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 dog sheltered a newborn baby abandoned by its 14-year-old mother in a field in rural Argentina until the boy was rescued, a doctor said on August 22 (Friday).
A resident of a rural area outside La Plata called police late Wednesday night to say that he had heard the baby crying in a field behind his house.
The man went outside and found the infant lying beside the dog and its six newborn puppies, Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires, told CNN.
The temperature was a chilly（寒冷的） 37 degrees, Salcedo said.
The dog had apparently carried the baby some 50 meters from where his mother had abandoned him to where the puppies were huddled, police said.
“She took it like a puppy and rescued it,” Salcedo said. “The doctors told us if she hadn’t done this, he would have died.”
“The dog is a hero to us.”
Dr. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero Hospital in La Plata, told CNN that police showed up at the hospital at 11:30 pm Wednesday with the baby who doctors say was only a few hours old.
Though the infant had superficial scratches (抓痕) and bruises (伤痕) and was bleeding from his mouth, he was in good shape, Melia said.
The next morning, the child’s mother was driven by a neighbor to the hospital and told authorities the 8-pound, 13-ounce infant is hers, Melia said.
The teenager was immediately give psychological treatment and was hospitalized, he said. She has said little about the incident.
The child has been transferred to a children’s hospital in La Plata, 37 miles from Buenos Aires.What does the underlined word “sheltered” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．protected | B．fed | C．watched | D．gave |
According to the passage , which statement is true?
| A．It’s hard for the infant to recover soon. |
| B．The puppies were running here and there all the time |
| C．The temperature was very high at that time. |
D．But for the mother do g , the infant would have died. |
How was the baby when he was found?
| A．He was seriously ill. | B．He was dying. |
| C．He was in good shape. | D．He lost a lot of blood. |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A．A baby was rescued by a dog. |
| B．A baby was abandoned by its parents. |
| C．How an abandoned baby was saved by doctors. |
| D．Dogs are heroes to human beings. |
London ［2009-4-01］—In the first
meeting between Chinese President
Hu Jintao and US President Barack
Obama prior to the Group of 20 
summit in London, the two leaders pledged that both countries will be working together to help the world resist the financial crisis.
China and the US have agreed to prioritize（使……更重要; 优化） t
he two countries’ relations by establishing the new strategic economic dialogue.
The two teams will be headed by Vice Premier Wang Qishan and State Councilor Dai Bingguo from the Chinese side and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner from the US side.
President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama made the announcement to the press before they went into the official meeting, their first, at Winfield House, residence of the US ambassador to the UK.
Although it is thei
r first meeting, they have kept a close contact, which Obama said will “set the stage” for both countries “to tackle the challenges in the years to come. ”
Both presidents highlighted the importance of China-US relations, especially during the current economic crisis.
Obama said he hoped their meeting will be constructive and open not only about the whole state of the world economy during the current crisis, but to the efforts to improve peace and security for both countries and the world.
Hu said all the positive results the two countries have achieved have not come easily, adding that he hoped to develop good working relationship and personal friendship with Obama.
Sino-US relations are of fundamental interests not only to both countries, but to peace, stability and prosperity to Asia and the world. What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Hu, Obama set up new economic dialogue. |
| B．Sino-US relations will be improved. |
| C．China and the US are working together to resist economic crisis. |
| D．China and the US have achieved positive results. |
How do China’ s and US’ s presidents think they should deal with their relations?
| A．By trusting and helping each other. |
| B．By sharing their common interests. |
| C．By establishing the new strategic economic dialogue. |
| D．By establishing new economic policy. |
What is Winfield House?
| A．The US ambassador to the UK. |
| B．Residence of UK ambassador to the US. |
| C．The living place of US ambassador to the UK. |
| D．The residence of British Queen. |
All of the following are mentioned EXCEPT____.
| A．The two presidents agreed to work together to resist the financial crisis |
| B．The two presidents announced to the press before the official meeting |
| C．Both countries will make efforts to improve peace and security |
| D．Sino-US relations are of fundamental interests only to both countries |
Interview with a president
While many teenagers may dream of meeting with pop star Jay Chou or NBA hero Yao Ming, Li Jing had a far more powerful person on her mind. The Senior 2 from Beijing No.35 High School dreamt of meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After more than a year of hard work and with a little good luck,Li fulfilled her dream.On October 11,2004,the 16-year-old girl joined a team of Chinese journalists who went to Kremlin,in Moscow,to interview Putin.
Li felt nervous before talking to Putin. “But his greeting and warm smile put me at ease,” she said.
