We're all connected. You can send an e-mail message to a friend, and your friend can pass it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could reach just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
Scientists recently tested that idea in a study involving 24,000 people. Participants had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 randomly chosen people. Each participant started by sending one e-mail to someone they knew. Recipients could then forward the e-mail once to someone they knew, and so on.
Targets, who were randomly assigned by researchers from Columbia University in New York, lived in 13 countries. They included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor.
Out of 24,000 chains, only 384 reached their goal. The rest petered out, usually because one of the recipients was either too busy to forward the message or thought it was junk mail.
The links that reached their goal made it in an average of 4.05 e-mails. Based on the lengths of the failed chains, the researchers estimated that two strangers could generally make contact in five to seven e-mails.
The most successful chains relied on casual acquaintances rather than close friends. That's because your close friends know each other whereas your acquaintances tend to know people you don't know. The phenomenon, known as the strength of weak ties, explains why people tend to get jobs through people they know casually but aren't that close to.
So, start networking and instant messaging now. As they say in show business: It's all about who you know.
【小題1】 If you want to get into touch with a stranger in the world, how many e-mails might it take for the message to reach him/her?

A. 5 to 7
B. 18
C. 13
D. 384
【小題2】 Which of the following is Not true about the test?
A. 24,000 people took part in the study and sent e-mails to people they knew.
B. The 18 targets were chosen by chance.
C. About 98.4% of the mails didn’t reach their goal because some people were too busy or they mistook the message for junk mail.
D. The targets come from 13 countries, such as Australia, Norway and New York.
【小題3】 What does the word “estimate” mean in the passage?
A. make sure
B. suppose
C. think over
D. imagine
【小題4】 Why do people tend to get jobs more easily through casual acquaintances than close friends?
A. Because close friends don’t talk with each other so much.
B. Because casual acquaintances can help you know more people and make more friends.
C. Because close friends don’t spend so much time gathering together.
D. Because casual acquaintances are kinder and more willing to help others.
【小題5】  In which part of a newspaper will readers read this passage?
A. Culture
B. Entertainment
C. Information and Technology
D. Health


【小題1】A
【小題2】D
【小題3】B
【小題4】B
【小題5】C

解析本文主要講述電子郵件將人們的聯(lián)系拉近。
【小題1】 A 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第一段最后一句可知。
【小題2】 D 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第二段可知,A, B, C都正確;由第三段最后一句可知,D不正確。
【小題3】 B 詞義猜測(cè)題。estimate “估計(jì)”,與B選項(xiàng)suppose意思最接近。
【小題4】  B 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。由第六段可知。
【小題5】 C 推理判斷題。因本文談的e-mail與電腦有關(guān),所以應(yīng)與“信息和技術(shù)”相關(guān)。

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Are you a saver or a spender?
"A penny saved is a penny earned." This old saying calls attention to the wisdom of saving money. "_________________________" is another way to talk about saving for the future.
People who hate to spend money are known as "tightwads," while those who like to get the most value for their money are called "thrifty." A thrifty person is different from a "spendthrift." A spendthrift is someone who spends wastefully. People like that are often said to spend money "like a drunken sailor" or "like there's no tomorrow."
In the United States, people who want to start a savings account have different choices of where to put their money. These include banks and credit unions. Credit unions are cooperatives for people who have some kind of connection. For example, the members might work for a university or a government agency. Most credit unions are nonprofit organizations.
Credit unions, banks and other financial institutions pay interest on savings accounts. But the interest rates are low. Certificates of deposit(存款證) pay higher returns. With a certificate of deposit, or CD, a person agrees not to withdraw the money for a certain period of time. This term could be anywhere from a few months to several years. Longer terms, and larger amounts, pay higher interest. People can withdraw their money early but they have to pay a fine.
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【小題1】Which of the following proverbs can be filled in the blank in Paragraph 2?

A.Health is wealth. 
B.Money is a good servant but a bad master 
C.Put money away for a rainy day. 
D.Money doesn’t grow on trees. 
【小題2】If you have $10,000, which of the following may help you get higher interest ?
A.Choose certificates of deposit for one year. 
B.Put the money in banks for one year. 
C.Put the money in credit unions for one year. 
D.Choose certificates of deposit for one year but withdraw the money ahead of time. 
【小題3】What does the passage mainly talk about ?
A.Different choices of putting money away in the US. 
B.The importance of saving money. 
C.How to put money into banks. 
D.The household savings rate in the US. 

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive (主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman.
Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success.
Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck.
All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the unattractive overnight successes was connected more to personal relationships and less to ability than that of the attractive overnight successes.
Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is considered to be more feminine (女性的,嬌柔的) and has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the “manly” qualifies required.
This is true even in politics, “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates (候選人). She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
【小題1】The underlined word in the first paragraph “l(fā)iability” most probably means_________.

