Nathan Sawaya's childhood was a lot of fun. He drew cartoons, wrote stories, and played with plastic toy bricks (積木). His grandparents bought his first set of toy bricks when he was five years old and he's been building with toy bricks ever since. He even took his building bricks to college with him! Instead of books and a computer, he had a model of Greenwich Village made of bricks on his desk.

     Nathan started as a lawyer but gave up His highly-paid (高薪的) job to become an artist that uses toys in his art. He uses toy bricks to build everything from the Statue of Liberty(自由女神像) to Superman! He has more than 1.5 million colored bricks in his working room in New York which he uses to make pieces of art. He started by building small models but then decided to do something big and created a self-portrait (自畫像). It took him two days just to build the eyes.

     Nathan's work has appeared in museums around the world. Children love his art because it is made out of the same toys that they play with at home and adults love his work because it is fascinating. Since it began in2007, Nathan's exhibition "The Art of the Brick" has been very popular with museum visitors everywhere.

     "I'm proud that I took a dream I had as a child, to become an artist, and I have actually made a job out of it," says Nathan. "To do what you love in life is the most important thing."

1.What did Nathan put on his desk at college?

A. The Statue of Liberty.

B. Superman.

C. His serf-portrait.

D. A Greenwich Village modal.

2.Why did Nathan give up his job as a lawyer?

A. Because he made little money out of a lawyer.

B. Because he wanted to make toys for the children.

C. Because he decided to become an artist of toy bricks.

D. Because he was going to work in the museum instead.

3.What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Nathan's work.                 B. Nathan's exhibition.

C. Nathan's art.                   D. Nathan's self-portrait

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

A. The Brick Artist                B. The Brick Exhibition

C. Toy Bricks for Adults           D. The Artist's Childhood

 

Paul had just left college and was offered an interview for a position in a company in New York. As he needed to move from Texas to New York if he got the job, he wanted to talk about the decision with someone before accepting it. But his parents had died. He remembered that his father had suggested he should turn to an old friend of his family if he needed advice.
The older man said, “Go to New York and have the interview. But I want you to go on a train and I want you to get a private compartment(車廂). Don’t take anything to write with, anything to listen to or anything to read, and don’t talk to anybody except when you order the meal. Call me when you get to New York and I will tell you what to do next.”
At first, Paul followed the advice closely. The trip took two days. As he had brought along nothing to do, he quickly became bored. He realized he was being forced into quite time – he could do nothing but think. About three hours outside New York City he broke the rules, asked for a pencil and paper and kept writing down the thoughts until the train arrived in New York.
Paul called the family friend from the train station.
“Thank you, Uncle I know what you wanted. You wanted me to think. And now I know what to do.”“I guessed you could understand my idea, Paul,” came the reply, “Good luck.”
Now, years later, Paul runs a company in New York. And he always spends a couple of days being alone with no phone, no television and no people to think quietly.
【小題1】Paul would go to New York for __________.

A．a(chǎn) conference

B．a(chǎn) visit

C．education

D．a(chǎn)n interview

【小題2】We can know from the passage that _______.

A．Paul had worked in Texas for three years.

B．the older man advised Paul to go by air

C．Paul broke the rules before arriving in New York.

D．Now Paul runs companies both in New York and Texas.

【小題3】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．Paul had a talk with a clever man during the trip.

B．The older man’s advice influenced Paul greatly.

C．Paul only brought a pencil and paper with him.

D．The older man lived in New York.

【小題4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Time to be quiet	B．You’re not alone
C．Studying in the Journey	D．Friends are useful

                                 
Computers can injure you. Most other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very quickly. But computer injuries slowly.
　You probably know how to ride a bike safely. Now learn to use a computer safely.
Your eyes
　Too much light can injure your eyes, so never sit too close to a computer screen. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimeters from the screen. Remember to look away from it sometimes. This gives your eyes a rest.
　When you use a computer, the window should be on your left or your right. If it is behind you, the light will reflect on (反射) the screen. If the window is in front of you, the sun and the screen will both shine into your eyes.
Your hands and wrists (手腕)
　　Hand and wrist injuries can happen because the hands and wrists are moved in the same way hundreds of times. If you use a keyboard for a long time, follow these three rules: 1) Rest your wrists on something. 2) Keep your elbows (肘部） at the same height as the keyboard. 3) Stop something and exercise your hands, wrists and fingers in a different way.
Your back
　　Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can injure your back or your neck. So you should sit with your back straight. The top part of the screen should all be in front of your eyes. Your forearms（前臂）, wrists, hands and the upper（上部） part of your legs should all be parallel (平行) to the floor. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arms, legs and necks.
　Enjoy your computer, but use it safely.
【小題1】A computer screen may injure your eyes if __________.

A．you sit 60 centimeters away	B．you remember to look away
C．your eyes are too close to it	D．the window is on your left or your right

【小題2】 Hand and wrist injuries are caused when you _________.

