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Before leaving work, Steve Lee likes to use his cell phone to turn on his heat and air condition system at home. So by the time he gets through traffic into his front door, the temperature inside is perfect. You may wonder what a so-called smart home can do inside.
Lee works for a company called Smarthome. com, testing and living with many of his company’s home automation gadgets(自动化小配件), like this multifunction touch screen that controls devices around the house and even connects to the Internet traffic cameras.
“I have cameras, and they follow all the way down the freeway to work, ”said Lee with pride, “What’s going on at home when you are away? No problem, install some wireless cameras and controllers and from any computer in the world with an Internet connection, you can watch your house. ”
“You can check on the house, and I can look at the temperature. Believe it or not, if I want to turn on lights ahead of time, I can, ”added Lee.
We sat in Steve’s California kitchen and with the right password, turned on the kitchen counter lights at his boss’ house in Wisconsin. Steve did have permission to log on(登录).
“If you do know the password and you want to play a trick on your wife, you could turn lights on and off remotely. ”
This new technology, which can automatically turn on water sprinklers when humidity is low, or turn off a pool pump when it is not in use, is no longer expensive. Several hundred dollars for a basic system is enough and it is not hard to install.
Sure the convenience is nice but many people who like the security advantages like making sure kids are safe with the help of camera monitors and bedside alerts.
“I can notice that maybe one of my children wakes up in the middle of the night once the light switch is turned on. ”
What a smart home can’t do is get you a snack and you have to leave the couch for that.
1.What does the underlined word “password” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. Security code.
B. Crossword.
C. Passport.
D. Touch screen.
2.What can be inferred from this passage?
A. Steve’s boss trusted him very much.
B. Steve doesn’t like to play jokes on his family.
C. Steve could log on his boss’ home because he had been given the key.
D. It’s expensive and difficult to apply a basic smart home system.
3. According to the passage, the following is often a must for a smart home EXCEPT a .
A. cell phone B. computer
C. camera D. car
4. What can’t a smart home do according to the passage?
A. Turning on the light automatically.
B. Getting the owner some food.
C. Turning off a pool pump.
D. Watching over the home’s safety.
5. In which section of a newspaper will this passage probably be found?
A. Entertainment.
B. Science & Technology.
C. Health & Care.
D. Biography.
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A full-time nanny is employed by the parents to provide high quality childcare for their children and to undertake all tasks related to the providing of that care. Nannies provide childcare in the family’s private home.
Full-time nannies with parents meet the physical, social, emotional and intellectual needs of the children. They typically do the children’s laundry, keep the children’s areas neat and clean, and prepare meals and snacks for the children. Depending on the age of the child and the family’s needs, the nanny may be responsible for bathing the child, transporting the child to activities and assisting the child with homework.
Since nannies work in the private home and serve as caretakers, and educators, nannies must be trustworthy. Nannies are often hired so that parents can fulfill their personal and professional tasks. For this reason, nannies must be dependable and reliable.
Full-time nannies work on average 40 to 60 hours per week and may live with the family as live-in nannies. For parents who hire a live-in nanny, at minimum they should provide a separate bedroom and bathroom and all meals and snacks. One of the benefits of nanny care is that the parents set the nannies weekly schedule. Nannies are typically required to have some scheduling flexibility.
Nanny employers must pay what is commonly referred to as the nanny tax, which includes social security taxes and medicare taxes, total about 7. 65% of the nanny’s wages. The other federal tax is referred to as FUTA. It is the Federal Unemployment Tax. State unemployment taxes may also apply and vary from state to state.
In addition to nanny employer taxes the nanny is responsible for her share of the FICA taxes. Nannies are responsible for paying their own income tax payments, however many employers agree to manage the payments for them.
Typical nanny benefits include 2 weeks of paid vacation, paid sick days and paid personal days and full contributions to health insurance. Nanny employers may also wish to contribute to a retirement savings plan for their nanny.
1. What does a full-time nanny usually do?
A. She should do all the tasks connected with childcare.
B. She must be able to communicate well with parents.
C. She should provide excellent care for the family.
D. She must avoid dealing with her private secrets.
2.We can learn from the second paragraph that .
A. the nanny should stop the kid from eating snacks
B. the parents must prepare every meal for the nanny
C. the nanny should be a person with education
D. the parents must take responsibility for the nanny
3.If you applied to be a full-time nanny .
A. you would work at most 8 hours a day B. you would get your private space
C. you would work seven days a week D. you would have no time of your own
4.What do you know about the nanny tax?
A. The nanny must pay such a tax according to her wages.
B. The tax almost covers one-fifth of the nanny’s wages.
C. The employers should pay the nanny tax for nannies.
D. The tax is said to be the highest of all walks of life.
5.Which one is NOT the benefit of the typical nanny?
A. Having a 2-week holiday with payment.
B. Getting paid for sick leave.
C. Having full contributions to health insurance.
D. Having personal days but without pay.
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It’s been seven days since a 7. 0-magnitude strong earthquake hit Ya’an, in Sichuan Province. How the earthquake has affected one of Sichuan Province’s special residents—pandas. How are the animals coping? And do they have enough food to eat?
There are more than 80 pandas living here at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Base. 7 baby pandas have just left their mothers and have begun to learn how to fend for themselves.
