CHENGDU,Sept.25(Xinhua)China’s-优题课

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Since the earliest civilizations, people have controlled rivers to meet society’s demands. Today, rivers are controlled for many reasons, primarily to maintain reliable water supplies for daily, agricultural and industrial needs, for power generation, for navigation(航行), and to prevent flooding.
River control is achieved by channelization, a term that covers a range of river engineering works, including widening, deepening, straightening and stabilization of banks, and by the construction of dams.
An important period of channelization took place in Europe during the 19^th century, when many large rivers were straightened and their beds deepened. One of the most dramatically changed was the Tisza River, a branch of the Danube that flows through Hungary. The controlling of the Tisza, designed to reduce flooding and make land for agriculture, included cutting off more than 100 meanders(河曲), shortening the river’s length by nearly 400 kilometers.
One of the most common ways in which people control rivers is by damming them. The past 50 years or so has seen an increase in dam construction worldwide, and at the beginning of the 21^st century, there were about 800,000 dams globally, some towering more than 200 meters in height.
Despite their successes, many dams also cause significant environmental changes that prove harmful. Some particularly deep reservoirs(水库)can bring about earthquakes due to the stress on their bottom rocks caused by huge volumes of water. Downstream of a reservoir, the river is certainly influenced in many ways: water volume, speed and quality are all affected, leading to changes in the landscape and among plants and animals.

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Simon Sinek is naturally shy and doesn’t like speaking to crowds. At parties, he says he hides alone in the corner or doesn’t even show up in the first place. He prefers the latter. Yet, with some 22 million video views under his belt, the optimistic ethnographer also happens to be the third most-watched TED Talks presenter of all time.
Sinek’s unlikely success as both an inspirational speaker and a bestselling author isn’t just dumb luck. It’s the result of fears faced and erased, trial and error and tireless practice, on and off stage. Here are his secrets for delivering speeches that inspire, inform and entertain.
Don’t talk right away.
Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage. “A lot of people start talking right away, and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says. “That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear.”
Instead, quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. “I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says, “but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation.”
Show up to give, not to take.
Often people give presentations to sell products or ideas, to get people to follow them on social media, buy their books or even just to like them. Sinek calls these kinds of speakers “takers,” and he says audiences can see through these people right away. And, when they do, they disengage.
“We are highly social animals,” says Sinek. “Even at a distance on stage, we can tell if you’re a giver or a taker, and people are more likely to trust a giver — a speaker that gives them value, that teaches them something new, that inspires them — than a taker.”
Speak unusually slowly.
When you get nervous, it’s not just your heart beat that quickens. Your words also tend to speed up. Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know.
“They want you to succeed up there, but the more you rush, the more you turn them off,” he says. “If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long, deep breath, they’ll wait for you. It’s kind of amazing.”
Turn nervousness into excitement.
Sinek learned this trick from watching the Olympics. A few years ago he noticed that reporters interviewing Olympic athletes before and after competing were all asking the same question. “Were you nervous?” And all of the athletes gave the same answer: “No, I was excited.” These competitors were taking the body’s signs of nervousness — clammy hands, pounding heart and tense nerves — and reinterpreting them as side effects of excitement and exhilaration.
When you’re up on stage you will likely go through the same thing. That’s when Sinek says you should say to yourself out loud, “I’m not nervous, I’m excited!”
Say thank you when you’re done.
Applause is a gift, and when you receive a gift, it’s only right to express how grateful you are for it. This is why Sinek always closes out his presentations with these two simple yet powerful words: thank you.
“They gave you their time, and they’re giving you their applause.” Says Sinek. “That’s a gift, and you have to be grateful.”

Passage outline	Supporting details
to Simon Sinek	●He is byshy and dislikes making speeches in public. ●Through hiseffort, he enjoys great success in giving speeches.
Tips on delivering speeches	●Avoid talking for it indicates you’re nervous. ●Keep calm and wait a few seconds before talking, which will create an that you are confident.
●Try to be a giver rather than a taker because inwith a taker, a giver can get more popular and accepted. ●Teach audience something new that they canfrom.
●Speak a bit slowly just to help you stay calm. ●Never speed up while speaking in case youthe audience.
●Switch nervousness to excitement by the example of Olympic athletes.
●Express yourto the audience for their time and applause to conclude your speech.

Many Americans concerned about air pollution are demanding cleaner and cheaper supplies of energy. The demand has resulted in increased research about ethanol fuel. Ethanol is an alcohol that can be mixed with gas. It burns up most of the pollutants in gas. It replaced some of the chemicals that are known to cause cancer.
Some experts say that in the future ethanol will replace some of the oil imported into America. Today ethanol is less than one percent of the total American fuel supply. The head of the National Corn Growers Association, Kieve Hars, says ethanol will provide twenty five percent of the fuel supply by 2010. The organization is involved in the production of ethanol because it can be made from corn.
One company in American Midwest says it is starting to produce ethanol because of demands from people and from the government. The Congress approved the Clean Air Act in 1990. The company says this means the market for ethanol will expand. The company is a major producer of corn starch (淀粉) that can be used to make ethanol.
At Texas University, Professor Mark Holzapple produces ethanol from materials found in solid waste. He has developed a way to turn materials like paper into simple sugar. He then uses yeast (酵母) to turn the sugar into ethanol. Professor Holzappple says two hundred liters of ethanol fuel can be produced from one ton of solid waste.
A professor at the University of Arkansas, John Geddie, is exploring another way to make ethanol. He is using acids on paper material. He says a large factory could produce ethanol from waste paper about the same cost of that of gasoline.
Environmentalists support the use of ethanol because it turns waste into a useful product. Professor Holzapple says law makers in industrial nations need to support the development of this renewable fuel of the future.
根据上面的短文填空，一空一词。
Title: Ethanol: __________________________ and Cheap Fuel