A．get plenty of exercise	B．move in the same way again and again
C．rest your wrists on something	D．keep your elbows as high as the keyboard

【小題3】Your eyes and hands will be safe if __________.

A．you work near a window	B．you often take a rest from working
C．you use a keyboard for a long time	D．the window is behind you

【小題4】It is good for your back and neck if you sit __________.

A．in the right way	B．for many hours
C．with the screen below your eyes	D．with your back leaning forward

【小題5】 What would be the best title for the passage?

A．How to protect your eyes	B．How to protect your hands and wrists
C．How to use a computer safely	D．How to protect your back

Computers can injure you. Most other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very quickly. But computer injuries slowly.
You probably know how to ride a bike safely. Now learn to use a computer safely.
Your eyes
Too much light can injure your eyes, so never sit too close to a computer screen. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimeters from the screen. Remember to look away from it sometimes. This gives your eyes a rest.
When you use a computer, the window should be on your left or your right. If it is behind you, the light will reflect on (反射) the screen. If the window is in front of you, the sun and the screen will both shine into your eyes.
Your hands and wrists (手腕)
Hand and wrist injuries can happen because the hands and wrists are moved in the same way hundreds of times. If you use a keyboard for a long time, follow these three rules: 1) Rest your wrists on something. 2) Keep your elbows at the same height as the keyboard. 3) Stop something and exercise your hands, wrists and fingers in a different way.
Your back
Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can injure your back or your neck. So you should sit with your back straight. The top part of the screen should all be in front of your eyes. Your forearms, wrists, hands and the upper part of your legs should all be parallel (平行) to the floor. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arms, legs and necks.
Enjoy your computer, but use it safely.
【小題1】A computer screen may injure your eyes if __________.

A．you sit 60 centimeters away

B．you remember to look away

C．your eyes are too close to it

D．the window is on your left or your right

【小題2】Hand and wrist injuries are caused when you _________.

A．get plenty of exercise

B．move in the same way again and again

C．rest your wrists on something

D．keep your elbows as high as the keyboard

【小題3】Your eyes and hands will be safe if __________.

A．you work near a window

B．you often take a rest from working

C．you use a keyboard for a long time

D．the window is behind you

【小題4】It is good for your back and neck if you sit __________.

A．in the right way

B．for many hours

C．with the screen below your eyes

D．with your back leaning forward

【小題5】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．How to protect your eyes.

B．How to protect your hands and wrists.

C．How to use a computer safely.

D．How to protect your back.

I have been using the Internet since I was five years old, when my dad first sat me down in front of a computer and connected me the World Wide Web.

I’ve always felt like a master of the Internet world. AOL Instant Messaging, MSN, Gmail, Facebook. Myspace---I’ve got it all under control. I thought there was nothing more to it besides checking my e-mail and wasting my time, until I was introduced to electronic commerce(e-commerce): business on the Internet.

Some online business are run from one- room home offices. Others have hundreds of employee(雇員)spread across five different continent. Have you ever heard of Amazon. com, Yahoo. com?

My friends often said they got cheap textbooks off Amazon.com, or had a good deal(交易)on Steve Madden boots that were on sale at SteveMaden.com. Unfortunately for me, I continued my “e-commerceless” Web-surfing, unaware(不知道)of all the deals I was missing out on.

That is, of course, until my sister finally sold the idea to me.

“Why are all these packages arriving in the mail for you, Katy?” I asked her one day. Strange envelopes had been put on our doorstep for weeks now, each one always addressed to my sister; and we all know little sisters should never be getting more mail than their elders!

“Oh, it’s the things I ordered online!” she answered. I watched speechlessly as she opened them. There was no way our parents were letting her spend that much money- online or off!

“How much did all of this coat?”

“Oh, only about $15in all!” She said excitedly. “Everything on eBay is on sale! It’s way better than going to the mall.”

I felt as if my entire life, there had been a store right in my backyard that I had never walked into! That week, I ordered a used Spanish textbook for my summer course online for 10 percent of the publishing price. A few days later, I bought an iPod protector and a book or two via the wonderful eBay.com.

1.From the first two paragraph we can conclude that the author        

A．had no experience using computers

B．had no idea of what e-commerce is

C．only used the Internet to check e-mail

D．thought surfing the Internet was a waste of time

2.The writer didn’t find out about e-commerce until       

A．he stopped web-surfing

B．he visited a store in his backyard

C．his friends told him about the online deals they made

D．his sister explained the packages she got by mail

3.We can infer from the last paragraph that the author       .

A．has begun to enjoy online shopping

B．loves the big store in her backyard

C．feels she is a true master of the Internet

D．never enjoyed shopping that much

4.What’s the purpose of the article?

A．To make an online shopping ad.

B．To do business on the Internet.

C．To advise people to do online shopping

D．To suggest how he begins online shopping.

5.What would be the best title of the article?

A．Online Business	B．Good deals
C．A master of the Internet	D．Everything on Sale