Many do-it-yourself homeowners are interested in 
trying out solar power to leam about the technology and
perhaps to provide energy for limited-use applications．
There are a variety of ways to find cheap solar panels
（板）, including buying used and building your own
with factory seconds．Both methods will save money
while forcing you to learn the ins-and-outs of a solar
power array （阵列）．
We've all seen solar-powered street signs or PV
panels being used for various purposes at remote locations．
When those units become cracked or chipped and are considered "unsafe", companies are forced to replace them, generally to avoid responsibility issues．Because it's difficult to get rid of PV panels, many companies, if approached, are willing to give them away or to sell them for modest prices．Depending on the degree of damage present, expect to see performance degradation （降级） in the range of 10% to 60%．A multimeter （万用表） can be used to test the panel before buying．If the panel's free, take it anyway．It could still be useful in a home solar project．
A solar panel is really nothing but a box serving as a container for a large group of solar cells．Factory second solar cells are usually sold on eBay at a small part of their regular cost．The cells come in a variety of sizes．You will need to figure out how much power a single cell produces to determine how many will need to be wired together to form an array．
A simple search of the Internet will show numerous sites detailing home solar panel projects．Do-it-yourself lovers are generally quite generous in supply photographs of their work and description of what went wrong and right with the project．
Getting cheap solar panels with slight imperfections, either used or through sales of factory seconds, is a perfect solution for home-built renewable energy projects．The high number of solar lovers online provide a wealth of useful information．Only limited skills are required, plus an understanding of the basic wiring involved．All are well within the talents of almost any home handyman．Beyond the satisfaction of having completed the project, you'll come away with a functional solar panel that will be a source of power for use around the house or at remote locations．
Solar energy systems are quickly becoming more popular with homeowners as prices continue to decline．
72．The author writes the passage to introduce ____．
A．ways of finding cheap solar panels B．ways of saving energy
C．a way of making a solar panel D．a home-built energy system
73．What does the phrase "factory seconds" in the passage refer to?
A．Second-hand factory products． B．Cheap but perfect factory products
C．Faulty factory solar cells． D．The second best factory solar cells
74．From Paragraph 5, we can learn about home-built energy projects that ____．
A．none of them are beyond home handymen
B．a lot of useful information is available on the Internet
C．a perfect solution is to get cheap and perfect solar panels
D．understanding electrical wiring is not necessarily needed
75．What is the author's attitude towards the future of solar energy systems?
A．Optimistic． B．Pessimistic. C．Indifferent． D．Doubtful
阅读（共两节，15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
第一节：阅读理解。阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
A
This is a true story from Guyana. One day, a boy took a piece of paper from a box. He made a paper ball and pushed it into his nose. He couldn’t get it out. He ran crying to his mother. His mother couldn’t get the paper out, either. A week later, the paper was still in the boy’s nose. His nose began to have a bad smell.
So his mother took the boy to a hospital. The doctor looked up at the child’s nose, but she couldn’t get the paper out. She said she had to cut the boy’s nose to get the paper out.
The boy’s mother came home looking sad. She didn’t want her child to have his nose cut. The next day she took the boy to her friend Sidney who lived in a house with an old lady called May. May wanted to see the child, so the child let her look up his nose.
“Yes, I can see it,” May said. “It will be out soon.”
As she spoke, she shook some black pepper on the child’s nose. The child gave a mighty sneeze and the paper flew out. His mother was surprised. May told his mother to take the boy to the seaside for a swim, for the salt water would go up his nose and stop the bad smell.
So the lucky boy didn’t have to go to the hospital to have his nose cut.
41. After the boy pushed a paper ball into his nose, ____.
A. he took it out B. his mother took it out
C. he did nothing but cry D. he tried to take it out but failed
42. The paper ball stayed in the boy’s nose for ____.
A. at most seven days B. less than seven days
C. more than seven days D. exactly seven days
43. According to the story, _____ was most worried about the boy’s accident.
A. the boy’s mother B. Sidney C. May D. the doctor
44. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The doctor helped to take the paper ball out of the boy’s nose.
B. May succeeded in taking the paper out.
C. The boy’s mother found some black pepper to solve the problem.
D. The boy had to have his nose cut at last.
45. The boy should be taken to the seaside for a swim because ____.
A. he needed to learn to swim
B. the sea water would stop the bad smell of his nose.
C. the sea water would wash out the paper ball.
D. he needed a rest
E
Dear Sir/Madam,
I read Alison Burnham’s review of When We were 12, and I do not agree with her. I thought the programme was wonderful — I found the old news pictures really interesting — they helped to bring to life the stories the people were telling.
The programme reminds me of many things from my own childhood. For example, one day when I was about five, I was going to school on the bus by myself (this was the late 1960s). My mother had given me exactly the right money for a return ticket. I held out my hand with the money in it — one big coin on top of one little coin. The bus conductor took the big top coin only and she gave me a ticket, but it was a pink one for a single journey. I needed a white one for a return journey, but I was too frightened to say anything. When school finished for the day, I couldn’t catch the bus home — I had to walk. As a grown-up, whenever I’ve been in a situation where I need to say something or take some action, this early memory of my bus ride comes back to me, and I’m able to take control of the situation.
