An Earthship is a home that is built of materials such as old tires and aluminum cans. It is the idea of a man named Michael Reynolds. Many Earthships are more or less self-sufficient because they provide their own heat, air and water. They often have gardens watered and fed by waste water. They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.
The main material used in building Earthships is tires. Tires are plentiful and
can't be recycled like paper, plastic, and metal. While building supplies for most houses can be very expensive, old used tires are free.
First, the tires are packed tightly with dirt. Each full tire weighs as much as
400 pounds. The tires are then stacked like bricks. The walls are extremely strong. They also help keep an even temperature in the house (between 60 and 70 degrees) without heating and cooling systems.
The walls inside the Earthship are made of aluminum cans that are held together by cement. Then they are coated with adobe or stucco.
The roofs of Earthships are sloped so that rain and snow run into large tanks. These tanks hold all the water for the house, and pumps push the water through the pipes. Sometimes, water flows in certain areas of the house as waterfalls! Water that has been used is pumped out into the gardens where owners grow much of their own food.
In most of these houses, the southern side has huge windows that take in winter sunlight as a source of heat. Summer sun does not come in through the south windows, so it doesn't get too hot in the summer. The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water and cooking. The Earthships have all the comforts of a regular house without the high cost of electric bills!
In a time when we are running out of energy resources, pollution is bad, and waste is piling up, Earthships are the best places to live in. For people who truly care about the environment,Earthships provide a great alternative to traditional houses. You won't be giving up any comforts, and the styles are attractive. We all hope that more and more people will build Earthships and take a huge step toward helping the environment and saving our planet.What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Earthships are a good way to live and protect the environment. |
| B．Tanks hold water collected from rain and snow. |
| C．It's important to grow your own food in a vegetable garden. |
| D．People who live in Earthships usually live in the desert. |
Which of the following is NOT explained in the passage?
| A．How an Earthship is built. |
| B．What an Earthship is mainly made of. |
| C．Why the Earthship is so called. |
| D．How an Earthship is heated in winter. |
Which evidence best supports the idea that Earthships are environmentally friendly?
| A．They were invented by Michael Reynolds. |
| B．Water that has been used is pumped out into the garden. |
| C．They are comfortable and ecologically friendly. |
| D．The tires are packed tightly with dirt. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．a large population are already living in Earthships |
| B．the idea of Earthships will attract the attention of governments |
| C．the materials for the Earthships will be harmful to the dwellers(居住者) |
| D．the northern side of the Earthship has no window |
People like different kinds of vacations. Some go camping, They swim, fish ,cook over a fire and sleep outside Others like to stay at a hotel in an exciting city They go shopping all day and go dancing all night Or maybe they go sightseeing go places such Disneyland ,the Tai Mahal or the bouvre .
Some people are bored with sightseeing trips, They don’t want to be “tourists”. They want to have an adventure-a surprising and exciting trip .They want to learn something and maybe help people too .How can they do this? Some travel companies and environmental groups are planning special adventures. Sometimes these trips are difficult and full of hardships, but they’re a lot of fun .One organization, Earthwatch, sends of the world . Some volunteers spend two weeks and study the environment Others word with animals. Others learn about people of the past
Would you like an adventure in the Far North? A team of volunteers is leaving from Murmansk. Russia The leader of this trip is a professor from Alaska, He’s worried about chemicals from factories. He and the volunteers will study this pollution in the environment, If you like exercise and cold weather, this is a good trip for you, volunteers need ski sixteen kilometers every day .
Do you enjoy ocean animals? You can spend two to four weeks in Hawaii. There can follow orders such as “Bring me the large ball”, They also understand opposites .How much more can they understand? It will be exciting to learn about these intelligent animals Another study trip goes to Washington State and follows .How much More can they understand? It will be exciting to learn about these intelligent animals Another study trip goes to Washington Stare and follows orcas. We call orcas “Killer Whale ,”but they ‘re really dolphins-the largest kind of dolphin These beautiful animals travel together in family groups ,They move through the ocean with their mothers. They move through the ocean with their mothers, grandmothers and great –grandmothers . Ocean pollution is chasing their lives. Earthwatch is studying how this happens .
Are you interested in history? Then Greece is the place for your adventure. Thirty-five hundred years ago a volcane exploded there, on Santorini. This explosion was more terrible than Krakatoa or Mount Saint Helens. But today, we know a lot about the way of life of the people from that time. There are houses, kitchens, and paintings as interesting as those in pompei. Today reams of volunteers are learning more about people from the past .
Do you want a very different vacation? Do you want to travel far, word hard and learn a lot ? Then an Earthwatch vacation is for you . The Tai Mahal may be
| A．a shopping center | B．a hotel | C．a dancing hall | D．a place of interest |
From the passage, on an adverture trip, people
| A．ay not spend much time on sighteeing | B．won’t meet some difficulties or hardships |
| C．can enjoy themselves | D．can’t learn something |
If you want to learn something about people of the past ,you can
| A．join the team to Hawaii | B．join the team to the Far North |
| C．join the team to Washington | D．join the team to Greece |
The word intelligent in para4means
| A．exciting | B．beautiful | C．large | D．clever |
Which of the following is false ?
| A．Some people find sightseeing trips boring. |
| B．Earth watch is planning various special adventures |
| C．The number of orcas is decreasing . |
| D．Volcano Explosions in all broke out 3500years ago in Greece |
Jeter King 15 and Mary ,13 went to see a doctor together peter had a bad cold .so the doctor gave him some polls to take .Mary had a bah cough .so the doctor gave her some cough medicine.
