快速阅读练习及答案：computer.doc

Unit 7 Going OnlinePassage 1Time: 4 minsTotal words: 402 wordsIt is 3A.M. Everything on the university campus seems ghostlike in the quiet, misty darkness - everything except the computer center. Here, all the lights are on, which keep the center as bright as daytime. Twenty students rumpled and bleary-eyed, sit transfixed at their consoles, tapping away on the terminal keys. With eyes glued to the video screen, they tap on for hours. For the rest of the world, it might be the middle of the night, but here time does not exist. This is a world unto itself. These young computer hackers are pursuing a kind of compulsion, a drive so consuming it overshadows nearly every other part of their lives and forms the focal point of their existence. They are compulsive computer programmers. Some of these students have been at the console for thirty hours or more without a break for meals or sleep. Some have fallen asleep on sofas and lounge chairs in the computer center, trying to catch a few winks but loathe to get too far away from their beloved machines. They are not required to be so. Most of these students dont have to be at the computer center in the middle of the night. They arent working on assignments. Many of them are even not computer majors. They are there because they want to be - they are irresistibly drawn there. And they are not alone. There are hackers at computer centers all across the country, and there are more all over the word. In their extreme form, they focus on nothing else. They flunk out of school and lose contact with friends; they might have difficulty finding jobs, choosing instead to wander from one computer center to another. They may even forgot personal hygiene. “I remember one hacker. We literally had to carry him off his chair to feed him and put him to sleep. We really feared for his health, and he is not the only example” says a computer science professor at MIT. Computer science teachers are now more aware of the implications of this hacker phenomenon and are on the lookout for potential hackers and cases of computer addiction that are already severe. They know that the case of the hackers is not just the story of one persons relationship with a machine. It is the story of a societys relationship to the so-called thinking machines, which are becoming almost ubiquitous. 1. We can learn from the passage that those at the computer center in the middle of the night are _. A. students working on an assigned program B. students using computers to amuse themselves C. hard-working computer science major students D. students deeply fascinated by the computer 2. Which of the following is NOT true of those young computer hackers?A. Most of them are top students majoring in computer programming. B. For them, computer programming is the sole purpose for their life. C. They can stay with the computer at the center for nearly three days on end. D. Their “love” for the computer is so deep that they want to be near their machines even when they sleep. 3. It can be reasonably inferred from the passage that _. A. the “hacker” phenomenon exists only at university computer centers B. the computer science professor at MIT is worried about this “hacker” phenomenon.C. computer centers are expecting outstanding programmers out of the “hackers” D. “hacker” phenomenon is partly attributable to the deficiency of computer centers 4. The authors attitude towards the hacker phenomenon can be described as _. A. positive B. admiring C. anxious D. disgusted 5. Which of the following may be a most appropriate title for the passage? A. The Charm of Computer Science B. A New Type of Electronic Toys C. Admirable Computer Programmers D. Computer AddictsNotes: rumpled and bleary-eyed 委靡不振,目光呆滞forgo personal hygiene 抛弃个人卫生key: DABCDPassage 2Time: 4 minsTotal words: 379wordsOnline plagiarism is on the rise in the UK. Students are constantly trying to get what they are required to do form the internet.It has been fifteen years since pioneering British computer programmer, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, created the protocols which power the World Wide Web. But could he have ever imagined how much the web would transform our lives？And would he approve of how some British students are taking advantage of his invention？Universities and exam boards around the UK are becoming increasingly concerned with the rising number of cases of plagiarism, many of which are facilitated by internet access.In the UK most school and university students complete coursework throughout the academic year which contributes towards their final mark. In many cases coursework makes up the bulk of the qualification. Since coursework is completed in the students own time it cannot be monitored by teachers in the same way as an exam.Derec Stockley，director of examinations in the UK，explains，“Plagiarism affects coursework more than external exam conditions，and in the cases that come to our attention，more and more are linked to the internet.” Students can copy the essays directly from the internet, or they can even order someone to write the essay speccially for them.At a university level recent reports suggest that plagiarism has evolved from isolated cases of individual cheating to a systematic and even commercial operation. Students can now pay for bespoke essays to be written for them by experts.It is estimated that the market in online plagiarism is now worth 200 million a year. Every month more and more websites offering to write students essays for them appear on the internet.Barclay Littlewood，owner of Degree Essays UK employs 3，500 specialist writers and charges between 120 and 4，000 per essay. However，Mr Littlewood refutes the accusation that he is helping students to cheat.He says that although students receive an essay that answers their exact question，“They then have to go and do their research outside our piece，formulate their own opinions，look at their own reference and write the creative and original piece which is distant from ours.”1. What does the word “plagiarism” possibly mean?A. studying onlineB. writing an essayC. doing courseworkD. cheating in an exam 2. Which of the following is ture about “coursework” according to the text?A. It can be monitored by examinersB. It is required to be finished