Disposing(处理) of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult.
During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dumpsite. Residents or trash haulers(垃圾托运者) would transport household rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically(定期的) some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried. The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.
Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.
Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential(住宅区的)neighborhoods. Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent.
Awareness of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.
Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city's reusable waste.The most suitable title for this passage would be ______.
| A．Places for Disposing Waste | B．Waste Pollution Dangers |
| C．Ways of Getting Rid of Waste | D．Waste Disposal Problem |
During the 18th century, people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT for ______.
| A．burying it | B．recycling it |
| C．burning it | D．throwing it into rivers |
What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?
| A．Farm areas accept waste from the city in modern society. |
| B．There is cheap land to bury waste in modem society. |
| C．It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modem society. |
| D．Ways to deal with waste in modem society stay the same. |
The main purpose of writing this article is to ________.
| A．draw people's attention to waste management |
| B．warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing |
| C．call on people to take part in recycling programs |
| D．tell people a better way to get rid of the waste |
I visited the nearby car factory today with my uncle, who works there. One thing I noticed was that most of the work is now done by robots. Welding (焊接), painting, testing, and many other jobs are performed by robots now.The whole dashboard (仪表板) of the car is now put into the car from above, through the windshield, by a robot. It would have taken two men to do this in the past, and it would have hurt their backs quite a bit. It got me thinking: is it a good thing that robots are replacing factory workers? On one hand, robots generally do a more accurate job than people. They aren’t likely to make many mistakes, and if something goes wrong with one car, an alarm goes off. They do exactly the same thing, every time, without fail. A human worker is never able to do exactly the same thing every time. On the other hand, robots also reduce costs for companies. Companies don’t have to pay robots wages or injury compensation (补偿) if they’re broken. If something in a robot does go wrong, it won’t have to take time off work for a year, or even forever, as could happen to a real person if he breaks his back or burn himself while welding.The obvious downside to all of this is that it increases the unemployment rate. The company will have to bring in some very talented individuals who know how to operate the robots. Unlike regular factory workers, these intelligence workers usually demand a higher pay.We can learn from the first paragraph that _______.
| A．all the workers are replaced by robots now |
B．robots do much of the work instead of workers now |
C．there were no workers in the car factory |
D．the author’s uncle made robots in the factory |
According to the text robots _______.
| A．can do work as accurately as workers |
B．never break down |
C．can do exactly the same thing repeatedly |
D．ask for less money from companies |
The underlined word "downside" in the last paragraph probably means "_______".
| A．weakness | B．favor | C．assistance | D．strength |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _______.
A．companies refuse to pay for intelligence workers |
B．robots have helped all of the workers |
C．robots can help solve the problem of unemployment |
D．using robots in factories widely will have a long way to go |
What is the author’s attitude towards using robots in factories?
| A．He is doubtful about it. | B．He thinks it necessary. |
C．He is strongly against it. | D． The text doesn’t mention it. |
Have you dreamed of traveling to cool places, meeting different people, and maybe picking up a language or two? No matter which country you live in, you can fly over the world’s highest waterfalls in Venezuela, study in France or take dancing lessons in Ghana. Besides the excitement of traveling, there is another reason to study abroad. "Obviously, I learned the language and am now fluent, but perhaps what’s more important was how much I learned about cultures, people, and myself." said Andrew, who studied in France.Christina studied in Caracas, Venezuela, a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35,000! Christina said she learned how to better speak for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that?Living away from home can also help you become adapted to the transition (过渡) to college and adulthood. Matthew said that he returned from studying in Australia with confidence, and a real interest in international affairs. "After having gone abroad in high school, I found the transition to college was a breeze — moving 560 miles from home didn’t seem difficult at all after having lived thousands of miles away. "Speaking of college, improving your language skills might help you get into ideal colleges and even land future jobs. Colleges and employers know that studying abroad provides leadership skills in a world that needs much communication. Most of all, it’s fun! You won’t suffer from the general boredom (单调) while you’re studying in a different learning environment.What do we know about Andrew?
