Pocket Tape-Recorders "Family and Home Magazine" test what's on the market now.

    1. Pearlcorder S702 $ 64

    This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn't turn off automatically.

    Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 240g.

    2. Sony M9 $ 49. 95

    Small and very good looking. Sony's latest offering scored most for appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. Doesn't switch off automatically but a red light shows if the machine is still running.

    Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 195g.

    3. Sony M400 $115

    Lots of little control buttons that make a noise and are difficult to use. Recording was good but machine noise lost points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful.

    Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 230g.

    4. Imperial OEM. MC 7 $ 29. 95

    Cheap and simple compared with the rest, but recording was good as long as there was no background noise. Use only its own make of cassette. No light to show it is on, no fast forward button and the record button makes a loud noise.

    Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g.

    5. Philips 585 $ 80

    Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm-designed for dictation. No recording light.

    Tape length: 15 minutes per side. Weight: 220g.

60. The machine that produces the best recording with the least unwanted noise is the ______.

A. Pearlcorder S702  B. Sony M9  C. Sony M400  D. Imperial OEM MC7

61. If you want a machine which turns off automatically and weighs very little you should choose the ______.

A. Pearlcorder S702  B. Sony M9  C. Sony M400  D. Philips 585

62. Which machine is unsuitable for general use?

A. Pearlcorder S702.  B. Imperial OEM MC7.  C. Sony M400.  D. Philips 585.

63. What disadvantage does only the Imperial OEM MC7 have?

A. No light shows when it is on.    B. It's is easy to operate and inexpensive as well.

C. It requires a special cassette.     D. The record button makes a noise.

After a 15-year ban on the sale of fireworks in Beijing, Kang Guoliang, 51, was able to start his old trade again yesterday．
As a salesman in Xinhui store in Dongcheng District, he is happy about the increasing number of buying fireworks wrapped in red paper — a color standing for happiness and good luck．
“Fireworks are available for the first time in town for more than a decade,” Kang said happily．“People will buy them．”
The store has 300 boxes of fireworks piled up and is open 24 hours at the moment．Residents are buying the fireworks and firecrackers for the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on February 18．
Citywide, 2,116 registered stores and retailers, 585 in the centre and 1,600 on the outskirts are trading fireworks in the Chinese capital．Sales of fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road started yesterday and will last until March 4, Xinhua reported．Among the stores, 117 stores are permitted to operate 24 hours．About 600,000 boxes of firecrackers worth more than 100 million yuan have been carried to registered stores．
The Chinese capital began a ban in 1993 to reduce fireworks-related deaths and fires during the holiday season．Last September the ban was removed in response to residents’ fondness for fireworks when celebrating Spring Festival．
According to new rules, Beijing residents are allowed to set off fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road all day on Lunar New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s day, from 7 a．m．to midnight every day from February 19 to March 4．
“Spring Festival without fireworks is not Spring Festival,” said Sheng Hefei, who was buying fireworks in the store．“It was fun to light the firecrackers when I was little,” he said．“The sound and view of fireworks make a real holiday．” However, not all residents welcome the return of firecrackers because of injuries, pollution and noise．“My child is scared of the sudden sound of firecrackers, and it is annoying to hear it all night long,” complained Lu Jun, a local resident．
（China Daily02/11/2008）
【小題1】The passage is likely to belong to a（n）__________?

A．description

B．a(chǎn)rgument

C．a(chǎn)dvertisement

D．news report

【小題2】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Beijing fireworks sales start after a 15-year ban．

B．People go to buy fireworks and firecrackers every where in Beijing．

C．Beijing residents all welcome the return of firecrackers．

D．Many stores began to sell fireworks and firecrackers．

【小題3】We can learn from the passage that ____________．

A．every Spring Festival falls on February 18

B．Beijing residents can set off fireworks everywhere ．

C．fireworks are allowed to be sold because people like them．

D．from February 19 to March 4, Beijing residents can set off fireworks twenty four hours every day．

【小題4】What is the writer’s attitude towards the sales of fireworks in Beijing?

A．Negative

B．Not mentioned

C．Positive

D．Satisfactory

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Customized Tutoring

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1.From "Elite Lessons" you can learn _____.

