TheylikeusingtheInternet.Theyh-优题课

In the United States alone, over 100 million cell-phones are thrown away each year. Cell-phones are part of a growing mountain of electronic waste like computers and personal digital assistants. The electronic waste stream is increasing three times faster than traditional garbage as a whole.
Electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold and silver. A Swiss study reported that while the weight of electronic goods represented by precious metals was relatively small in comparison to total waste, the concentration (含量) of gold and other precious metals was higher in So-called e-waste than in naturally occurring minerals.
Electronic wastes also contain many poisonous metals. Even when the machines are recycled and the harmful metals removed, the recycling process often is carried out in poor countries, in practically uncontrolled ways which allow many poisonous substances to escape into the environment.
Creating products out of raw materials creates much more waste material, up to 100 times more, than the material contained in the finished products. Consider again the cell-phone, and imagine the mines that produced those metals, the factories needed to make the box and packaging(包装) it came in. Many wastes produced in the producing process are harmful as well.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that most waste is dangerous in that “the production, distribution, and use of products — as well as management of the resulting waste — all result in greenhouse gas release.” Individuals can reduce their contribution by creating less waste at the start — for instance, buying reusable products and recycling.
In many countries the concept of extended producer responsibility is being considered or has been put in place as an incentive (动机) for reducing waste. If producers are required to take back packaging they use to sell their products, would they reduce the packaging in the first place?
Governments’ incentive to require producers to take responsibility for the packaging they produce is usually based on money. Why, they ask, should cities or towns be responsible for paying to deal with the bubble wrap (气泡垫) that encased your television?
From the governments’ point of view, a primary goal of laws requiring extended producer responsibility is to transfer both the costs and the physical responsibility of waste management from the government and tax-payers back to the producers.
By mentioning the Swiss study, the author intends to tell us that _________ .

A．the weight of e-goods is rather small

B．E-waste deserves to be made good use of

C．natural minerals contain more precious metals

D．the percentage of precious metals is heavy in e-waste

The responsibility of e-waste treatment should be extended _________ .

A．from producers to governments

B．from governments to producers

C．from individuals to distributors

D．from distributors to governments

What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The increase in e-waste.

B．The creation of e-waste.

C．The seriousness of e-waste.

D．The management of e-waste.

Energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn’t it? If you think so, you’re not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession(经济衰退).
“Energy independence” and its rhetorical (修辞的) companion “energy security” are, however, unreliable concepts that are rarely thought through. What is it we want independence from exactly?
Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that oil from elsewhere.
The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle(涓涓细流) of bio-fuel(生物燃料) available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.
Second, Americans have basically decided that they don’t really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to tolerate the environmental impacts of domestic(国内的) energy production in order to cut back imports?
Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don’t read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.
There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices. At the same time, we get massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.
What does the author say about energy independence for America?

A．It sounds very attractive.

B．It will bring oil prices down.

C．It ensures national security.

D．It has long been everyone’s dream.

What does the author think of bio-fuels?

A．They keep America’s economy running healthily.

B．They cause serious damage to the environment.

C．They prove to be a good alternative(substitute) to petroleum.

D．They do not provide a sustainable energy supply.

Why does America rely heavily on oil imports?

A．It wants to expand its storage of raw oil.

B．Its own oil reserves are quickly running out.

C．Its own oil production falls short of demand.

D．It wants to keep its own environment untouched.

What does the author say about oil trade?

A．It makes for economic recession．

B．It brings benefit only to the sellers．

C．It improves economic efficiency．

D．It saves the cost of oil exploration．

What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To explain the increase of international oil trade.

B．To raise Americans’ awareness of the energy crisis.

C．To argue for America’s dependence on oil imports.

D．To stress the importance of energy protection.

About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.
He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and—WHUMP! —it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you? That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it? ”
“Please, mister, please……I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do! ” begged the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop! ” Tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister, ” he said. “He rolled of the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. ”Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman, “ Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me. ”
Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the black, shining 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE—a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.
How did the driver reflect firstly when he found the boy throwing a brick on his car?

A．Surprised

B．Angry

C．Strange

D．Sad

The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because _________.

A．the businessman drove at a high speed

B．he envied the brand-new car very much

C．he wanted to ask for some money

D．he wanted to get help from the driver

Which of the following is the right order of the story?
a. The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car.
b. The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.
c. The younger brother begged Josh for help.
d. Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair.
e. Josh shouted at the younger brother.

A．b, a, e, c, d	B．a, c, d, b, e
C．b, a, c, e, d	D．a, c, b, e, d

What can we learn from the passage?

A．Josh would accept the money from the kids.

B．The two kids were Josh’s neighbors.

C．Josh was a kind-hearted man.

D．Josh’s new car broke down easily.

According to the passage, the last sentence means ________.

A．trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life

B．driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous

C．trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble

D．protecting oneself from being hurt

According to the Code, visitors should act _______ .

A．with care and respect

B．with relief and pleasure

C．with caution and calmness

D．with attention and observation

What are you encouraged to do when travelling in New Zealand?

A．Take your own camping facilities.

B．Bury glass far away from rivers.

C．Follow the track for the sake of plants.

D．Observe signs to approach nesting birds.

Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life. Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings.
One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant (怀孕的)woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby.
The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again.
Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children. Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere ( 干预）unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression.The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer
from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear.
These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children. Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression.
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the factor that influences intelligence development in babies?

A．The environment.

B．Mother's sensitivity.

C．Their peers (同龄人)

D．Education before birth.

What is the purpose of the experiment in which newborn babies heard the stories?

A．To prove that babies can learn before they are born.

B．To prove that babies can learn on the first day they are born.

C．To show mothers can strongly influence intelligence development in their babies.

D．To indicate early education has a deep effect on the babies' language skills.

Which group of children did the worst in tests of language skills?

A．The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.

B．The children of women who did not suffer from depression.

C．The children of depressed but caring mothers.

D．Children with high communication abilities.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Scientific findings about how babies develop before birth.

B．Scientific findings about how time has an effect on babies' intelligence.

C．A study shows babies are not able to learn things until they are rice or six months old.

D．Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.

A．Online shopping traps.	B．Internet users in the US and the UK.
C．New credit cards for parents.	D．The arrival of cyber pocket money.