外研社新标准大学英语三级网上考试答案Unit4.docx

PART1 AABCB CBADC PART2 BCD CAC PART3 ACA CBB DDC BBCCommunicationFor many of us, communicating with family used to mean sending letters and cards through the mail and getting no response until weeks later. Wed pass hand-written notes to friends in class. Wed pick up the telephonepaying for long-distance calls, no lessand could only talk to one person at a time. On top of that, there were no answering machines to leave messages if a person wasnt home, or Caller ID to screen calls if we didnt feel like picking up the phone. And pay phones were the only option to call home if our car broke down on the side of the road, or if we had to stay after school.The Good:For the past decade or so, technology has transformed the way we communicate, in part due to the advent of the Internet. Instead of mailing letters, were writing e-mails through Gmail or Windows Live Hotmail that can be sent instantaneously to a recipient. We can even add multiple recipients to these e-mails, so that more than one person can read them. Even more, we can send greeting cards over the Web with sites like and GroupC. No postage needed!Sending a note to a friend can be done in a matter of seconds through instant message clients like AOL instant messenge and Meebo. With them, we can see if a buddy is available or away, talk to multiple people at a time, wink and sigh using emoticons, ignore a message if we dont feel like talking, and send links to our favorite Web articles and videos.We are no longer bound to long-distance charges, either. Many folks have already kicked their landline phones to the curb and replaced them with Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) and mobile phones. We can place free video calls (yes, we can see the person were talking to) to anyone in the world over the Internet by using Skype and a headset. For a monthly paid service we can make regular phone calls over the Internet using the popular Vonage service or signing up for VoIP through our cable company. Mobile phones have become a godsend gift, letting us place calls no matter where we areon the way to work, at the beach, at school, etc. Even text messaging has become an efficient way to get a short message across, such as Meet you there at 8 or Ill be home late. The Bad:Its true that technology has also made society somewhat impersonal. Here at PC Magazine we communicate with each other mostly through e-mail and instant message. As a result, its difficult to tell when a person is serious or sarcasticour clever turns of phrase can easily be misconstrued. Technology tends to make communication drag out more than it has to, too; sometimes its quicker to just get out of your seat and walk to the person, or simply pick up the phone. Even worse, younger generations have forgotten how to spell and write complete sentences due to the increased use of text messaging on mobile phones. The State Examination Commission out of Dublin, Ireland said in a report that in many cases, teenagers seemed unduly reliant on short sentences, simple tenses, and a limited vocabulary and that with the use of phonetic spelling and little or no punctuation, its beginning to pose a threat to traditional conventions in writing, not to mention oral communication.In addition, weve seen how addicted people can become to their smartphones, like the Apple iPhone and the BlackBerry Storm 9530. (Youve probably heard the term for it: CrackBerry.) People possess an obsessive need to constantly check their e-mail, even when on vacation with the family. Its as if were afraid well miss something important or be out of the loop. If there isnt a group for BlackBerry addicts, there should be.Next: Computing Major Essay Proposal The essay topic I have selected is home computers. I would like to compare the impacts of computers on society with those of other major technologies and try to argue as well as conclude that home computers have had the greatest impact since the printing press. My focus in the essay will be how computer technologies are applied to every respect of every day life. My goal is to illustrate as well as convince that without computers, we can not live a life like we do today, but without other technologies, and we may survive. A very simple generalized reason is that computers now can achieve almost everything some other technologies can. A tentative outline is (sections and section headings subject to change): Introduction Overview of computers development Computers contribution to society in comparison with other major technologies such as television, operating system, radio or telegraph etc and give examples to support my view Use as my references well-known recent articles and try to summarize the main point Computers impact in the future What have I learned from all this Conclusions References Introduction Computers are commonly used items in many areas. It is an important thing to people, especially the people who run organizations, industry, etc. Almost anything you know is run or made by computers. Cars and jets were designed on computers, traffic signals are run by computers, most medical equipment use computers and space exploration was started with computers. Most of the jobs today require the use of computers. These mechanical brains made a huge impact on our society. It would be hard if we didnt have the computer around. Lets ivisualize magine for a minute. Lets think of a world without computers. People in the medical field wouldnt have found a lot of cures to diseases, since most cures were found with the help of computers. Movies like Jurassic Park would never have been made without computers because they used computer graphics and animation in them. Famers would have a hard time keeping track of what medications to give to patience. Counting votes would be impossible without computers and most importantly, space exploration wouldnt be possible without the help of computers. Its a pretty tough life without computers. Without computers, all this wouldnt be possible. Summary Computers helped us take a large step into the future. Businesses and entertainment uses them to make profits, Education uses them to help educate students better, and the Medical field uses computers in different ways. Even you are playing computer games, when you are watching the latest movies, or you are researching on a topic for your essay on computer, you are affected by the computer. Computers absolutely completely changed the world and it keeps changing. Everyone was impacted by this remarkable device. You might disagree with me a little bit, one thing is certain: without computers, we are not anywhere close to where we are today! References and sources Blaise Pascal (pronounced blez pskl), (June 19, 1623 August 19, 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (also Leibnitz or von Leibniz) (July 1 (June 21 Old Style) 1646 November 14, 1716) was a German polymath who wrote mostly in French and Latin. Charles Xavier Thomas de