TheengineerCamilloOlivettiwas4-优题课

An Earthship is a home that is built of materials such as old tires and aluminum cans. It is the idea of a man named Michael Reynolds. Many Earthships are more or less self-sufficient because they provide their own heat, air and water. They often have gardens watered and fed by waste water. They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.
The main material used in building Earthships is tires. Tires are plentiful and can't be recycled like paper, plastic, and metal. While building supplies for most houses can be very expensive, old used tires are free.
First, the tires are packed tightly with dirt. Each full tire weighs as much as 400 pounds. The tires are then stacked like bricks. The walls are extremely strong. They also help keep an even temperature in the house (between 60 and 70 degrees) without heating and cooling systems.
The walls inside the Earthship are made of aluminum cans that are held together by cement. Then they are coated with adobe or stucco.
The roofs of Earthships are sloped so that rain and snow run into large tanks. These tanks hold all the water for the house, and pumps push the water through the pipes. Sometimes, water flows in certain areas of the house as waterfalls! Water that has been used is pumped out into the gardens where owners grow much of their own food.
In most of these houses, the southern side has huge windows that take in winter sunlight as a source of heat. Summer sun does not come in through the south windows, so it doesn't get too hot in the summer. The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water and cooking. The Earthships have all the comforts of a regular house without the high cost of electric bills!
In a time when we are running out of energy resources, pollution is bad, and waste is piling up, Earthships are the best places to live in. For people who truly care about the environment, Earthships provide a great alternative to traditional houses. You won't be giving up any comforts, and the styles are attractive. We all hope that more and more people will build Earthships and take a huge step toward helping the environment and saving our planet.
What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Earthships are a good way to live and protect the environment.

B．Tanks hold water collected from rain and snow.

C．It's important to grow your own food in a vegetable garden.

D．People who live in Earthships usually live in the desert.

Which of the following is NOT explained in the passage?

A．How an Earthship is built.

B．What an Earthship is mainly made of.

C．Why the Earthship is so called.

D．How an Earthship is heated in winter.

Which evidence best supports the idea that Earthships are environmentally friendly?

A．They were invented by Michael Reynolds.

B．Water that has been used is pumped out into the garden.

C．They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.

D．The tires are packed tightly with dirt.

Welcome to my message board!
Subject: Slimming down classics?
Mr. Handsome 2007-5-12
6: 34 AM Orion Books, which decides there is a market in creating cut-down classics (经典著作), is slimming down some novels by such great writers as L. Tolstoy, M. Mitchell and C. Bronte. Now, each of them has been whittled down to about 400 pages by cutting 30 to 40 pages percent of original, with words, sentences, paragraphs and, in a few cases, chapters removed. The first six shortened editions, all priced at £ 6.99 and advertised as great reads "in half the time", will go on sale next month, with plans for 50 to 100 more to follow. The publishing house believes that modern readers will welcome the shorter versions.
Mr. Edwards
2007-5-12
9:40 AM Well, I'm publisher of Orion Group. Thanks for your attention, Mr. Handsome.
I must say, the idea developed from a game of "shame" in my office. Each of us was required to confess (承认) to the most embarrassing blanks in his or her reading. I admitted that I had never read Anna Karenina and tried but failed to get through Gone with the Wind several times. One of my colleagues acknowledged skipping (跳读) Jane Eyre. We realized that life is too short to read all the books you want to and we never were going to read these ones.
As a leading publishing house, we are trying to make classics convenient for readers but it's not as if we're withdrawing the original versions. They are still there if you want to read them.
Ms. Weir 2007-5-12
11:35 AM I'm director of the online book club www.lovereading.co.uk
Mr. Edwards, I think your shortened edition is a breath of fresh air. I'm guilty of never having read Anna Karenina, because it's just so long. I'd much rather read two 300-page books than one 600-page book. I am looking forward to more shortened classics!
Mr. Crockatt
2007-5-12
4:38 PM I'm from the London independent bookshop Corckatt & Powell.
In my opinion, the practice is completely ridiculous. How can you edit the classics? I'm afraid reading some of these books is hard work, and that is why you have to develop as a reader. If people don't have time to read Anna Karenina, then fine. But don't read a shortened version and kid yourself it's the real thing.
According to the message board, Orion Books __________.