in apointed time and at a pointed placeC. It forms a large part of students qualificationD. It is a kind of exam3. What change has taken place for plagiarism?A. from exam to courseworkB. from individual to systematicC. from UK to other countries in the worldD. from systematic to commercial4. What can we know about Barclay Littlewood from the passage?A. He operates a website offering to write essays for students at the expense of money B. He is helping students to do their researches and formulate their own opinions.C. He is employed by a company called Degree Essays UKD. He is helpful to students.5. What altitude can we infer from the text might the author hold to Degree EssaysA. optimisticB. opposingC. neutralD. Not mentionedNotes: protocol 条约，协议bespoke 定制的，定做的Key: DCBABPassage 3 Time: 5 minsTotal words: 417wordsWith the development of the science and computer technology, there are robots all around us, Some do very complicated jobs like flying airplanes and driving subway trains. And some do a simple job like to clean the house or ever cook meals.When an automatic washing machine is switched on，water pours in. The machine will wait until the water is hot before washing the clothes. It does this by “feedback”. Information about what is happening is “feedback” into the robot to te11 it what to do next. And we can say that the “feedback” is acting as the “start” button for the robots to start the next action.Our eyes, ears and other senses are our feedbackThey tell us what is going on around us, and then we can take relative actions. So robots are like people in two ways，they can work and they have feedback.There are robots all around, making our lives easier. Some of them，like the pocket calculator，can work much more quick1y than human beings can. And they rarely make mistakes while human brains may constantly make. Robots can also be used to do the work that is too dangerous for human beings.In some ways robots are better than people. They work quick1y, but do not make mistakes. They do not get bored doing the same job over and over again. And they never get tired. Robots are very useful in factories. They can be taught to do many different jobs. First their electronic brains must be shown how the job is done. A person moves the robots “arm” and “hand” through each part of the job. During the period, the robots brain will remember each move. When the robot is put to work on its own, its brain controls the rods, wheels and motors which move its arm. When the robot is needed for a new job, its electronic memory is “wiped clean”. Then it can be taught how to do its new task. If the robots hand stops working, or if something gets in the way, it cannot do the next part of the job. So it stops and signals for help. Then a human engineer repairs it. The most “intelligent” robots can move and seewith their eyes are cameras. Their metal fingers can feel shapes and even find out how hot and cold objects are. These robots have computer brains, linked to their eyes and fingers, which control their actions. 1In this story the author tells us that_. A. there are very fewer robots B. we see robots only at certain tines C. robots are something new in our life D. robots are all around us 2In this story we are told that_. A. we get feedback through our eyes and ears B. we get feedback through the robots C. only robots get feedback D. robots are not intelligent because of the feedback 3. If we stop a robot when it is doing its work, wich of the following is NOT TRUE about what will happen according to the text?A. . A human engineer may come to repair itB. It will give some signals for helpC. It will go on with its workD It cannot continue the work4What does the author of this story want you to feel about robots? A. They will probab1y take over in the future. B. They are very helpful and useful to humans. C. They are machines that are often out of order. D. They are not friends of human beings.5Since people like what robots do, what do you think this means for the future？ A.More and better robots will be built . B. People will stop making robots. C. There will be laws against using robots. D. Robots will benefit nobody.Notes: feedback 反应、反馈pocket calculator 便携式计算器Key: DACBA Passage 4Time: 5 minsTotal words: 428 wordsFor all the wonderful things the Internet has brought us, people still cant do the simple things like reaching out and touching someone else. When the Internet was first introduced, it was completely textual. Words could be transmitted to one another but nothing more. But as the World Wide Web came online, people could share images of what they were talking about. As technology progressed, those images became “real-time” in the form of web-cameras and video links. Along with that came the ability to hear and communicate with voice.While the Internet has met the needs of sight and sound, it has not reached touch, taste, and smell yet. Several groups out there are trying to break those barriers. Immersion is developing a system called TouchSense. With the plug-in they provide for free at their site and the correct type of mouse, one can actually “feel” the sensation of rolling over different things online. They are not the only ones looking to extend the sensation of the Internet. The sense of smell is not far down the line either. Another company, DigiScents is developing technology that will allow folks to literally download smells. The sense of smell plays an important role in further immersing the user into the virtual world. But what does this all mean to a society? Will people be so placated by the technology and the experiences there that they will forget about the “real world”? There are several cyberpunk books, games and TV series based on the idea of “cyber-addiction.” For example, one series produced and written by William Shatner, called TekWars, treats VR like a drug that their “cops” track down. A popular science fiction book, Neuromancer by William Gibson, goes to great lengths about the addiction of being in a VR world. A movie, Strange Days, has a person dealing in recorded emotions and experiences to sell to a VR addicted market.But can those things really happen? I believe so. I believe if we dont watch ourselves we will fall into that state of addiction where, as in the game Shadowrun, VR becomes “Be