Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now
makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarke
ts encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. W
e have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?
| A．Using too much packaging. |
| B．Recycling too many wastes. |
| C．Making more products than necessary. |
| D．Having more material than is needed. |
The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of super markets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
According to the text, recycling ______.
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality. |
B．Supermarkets  care more about packaging. |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging. |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult. |
| B．Needless material is mostly recycled. |
| C．People like collecting recyclable waste. |
| D．The author is proud of their consumer culture. |
Money is the root of all evil and new study claims there may be some truth behind the saying．Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, US，announced on February 27 that rich people are more likely to do unethical (不道德的) things, such as lie or cheat, than poorer people．
The scientists did a series of eight experiments. They published their findings online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS,《美国国家科学院院刊》)．
They carried out the first two experiments from the sidewalk near Berkeley. They noted that drivers of newer and more expensive cars were more likely to cut in on other cars and pedestrians at crosswalks. Nearly 45 percent of people driving expensive cars ignored a pedestrian compared with only 30 percent of people driving more modest cars．
In another experiment, a group of college students was asked if they would do unethical things in various everyday situations. Examples included taking printer paper from work and not telling a salesperson when he or she gave back more change. Students from higher-class families were more likely to act dishonestly.
According to the scientists, rich people often think money can get them out of trouble. This makes them less afraid to take risks. It also means they care less about other people’s feelings.
Finally，it simply makes them greedier．“Higher wealth status seems to make you want even more，and that increased want leads you to bend the rules or break the rules to serve your self-interest,” said Paul Piff, leading scientist of the study.
Piff pointed out that the findings don’t mean that all rich people are untrustworthy or that all poor people are honest. He said the experiments were to show how people living in different social situations express their instincts and values in different ways.By saying “money is the root of all evil”，the author wants to ____________．
| A．draw readers’ attention to the research |
| B．1ink wealth with bad behavior |
| C．show how the saying proves the findings |
| D．defend rich people who do unethical things |
What makes rich people unethical according to the scientists?
a．they become more selfish b．they have more desires
c．they believe money talks d．they welcome risks
| A．a、b | B．a、b、d |
| C．b、c | D．a、b、c |
Why did the scientists do the experiments?
| A．To show how social status affects people's ethics． |
| B．To show people’s instincts and values in different ways. |
| C．To test whether the saying “money is the root of all evil” is true． |
| D．To show the difference between higher-class people and lower-class people． |
What does the article really want to show us?
| A．Money is the root of all evil． |
| B．The rich are more likely to act badly． |
| C．The saying is unreasonable． |
| D．All rich people are untrustworthy． |
Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $ 0.9 each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $ 90 million .That was the second largest lottery jackpot （积累奖金）in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80．The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million, but that little chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days before the drawing, tickets were sold at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second.
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action. Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably never have.
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized gambling. Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts who take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice(恶习), under the name of social progress. Whether you regard stock lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans.The main idea of the passage is that __________.
| A．lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them |
| B．playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market |
| C．many people buy lottery tickets , but lotteries cause disagreement |
| D．lotteries are nothing but legalized vice |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra taxes. |
| B．The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress. |
| C．Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste money on them. |
| D．People love the lottery because it is a stock market. |
In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling_______.
| A．$ 1.62 million | B．$ 1.82 million |
| C．$ 9.6 million | D．$ 87 million |
People who are addicted to playing lotteries should __________.
| A．join a support group | B．kick the habit |
| C．win the lottery | D．save every cent |
The arts, especially music, should be part of every school's lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.
Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang(团伙). Parents can enjoy listening to their children's music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.
Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.
Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.According to the passage, music could make students smarter by __________.
| A．improving their classroom skills and paying attention |
| B．improving their classroom skills and imagination |
| C．improving their attention, direction and imagination |
| D．learning music, making music and trying out their own ideas |
What does the underlined phrase "glued to" in the second paragraph mean?
| A．unwilling to turn on | B．always looking |
| C．unwilling to leave | D．always playing |
The third paragraph mainly tells us that music could _______________.
| A．give children self-expression and self-confidence |
| B．bring to children achievement and success |
| C．give children something to be proud of |
| D．develop children's self-confidence |
What's the best title of this passage？
| A．Music is a must as a course at school |
| B．Music builds children's self-confidence |
| C．Music makes students much smarter |
| D．Learning music and making music |
The Healthy Habits Survey(调查) shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
·Finding：A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
·Advice：Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2．How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
·Finding：Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day—half of the number doctors recommend.
·Advice：We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day—often inviting germs(病菌) to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. So use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most importantly, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3．How often do you think about fighting germs?
·Finding：Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
·Advice：Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.What is found out about American seniors?
| A．Most of them have good habits. |
| B．Nearly 30% of them bathe three days a week. |
| C．All of them are fighting germs better than expected. |
| D．About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day. |
Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands ________．
| A．twice a day | B．three times a day |
| C．four times a day | D．eight times a day |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．We should keep from touching our faces. |
| B．There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth. |
| C．A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet. |
| D．We should wash our hands before touching a door handle. |
The text probably comes from ________．
| A．a guide book | B．a popular magazine |
| C．a book review | D．an official document |
Some scientists say that animals in the oceans are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings.
The noise that affects sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels (分贝) measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety-five would have the same effect.
Some scientists have suggested setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in the oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales (鲸).
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that louder noises can seriously injure some animals.
The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected (被感染的).
Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds are against a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.
Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists don’t think that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.According to the passage, Which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?
| A．The sound of cars. | B．The sound of voices. |
| C．Man-made noise pollution. | D．The sound of steps. |
According to the passage, natural sounds include all of the following except ________.
| A．sounds made by animals themselves |
| B．ocean drilling |
| C．underwater earthquakes |
| D．the breaking of ice fields |
Which of the following is discussed in the third paragraph?
| A．The same noise level produces a different effect on land and in the ocean. |
| B．Different places may have different types of noises. |
| C．The decibel is not a right unit (单位) for measuring underwater noise. |
| D．Different ocean animals may have different reactions to noises. |
What can we learn about the whales from the passage?
| A．They won’t be confused by noises. |
| B．They are deaf to noises. |
| C．Their ability to reproduce will be lowered by high-level noises. |
| D．Their hearing will be damaged by high-level noises. |