Nora, a 17-year-old American, notices that when she has to do a paper for school and researches it on the Internet, she rarely reads a whole page and does deep reading. “I’ll read the beginning of a paragraph and then I'll skip(跳過) the rest,” she says.
While Nora's mother, Martha, loves sitting down with a good book and reading carefully, her daughter may be the wave of the future.
“Deep reading”, or slow reading, is a process in which people think carefully while they read. With most, that means slowing down --- even stopping and rereading a page or paragraph to really understand what the author is trying to say.
Last summer, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he was concerned about what he sees as a decline（衰退）in slow reading. Instant messages and 140-character tweets（微博）appear to be reducing out ability to concentrate on a single idea or theme of a book, he told Foreign Policy Magazine.
It's easy to forget the benefits of deep reading in an age when anything worth doing is done fast. Experts warn that without deep reading, it is impossible to be an educated person of the world, a knowledgeable voter or even an imaginative thinker.
“If you want to have a deep relationship with a text and understand a complex idea, then slow reading is a preferred style. It is good for pleasure, too. It is not a rushed experience and you can lose yourself in a text,” said Canadian writer John Miedema, the author of the book Slow Reading.
US' Ohlone College English professor Cynthia Lee Katona says reading is a highly social activity that builds the mind and social connections. If you read, she says, you simply know more and have more to talk about with friends, partners and people you know.
Deep reading can also take a reader on a trip around the world even if they are sitting in a living room armchair, Katona says. Also, deep reading helps people develop thinking, writing and conversation skills.
“If you like beautiful things, authors put words together that are really beautiful and expressive,” she says. “If you want to write well--- and there are lots of reasons to express yourself clearly --- you should read.”
【小題1】The comparison（對(duì)比）between Nora and her mother's reading habits _______.

A．introduces the wave of future

B．a(chǎn)dds a lot of fun for readers

C．explains what deep reading is

D．calls attention to deep reading

【小題2】What leads to the decline of deep reading, according to Eric Schemidt?

A．The fast pace of modern society.

B．The lack of desire for knowledge

C．The weakening ability to concentrate.

D．The wide use of instant messages and tweets.

【小題3】What does the underlined word “it ” refer to in paragraph 6?

A．A deep relationship.	B．A complex idea.
C．Slow reading.	D．A preferred style.

【小題4】According to the article, Cynthia Lee Katona's opinion of deep reading is that _______.

A．it makes sure you a better paid job

B．it makes you a better writer

C．it is better than travelling

D．it helps build better family relationship

【小題5】What is the main point of the article?

A．The importance of deep reading.

B．How to improve reading skills.

C．The benefits of different reading styles.

D．The secrets of a knowledgeable person

Scientists are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to test whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert(專家) in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study on the effect of robotic dogs on old people’s depression (沮喪) , physical activity, and life satisfaction.

         In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, scientists will collect baseline data(數(shù)據(jù)) for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the scientists will review the data to test if it has produced any changes in the life of its owner.

         “I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has his own mind.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The scientists say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

       “At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate(與……相關(guān)) to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says. “Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels or heart rhythms(心律). AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate(刺激) older people’s minds.”

1.The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to _____________.

A. understand human-animal relationship

B. make lonely old people’s life better

C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness

D. improve the animal-assisted research

2. In the research, the old people are asked to _____________.

A. note the activities of AIBOs

B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks

C. record their feelings and activity

D. study the collected information

3.What does the underlined word “removes” mean?

A. moves again                   B. is movable         C. doesn’t need                      D. need

4.What is the better point of AIBO than live dogs?

A. It is easier to keep at home.

B. It can help the disabled people.

C. It responds to all the human orders.

D. It can watch TV with its owner.

5.The writer seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may__________.

A. cure certain diseases                                                B. keep old people active

C. change people’s ideas                                                        D. look more like real dogs

 

Nora, a 17-year-old American, notices that when she has to do a paper for school and researches it on the Internet, she rarely reads a whole page and does deep reading. “I’ll read the beginning of a paragraph and then I'll skip(跳過) the rest,” she says.

   While Nora's mother, Martha, loves sitting down with a good book and reading carefully, her daughter may be the wave of the future.

  “Deep reading”, or slow reading, is a process in which people think carefully while they read. With most, that means slowing down --- even stopping and rereading a page or paragraph to really understand what the author is trying to say.

   Last summer, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he was concerned about what he sees as a decline（衰退）in slow reading. Instant messages and 140-character tweets（微博）appear to be reducing out ability to concentrate on a single idea or theme of a book, he told Foreign Policy Magazine.

