On April 24th, another natural disaster—the oil spill(泄露) in the Gulf of Mexico, happened. Millions of dollars have been used to help stop the spill and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．
But governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run.
Of all of today’s environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．
However, we should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power（太阳能）, electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research, in the past, was stopped by the oil, gas, and coal．
If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient（高效的）,we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．Oil spills pollution． | B．What oil pollution is． |
| C．Oil tanker accidents. | D．How to reduce oil pollution. |
How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe?
| A．By giving a description． | B．By making an argument． |
| C．By giving an example． | D．By drawing a diagram(图表)． |
What does the underlined word "risk" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．Transportation depending more on oil． |
| B．Poisonous oil breaking down naturally． |
| C．Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea． |
| D．More environmental damage being caused． |
Which suggestion is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?
| A．We should build safer tankers in the near future． |
| B．We should develop new technologies to cut oil use． |
| C．Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines． |
| D．Countries should build more oil pipelines under the sea． |
Where can you read this article?
| A．In a story book． |
| B．In a science magazine． |
| C．In a novel. |
| D．In a brochure． |
The common cold is the world's most widespread illness， which is plagues（病疫） that flesh receives. The most widespread fallacy（谬误） of all is that colds caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact，directly or indirectly， with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds， it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes. During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches（战壕）， cold and wet，showed no increased tendency to catch colds. In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp（奥斯维辛集中营），naked and starving，were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England， volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths，they put on bathing suits， allowed themselves to be with cold water，and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose. If，then， cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds， why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research， no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times， and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on. No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors（止痛片） such as aspirin， but all they do is relieve the symptoms。Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage？
| A．The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time. |
| B．Colds are not caused by cold. |
| C．People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors. |
| D．A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one. |
Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.
| A．they are working in the isolated arctic regions |
| B．they are writing reports in terribly cold weather |
| C．they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions |
| D．they are coming into touch again with the outside world |
Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _______.
| A．suffered a lot |
| B．never caught colds |
| C．often caught colds |
| D．became very strong |
The passage mainly discusses _______.
| A．the experiments on the common cold |
| B．the fallacy about the common cold |
| C．the reason and the way people catch colds |
| D．the continued spread of common colds |
Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand which topics are suitable and which are considered taboos(禁忌) in a particular culture. Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. They expect questions about their family and are sure to show pictures of their children. You may feel free to ask similar questions of your Latin American friends. The French think of conversation as an art form, and they enjoy the value of lively discussions as well as disagreements. For them, arguments can be interesting — and they can cover pretty much or any topic — as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent manner.
In the United States, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies, and politics. In Japan, China, and Korea, however, people are much more private. They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious business relationship they’re trying to build. Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters. It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children.
As a general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion with your business friends. This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views. In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable. Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, although be careful not to criticize a national spor
t. Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team.The author considers politics and religion ________.
| A．cheerful topics | B．taboos |
| C．rude topics | D．topics that can never be talked about |
Which is typically a friendly topic in most places according to the author?
| A．Sports. | B．Children. |
| C．Personal feelings. | D．Families. |
Why are people from Asia more private in th
eir conversation with others?
| A．They don’t want to talk with others much. |
| B．They don’t want to have their good relationship with others harmed by informal conversation. |
| C．They are afraid to argue with their colleagues. |
| D．They want to keep their feelings to themselves. |
What shouldn’t you do when talking about sports with colleagues from another country?
| A．Praising your own country’s sports. |
| B．Criticizing your own country’s sports. |
| C．Praising the sports of your colleagues’ country. |
| D．Criticizing the sports of your colleagues’ country. |
It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible．Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel．It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter altogether.
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too．It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving．On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting．A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and calm so necessary in modern traffic condition．But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough．Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.
However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous．Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may be not able to stop in time．The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to．It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies.