Li admired Putin very much,because of his strong will and style of leadership. “He looks very cool,” Li said.During her interview,Li asked Putin whether he plans to educate his two daughters to be officials in the future.Putin smiled and answered he hopes they can do whatever job suits their interests and personalities.
Although li would only have several minutes,she started working on her interview questions last August after applying for the opportunity. “Journalists” work is by no means easy.You need to do lots of homework on your “interviewee,”she said.She read many books about Putin and Russia in her spare time.
Li’s parents encouraged her to be a student journalist. “We fully supported her,as long as it does not affects her studies,” said her father.Previously in her job for a student magazine, Chinese Young Journalists, she wrote a letter to President Hu Jintao during the SARS epidemic.
Li has learnt a lot from her experience.She said learning to manage her time and develop the confidence to speak with important people were not things she could learn in class.The underlined word “interviewee”in the fifth paragragh probably means_____.
| A．the person who interviews |
| B．the person who is interviewed |
| C．the person who knows how to interview |
| D．the person who plans to interview a famous people |
Which of the following best descibes Li Jing’s parents’attitude towards her being a student journalist?
| A．They think to be a student journalist is purely a waste of time. |
| B．they worry that to be a student journalist will affect her study. |
| C．They consider it is quite good for Li Jing on the condition of not striking her study. |
| D．They neither support it nor object to it. |
Li Jing is different from those students of her age in that______.
| A．she doesn’t like pop star Jay Chou |
| B．she hates meeting with the NBA hero Yao Ming |
| C．she wants to meet neither Jay Chou or Yao Ming |
| D．she dreams of meeting the present powerful Russian leader |
A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives.It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society.I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First,employers should take the responsibility to the individual.This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement.This does not seem very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years.This means the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly.This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions.Furthermore,some institutions should be created for senior citizens,which can help provide a comfortable life for them.Unfortunately,as the president situation in our country shows,this is nota truly viable answer.The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly,particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young.
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages.Therefore,it is reasonable to expect that some combination of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.What is the passage mainly talk about?
| A．The problems faced by the old in society. |
| B．Why we should take reponsibility for the old. |
| C．How we can improve the lives of the old. |
| D．Where the old can go to get their pensins. |
According to the passage,how can the government help to improve the lives of retired people?
| A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire. |
| B．Increase savings levels of people during their working years. |
| C．Increase the discounts for food and transport for the old. |
| D．Make available pensions for those who have retired. |
The underlined word “viable” most probably means____.
| A．impossible | B．practical | C．useful | D．successful |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue of money. |
| B．Empoyers should allow their workers to retire at a later age. |
| C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people. |
| D．There is no single solution to the problems of the old. |
Self-esteem(自尊心)is all about how much we feel valued,accepted and thought well of by others---and how much we value,love and accept ourselves.Poeple with healthy self-esteem are able to feel good about themselves,appreciate their own worth,and take pride in their abilities,skills,and accomplishments with others,feel happier,find it easier to deal with low self-esteem may feel as if no one will like them or accept them or that they can’t do well in anything.
Here are some steps that may help improve your self-esteem:
Try to stop Try to thinking about negative thoughts about yourself.If you’re used to focusing on your shortcomings,start thinking about positive aspects of yourself that outwheigh them .Each day,write down three things about yourself that make you happy.it is good to aim high,but your goals should be within reach.That’s why you should set pratical goals and never expect the impossible.Mistakes are part of learning,so view mistakes as learning opportunities.Accept that you will make mistakes because everyone does.Also, you should recognize what you can change and what you can’t.if you realize that you’re unhappy with something about yourself that you can change, then start today.If it’s something you can’t change(like your height),then start to work toward loving yourself the way you are.Feeling like you’re making a difffference and that your help is valued can do wonders to improve self-esteem.So don’t hesitate to make a contribution.Help a classmate who’s having trouble,help clean up your campus,or volunteer your time in some other way.
Self-esteem plays a role in almost everything you do.It’s never to be late to build healthy positive self-esteem.It takes some work,but healthy self-esteem is an asset you’ll have for life.What does the author mainly want to tell us in this passage?
| A．Self-esteem plays an important role in life. |
| B．What self-esteem means |
| C．How people can improve their self-esteem. |
| D．What people with healthy self-esteem are like. |
The underlined word “them” in paragagh 3 refers to_____.
| A．negative thoughts | B．your shortcomings |
| C．positive aspects | D．your goals |
According to the passage,which of the following can help you improve your self-esteem?
| A．Setting high goals. |
| B．Never forgiving yourself for your mistakes. |
| C．Changing all the things that make you upset. |
| D．Lending a hand to a classmate in trouble. |
How many ways to improve your self self-esteem are given in this passage?
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |