannot reach as far as the polar regions.C. It will be hard to control satellite systems since they are so distant.D. Our increasing reliance on hi-tech makes solar storms a greater danger to us.4. Solar storms can disrupt life by _____.A. sending large amounts of ultraviolet radiation through the atmosphereB. putting out the lights in the areas affected for some timeC. producing too much electricityD. disrupting magnetic fields(C)A TAXI driver taught me a million dollar lesson in customer satisfaction and expectation. Motivational (激励人的) speakers charge thousands of dollars to give his kind of training to corporate executives (公司主管) and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.I had flown into Dallas just for the purpose of calling on a client. Time was important and my plan included a quick turnaround (转向) trip from and back to the airport. A clean taxi pulled up.The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver‟s seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy.Well! I looked around for a “Candid Camera!” Wouldn‟t you? I could not believe the service I was receiving! I took the opportunity to say, “Obviously you take great pride in your work. Y ou must have a story to tell.”“You bet,” he replied, “I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life, somewhere I could feel proud of being the best I could be.I knew I would never be a rocket (火箭) scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day‟s work and done it well. I evaluated my personal assets (资产) and, I became a taxi driver!One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I just have to meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer‟s expectations! I like the sound of being …great‟ better tha n just being…average‟.”Did I tip him big time? You bet!The taxi driver taught me a great life lesson: Go an extra mile when providing any service to others. And there is no good or bad job. You can make any job good.1. What lesson did the author learn from the taxi driver?A. How to make the best use of time.B. How to excel in the service business.C. How to turn an interest into your career.D. How to become a motivational speaker.2. Why did the author look around for a “Candid Camera”?A. Because he was afraid he would be photographed in the cab.B. Because he was worried what the driver could be up to.C. Because he was amazed by the way the driver was treating him.D. Because he wasn‟t interested in the tapes offered by the driver.3. It can be inferred from the story that _____.A. the taxi driv er couldn‟t accept just being averageB. the author was anxious to get back to meet a clientC. when the author waited for a taxi at the airport, he was not in a rushD. the taxi driver loved to play his favorite music during rides4. According to the story, the taxi driver ____.A. was dissatisfied with his present jobB. was once often rewarded for being a model workerC. enjoyed offering his customers more than they expectedD. was forced to become a taxi driver to support his family答案：1. 本文主要讲了现今英国青少年渴望做明星。