A.trust B.trouble C.disadvantage D.benefit
【小題2】Bowman's experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness________.
A.is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women
B.turns out to be a disadvantage to men
C.has more effects on men than on women
D.has nothing to do with one’s work
【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often__________.
A.objective B.supportive C.old-fashioned D.subjective
【小題4】The author writes this passage to_________.
A.give advice to job-seekers who are attractive
B.discuss the disadvantages of being attractive
C.emphasize the impact of appearance on both sexes
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Forget Twitter and Facebook, Google and the Kindle. Television is still the most influential medium around. Indeed, for many of the poorest regions(地區(qū))of the world, it remains the next big thing—finally becomes globally available. And that is a good thing, because the TV revolution is changing lives for the better.
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Too much TV has been associated with violence, overweight and loneliness. However, TV is having a positive influence on the lives of billions worldwide.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Americans used to get access to the Internet easily.
B.The world’s TV sets will total 150 million by 2013.
C.45% of families in the developing countries had a TV in 2005.
D.Over two thirds of families in the world will have a TV by 2013.
【小題2】The author intends to ____________.
A.stress the advantages of TV to people’s lives
B.persuade women to become more independent
C.encourage people to improve their reading skills
D.introduce the readers some websites such as Google
【小題3】What would be the best title for the passage?
A.TV Will Rule the World B.TV Will Disturb the World
C.TV Will Better the World D.TV Will Remain in World

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

   In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition (學(xué)會(huì)) of each new skill m the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe (嚴(yán)格的) over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals. In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness.
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A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
【小題1】Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills, _________________.

A.should be avoided
B.is universal among parents
C.sets up dangerous states of worry in the child
D.will make the child lose interest in learning new things
【小題2】 In the process of children’s learning new skills, parents _________________.
A.should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B.should expect a lot of the children
C.should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
D.should create as many learning opportunities as possible
【小題3】 The second paragraph mainly tells us that _________________.
A.parents should be strict with their children
B.parental controls reflect only the values of the community
C.parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone
D.it’s parents’ and society’s duty to control the children
【小題4】The word “precept” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_________________”.
A.opinion B.punishment C.behavior D.instruction
【小題5】In terms of moral matters, parents should _____________________.
A.follow the rules themselves
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

