A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone, you will be able to bury it in a garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物所能分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and is able to change shape. Over time it can also break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms fertilizers. These feed the seed and help the flower grow.
Engineers have designed a small transparent (透明的) window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time.” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly, people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists.
“The seed comes out and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it.” said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain.What is the purpose of this passage? _____
| A．To tell the popularity of biodegradable cell phones. |
| B．To persuade the reader to buy the biodegradable cell phone. |
| C．To discuss the development of phone technology |
| D．To introduce an environment-friendly cell phone to readers. |
People throw away their cell phones most probably because ____
| A．there is something wrong with them |
| B．no sunflowers can grow out of them |
| C．they are out of fashion |
| D．they are becoming cheaper and cheaper |
It could be learned from the passage that ____.
| A．developing the new type of phone is mainly to protect the environment |
| B．phone-makers will benefit much more from the new type of phone |
| C．the new type of phone will certainly be popular with users all over the world. |
| D．the phones that can be recycled are available only in Britain now |
What might be the most suitable title for this passage?
| A．Sunflower and Phone | B．Plant Your Phone |
| C．Protect Our Environment | D．NO Worry about Phone |
D
A husband-and-wife team from California reached the Pacific Ocean after a 4,900- mile-cross
-country walk, becoming the first to backpack the American Discovery Trail in one continuous
walk.
Marcia and Ken powers, of Pleasanton, started the travel across 13 states, through 14 national parks and 16 national forests on Feb. 27 from Cape Henlopen in Delaware. Nearly eight months later, the excited couple walked through water into the Pacific Ocean at Point Reyes, a day ahead of time.
“We are a little sad that a great adventure is over. It was a fantastic adventure. And now we go home and just do housework. It's really sad.” Marcia, who said she's in her 50s, and her 60-year-old husband traversed cities, desert, mountains and farmland before reaching the Pacifics alone with arms around each other' s backpacks.
They overcame deep snow in the East, a quicksand in Utah, close lightning strikes in the Mid- west and strong desert sandstorms in the West while averaging 22 miles a day and taking only four days off. But they enjoyed the French history of St. Louis' the beauty of the Colorado Rockies and the kindness of strangers they met along the way. They particularly remember two brothers ---- a
doctor and dentist-------who put them up in their homes, after terrible days, and a motorcyclist who gave them water after they failed to find any on Utah's lonely Wah Wah Desert.
“Americans are truly warm-hearted and wonderful people.” Marcia Powers said. “We got to meet people that we would never meet in our daily living at home. We got to touch it with our feet and hands and smell all its scents and hear its wildlife. It' s an amazing country,” she added.
68. Which of the following about couple's walk is TRUE?
A. The walk covered more than 13 states.
B. The walk lasted about half a year.
C. The walk didn't meet any desert.
D. The walk might end before October 27.
69. The underlined word “traversed” in the third paragraph means “____________.”
A. enjoy B. move across, through or over
C. overcome D. look at
70. According to the text, we can infer that during the walk the couple __________.
A. were treated warm-heartedly by the local people
B. never stopped to have a rest
C. were ever caught in a heavy rain and became ill
D. felt the quicksand in Utah was very interesting
71. The couple went through many places except ____________.
A. big rivers B. desert C. hills D. fields
B
Academy Awards The Academy Awards are the most prominent film award in the United States. The Awards are granted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy Awards are nicknamed “Oscars” , which is also the nickname of the statuette. The name is said to have been born in 1931 when Margaret Herrick saw the statuette on a table and said. “It looks just like my uncle Oscar!”
Berlin Film Festival One of the “A” festivals in Europe. The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the “Berlinale”, is held annually in February and started in 1951 after an initiative of the American, who occupied part of the city after World War II. The jury always placed special emphasis on representing films from all over the world, from the former Eastern Bloc Countries (东方阵营) as well as from Western countries.The awards are called Golden and Silver Bears ( as the bear is the symbol of Berlin).
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival takes place every year in late August/early September on the Lido in the historic Palazzo del Cinema, in Venice, Italy since 1932; its main award is the “Leond'Oro” (Golden Lion). Recently, a new award has been added, the San Marco Award for the best film
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival is. a famous international film festival. It has been held annually in Cannes, in the south of France, since 1946 with a few exceptions. Given massive media exposure, the Festival is attended by many movie stars and is a popular venue for movie producers to launch their new films and attempt to sell their works to the distributors who come from all over the globe.
The most famous award given out at Carmes is the “Palme d'Or” (Golden Palm) for the best film; this is sometimes shared by multiple films in one year.
60. Which award can be shared by multiple films in one year?
A. Golden Lion. B. Golden Palm.
C. Academy Awards. D. San Marco Award.
61. Which of the following statements about “Oscars” is NOT true?
A. It s the nickname of Academy Awards.
B. It's also the nickname of the statuette.
C. It got its name because Margaret said the statuette looked like her uncle.
D. It s an award in France.
62. Which award has the shortest history?
A. Golden Lion. B. Golden Palm.
C. Academy Awards. D. San Marco Award.
63. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?
