The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone(有…倾向的) countries could become part of its long-term energy solution.
Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity.
Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal(地热的) technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation.
"Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production.
The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent.
Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs.
For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power.
The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories.Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden.
"We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks." said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow.
Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project.We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decrease in the short term."
The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts(兆瓦)and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology.
Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share.In 2010, Fuji Electric built the world's largest geothermal factory in New Zealand.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Alternative energies in Japan |
B.Japan thinks of geothermal energy |
C.Japan takes the lead in geothermal technology |
D.World's largest geothermal plant |
What percentage of Japan's energy needs is geothermal energy?
A.About 8%. | B.Around 30%. | C.Below 1%. | D.Over 80%. |
According to Shigeto Yamada, the growth of geothermal power in Japan needs ____.
A.high technology | B.financial support |
C.local people's help | D.a change of rules |
Geothermal energy is considered as a long-term program by _____.
A.Hideaki Matsui B Yoshiyasu Takefuji. C.Shigeto Yamada D.Yoko OnoIt can be learned from the last two paragraphs that _____.
A.the world's biggest geothermal plant was built by America |
B.Japan will not export its geothermal technology |
C.it is hard to find geothermal energy in Japan |
D.the potential of Japan's geothermal energy is great |
Learning Chinese has been like climbing a steep(陡峭的)mountain.
My mother was born in Tokyo,while my father moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong when he was seven years old. At home we speak English. I know some basic Chinese customs :to use chosticks gracefully (得体地)and what to say on Spring Festival to get a red envelope. But I never truly learned to speak Chinese.
Why should I need to learn the language ,anyway? I live in America where everyone speaks English.
I realized I was wrong in ninth grade when I arrived at Philips Academy,a famous boarding school in Massachusetts.The school encourages a global outlook(视野). There I decided to welcome the opportunity to learn Chinese. I met other American-born Chinese and together we spoke Ching-lish outside of the classroom.
I searched for ways to access Chinese culture through dramas such as Meteor Garden (《流星花园》)and music by singers such as S.H.E,Wilbur Pan and Jasmine Leung(梁静茹). Listening to Chinese music is where I found my favorite singer in the whole world:Jay Chou. Even if I cannot understand what he is crooning(哼唱), I do feel more Chinese whenever I listen to his music.
Last summer I spent five weeks in China,four of which were taking a language course at a Beijing high school. I was proud when I could understand the dialogue in Intitial D(《头文字D》) and when I could easily translate Fairy Tale sung by Kong Leung(光良).
Learning Chinese has been a rocky trek(艰苦跋涉), and I know it will continue to be that way before I arrive at a relative plateau(高地) of fluency(流利).I hope that one day I will be able to work and maybe even live in China as a true Chinese.The author wrote the text mainly to___.
A.share her experience of learning Chinese |
B.tell us why she is interested in learning Chinese |
C.show off(炫耀) the progress she made in learning Chinese |
D.give advice on how to learn Chinese |
The author's attitude to learning Chinese changed because___.
A.she found Chinese was interesting to learn |
B.she wanted to take a course to pass easily |
C.she realized she should have an open mind to the outside world |
D.![]() |
The author tried all of the following to learn Chinese EXCEPT___.
A.listening to Chinese music |
B.practicing speaking Chinese with her parents |
C.enjoying Chinese dramas |
D.taking a Chinese course in China |
We can learn from the text that___.
A.S.H.E.is the author's favorite singer |
B.dialogues in Meteor Garden are easy to guess |
C.the author enjoys learning Chinese though it![]() |
D.the author can speak fluent Chinese now |
There are some special traditions in Hawaii .People are very friendly and always welcome visitors. They give visitors a lei,a long necklace made of beautiful fresh flowers. Men wear bright flowered shirts and women often wear long flowered dresses. There are traditional Chinese ,Japanese and Fillipino holidays and all the holidays from the United States. They call Hawaii the Aloha State. Aloha means both hello and good-bye. It also means “I love you”.
Usually when people from different countries,races and traditions live together,there are serious problems. There are a few problems in Hawaii ,but,in general,people have learned to live together in peace.
Hawaiians get most of their money from travelers,and most of the travelers come from the mainland and from Japan. There are so many peole living in Hawaii now that there are residential(居住的) areas where there used to be farms. Some of the big sugar and apple companies have moved to the Philippines,where they don't have to pay workers as much money. The families of the first people who came from the US mainland own the important banks and companies. Japanese are also buying or starting business.What might be the best title for this text?
A.Hawaii ,the Aloha State | B.Living Hard Together |
C.The Flower of Hawaii | D.The Problems of Hawaii |
The underlined words “a lei”in the first paragraph here refer to____.
A.a friendly and welcome way |
B.a long necklace made of beautiful fresh flowers |
C.a bright flowered shirt |
D.a long flowered dress |
The author wants to show that____.
A.we should all go to Hawaii to work |
B.it is possible to learn to live together in peace |
C.it is not likely to live together in peace |
D.Hawaii is the only place where there is peace |
Madame Curie ,the youngest of five children ,was born in Warsaw ,Poland in 1867. Marie Curie's maiden name was Manya. Her parents were teachers,and she learned the importance of education at an early age. No higher education was offered to women in Poland at that time,so Manya took a job as a governess(女家庭教师). She sent part of her income to Paris to help pay for her older sister's medical studies. Her sister qualified as a doctor and married a fellow doctor in 1891. Manya went to join them in Paris ,changing her name to Marie. She entered the Sorbonne(now the Universities of Paris)and studied physics and mathematics, graduating at the top of her class. For the research she wanted to do , she was introduced to another young scientist, Pierre Curie. Later they fell in love with each other . After their marriage, they worked together on radioactivity.
