We are more dependent on technology now than ...

We are more dependent on technology now than ever before-and for good reason. Our cell phones have more capabilities than laptops did 5 years ago. Technology is quickly becoming faster, more reliable, and yes, more portable.

Because of this, now is a great time to look into purchasing a laptop. Laptops now have the same computing power as desktops and are the least expensive they’ve ever been. If you’ re constantly on the go, it makes sense to have one.

We feature a lot of hot tech deals here at MakeUseOf, but if you’re in the market for a laptop, I've collected the top two laptop computers for you. I only looked at laptops priced under $1,000 that had at least 4GB of RAM, a dual-core processor, and came with Windows 7. Let’s see what we camp up with!

1. Sony Vaio FW 560F/T

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P7450/2. 13GHz

Memory: 6 GB（8GB Max）

Hard Drive: 500GB

This Sony Vaio laptop has a lot of features that make it very attractive. With a 16-inch screen, it is very slim. It has Blu-ray playback and decent gaming performance, although it doesn’t support 1080p. It makes for a very good multimedia notebook.

2. Samsung NP-R580-JSB1US

Processor: Intel Core i5 15-430M/2. 26GHz

Memory: 4 GB

Hard Drive: 500GB

This laptop comes with a Core i5 processor, NVIDIA graphics, and Blu-ray support. I’ve read that the touch-pad is uncomfortable at times, but the processing power and graphics make it a great laptop with decent battery life.

1.What is the normal memory of Sony Vaio FW560F/T?

A. 8G　　　　　　　 B. 5GB　　　　　　　 C. 4GB　　　　　　 D. 6GB

2.What’s the similarity of Sony Vaio FW560F/T and Samsung NP-R580-JSB1US?

A. Processor　　　　 B. Memory

C. Hard drive　　 D. Features

3.The underlined phrase “ makes sense” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by____.

A. is dependent　　 B. is meaningful

C. is reliable　 　 D. is portable

4.Which of the following is true?

A. Our cell phones have more capabilities than laptops did 3 years ago.

B. Laptops now are the most expensive they’ve ever been.

C. Sony Vaio laptop is very attractive with a 16-inch screen.

D. Sony Vaio laptop supports 1080p.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

We ate on the go more than ever before. Here are three health apps that can help you better manage your health when you pursue your dreams.

(1)Doctors On Demand

Doctors On Demand enables you to visit a doctor without ever leaving your home, helping you use a computer, tablet or smart phone to have a doctor video chat with you. The service will help you locate and connect you to licensed doctors, psychologists, pediatricians (儿科医生) and more. Fees can be paid with HAS&FSA. It costs $40 for 15 minutes with a doctor or $50 for 20 minutes with a psychologist.

(2)Text4baby

I’m a big fan of Text4baby for a few reasons. The free service for pregnant women and new moms works by sending text messages to your smart phone three times a week with information about how to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. And the messages are timed to the pregnant woman’s due date or the baby’s date of birth, sending tips that are relevant to where a mother is in her pregnancy or where a baby is in stages of development. Tips range from breastfeeding to car seat safety to reminders about exercise, nutrition and more. The service combines interactive text messages, an app, video and web content in English and Spanish. Sign up by texting BABY to 511-411 or by downloading the app.

(3)RISE

RISE, an app available on iPhone(coming to Android in 2016), pairs you up with (与……绑定) a registered dietitian to improve your diet and reach health goals. You share photos of your meals and your exercise for the day with your coach, who then looks for areas where you can improve and gives advice, helps you set goals and is there to pat you on the back virtually(虚拟地) when you hit a milestone. What’s also great is that you can text as much as you want with your dietitian and there is no need to go into an office. Fees for this service range from $9 per month to $50 a month. There is a free 7-day trial so you can try it out for a week to see if it’s fit for you.

1.How much will you pay if you have a video chat with your psychologist for an hour using Doctors On Demand?

A. $50.　　 B. $80.　　 C. $100.　　 D. $150.

2.We can infer that the author is probably a ________.

A. famous pediatrician　　 B. software engineer

C. pregnant woman or new mother　　 D. registered dietitian

3.What do you know about Text4baby?

A. It is an app available only on iPhone.

B. You can sign up by texting BABY to 511-411.

C. People can’t use Text4baby for free.

D. Text messages are sent in three languages.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long-hour work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or hobbies. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them.

