“Everybody in this city wants a car, and I’m no exception. A car brings with it the freedom to travel”, said a friend of mine while reading a car magazine. I might not agree with him, but no doubt he was speaking for a rapidly growing number of middle-class Chinese. While it is true that all the waiting, walking, being part of a crowd, and sweating, are somewhat unpleasant, there are many problems which can arise when our lives rely too much on this invention.
First of all, in terms of polluting the environment, driving a car is the worst act an average person can commit. Beijing now finds itself at the top of the list of the most polluted capital cities in the world with Mexico City in the second place. Research also shows that by 2010 around 90% of total pollutants in Shanghai have come from cars. These pollutions are extremely dangerous to our health. They can damage the lungs, cause cancer, and damage the brain.
Apart from environmental problems, relying too much on cars also creates social problems such as traffic jams, road accidents, and noise pollution. The jeeps that proudly drive through the Hutongs in Beijing as if they are in a race often annoy me, and to make it worse, these drivers seldom respect cyclists.
Of course, we cannot forget the convenience that cars bring us when we need to travel far, but I often find it faster to cycle from one place to another within the city of Beijing, especially with the growing traffic jams.
Since people travel further and more frequently than before, cars will certainly be important in the future. At the same time, however, let us work hard to make sure that this invention brings us a more convenient lifestyle rather than trouble and disease. Let us make good use of cars.What is this passage mainly about?
A.Environmental problems. |
B.Traffic jams in Beijing. |
C.Problems brought about by cars. |
D.Benefits of using cars. |
The underlined word commit in Paragraph 2 has the close meaning as ____ .
A.do something right or legal |
B.do something wrong or illegal |
C.do something good and meaningful |
D.do something bad and meaningless |
What do we know about the author?
A.The author doesn’t want a car. |
B.The author agrees that a car offers freedom to travel. |
C.The author suggests that we should rely on bicycles. |
D.The author thinks that the invention of cars leads to many problems. |
In Paragraph 3, what does the author mean by saying “The jeeps… often annoy me”?
A.The author is troubled by the way jeeps are driven in the Hutongs of Beijing. |
B.The author thinks that Hutongs are too narrow for jeeps to drive through. |
C.The author thinks that the jeeps are too noisy. |
D.The author is worried that more accidents are caused by jeeps than any other cars. |
What is the author’s idea in Paragraphs 4 and 5 ?
A.Cars are only convenient for people traveling far. |
B.We should all give up cars and ride bicycles. |
C.Cars have brought us more convenience than troubles. |
D.We should choose between the car and the bicycle according to the situation. |
A nine-year-old kid was sitting at his desk when suddenly there was a puddle(水潭、泥坑) between his feet and the front of his trousers was wet.He thought his heart was going to stop because he couldn't possibly imagine how this had happened.It had never happened before, and he knew that when the boys found out he would never hear the end of it. When the girls found out, they would never speak to him again as long as he lived.
He prayed this prayer, "Dear God, I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat!" He looked up from his prayer and here came the teacher with a look in her eyes that said he had been discovered.As the teacher was walking toward him, a classmate named Susie was carrying a goldfish bowl full of water.Susie tripped (绊倒) in front of the teacher and dumped (倒) the bowl of water in the boy's lap.The boy pretended to be angry, but all the while was saying to himself, "Thank you.Lord!"
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy was the object of sympathy.The teacher rushed him downstairs and gave him gym shorts to put on while his trousers dried out.All the other children were on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk.The sympathy was wonderful.But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his had been transferred (转移) to someone else+—Susie.She tried to help, but they told her to get out.
When school was over, the boy walked over to Susie and whispered, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispered back, "I wet my trousers once, too!"The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means ____.
A.the boys would never play with him
B.the boys would treat him as usual
C, he would hardly hear any praise from the boys
D.he would be laughed at by the.boys endlesslyAfter Susie dumped water in his lap, the boy was in a state of ___ _.
A.excitement | B.relief | C.anxiety | D.anger |
What did the other kids do after the incident?
A.They offered him dry clothes. |
B.They laughed at the boy rudely, |
C.They helped the boy do the cleaning. |
D.They urged the boy to get out angrily, |
Why did Susie dump water in the boy's lap?