| A．He once flew over the world’s highest waterfalls. |
B．He took dancing lessons in Ghana. |
C．He learned about cultures in Caracas, Venezuela. |
D．He studied in France. |
According to Christina, studying abroad enables people to ________.
| A．get along with people around | B．have confidence in themselves |
C．get used to a different life | D．know about different cultures |
By saying "I found the transition to college was a breeze", the author means it is _______ to adapt to college life.
| A．interesting | B．difficult | C．easy | D．disappointing |
From the last paragraph, the greatest thing you can get by studying abroad is to _______.
| A．enjoy the excitement of traveling | B．pick up a new language |
C．enter the university you dreamed of | D．make your life full of pleasure |
What does the text mainly talk about?
| A．The advantages of studying abroad. | B．What to prepare to study abroad. |
C．The experiences of studying abroad. | D．Different opinions on studying abroad. |
Up, Up, and Away!
An adventurer who became the first person to fly across the English Channel on a cluster（簇）of balloons has launched a house into the sky just like in the hit movie Up-in reparation for a more ambitious journey and a new record
Fearless Trappe , from North Carolina, stepped into the cartoon themed home before flying above the leon International Balloon Festivel in Mexico more than a week ago.
The 38-year-old Trappe was using the event as a warm-up for his planned trans-Atlantic flight scheduled for next summer ,He aims to complete the 2,500-mile journey in a seven-foot lifeboat carried by 365 huge helium（氦气）ballooms
The brave man is learning to sail a lifeboat ,in case he meeds to ditch (在海中迫降)into the ocean during the danger-filled adventure
He sill fly at between 18,000 feet and 25,000 feet , beating his previous world altitude record of 21,600 feet ,and must fly uninterrupted a distance ten times longer than his previous world record of 230 miles in order to succeed.
The adventurer Trappe ,who holes records for crossing the Alps, flying the most cluster balloons, and the longest distance , has opent his entire carreer ,building up to this ambitious plan.
“I didn’t wake up one day and think：‘I’ going to fly across the Atlantic, ’”he said “he said Every attempt before this was prepared for this fight ,I’ve been training for a long time”The adventurer flew across the English Channel to
| A．test the balloons |
| B．launch a house |
| C．shoot a hit movie |
| D．prepare for breaking a record |
To finish the journey ,he will fly a distance of
| A．2500 miles | B．18,000 feet | C．25,000 feet | D．230 miles |
About the ambitious journey ,which is NIT mentioned in the passage?
| A．When he will fly | B．How high he sill fly |
| C．How far he will fly | D．How long it will take him |
How many world records does Jonathan hold?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
What does he last paragraph imply?
| A．Trappe can’t sleep worrying about the adventure |
| B．Trappe was born to set world records |
| C．Trappe always keeps his ambition in mind |
| D．Trappe never thought of crossing the Ataantic before |
A Swedish man aws dug out alive after being snowed in car on a forest track for rwo months with no food, police and local media reported on Saturday, The 45-year-old from southern Sweden was found on Friday , Fedruary 17, Too weak to say more than a rew wouds, He was found not far from the city of UImea in the north of Sweden by snowmobilers who thought they had come across a ruined car until they dug their way to a window and wawmovement inside.
The man ,who was lying in the back seat in a sleeping bag ,said he had been in the car since December 19.
“Just incredible that he’s alive considering that he had no food,but also since it’s been ,really cold for some time after Christmas,” a rescue team member told regional daily Vasterbottens - Kuriren ,which broke the news.
Ebbe Nyberg, duty officer at the Umea police , said police waw no reason to doubt that the man had been stuck in the car for a very long time,“We sould not make up something like this, The rescue services were on site too and saw the same as us”,he told Vasterbottens-Kuriren.
Umea University Hospital ,where the man is recovering after being rescued by police and a rescue team , said in a statement he was doing well considering the circumstances.