A．how to teach lessons in French or English

B．what the largest guitar contest in Canada is

C．more information about the Drummer Contest

D．skill in drumming that only a few people possess

2.Since James is weak in French reading comprehension he may choose _____.

A．elite Lessons                           B．private Tutoring

C．customized Tutoring                     D．basic Lessons for Beginners

3.How much shall you pay for a basic guitar lesson?

A．$14 an hour       B．$15 an hour        C．$19 an hour       D．$25 an hour

4.The article can be found in _____.

A．daily news                             B．education reports

C．telephone directories                    D．classified advertisements

 

B

The following are the results of the tests done by “Family and Home Magazine” on some Pocket Tape-Recorders on the market now.

Pearlcorder S702 $64

This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn’t turn off automatically.

Tape length: 30minutes per side. Weight: 240g.

Sony M9   $49.95

Small and very good looking, Sony’s latest offering scored most for its appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. It doesn’t switch off automatically, but a red light shows if the machine is still running.

Tape length: 60minutes per side. Weight: 195g.

Sony M400  $115

Lots of little control buttons that make a noise are difficult to use. Recording is good but machine noise loses points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful.

Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 230g.

Imperial OEM MC7  $ 29.95

Cheap and simple compared with the rest, but recording is good as long as there is no background noise. Use only its own-make of cassette. No light to show it is on; no fast-forward button and the record button makes a loud noise.

Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g.

Philips 585  $80

Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm-designed for dictation. No recording light.

Tape length: 15 minutes per side. Weight: 220g.

46. The machine that produces the best recording with the least unwanted noise is __.

A. Pearlcorder S 702     B. Sony M9

C. Sony M400          D. Imperial OEM MC7

47. If you want a machine which turns off automatically and weighs very little you should choose _____.

A. Pearlcorder S 702   B. Sony M9  C. Sony M400  D. Philips 585

48. Which of the following allows you to record longest but costs you least?

A. Philips 585   B. Imperial OEM MC7  C. Sony M400   D. Sony M9

 

The following are the results of the tests done by “Family and Home Magazine” on some Pocket Tape-Recorders on the market now.

Pearlcorder S702 $64

This simple model at the bottom of the Olympus range scored the most points for its excellent quality of recording. Background noise hardly affects the sound and recording from a pocket is perfectly possible, but it doesn’t turn off automatically.

Tape length: 30minutes per side. Weight: 240g.

Sony M9   $49.95

Small and very good looking, Sony’s latest offering scored most for its appearance. Sounds clear, but there is slight machine noise. The big control buttons are a great improvement on some of the complicated little controls on other tape-recorders. It doesn’t switch off automatically, but a red light shows if the machine is still running.

Tape length: 60minutes per side. Weight: 195g.

Sony M400  $115

Lots of little control buttons that make a noise are difficult to use. Recording is good but machine noise loses points. Tape counter and automatic switch-off when tape has finished recording or rewinding are useful.

Tape length: 60 minutes per side. Weight: 230g.

Imperial OEM MC7 $ 29.95

Cheap and simple compared with the rest, but recording is good as long as there is no background noise. Use only its own-make of cassette. No light to show it is on; no fast-forward button and the record button makes a loud noise.

Tape length: 30 minutes per side. Weight: 285g.

Philips 585 $80

Handsome and simple to use, but recording is very poor at more than the recommended distance of 5 cm-designed for dictation. No recording light.

Tape length: 15 minutes per side. Weight: 220g.

1.The machine that produces the best recording with the least unwanted noise is _____.

A．Pearlcorder S 702   B．Sony M9          C．Sony M400        D．Imperial OEM MC7

2.If you want a machine which turns off automatically and weighs very little you should choose _____.

A．Pearlcorder S 702   B．Sony M9          C．Sony M400        D．Philips 585

3.Which of the following allows you to record longest but costs you least?

A．Philips 585        B．Imperial OEM MC7   C．Sony M400        D．Sony M9

4.What disadvantage does only the Imperial OEM MC7 have?

A．No light shows when it is on.               B．It requires a special cassette.

                    C．It picks up background noise .              D．The record button makes a noise.