We've used the wind as an energy source for a long time. The Babylonians and Chinese were using wind power to pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and sailing boats were around long before that. Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind(磨碎) corn, which is where the term "windmill" comes from.
We can use the energy in the wind by building a tall tower, with a large propellor on the top. The wind blows the propellor round, which turns a generator to produce electricity. We tend to build many of these towers together, to make a "wind farm" and produce more electricity. The more towers, the more wind, and the larger the propellors, the more electricity we can make. It's only worth building wind farms in places that have strong, steady winds, although boats and caravans（大篷车）increasingly have small wind generators to help keep their batteries charged.
The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, at the tops of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in mountains—places where the wind is strong and reliable. Some are offshore. To be worthwhile, you need an average wind speed of around 25 km/h. Most wind farms in the UK are in Cornwall or Wales. Isolated places such as farms may have their own wind generators. In California, several “wind farms” supply electricity to homes around Los Angeles.
The propellors are large, to obtain energy from the largest possible volume of air. The blades can be angled to cope with varying wind speeds. Some designs use vertical turbines(垂直涡轮机), which don't need to be turned to face the wind. The towers are tall, to get the propellors as high as possible, up to where the wind is stronger. This means that the land beneath can still be used for farming. The first paragraph aims to introduce to us _______.
| A．the function of wind power | B．the source of wind power |
| C．the nations using wind power | D．the history of using wind power |
How does a wind power work?
| A．The generator turns the propellor blades and produce electricity. |
| B．The tall tower helps turn the energy in the air into electricity. |
| C．Warm air rises and makes the propellor move round. |
| D．The propellor blown round by wind turns the generator to produce electricity. |
The best places for building the wind farm are places where _______.
| A．boats and caravans can often be seen | B．isolated farms don’t have enough electricity |
| C．there are less human activities | D．the wind is strong and reliable |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．wind farms will not take up too much farming land |
| B．wind farms need no fuel because wind is free |
| C．the blades can be angled to turn to face the wind wherever it comes from |
| D．the higher and larger the towers are, the stronger the wind is |
What can be a suitable title for the passage?
| A．Where to build a wind farm. | B．ABC of the using of wind energy. |
| C．How to make best use of wind. | D．Wind energy is the best energy. |
The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone(有…倾向的) countries could become part of its long-term energy solution．
Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity．
Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal(地热的) technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation．
"Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production．
The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent．
Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs．
For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power．
The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories．Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden．
"We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks．" said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow．
Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project．We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decrease in the short term．"
The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts（兆瓦）and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology．
Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share．In 2010, Fuji Electric built the world's largest geothermal factory in New Zealand．What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Alternative energies in Japan |
| B．Japan thinks of geothermal energy |
| C．Japan takes the lead in geothermal technology |
| D．World's largest geothermal plant |
What percentage of Japan's energy needs is geothermal energy?
| A．About 8%． | B．Around 30%． | C．Below 1%． | D．Over 80%． |
According to Shigeto Yamada, the growth of geothermal power in Japan needs ____．
| A．high technology | B．financial support |
| C．local people's help | D．a change of rules |
Geothermal energy is considered as a long-term program by _____．
A．Hideaki Matsui B Yoshiyasu Takefuji． C．Shigeto Yamada D．Yoko OnoIt can be learned from the last two paragraphs that _____．
| A．the world's biggest geothermal plant was built by America |
| B．Japan will not export its geothermal technology |
| C．it is hard to find geothermal energy in Japan |
| D．the potential of Japan's geothermal energy is great |
The popular song ‘Gangnam Style’ from South Korean recording artist PSY has just become the most watched video on YouTube ever, getting more than 808 million views on the popular media site.
The distinction was previously held by another pop heavyweight, Justin Bieber, whose song ‘Baby’ had a little more than 804 million views at press time. PSY made the announcement on his Twitter page earlier today.
Since its release, the song has defeated such other popular videos as Jennifer Lopez’s ‘On the Floor’ and Eminem's ‘Love the Way You Lie’. And in September, 'Gangnam Style' also became the most liked video on YouTube, now with nearly 5.4 million thumbs up.
At the time of the announcement, the Guinness Book of World Records released a statement saying: “In years past it was unthinkable that something would be viewed a hundred million times, and now Gangnam Style has achieved more than twice this figure in just three months on YouTube. PSY, your certificate is waiting here at our office, come pick it up any time!”
Despite its massive popularity, the video shows no signs of slowing down, and it even has a shot at becoming the first video to get more than one billion views.
If it maintains its current rate of around six million new views per day, ‘Gangnam Style’ would be in line to break that record by the end of the year.
The YouTube honors are just the latest in a long list that shows just how popular the song has become. Since it was released in July, the song has seen a meteoric rise through the music industry.
It has found its way to the tops of music charts in more than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Canada, while providing material for thousands of parody（恶搞）videos.
It became part of the 2012 presidential elections with the now famous ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video and was even used by the North Korean government in propaganda films promoting their supreme leader.
Meanwhile, such influential figures as President Obama, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt have all made mention of the hit song.This passage mainly talks about a world famous________.
