Sports account for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract viewers from particular sections of the general public, and then they have sold audiences to advertisers.
An attraction of sport programs for the major U.S. media companies is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons—the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming.
Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract male viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance.
Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars, business and personal computer, and holiday trips .This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of “company cars” and computer. With such viewers, these programs don’t need high ratings to stay on the air.Television sport programs on weekend afternoons .
| A．result in more sport events |
| B．get more viewers to play sports |
| C．bring more money to the television networks |
| D．make more people interested in television |
Why would weekend afternoons become dead time without sport programs?
| A．Because there would be few viewers |
| B．Because the advertisers would be off work |
| C．Because television programs would go slowly |
| D．Because viewers would pay less for watching television |
In many families, men make decisions on .
| A．holiday trips | B．sports viewing |
| C．television shopping | D．expensive purchases |
The ratings are not important for golf and tennis programs because .
| A．their advertisers are carmakers |
| B．their viewers are attracted by sports |
| C．their advertisers target at rich people |
| D．their viewers can afford expensive cars |
.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Television ratings are determined by male viewers. |
| B．Sports are gaining importance in advertising on television. |
| C．Rich viewers contribute most to television companies. |
| D．Commercial advertisers are the major sponsors of sport events. |
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_overconsumption 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 areas for burying 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 supermarkets 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.We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality.This is especially true of food.But it 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 we are collecting.We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture，but we have a mountain to climb.What does the underlined phrase“ that overconsumption” 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 supermarkets |
| 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. |
Global warming is when the earth heats up，the temperature rises.It happens when greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide，water vapor，nitrous oxide (二氧化氮)，and methane (沼气) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere，which increases the temperature.This is like when heat is trapped in a car.On a very hot day，the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot.This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car，by going through the windows，but it can’t get back out.Once the light is inside the car，it is trapped and the heat builds up，just like it does in the earth’s atmosphere.This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth.The heat and light can get through the atmosphere，but it can’t get out.As a result，the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us.The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on.Without it，the earth would be freezing，or on the other hand it would be burning hot.We would not get the sun’s heat and light to make the night somewhat warm.During the day，especially during the summer，it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter (过滤) it，so people，plants，and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it，if there gets to be too many gases，the earth can get unusually warmer，and many plants，animals，and people will die.They would die because there would be less food (plants like corn，wheat，and other vegetables and fruits)．This would happen because the plants would not be able to take in the heat.This would cause us to have less food to eat，but it would also limit the food that animals have.Gradually，people，plants，and animals would all die of hunger.
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming.One thing people are doing is carpooling.Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to.This minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car.
Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on like the television，computer，and the lights.A lot of people are taking time away from the television，and instead，they are spending more time outdoors.This helps our planet out a lot.Now，more people are even riding buses，walking to school，and riding their bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.
Planting trees and recycling also help.If you recycle，less trash goes to the dump，and less trash gets burned.As a result，there are fewer greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere.Although adults do many things to help stop global warming，kids can do just as much.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to________．
| A．light |
| B．heat |
| C．temperature |
| D．greeenhouse effect |
By the example given in Paragraph 1，the author wants to________．
| A．explain how greenhouse gases work |
| B．show his feeling in a car in hot summer |
| C．tell us cars are causes of greenhouse gases |
| D．say that there are greenhouse gases in every car |
What is the effect of atmosphere?
| A．It only traps the heat of the sun. |
| B．It works the same way as greenhouse gases. |
| C．It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold. |
| D．It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth. |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．If there is greenhouse effect，all the plants will die. |
| B．Human beings are likely to disappear from the earth. |
| C．Crops can’t take the heat if there is greenhouse effect. |
| D．Although greenhouse effect is necessary，too much of it causes us to die. |
Reuters—By 2010 ，the world may need to cope with as many as 50 million people who have fled their homeland，not for political or economic reasons but because the environment has been so badly changed that it cannot support life.The statement has been released by the United Nations to mark UN Disaster Reduction Day.
More people are made homeless by environmental disasters than by war，according to the research by the Red Cross.That reality is proved by the earthquake in Pakistan.
The widely publicized disaster has brought aid from the global community，according to Janos Bogardi，director of the United Nations University，Institute for Environment and Human Security.“If we can move swiftly in and give them a new start where they are，then they may stay in the area.Otherwise，they become environmental refugees (难民)．Environmentalrelated migrations are most acute in SubSaharan Africa，but they also affect millions of people in Asia and India.Meanwhile，the United States is witnessing increased pressure from victims of mismanaged and worsening soil and water conditions in Mexico and Latin America.”he says.
Janos Bogardi says these refugees suffer from the impact of gradual environmental change—global warming，sea level rise，air and water pollution and more intense storms，floods and droughts that degrade the land.This is a slow process，but unfortunately a process that is very difficult to go backwards once final damage is done.
Janos Bogardi says they are calling on the global community to recognize the serious situation of environmental refugees and to work together to lessen the impact of environmental disaster.What may be the best title of the passage?
| A．Environmental refugees—an international problem |
| B．50 Million environmental refugees by 2010 |
| C．The cause of environmental disasters |
| D．Global aid pouring in |
The underlined word “acute” in Paragraph 3 most probably means________．
| A．serious |
| B．impossible |
| C．slow |
| D．rare |
According to the passage，the following are the main reasons for migrations except________．
| A．earthquake |
| B．water conditions |
| C．global community |
| D．worsening soil |
Which is TRUE according to Janos Bogardi?
| A．Water conditions in Mexico and Latin America are the worst in the world. |
| B．People have to settle down in another new area when a disasterhappens. |
| C．Environmentalrelated migrations mostly happen in developed countries. |
| D．In some areas，people migrate elsewhere due to destroyed soil. |
The library is one of the most popular places at a western university.Students turn to it for research，conversations about class，and many other services.
Compared with Chinese libraries，college libraries in the US and UK tend to offer more resources.A postgraduate at Yale University can borrow as many as 225 books at a time.
In addition to borrowing books，there are online and electronic resources.These include a database search of popular and academic material，such as LexisNexis Academic，which offers items from newspapers and magazines.
Although books and articles are the items that students ask for most frequently，some libraries provide audio and video recordings，maps and sheet music(活页乐谱)．At some schools，teachers and tutors put electronic copies of their teaching PPTs on the library web to give easier access for students.
Another useful service in western college libraries is the Interlibrary Loan.This allows a student at one school to borrow books from another school.The loan request is made through the student’s college library，which gets the book，gives it to the user and arranges for its return.
Technology has brought more services to students and has made libraries attractive.Some universities have services for students to send messages through the computer or mobile texts to ask the library staff for information.
Earlier this year，Harvard University introduced a new Scan and Deliver service，allowing students to make requests for parts of books and articles.Requests made through the system are handled by library staff.The student receives an email with an Internet link to the scanned pages.The service is free and all material comes within four days.
It used to be that libraries didn’t allow food or drinks.But that rule is changing and many of them now contain a cafe so students can spend as much time as they want in the library.
Actually，some US university libraries are now allnight affairs，or have at least one study room open all night.In western college libraries a postgraduate can________．
| A．have a free drink or a meal |
| B．borrow as many books as they want |
| C．ask questions and get answers from their tutors |
| D．access not only books but other study resources |
LexisNexis Academic is the name of a ________．
| A．guide |
| B．library |
| C．database |
| D．university |
Which of the following are mostly needed by students in western libraries?
| A．Books and articles. |
| B．Audio and video recordings. |
| C．Maps and sheet music. |
| D．Tutors’ teaching PPTs. |
How can a college student borrow books from other colleges’ libraries?
| A．By going to these libraries. |
| B．By getting them through the Internet. |
| C．By borrowing them through their own library. |
| D．By sending messages through the computer or mobile texts. |
Are you nervous about climbing because you think it’s too dangerous? Do you feel you’re not fit enough to climb? Do you know how to start climbing?
Let’s consider the idea that climbing is dangerous. Being afraid is natural, but if you use suitable ropes and other climbing equipment you will feel completely safe.Climbers are usually very careful because they know what they are doing is dangerous. Accidents happen, but when they do, they tend to attract a lot of publicity. As a result, people think there are many more accidents than there are in reality.
You cannot expect to start climbing straight away.Climbing is a challenge and challenges take time. It is necessary first of all that you achieve a good level of fitness.Begin as soon as you become interested in climbing － go to the gym, go swimming, take up jogging and continue to do so throughout your training period.
Discover as much as you can about climbing. Visit the library and find books, especially for beginners or buy climbing magazines and look for articles which describe your situation. Look up information on the Internet. Find out about equipment, methods and places to go.
Next，take a course on a climbing wall. There are plenty of climbing walls all over the country which have trained and qualified people as instructors. Call you local leisure centre to find out if there is one in you area.These training sessions are a quick way to get experience and you are likely to meet other beginners.After this，you can do an outside course of joining a club where you can meet climbers of all abilities and eventually join in groupclimbing events.
At first you may not understand the importance of a good training period，but after you have completed your first climb and you are standing safely at the top of a rock feeling thrilled，then you will know it was the right thing to do.The text is probably written by a(n)________．
| A．doctor |
| B．experienced climber |
| C．beginner |
| D．fitness instructor |
The writer thinks a new climber should________．
| A．begin by becoming fit |
| B．meet the challenges right away |
| C．be aware of the causes of the accidents |
| D．do enough sports to get interested in climbing |
By climbing walls you can________．
| A．join a club you like |
| B．gain climbing experience |
| C．become qualified instructors |
| D．take part in groupclimbing events |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably means________．
| A．the climb |
| B．the training |
| C．the equipment |
| D．the achievement |