Six percent of the workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted are Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she worked for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Nearly twice a month Daniel had to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.

Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have one here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. it's taken some time getting used to, but it's been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it's made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.”

Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I'm not really a country girl, but I suppose I'm gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”

1.What do the first two paragraphs tell us?

A.People seldom work long hours to make money.

B.People hardly buy more things than necessary.

C.People are sure everything they own is in the right place.

D.People realized there is more to life than just making money.

2.When Daniel was a reporter he _____.

A.was well paid B.disliked his job C.missed his children D.lived in central London.

3.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ______.

A.was easy to organize B.has improved family life

C.was extremely expensive D.has been a total success

4.What does the underlined "it" in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Child-caring B.Liz’s advice C.Downshifting D.Liz' job.

5.The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph means ____.

A.repairing your car by yourself

B.spending money carefully

C.moving out to the countryside to live a simple and better life

D.living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Animals are more like us than we ever imagined．They feel pain, they experience stress, they show affection, excitement and love．All these findings have been made by scientists in recent years---and such results are beginning to change how we view animals.

Strangely enough, some of this research was sponsored by fast food companies like McDonald’s and KFC．Pressured by animal rights groups , these companies felt they had to fund scientists researching the emotional and mental states of animals.

McDonald’s, for instance, funded studies on pig behavior at Purdue University, Indiana．This research found that pigs seek affection and easily become depressed if left alone or prevented from playing with each other．If they become depressed, they soon become physically ill．Because of this, and other similar studies, the European Union has banned the use of isolating pig stalls from 2010．In Germany, the government is encouraging pig farmers to give each pig 20 seconds of human contact a day, and to provide them with toys to prevent them from fighting

Other scientists have shown that animals think and behave like humans．Koko, the 300-pound gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California, for instance, has been taught sign language．Koko can now understand several thousand English words, more than many humans who speak English as a second language．On human IQ tests, she scores between 70 and 95.

Before such experiments, humans thought language skills were absent from the animal kingdom．Other myths are also being overturned, like the belief that animals lack self-awareness．Studies have also shown that animals mourn their dead, and that they play for pleasure.

These striking similarities between animal and human behavior have led some to ask a question: “If you believe in evolution, how can’t you believe that animals have feelings that human  beings have?”

Until recently, scientists believed that animals behaved by instinct and that what appeared to be learned behavior was merely genetically-programmed activity．But as Koko the Gorilla shows, this is not the case．In fact, learning is passed from parent to offspring far more often than not in the animal kingdom.

So what implications does this knowledge have for humans? Because of this, should we ban hunting and animal testing? Should we close zoos? Such questions are being raised by many academics and politicians．Harvard and 25 other American law schools have introduced courses on animal rights．Germany meanwhile, recently guaranteed animal rights in its constitution---the first country to do so.

1.McDonald’s and KFC give money to support scientist to do research on animals, because_____

2.The research on pigs at Purdue University shows that______

3.Which of the following statements is NOT true?

4.Should we ban hunting and animal testing?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

American kids are taking more tests than ever before, and they're stressed out. Is help on the way? Just the sight of a test booklet makes some kids sweat. For others, it is a blank answer sheet. Then there are the dreaded words, "Take out your Number 2 pencil." All these fill 10-year-old Chelsea Logo with fear. "I start to tap my pencil on the desk," says the fifth grader from Toluca Lake Elementary, near Los Angeles, California. "Then I feel the butterflies in my stomach."

Chelsea is not alone. In a recent survey by Kids Health£.org, more than 70% of kids aged 9 to 13 said they worry about tests. It's no wonder. Across the United States, public schools give more than 250 million standardized tests each year.

Why do kids have to take so many tests? The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law requires that students in grades 3 through 8 be tested each year. The law's goal is for all students to be at grade level by 2014. Students must pass the tests and meet other requirements or their schools may be shut down.

The U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan wants to change NCLB. But that doesn't mean he favors getting rid of tests. Duncan believes tests should be used mainly to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses. Tests, Duncan says, should not be used to punish kids or their schools for failure. "The goal is to focus on great teaching and learning," Duncan said.

Under NCLB, each state sets its own standards for students to meet. The result, Duncan says, is that states are making the tests easier. To fix this problem, 48 states are now working together to create common standards. "I want to set a high bar for kids, " Duncan says, "so they'll be in great shape to achieve their dreams."

