A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物所能分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and is able to change shape. Over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms fertilizers. These feed the seed and help the flower grow.
Engineers have designed a small transparent (透明的) window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time,” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief (缓解) for nature , according to the scientists.
“The seed comes out and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To tell the popularity of biodegradable cell phones. |
| B．To persuade the reader to buy the biodegradable cell phone. |
| C．To discuss the development of phone technology. |
| D．To introduce an environmentally-friendly cell phone to readers. |
People throw away their cell phones most probably because _______.
| A．there is something wrong with them |
| B．no sunflowers can grow out of them |
| C．they are out of fashion |
| D．they are becoming cheaper and cheaper |
It could be learned from the passage that _________.
| A．developing the new type of phone is mainly to protect the environment |
| B．phone-makers will benefit much more from the new type of phone |
| C．the new type of phone will certainly be popular with users all over the world |
| D．the phones that can be recycled are available only in Britain now |
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Millions of people visit Yosemite National Park every year to see the tall waterfalls and mountains. The mountains are a splendid sight when viewed from the valley floor. Lots of stores, hotels, and restaurants are needed to handle the crowds. Also, water, roads, and other service systems are part of the infrastructure(基础设施)that must be maintained.
Unfortunately, these systems are starting to break down. It’s not just in Yosemite but in national parks around the nation.
Yosemite is thirty years old according to Dennis Galvin, a National Park Service worker. The park is not only old but worn out. Two or three times as many visitors come every year. That is too many visitors for the park to deal with.
Four years ago a storm washed out a water pipeline in the Grand Canyon. The National Park service had to send water trucks to provide water for the visitors. Last month pipes almost broke again and roads had to be closed for a while.
Why hasn’t the National Park Service kept up the park repairs? There is a lack of money. The United States has 378 monuments, parks, and wilderness areas. Between three and four billion dollars are needed for repairs.
Yosemite is one national park that does have money for repairs. It has two hundred million dollars but cannot spend it any way it chooses. When the park workers started widening the road, they were forced to stop by the Sierra Club. The club claimed that the road work was damaging the Merced River that runs through the park.
A Sierra Club lawyer, Julia Olson, feels that the infrastructure needs to be moved out of Yosemite. That way less pressure will be put on the already crowded park.
47. According to the text, the mountains in Yosemite look most splendid when they are appreciated from _______.
A. the bottom of the valleys B. the top of the mountains
C. the side of the mountains D. the edge of the valleys
48. National parks like Yosemite in the U.S. find it increasingly difficult to meet the need of visitors because ________.
A. the transport management needs improving
B. they spend too much on their service systems
C. their service systems frequently go out of order
D. they need help from environmental organizations
49. The main problem of Yosemite National Park is its _______.
A. rundown water pipes B. overcrowdedness C. lack of money D. narrow roads
50. According to the text, the Sierra Club is most likely to be ______.
A. an environmental group B. an information center
C. a travel service D. a law firm
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People express their personalities in their clothes, their cars, and their homes. Our diets can also show our personalities because we might choose certain food to tell people something about us.
For example, some people mainly enjoy high quality food, such as caviar (鱼子酱) and lobster (龙虾), and they eat only in expensive restaurants – never in cafeterias or bars. They know about the “better things in life”.
Some people choose not to eat meat. Vegetarians often have more in common than just their diet. Their personalities might be similar too. For instance, vegetarians in the United States and Canada may be creative people, and they might not enjoy competitive sports or jobs. They worry about the health of the world, and they are probably strongly against the war.
Some people eat mostly fast food. One study shows that many fast-food eaters have a lot in common, but they are very different from vegetarians. They are competitive and good at business. They are also usually in a hurry. Many fast-food eaters might not agree with this description of their personalities, but it is a common picture of them.
Some people also believe that people of the same astrological sign（星座）have similar food personalities. Aries (born under the sign of Aries, between March 21 and April 20) usually like spicy foods, with a lot of onions and pepper. People with the sign of Taurus (April 21 to May 22) prefer healthful fruits and vegetables, but they often eat too much. Sagittarius (November 22 to December.22) like traditional food from many different countries.
What is your food personality?
