六级阅读模拟二.docx

六级阅读模拟选词填空Nice juicy AppleALTHOUGH he is still (1)_ things up at Dell, an ailing computer-maker, Carl Icahn has found time to tilt at another tech titan. On August 13th the veteran shareholder activist (2) _that he had built up a stake in Apple, though he stayed mum about exactly how many shares he had bought. Mr Icahns intentions, however, are crystal clear: he wants the consumer-electronics behemoth to expand plans to return some of its whopping $147 billion of cash and marketable securities to shareholders.Mr Icahn is also after more money at Dell, where he has been lobbying with allies against a (3)_ buy-out plan put forward by Michael Dell, the firms founder, and Silver Lake, a private-equity firm. His pressing has already forced the buy-out group to raise its initial offer by over $350m, to $24.8 billion and he has taken his (4)_ to the courts in a bid to extract an even higher price.Other tech firms have been attracting the attention of activist investors too. Earlier this year ValueAct Capital, an investment fund, said it had built up a $2 billion stake in Microsoft. Jaguar Financial, a Canadian bank, has been (5)_ fresh thinking at troubled BlackBerry, which announced on August 12th that it is exploring various (6) _options, including alliances and a possible sale. And Elliott Management, a hedge fund, has been lobbying for change at NetApp, a data-storage firm that it thinks could do more to improve returns to (7)_.One reason tech firms have found themselves in activists crosshairs is that, like Apple, some built up big cash piles during the economic downturn and have been slow to use the money. Financiers hope to get them to loosen their purse-strings faster and to pocket some of the cash. Mr Icahn wants Apple to increase and (8)_ a share buy-back programme that is currently set to return $60 billion to shareholders by the end of 2015.Another reason that tech firms make tempting targets for shareholder activists is that swift changes in technologies can trip up even the mightiest. Witness the case of Microsoft, which ruled the roost during the personal-computer era but has struggled to adapt to a world in which tablets and smartphones are all the rage. Investors hope to mint money by pushing companies to change more rapidly in response to such upheavals in their markets.The rewards can be substantial. Egged on by Third Point, an activist hedge fund, Yahoo (9) _Marissa Mayer as its new chief executive in July 2012. By the time she celebrated a year in the job last month, the troubled web giants share price had risen by over 70%. In July the hedge fund sold a big chunk of shares back to Yahoo. Mr Icahn thinks Apples share price, which closed at $499 on August 14th, could soar too if the firm follows his advice on buy-backs. He tweeted this week that he had had a “nice (10)_” with Tim Cook, Apples boss, about his idea, though he did not say what Mr Cook thought of it. If Apple drags its feet, expect things to turn nasty.A) shareholders B) strategic C) communication D) battle E) conversationF) encouraging G) exciting H) stirring I) appointed J) raceK) revealed L) method M) accelerate N) proposed快速阅读Preparing for Computer DisastersA: Summary: When home office computers go down, many small businesses grind to a halt. Fortunately, taking steps to recover from disasters and minimize their effects is quite straightforward.B: Fires, power surges, and floods, theyre all facts of life. We read about them in the morning paper and see them on the evening news. We sympathize with the victims and commiserate over their bad luck. We also shake our heads at the digital consequencesmelted computers, system failures, destroyed data. Yet, somehow, many of us continue to live by that old mantra of denial: It wont happen to me. Well, the truth is, at some point youll probably have to deal with at least one disaster. Thats just how it goes, and in most aspects of our lives we do something about it. We buy insurance. We stow away provisions. We even make disaster plans and run drills. But for some reason, computer disaster recovery is a blind spot for many of us. It shouldnt be. Home computers contain some of our most important information, both business and personal, and making certain our data survives a disaster should be a priority. Moreover, even the smallest disaster can be a serious disruption. Personal computers have become an integral part of the smooth-running household. We use them to communicate, shop, and do homework, and theyre even more vital to home office users. When home office computers go down, many small businesses grind to a halt. Fortunately, taking steps to recover from disasters and minimize their effects is quite straightforward. With a good offsite storage plan and the right tools, you can bounce back quickly and easily from minor computer disasters. And, should a major calamity strike, you can rest assured your data is safe.Offsite Storage: Major DisastersC: House fires and floods are among the most devastating causes of personal computer destruction. Thats why a solid offsite backup and recovery plan is essential. Although many home users faithfully back up their hard drives, many would still lose all their data should their house flood our burn. Thats because they keep their backups in relatively close to their computers. Their backup