Doctors at the hospital said humans would normally be able to survive for about four weeks without food ,Besides eating snow , the man probably survived by going into a dormant-like（休息似的）state ,physician Stefan Branth told Vasterbottens-Knriren ,“He probably had a body temperature of around 31 degrees which the body adjusted to ,Due to the low temperature ,not much energy was used up”Who found the Swedish man in the snow?
| A．Snowmobilers | B．The police | C．A rescue team | D．Local people |
“Police saw no reason to doubt that the man had been stuck in the car for a very long time”implies that
| A．police didn’t think it true |
| B．police were sure of the fact |
| C．police had some doubt on the fact |
| D．police had reasons to doubt the fact |
The reason shy the man could survive was most probably that
| A．he was only forty –five –year old | B．he did not use any energy |
| C．he slept in the sleeping bag | D．he was in a dormant-like state |
Which is the correct order of the following evernts?
a、The Swedish man was stuck in the snow
b、He was went to Umea University Hospital
c、He was found by snowmobilers
d、He was recovering after treatment
e、He stayed in his car for nearly two months
f、He was dug out by people
| A．eackfb | B．aecfbd | C．afcebd | D．ecfadb |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Traffic Accident | B．A long Sleep in Winter |
| C．An Incredible Survival | D．A Successful Rescue |
There is only one winner and in this case it is Gina Rinehart who has won it all. In her own words, "beauty is an iron mine", Gina suggested her recipe for glory and fame. She has been announced as the richest woman of the world by BRW (formerly Business Review Weekly) in May 2012. Let's read more about her life and journey to the top.
Georgina "Gina" Hope Rinehart was born on 9th February, 1954 in Perth, Western Australia, to Hope Margaret Nicholas and Lang Hancock, the mining king. Her father discovered one of the world's biggest reserves in the early 1950s. Gina gained lots of knowledge of the iron-ore industry while working with her father. She married an Englishman Greg Milton, at the age of 19 and together they had two children, John Langley and Bianca Hope. Soon the marriage broke off and she remarried in 1983. Frank Rinehart and Gina had two children: Ginia and Hope. Frank died in 1990. Since then, Gina has devoted herself to her work and empire.
She was the sole heir (唯一继承人) of her family's wealth. Then after her father died in 1992, she started her professional career as the Executive Chairman of Hancock Prospecting Pty Limited (HPPL) and other privately owned group of companies. At that time, the company centered its functioning to mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases (租约). From there, Rinehart worked her way towards transforming the leases into profit earning mines. She also worked together with other companies to raise capital. Her efforts made the business increase three times in 2011 as much as before.
At home, Rinehart was working to expand the family business, but she did not satisfy herself with it. In 2010, she stepped into the media industry by acquiring 10% stake (股份) in Ten Network Holdings. Afterwards, she went on to hold stake in Fairfax Media, proving that mining is not her only interest. In June 2012, by increasing her stake in Fairfax to 18.67%, she became the largest stakeholder in the company. With this, she now stands at the head of $US 29.3 billion worth of an empire. Two new projects related to the mining sector in Central Queensland and Roy Hill are expected to begin in 2013.
Gina Rinehart has made her way from being Australia's Richest Woman to Australia's Richest Person and then to World's Richest Woman.According to Gina Rinehart, what makes her successful and famous?
| A．Her own beauty. | B．Her wealth. | C．Her family. | D．The iron-ore industry. |
What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
| A．Gina Rinehart’s business career. | B．Gina Rinehart’s education. |
| C．Gina Rinehart’s life and family. | D．Gina Rinehart’s two marriages. |
How old was Gina Rinehart when she succeeded her father?
| A．She was 58 yeas old. | B．She was 62 years old. |
| C．She was 38 years old. | D．She was 36 years old. |
After being the Executive Chairman, Gina Rinehart made several reforms EXCEPT ______.
| A．stepping into the media industry |
| B．transforming the leases into profit earning mines |
| C．working together with other companies to raise capital |
| D．focusing on mining-related explorations and accumulation of vast mining leases |
Which of the following can best describe Gina Rinehart?
| A．Poorly-educated. | B．Stubborn. | C．Hardworking. | D．Modest. |