Like them or not, tests are here to stay. So how can you handle test nerves? Schools are teaching students to relax through. deep breathing. and stretching (伸展运动) . In Oakland, California, Principal Zarina Ahmad of Piedmont Avenue Elementary leads her students in a cheer to get them excited about learning.

"Kids are under high pressure," says Ahmad. "There has to be time for kids to be kids. Still, we need tests to help us assess what students have yet to learn."

1.The underlined part "the butterflies in my stomach" can be replaced by　　 .

A.　 nervous　 B. guilty　　 C. exciting　　 D. proud

2. According to the passage, the NCLB law 　　　 .

A. is focusing on teaching methods in schools

B. is requiring schools to make the tests more difficult

C. is trying to make schools be responsible for students

D. aims to evaluate kids' strengths and weaknesses by means of tests

3. We can learn from the last two paragraphs that 　　　　 .

A. it's possible to get rid of tests

B. schools have no good way to deal with students' stress

C. tests help assess what students have to learn

D. schools are aware of students' stress caused by tests

4.What would be the best title of the passage?

A. Why kids are more stressed than before?

B. Kids' tips for test success

C. How to deal with test stress

D. Put kids to the standardized test

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

It is more important than ever to develop one’s maths, science and computer skills _______technological change is accelerating.

A. though　　　　 B. unless　　　　 C. until　　　　　 D. because

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Who are these people rushing by you on the street? More than 250 million people now call Amer­ica" home" , but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you, look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States，have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become "Americans"is really not true. In fact, what exists in Ameri­ca is - more often a kind of “ side - by - side" living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their own customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives such as in schools，business，and sports一but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This “ side - by - side" living has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas ’ dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her own familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspaper.

More than 250 million people call America ”home" because       .

they have their houses there

they settle there now

they want to make their home there

they like that land very much

1.Side - by - side living style means     .

2.According to the passage, people in the USA    .

A share American customs and cultures

B live in a kind of side - by - side society

C keep their own customs and habits firmly

D make no choice to accept American customs

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A They always stick to their own customs and habits.

B Side - by - side living style is not suitable.

C They face the society they are not familiar with.

D The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A  Advantages and Disadvantages

B  Different Customs and Habits

C  Home for the People

D  Side - by - Side Living Style in America

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Nowadays, we depend on advanced technology too much. However, a the saying goes, a coin has two sides. The tool bringing you convenience may also put you in trouble. Here is a modern-day horror story:

A young mother was employed in doing her writing when her son, aged 2, burst into tears somehow. She did all she could to ease her son. But in vain. She had no way to comfort him. Meanwhile, her iPhone rang aloud, which attracted his son's attention. He stopped crying temporarily. It occurred to her that the iPhone might help. Thus, she handed her iPhone to her son: What happened next? The child entered an incorrect passcode on his mother's phone so many times that the device became locked for 251 14984 minutes, about 47 years, making it absolutely useless to its formerly digitally connected owner. That's the scene now facing a Shanghai mother, identified only as Ms Lu by Chinese news reports, whose kid played with her phone and unfortunately began the process of disabling the device for, basically, forever. According to a news report, Ms Lu waited two months to see if the situation would improve, but the iPhone remained locked. “I couldn't really wait 47 years and tell my grandchild it was his father's mistake, ”she reportedly said. The alternative mode of accessing the phone is to wipe it with a factory reset. This is why you should always backup ( 备份) all your data.

iPhone can become locked with six failed attempts at entering a passcode on the locked screen, and the amount of time for which the phone is locked can compound (增加) with ongoing attempts to break in. So, for all the parents out there: see to it that you don't let your kid loose on your phone, assuming you want to still use it when he's done, of course.

1.Why did the young mother hand her phone to her son?

A.To focus on her housework. B.To comfort her crying kid.

C.To let him answer the phone. D.To play the phone with him.

2.What happened to Ms Lu?

A.The system of her iPhone broke down.

B.She couldn't use her iPhone back then.

C.Her iPhone was locked for two months.

D.She forgot the passcode of her iPhone.

3.To solve her problem, Ms Lu should____

A.backup all the data immediately

B.wipe the iPhone with a factory reset

C.enter the correct passcode for six, times

D.set a new passcode to unlock the iPhone

4.What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?

A.Don't hand your own phone to your young kid.

B.Let your kid feel loose when using your phone.

C.Make sure to set a passcode to lock your phone.

