Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary materials are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.
44. What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?
A. Using too much packaging. B. Recycling too many wastes.
C. Making more products than necessary. D. Having more material than is needed.
45. The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
A. the tendency of cutting household waste B. the increase of packaging recycling
C. the rapid growth of super markets D. the fact of packaging overuse
46. According to the text, recycling ______.
A. helps control the greenhouse effect
B. means burning packaging for energy
C. is the solution to gas shortage
D. leads to a waste of land
47. What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Fighting wastefulness is difficult.
B. Needless material is mostly recycled.
C. People like collecting recyclable waste.
D. The author is proud of their consumer culture.
●What prevents depression：tea，coffee or hot chocolate?
Women who drink for or more cups of coffee a day are a fifth less likely to become depressed．Drinking two or three cups reduces the risk by 15 percent. This is the result of a study of 51,000 women over ten years, published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association.
One theory is that caffeine reduces the effect of the chemical adenosine(腺苷) in the brain, which can make us feel sleepy by slowing down nerve cell activity. Some anti-depressants also work by blocking the adenosine receptors. Coffee was found to be far more influential on depression levels than hot chocolate or tea due to the high caffeine content.
●How many eggs can we healthily eat: one a day or two a day?
Neither-eat them freely. We’ve long been warned to stick to two or three eggs a week because of their high cholesterol(胆固醇)content. But according to the Food Standards Agency, there is no recommended limit to how many eggs we can healthily eat, unless you have been told to cut down by your doctor.
There is no evidence that eating eggs raises cholesterol levels, and researchers found that eggs contain less cholesterol than in the past because hens are no longer given bone meal, which was banned in the 1990s after the BSE(疯牛病) cresis.
Research by the British Egg Council found that a medium egg gives you around 100 mg of cholesterol, a third of the 300mg recommended daily limit.What is considered to fight depression best?
| A．Tea． | B．Chocolate． | C．Adenosine． | D．Coffee． |
We can infer from the text that．
| A．too much caffeine will probably make people sleepy |
| B．coffee contains less caffeine than tea or hot chocolate |
| C．one is depressed if his brain chemical adenosine is active |
| D．tea and hot chocolate have no effect on men’s depression |
What can we learn about eggs from the text?
| A．We should stick to two or three eggs a week in general． |
| B．Eat as many eggs as you like unless your doctor advises you not to． |
| C．Eggs contain more cholesterol at present than ever before． |
| D．One egg daily and you’ll get more cholesterol than recommended． |
Most people watching Jeremy Lin these past two months saw Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks star; but I, watching him, saw someone else. That was my elder brother, Bob, who is athletic and energetic. He could never sit still when he was in second grade; he had to get up every now and then and run around the room. And sure enough, he grew up to be a starting player for an N.C.A.A. championship lacrosse（长曲棍球）team. He was a Nike-endorsed marathoner, too, and reached the top of Mt. Everest, unguided, in his 50s.
And yet my family never watched his lacrosse games. We did watch some of his marathons, but that wasn’t until he was in his 20s. When Bob was in his glory days, our Shanghainese-born parents were bent on getting him into medical school. There was a loving aspect to it: I can remember my father working through math books with him, lesson by lesson, at the big blackboard in the attic. Bob never did become a doctor, though; and neither did I. It wasn’t until my younger sister came along that someone in the family finally wore a white coat.
Bob today could be the fittest 58-year-old on the planet. His doctor estimates his biological age at 35; he’s still climbing big mountains in the Himalayas. And, like Jeremy Lin, he’s charming. No one sees Bob without leaving with a laugh. He sometimes jokes he could be mayor of his building, and it’s true. To know him is to cheer for him.
And yet my parents did not cheer for him. What if my mother had sat on the sidelines with her statistics, like Jeremy Lin’s mother? What if my father had played videos of athletes for my brother to watch and imitate? It’s hard not to wonder.
And how did Jeremy Lin’s parents manage to do these remarkable things? Amy Chua, the tiger mother, recalls her immigrant father beating the kids whenever they mispronounced a Chinese word. How is it that Jeremy Lin’s immigrant father in particular, Gie-Ming Lin, encouraged his son to follow such an untraditional path? Bob’s glory days were those ________.
| A．when he was doing well in math |
| B．when he was in second grade |
| C．when he was made mayor of his building |
| D．when he showed his talents in sports |
From the passage we can tell that Bob is ____________.
| A．active and optimistic |
| B．clever and determined |
| C．brave and helpful |
| D．considerate and independent |
Which of the following statements is probably TRUE?
| A．Bob was always ignored by his parents |
| B．Bob could also have been a sport star. |
| C．Bob’s parents often watched his games. |
| D．Nobody in the author’s family was a doctor. |
From the last two paragraphs we can infer that ___________.
| A．parents should always study together with their children |
| B．parents should know how to educate their children properly |
| C．children should be punished when they do anything wrong |
| D．children should try to live up to the hopes of their parents |
Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in reading throughout the world.
But have you ever considered why you are a fan of the Harry Potter series?
JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children.
The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places. Anything could happen there. Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction.
The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories. At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives.
Much of the appeal also comes from the characters. In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts. Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background. And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard. We see him as both Hero and Victim. He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him.
