C
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(虛擬的) 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(具有誘惑性的), 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 relationship,” said one high school student, “Every time I text, I start to have some happy feelings.” 
But are any of those feelings equal to the kind we feel when engaged in real, face-to-face communication? Online, you can neglect others’ feelings. In a text message, you can avoid eye contact. A number of studies have found that this generation of teens is less sympathetic than ever. That doesn’t spell disaster, says Turkle—but it does mean we might want to start thinking about the way we want to live.
66. From the first paragraph we can infer that_________.
A. email checking helps people wake up early 
B. technological device production has been simplified   
C. using technological devices costs teens much time          
D. people communicate mainly by text-messaging now

67. 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
68. What worries Turkle most is that more and more people are_________.
   A. starting to accept emotional connections in place of virtual connections
   B. convincing themselves by using fewer lifeless objects in connections
   C. dropping the use of technological devices for connection with each other
 D. being affected by the shallow connections through the mobile devices
69. Which of the following is True according to the passage? 
   A. Others’ feelings can be ignored in online communication.
B. No stimulation is provided in natural life connections.
   C. People always send text messages to avoid eye contact. 
D. It may be a disaster that teens are less sympathetic than ever.
70. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To instruct people how to do with emails.        
B. To stress the importance of technology.
C. To promote a wider use of technological devices.
D. To lead us to consider what’s important in human connections.
Part IV Writing  (45 marks)
Section A (10 marks ) 
   Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information from the passage.
   Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
A consumer complaint or customer complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction on a consumer’s behalf to a responsible party. It can also be described in a positive sense as a report from a consumer providing documentation about problems with a product or service. 
So what are the common reasons for customer complaints? The most common complaints about retail(零售) stores fall into several aspects. First, they have to circle the filled parking lot endlessly, which is a waste of time and a test for their patience. They also can’t stand cluttered shelves, over-loaded racks, out-of-stock items and long check-out lines. Worst of all, sometimes some salespeople are rude, turning their mood into a bad one.  
In fact, some modern business consultants urge businesses to view customer complaints as a gift but not a trouble. Some retailers, however, ignore complaints or deal with them dishonestly, which can cause a chain of events like bad reputation, leave their business with fewer and fewer customers. The resulting “snowball effect” can be disastrous to retailers. In the most severe cases, it can even cause companies to shut down. 
Increasing competition is forcing companies to take more effective measures to satisfy customers and better their customer service. During peak shopping hours, some moonlighting(業(yè)余兼職的) local police have been employed as parking attendants by some retailers to solve the parking problems. Some hire flag wavers to direct customers to parking spaces that are empty. This guidance can avoid confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space. Retailers can relieve the headache by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring the cashiers with much experience, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions. Most importantly, salespeople should be trained to deal with angry customers with politeness.Try their best to resolve the problem if they can.
Quickly and properly solving customer complaints can help retailers smooth over issues and their business can grow and prosper.

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