An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings．Unfortunately, modern drivers can’t even learn to drive．Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users．It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.According to the passage, troubles on the road are often caused by .
| A．road conditions |
| B．the speed of modern life |
| C．the behavior of the drivers |
D．the large number of cars  |
In the writer’s opinion, .
| A．drivers should avoid traffic jams |
| B．strict traffic rules are badly needed |
| C．unskillful drivers should be punished |
| D．drivers should show road politeness properly |
The underlined word “give-and-take” in the passage means .
| A．politeness and impoliteness |
| B．good manners and bad manners |
| C．offering help to others as much as possible |
| D．willingness to give in to each other’s wishes |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Road Politeness |
| B．Traffic Problems |
| C．Bad Manners on the Road |
| D．Good Drivers and Bad Drivers |
Nobody Benefits
NEW YORK—America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history．Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings．
But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel．
Brown is homeless — one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street．
During the day, Brown collects aluminium cans and sells them for five cents a piece．At night, he sleeps on the street．
"I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker．
Brown admits he's had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine．But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement．He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available．
However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York．
With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand．
A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 percent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month．
One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up．
The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help．
But few housing companies have been built for the poor．Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more．
Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her．She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house．
Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he'd like to see more often．
"All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said．What kind of life does George Brown lead?
| A．Homeless and dangerous． |
| B．Homeless and childish． |
| C．Homeless and miserable （痛苦的）． |
| D．Homeless and sleepless． |
From George Brown's life we can find that ______.
| A．old Americans lead a hard life |
| B．old Americans want to live alone |
| C．American cities are crowded with poor people |
| D．bad habits play a role in some poor people's Life |
It can be inferred from this passage that ______.
| A．America is short of housing companies |
| B．the poor can't benefit from the increasing economy |
| C．poor people in America will become rich |
| D．housing companies will build more houses for the poor |
If this passage comes from a paper, on which page would it be?
| A．Society． | B．Science． | C．Economy． | D．Business． |
8:30 PM
Outlook
Outlook is back with a new series of reports to keep you up date with all that’s new in the world of entertainment．Stories go all the way from the technical to the romantic, from stage to screen．There will be reports of the stars of the moment, the stars of the future and the stars of the past．The director with his new film, the designer with the latest fashion, and the musician with the popular song are part of the new Outlook．The program is introduced by Fran Levine.
9:00 PM
Discovery
When a 10-year-old boy gets a first class degreein mathematics or an 8-year-old plays chess like a future grand master, they are considered as geniuses．Where does the quality of genius come from? Is it all in the genes or can any child be turned into a genius? And if parents do have a child who might become a genius in the future, what should they do? In this 30-minute film, Barry Johnson, the professor at School of Medicine, New York University, will help you discover the answer.
10:00 PM
Science / Health
Is it possible to beat high blood pressure without drugs? The answer is “yes”, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other medical centers．After a study of 800 persons with high blood pressure, they found that after 6 months, those devoted to weight loss-exercise and eating a low-salt, low-fat food lost about 13 pounds and became fitter．Plus, 35% of them dropped into the normal category （范畴）．This week, Dr．Alan Duckworth will tell you how these people reduce their blood pressure to a level similar to what’s achieved with Hypertension drugs.The main purpose of writing these three texts is ______.
| A．to invite people to see films |
| B．to invite people to topic discussions |
| C．to attract more students to attend lectures |
| D．to attract more people to watch TV programs |
From Outlook, you can get a great deal of information about ______.
| A．story tellers | B．famous stars |
| C．film companies | D．music fans |
Who will be most probably interested in Discovery?
| A．Parents who want to send their children to a school of medicine. |
| B．Children who are good at mathematics. |
| C．Parents who want their child to become another Albert Einstein. |
| D．Children who are interested in playing chess． |
According to the third text, which of the following has almost the same effect as Hypertension drug?
| A．Exercise plus a healthy diet. |
| B．Loss of thirteen pounds in weight. |
| C．Six months of exercise without drugs. |
| D．Low-salt and low-fat food. |