The United States has about 475,000 school buses -- all painted yellow. Each day they carry more than 25,000,000 children, half of all schoolchildren in the country. But these buses, on average, use four liters of diesel (柴油) fuel to travel less than sixteen kilometers. When the school year began last fall, diesel averaged 55 cents a liter nationally. The price nearly doubled, to a dollar and 8 cents, by the end of school in June.
Bob Riley speaks for the American School Bus Council. He says fuel prices for schools arc not much lower than others have to pay. As a result, schools are looking for ways to reduce transportation costs. Bus routes are being redrawn or, in some cases, canceled. Some areas are buying buses that use natural gas or other alternative fuels. Other steps include fewer field trips and less travel by sports teams. And some school districts may end any bus service not required by law.
Studies show that school buses are the safest form of transportation to and from school. The American School Bus Council says cuts in bus service are bad for children and possibly the environment. It says removing buses from the road will mean an increase in other vehicles transporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley says another concern is that reducing bus services might reduce attendance.
But it could also get more children to walk or bicycle to school. And that would surely make people happy at the National Center for Safe Routes to School. More kids walking or biking safely to school is the aim of a three-year-old federal program, part of an international movement. The goal is to increase physical activity and reduce air pollution. The United States will celebrate Walk to School Day on October eighth this year. But for some students, high fuel prices could make every day a walk-to-school day.
68. What does this passage mainly tell us?
A. High fuel prices' influences on school buses. B. New measures to transport school students.
C. The safest form of student transportation. D. The origin of Walk to School Day.
69. Which of the following information is implied in the first paragraph?
A. There are too many school buses in the United States.
B. There are too many students in the US.
C. Diesel prices are going up too rapidly in the US.
D. School buses consume too much diesel in the US.
70. In order to cut down transportation cost, many schools take the following measures EXCEI _____.
A. changing some bus routes B. stopping some bus routes
C. asking parents to drive children to school D. using other types of fuels
71. The National Center for Safe Routes to School encourages more children to walk or bike to school in order to ________.
A. save more fuels and diesel for the country.
B. keep the children safe on their way to school
C. make the children live a simple life
D. keep the children healthy and the environment clean
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8：30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It's the least I could do. Please, I insist.” Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applicants waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer's office with disappointed looks on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed？” Jimmy's heart sank.“With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview ？” he thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy's surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.
“ Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right dicision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into this office. I just know you'd be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations！” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of welldeserved coffee as he landed himself a new job. Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?
| A．He was out of work. |
| B．He was bored with his job. |
| C．He wanted a higher position |
| D．He hoped to find a better boss |
What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
| A．A friend's car had a flat tyre. |
| B．A wild man was pushing a car. |
| C．A terrible car accident happened. |
| D．An old man's car broke down. |
Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
| A．He was also to be interviewed. |
| B．He needed a travelling companion. |
| C．He always helped people in need. |
| D．He was thankful to Jimmy. |
How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer's question?
| A．He was sorry for the other applicants. |
| B．There was no hope for him to get the job. |
| C．He regretted helping the old man. |
| D．The interviewer was very rude. |
What can we learn from Jimmy's experience?
| A．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Good is rewarded with good. |
| D．Two heads are better than one. |
Tail Spin
Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin, Grace, shows off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she's even swimming at all. She doesn't have a tail.
Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “ Is she going to make it？” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it—but her tail didn't. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.
Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way—like a fish! She pushes herself forward through the water by moving her peduncle from side to side.
The movements put harmful pressure on Grace's backbone. So a company offered to create a manmade tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn't hurt her.
The first time Grace wore the artificial tail, she soon shook it off and let it sink to the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The new tail isn't necessary for her to feel comfortable，” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion (动作) and build muscles (肌肉)．”
Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focuses on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her manmade tail gives people so much courage.When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her ________.
| A．physical build |
| B．potential ability |
| C．chance of survival |
| D．adaptation to the surroundings |
A manmade tail is created for Grace to ________.
| A．let her recover faster |
| B．make her comfortable |
| C．adjust her way of swimming |
| D．help her perform better tricks |
The story of Grace inspires people to ________.
| A．stick to their dreams |
| B．treat animals friendly |
| C．treasure what they have |
| D．face difficulties bravely |
We can make all the jokes we want about taking baths ourselves, but if we are ill in bed and can't get up, we'll be thankful to the nurses who help us get clean. While I am not a nurse, and have never given anyone a bath, I would imagine that it would take a lot of sympathy (同情) and patience to do so.
Yet those who attended the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems last month were introduced to Cody, a robot that can bathe human beings.
The robot has a base that can be turned to all directions, two humanlike arms, and movable wrists (腕). It uses a camera to locate parts of the human body. It then uses bath gloves to clean with a little pressure.
The robot was designed at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Charles Kemp of the Healthcare Robotics Lab is the senior researcher for the project. In a test run, Cody was able to remove 96% of a test subject's dirt—not bad for a robot.
But don't go asking for Cody yet—he's still a model. Yet researchers believe that one day Cody may take the place of nurses for this task. Researchers say that Cody will give patients dignity and protect their personal information. I suppose that would depend on the patient. I'm not sure whether a robot using a camera would make me feel very dignified.
