阅读理解
When Mike Jones signed on to be marketing director at an e-book publisher, one of the advertised benefits was the chance to work at home full time. Two years later, he loves the job, but hated the location.
"I was totally cut off from the world," Mr. Jones says. "I was only working four or five hours a day because I'd keep looking for things to do just so I could get out of the apartment."
After months of searching for alternatives, Jones found Office Nomad, a shared workplace in Seattle that sells itself as "individuality without isolation." The studio is labeled with a modern philosophy(理念) called "coworking."
The concept tries to combine the features of a company office with the flexibility of working from home. There are desks to rent, conference rooms to reserve, and still plenty of room to rest.
Coworking meets the needs of those coming from the e-mail times. These laptop users represent a growing group of the US workforce, and many coworkers say others are bound to find similar arrangements.
"I couldn't figure out why I had to choose between freedom and community," says Brad Neuberg, the computer programmer who created the term coworking. "I wanted both. So I started imagining what that would look like."
In 2005, Mr. Neuberg found an empty hall in San Francisco and used it as the first coworking site. Every morning, Mr. Neuberg set up tables and waited for coworkers. "For the first two months, no one showed up. But people started coming in and the word spread." Soon enough, he had started a movement.
Coworking locations now come in every flavour: loose groups of individual workers such as Office Nomad, well-structured offices that offer more conveniences than some big companies.
"I prefer it to working from home. I'm much more productive," says Heather Findlay, a local publisher. She can quantify her increased productivity: She's a month ahead of schedule from last year's publishing cycle.
Because of the shared costs, coworking spots are often a great deal less expensive than renting a private office. Noisy neighbors are part of the attraction of Beta House, a coworking location in Cambridge, Mass. Taking up the top two stories of a multifamily house, the shared space feels like a union. About half of the dozen coworkers tapped on keyboards, while the rest chatted in the open kitchen area.
59. Why did Mike Jones decide to change his workplace two years later?
A. He hated the company’s location.
B. He hated to work far from his family.
C. He had to work long hours with high pay.
D. He had little human communication in his work.
60. We can infer from the passage that most of those who need coworking used to _____.
A. work alone B. earn a lot
C. work in offices D. earn little
61. Which of the following is the main advantage of Coworking?
A. Enjoying working at home full time
B. Enjoying both freedom and community
C. Enjoying the noisy atmosphere of working in offices
D. Enjoying more conveniences than some big companies
62. What’s the best possible title of the passage?
A. Growing workforce in the US B. Looking for shared workplaces
C. Working together or alone D. Working free but not alone
【参考答案】59----DA
61-6-2、BD
阅读理解
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private info,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission(联邦贸易委员会) asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It sends shivers up the spine to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without consent,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll look the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll look at legislative approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.
36.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google
.
A. to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information.
B. to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos.
C. to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy.
D. to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo
【答案】C
【解析】细节理解题。根据We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private info参议员鼓励他们不要侵犯顾客的个人隐私，故选C。
37. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time.
B. Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time.
C. Apple and Google have decided to make a change.
D. Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously.
【答案】D
【解析】细节理解题。根据Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission(联邦贸易委员会) asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. 可知Mr. Schumer对苹果和谷歌引起的个人隐私问题很重视，故选D。
38. Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion
.
A. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information .
B. can be used if permitted.
C. causes personal information to be posted online without permission.
D. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently.
【答案】A
【解析】细节理解题。根据If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.他认为引起人们对于个人安全问题的担心，故选A。
39.If the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C.,
.
A.The companies will be fined.
B. The companies will be closed.
C. The senators will turn to legislation.
D. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy.
【答案】C
【解析】细节理解题。根据if that doesn’t work then we’ll look at legislative approach
40.Where can we read about the passage?
A.In a science report.
B. In a newspaper.
C. In a magazine
D. In a textbook.
【答案】B
【解析】细节理解题。根据短文的内容主要叙述的是对于公司的对于客户的个人隐私的泄露问题的的解决途径，所以这篇文章出现在报纸上，故选B。
D
When Katharine Herrup, a journalist for the Times, wrote about letting her son take the subway alone to get back to her Manhattan home from a department store on the Upper East Side, she didn’t expect to get hit with a wave of criticism from readers.
“My son got home, overjoyed with independence,” Katharine wrote on April 4 in the Times. “Half the people I’ve told this event take it for child abuse, as if keeping kids under lock and key and cell phone and careful watch is the right way.”
The event has brought about a debate: Are Modern parents needlessly overprotective, or is the world a more dangerous place than it was when previous generations were allowed to wander about without being watched out?
From the “she’s an irresponsible mother” camp came: “Shame on you for being so careless about his safety,” “How would you have felt if he didn’t come home?” But Katharine got a lot of support, too. “It is not the right way to keep kids under careful watch. It’s weakening our children.” Katharine wrote in the Times.