44. Why do some people mainly eat high quality food?
A. They want to show off their wealth.B. Food can show off their social position.
C. They want to enjoy better things in life.D. They are wiser than any other persons.
45. A vegetarian may be a person________.
A. who is believed to be a peace – lover B. who values the importance of success
C. who cares little about the future of the world D. who shows his power to make money
46. From the passage, we can draw a conclusion that_____________.
A. food is just a mirror of the human history
B. we can know a person from what he eats
C. people are particular about the food they eat
D. what people eat may change their personalities
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Dear Cassy,
Thanks for reminding me by e-mail that you want to baby-sit our children. Although you are only 12 years old, my wife and I would be willing to consider your application（申请）if you can meet(满足) a few requirements:
1）Send us three letters from teachers who will prove that you have never failed to follow instructions perfectly in class and never failed to hand in your homework on time.
2）Send us a note from two doctors who will prove that you are in perfect health, have never been sick, and never will be sick.
3）Send us a document from your physical education teacher or team coach that proves that you can do each of the following: Run two miles in less than four minutes, climb an oiled rope to a height of twenty feet in thirty seconds while balancing a glass of water on your nose, and walk in bare feet over hot coals and broken glass without injury.
4）Send us notarized（得到公证的）letters from at least two mental health experts saying that you have never had an envious thought towards other people.
5）Play and defeat five expert chess players while blindfolded（蒙着眼睛）after going without sleep for 48 hours.
6)Wait patiently（耐心地）for two years while we have investigators（调查）certify（确保）that all your documents（文件）are real
Your loving and trusting friends,
The Smiths
40. The Smiths send their message to Cassy by .
A. e-mail B. a letter C. a newspaper D. a report
41. According to the first paragraph, .
A. the Smiths must have had an advertisement made, saying that they want someone to look after their children
B. the Smiths have informed Cassy that they need some children
C. the Smiths have promised to provide what Cassy asked for
D. the Smiths would be very glad if Cassy can meet their requirements
42.What is the attitude of the Smiths about hiring the 12-year old girl to look after their baby?
A. The Smiths try to tell her how to baby-sit children.
B. The Smiths don’t think a girl is good for the job.
C. The Smiths don’t want to hire her.
D. The Smiths are willing to offer her the job.
43. Which of the requirements mentioned by the Smiths do you think Cassy can meet?
A. All of them B. Half of them
C. None of them D. Most of them
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IV. 阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
Our 16-year-old daughter started to smoke last Christmas. It killed me to see that lovely girl with a cigarette(香烟) in her mouth. I told her how I felt. Martha continued to smoke, saying, “It's my life,” and so on. I told her if she didn't stop smoking, I wouldn't send her to college. She agreed to give it up.
Last night there was cigarette smell on Martha's breath. She had to say she had broken her word. Now I must do what I've said to punish(惩罚) her.
Martha is unusually bright and wants to teach children. I'm working full-time to put her older sister through school and would do the same for Martha. My husband's pay is good, but with prices going up all the time we could never educate the girls unless I kept on working.
My theory(理论) is that if smoking is more important to Martha than college, I'm a fool to work to put her through college.
36. Why did the mother feel sad?
A. Because her daughter failed to go to college.
B. Because her daughter tried to kill her.
C. Because her daughter promised to smoke no more.
D. Because her daughter got used to smoking.
37. The mother warned that if Martha didn't give up smoking, she would ______.
A. refuse to give Martha any money
B. not be Martha's mother
C. refuse to pay for Martha's college education
D. not let Martha teach children
38. What did Martha really do after mother warned her?
A. She failed to keep her promise.
B. She kept her promise.[
C. She managed to give up smoking.
D. She broke something her mother gave her.
39. The mother said that ______.
A. Martha was usually a stupid girl
B. though Martha's father received high pay, it was not enough for their two girls' college education
C. as everything was becoming more and more expensive, the two girls had to work hard to pay for their education
D. she liked Martha's sister but hated Martha
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I hear many parents saying that their teenagers are rebellious(反叛的). I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are all taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out bravely on their own, most of them are trying to seize at another’s hands for safety.
They say they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such way is that the cords is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon—into a larger cocoon.
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly opened up a teenager market. These days every teenager can learn from newspapers and TV what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to great difficulty for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.
But the difficulty is worth getting over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come—with the people who respect you for who you are. That’s the only kind of popularity that really counts.
73. The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is mainly to tell _____________ .
A.readers how to be popular in the world
B.teenagers how to learn to decide things for themselves
C.parents how to control and guide their children
D.people how to understand and respect each other
74. According to the writer, many teenagers think they are brave enough to act on their own, but in fact, most of them ______________.
A.have much difficulty in understanding each other
B.have too much confidence in themselves
C.dare not do things in their own way
D.are very much afraid of getting lost
75. During the teenager years, one should learn to __________ .
A.become different from others in as many ways as possible
B.find one’s real self
C.get into the right reason and become popular
D. rebel against parents