disks might not be in the same room as their computerstucked away in a closet or even the garagebut theyre not nearly far enough away should a serious disaster strike. So, its important to back up your system to a removable medium and to store it elsewhere.D: There are many ways to approach offsite storage. It starts with choice of backup tools and storage medium. Disaster situations are stressful, and your recovery tools shouldnt add to that stress. They must be dependable and intuitive, making it easy to schedule regular backups and to retrieve files in a pinch. They must also be compatible with your choice of backup medium. Depending on your tools, you can back up to a variety of durable disk typesfrom CDs to Jaz drives to remote network servers. Although many of these storage media have high capacity, a backup tool with compression capabilities is a big plus, eliminating the inconvenience of multiple disks or large uploads.E: Once you select your tools and a suitable medium, you need to find a remote place to store your backups. The options are endless. However, no matter where you choose, be sure the site is secure, easily accessible, and a good distance away from your home. You may also want to consider using an Internet-based backup service. More and more service providers are offering storage space on their servers, and uploading files to a remote location has become an attractive alternative to conventional offsite storage. Of course, before using one of these services, make certain you completely trust the service provider and its security methods. Whatever you do, schedule backups regularly and store them far away from your home.Come What May: Handling the Garden Variety Computer CrisisF: Not all home computer damage results from physical disaster. Many less menacing problems can also hobble your PC or destroy your information. Systems crash, kids rearrange data, adults inadvertently delete files. Although these events might not seem calamitous, they can have serious implications. So, once again, its important to be prepared. As with physical disasters, regular backups are essential. However, some of these smaller issues require a response thats more nuanced than wholesale backup and restoration. To deal with less-than-total disaster, your tool set must be both powerful and agile. For example, when a small number of files are compromised, you may want to retrieve those files alone. Meanwhile, if just your settings are affected, youll want a simple way to roll back to your preferred setup. Yet, should your operating system fail, youll need a way to boot your computer and perform large-scale recovery. Computer crises come in all shapes and sizes, and your backup and recovery tools must be flexible enough to meet each challenge.The Right Tools for the Right Job: Gearing up for DisasterG: When disaster strikes, the quality of your backup tools can make the difference between utter frustration and peace of mind. Symantec understands this and offers a range of top quality backup and recovery solutions. Norton GoBack is the perfect tool for random system crashes, failed installations, and inadvertent deletions. With this powerful and convenient solution, its simple to retrieve overwritten files or to bring your system back to its pre-crash state. Norton Ghost is a time-tested home office solution. Equipped to handle full-scale backups, its also handy for cloning hard drives and facilitating system upgrades. A favorite choice for IT professionals, its the ideal tool for the burgeoning home office. You can buy Norton Ghost and Norton GoBack separately, or get them both when you purchase Norton System Works.H: Lifes disasters, large and small, often catch us by surprise. However, with a little planning and the right tools, you can reduce those disasters to bumps in the road. So, dont wait another day. Buy a good set of disaster recovery tools, set up an automatic backup schedule, and perform a dry run every now and again. Then, rest easy.1. You should take steps to recover from computer disasters so as to minimize their effects.2. For some reason, computer disaster recovery is always ignored by many of us.3. You can bounce back quickly and easily minor computer disasters with the help of a good offsite storage plan and the right tools.4. The most devastating causes of personal computer destruction includes house fires and floods.5. Its necessary for us to back up our systems to some transferable medium and to put it somewhere else.6. You should find a distant place to store your backups after selecting your tools and a suitable medium.7. Not only physical disaster can damage your computer.8. The backup and recovery tools must be flexible enough to deal with various computer crises.9. The quality of your backup tools determines whether you are frustrated or have a peaceful mind when disaster strikes.10. You should prepare for your computer disasters now and again.