Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap?
In America, people will include a case or two of bottled water when buying the week's groceries. When they are going to a soccer game or activity, it's common for them to grab a cold bottle of water out of the fridge with them.In fact, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, about 29 billion bottles a year.
But all these plastic bottles use a lot of fossil fuels and pollute the environment.In order to make all the 29 billion bottles, producers use 17 million barrels of crude oil, which is enough to keep a million cars going for 12 months.
So why don't people drink water straight from the tap? Some people have a strong belief that bottled water is better than water out of the tap, but that's not necessarily true.In the US, the local governments make sure water from the tap is safe.There is also growing concern that chemicals in the bottles themselves may go into the water.
People love the convenience of bottled water.But maybe if they realized the problems it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carrying water in a reusable steel container instead of plastic.
Some argue that plastic bottle recycling can help.Recycled bottles can be turned into items like carpeting or clothing.Unfortunately, only one in six bottles is recycled.The rest make it to landfills(垃圾填埋场)or end as trash in other places.Plastic bottles take hundreds of years for them to disintegrate.
Water is important for you, so keep drinking it.But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change.
And yes, you can make a difference.Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.Why do Americans prefer bottled water?
A.Bottled water is better than water from the tap. |
B.Bottled water is cheaper than water from the tap. |
C.Bottled water contains beneficial chemicals in it. |
D.Bottled water is more convenient than water from the tap. |
What does the underlined word "disintegrate" in the fifth paragraph probably mean_____ .
A.Be well recycled. | B.Become less poisonous. |
C.Break into small pieces. | D.Go down below a surface. |
The author's intention of writing this passage is to recommend Americans_____.
A.drink more water from the tap |
B.send plastic bottles to landfills |
C.use water bottles to power light bulls |
D.buy bottles filled with water from the tap |
It’s said that one can know the nature of both man and woman by their behaviors at table. Indeed table manners are closely related to one’s life and one’s job. As the saying goes“ When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, English learners should know what the proper table manners are in western countries if invited to a dinner party. The followings are some suggestions that may be helpful to you.
The first important thing you need to know is when to begin eating. Before dinner, the hostess usually serves guests first and herself last. So do not eat as soon as you are served but wait until the hostess has also been served and has picked up her fork as the signal to begin. But at a large dinner party where there are many guests, the hostess may ask everyone to begin eating as soon as they are served. If you want to talk while eating, your mouth should certainly not be full of food because it is considered very bad manners. But it is possible to speak with a little food in the mouth. When you have to answer a question, naturally you must wait until the food in your mouth is eaten.
When a dish is passed to you with a fork in the plate, you should use it to take your food. Do not take too much at a time and make sure that the other guests can have enough food.
Anyway, good table manners are very important and they are not so simple as we thought. But it is necessary for one to know what good table manners are because they can help one succeed in his life!Table manners are closely related to one’s _______ in paragraph 1.
A.life and name | B.job and age |
C.job and name | D.life and job |
what is the first important thing to know at a dinner party?
A.what to eat | B.whether to talk |
C.when to begin eating | D.How to use forks. |
If you have to answer a question while eating, you should ________.
A.refuse to answer it |
B.answer it immediately |
C.tell him/her to ask it later |
D.wait until the food in your mouth is eaten |
In which section(栏目) of a newspaper can you find such a passage?
A.Sports | B. Culture | C.Music | D.News |
A teacher let her class play a game. The teacher told each child to bring a bag with some potatoes. Each potato would be given a name of a person that the child hated, so the number of potatoes in his/her bag would depend on the number of people the child hated. Some children had two potatoes, some had three and others had up to five potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry the bag wherever they went for a week. After a week, the teacher asked, ”How did you feel?” The children started complaining about the unpleasant smell coming from the rotten potatoes when they had to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes everywhere they went.
Then the teacher said,” This is the same when you carry your hate for somebody inside your heart. The smell of hate will pollute your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot bear the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine what it is like to have the smell of hate in your heart for your lifetime?”In the game, the students should _________.
