GU Zhaodi, 60, had taken water for granted for years. In fact, no one in the beautiful lake city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province had bothered to spare a thought on water.
But all that changed dramatically overnight last month when taps in the city ran dry. Due to a blue-green algae(藻类) outbreak in Taihu Lake, China’s third largest freshwater lake and the source of drinking water for 4 million Wuxi residents(居民),water from the city’s taps became dark and smelly.
“I can’t believe there is no water for drinking, let alone cooking and washing,”said Gu.
The lake was blanketed with the algae, giving off a strong smell of rotting meat. A stone thrown into it took a long time to sink. Experts said that algae usually boom because of hot water and rich chemicals like phosphor(磷)in the water.
“High temperature and a lack of rain in the past few months helped the growth of algae,”said Zhang Lijun, an official from the State Environment Protection Administration. “However, pollution from human activity should be most blamed for the disaster.”
Taihu Lake is surrounded by many small factories, whichsprang up in the 1980s.Inthe 1990s,many foreign-funded(外资的) companies joined in. The industries prospered(繁荣),Wuxi has grown into one of the wealthiest cities in East China.
But that came at the price of pollution. The lake was treated like a waste dump(垃圾堆),with factories emptying industrial waste and untreated sewage(污水)into it.
Although, after the government's effort, life in the city has gone back to normal, the one-week crisis(危机)rang a bell for the government and local people.“It's time to rebuild the beauty of nature, or our lives will be at risk,”said Gu.
“A safe environment comes first. Economic growth will be nothing without fresh water to drink and clean air to breathe.” said China Daily.The following can not help the blue green algae grow______
A.high water temperature | B.rich chemicals in the water |
C.a lack of rain | D.plentiful water and sunshine |
What can we learn from the passage?
A.The one-week disaster has made the local people realize the importance of building a beautiful city. |
B.It is human activity rather than the algae that is to blame for the water pollution. |
C.Only when the environment is safe and friendly can man live a better and healthier life. |
D.Environment should be taken into consideration first if a city plans to develop its economic. |
According to the passage ,Taihu Lake________
A.is the third largest lake in China. |
B.is surrounded by many foreign-funded factories and companies. |
C.used to be a waste dump. |
D.suffered from industrial waste,untreated sewage and algae. |
The underlined phrase “sprang up” in the sixth paragraph means______
A.develop quickly | B.produce goods quickly |
C.come to life | D.grow up |
Open Letter to an Editor
I had an interesting conversation with a reporter recently---one who works for you. In fact, he's one of your best reporters. He wants to leave.
Your reporter gave me a copy of his resume (简历) and photocopies of six stories that he wrote for you. The headlines showed you played them proudly. With great enthusiasm, he talked about how he finds issues (问题), approaches them, and writes about them, which tells me he is one of your best. I'm sure you would hate to lose him. Surprisingly, your reporter is not unhappy. In fact, he told me he really likes his job. He has a great assignment (分工), and said you run a great paper. It would be easy for you to keep him, he said. He knows that the paper values him. He appreciates the responsibility you've given him, takes ownership of his profession, and enjoys his freedom.
So why is he looking for a way out?
He talked to me because he wants his editors to demand so much more of him. He wants to be pushed, challenged, coached to new heights.
The reporter believes that good stories spring from good questions, but his editors usually ask how long the story will be, when it will be in, where it can play, and what the budget is.
He longs for conversations with an editor who will help him turn his good ideas into great ones. He wants someone to get excited about what he's doing and to help him turn his story idea upside down and inside out, exploring the best ways to report it. He wants to be more valuable for your paper. That's what you want for him, too, isn't it?
So your reporter has set me thinking.
Our best hope in keeping our best reporters, copy editors, photographers, artists---everyone--is to work harder to make sure they get the help they are demanding to reach their potential. If we can't do it, they'll find someone who can.What does the writer think of the reporter?
A.Optimistic. |
B.Imaginative. |
C.Ambitious. |
D.Proud. |
What does the reporter want most from his editors in their talks?
A.Finding the news value of his stories. |
B.Giving him financial support. |
C.Helping him to find issues. |
D.Improving his good ideas. |
Who probably wrote the letter?
A.An editor. |
B.An artist. |
C.A reporter. |
D.A reader. |
The letter aims to remind editors that they should __
A.keep their best reporters at all costs |
B.give more freedom to their reporters |
C.be aware of their reporters' professional development |
D.appreciate their reporters' working styles and attitudes |
I hated dinner parties. But I decided to give them another shot because I'm in London. And my friend Mallery invited me. And because dinner parties in London are very different from those back in New York. There, '“I’m having a dinner party' means: "I'm booking a table for 12 at a restaurant you can't afford and we'll be sharing the checque evenly, no matter what you eat." Worse, in Manhattan there is always someone who leaves before the bill arrives. They'll throw down cash, half of what they owe, and then people like me, who don’t drink, end up paying even more. But if I try to use the same trick, the hostess will shout: "Where are you going?" And it's not like I can say I have somewhere to go: everyone know I have nowhere to go.
But in London, dinner parties are in people's homes. Not only that, the guests are an interesting mix. The last time I went to one, the guests were from France, India. Denmark and Nigeria; it was like a gathering at the United Nations in New York. The mix is less striking. It's like a gathering at Bloomingdale's, a well-known department store.
