It’s you and I who are to blame for the state of the earth. No question about it. It’s our life-style that is threatening life on Earth, so we must make the changes. The good news is that many of those changes are really quite simple, even enjoyable, but for every careful step we take as individuals , we must press government and industry to take a big step on our benefit . And we must start now. Tomorrow’s too late.
My aim this year is to persuade as many of my friends and colleagues as possible to choose the train, and leave their cars behind too. My gardens have been pesticide(杀虫剂)–free zones for years and I enjoy seeing more wildlife on my doorstep as a result; I’ve tried to reduce my contribution to water pollution too, by using environment-friendly, phosphate(磷)–free washing powder , and by no longer thinking of the toilet as a suitable waste-disposal(处理) point .
I ran after a young lady through town recently to give her back the piece of paper she had carelessly thrown away. She disappeared into a shop, and when I followed her inside and made my presentation, she was doubly embarrassed--she worked there, and the boss gave her a ticking–off too. I’ve started asking fellow drivers at gas stations why they aren’t using unleaded (无铅的) petrol . These are small things, but we have to start somewhere, and every little does help .To help the environment, the author is trying to do everything mentioned below EXCEPT .
| A．taking the train instead of a car |
| B．throwing away the old cars |
| C．avoiding the use of pesticides |
| D．running after those who throw articles carelessly |
The author ran after a woman through town because he wanted .
| A．to find out where she worked |
| B．to give her back the piece of paper she had lost |
| C．to tell her not to throw away pieces of paper carelessly |
| D．to ask her to pay him for picking up the piece of paper. |
The word “ticking-off ” in the last paragraph probably means .
| A．blaming | B．a piece of paper | C．prize | D．ticket |
The purpose of this passage is to .
| A．persuade his friends to take the train |
| B．inform us of the good news |
| C．make clear who is responsible for the environment |
| D．try to advise us all to protect our environment |
Many tourists visiting the USA on vacation enjoy shopping for bargains. You can find many bargains in the US if you know where to shop and how to take advantage of the competitive sales.
Department stores offer good quality and high fashion
Macy’s department stores offer a wide selection of merchandise(商品), including fashion clothing, luggage and jewelry. They normally offer good quality merchandise, well known brands and the latest fashions, but not low quality products at bargain prices. They frequently have seasonal sales with attractive discounts. At such times, you can get high quality or fashion merchandise at bargain prices.
General merchandise stores offer affordable quality
Sears and JCPenny are two large national chains with stores across the US. They are similar to department stores but they do not offer high fashion merchandise or luxury(奢侈的) brands. Instead, they feature good quality merchandise at affordable prices. They are particularly known for their selection of children's clothing and domestic goods. Sears is famous for its selection of tools and garden products.[]
Discount stores sell at low prices
Discount stores sell some good quality merchandise at affordable prices and some lower quality merchandise at very low prices. If you are not looking for the latest fashions, famous brands, or the best quality, you can find some very inexpensive merchandise at a discount store. Some national discount chains with stores across the US are K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target and Caldor.
Outlet stores are a bargain hunter's wonderland
Outlet stores or factory outlets sell high quality merchandise and well-known brands at discounted prices. They usually offer merchandise with slight flaws(瑕疵) and remainders from the last season or the previous year. They do not have end-of-season sales like the department stores, as their merchandise is always discounted 20% to 40% below department store prices. If you want to buy a new dress that is fashionable, you should go to _______.
| A．Sears | B．Wal-Mart |
| C．JCPenny | D．Macy’s |
What is a feature of general merchandise stores?
| A．They normally offer the best quality merchandise. |
| B．They offer well-known brands and the latest fashions. |
| C．They offer goods at acceptable prices. |
| D．They can offer a special discount. |
Which of the following is NOT true about outlet stores?
| A．You can purchase goods with excellent quality and reasonable prices. |
| B．They can offer goods from last year. |
| C．You will get goods with serious quality problems. |
| D．Their merchandise is always discounted below department store prices. |
It just may be the world’s most costly vacuum cleaner ( 吸尘器). The price of CleanSpace One is eleven million dollars. But yet, it has a big job to do. Recently, researchers in Switzerland said they planned to build this new cleaning machine.