A．opposes the reading of original classics

B．is embarrassed for cutting down classics

C．thinks cut-down classics have a bright future

D．is cautious in its decision to cut down classics

In Mr. Edwards' opinion, Orion Group is shortening classics to __________.

A．make them easier to read

B．meet a large demand in the market

C．increase the sales of literary books

D．compete with their original versions

By describing the shortened classics as "a breath of fresh air", Ms. Weir __________.

A．speaks highly of the cut-down classics

B．shows her love for original classics

C．feels guilty of not reading the classics

D．disapprove of shortening the classics

Mr. Crockatt seems to imply that __________.

A．reading the classic works is a confusing attempt

B．shortening the classics does harm to the original

C．publishing the cut-down classics is a difficult job

D．editing the classic works satisfies children's needs

How many classics are involved in the massage board?

A．Two

B．Three

C．Four

D．Five

F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary: "My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary." This Side of Paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel The Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald's problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The Love of the Last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.
How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?

A．5

B．6

C．7

D．8

Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald's life according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.

A．f-c-e-a-b-d	B．b-e-a-f-c-d
C．f-d-e-c-b-a	D．b-f-c-d-e-a

We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald __________.

A．had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.

B．was well educated and well off before he served in the army

C．would have completed more works if his wife hadn't broken down

D．helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital

The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about __________.

A．Zelda's personal life

B．Zelda's illness and treatment

C．Fitzgerald's friendship with Graham

D．Fitzgerald's contributions to the literary world

What form of article do you think this passage is?

A．Reportage.	B．Report of survey.
C．Biography.	D．Essay.

When I met him, I had a lot of anger inside of me. I've lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem, but in my neighborhood, there are shoot-ups all the time. I know kids who have been shot or beaten up. I have friends who ended up in prison. I could have ended up that way, too, but Mr. Clark wouldn't let that happen.
Mr. Clark worked long hours, making sure I did my work. My grades rose. In fact, the scores of our whole class rose. One day, he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera, and it was the first time some kids had ever been out of Harlem. Before the show, he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught us not to talk with our mouths full. We did not want to let him down.
Mr. Clark was selected as Disney's 2000 Teacher of the Year. He said he would draw three names out of a hat; those students would go with him to Los Angeles to get the award. But when the time came to draw names, Mr. Clark said, "You're all going."
On graduation day, there were a lot of tears. We didn't want his class to end. In 2001, he moved to Atlanta, but he always kept in touch. He started giving lectures about education, and wrote a bestselling book based on his classroom rules, The Essential 55. In 2003, Mr. Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit the orphanages (孤儿院). It was the most amazing experience of my life. It's now my dream to one day start a group of women's clubs, helping people from all backgrounds.
Without Mr. Clark, the writer __________.

A．might have been put into prison

B．might not have won the prize

C．might have joined a women's club

D．might not have moved to Atlanta

The Essential 55 is __________.

A．a show

B．a speech

C．a classroom rule

D．a book

What can we learn in the short reading?

A．It was in Harlem that we saw The Phantom of the Opera for the first time.

B．Mr. Clark taught us not to talk with our mouths full, and we did.

C．Mr. Clark was selected as Disney's 2000 Teacher of the Year in Los Angeles.

D．In 2003, Mr. Clark moved to Atlanta, and he always kept in touch with us.

In the passage, the writer intends to tell us that __________.

A．Mr. Clark went to South Africa because he liked travelling

B．Mr. Clark helped to set up a group of women's clubs

C．a good teacher can help raise his or her students' scores

D．a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students

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. Yon 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 (智慧的) 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 (和谐的) 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 general rule, it's best not to talk about politics or religion (宗教) 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, but be careful not to criticize a national sport. Instead, be friendly and praise your host's team.
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 their 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.

A．Adriano’s death.	B．A period of financial problems.
C．Its faster progress.	D．Its agreements with other companies.

A．The Origin of Olivetti.	B．The Success of Olivetti.
C．The History of Olivetti	D．The Production of Olivetti.