A Low-Carbon Economy (LCE) or Low-Fossil-Fuel Economy (LFFE) is an economy which has a smallest output of greenhouse gas (GHG) release into the atmosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas CO2. Recently, most of scientific and public opinion has come to the conclusion that there is such an accumulation of GHG (especially CO2) in the atmosphere due to human-related activities that the climate is changing. The over-concentration of these gases is producing global warming that affects long-term climate, with negative impacts on humanity in the foreseeable future. Globally performed LCEs therefore, are proposed as a means to avoid catastrophic climate change, and as a forerunner to the more advanced, zero-carbon society and renewable-energy economy.
Some nations are low-carbon societies which are not heavily industrialized or populated. In order to avoid climate change at any point in the future, all nations considered carbon-thick societies and societies which are heavily populated, should become zero-carbon societies and economies. Several of these countries have promised to become ‘low carbon’ but not entirely zero carbon, and claim that release will be cut by 100% by offsetting release rather than stopping all release. In other words, some release will continue which will be offset, so they are not low-release.
Nations seek to become low-carbon economies as part of a national global warming reduction strategy. A comprehensive strategy to manage global warming is carbon neutrality, geoengineering and adaptation to global warming.
Nuclear power, or, the proposed strategies of carbon collection and storage (CCS) have been proposed as the primary means to achieve a LCE while continuing to exploit non-renewable resources; there is concern, however, with the matter of spent-nuclear-fuel storage, security and the uncertainty of costs and time needed to successfully carry out CCS worldwide and with guarantees that the stored release will not leak into the atmosphere. Alternatively, many have proposed renewable energy should be the main basis of a LCE, but, they have their associated problems of high-cost and inefficiency; this is changing, however, since investment and production have been growing significantly in recent times. Furthermore, regardless of the effect to the atmosphere by GHG releases, the growing issue of peak oil may also be reason enough for a change to a LCE.
63. Low-carbon economy is encouraged for the following reasons except that ______.
A. too much greenhouse gas CO2 is released
B. the over-concentration of greenhouse gases is producing global warming
C. it can avoid catastrophic climate change
D. low carbon and zero carbon nations and societies claim for it
64. The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means ______.
A. warning B. pioneer C. symbol D. guide
65. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Nuclear power could act as one of the primary means to achieve a LCE.
B. There’s worry about spent-nuclear-fuel storage, security and the uncertainty of costs.
C. The stored release will be likely to leak into the atmosphere.
D. Renewable energy tends to become the only means to achieve a LCE.
66. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the writer’s attitude toward the proposal of adapting renewable energy is ______.
A. negative B. positive C. self-confident D. doubtful
Have you got any wonderful plans for your coming winter vacation? Here are some wonderful films for you to kill time.
Away We Go
Verona De Tessant (Maya Rudolph) and Burt Farlander (John Krasinski) are in their early thirties and struggling to meet daily needs and build fulfilling lives as an artist and a salesman.
When they learn they will soon become parents, they are faced with the challenge of how and where to raise a child and build a happy family. With a baby on his way, the young couple, look at their lives and are puzzled about what they really want.
Another Happy Day
Lynn was married to Pual, but they broke up and Lynn took their daughter Alice while Paul got their son Dylan.
Years later, now Dylan is getting married, and Lynn is attending the wedding, with her younger son Elliot and Ben. Elliot is a drug addict and Ben keeps everything to himself. Dylan hasn’t spoken to Lynn in years, and Lynn is fearful of Pual and his wife Patty. At last, all this has put Lynn in a depressed situation, and she’s not sure just how she’s going to get through the day.
La Vita e bella
Also named as Life is Beautiful, the film is a black comedy and also a best medicine that heals the scar left by war. This movie has some kind of characteristics as natural and active. On the 7th Oscar Award Ceremony , the movie won three great awards.
It is not a sad movie from the very beginning , but when the father uses a great way to hide his murder from his son, all people are impressed by this moving deed. Under the protection of the father, the son has lived a happy life.