CleanSpace One will not be for use in homes or businesses. It will be shot into space to help remove thousands of pieces of space junk floating around up there.
Last year, we reported on the problem of space junk. Over time, many unused spacecraft have hit each other far above the Earth. Big pieces break into thousands of small pieces. Sometimes they fall back into the atmosphere (大气层) and burn up. But when they do not, it creates big problems.
Scientists fear that if something is not done to remove these objects, it may soon become too dangerous to send people and machines into space. There is a large chance that they might hit some of this junk. So that is why the Swiss researchers are developing the new machine.
CleanSpace One is not really a vacuum cleaner. It will not be used to take away space junk. But scientists plan to move it close to an old satellite that is no longer being used. Then a claw-like instrument will catch the satellite, and force it back through the atmosphere. There, the satellite will be destroyed by the heat of friction (摩擦) with the air.
Researchers say that all they need to do is slow down the speed of some of these unwanted objects. Once they begin to move more slowly, they will fall back to the Earth. There is little chance that they will fall through the atmosphere and harm the people or things below.Space junk is created when .
| A．unused spacecraft hit each other |
| B．people in space throw away rubbish |
| C．a new spaceship is sent up |
| D．an old spaceship creates friction with the air |
What’s the danger of space junk?
| A．It will pollute space. |
| B．It will hurt people on the Earth. |
| C．It will hit a spaceship. |
| D．It will burn in the atmosphere. |
Unwanted objects will fall back to the Earth when .
| A．they are made to move slowly |
| B．they meet other objects in space |
| C．they are not used for years |
| D．they are near the atmosphere |
The passage is most probably a .
| A．science research paper | B．science fiction story |
| C．newspaper ad | D．science news report |
You’ve probably heard of the expression “A leopard can’t change its spots.” This, of course, is true of leopards. But isn’t it true of people? Can people change themselves? Are we humans just creatures of habits? Do we not have any control over our actions and habits?
One guy said, “Bad habits are like a comfortable bed. They’re easy to get into, but hard to get out of.” Someone else said, “The chains of habits are too small to feel until they’re too strong to break.” So breaking the mould of our bad habits takes effort.
Habits are like the roads we take through our life every day. The problem is that not every road takes us where we need to go. Actually, our routes through life often become our ruts (惯例) in life. We end up stuck in them and find it hard to dig ourselves out. That’s why we must change our bad habits as soon as possible before they become our second nature. You see, our habits become our character and our character becomes our life. As one wise person said, “First we make our habits, and then our habits make us.”
But we humans don’t like to change. So we come up with excuses, like “I can’t be different; that’s just the way I am.” And the good excuse is “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But that’s just it: we’re not dogs or animals. In fact, we’re the only creatures who have the freedom and power to change and choose the kind of person we want to become.We can learn from Paragraph 2 that .
| A．getting rid of bad habits is very hard |
| B．people can’t find their bad habits themselves |
| C．entering bad habits is hard |
| D．people don’t have the courage to change their bad habits |
What’s mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
| A．What bad habits are. |
| B．How bad habits are formed. |
| C．How to change our bad habits. |
| D．Why we should change our bad habits. |
The author’s attitude towards changing one’s bad habits is .
| A．doubtful | B．optimistic |
| C．negative | D．indifferent |
Le Val de Cantobre, Aveyron (France)
It’s in the grounds of a medieval house. There’s a swimming pool, a river and a pizza restaurant. The scenery (景色) around the park is beautiful and great for walking. A week’s stay will cost you about €280.
For more information please go to www.eurocamp.co.uk.
Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle (Thailand)
This must be one of the best campsites ( 野营地) in the world. Instead of tents, there are “canvas cabins (帆布船舱)”. And there’s a gourmet restaurant, a spa and a pool. There are only 15 of cabins to rent so you’ll have to book early. The campsite can only be reached by river boat, but once there you can learn to ride an elephant. Unfortunately, it isn’t cheap, and two nights at the Four Seasons will cost you about €1,500!
For more information please go to www.Fourseasons.com/goldentriangle.
Three Cliffs Bay, Gower (Wales)
The Three Cliffs Bay is in a beautiful part of the country, and it won’t cost you much either: a family tent (2 adults, 2 children) is about €28 a day. There’s a camp shop where you can buy food and drinks, and there are pubs and restaurants nearby so you won’t even have to cook. You can water-ski from the beach, or go walking along the Gower Way.
For more information please go to www.Threecliffsbay.com.
Longitude 131, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (Australia)
Situated in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, near the massive (巨大的) red rock formerly known as Ayer’s Rock, this is more like a hotel than a campsite. There’s a restaurant, a pool and even a library. The only problem is that it’s a bit expensive — around €1,500 a night.
For more information please go to www.Longitude131.com.au.If a couple want to stay in Le Val de Cantobre for two days, they will have to pay about .
| A．€56 | B．€280 | C．€160 | D．€80 |
Visitors can do all the following in Four Seasons Tented Camp EXCEPT .
| A．enjoy a spa | B．rent a cabin |
| C．ride an elephant | D．visit a pub |
If families like water-skiing, they can find information on .
| A．www.eurocamp.co.uk |
| B．www.Threecliffsbay.com |
| C．www.Longitude131.com.au |
| D．www.Fourseasons.com/goldentriangle |
What do we know about Longitude 131?
| A．It is the most expensive. | B．It is made of rocks. |
| C．It is located on a bay. | D．It is a real hotel. |
What kind of pets do people have in your country? Dogs? Cats? How about a duck, hippo or lion? Here are two cases of animal owners with unusual pets.
Barrie Hayman has a pet duck called Star. Barrie adopted (领养) him after his brothers and sisters stayed away from him at birth. Barrie, a duck breeder, realized the little duck needed special attention. So he began taking Star with him everywhere he went. “I would put him in my pocket while I did my shopping,” said Barrie. Now, at five months, Star is too big for Barrie’s pocket, but the two are still inseparable. They watch sports together and even share a drink together. Barrie said, “He is one fantastic duck. I’ve never known any like him.” Star even has his own Facebook page, with more than 2,000 Facebook friends.
Then there’s the case of Tonie and Shirley Joubert in South Africa. They live with their pet hippo, Jessica. Tonie saved Jessica from floodwaters when she was only a day old. Jessica lives outside their riverside house, but she knows how to open the kitchen door, and often goes there for a snack. Tonie recently said, “I don’t know whether Jessica sees me as a hippo or whether she sees herself as a human.” Shirley is more certain, “Jessica sees herself as our child and I see Jessica as my daughter. I can’t imagine my life without Jessica.” Jessica is free to leave, and often visits wild hippos that live nearby. But she always returns home at night. Jessica’s website notes that she has three hippo boyfriends, but one in particular, Fred, is her favorite. They often go grazing (吃青草) together and Fred has recently moved onto the Jouberts’ house as well.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Some websites are set up to protect pets. |
| B．Some unusual pets are adopted by people. |
| C．People should take good care of their pets. |
| D．Pets sometimes can be very interesting. |
What does the underlined word “inseparable” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Always together. | B．Always separated. |
| C．Always friendly. | D．Always healthy. |
Barrie took Star everywhere he went because .
| A．he had never seen a duck like Star |
| B．he set up a Facebook page for Star |
| C．he wanted to care more about Star |
| D．he needed Star to drink with him |
We can learn from the passage that Jessica .
| A．came to the Jouberts’ home when she was 5 months old |
| B．loves eating in the Jouberts’ kitchen |
| C．doesn’t see herself as a human being |
| D．has more than three boyfriends |