For New Yorkers, talking about other parts of the world means Brooklyn and Queens in New York. But at Mallery's, when I said that I had been to Myanmar recently, people knew where it was. In New York people would think it was a usual new clubWhat does the word "shot" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A.Choice. |
B.Try |
C.Style. |
D.Goal |
What does the writer dislike most about dinner parties in New York?
A There is a strange mix of people.
B. The restaurants are expensive.
C. The bill is not fairly shared.
D. People have to pay cashWhat does the author think of the parties in London?
A. A bit unusual
B.Full of tricks.
C.Less costly.
D More interesting.What is the author's opinion of some New Yorkers from her experience?
A.Easy-going. |
B.Self-centred. |
C.Generous. |
D.Conservative. |
It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. The told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other place.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a batter future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(杀虫剂) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job---eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.From paragraph I we learn that the villagers __________.
A.worked very hard for centuries |
B.dreamed of having a better life |
C.were poor but somewhat content |
D.lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
A.the frogs were easy money |
B.They needs money to buy medicine |
C.they wanted to please the visitors |
D.the frogs made too much noise |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
A.the crops didn’t do well |
B.there were too many insects |
C.the visits brought in diseases |
D.the pesticides were overused |
What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
A.Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country |
B.Health is more important than money |
C.The harmony between man and nature is important |
D.good old day will never be forgotten |
Forty years ago Sadie left her drunk and violent husband. Needing shelter (住所)for herself and her young son, she took a job as a doorkeeper in a housing project for people. It meant she could live "on site" in one of the .
Eventually, she got to know the residents (居民).One resident, Archie, didn't have a family of his own, his nephew's wife and her naughty kids would drop in from time to time. They were there to help the old guy.
Sadie helped care for Archie as he illness and it was she who called the who diagnosed (诊断)his deadly cancer. time passing, Sadie's son up, got married and settled several hundred miles away. Sadie and moved into a nice little house of her own. To the loneliness, she took in a series of over the years.
A heavy fall of snow came a year and a half ago. She was pleased when a neighbor to walk her current dog, Muffin, until the weather improved. Each day he would a while talking to her,making sure she was OK, and if she needed anything.
Although she had known him for a long time, Sadie thought to wonder what his last name was. This morning she asked. His surname was the same old Archie's. It brought back a memory and she talked about the . She told him about working at the old residents' flats and was to discover the man who had been "caring" for her for the past year and a half had been one of the little kids who used to run on his way to visit "Uncle Archie".
She had cared for his family, now he was caring for her. ② of them knew it until that moment but they were living proof of the old saying, "What goes around comes around, "and the of kindness will not be broken.
A.poor | B.senior | C.disabled | D.unfortunate |
A.groceries | B.stadiums | C.flats | D.cages |
A.otherwise | B.but | C.though | D.because |
A.battled | B.banned | C.cured | D.beat |
A.servant | B.master | C.neighbor | D.doctor |
A.As | B.Since | C.With | D.When |
A.grew | B.got | C.went | D.came |
A.complained | B.retired | C.fired | D.hesitated |
A.refuse | B.reduce | C.stop | D.escape |
A.programs | B.projects | C.birds | D.dogs |
A.attempted | B.declared | C.offered | D.wished |
A.spend | B.cost | C.take | D.spare |
A.observing | B.requiring | C.indicating | D.checking |
A.often | B.never | C.sometimes | D.once |
A.to | B.from | C.as | D.of |
A.coincidence | B.comprehension | C.tradition | D.statement |
A.puzzled | B.frightened | C.concerned | D.surprised |
A.calling | B.screaming | C.barking | D.whispering |
A.All | B.None | C.Neither | D.Both |
A.custom | B.glory | C.pattern | D.circle |
Muzak
The next time you go into a bank, a store, or a supermarket, stop and listen. What do you hear? ____1__ It’s similar to the music you listen to, but it’s not exactly the same. That’s because this music was especially designed to relax you, or to give you extra energy. Sometimes you don’t even realize the music is playing, but you react to the music anyway.
Quiet background music used to be called “elevator (电梯) music” because we often heard it in elevators. But lately we hear it in more and more places, and it has a new name “Muzak”. About one-third of the people in America listen to “Muzak” every day. The music plays for 15 minutes at a time, with short pauses in between. It is always more lively between ten and eleven in the morning, and between three and four in the afternoon, when people are more tired. ____2____.
If you listen to Muzak carefully, you will probably recognize the names of many of the songs. Some musicians or songwriters don’t want their songs to be used as Muzak, but others are happy when their songs are chosen. Why? ____3__.
Music is often played in public places because it is designed to make people feel less lonely when they are in an airport or a hotel. It has been proven that Muzak does what it is designed to do. Tired office workers suddenly have more energy when they hear the pleasant sound of Muzak in the background. 4 Supermarket shoppers buy 38 percent more groceries.
___5__. They say it’s boring to hear the same songs all the time. But other people enjoy hearing Muzak in public places. They say it helps them relax and feel calm. One way or another, Muzak affects everyone. Some farmers even say their cows give more milk when they hear Muzak!
A.Some people don’t like Muzak. |
B.The music gives them extra energy. |
C.Music is playing in the background. |
D.Factory workers produce 13 percent more. |
E. Muzak tends to help people understand music better.
F. They get as much as $4 million a year if their songs are used.
G. Muzak is played in most of the big supermarkets in the world.