A. An introduction to famous film festivals and film awards.
B. An advertisement for films and TV programs.
C. An introduction to the nicknames of famous film awards.
D. A guide of bow to attend famous film festivals.
E
One bitterly cold day, a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood, I quickly set out with my best friend, Bruce, to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of dangers.
When I chose a big 23-meter-tall tree and prepared to cut it down, my best friend suddenly warned me,“Don’t cut down that tree! It’s too close to the power line!”I wasn’t sure about it. So I decided to disregard his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell, there was no longer any doubt whether my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line, bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all, electricity can’t travel through wood, so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree, pain ran up my arm and through my head. I had been shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened, she quickly called the power company. Workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree, and when I told him I had, his face turned pale.
“You should have been killed,”he said.
So why am I still alive? It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours, the workers removed the tree. Soon the snowstorm calmed down—but not my mother.
Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt, my mother was still serious with me. After all, I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning.
Through this experience, I learned it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. Taking the time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the“shock of my life.”
57．The underlined word“disregard”in the second paragraph means“___________.”
A．pay no attention to B．take notice of C．consider D．follow
58．In spite of Bruce’s warning, the author still cut the tree because___________.
A．he was sure there would be nothing to happen
B．he knows electricity can’t travel through wood
C．he didn’t hear his friend’s warning at all because of the blowing wind
D．he wasn’t sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home
59．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．But for his boots, the writer would have died.
B．The writer regretted having brushed off his friend’s warning.
C．The writer knew nothing about electricity.
D．When the tree was cut down, the writer realized his friend was right.
60．The author wrote the passage mainly to .
A．give an account of one of his terrible experiences
B．make us know it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective through his experience
C．tell us not to cut trees down any more
D．remind us to be careful while working
D
Reading poems is not exactly an everyday activity for most people．In fact, many people never read a poem once they get out of high school．
It is worth reminding ourselves that this has not always been the case in America．In the nineteenth century, a usual American activity was to sit around the fireside in the evening and read poems aloud．It is true that there was no television at the time, nor movie theaters, nor World Wide Web, to provide diversion．However, poems were a source of pleasure, of self-education, of connection to other people or to the world beyond one’s own community．Reading them was a social act as well as an individual one, and perhaps even more social than individual．Writing poems to share with friends and relations was, like reading poems by the fireside, another way in which poetry has a place in everyday life．
How did things change? Why are most Americans no longer comfortable with poetry, and why do most people today think that a poem has nothing to tell them and that they can do well without poems?
There are, I believe, three factors：poets, teachers, and we ourselves．Of these, the least important is the third: the world surrounding the poem has betrayed us more than we have betrayed the poem．Early in the twentieth century, poetry in English headed into directions unfavorable to the reading of poetry．Readers decided that poems were not for the fireside or the easy chair at night, and that they belonged where other difficult-to-read things belonged．
Poets failed the reader, so did teachers．They want their students to know something about the skills of a poem, they want their students to see that poems mean something. Yet what usually occurs when teachers push these concerns on their high school students is that young people decide poems are unpleasant crossword puzzles．
53. Reading poems is thought to be a social act in the nineteenth century because___________．
A. it built a link among people B. it helped unite a community
C. it was a source of self-education D. it was a source of pleasure
54. The underlined word “diversion” most probably means “___________”．
A. concentration B. change C. amusements D. stories
55. According to the passage, what is the main cause of the great gap between readers and poetry?
A. Students are becoming less interested in poetry．
B. Students are poorly educated in high school．
C. TV and the Internet are more attractive than poetry．
D. Poems have become difficult to understand．
56. In the last paragraph, the writer question___________．
A. the difficulty in studying poems B. the way poems are taught in school
C. students’ wrong ideas about poetry D. the techniques used in writing poem
C
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle (婴儿包) was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she held her breath—the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy … called me—a f-…freak.” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president but for that. He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor. Could nothing be done? “I believe we could transplant on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated ,” the doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” said the father.
The operation was brilliantly successfull. His talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of successes. Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交) service. “But I must know!” he urged his father. “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet.” The years kept the secret, but the day did come … one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(灵柩). Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret.
49.The story is mainly about _______.
A．how a boy had new ears through an operation
B．what a devoted parent privately did for the child
C．how a disabled boy turned into a useful person
D．why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy
50.From the first paragraph we know that the mother _______.
A．was determined to donate her ears to perfect her son
B．kept her husband unknown about the baby’s situation
C．felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby
D．complained of her bad luck to have a disabled child
51.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The agreement was between the donator and the family.
B．The boy was so popular that he was made class president.
C．Finally the boy came to know who the donator was.
D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died.
52.What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
A．Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known.
B．It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul.
C．True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance.
D．It is a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful.