How many times a day do you check your email? When you wake up? Before bed? A dozen times in between? The technology that was supposed to simplify our lives has become the vital time-suck: the average teen spends more than seven hours a day using technological devices, plus an additional hour just text-messaging friends. The advantage of technological devices is connectedness: email lets us respond on the go, and we are in touch with more people during more hours of the day than at any other time in history. But is it possible we're more lonely than ever, too? That's what MIT professor Sherry Turkle observes in her new book, Alone Together, a fascinating portrait of our changing relationship with technology. Turkle details the ways technology has redefined our comprehension of closeness and loneliness--and warns us of the danger of accepting such virtual  relationships in place of lasting emotional connections. For Turkle, the biggest worry is the effect all these shallow connections have on our development. Is technology offering us the lives we want to live? "We're texting people at a distance," says Turkle, "We're using lifeless objects to convince ourselves that even when we're alone, we feel together. And then when we're with each other, we put ourselves in situations where we are alone--constantly on our mobile devices. It's what I call a perfect storm of confusion about what's important in our human connections." What can't be denied is that technology, whatever its faults, makes life a whole lot easier. It allows us to communicate with more people in less time and makes conversation simple. But it can also be seductive , providing more stimulation than our natural lives. There are usually some unhealthy videos online which remove teenagers' attention from their schoolwork. Besides, some online activities make people addicted, which occupied their daily life and affected their ability to form real-world relationships."Technology can be more immediately satisfying than the labor of building an intimate... Turkle's new book mainly discussed  _  . A) ways to draw a fascinating portrait B) how technology influences human relationships C) the dangers of accepting emotional connections D) the advantages of technology
B


(Question)
When you're surfing the Internet on your laptop from your dorm or home, do you know your personal details are being gathered secretly? And would you be surprised to know the information may be sold cheaply to advertisers and marketers? According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, all it takes is a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters to record the computer user's age, gender, location, favorite movies and hobbies. The newspaper reports that Lotame Solutions Inc., a New York company, uses sophisticated   software called a " beacon" to capture what people are typing on a website. Lotame packages that data into profiles   about individuals, only without their names, and sells the profiles to companies seeking customers. Batches of such data may be sold for a few dollars. The Wall Street Journal survey discovered that spying on Internet users is one of the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web. The "cookie" a tiny text file put on your PC by websites or marketing firms which might be used to remember your. preferences for one site, or to track you across many sites is already old news. There are new and more complex tools such as "beacons " which scan in real time what people are doing on a webpage. These beacons instantly assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions. Millions of Internet users around the world also face unprecedented   threats. Private, sensitive, personal and business information is being gathered and sold without their knowledge. Companies insist the information they gather is anonymous and the data is used harmlessly. But the technology has grown so powerful that even some of the biggest websites in the US don't know that they were installing intrusive files on visitors' computers. These include MSN. com and Yahoo. com. Next time you visit a webpage and find an ad banner advertising something you've been planning to buy, don't be amazed that your computer can read your mind. According to the passage, "beacon"   _  . A) is a tiny text file put on your PC by websites B) is a soft ware that can package that data into profiles about individuals C) can assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions D) is not more complex than the "cookie"
(Answer)
C


Ques: In the near future, all housework will be done without having a robot maid. Smart home technology will allow all sorts of electronics and appliances  to be able to communicate with each other and perform various tasks. Whenever someone wants to have a snack, but does not feel like making something, why not have the refrigerator suggest something based on what it has inside of it. Not only that, it would communicate with the microwave to prepare the cooking power and time for that particular dish.    Nearly all major appliances in the future will take advantage of this technology through home networks and the Internet. Smart home technology is a way for ordinary electronics and appliances to communicate with each other, consumers, and even manufacturers. Many consider a smart home to be one that is networked. Others feel it is a home that has appliances that will allow the consumer to do little or no work, but a smart home really is all of that combined, and more. Not only will all consumer products be networked, but they will also make life easier and more entertaining. Smart home technology is currently being developed and carried out for all rooms in the house, in particular the kitchen and the living room.   Many of today's products are becoming "smart." Kitchen refrigerators, microwaves, and stoves are using this technology. Even washers and dryers have the technology today to be more automated  to fit people's needs. Products in the bathroom will even start to use smart home technology. Electric razors, toilets, and showers will have some sort of automation built in. Smart home technology is still in its early stages but will soon make a great effect on everyone's lives. In order to take advantage of smart home technology, people   _  . A) only need ordinary electronics and appliances B) have to buy consumer products from a special manufacturer C) have to buy their appliances on the Internet D) make their electronics and appliances smart first
Ans: A


Ques: It is the preferred choice of millions of health-conscious Britons. But eating organic food   could make you fat, experts have warned. A studyhas shown that people tend to believe that organic foods contain fewer calories, so buy and eat more. But people who decide to "go organic" could soon find themselves piling on the pounds. The warning comes from American researchers who studied whether the sight of an organic label was enough to influence a person's choice. For example, if people believe organic foods, produced without using pesticides   and artificial fertilizers  , have fewer calories, they may end up eating far too much and spending less time on sports activities and put on weight. Cornell University researchers said: " Some people mistakenly think that these foods are more nutritious  , just because they carry an organic label." "The growing popularity of organic foods has led to some concern, as these foods may not necessarily be healthier than non-organic ones, but still may lead consumers to nutritional mis-judgments. If people feel a food to be more nutritious, they tend to let their guard down when it comes to counting calories---in the end leading them to overeat." Although a small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically-produced crops and traditionally-produced ones, these are of little health importance. It shows that there is no proof to support the choice of organically over traditionally-produced foods because of nutritional advantage. When Britons think they have had enough nutrition in organic foods, they will   _  . A) eat less and do more sports to keep fit B) do more sports to reduce the calories C) eat less because the foods are expensive D) eat more and do less exercise
Ans:
D