The quake was felt strongly in Chengdu. Fortunately, all of the pandas here were out on the grounds when the earthquake hit, so they were very safe. Although no deaths or injuries have been reported among the Baoxing panda population so far, they’ve been badly frightened by the earthquake. Several days has passed and the earthquake seems to have made no discernible(可辨别的)negative impact on the pandas. These two baby pandas Chengshuang and Chengdui are play fighting with each other and climbing trees. When they climbed too high, the breeders have to rescue them from the trees.
The visitors are amused by the scenes and think it’s like a fantastic acrobatics show.
The quake zone is not only the home of these pandas, it’s also the source of their food. Fortunately, enough bamboo has been stored away in five bamboo storehouses for the pandas, so there are no worries with regard to food supplies.
Wu Kongju, Breeder, Chengdu Panda Breeding Base, said, “When the Wenchuan earthquake happened in 2008, we were unprepared and had a shortage of bamboo. But we’ve been able to handle this earthquake event more smoothly. There are no problems with the food supply. ”Apart from the pandas’ favorite Baijia Bamboo, breeders also give them bamboo shoots, which are very rich in nutrients.
Wu Kongju said, “Bamboo shoots contain more protein than ordinary bamboo, and they’re also very succulent because they contain more water. ”
1. The passage mainly tells us that .
A. a 7. 0-magnitude strong earthquake hit Ya’an
B. food supply to pandas is enough
C. impact of Ya’an earthquake on China’s pandas
D. two baby pandas Chengshuang and Chengdui are in good condition
2. When the earthquake hit Ya’an, which of the following statements about the pandas is WRONG?
A. All of the pandas here were out on the grounds.
B. Some pandas are injured but no deaths are made.
C. They’ve been badly frightened by the earthquake.
D. The earthquake seems to have made no discernible negative impact on the pandas.
3.During Ya’an earthquake, there is no need to worry about pandas’ food because .
A. the pandas eat less food because of frightening
B. the Panda Breeding Base was slightly hit by this earthquake
C. the Panda Breeding Base received the food supply from foreign countries
D. the Panda Breeding Base has stored away enough bamboo in advance
4.The underlined word“succulent”in the last paragraph means .
A. 多汁的 B. 高蛋白的 C. 多糖的 D. 有营养的
5.What’s the author’s attitude towards the reaction of Chengdu Panda Breeding Base?
A. Supportive. B. Disappointed. C. Indifferent. D. Objective.
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NEW YORK—Australian mining enterpriser Clive Palmer on Tuesday unveiled(公布)blueprints for TitanicⅡ, a modern copy of the doomed ocean liner, although he didn’t call the ship unsinkable any more.
The ship will largely recreate the design and decoration of the fabled original, with some modifications to keep it in line with current safety rules and shipbuilding practices, and the addition of some modern comforts such as air conditioning, Palmer said at a press conference in New York.
The three passenger classes, however, will be prevented from mingling(混杂), as in 1912, Palmer said. “I’m not too superstitious(迷信的). ”Palmer said when asked whether recreating a ship best-known for sinking was tempting fate.
White Star Line, the operator of the original ship, had said the Titanic was designed to be unsinkable. About 1, 500 people died on Titanic’s maiden voyage in 1912 from Southampton to New York after the ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic.
Palmer, who created the company Blue Star Line last year, refused to make a similar boast.
“Anything will sink if you put a hole in it, ”Palmer said. “I think it would be very cavalier to say it. ”
Unlike the original, TitanicⅡwill have more than enough space in its lifeboats for every person on board and will have additional escape staircases. Markku Kanerva, sales director at Deltamarin, the Finnish company designing the ship, said it would be the“safest cruise ship in the world”.
Palmer refused to answer questions about the project’s cost. Although the Titanic was the world’s largest ship in her time, she would be smaller than many of today’s modern cruise ships.
“It’s not about the money, ”Palmer said. “I’ve got enough money for it. I think that’s all that matters. ”
Forbes estimated Palmer’s net worth to be $795 million in 2012. He describes himself as a billionaire.
TitanicⅡwill be built by Chinese state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard, which has already built four ore carriers for Palmer’s mining business, he said. The contract to build TitanicⅡhas not yet been signed, Palmer said.
1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word“maiden”in Paragraph 4?
A. First. B. Trial. C. Second. D. Last.
2.What can be inferred about TitanicⅡfrom the passage?
A. TitanicⅡwill have more space in its lifeboats than the Titanic.
B. TitanicⅡwill be the largest cruise ship in the world.
C. TitanicⅡwill allow different classes of passengers to mingle.
D. TitanicⅡwill be a real unsinkable cruise ship.
3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. 1, 500 people died on Titanic’s maiden voyage in 1912.
B. The Titanic collided with an iceberg in the South Pacific.
C. The Titanic was equipped with air conditioning.
D. The Titanic was the world’s largest ship at that time.
4.What’s the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A. To tell us the story of the Titanic.
B. To tell us TitanicⅡwill cost a lot of money.
C. To tell us about the future TitanicⅡ.
D. To tell us a Chinese Shipyard will build TitanicⅡ.
5.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. The old Titanic
B. The blueprints of TitanicⅡ
C. The unsinkable TitanicⅡ
D. Clive Palmer—a billionaire
B. It’s finally time for Guy Ritchie’s good old English detective novel, Sherlock Holmes to hit the screen with mega-stars Robert DowneyJr. , Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams. From deconstructing sight scenes to watching Watson and Holmes bicker like an old married couple, this is definitely the entertaining adventure that you’re all hoping it will be.