This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans. People are fond of Harry Potter series. With books like these, it’s hard not to be.Harry Potter series become popular partly because____________.
| A．they remind us of the childhood and environment we had in the past |
| B．they take us to a world beyond our imagination and expectation |
| C．they offer us ever-lasting nature of the stories |
| D．they set an example of hero for us to follow |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A．The supporting characters are not necessary in the story. |
| B．Readers care only about Harry but not those supporting characters. |
| C．Even the supporting characters are attractive in the story. |
| D．Those supporting characters only appear all of a sudden. |
The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain____________.
| A．prejudice and love | B．good and evil |
| C．death and sacrifice | D．safety and peace |
People care for Harry Potter because ____________.
| A．they think of classic literature when reading the story |
| B．they find different experiences from theirs on Harry |
| C．they share the experiences with Harry |
| D．they like JK Rowling’s description very much |
Close your eyes and imagine you are living in the next two centuries or more. You’ll be living in a world filled with smart robots, which will be helping you to take care of your children, or your elderly parents in your home. You’ll live much longer thanks to the medicine made by genetic (基因的) science. And mankind may be going farther in space than ever before ––you will be living on the moon or Mars.
How should we view the changes that wait for us in the future? Should we be optimistic about the years ahead, or worried about what the future holds? Some scientists and experts are having a discussion about how technology, science and society will develop in the future.
“I’m looking forward to the day when more technology will come to my life,” says John Searle, a professor at the University of California Berkeley Philosophy, “because I think further research in such areas as genetics, physics, chemistry and medicine will help us to overcome poverty, improve health, and make life longer.”
Hugh Herr, at MIT’s Biomechatronics Group, considers very powerful weapons as concern over the future. Another is the growing role of technology in our lives.“Machines taking over what humans do is not a good thing,” Herr says.
That is a similar concern shared by Daniela Cerqui, a social and cultural scientist. “I am afraid that the long-term future we are building will have no space left for human beings,” says Cerqui. “The main values of our society are related to information that must progress as quickly as possible, and computers are much better than humans in these tasks .”The first paragraph mainly tells us ________.
| A．how science will develop in the next two centuries |
| B．how people will live in a modern society |
| C．what life would be like in the future |
| D．what computers will bring to our society |
What is John Searle’s attitude towards the future of technology?
| A．Worried. | B．Optimistic. | C．Uncertain. | D．Disappointed. |
The underlined word “That” in the last paragraph refers to______.
| A．the poverty problem in the future |
| B．machines taking over what humans do |
| C．the technology of weapons |
| D．the health problem of humans |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The future––full of hope or concern? |
| B．Great changes will take place in the future |
| C．The relationship between technology and humans |
| D．The role of robots and computers in the future |
Chinese girl looking for language exchanger
Posted Feb 10, 2012 16:25by Sophia
Tag: Seeking Language partners Guangzhou Sex: Female Race/Ethnicity: Chinese
I am a Chinese girl in my 20’s, can speak and write in English, but I’d like to make some improvement. People always look for making it better, right?
Meanwhile, I also like to meet more friends if we really have some topics to share.
And if you are in Guangzhou or visit here, I am more than willing to show you around in my spare time.
Reply to happycora@hotmail.com or call 15015704625
Tianhe nice apartment for share
Posted Feb 24, 2012 16:47 by Vivian
Tag: Seeking roommates Guangzhou Tianhe District Up to 2000 RMB
I have a room available for rent in a shared apartment in Central Tianhe district.
The room has a big window with a nice view. The apartment itself is on the 22th floor of a new secure building on Tianhe Bei Lu, about 10 minutes walk from metro stations(地铁站) on lines 1 and 3, as well as buses and other transportation methods very close.
If you are interested, please feel free to phone me (Vivian) on 13145751201 (message preferred), or email me on vivian_liu2003@hotmail.com.
Business Interpreter/Guide
Posted Feb 26, 2012 08:46 by Sony
Tag: Business Services GuangzhouBaiyun District
Dear Foreign Friends, I am a professional interpreter, now looking for a Freelance interpreter job urgently. Please read my CV at below：
Name: Sony Song Gender: Male Age: 22 years old
Education: Studied English in Da Shan Foreign Language College
Birth: 9th Oct 1987, Luohe city, Henan province, China.
Ability: Speak fluent English, know Guangzhou city very well, can also guide you to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shunde, Macao, Hongkong, etc.
Contact Detail: E-mail/MSN: sonysong4@hotmail.com; cell phone: 15112015812
Looking for flat
Posted Mar 11, 2012 14:03 by Lucy
Tag: Apartments wanted Guangzhou
Hello,
This is Lucy coming from Peru and looking for a short term flat, from 15th April until 30th April 2012. If somebody can give some information, send me pictures, price and address.
Email: lucitamaron@hotmail.com; cell phone: 13800013900
Thanks a lot in advance! If foreigner wants to learn some Chinese and make friends; he / she can call _________.
| A．15015704625 | B．13800013900 | C．13145751201 | D．15112015812 |
To share a department where the traffic is quite convenient, you may send text message to ______ .
| A．Sophia | B．Lucy | C．Vivian | D．Sony |
What do the four advisers have in common?
| A．All of them speak both Chinese and English. |
| B．All of them are in their twenties. |
| C．All of them are Guangzhou citizens. |
| D．All of them are hotmail users. |
The information above can be probably found_________.
| A．in a magazine | B．in a newspaper |
| C．at a website | D．in a guidebook |