D.Be careful when your kid plays with your phone.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Technology makes listening to holiday music easier than ever. There are endless sources to help you find your favorite Christmas tunes and many other songs. People have explored how to listen to holiday music with high-tech devices.

Apple Music

This is the first year you can use Apple Music to listen to holiday songs. Apple Music has more than 30 million songs and is available in over 100 countries.

Tell voice assistant Siri to "play holiday music" to open the music program on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. Apple Music app is available in the Google Play store, but not with a voice assistant.

For the first three months, you can use it for free. After that, users have to pay a subscription fee.

Google Play Music

Google Play Music is also in the holiday spirit. Go to the Google Play Music Holiday page and search for "holiday music."

Google Play Music is available for free if you don't mind the advertisements. If you do, buy a paid subscription to avoid them. Google Play Music offers more than 30 million songs from 58 countries.

Tune In Radio

Listen to radio stations with Tune In Radio. This is an online service and offers stations from all seven continents in the world, including Antarctica. Tune In Radio is available on your computer and is free to online users. In the United States, Britain and Canada, a paid subscription gives you more stations without advertisements.

1.What can we learn about Apple Music?

A.It is a new tool to listen to holiday music.

B.It is popular in over 100 countries.

C.It can only be used for three months.

D.It can only be used after the subscription .

2.According to the passage, Google Play Music _________.

A.is favored by young people B.can always be used for free

C.has the largest number of songs D.doesn't allow any advertisement

3.We can learn that Tune In Radio _________.

A.have over 30 million songs B.is available on our mobile device

C.offers stations from around the world D.is expensive in America and Canada

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

The effects of rapid travel on the body are actually far more disturbing than we realize. Jet Lag is not a psychological consequence of having to readjust to a different time zone. It is due to changes in the body’s physiological regulatory mechanisms, specifically the hormonal systems, in a different environment.

Now that we understand what Jet Lag is, we can go some way to overcome it. A great number of the body’s events are scheduled to occur at a certain time of day. Naturally these have to be regulated, and there are two regulatory systems which interact.

One timing system comes from the evidence of our senses and stomachs, and the periodicity we experience when living in a particular time zone. The other belongs in our internal clocks (the major one of which may be physically located in a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus) which, left alone, would tie the body to a 25-hour rhythm. Normally the two timers are in step, and the surroundings tend to regularize the internal clocks to the more convenient 24-hour period.

If, however, you move the whole body to a time zone which is four hours different, the two clocks will be out of step, like two alarm clocks which are normally set together, but which have been reset a few hours apart. Whereas the two clocks would normally sound their alarms together, now they ring at different times. Similarly, the body can be set for evening while the sun is rising.

In time the physiological system will reset itself, but it does take time. One easily monitored rhythm is palm sweating. A man flown to a time zone different by 10 hours will take eight days to readjust his palm sweat. Blood pressure, which is also rhythmical, takes four days to readjust.

What can we do about it? It is not feasible to wait four days until the body is used to the new time zone. Fortunately there is a short cut. It relies on two things-the power of the stomach to regulate the timing of other events, and the pharmacological actions of coffee. The basic assumptions are:

Coffee delays the body clock in the morning, and advances it at night. Coffee at mid-afternoon is neutral. Protein in meals stimulates wakefulness, while carbohydrates promote sleep. Putting food into an empty stomach helps synchronize the body clock.

46. What is jet lag associated with?

A. Psychological change.            B. Physiological change.

C. Inexperience of rapid travel.       D. Unfamiliar environment.

47. What helps us to adjust to a 24-hour rhythm?

A. Alarm clock.                   B. Suprachiasmatic nucleus in our brain.

C. Signals from outside of the body.   D. Our senses and stomachs.

48. What do we know from the fifth paragraph?

A. A person moving to a different time zone will suffer from high blood pressure.

B. A person moving to a different time zone will sweat a lot.

C. Moving to a different time zone will affect both palm sweat and blood pressure.

D. If the rhythm of blood pressure and palm sweat are not in step, there will be jet lag.

49. What should we do if we want to stay awake?

A. To take coffee at three o’clock in the afternoon.

B. To have meals that contain lots of protein.

C. To have some carbohydrate drinks.

D. To stop putting food into our stomach.

50. How can we cure jet lag?

A. To sleep for days.      B. To wait for self-recovery.

C. To drink tea.           D. To get something to eat.

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析