Even so, I can appreciate the need. We don't have enough nurses to go around, and those places that are the most shorthanded, for example, nursing homes, are those that have the most patients who are unable to bathe themselves. Still, before I get there, I hope they think of a better way to solve the problem.The writer thinks bathing others must ________.
| A．be a lot of fun |
| B．make you feel thankful |
| C．take a lot of patience |
| D．make you feel dignified |
What is the third paragraph mainly about?
| A．Why and where Cody was designed. |
| B．What Cody looks like and who designed it. |
| C．What Cody can do and where it will work soon. |
| D．How Cody works and what has made that possible. |
We know from the fourth and fifth paragraphs that ________.
| A．Cody can bathe patients better than a real nurse can |
| B．robots like Cody are being produced in large numbers right now |
| C．Cody can take the place of nurses completely in hospitals |
| D．researchers think Cody can protect patients' personal information |
There is a need for Cody because ________.
| A．people are becoming lazier |
| B．it can bring down the cost of nursing |
| C．there are not enough nurses |
| D．there are too many nursing homes |
In the writer's opinion, Cody is ________.
| A．acceptable but not perfect |
| B．strange but not creative |
| C．clever and strong |
| D．lovely and careful |
Every school has an ugly girl. In my primary school, it was me.
From first grade through fourth, I had to wear heavy orthopedic(整形外科的)shoes because of my weak ankles. I sounded like overweight elephant wearing bricks whenever I took a single step.
“Hey, Bigfoot！”
“Geez, you're going to start an earthquake！”
Then in sixth grade I had to start wearing glasses. Mom asked for the least expensive ones and that made me look like a fool.
“Four eyes！”
“Couldn't you cover up more of your faces? Why stop at the eyes？”
In Seventh, I started competing on the city swim team, thinking that if I got a killer body, nobody would notice my face. Wrong again. I loved being fast and winning ribbons now and then, but now I had red, wet eyes from the chlorine(氯) in the pool. I also did not develop a killer body.
I changed my strategy at Eighth grade, the last year of middle school. I offered my help to anyone who needs. I worked for other girls, so they could hang out with their friends. My new program began to work. People who would never have acknowledged my existence before were suddenly seeking me out.
I'd been feeling pretty good until one day I went to Christine's house to help her fill envelopes. Going into each envelope was invitation to Christine's birthday party; it was a big event at a fancy hotel. Complete with dinner. She asked me to help her address these envelopes. There was no envelope for me.
My heart was broken. I tried to escape from all the eyes. High school had to be better, right? Yes and no. Now that I'm here, I know there are still lots of shallow people judging you on what you're wearing or how cool your hair is, but there are also kids who talk to you because they liked your answers or just as you're kind, honest, and a good friend.
I still do kind things because I like the feeling I get when I am helping people. I, with my friends, went to children's hospital, playing games and reading to the sick kids.
I still had wet red and not a smart look, but you cannot tell me I am not beautiful. Every time I visit hospital, fiveyearold Terry grasps my hand, “Morri, you are so nice. I want to grow up to be just like you.”Why was Morri laughed at by her classmates when she was in primary school?
| A．She had weak ankles and eyesight. |
| B．Her glasses couldn't cover up her face. |
| C．She couldn't get along well with them. |
| D．She looked like an overweight elephant. |
Which of the following is the real reason for Morri competing on the city swim team?
| A．To win more ribbons. |
| B．To shift others' attention from her face. |
| C．To develop a killer body. |
| D．To have red wet eyes. |
From what Morri experienced in the last year of middle school, we can learn that ________.
| A．her classmates thought highly of her |
| B．she was popular among her classmates |
| C．she was often cheated by her classmates |
| D．her classmates just took advantage of her |
The passage is intended to encourage people to ________.
| A．address as many as invitation envelopes as possible |
| B．take more sport activities including swimming |
| C．take others' comments into careful consideration |
| D．take positive attitude towards disadvantages in life |
As we know, the earth's climate has changed over time.The present rate of climate change depends, in large part, on human activities.Today, people all over the world are making everyday choices that help the environment.Small actions matter.In other words, climate change is your business.
A woman in Nicaragua buys fluorescent (荧光的) light bulbs that are 80 percent more energysaving than traditional ones. Many governments are now subsidizing energysaving lights to encourage people to turn to them.Consumers are discovering that the newgeneration bulbs help them save money in the long run.
Agriculture accounts for about 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (排放) , and transporting the food around adds to the environmental cost.There is a team of young vegetable growers in the United Kingdom who want to encourage kids to start planting their own fruit and vegetables.
A young lawyer wearing business clothes rides her bicycle to work in a large U．S.city.She's been biking to work every day for the past two years and says it's a lot easier than many people think.A recent study shows that more Americans bike or walk to work today than before.
A university student from southeastern China carries a reusable shopping bag to cut back on disposable (一次性的) plastics.Some large shopkeepers have removed paper and plastic bags, and consumers are responding.
In Canberra, Australia, summers are hot and winters cold.To save electricity, Adam Wilson in Canberra uses an energysaving heating system, and he keeps the temperature lower than he did in years past.He still makes it through the summer without air conditioning.The passage mainly tells us that________.
| A．climate change is concerned with everyone |
| B．the global warming is getting worse |
| C．saving energy is of great necessity |
| D．human is to destroy the environment |
The underlined word “subsidizing” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”．
| A．charging | B．producing |
| C．giving allowance to | D．taking advantage of |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The governments don't expect consumers to use the newgeneration bulbs. |
| B．Agriculture should be responsible for part of the global gas emissions. |
| C．Many people in Nicaragua go to work on foot or by bike. |
| D．University students from China always carry disposable shopping bags. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that________.
| A．the climate in Canberra is mild all the year round |
| B．an energysaving heating system will come into use |
| C．Adam Wilson has a good habit of saving energy |
| D．Adam Wilson is skilled in inventing the energysaving equipment |