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One of the world's richest men has taken a close interest in one of man’s most basic functions: visiting the toilet.Bill Gates’s charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world.
So, what's wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water.Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution.This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations.Younger people are particularly at risk.Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1.5 million children a year.Finally, standard lavatories simply aren’t practical in remote areas.
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank(化粪池).It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents.28 designs were displayed at the recent Reinvent the Toilet Fair in Seattle, USA.Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing.
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity.The team from the California Institute of Technology(CIT)picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn’t feel he’s flushing money down the toilet.After the Seattle event he said, “We, couldn’t be happier with the response we’ve gotten,” Gates has even pledged $370m more to the future toilet project.They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years.
Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?

A.Because he wants to test people’s sense of creativity.
B.Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people.
C.Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion.
D.Because he can’t design this kind of things himself.

Which of the following is NOT a problem with the traditional flush toilet?

A.They waste too much water.
B.They might cause diseases.
C.They are not always practical.
D.They are too complicated to use.

The underlined word “latrine” in the third paragraph might have similar meanings to the word “__ ”n the text.

A.Loo B.sanitation C.diarrhea D.prototype

The team from CIT won the prize because their design        .

A.can change human waste into electricity
B.can turn human waste into charcoal
C.can produce power with solar energy
D.can use urine for flushing

If someone “flush money down the toilet”, they are       .

A.showing off their wealth
B.being angry with their work onditions
C.wasting money for nothing
D.expressing their great determination
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
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C
You either have it, or you don’t— a sense of direction, that is. But why is it that some people could find their way across the Sahara without a map, while others can lose themselves in the next street?
Scientists say we’re all born with a sense of direction, but it is not properly understood how it works. One theory is that people with a good sense of direction have simply worked harder at developing it. Research being carried out at Liverpool University supports this idea and suggests that if we don’t use it, we lose it.
“Children as young as seven have the ability to find their way around. Says Jim Martland, Research Director of the project. “However, if they are not allowed out alone or are taken everywhere by car, they never develop the skills.”
Jim Martland also emphasizes that young people should be taught certain skills to improve their sense of direction. He makes the following suggestions:
If you are using a map, turn it so it relates to the way you are facing.
If you leave your bike in a strange place, put it near something like a big stone or a tree. Note landmarks on the route as you go away from your bike. When you return, go back along the same route.
Simplify the way of finding your direction by using lines such as streets in a town. Streams, or walls in the countryside to guide you. Count your steps so that you know how far you have gone and note any landmarks such as tower blocks or hills which can help to find out where you are.
Now you need never get lost again!
64. Scientists believe that ______.
A. some babies are born with a sense of direction
B. people learn a sense of direction as they grow older
C. people never lose their sense of direction
D. everybody possesses a sense of direction from birth
65. What is true of seven-year-old children according to the passage?
A. They never have a sense of direction without maps.
B. They should never be allowed out alone if they lack a sense of direction.
C. They have a sense of direction and can find their way around.
D. They can develop a good sense or direction if they are driven around in a car.
66. If you leave your bike in a strange place, you should ______.
A. tie it to a tree so as to present it from being stolen.
B. draw a map of the route to help remember where it is.
C. avoid taking the same route when you come back to it.
D. remember something easily recognized on the route.
67. According to the passage, the best way to find your way around is to ______.
A. ask policemen for directions.
B. use walls, streams and streets to guide yourself.
C. remember your route by looking out for steps and stairs.
D. count the number of landmarks that you see.

B
The medical world is gradually realising that the quality of the environment in the hospital may play an important role in helping patients to get better.
As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places, some of the country’s best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard edges of modern buildings.
These recent movements were first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital on northeastern England during the early 1970s. He felt that the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by a wider audience.
A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5,000 visitors each week. What a better place to hold regular exhibitions of art! The effect is striking. Now in the passages and waiting rooms, the visitor experiences a full view of fresh colours, playful images and restful courtyards.
The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that patients who had a view of garden needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.
60. Some artists have been gathered to ________.
A. pull down older hospitals and build up new ones
B. make the corners of the hospital building round
C. bring art into hospitals
D. help patients recover from illnesses
61. From this passage, we learn that ________.
A. artists in Britain have completely lost their places in modern society
B. it is encouraged to place art works in British hospitals
C. hospitals in Britain should be changed into art museums
D. patients should be encouraged to learn art
62. After the improvement of the hospital environment, patients ________.
A. need fewer pain killers when recovering from illnesses
B. no longer need drugs to ease their pains
C. needn’t buy any expensive drugs
D. can take fewer pills each time
63. It can be inferred from this passage that ________.
A. hospital artists have done a great deal for patients
B. the role of hospital environment is being recognised
C. hospitals in Britain look more beautiful than those in other countries
D. exhibitions of art in hospitals attract more audience than those in museums