A.keep the bag of potatoes in the classroom |
B.carry the bag of potatoes everywhere they go |
C.leave the bag of potatoes at home |
D.count the bag of potatoes every day |
The underlined word “rotten” most probably means ___________ in Chinese.
A.美味的 | B.新鲜的 | C.甜的 | D.腐烂的 |
According to the last paragraph, we can learn that ________.
A.potatoes are very important to the students |
B.hating others can make the life unhappy |
C.the smell of hate is good for our health |
D.the students like to carry the bag of the potatoes |
Which is the best title of this passage?
A.An interesting game |
B.Carry the smelly potatoes |
C.The rotten potatoes |
D.To excuse others is to excuse yourself |
I will never forget the lesson about my window. Four years ago, I moved to a house in a large town. One of my new neighbors’ house was only a few feet away from mine. There lived a woman. Through one of my windows, I could see her reading by her window every afternoon.
Several months later, I found I couldn’t see the woman clearly. I thought her window was too dirty. I said to myself, “Why doesn’t she clean her window? It looks terrible!”
One afternoon, I decided to clean my house including (包括) the window. I felt tired after three hours of hard work. So I sat down by the window for a rest. What a surprise! I could see the woman reading there clearly again! By that time, I realized that my own window was too dirty, not hers! I really felt ashamed for myself. I had been watching her through my dirty window in the past days!
The experience is very important for me. So I try to clean the window of my heart before judging(评判) others.How long has the writer lived in the house according to the passage?
A.One years. | B.Two years. |
C.Three years. | D.Four years |
The writer couldn’t see the woman clearly because ______________.
A.the writer’s window was dirty |
B.the woman’s house was too far |
C.the woman didn’t open her window |
D.there was something wrong with his eyes |
3The underlined word “ashamed” means _________________.
A.高兴的 | B.放松的 |
C.羞愧的 | D.骄傲的 |
According to the passage, the writer has learnt how to __________________.
A.clean the house | B.judge others |
C.help neighbors | D.learn English |
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present.On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office,a street urchin(顽童) was walking around the shining car.“Is this your car,Paul?”he asked.
Paul answered,“Yes,my brother gave it to me for Christmas.”The boy was surprised.“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything?Boy,I wish…”He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for.He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,”the boy went on,“that I could be a brother like that.”Paul looked at the boy in surprise,then he said again,“Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes,I’d love that.”
After a short ride,the boy turned and with his eyes shining,said,“Paul,would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little.He thought he knew what the boy wanted.He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back,but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.The street urchin was very surprised when ________.
A.Paul received an expensive car |
B.Paul told him about the car |
C.he saw the shining car |
D.he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the urchin ________.
A.wished to give his brother a car |
B.wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car |
C.wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
D.wished Paul could be a brother like that |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ________.
A.to show his neighbors the big car |
B.to show he had a rich friend |
C.to let his brother ride in the car |
D.to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer(推断)from the story that ________.
A.Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
B.the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
C.the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
D.the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
The best name of the name story is _________.
A.A Christmas Present |
B.A Street Urchin |
C.A Brother Like That |
D.An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California,the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle,a big city,on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco,also on the Pacific coast,are larger than Seattle. Henry’s cousin,Susan,lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington,D. C. It is the capital,but it is much smaller than New York.How many states are there in the U. S. A. ?
A. Five B. Forty- Five C. Fifty D. FifteenWhich state is the largest in population?
A.California | B.Rhode-Island |
C.Alaska | D.Los Angeles |
Which state is the coldest,the newest,and the smallest in population?
A.Rhode Island. | B.Seattle. |
C.San Francisco. | D.Alaska. |
Which of the following is true?
A.The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast. |
B.Washington is the most important and the largest city. |
C.New York is the largest city in the United States. |
D.Henry’s cousin lives in the Seattle. |
Why is Washington, D. C. the most important American city?
Because _________.
A. it is the largest city
B. it is the largest in population
C. it is the most beautiful city
D. it is the capital of the United States