A.The boy asked her to do so. |
B.She just did it by accident. |
C.The teacher tripped her on purpose. |
D.She knew the boy's embarrassment. |
Father Maurice Chase used a special way to celebrate his 90th birthday. The Catholic priest(神父) took $ 15,000 in cash to Los Angeles’ Skid Row (贫民区) and gave it away. Twenty wheelchair – bound people received $100 bills, while the rest received $1to $ 3 each.
“I come out here to tell them that God loves them and I love them and that some one is concerned about them,” Chase said.
Chase has given away cash and blessings every Sunday at the same corner for 24 years.Several hundred people wait for him every week.
He makes a point of coming on Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, but this is the first year he spent his birthday in the downtown neighborhood where people live mainly in shelters and on dirty sidewalks.
“ It’s the place that makes me the happiest. I just love it,” said Chase. “I look forward to coming here.”
The money comes from donations he receives from rich and famous people he met during his work as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University.
The crowd broke into choruses of “Happy Birthday” several times. Some people presented him birthday cards, to his delight.
Travis Kemp, a 51 – year – old disabled man with long black hair, was one of the lucky 20 to receive $ 100. He said he had no special plans for spending the money. “He has a lot of respect from me,” Kemp said. “I know I couldn’t do it.”On his 90th birthday, Chase.
A.handed out cash to the needy | B.collected money for poor people |
C.visited poor people’s homes with gifts | D.held a party at Los Angeles’ Skid Row |
Which of the following makes Chase feel the happiest?
A.Celebrating his birthday with his neighbours. |
B.Working in Loyola Marymount University. |
C.Celebrating Christmas with the people he has helped. |
D.Going to Los Angeles’ Skid Row to help people there. |
What’s the source of the money Chase used to help people?
A.All his savings. |
B.His earnings as a Catholic priest. |
C.Donations from the wealthy and celebrities(名人). |
D.Donations from Loyola Marymount University. |
Travis Kemp is mentioned in the text to show________.
A.he was the luckiest person on that day |
B.the disabled need to be taken care of |
C.Chase is greatly appreciated by the needy |
D.even old people came to celebrate Chase’s birthday |
Which statement is CORRECT according to the passage?
A.Every recipient could get $100 in cash from Father Maurice Chase. |
B.Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away not only on his birthday but also on other occasions. |
C.Although Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away on his birthday, he didn’t receive anything in return. |
D.Father Maurice Chase earned much money as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University. |
I shall never forget the day when the earthquake took place. The time was about 5 o’clock in the afternoon and I was driving along the road to take my daughter from school. Our plan was to go swimming together. I finished my work at 4 o’clock and then went to the post office. Then I stopped off at a shop in order to get some fresh fruit. We’d like to have some fruit after swimming.
I was driving along a high road on my way to my daughter’s school. Over my road was another road, which was built like a bridge for cars coming to the other way. I was hungry so I put the bag of apples in the seat beside me and started to eat one.
Suddenly I saw the cars in front of me start to move from side to side. Then my car started to shake! I didn't know what was happening. Perhaps something had gone wrong with my car. I drove more slowly and then I stopped the car and at the same moment the road fell onto the cars in front of me.
I found myself in the dark. I couldn't move. The bottom parts of both of my legs and my feet were hurting badly and I couldn't move them. All around me was quiet. But above me I could hear shouts and a lot of noise. Then I memorized what had happened. I had been in an earthquake.
For about two hours nobody came. Luckily I could reach the bag of apples, so at least I had plenty to eat. Then I heard people climbing towards me. A team of people had come to see if anyone was under the broken road. I called out, “I’m here!” when I heard a shout. Soon a stranger climbed to the side of the road near my car. “How are you doing?” he asked. “Not too bad, ”I said. “But my feet and legs feel as if they’re broken.”“We’ll have you out of there just as soon as we can.” They didn't get me out until the next morning. I had been in my car for fourteen hours.When the earthquake took place, the writer was .
A.on his way to the post office | B.stopping off at a shop |
C.doing some shopping | D.under a road built like a bridge |
The writer’s car began to move from side to side because.