第三部分: 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A
When I was struggling with cancer a few years ago, my wife and I formed our own “couple caution circle”. Anytime a doctor came with news of my progress, my wife would give me a big hug. The reports were seldom good during the early stages of my illness. One day a doctor brought particularly frightening news. Staring at my reports, the doctor said in a low voice, “It doesn’t look like you’re going to make it.”
Before I could ask him a question, my wife stood up, handed me my clothes, adjusted the tubes fastened to my body and said, “Let’s get out of here. This man is a risk to your health.” As she helped me struggle to the door, the doctor came near us. “Stay back,” demanded my wife. “Stay away from us.”
As we walked together down the hall, the doctor attempted to catch up with us. “Keep going,” said my wife. “We’re going to talk to someone who really knows what is going on.” Then she held up her hand to the doctor, “Don’t come any closer to us.”
The two of us moved as one. We found a doctor who gave us hope, even though the diagnosis was bad. I could never have made that walk toward wellness alone.
56. From the passage we learn ________.
A. when the wife learned her husband would not make it, she went crazy
B. the wife’s decision in crisis contributed to the husband’s wellness
C. the husband was diagnosed with cancer by mistake, which upset him
D. the husband became weaker as a result of the doctor’s poor treatment
57. What’s the writer’s feeling when he wrote the passage?
A. Angry. B. Thankful. C. Excited. D. Sad.
58. It can be inferred from the passage that the ________.
A. wife was hard to get along with
B. doctor was a dangerous man
C. wife loved her husband very much
D. husband believed everything would be OK
59. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. A Happy Couple in Crisis
B. Struggle with Cancer
C. In Crisis, Be Positive
D. Don’t Believe the Doctor


E
“NOW I just don't believe that." Surely all of us, at some point, have watched a movie and thought: It's simply badly researched, or, the makers must think we're idiots (白痴).
Recently, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph ran a humorous piece on unconvincing(不让人信服的) tech moments from some top movies. Let's see what all the fuss (激动) is about.
Telegraph writer Tom Chiver's first example is from the end-of-the-world movie Independence Day, in which a character comes up with a virus capable of destroying Windows, the computer system the alien spacecraft uses. “It's a good thing they didn't have Norton Antivirus,” jokes Chivers.
It's just one case of a movie that takes a lot of license with its science. Another one Chivers mentions is from Star Wars, where glowing beams (闪亮的光束) of light traveling through space look very impressive. The problem is that in space there are no air particles (粒子) for the light to reflect off. In reality, they'd be invisible, which wouldn't look so cool on the big screen.
Chiver's second piece of Star Wars nonsense is the sound the fighters make in the movies: “the bellow (咆哮) of an elephant mixed with a car driving on a wet road”. But sound needs a medium (介质) to travel through, like air. In space, there wouldn't actually be any sound at all.
Few people would deny that the mind-bending Matrix films make for great viewing, but for Chivers, the science in the movies is a little silly.
He comments “…the film is based on the idea that humans are kept alive as electricity generator (发电机). This is not just unlikely – it's fundamentally impossible. They would need more energy to stay alive than they would produce. It's like saying you'll power your car with batteries, and keep the batteries charged by running a dynamo (发电机) from the wheels.”
And finally: as Chivers points out, DNA is not replaceable. But this bit of elementary genetics (遗传学) passed the makers of the 2002 Bond film Die Another Day by. In the film the villain (坏人) has “gene therapy (疗法)” to change his appearance and his DNA, which is completely impossible.
71. The following are all movies mentioned in the article except _______.
A. Die Another Day. B. Matrix C. Star War D. Norton Antivirus
72. Chivers uses the car as an example to show that _______.
A. cars can’t be powered by batteries
B. humans consume more power that they could have made
C. the villain has “gene therapy” to change his appearance and his DNA
D. it would take so much power to keep humans alive by electricity generator that it’s hardly possible
73. Which of the following is a scientific fact?
A. No virus can destroy Windows.
B. Light can be reflected with the help of air particles.
C. DNA is replaceable as long as there is enough energy.
D. We can design a car powered with batteries which are charged from the wheels.
74. What kind of people Chivers may be?
A. Humorous. B. Brave. C. Sensitive. D. Careless.
75. Chivers probably writes the article in order to _______.
A. persuade people not to watch some silly movies
B. criticize movie makers’ carelessness
C. provide readers with something to read for fun
D. educate the public on some basic scientific knowledge


D
When I saw a big handmade signboard “Welcome Yuxin” at the airport, I knew I had found a caring family at the other side of the world – the United States.
My host mom had already decorated (装饰) my room for me. There was a doll on one side of the room, and a bookcase full of books on the other – they had heard I loved reading. Mom had also prepared a keyboard for me, since she knew that I played the piano.
My life in the family did not go so well at first. Because I am the only child in my family in China, I was not used to having two younger kids – Zachary and Grace – running around me yelling (大喊大叫) all the time.
Mom had a serious talk with me about this problem on a Sunday afternoon. She told me: “You can’t just come home from school every day, go to your room and do your homework. You need to be part of this family. You need to play with my kids for at least an hour.” This rule was very annoying (烦人的) at first. I did not have much experience playing with children.
However, the more time I spent with the kids, the more I grew to love them. We played games and read books together. I even taught them Chinese. Thanks to Mom’s rule, I began to feel like I was really part of the family.
Mom also inspired (启发) me to live a healthier life. She got up early every morning to go running. On weekends, she took the whole family to visit parks or go camping.
I did not like sports much when I was back home, but now I love to join all kinds of sports. I am healthier and more confident too.
With my American family, I found joy and laughter. I learned to live with energy and optimism (乐观) thanks to the care and responsibility of my loving American parents.
68. From Paragraph 2, we can see that _______.
A. the host mom was good at decorating rooms
B. Yuxin was fond of American dolls
C. the host mom tried hard to make Yuxin feel at home
D. Yuxin kept busy with a lot of hobbies
69. What led Yuxin to feel like she was really part of the family?
A. Yuxin’s talks with her host parents.
B. Having to join in sports with the family.
C. The host mom’s rule about playing with the kids.
D. Enjoying weekends with the host family.
70. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Yuxin’s life with her American host family went very smoothly from the beginning.
B. The host mom cared about Yuxin’s overall development.
C. The host family’s two children didn’t like Yuxin at all.
D. Yuxin didn’t notice what the host family did for her.

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