There are the words in the bottle of medicine.
Cough Medicine |
Shake well before use |
| Take three times daily after meals |
| Dosage: adults 2 teaspoonfulls |
| Children 8-14, 1 teaspoonfull |
4-7,  teaspoonful |
| Not suitable for children below the age of 4 |
| Store in a cool place |
| Use before October 2004 |
Mary or her mother should the medicine after the tenth month of 2004.
| A．throw away | B．take two times . | C．stop to take | D．take 3 times more |
People aged can’t take this medicine
| A．80 | B．15 | C．20 | D．3 |
Getting a new PC is one thing, Keeping it running smoothly is quite another. While a personal computer should continue to perform well for years, users know that system unsteadiness does exist Yet you can reduce it to the smallest amount by following the tips below .
First, put in as little software as possible. You’11 have fewer software –related problems and a system that is easier to manage.
Second, you should ensure that you have as much memory (RAM) in your PC as you need If you run Windows 98,your computer should have as least 128 megabytes (MB)of RAM and more You can also get by with 128 MB of RAM if you use Windows NT or Windows2000,but these operating systems will run much more smoothly if you have 256 MB of RAM or more.
Third, make sure you buy good hardware. Noname products may be cheaper and sometimes just as good as named-brand products, but name-brand products usually became well-known because of famous companies because Windows will more often support the hardware that you buy ,If you are starting out with to have been tested thoroughly with your operating system, and you will generally experience fewer problems.
Fourth, do prepare for disaster .No matter how well your system runs when you get it ,the day will come when it will need to be replaced .Hopefully, you will replace it because technology has become outdated, but you may need to replace it also because the hard drive crashes or you begin experiencing problems that no one can figure out .That’s why it ‘s important to you’re your important to copy your important information regularly. Whether you use a tape backup device or a CD-RW drive, it’s important to make a regular backup plan and stick to it .If you want to use Windows2000,but your computer only has 64MB.What will you have to do?
A. Change its RAM for at least 256MB, B. Put in good software in your computer.
C. Enlarge its memory to at least 128 MB D. Buy another new computer to match it . How many pieces of advice on buying good hard-ware does the writer give us ?
| A．Three | B．Two | C．One | D．four |
It can be inferred from the passage that……
| A．your computer will save the important information when its hard drive crashes |
| B．Your computer might lose all the information it stores when it crashes . |
| C．You must not put in much software. |
| D．You’d better use 128 MB of Ram if you run Windows NT. |
the best title of this passage would be “……”
| A．the Tips You must Follow |
| B．How to Start out with a Computer |
| C．How to Use your PC Better |
| D．How to Keep Your PC Stable |
what does the underlined word “it ”(paragraph 1)refer to ?
| A．System unsteadiness | B．personal computer |
| C．To perform well | D．Getting a new PC |
Are you thinking of writhing someone a letter? Call instead. It isn’t that expensive, especially when you call during the evening, night, or weekend hours. In fact, you can made a ten-minute call anywhere in the continental United States for just $2.60.
For even greater saving, always dial direct ,that is ,without an operator’s help .Rates on direct, that is ,without an operator’s help. Rates on direct calls are lower after five o’ clock in the evening and lowest after, and pay phone calls than direct calls.
Need to call out of the country? Now calls to many overseas places may be dialed direct. Check your telephone direction for overseas area codes.
Next time you have good news, or you just want to stay in touch, remember, a phone call means so much more than a letter. This has been a message from Southern Bell Telephone Company.According go this passage, when is a dial telephone call cheapest?
| A．During weekend hours . | B．After 5 in the evening |
| C．during working hours. | D．After 11 at night |
What type of call requires less money?
| A．A direct dial call | B．A collect call |
| C．A person-to –person call | D．A call from a pay phone . |
What should one do in order to made an overseas call?
| A．Dial the operator. |
| B．Call the Southern Bell Telephone Company |
| C．Check the phone book for the overseas operator’s number so that he can help you |
| D．Check the phone book for overseas area codes so that you can dial direct. |
This passage is
| A．an article | B．a letter | C．a talk | D．a dialogue |
I stood up to speak and my mind went blank .Has this ever happened to you? You may be nervous in front of an audience（观众）.You may be worried that you didn’t prepare enough, You may have forgotten some of your facts. What can you do? Sometimes people prepare too much and become terrified if they can’t remember the words they have practised. It is a good idea to bring some notes to help you organize, but don’t memorize your speech. If you “go blank”,begin by explaining the purpose of your speech, and the test will probably follow. “Go blank” here means
| A．to be absent-minded | B．to think too much suddenly |
| C．to be afraid of the audience | D．not knowing what to say at the moment |
Before the listeners, the speakers who have pre-pared enough
| A．never go bland | B．never feel afraid |
| C．may forget the prepared words | D．may forget the opening speech |
A good way to make to made a good speech is
| A．to memorize the speech | B．to organize the audience well |
| C．to have some brief motes at hand | D．to have the audience take notes |
The man who goes blank in front of the listeners should.
| A．begin with the purpose of his speech | B．cut off the rest of his speech |
| C．see his notes right away | D．find some way to draw the audience’s attention |