I would like to say to the director, Bret Chrysler, carry on making this kind of programme. Too much TV these days is quiz shows and so-called “reality programmes”. I appreciate the human story that can make me laugh and cry.
Chris Daniels
72. What is Chris Daniels’ purpose of writing this letter?
A. To persuade Bret Chrysler to turn away from quiz shows.
B. To entertain other readers with old news pictures.
C. To express his appreciation of the programme.
D. To have his story told on the programme.
73. Chris Daniels tells the story about the bus ticket to_____.
A. describe how painful his early experience was
B. draw a direct response from Alison Burnham
C. show how the programme made him think
D. teach the readers of TV Weekly a lesson
74. According to the passage, Chris Daniels had to walk home because_____.
A. he hadn’t got a return ticketB. he had lost his bus ticket
C. he didn’t like big crowds D. he missed the bus home
75. What does Chris Daniels now think about his experience on the bus?
A. He should have told the conductor then. B. He should have been well treated.
C. He regrets going to school alone. D. He wishes it hadn’t happened.
D
One day in early March of 1993, Pauline and Tom Nichter and their 11-year-old son Jason, were shopping for a toy in Buena Park, California. Suddenly, Pauline saw a wallet lying on the floor. When she looked inside, she found $200. The family, homeless and without work, knew that could change their lives. But they took the wallet to the nearby police station and turned it in. The wallet was found to have some other pockets, and more money in — over $2000! The police called the man who lost the wallet to pick it up. The man thanked the Nichters and shook their hands, but did not reward them. Luckily for the family, a TV news reporter filmed the story. People from all over the world heard the story and sent them letters, money and even jobs. A businessman even let them live in his house for free for six months. So far, the family has received over $1, 000, 000. Now the Nichters’ future is bright.
68. The best title of the reading would be________.
A. Money Is Everything B. From Have-nots to Haves
C. A Kind Businessman D. A Lost Wallet and the Police
69. Who found out the “major part of the money” in the wallet?
A. The police.B. Jason.
C. Someone else in the shop. D. The man who lost the wallet.
70. The words “reward them” in the reading means “_______”.
A. speak highly of the Nichters B. give something to the Nichters
C. pay the policemenD. meet the news reporters
71. Which of the following is true about the Nichters?
A. They got lots of money from a reporter.
B. They made friends with the loser of the money.
C. They worked for a business for half a year.
D. They became known to many people.
C
A man from Sri Lanka on Friday broke the Guinness world record for the longest time spent watching TV. He finished with 69 hours and 48 minutes.
Suresh Joachim did his TV viewing in the lobby (门厅) of WABC-TV as part of the “Guinness World Record Breaker Week ” on the TV talk show “Live With Regis and Kelly”.
After passing the previous record of 50 hours and 7 minutes Thursday, Joachim continued until about 7 am Friday.
Sitting on a brown leather couch, he watched nothing but ABC shows.
“I’m going to be a little tired of watching TV after this,” Joachim told reporters by phone during a brief break.
Rules of Guinness for the couch potato honor, allow for a five-minute break every hour and a 15-minute break every eight hours. The viewer must be constantly looking at the screen.
The hardest part, Joachim said on Live With Regis and Kelly, was “I couldn’t watch the people” — the many waving passers-by on the street outside the ABC studio.
Joachim, who lives in Toronto but comes from Sri Lanka, now holds more than 16 Guinness records, including the longest duration (持续) balancing on one foot (76 hours, 40 minutes) and bowling for 100 hours. He does it, he says, to raise awareness of suffering children.
64. Which paragraph shows the main idea of the passage?
A. The first paragraph. B. The last paragraph.
C. The second paragraph. D. The sixth paragraph.
65. How long had Joachim spent when the new “couch potato” record was made?
A. Half a week. B. Less than two days.
C. 76 hours, 40 minutes. D. Nearly three days.
66. Which of the following phrases can replace the underlined word “constantly”?
A. All the time. B. At times. C. Some time. D. Once upon a time.
67. What’s the biggest pity for Joachim when he did his TV viewing?
A. That Joachim could eat nothing.
B. That Joachim couldn’t watch the people outside.
C. That Joachim felt very tired.
D. That Joachim didn’t have any time for a break.
B
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
| Captain Goodfellow Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Goodfellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday at 17:00, FREE. |
Walking Tour of the Town Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of the City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes! |
| Film at the Museum Two European films will be shown on Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The Workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898. |
| Do You Want to Hear “The Zoo” “The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US concert tomorrow at 20:00 at Rose Hall, City College. |
61. You can send your children to Captain Goodfellow to learn dances _______.
A. at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday B. at 9:30 on Saturday morning
C. on Saturday afternoon D. every day except Saturday if you pay
62. If you are going on the Walking Tour, don’t forget _______.
A. your worries B. your beautiful walk
C. the local history D. your pleasant shoes
63. “The Zoo” is ______.
A. a park with lots of animalsB. a famous concert
C. a musical band D. the first group to US