So why are some parents so nervous about letting their children out of their sight? Are cities and towns less safe and kids more easily hurt than they were in previous generations?
Not exactly. According to Child Trends, a nonprofit research group, between 1986 and 2010 death rates in New York City dropped by 44 percent for children aged 5 to 14. Then are modern parents more watchful and nervous about safety than previous generations? Yes, some are. With Internet and TV news, every missing child case gets so much broadcast that it’s not surprising that even normal parental anxiety can be enlarged.
For those parents who wonder how and when they should start allowing their kids more freedom, there’s no clear-cut answer. Child experts disagree with a one-size-fits-all approach to parenting. What’s right for Katharine’s nine-year-old could be inappropriate for another one. It all depends on developmental issue, maturity, and the psychological and emotional qualities of that child. Several factors must be taken into account, says Gallagher. “The ability to follow parent guidelines, the child’s level of comfort in handling such situations, and a child’s general judgment should be weighed.”
63. When Katharine’s son was allowed to take the subway alone, he_____.
A. was afraid that he might get lost
B. enjoyed having the independence
C. was only too pleased to free from his mother
D. thought he was a great child
64. Katharine believes that keeping kids under careful watch_____.
A. does harm to their healthy growth
B. adds too much pressure to parents
C. shows traditional parental caution
D. is against the latest parenting trend
65. Parents today are more nervous about their kids’ safety than previous generations partly because________.
A. there are now fewer children in the family
B. the number of traffic accidents has been increasing
C. their fear is enlarged by media reports of crime
D. crime rates have been on the rise over the years
66. According to child experts, how and when kids may be allowed more freedom depends on ________.
A. their parents’ psychological qualities
B. the safety conditions of their neighborhood
C. the traditions and customs of the community
D. their personal qualities and psychological development
【参考答案】63---66、- BAC D
阅读理解-
As students and teachers returned to school on Monday after the publication of performance ratings(等级) for 18,000 teachers, many parents said they were giving the reports serious thought. Yet there was an equal measure of skepticism among parents that test scores have any relationship with teachers’ competence.
Some said they already knew how good a teacher was by walking into the classroom or by monitoring their children’s progress. “I’m the kind of person who likes to see for themselves,” a father in Queens said.
Others worried about how their fellow parents, perhaps ones with sharper elbows, might respond. Will they demand a new teacher? Move their children to a new school?
Elizabeth Sane, the mother of a fourth grader at the Ella Baker School, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school on the Upper East Side, said that her daughter was switched to a different teacher’s class over the summer, and that it was “like adding salt to the wound” when she saw the high ratings for her daughter’s previous teacher. Her daughter’s teacher this year did not receive a rating because he previously taught high school
Ms. Sane said that the rating was not the only factor that influenced how she assessed a teacher’s performance, but that the data used for teacher evaluations mattered.
But other parents dropping their children off at the Ella Baker School said they did not trust teacher ratings based on test scores any more than they wanted their children’s learning measured only by the state exams.
“Some people take it as the final word, but it doesn’t change who they are as teachers. The ratings aren’t accurate, and the whole student testing thing needs to be thrown out,” said Lydia Delgado, whose child is in the second grade.
41. Paragraph 1 tells us that
A. All the teachers received a rating given by the students.
B. All the teachers will receive a rating at the end of each semester,
C. Most parents took the teachers’ ratings seriously.
D. About half of the parents doubted the ratings to be reliable.
【答案】D
【解析】细节理解题。根据Yet there was an equal measure of skepticism among parents that test scores have any relationship with teachers’ competence.
42.What does the underlined part “with sharper elbows” mean?
A. With the ability to change the situation.
B. With a good relationship with the school.
C. With a stong will to succeed.
D. With strong elbows physically.
【答案】A
【解析】词义猜测题。根据might respond
43.Paragraph 4 shows that Elizabeth Sane
A. was on the side of giving ratings to the teachers.
B. regretted having sent her daughter to another class.
C. didn’t think her daughter’s previous teacher was better.
D. wanted her daughter to return to her previous class.
【答案】B
【解析】细节理解题。根据her daughter was switched to a different teacher’s class over the summer, and that it was “like adding salt to the wound”
44. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The teacher ratings were decided by the test scores of the students.
B. Ms. Sane evaluated a teacher’s performance only by the rating.
C. Lydia Delgado didn’t think the students’ scores should be kept.
D. To give ratings to teachers will come to an end in the near future.
【答案】A
【解析】细节理解题。根据teacher ratings based on test scores老师的排名基于学生考试的分数，故选A。
45.The attitude of the author towards the way to assess teachers’ competence is
A. supportive
B. critical
C. indifferent
D. objective
【答案】D
【解析】细节理解题。upportive赞成的； critical批评的；indifferent中立的；objective客观的。 根据全文的内容来看作者只是客观陈述的别人的一些看法，没有提出自己的具体的观点，故选D。