The Shawshank Redemption
The film is an American film directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The film tells the story of Andy, a banker who spends nearly two decades in Shawshank State Prison for the murder of his wife and his wife’s lover despite his claims of innocence. There he makes friends with Red. Andy manages to escape from the prison by digging a tunnel with the rock hammer over the years. When Red is later released , he remembers Andy’s advice. He then visits the place Andy mentions before he escapes. There, he finds money and a note left by Andy, telling him to get to Zihuatanejo.This passage aims to _______________
A.make comments on films for a cinema |
B.recommend several films for fun |
C.introduce films for a film corporation |
D.advertise several films for a website |
Which film might best help a newly married couple to figure out their new roles in future life?
A.La Vita e bella | B.Another Happy Day |
C.Away We Go | D.The Shawshank Redemption. |
What is the ending of The Shawshank Redemption?
A.Andy killed his wife and his wife’s lover. |
B.Andy became famous for helping Red. |
C.Red felt cheated by Andy in a way. |
D.Red and Andy got reunited happily. |
While there has been public debate about whether running is good for your health for a long time, experts agree that running has more benefits than the costs. Some people are concerned that the pressure on your knees and ankles can be detrimental. While this can be true, there are many things that you can do to reduce your risk of injury.
You should always go to a doctor for advice before you begin any type of exercise program. Then, a good pair of running shoes can be helpful as your feet hit the ground. They will help protect your ankles by providing stability to your feet. So it is good idea to visit a specialty(专业) running shoe store. The staff there can suggest shoes which are ideal for your running style.
In order to learn the proper form, you may get some advice from a friend who has been running for some time, or even join a running club. They can provide good tips as well as some support and encouragement for you.
Lastly, it is important to start out slowly. When it comes to getting in shape and losing weight , short bursts of speed followed by periods of slower movement would be proper. Aim for around 30 minutes of exercise a few days a week. As you get better, you can increase your speed. Always allow your body to rest in between heavy exercise as your muscles need time to bring energy back.
Follow these instructions and your running experience will be a great one!In the expert’s opinion,______________________.
A.running is good for your health as well as your mind. |
B.you should buy running shoes in an expensive store. |
C.running has more advantages than disadvantages for you. |
D.you should go to the doctor if you have a running injury |
The underlines word “ detrimental” in Paragraph 1 probably means___
A.harmful | B.useful | C.expensive | D.rare |
If you take up running, you should___________________
A.worry about the pressure on your knees and ankles |
B.ask the shopkeeper for a pair of running shoes |
C.take advice from friends whom you will start running with |
D.join a running club so that you can get encouragement |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.More and more people have become interested in running. |
B.Good running methods can reduce the risk of injury. |
C.It’s better to run as far as possible to lose weight. |
D.The instructions in the passage are given by a famous doctor. |
EVERYBODY in this world is different from one another. But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money?
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on. Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.
Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances. This is part of our value system and it has a great impact on the way we look after our money.
According to our different values, experts put us in three categories. They are: the ant, the cricket and the snail.
The ant—works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment. They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire. The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk.
The cricket—fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future. They even borrow money when they really want something. Many young people now belong to this group. These people have little savings. When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance.
The snail—lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves. They take big long-term loans from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it. This can cause problems in the future. They should plan more carefully.We can learn from the text that _____.
A.we spend money because we have earned it |
B.saving money is a good way to manage money |
C.your way of managing money is a reflection of your value or belief |
D.spending money is a wiser way |
Of the three types of people, the one that has no weakness is _____.
A.the ant | B.the snail | C.none of them | D. the cricket |
If you had three dollars, you would spend all of it. Which type do you belong to?
A.The cricket | B.The ant | C.The snail | D.None of them |
The text tells us mainly about _____.
A.understanding differences |
B.our own values and beliefs |
C.living behaviors of small animal |
D.spending nature |
Those who spend more pre-bedtime hours using the Internet or watching television are more likely to report insufficient sleep, even though they sleep almost as long as people spending fewer pre-bedtime hours in front of a computer or television screen, survey findings show.
