A gadget (器具) which makes water out of air could become the greatest household invention since the microwave.
Using the same technology as a dehumidifier (除湿器), the Water Mill is able to create a ready supply of drinking water because it can always get it from an unlimited source—the air.
The company behind the machine says not only does it offer an alternative to bottled water in developed countries, but it is a solution for the millions who face a daily water shortage.
The machine works by drawing in wet air through a filter (过滤器) and over a cooling instrument which changes it into water drops. It can produce up to 12 liters a day. The Water Mill will also produce more water when storms pass over, as the amount of water which is contained in the air increases. In keeping with its eco-development, the machine uses the same amount of electricity as three lights.
Inventor Jonathan Ritchey said: “The demand for water is off the chart. So people are looking for freedom from water distribution systems that are shaky and unreliable.”
The machine, which is about 3 feet wide, is likely to cost ￡800 when it goes on sale here in the spring. Its maker, Canadian Firm Element Four, roughly (粗略地) calculates that a litre of water cost around 20p to produce.
Environmentalists state that half the world’s population will face water shortage because of climate change by 2080. One in five is said to lack access to safe drinking.
The Water Mill is not effective in areas where the amount of water contained in the air is below about 30 percent, but in Britain that won’t be much of a problem.
49. What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
A. Drinking water. B. Invention. C. Microwave. D. Water Mill.
50. What do we learn about the machine?
A. It works in the same way as microwaves.
B. It is very expensive for families to afford.
C. It absorbs steam and turns it into water.
D. It helps to make the water clean to drink.
51. What does the passage lead us to believe?
A. The cost of water will go up. B. Bottled water will disappear sooner.
C. The machine is energy saving. D. The machine will be popular worldwide.
52. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. A New Way to Solve Water Problem. B. A Machine to Make Water out of Air.
C. A Dehumidifier to Produce Water. D. An Absolutely New Invention
A well-known manufacturer of weighing machines produced a new model.
The machine had a computer inside it, and this computer could do wonderful things: it could weigh people very accurately; it could tell them their weight in their own language; and it could tell them what they should eat to reduce their weight.
The manufacturer decided to try out his machine before he sold it to the shops.
He looked around for a good place to put it and finally decided on an airport. There were always people at an airport from many different countries.
The first person to use the machine was an Italian woman. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.
The machine took only a second or two to weigh her, decide on her nationality and the language she spoke, and figure out what kind of food she should eat.
“Good morning, madam,” it said in perfect Italian. “Your weight is 72 kilos, three more than it should be for a woman of your height, age and nationality. This is because you have been eating too much spaghetti. I suggest you eat more fruit and vegetables. Please have a nice day”.
The second person to use the machine was a Chinese girl. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.
“Good morning, Miss," the machine said in perfect Chinese. "Your weight is 38 kilos, exactly the correct weight for your height, age and nationality. Continue to eat what you are eating. Please have a nice day.”
The third person to use the machine was a huge Australian woman. She walked up to the machine and looked at it for a long time. At last she found the courage to stand on the machine and put a coin in. The machine spoke immediately.“Good morning. Will one of you ladies please get off?” What could the computer do?
| A．Weigh and talk to people. | B．Translate information. |
| C．Give them diet pills. | D．Make them lose weight. |
What did the machine say to the Italian woman?
| A．She was a little too light. | B．She was a little too heavy. |
| C．She disliked spaghetti. | D．She couldn’t speak Italian. |
What did the machine say to the Chinese woman?
| A．She should eat more. | B．She could speak Chinese. |
| C．She would have a nice day. | D．She was fine. |
What did the machine suggest about the Australian woman?
| A．She was unwell. | B．She was courageous. |
| C．She was too heavy. | D．She had dieted well. |
Whenever the sun dropped and the blue sky came up, my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house. Walking together, my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences. He always told me, “You should have goals like climbing the mountain.” Without the mountain-climbing that we both enjoyed . We couldn’t have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy. I really got a lot from mountain-climbing. It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience (耐力).
Once we climbed a very high mountain. It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old. During the first few hours of climbing . I enjoyed the flowers and trees, and the birds’ singing, but as time passed, I got a pain in both of my legs. I wanted to quit climbing. In fact, I hated it at that mountain, but my father said to me, “You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain, but you can’t see it before you reach the top. Only there at the top, can you see all of the nice things, just like in life.”
At that time, I was too young to understand his words. But later after that, I got knew hope and confidence. I found myself standing at the top of the sky, which was as clear as crystal (水晶). The passage tells us that mountain-climbing was _____for Father and Son.
| A．hard | B．enjoyable | C．painful | D．comfortable |
The word “quit” in the passage means “______”.
| A．carry on | B．put off | C．give up | D．pick up |
Which of the following is the closest (最接近的) in meaning to the father’s words in the second paragraph?
| A．You will get all you need at the top of the mountain. |
| B．The sky is always as clear as crystal. |
| C．You can find life is full of nice things. |
| D．Never give up half-way. |
We can infer (推断) from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．the writer was very successful in his life. |
| B．the writer reached the top of the mountain. |
| C．thought the writer was young, he could understand his father. |
| D．the writer used to stop half-way when he climbed the mountain. |
The best title (题目) for the passage is “______”.
| A．Reaching the Top of the Mountain | B．Standing at the Top of the Mountain |
| C．Conversations between Father and Son | D．How to Get to the Top of the Mountain |
Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is small. The population of Australia is nearly as large as that of Shanghai.
Enough laws have been made to fight against pollution. The cities in Australia have got little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.
Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers' exhibition (展览).There we saw a large number of wild flowers we had never seen before. We had a wonderful time. Perth is famous for its beautiful wild flowers. In spring every year Perth has the wild flowers' exhibition. After visiting Perth, we spent a day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of a hill. It was quiet and we enjoyed ourselves.
Suddenly we heard bells ringing at the top of the hill. What we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could. There were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path.
Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos. After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep, sheep, everywhere are sheep.Australia is
| A．the largest country in the world | B．larger than China |
| C．as large as Shanghai | D．not so large as China |
Enough laws have been made to__
| A．increase the population | B．grow more plants |
| C．fight against pollution | D．show wild flowers |
Perth is_
| A．the capital of Australia | B．in the west of Australia |
| C．in the east of Australia | D．the biggest city in Australia |
In Perth you may visit a wild flowers' exhibition in
| A．October | B．January | C．May | D．July |
Which of the following sentences is TRUE?
| A．All the big cities in Australia are seriously polluted. |
| B．Australia .is famous for its sheep, kangaroos and large population. |
| C．We ran back to the car because we were in the middle of the white sheep.. |
| D．If you go to the countryside in Australia, you will see a large number of White sheep. |
Years ago, many zoos kept all kinds of animals in small cages(笼子). Small cages made it easy for people to see the animals, but a small cage is not a good place for an animal to live in.
Today zoos keep animals in different kinds of cages. The cages are very big and open. They usually have plants and a little lake. The cages look like the animals' habitats
Zoos help to protect all kinds of animals. They protect animals in the zoo and they protect animals in the wild. How do they do this? Zoos teach people how animals live in the wild. Zoos want people to help protect the animals' wild habitats.
Many plants and animals are going extinct. Mammoths, which are related (有关联的) with Asia elephants, are now extinct. There are no mammoths in the world today, Scientists say that seventy- four different kinds of living things go extinct every day!
Zoos are working together to stop animals from going extinct. Zoos kept animals in small cages so that people can
| A．protect them | B．see them better | C．feed them | D．save them |
Today, zoos keep animals
| A．in bigger cages | B．in the wild | C．in smaller cages | D．in the field |
To protect animals, zoos
| A．are trying to keep all kinds of animals | B．are trying to free the animals |
| C．teach people more about animals | D．want people to feed the animals |
A mammoth is a kind of__ that has gone extinct.
| A．plant | B．bird | C．animal | D．tree |
An animal or a plant that is going extinct __
| A．no longer exists(存在) in the world | B．comes into this world soon |
| C．becomes very dangerous | D．has fewer and fewer living members |
Along the rivet banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken，eats green 1eaves has the stomach of a cow and has claws(爪)on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river，an important feature(特征)for the safety of the young．It is called the hoatzin．
In appearance，the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside．The head is small，with a large set of feathers on the top，bright
eyes, and blue skin．Its nearest relatives are the common birds cuckoos．Its most striking feature，though，is only found in the young．
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the 1eading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip．Using these four claws, together with the beak(喙)，they can climb about in the bushes,
looking very much like primitive birds must have done．When the young hoatzins have 1earned to fly，they lose their claws．
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds，but in April，when the rainy season begins，they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons． |
| B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins． |
| C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon． |
| D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins． |
Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that——
| A．they look like young cuckoos |
| B．they have claws on the wings |
| C．they eat a lot like a cow |
| D．they live on rivet banks |
What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
| A．They had claws to help them climb． |
| B．They could fly long distances． |
| C．They had four wings like hoatzins． |
| D．They had a head with long feathers on the top |
Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
| A．To find more food． |
| B．To protect themselves better |
| C．To keep themselves warm． |
| D．To produce their young． |