仔细阅读Passage 1The word religion is derived from the Latin noun religio, which denotes both earnest observance of ritual obligations and an inward spirit of reverence. In modern usage, religion covers a wide spectrum of meaning that reflects the enormous variety of ways the term can be interpreted. At one extreme, many committed believers recognize only their own tradition as a religion, understanding expressions such as worship and prayer to refer exclusively to the practices of their tradition. Although many believers stop short of claiming an exclusive status for their tradition, they may nevertheless use vague or idealizing terms in defining religion for example, true love of God, or the path of enlightenment. At the other extreme, religion may be equated with ignorance, fanaticism, or wishful thinking.By defining religion as a sacred engagement with what is taken to be a spiritual reality, it is possible to consider the importance of religion in human life without making claims about what it really is or ought to be. Religion is not an object with a single, fixed meaning, or even a zone with clear boundaries. It is an aspect of human experience that may intersect, incorporate, or transcend other aspects of life and society. Such a definition avoid the drawbacks of limiting the investigation of religion to Western or biblical categories such as monotheism (belief in one god only) or to church structure, which are not universal. For example, in tribal societies, religion unlike the Christian church usually is not a separate institution but pervades the whole of public and private life.In Buddhism, gods are not as central as the idea of a Buddha. In many traditional cultures, the idea of a sacred cosmic order is the most prominent religious belief. Because of this variety, some scholars prefer to use a general term such as the sacred to designate the common foundation of religious life.Religion in this understanding includes a complex of activities that cannot be reduced to any single aspect of human experience. It is a part of individual life but also of group dynamics. Religion includes patterns of behavior but also patterns of language and thought. It is sometimes a highly organized institution that sets itself apart from a culture, and it is sometimes an integral part of a culture. Religious experience may be expressed in visual symbols, dance and performance, elaborate philosophical systems, legendary and imaginative stories, formal ceremonies, and detailed rules of ethical conduct and law. Each of these elements assumes innumerable cultural forms. In some ways there are as many forms of religious expression as there are human cultural environments.1. What is the passage mainly concerned about?A. Religion has a variety of interpretation.B. Religion is a reflection of ignorance.C. Religion is not only confined to the Christian categories.D. Religion includes all kinds of activities.2. What does the word “observance” probably convey in Para. 1?A. notice B. watching C. conformity D. experience3. According to the passage what people generally consider religion to be?A. Fantastic observance B. Spiritual practiceC. Individual observance of tradition D. A complex of activities4. Which of the following is not true?A. It is believed by some that religion should be what it ought to be.B. “The path of enlightenment” is a definition that the author doesnt agree to.C. According to the author, the committed believers define religion improperly.D. The author doesnt speak in favor of the definition of “the sacred”.5. Which of the following is religion according to the passage?A. Performance of human beings. B. Buddha, monotheism and some tribal tradition.C. Practice separated from culture. D. All the above.Passage 2In the past century Irish painting has changes from a British-influenced lyrical tradition to an art that evokes the ruggedness and roots of an Irish Celtic past. At the turn of the twentieth century Irish painters, including notables Walter Frederick Osborne and Sir William Orpen, looked elsewhere for influence. Osbornes exposure to “plein air” painting deeply impacted his stylistic development; and Orpen allied himself with a group of English artists, while at the same time participated in the French avant-garde experiment, both as painter and teacher.However, nationalist energies were beginning to coalesce (接合)，reviving interest in Irish culture-including Irish visual arts. Beatrice Elverys (1907), a landmark achievement, merged the devotional simplicity of fifteenth-century Italian painting with the iconography (肖像画法) of Irelands Celtic past, linking the history of Irish Catholicism with the still-nasce t (初生的) Irish republic. And, although also captivated by the French plein air school, Sir John Lavery invoked the mythology of his native land for a 1928 commission to paint the central figure for the bank note of the new Irish Free State. Lavery chose as this figure, with her arm on a Celtic harp (竖琴)，the national symbol of independent Ireland.In Irish painting from about 1910, memories of Edwardian romanticism coexisted with a new sense of realism,exemplified by the paintings of Paul Henry and Se Keating, a student of Orpens. realism also crept into the work of Edwardians Lavery and Orpen, both of whom made paintings depicting World War,Lavery with a distanced Victorian nobility, Orpen closer to the front, revealing a more sinister and realistic vision. Meanwhile, counterpoint to the Edwardians and realists came Jack B. Yeats, whose travels throughout the rugged and more authentically Irish West led him to depict subjects ranging from street scenes in Dublin to boxing matches and funerals. Fusing close observations of Irish life and icons with an Irish