The past ages of man have all been carefully labeled by anthropologists. Descriptions like ‘ Palaeolithic Man’, ‘Neolithic Man’, etc., neatly sum up whole periods. When the time comes for anthropologists to turn their attention to the twentieth century, they will surely choose the label ‘Legless Man’. Histories of the time will go something like this: ‘in the twentieth century, people forgot how to use their legs. Men and women moved about in cars, buses and trains from a very early age. There were lifts and escalators in all large buildings to prevent people from walking. This situation was forced upon earth dwellers of that time because of miles each day. But the surprising thing is that they didn’t use their legs even when they went on holiday. They built cable railways, ski-lifts and roads to the top of every huge mountain. All the beauty spots on earth were marred by the presence of large car parks. ’
The future history books might also record that we were deprived of the use of our eyes. In our hurry to get from one place to another, we failed to see anything on the way. Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world – or even less if the wing ofthe aircraft happens to get in your way. When you travel by car or train a blurred image of the countryside constantly smears the windows. Car drivers, in particular, are forever obsessed with the urge to go on and on: they never want to stop. Is it the lure of the great motorways, or what? And as for sea travel, it hardly deserves mention. It is perfectly summed up in the words of the old song: ‘I joined the navy to see the world, and what did I see? I saw the sea.’ The typical twentieth-century traveler is the man who always says ‘I’ve been there. ’ You mention the remotest, most evocative place-names in the world like El Dorado, Kabul, Irkutsk and someone is bound to say ‘I’ve been there’ – meaning, ‘I drove through it at 100 miles an hour on the way to somewhere else. ’
When you travel at high speeds, the present means nothing: you live mainly in the future because you spend most of your time looking forward to arriving at some other place. But actual arrival, when it is achieved, is meaningless. You want to move on again. By traveling like this, you suspend all experience; the present ceases to be a reality: you might just as well be dead. The traveler on foot, on the other hand, lives constantly in the present. For him traveling and arriving are one and the same thing: he arrives somewhere with every step he makes. He experiences the present moment with his eyes, his ears and the whole of his body. At the end of his journey he feels a delicious physical weariness. He knows that sound. Satisfying sleep will be his: the just reward of all true travellers.
【小題1】Anthorpologists label nowaday’s men ‘Legless’ because
A   people forget how to use his legs.
B   people prefer cars, buses and trains.
C   lifts and escalators prevent people from walking.
D   there are a lot of transportation devices.
【小題2】Travelling at high speed means
A   people’s focus on the future.
B   a pleasure.
C   satisfying drivers’ great thrill.
D   a necessity of life.
【小題3】Why does the author say ‘we are deprived of the use of our eyes’ ?
A   People won’t use their eyes.
B   In traveling at high speed, eyes become useless.
C   People can’t see anything on his way of travel.
D   People want to sleep during travelling.
【小題4】What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A   Legs become weaker.
B   Modern means of transportation make the world a small place.
C   There is no need to use eyes.
D   The best way to travel is on foot.
【小題5】What does ‘a(chǎn) bird’s-eye view’ mean?
A   See view with bird’s eyes.
B   A bird looks at a beautiful view.
C   It is a general view from a high position looking down.
D   A scenic place.
VOCABULARY
Palaeolithic 舊石器時(shí)代的
Neolithic  新石器時(shí)代的
escalator  自動(dòng)電梯,自動(dòng)扶梯
ski-lift     載送滑雪者上坡的裝置
mar     損壞,毀壞
blur     模糊不清,朦朧
smear     涂,弄臟,弄模糊(尤指畫面、輪廓等)
evocative  引起回憶的,喚起感情的
El Dorado  (由當(dāng)時(shí)西班牙征服者想象中的南美洲)黃金國(guó),寶山,富庶之鄉(xiāng)
Kabul     喀布爾(阿富汗首都)
Irkutsk   伊爾庫(kù)茨克(原蘇聯(lián)亞洲城市)
難句譯注與答案詳解
The only way to travel is on foot  旅游的唯一方法是走路
難句譯注
Air travel gives you a bird’s-eye view of the world – or even if the wing of the aircraft happens to get in your way.
【參考譯文】飛機(jī)旅行,你只可俯視世界――如果機(jī)翼碰巧擋住了你的視線,就看得更少了。
When you travel by car or train a blurred image of the country-side constantly smears the windows.
【參考譯文】如果乘車或火車旅行,郊外模糊朦朧的景象不斷地掠過(guò)窗口。
寫作方法與文章大意
文章以因果寫作方法,寫出了由于種種現(xiàn)代化交通設(shè)施、人們不需用腳走路,甚至也不需要用眼看景,出門就坐汽車、公交車、地鐵、飛機(jī)……,車、機(jī)速度飛快,外邊的景物難以看清,最終導(dǎo)致人們忘記用腳、用眼成為“無(wú)腳之人”。一切都經(jīng)歷不到。作者建議最佳的旅游方法是徒步――經(jīng)歷現(xiàn)實(shí)。

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Maybe you love them and want to pet every one you see.Or maybe you’re afraid of them and want to move to a dog­free neighborhood.Either way,dogs are a part of life.Millions of people have dogs as pets.You’ll see them all over town,in the city,country,and even when you’re on vacation.
Like many kinds of pets—no matter how small or cute they are—dogs need to be respected as animals that,under certain conditions,could hurt you.Nearly 5 million dog bites happen every year in the United States.No one wants a dog bite,but how do you prevent one?
One dog expert has come up with an easy way for kids to remember some tips to prevent dog bites.It spells “DOG SAFE”.
Don’t tease,please:Teasing a dog can make it angry enough to bite.For instance,if a dog has food or a toy,never try to take it away.You wouldn’t like it if someone took your snack(點(diǎn)心) while you were eating it!
Only pet with permission:Never pet a dog without asking the owner if it’s OK.Some dogs don’t like to be touched by strangers.
Give space:Little kids especially might run right up to a lovely dog and try to pet it or give it a hug.But dogs need space.Crowding a dog can frighten or anger the dog.
Slow down:Some dogs like to chase(追逐) and bite.Of course,you don’t want to be chased or bitten!The way to avoid it is to go slow around dogs.Never run toward them or away from them.If a dog you don’t know runs toward you,freeze.If you need to get away,back up slowly.
Always get help:You may want to bring home a dog that seems lost or injured.But animals who are lost or injured may be very frightened or in pain.Find a grown­up instead who can decide how to care for the animal.
Fingers together:When feeding a dog a treat,put the treat in the palm of your hand and keep your fingers and thumb close together.Why?The dog is less likely to get confused about which is the treat—the doggie snack or your finger!
Even good dogs can bite:Some people are very surprised when their dog bites someone,but all dogs can bite.Avoid doing things that make dogs scared or angry,such as backing them into a corner or bothering them when they are sleeping.
【小題1】The purpose of the text is to ________.

