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Humankind has tried to improve its standard of living since the very beginning of civilization. Back then, as well as today, providing food and security was the basic task for a person. However, nowadays the range of required goods has expanded significantly. People feel the need for not only some primary things, such as a piece of bread and a roof over their heads, but also for various facilities and luxuries. Providing humanity with these things is connected to the use of natural resources, which requires energy. In turn, the common sources of energy we use today cause pollution, so economic growth is almost unavoidably associated with environmental damage.
Economic growth is the increase in numbers of goods and services produced over time by an economy, and it is calculated in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Before growth is calculated, inflation (通货膨胀)is adjusted in order to take into account its misleading effect on the price of goods and services. Economic growth can also be explained as the increase in expected output, which results from an increase in actual output, or total demand.
There are certain aspects of economic growth which affect the environment. The first of these is the fact that in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the construction of large industrial plants is required. These plants produce a lot of waste, leading to the pollution of water and the atmosphere, which may cause negative long term health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people. They also lead to global warming.
Industrial manufacturing leads to the constantly increasing energy consumption. The traditional energy sources, which are commonly used nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters to the environment. There also exist so-called eco-friendly sources of energy. They are sometimes preferred but replacing the traditional sources with them also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertakings.
In order to produce economically practical energy, a sometimes significant transformation of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and, has harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would block airflows’ natural speed which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pressure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to remember that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.
For these reasons, bringing about economic growth without any resulting environmental damage, whatsoever, is impossible.
What does the passage mainly talk about?

A． Pollution caused by plant construction.

B． Effects of windmills on the environment.

C． Economic growth and human civilization.

D． Economic growth and environmental damage.

What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．Goods and products	B．The industrial plants
C．Water and atmosphere	D．Negative health effects

According to the passage, the author holds the opinion that ______.

A． economic growth should be calculated in terms of GDP

B． use of natural resources causes no damage to the environment

C． industrial manufacturing may cause damage to the environment

D． a windmill is a perfect way to produce economically practical energy

Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

Do you sleep well? Some people get off to sleep as soon as their head hits the pillow, but many others are not so lucky. In fact, the lack of quality sleep has become a public health issue around the world. According to me World Association of Sleep Medicine, 45 percent of the world's population suffer from sleep problems. One in eight people don't sleep well and are easily woken. 7.6 percent sleep less than 3 hours each night. Some even cannot fall asleep for several days in a row.
As a basic bodily and mental need, sleep is essential for our survival, it helps us to fight diseases, strengthen our memory, perform better in work and school and improve our quality of life. Lack of sleep is known to have a significant negative influence on health, both in the short and long term. Poor sleep has been associated with obesity, diabetes, weakened immune systems and even some cancers, as well as depression and anxiety.
The World Sleep Day, held on the third Friday of March, is an annual celebration of sleep to lighten the burden of sleep problems through better prevention and management of sleep disorders.
To achieve this goal, we must figure out what causes sleepiness and sleeplessness.
Unhealthy lifestyle may be the first to blame. More and more people use cell phones and computers in bed, with many staying up until midnight. Modern technology does make our life convenient, but abuse of it ruins our health. Environmental conditions, such as temperature, noise, light, bed comfort also play an important Pole in one's ability to get proper sleep. Besides, improper evening diet, like a full or an empty stomach, coffee and alcohol all contribute to sleep problems. Of course, when it comes to causing poor sleep, stress from finances, family or work should never be ignored．
However, those who suffer from sleep disorders don't necessarily have to continue to do so -most sleep problems can be managed．
What can be inferred from Paragraph 1?

A．Nobody can stay awake for several days

B．Most people are going through sleep problems

C．Sleep problems have become a worldwide concern．

D．The majority of the world's population can't sleep well．

Which of the following is not a direct cause of sleep problems?

A．Unhealthy lifestyle．	B．Modern technology．
C．Environmental conditions．	D．Work stress．

What will be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．The harm of sleep problems．

B．Activities on the World Sleep Day．

C．Interviews of poor sleep sufferers．

D．Measures against sleep problems．

Which best describes the author's attitude to sleep problem in the text?

A．Doubtful．

B．Disapproving．

C．Concerned．

D．Enthusiastic

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place．But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages.
GOOD NEWS
Free museums．No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities（文物）.
Pop music．Britain is the only country to compare with the US on this score.
Black cabs．London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never
enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food．Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion．Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
BAD NEWS
Poor service．“It’s part of the image of the place．People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport．Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the overcrowded London tube is inexplicably (难以理解的) popular.
Rain．Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning．So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels．The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours．Alcohol (酒) is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in “24-hour cities”.
What do tourists complain most?

A．Poor service．	B．Poor public transport.
C．Rain.	D．Overpriced hotels.

What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.

D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.

When are people not able to get alcohol?

A．At 12: 00 p.m.	B．At 10: 00 p.m.
C．At 11: 00 p.m.	D．At 9: 00 p.m.

Which of the following is True according to the passage?

A．You have to pay to visit the museums

B．It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there.

C．You cannot find Chinese food there

D．The public transport is poor there.

For years I wanted a flower garden．But then we had Matthew．And Marvin．And the twins, Alisa and Alan．And then Helen．Five children．I was too busy raising them to grow a garden．
Money was tight, as well as time．Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I' d have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you now．”
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own．
One spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen．Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by．I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard．I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches．Then I put my glasses on－and I couldn't believe what I saw．
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look．It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree．Think of' all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: ‘‘IOU eight hours of digging time．Love, Marvin．"
Marvin kept his promise, too．He dug up a nice ten－by－fifteen foot bed for me And my other children bought me tools, ornaments , a trellis（格架）, a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books．
That was three years ago．My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted．When I go out and tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did．I feel like they're right there with me．
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees．But I know love does!
Why did the mother say "Money doesn't grow on trees"?.

A．She wanted them not to spend extra money

B．She was too sad to say anything else

C．She told them a truth on money

D．she just played a joke with them

What do we know about the mother according to the text?．

A．She is a bad-tempered woman

B．She believes money can grow on a tree now

C．She is a writer

D．She is hard-working in housekeeping

What can be inferred from the text?．

A．The author raised five children

B．The money tree was a Mother Day's gift

C．It cost Marvin eight hours to dug up the bed

D．Children planted a weeping willow in the yard

Which of the following would be the best title for the text? ___．

A．My Money Tree	B．The Garden of My Children
C．Mother's Love	D．Marvin's Promise

Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone as a typewriter. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.”
The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S, Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿者), I had no hope at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer.
After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering. What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.
The writer wrote the passage to ________.

A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience

B．advise young people to give up their ideas of becoming a professional writer

C．show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to dream of wealth and fame

D．encourage young people to gain a writing career

What can be concluded from the passage?

A．Real writers often find their works interesting and rewarding.

B．A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort.

C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and loneliness.

D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small.

The underlined part “people who die wondering. What if?” refers to “those _______.”

A．who think too much of the dark side of life

B．who regret giving up their careers halfway

C．who think a lot without making a decision

D．who are full of imaginations even upon death

What is the best title of the passage?

A．how to be a writer	B．how to earn fame
C．how to write well	D．how to keep dreaming