“While many people use electronic media, say, the Internet, it should be noted that the longer media use before sleep can trigger (self-perceived) insufficient sleep,” lead researcher Dr Nakamori Suganuma, of Osaka University, Japan, told the reporter.
He and colleagues obtained data on self-perceived sleep problems and the use of electronic media prior to bedtime from 5,875 altogether Japanese respondents in two separate Internet-based surveys. Their findings are published in Sleep and Biological Rhythms.
Nearly half of the respondents associated their problem with electronic media use before bedtime. Longer electronic media users were also more likely to report insufficient sleep.
“Overall, 29% of light users (less than 1.5 hours) listed electronic media use as a possible cause of their insufficient sleep. By comparison, 40% of medium users (1.5 to 3 hours) and 54% of heavy users (more than 3 hours) said the same.
However, longer Internet and television use before bedtime did not correlate with less actual sleep.
While heavy users averaged about 3 more hours in front of computer or television screens than light users, the heavy users averaged only about 12 minutes less pre-workday sleep time than light users.
Notably, Suganuma said, "Internet use affected self-perceived insufficient sleep more than TV watching not only in younger Internet users but also in middle-aged or aged Internet users."
Up to 38% of the respondents listed accessing the Internet far into the night as a possible cause for their sleep disturbance, while about 25% said watching television far into the night caused it.
The findings suggest that while heavy computer and television use before bedtime has a small effect on sleep duration, it may have a more significant effect on "sleep demand and sleep quality," Suganuma notes. Heavy computer and television user before bed time are more likely to be______ than light ones.
A.energetic | B.happy | C.sleepy | D.clever |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Heavy computer and television user before bed time have less sleeping time than light ones. |
B.Heavy computer and television user before bed time have worse sleep than light ones. |
C.Those suffering insufficient sleep spend less time in using internet than in watching TV. |
D.Spend less time in watching TV or surfing the internet, and you will have a better sleep. |
The passage seems to suggest that people ______.
A.be far away from media. |
B.watch TV rather than use internet |
C.cut down late-night Internet and TV |
D.Stop late-night internet and TV |
Which of the following phrases is similar in meaning to the underlined phrase in the sixth paragraph?
A.have any connection with | B.make a friend with |
C.share the opinion with | D.in accordance with |
What is an idiom? An idiom is a group of words which, when used together, has a different meaning from the one which the individual words have. For example, “---How do you know that Sid and Nancy have separated ?” “---I heard it on the grapevine(葡萄藤)”.
Of course, the second speaker does not mean he heard the news about John by putting his ear to a grapevine! He is conveying the idea visually of information spreading around a widespread network, similar to a grapevine. We use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. We often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make our point as effectively as possible. For example, "in a nutshell" suggests the idea of having all the information contained within very few words. Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written English.
One of the best ways to learn an idiom is by looking at the context in which it is used. This can be done by concentrating on the rest of the sentence and try to guess the meaning. Many idioms are not that difficult to understand when considered in their context. For example: We are going to have a surprise party for Tom tomorrow. It's a secret so please don't let the cat out of the bag.
'Let the cat out of the bag' is an idiom. Imagine you don't know what this idiom means; by looking at the words preceding, it should be easy to guess that the speaker does not want you to tell Tom about the surprise party. Therefore, 'let the cat out of the bag' must mean something like' reveal a secret' or 'tell a secret'.Which of the following sentences is NOT similar to “I heard it on the grapevine. ” in figures of speech(在修辞方面)?
A.The exam was a piece of cake. |
B.You will be paid under the table. |
C.You eat with that mouth? |
D.It rained cats and dogs yesterday. |
“I was feeling under the weather so I went to see a doctor.” The underlined idiom means____.
A.blue | B.homesick | C.unhappy | D.ill |
It is most probable that idioms will be seen______.
A.in a paper | B.in an preface(序言) | C.in a notice | D.in online chatting |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Other words can express something as vividly as idioms. |
B.Written English with spoken English does not use idioms at all. |
C.There are plant, food, animal idioms used to express something. |
D.Contexts play not a bit important part in guessing the meaning of idioms. |