Definition and uses	A kind of __________	It can be mixed with gas.
It helps remove some _________ pollutants from gas.
It replaces some chemicals known to cause ________.
It will take the place of ___________________ .
Production	Ethanol	From starch
From material found in solid _________ like paper
Opinions	The public	Demand the production and use of ethanol
The ________________	Approve the Clean Air Act
The ________________	Meet the expanding market
Environmentalists	__________________ the development of it
Conclusion	Ethanol, as a renewable fuel, will be produced and used more widely in the world, and it needs the support of law ________________.

It is December thirty-first,2004,the time when the old year dies and the New Year is born.
Many Americans have parties at home and invite all their friends .Many of these events are noisy。People shout and sing. They often blow on small noisemakers when the New Year arrives at midnight. They kiss their husband or wife or the person they are with. They dance to music. Other Americans spend a quiet evening at home .They drink Champagne at midnight to welcome the New Year.
Some people drink too much alcohol at New Year’s Eve celebrations .This can lead to tragic results if a person drinks too much and then drives a car. The National Safety Council says hundreds of people die in road accidents during the holiday.
In recent years ,the danger of accidents has resulted in a new tradition called the “designated driver” One person among a group of friends drinks little or no alcohol during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Then this designated driver can safely drive the other people home. Many American cities also offer free taxi service on New Year’s Eve to take people home safely.
Other Americans observe the coming of the New Year at events without alcohol .More than 220 American cities hold these First Night celebrations. Artists in Boston Massachusetts started the tradition of First Night celebrations. In 1976.They wanted to observe the coming of a New Year. But they did not want to hold noisy drinking parties. So they organized, music, art and other events to observe the holiday.
How Americans Observe New Year’s Day

Ways to celebrate	Celebrations with alcohol	Celebrations without alcohol
_________	At home	At theatres or _______
Activities	Drinking parties with _______	Attending music______ or art ___________
Making very _________
Kissing each other
Dancing to music
Main problems	Many deaths on the road ___________ drink-and-drive	None
Ways __________ the problem	Making arrangements for some people not____ so as to drive others home safely	None
___ free taxi service to take people home safely

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意：每空格1个单词。
Are you a procrastinator?
Following a schedule and doing things on time is extremely important in today's busy world. Unfortunately, not everyone is good at doing this. Many people are procrastinators; they put off doing things that they need to until it's too late.
We all put off doing things at times. Statistics show that 90% of university students will often put off studying for a test or writing an important paper the night before, 25% of university students put off almost everything all the time. This more serious form of procrastination can result in a student dropping out of school. Students who put off doing their assignments once in a while get further and further behind in their studies. Before long, they feel completely helpless. For the chronic（长期的）procrastinator, often the only way to solve this problem is to quit school.
According to recent studies, there are three main reasons that students put off doing things. First, many have poor time-management skills and often try to do too much in too little time. In the end, these students often feel helpless and will put off doing many things they need to. Another reason why students put off doing things is that they feel a subject is boring and have difficulty concentrating on an assignment.These students will often avoid doing something because they don't like it. A third reason why many students put off doing things is that they often worry that their work will never be as good as it should be and fear failure of any kind, which, unfortunately , can often cause these students to put off doing any work at all.
Do you recognize any of these signs in yourself? If so, you may want to do something about your tendency towards procrastination. The following five tips may be helpful.
First, list the things in life that are important to you, and then list the reasons why you are at school or university. Look at the two lists and see where they match. Is there something you need to do in order to achieve a life goal?
Second, chose realistic goals for yourself; don't try to do more than you can.
Third, once you have identified our goals, list them and ask yourself "Which should I do first?" As you become more aware of what you need to do and when you need to do it, you will feel more in control and will be able to complete tasks on time.
Fourth, manage your time wisely. Create a schedule that allows adequate time for accomplishing a goal; for example, your schedule should give you enough time to study for and pass a test, as well as time to relax.
Finally, when you accomplish a goal, do something good for yourself as a reward.
If you believe that you are a chronic procrastinator, you should try to get help before it is too late. Talk to a professional, and discuss the problem. If you are a mild procrastinator, make sure to keep yourself motivated, but don't worry too much. Remember-we all put off doing things at times.

Are you a procrastinator?
Frequency of procrastination	·Everyone puts off doing things. ·90% of university students will often put off dong things. ·25% of university students doing things all the time.
that procrastination will lead to	·At the beginning, they get further and further behind in their studies. ·Before long, they feel completely helpless. ·For the chronic procrastinator, often he or she has no ____ but to quit school.
Main reasons for procrastination	·First, many are not skillful at managing time well. ·Second, they feel a subject is boring, which makes it difficult for them to ___ on an assignment. ·Third, they expect to do everythingand fear failure of any kind.
to avoiding procrastination	·First, identify your life goals. ·Second, choose realistic goals for yourself ·Third, list your goals in order of priority. ·Fourth, manage your time in a way. ·Finally, yourself for accomplishing a goal.
Advice to procrastinators	·For a chronic procrastinator,a professional. ·For a mild procrastinator, make sure to keep yourself motivated, and don't worry too much.