A.there was something wrong with his car | B.he ate apples as he drove |
C.an earthquake happened | D.he drove too fast |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.When the earthquake happened, the writer was with his daughter together. |
B.The writer’s legs and feet were badly wounded in the earthquake. |
C.The writer was saved as soon as the stranger climbed up the road. |
D.The writer was so frightened that he forgot everything that happened around him. |
Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to the writer?
a. A stranger climbed to the side of road near his car and asked how he was doing.
b. The writer finished his work.
c. He felt his car shaking on his way to his daughter’s school.
d. He bought some fresh fruit in a shop.
e. He was saved the next morning.
f. The writer found himself in the dark.
g. He went to the post office.
A.b,g,d,c,f,a,e | B.b,d,c,g,f,a,e |
C.d,b,c,f,g,a,e | D.c,a,f,g,b,d,e |
From the passage we’re sure that the writer was .
A.a teacher of a school | B.a manager of a shop |
C.a father of a girl | D.a worker of a post office |
With petroleum reserve(石油储量)decreasing, the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner, greener alternative. Though much eco-talk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans, the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source: algae(藻类).
Algae, like corn, soybeans, and other crops, grow via photosynthesis(光合作用)and can be processed into fuel oil. However, they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water—while corn and soy require arable(适于耕种的) land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world’s population balloons.
“If you replaced all the diesel(柴油)in the U.S. with soy biodiesel, it would take half the land mass of the U.S. to grow those soybeans,” says Matt Caspari, chief executive of Aurora Biofuels, a Berkeley, Calif-based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology. On the other hand, the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States, it would require only l5, 000 square miles, which is a few thousand miles larger than Maryland (12,407 squaree miles), the 42nd state in land area.
Another advantages: Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space, they’re being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber. Smokestack emissions(烟囱排放物)can be pumped directly into the ponds, feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
Although processing technology for algae fuel—also known as “oilgae” in some environmentalist circles —is improving, it’s still years away from reaching your local gas pump. “It’s just a question of cost, because no large-scale facilities have been built yet,” Caspari says.The underlined word “yield” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “_______”.
A.control | B.require | C.produce | D.grow |
Compared with corn a
nd soybeans, algae_____.
A.may pollute water and soil | B.can grow in poor conditions |
C.provide much less energy | D.need more special care |
Ac
cording to Paragraph 3, one of the advantages of algae fuel is that ____.
A.it can be used more widely | B.it is easier to produce |
C.it needs much less land | D.it costs much les![]() |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
A.Environmental Protection | B.Biofuels from Corn and Soybeans |
C.The False Hope of Biofuels | D.A Promising Oil Alternative |
Work-Study Program
The Work-Study Program gives you the chance to work part-time on campus. If you need more money to cover all of your education-related costs, you may be qualified for this program.
Advantages
· Work experience: Last year, more than 1,400 positions were available across all departments. The jobs vary from one department to the next, and in most cases, participants find a position in their chosen field.
· Money: During the regular academic year (September to April), you can work part-time and earn $3,200---sometimes more---while you take courses! During the summer time, you work full-time and can earn around $6,000 over 18 weeks.
·Easy access: Applying for the program is easy. There is no need for face-to-face interview. All the forms you need are online; just fill in the forms and email us; we accept no letter or phone application!
Did you know?
At the University of Ottawa, it is not essential to receive government assistance to qualify for our Work-Study Program. You simply need to demonstrate(证明)financial need.
You could have one of these great Work-Study jobs:
·Student ambassador
·Computing and network technician
·Marketing assistant
·Sports team manager
·Researcher / translator
·Writer
And more!
The Admission Section receives and evaluates applications to undergraduate programs, in addition to answering applicants’ questions.
Phone: 613-562-5315 Toll-free: 1-877-868-8292 (#5315)
Financial Aid & Awards Service Section:
Phone: 613-562-5734 Toll-free phone: 1-877-868-8292
Regular Office Hours: Monday to Friday
September to May: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
June to August: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.To earn most each month, you may choose to work __________.
A.from April to September | B.during the daytime |
C.from May to August | D.most of the weekends |
To be admitted by the program, you need to ___________.
A.get some government assistance first | B.have much working experience |
C.perform well in your studies | D.explain your financial need first |
How can students apply for a working position?
A.Through the internet. | B.By phone. | C.By face-to-face interview. | D.By letter. |