A.help kids avoid being bitten by dogs
B.show methods of feeding dogs
C.warn dog owners of danger
D.warn kids to keep away from dogs
【小題2】You won’t make a dog angry if ________.
A.you let it alone while it is eating
B.you pretend to take its food away
C.you exchange toys with it
D.you play together with it
【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.The owner will be angry if you pet his or her dog.
B.Dogs don’t like to play with people they are familiar with.
C.A dog may rush up to a kid happily when a kid runs straight to it.
D.You can’t pet a dog unless its owner allows you to.
【小題4】Seeing a dog running after you,you’d better ______.
A.escape quickly
B.hide in a safe place
C.slow down or just stop
D.turn to the owner

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

In Asia,there are special competitions where kites have complex designs and are fitted with instruments that make musical sounds as the wind blows through them.Although all kites have a similar structure(結(jié)構(gòu)),they are widely different in size and shape.Kite­fighting competitions are also held,in which competitors use their kites to attack and bring down their opponents’(對(duì)手) kites or cut their strings(線).
For more than 15 years,the Big Wind Kite Factory has been giving kite­making and kite­flying classes for the children on an island in Hawaii.In its kite­making lessons,students can make kites in as little as 20 minutes!Children as young as four years old can learn how to fly a kite.Jonathan Socher and his wife Daphne started the kite factory in 1980.Their kites are made of nylon(尼龍).Their designs are Hawaiian themes created by Daphne.The designs are cut out of the nylon with a hot knife that seals the edges and then fastened directly onto the kite.
The kite that is used to give lessons is a regular diamond kite with a rainbow pattern.The difference between this kite and the ones they make during the lessons is that it is a two­string controllable kite.Big Wind employees fly the kite and for a few minutes show students how pulling on one line and then on the other controls the direction the kite goes in.Then the controls are given to the students.
Jonathan insists that it is not necessary to make a huge impressive kite to have fun making and flying kites.Even the simplest structure can work,and can give hours of fun.Go on,give it a try!
(2012·安徽,D)
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A.A hot knife is used to iron the nylon.
B.Children never fly kites on their own in flying lessons.
C.Kite strings must not be cut in kite­fighting competitions.
D.Daphne designs kites for the Big Wind Kite Factory.
【小題2】What is different about the kite used for flying lessons?
A.It has two strings.
B.It is simple in design.
C.It has a rainbow pattern.
D.It is shaped like a diamond.
【小題3】According to Jonathan,what do you need to have fun with kites?
A.A large kite.
B.Any type of kite.
C.A complex structure.
D.A kite that impresses others.
【小題4】What is mainly described in the text?
A.A kite factory.
B.Kite­flying lessons.
C.Special competitions.
D.The kite­making process.

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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源: 題型:閱讀理解

Eyeglasses correct many different types of sight problems, including nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism (散光). Trying to understand those different numbers on an eyeglass prescription (驗(yàn)光單) requires understanding the measurements optometrists (驗(yàn)光師) use when fitting you for corrective lenses (鏡片).

Diopters (屈光度)
The numbers on your prescription are given in diopters, whose short form is "D". It is used to measure the focusing power, or amount of correction.
O.S. and O.D.
Optometrists use the Latin short form O.S. and O.D. to distinguish between your eyes. O.S. refers to your left eye, while O.D. refers to the right eye.
Generally, your prescription will show a number for O.S. and O.D. (given in diopters). The farther this number is on a number line from zero, the more correction your eyeglasses should provide. A plus sign means the eye is farsighted, while a minus sign means the eye is nearsighted.
Spherical Value
This plus or minus number for each eye is called the spherical value, or the degree of nearsightedness or farsightedness you have. Its short form is "S."
Cylinder
If you have an astigmatism, the optometrist will also measure its degree. The higher the number (given in diopters) marked as the cylinder of astigmatism, (its short form is "C"), the more astigmatism there is in that eye.
Axis
An astigmatism is also measured in terms of its axis, which is a number between 0 and 180. The axis of the astigmatism does not relate to the amount of cylinder, just the location of the irregularity of the astigmatism on that particular eye.
【小題1】According to the first paragraph, various sight problems ______.

A.should be understood by the patients
B.can be avoided by wearing corrective lenses
C.should be tested by different optometrists
D.can be corrected by wearing eyeglasses
【小題2】If you need a pair of corrective lenses, the optometrist will first value the numbers of ______.
A.DioptersB.Spherical ValueC.CylinderD.Axis
【小題3】From the prescription above we can learn that Li Hua ______.
A.is farsightedB.is nearsighted
C.has no astigmatismD.is normal in sight
【小題4】The text is probably taken from ______.
A.a(chǎn)n education reportB.a(chǎn) school bulletin
C.a(chǎn) local newspaperD.a(chǎn)n encyclopedia (百科全書)

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