A. music chart B. video website
C. music video C. Korean pop singerWhich of the following about “Gangnam Style” is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．“Gangnam Style” has defeated Justin Bieber’s “Baby” on You Tube’s views. |
| B．“Gangnam Style” has been the favorite to at least 5.4 million people. |
| C．“Gangnam Style” has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. |
| D．“Gangnam Style” has been the first to get more than 1 billion views. |
What can we infer from this passage?
| A．The influence of “Gangnam Style” has spread far and wide |
| B．Obama won the presidential election partly because of the ‘Mitt Romney Style’ video. |
| C．Despite its massive popularity, the fever of “Gangnam Style” has decreased. |
| D．PSY will become one of the greatest musicians due to the popularity of “Gangnam Style”. |
The hottest show this summer-the “Voice" just finished on Sunday at the Shanghai Stadium．But the show that had a good start didn't end to everyone's satisfaction．The two and a half hour show dragged on for more than four hours because of the huge amount of advertising, which the audience and residents living nearby could hardly bear．
This summer, something hotter than the weather came to Shanghai．That is the Voice of China．The show soon became a cash cow for the organizer as the advertisement prices reached 1．16 million yuan for 15 seconds．And the show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now in ad income only, But the organizers' bliss was audiences' melancholy．
In the final live show on Sunday, about 14 rounds of advertisements were aired, each of which came at a crucial result-announcing moment．
Frequently interrupted by advertisements, some live audience members complained that the show wasn't worth its ticket prices of 180 to 1680 yuan．
The planned two and a half hour show went two hours overtime because of the advertising．This annoyed audience members, and touched the nerves of residents living near the site．
Someone called the police, and the show is now facing punishment for going over-time and disturbing residents late at night．Why didn't "the Voice" make audience satisfied?
| A．It failed to attract audience attention in the end． |
| B．It failed to make audience satisfied． |
| C．It increased by one and a half hours and audience could bear it． |
| D．It was full of so many advertisements that audience can't tolerate them． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The show lasted for over two and a half hours． |
| B．Someone called the police because they can't bear the noises late at night． |
| C．The show was worth its ticket prices because the audience watched many advertisements． |
| D．The show has earned more than 100 million yuan up to now totally． |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．The Voice of China-the most popular TV show of last summer． |
| B．The Voice of China-hard to say I love you． |
| C．The Voice of China-I want you． |
| D．The Voice of China-the noises of China． |
This passage is organized in the pattern of___．
| A．time and event | B．comparison and contrast |
| C．cause and effect | D．definition and classification(分类) |
Dear Students,
I am delighted to be your guest.
I would like to tell you about myself. I have been a news reporter for the past fifteen years. I chose this job so I could travel the world, but the job has taught me many unforgettable lessons. The work is sometimes difficult. I have seen famines, wars, earthquakes, poverty and death. But I have also seen courage, hope and happiness.
In India, I visited a city where there were many homeless children. Some were as young as four years old. They lived in the streets and survived by begging or stealing. But then a wonderful lady called Rosa opened a home for them. Within one year, she was looking after two hundred children. She clothed them, fed them, and taught them. She gave them hope.
Another time, I was in Turkey after a terrible earthquake, in one place. I found an old lady whose house was in ruins, her son was missing and rescue workers said there was no chance that he was still alive. But the old lady did not give up hope. For four days, she moved heavy stones one at a time by herself. She did not stop until she found her son. He was alive.
Here in China, I met a young boy with a serious condition. He had undergone twenty operations and spent nearly his whole life in hospital. I thought he would be sad, but when I met him, his smile was so warm and welcoming.
In life, we need role models that we can admire and learn from. When my life is difficult, I try to remember the courage and goodness of these three people.The speaker is giving a speech to students in __________.
| A． India | B．Canada | C．Turkey | D．China |
The underlined word “ famine ” in Paragraph 2 means __________.
| A．extreme lack of food | B．joy | C．luck | D．pleasure |
What can we learn about Rosa?
| A．She’s a rich lady and she likes to help the homeless children. |
| B．She’s a great mother and she looks after the homeless children. |
| C．She’s a kind-hearted woman and she provides houses for the homeless children. |
| D．She’s a good teacher and she teaches the homeless children. |
For what does the speaker admire the Turkish woman and the Chinese boy?
| A．Their bravery. | B．Their luck. | C．Their age. | D．Their strong mind. |
On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about the school seemed so difficult. When I got home, my parents said, “You're nervous and that's okay. Everyone is afraid of high school.” I denied it. I wanted to be strong, so I refused to let anyone know about my fear, even my closest friends.
On the first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle that I couldn't figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn't think I could rise to this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably right.
Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out. With the exception of falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging.
Since then, I've been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn't much of a victory since only three people ran for the four positions.
It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is something that any student can overcome. Make sure you participate in some outofclass activities because you'll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn't straight A's.
Most important of all, be who you are, whether you're a “fool”， an athlete, or a lower grader. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. Now you know the true secrets of high school.The main reason for the author's fear on his first day is that ________.
| A．he was unable to work out the puzzle |
| B．his schoolmates were unfriendly to him |
| C．he was not familiar with the new surroundings |
| D．his schoolbag was too heavy for him to carry |
From the author's first day experience we can infer that ________.
| A．his home was far from the school |
| B．he got to school before classes began |
| C．he was fond of the school immediately. |
| D．he didn't know the right way to class |
After his first week at school, the author ________.
| A．was still not accustomed to the schedule |
| B．gradually adjusted himself to the new school |
| C．found high school not so challenging as he had imagined |
| D．ran for monitor of his class against three other students |
According to the passage, the secret of the author's success lies mainly in ________.
| A．making more friends |
| B．getting more A's at school |
| C．being who he really is |
| D．joining in outofclass activities |