   It's easy to forget the benefits of deep reading in an age when anything worth doing is done fast. Experts warn that without deep reading, it is impossible to be an educated person of the world, a knowledgeable voter or even an imaginative thinker.

  “If you want to have a deep relationship with a text and understand a complex idea, then slow reading is a preferred style. It is good for pleasure, too. It is not a rushed experience and you can lose yourself in a text,” said Canadian writer John Miedema, the author of the book Slow Reading.

  US' Ohlone College English professor Cynthia Lee Katona says reading is a highly social activity that builds the mind and social connections. If you read, she says, you simply know more and have more to talk about with friends, partners and people you know.

   Deep reading can also take a reader on a trip around the world even if they are sitting in a living room armchair, Katona says. Also, deep reading helps people develop thinking, writing and conversation skills.

  “If you like beautiful things, authors put words together that are really beautiful and expressive,” she says. “If you want to write well--- and there are lots of reasons to express yourself clearly --- you should read.”

1.The comparison（對(duì)比）between Nora and her mother's reading habits _______.

   A. introduces the wave of future

B. adds a lot of fun for readers

   C. explains what deep reading is

D. calls attention to deep reading

2.What leads to the decline of deep reading, according to Eric Schemidt?

   A. The fast pace of modern society.

   B. The lack of desire for knowledge

   C. The weakening ability to concentrate.

   D. The wide use of instant messages and tweets.

3.What does the underlined word “it ” refer to in paragraph 6?

   A. A deep relationship.              B. A complex idea.

   C. Slow reading.                   D. A preferred style.

4.According to the article, Cynthia Lee Katona's opinion of deep reading is that _______.

   A. it makes sure you a better paid job

B. it makes you a better writer

   C. it is better than travelling

D. it helps build better family relationship

5.What is the main point of the article?

   A. The importance of deep reading.

B. How to improve reading skills.

   C. The benefits of different reading styles.

D. The secrets of a knowledgeable person

 

Scientists are placing robotic dogs in the homes of lonely old people to test whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert(專家) in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study on the effect of robotic dogs on old people’s depression (沮喪) , physical activity, and life satisfaction.

         In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, scientists will collect baseline data(數(shù)據(jù)) for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the scientists will review the data to test if it has produced any changes in the life of its owner.

         “I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has his own mind.”

The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The scientists say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.

       “At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate(與……相關(guān)) to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says. “Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels or heart rhythms(心律). AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate(刺激) older people’s minds.”

1.The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to _____________.

A. understand human-animal relationship

B. make lonely old people’s life better

C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness

D. improve the animal-assisted research

2. In the research, the old people are asked to _____________.

A. note the activities of AIBOs

B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks

C. record their feelings and activity

D. study the collected information

3.What does the underlined word “removes” mean?

A. moves again                   B. is movable         C. doesn’t need                      D. need

4.What is the better point of AIBO than live dogs?

A. It is easier to keep at home.

B. It can help the disabled people.

C. It responds to all the human orders.

D. It can watch TV with its owner.

5.The writer seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may__________.

A. cure certain diseases                                                B. keep old people active

C. change people’s ideas                                                        D. look more like real dogs

 

British people are famous for drinking tea. But both Sahar and Bobby Green became young millionaires（百萬富翁） when they opened a chain of American-style（美國風(fēng)味的） coffee shops in the U.K.

Having the idea：It started when Sahar took a weekend trip to New York to visit her brother Bobby. One evening , in a Thai restaurant，Sahar told Bobby how much she wished she could buy American-style coffee  in London . Bobby suggested  they start their own coffee shop. Sahar fell in love with the idea.

Doing the Research: Back in London, she spent a whole day on the London subway, getting off the train at different stations to taste the coffee. “It was terrible, and I know there was a gap （缺口） in the market.” In November 1995, they opened their first Coffee Republic shop in central London.

Making it work：The first year was very difficult. There were problems finding and keeping staff, and British people were not used to the names of American coffees, like Latte and Macchiato. But being successful was their dream and they were not going to give up . Today , there are over 100 Coffee Republic shops all over the country and the company has revenues（收入） of $30 million a year.

Advice for others: Sahar has now written a best-selling book about their experience, called Anyone Can Do It! She hopes it will help other young people to start their own businesses. She believes success is 1% idea and 99% hard work, but she says, “If you think you have the energy, then get out and follow your dream.”

1.What kind of company do these people run?

A．Travel.            B．Tea.              C．Coffee.           D．Hotel.

2.What relationship is between Sarha and Bobby?

A．Teacher and student.                    B．Sister and brother.

C．Doctor and patient.                      D．Mother and son.

3.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Sahar’s trip to America.

B．Sahar’s wonderful life story.

C．The American – style coffee shop

D．The success of a family business