Questions 21-25 are based on the following passage:
In his book Hamlet's Blackberry. William Powers describes a scene that should
strike many as familiar. “Here I was in New York, the most fantastic city in the world— so much to look at, to see and hear, but everybody around me was staring closely at some digital device,” he said. “These small devices are wonderful, and they do fantastic stuff for us all day long, but to miss out on your surroundings all the time, which I think we increasingly do—I really question that.”
Powers certainly doesn't condemn the way we use these devices. He does, however, recognize the downside of constantly being flooded with new information—or what he calls the “over-connectedness.” Among the things that suffer from our overconnectedness, Powers says, are relationships. ”It's not really connectedness. It's sort of the opposite of connectedness.”
How are we supposed to cope with the problem? Powers has one suggestion: just disconnect. His family, for example, takes an “Internet Sabbath” every weekend. “We turn off the household modem, and we don’t have smart phones. We can’t do Web surfing,” he explains.
According to Powers, the positive effects of these technology breaks are felt long after the weekends are over. “Even when we're connected, we can feel the benefits of having been disconnected a couple of days ago,” he says. “It's about that simple word, ‘balance’.”
Not that he thinks unplugging your modem is necessarily easy. ”It's really hard to pull away. You have to know why you're doing it, and really believe,” he says.
21. According to Paragraph 1, William Powers ______.
A. has a passion for digital devices
B. dislikes New York city
C. writes about a familiar scene
D. is a well-known writer
22. The word “downside”(Para. 2) is closest in meaning to “ ______.”
A. shortcoming B. confusion
C. effect D. challenge
23. During the “Internet Sabbath”, the Powers family ______.
A. go out for a surf B. are free from the Internet use
C. play games on the Internet D. don’t make phone calls
24. According to Powers, technology breaks ______.
A. allow people to live a simple life
B. seem to make weekends longer
C. make people’s life better balanced .
D. have a short positive effect
25. The passage is most likely a ______.
A. social survey B. book review
C. technical report D. news item
Questions 26-30 are based on the following chart:
Best Value For Vacations in August (Flights + Hotel)
| 3-7 days plan | 8-14 days plan | 14+ days plan |
| Place: Las Vegas | Place: New York | Place: Miami |
| Hotel: 4 stars | Hotel: 3 stars | Hotel: 4 stars |
| Price: $444 Flight + 3 nights | Price: $1950 Flight + 8 nights | Price: $2726 Flight + 17 nights |
| per person | per person | per person |
| Time: Aug 1 - 4 | Time: Aug 8 -16 | Time: Aug 1-19 |
| Place: Dallas | Place: Mexico City | Place: Havana Cuba |
| Hotel: 4 stars | Hotel: 5 stars | Hotel: 5 stars |
| Price: $499 Flight + 4 nights | Price: $1095 Flight + 9 nights | Price: $1115 Flight + 15 nights |
| per person | per person | per person |
| Time: Aug 2-6 | Time: Aug 3 -12 | Time: Aug 13-28 |
| Place: Rome | Place: Alaska | |
| Hotel: 3 stars | Hotel: 5 stars | |
| Price: $2024 Flight + 6 nights | Price: $1229 Flight + 12 nights | |
| per person | per person | |
| Time: Aug 2 - 8 | Time: Aug 10-22 | |
26. Where will you go if you want to enjoy a 3-week vacation?
A. Alaska. B. Mexico City.
C. Miami. D. Havana Cuba.
27. To have a 4-night trip with about $ 500, you can visit ______.
A. Miami B. New York
C. Dallas D. Las Vegas
28. To have a one-week vacation outside the US, you can leave on ______.
A. August 24 B. August 2
C. August 1 D. August 3
29. Which of the following plans in the US provides the best hotel?
A. Alaska. B. Miami.
C. New York. D. Las Vegas.
30. How much do you have to pay for a coolest summer vacation?
A. $1262 per person. B. $1229 per person.
C. $1095 per person. D. $643 per person.