Fame troubled Marie Curie and also her husband, because science was their world and in this world of science fame and honor to persons had no value. One day when a writer for a newspaper tried to ask Marie about herself and her thoughts and her beliefs, she answered him, “In science we must be interested in things,not in persons.” Much of the real character and spirit of this unusual woman was found in these few words,which she was later often to repeat. One evening, at a big party,a friend asked if she would like to meet the King of Greece,who was also a guest.She answered in her simple manner, “I don't see the value of it.” Then,seeing that she had hurt the feelings of her friend, she quickly added, “But …but…of course,I shall do whatever you please. Just as you please.”What did Marie Curie once do to help pay for her older sister's medical studies?
A.She was a teacher. | B.She was a doctor. |
C.She was a governess. | D.She was a waitress. |
What was valuable to Marie Curie?
A.science and research. | B.fame and honor. |
C.character and spirit. | D.persons and things. |
The writer for a newspaper was interested in____.
A.things | B.Marie Curie | C.Marie's husband | D.persons |
What do you think might have happened between Marie Curie and the King of Greece?
A.The King was angry with Marie Curie. |
B.For the sake of her friend Marie Curie met the King of Greece. |
C.The King of Greece wrote a letter to invite Marie Curie to meet him. |
D.Marie Curie held another party for the King. |
Here is a humorous story. Frank Smithson woke up and leaned over to turn off the alarm clock.“Oh,no!”he thought to himself.“Another day at that office;a boss who shouts at me all the time.”
As Frank went downstairs his eyes fell on a large brown envelope by the door.He was overjoyed when he opened it and read the letter inside. “Bigwoods Football Pools(足球赌博公司)would like to congratulate you.You have won half a million pounds.”
Frank suddenly came to life.The cigarette(香烟) fell from his lips as he let out a shout that could be heard halfway down the street.
At 11:30 Frank arrived at work.“Please explain why you're so late,”his boss said.“Go and jump in the lake,” replied Frank. “I've just come into a little money so this is goodbye.Find yourself someone else to shout at.”
That evening Frank was smoking a very expensive Havana cigar(雪茄)when a knock was heard on the door.He rushed to the door.Outside were two men,neatly dressed in grey suits.“Mr Smithson,” one of them said,“We're from Bigwoods Football Pools.I'm afraid there’s been a terrible mistake……”What do we know about Frank?
A.He was a lazy man. | B.He was a lucky person. |
C.He made a lot of money. | D.He didn't get on well with his boss. |
Why did Frank dare to shout to his boss?
A.Because he found a better job. |
B.Because his boss did not like him. |
C.Because he thought he did not need the job. |
D.Because he was not late in fact. |
When he heard the knock at the door,Frank probably thought __.
A.someone had come to make an apology. |
B.someone had come to give him the money. |
C.his friends had come to ask about the football pools. |
D.his friends had come to congratulate him on his luck. |
On hearing“…there's been a terrible mistake…”Frank was most likely to be________.
A.disappointed. | B.worried. | C.nervous. | D.curious. |
Are you worried by the rising crime rate? If you are, you probably know that your house and possessions are increasingly in danger of suffering from great rise in the cases of burglary(夜盗;抢劫) and attack.
Figures show an ever-increasing crime rate, but it is only too easy to imagine "It will never happen to me".Unfortunately, statistics show that it really can happen to you and,
if you live in a large city, you run
twice the risk of being a victim.
Fortunately, there is something definite which you can do.Protect Alarms can help to protect your house with a burglar alarm system which is effective, simple to operate and easily affordable.
You must remember that owning a burglar alarm is no indication(暗示) that your house is packed with valuable possessions.It quite simply indicates to unwelcome visitors that yours is one house they will not break into easily, so they carry on to an unprotected house where their job is made a lot easier.
Send now for our free leaflet telling you how we can Protect Alarm your house quickly, easily and cheaply.Complete and tear off the slip below and post it to us.Postage is free.Also, telephone us on 327 6721 where we have a round-the-clock answering service.It costs nothing to find out about Protect Alarm.Anyone who takes an interest in the crime rate will, according to the text, be aware that ___________.
A.more burglars are being caught than ![]() |
B.people have more possessions to worry about nowadays |
C.burglars are more at risk than they used to be |
D.homes are more likely to be broken into nowadays |
It seems that people who live in cities are ____________.
A.more often victims than those living in other areas |
B.of the opinion that statistics are wrong |
C.twice as well as people living in other areas |
D.of the opinion that burglars only rob unprotected homes |
The article claims that possessing an alarm system will _________.
A.show burglars that you have something worth stealing |
B.persuade burglars not to break into your house |
C.make the burglars' job less complicated |
D.persuade burglars to try again another time |
In order to find out more information about this alarm system one can _______.
A.buy a leaflet |
B.write enclosing a stamped, addressed envelope |
C.si![]() ![]() |
D.phone at any time of day or night |
The underlined word "Figures" in the second paragraph can be replaced by “__”.
A.Pictures | B.Fingers | C.Numbers | D.Mathematics |