Travelling around the world with children is difficult enough, but attempting it without using motorized transport is even more of challenge. But Dario Schworer, a 42-year-old climatologist and mountain guide, and his 33-year-old wife Sabine are on a journey to do just that.
The Swiss couple want to travel across the world’s oceans and climb the highest mountain on every continent to promote Earth-friendly ways of life.
“We are collecting good examples of dealing with climate change and living in harmony with nature and we want to spread such ideas,” Schworer said. “We want to help people affected by global warming and to inspire children for the future.”
Recently after having spent three months teaching children in the Everest region, the couple want to show it is possible to travel through as the world’s climate zones using just human-power and forces of nature.
In the 47 countries they have visited so far they have collected 22 tons of trash, taught people in Ecuador how the sun’s rays can be used to clean water and inspired a person in Chile to build a house on water with recycled plastic bottles as a foundation. They have also collected trash in the mountains of Nepal with school children.
So far they have communicated with 45,000 children from South America, Australia and Asia, giving presentations about the importance of recycling and using alternative energy like solar and wind power.
“We need to motivate children,” said Sabine.
When they began their adventure in 2003 they had no children of their own. But since then two has become five: daughter Sabine is now five years old, Andri was born in Chile and baby Noe was born in Australia.
Initially the couple thought they would complete their travels in four years, but now, seven years later, they believe it could take seven more.
“Since our belief is the need to respect nature, we travel only when conditions are good,” Schworer said.Why do the Swiss couple travel around the world?
| A.To inspire their children for the future. |
| B.To prove a travel without motorized transport. |
| C.To explore the secret of global warming. |
| D.To promote Earth-friendly ways of life. |
They did a lot during the travel except ________.
| A.build a house with recycled plastic bottles |
| B.collect rubbish and waste |
| C.communicate with local children |
| D.show people how to use energy |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “Initially”?
| A.In the end | B.In a way | C.At the beginning | D.On the whole |
The best title of the passage can be ________.
| A.A Swiss family’ journey across the world |
| B.An eco-friendly adventure across the world |
| C.We have a long way to make a good travel |
| D.Nature needs respecting and protecting |
I was walking along the main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking for somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to contact the AA Company. Low grey clouds were gathering across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea which nearly threw me off my feet every time I crossed one of the side streets. It had rained in
the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.
There was no sign of a call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour whom I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop open selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his rounds, but the town was completely dead. The only living thing I saw was a thin frightened cat outside a small restaurant.
Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street. Next to it was the town’s only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint. I hurried forward, but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was
fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat. I could not see his face and he didn’t raise his head at the sound of my footsteps.
Carefully, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait for my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the box call door At what time was the story set?
| A.An early winter morning | B.A cold winter afternoon |
| C.An early summer morning | D.A windy summer afternoon |
Which of the following words best describe the writer’s impression of the town?
| A.cold and frightening | B.dirty and crowded |
C.empty and dead![]() |
D.unusual and unpleasant |
The underlined word “ trickling” in the last paragraph means_______________
| A.rushing out suddenly | B.shining brightly |
| C.flowing slowly in drops | D.appearing slowly |
Why didn’t the man raise his head when the writer came near?
| A.He was annoyed at being seen by the writer. |
| B.He was angry at being disturbed by the writer. |
| C.He was probably fast asleep. |
| D.He was probably murdered. |
For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit .any responsibility for starting it . From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way , except oppositely . Both feel trapped.
In this article. I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends .Second, blaming, the goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right, It doesn’t matter what the topic is –politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg –the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority(权威) --- someone who actually knows something --- and therefore to win respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to think that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress. Why does the author compare the parent—teen war to a border conflict?
| A.both can continue for generations. | B.Both are about where to draw the line |
| C.Neither has any clear winner | D.Neither can be put to an end |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A.The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict. |
| B.The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict |
| C.The teens accuse their parents of misleading them |
D.The teens tend to have a fu ll understanding of their parents |
Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ________.
| A.give orders to the other | B.know more than the other |
| C.gain respect from the other | D.get the other to behave properly |
BEIJING changed the office hours of many institutions starting April 12 in the hope of reducing traffic jams during rush hour.
The new policy asked 800,000 employees to replace their former working schedule of 8:30 am to 5:30 pm with the new working hours of 9 am to 6 pm.
This is just one part of the Beijing municipal government’s plan to fight traffic jams. Starting April 1, daytime parking fees in 13 downtown areas were raised to encourage less driving. On April 2, the government announced limitations launched after the Beijing Olympics would be extended until April 2012. These ban Beijing’s 5.8 million drivers from driving one workday each week. The ban is based on the last number of the car license plate.
A multi-billion yuan fund has also been set up to build more underground ring roads in heavily populated areas. Major roads above ground will also be expanded.
According to Beijing’s traffic authorities, key projects include repairing major ring roads and expanding the subway network. The city will also create more taxi stops and bike rental stations, probably under the hundreds of overpasses (天桥) citywide.
Beijing’s fight against traffic jams is
a smaller example of what is happening all around China. The central government is now supporting new ideas that will change the future of Chinese roads.
Bus rapid transit (BRT,快速公交系统) is one such idea. Special bus lanes carry almost as many passengers as a subway system. They cost less and are becoming popular in many big cities. Now Beijing has five BRT lines
Shanghai is dealing with traffic problems by charging higher fees for license plates(牌照). The city is also controlling the total number of plates sold. Now, it is considering a plan to charge cars for entering the central business district, as London does.
Meanwhile, there are signs that Chinese are more aware of the serious problem of traffic. For example, there has been a sharp increase in the number of posts looking for carpooling (拼车) partners on major websites.
By the end of March, 2010, China had 192 million cars, according to the Ministry of Public Security. The article is mainly about___________.
| A.the fight against traffic jams all around the world |
| B.the increase of daytime parking fees in 13 downtown areas in Beijing |
| C.the Beijing municipal government’s measures to reduce traffic jams |
| D.news ideas that are likely to change the future of Chinese roads |
According to the new policy, workday office hours in Beijing will be___________.
| A.from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm | B.from 9 am to 6 pm |
| C.from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm | D.from 7:30 am to 4: 30 pm |
The plans made by the Beijing municipal government to fight traffic jam
s include all the following except ____________
| A.adjustments to office hours | B.increases in daytime parking fees |
| C.the extension of the limitations launched after the Beijing Olympics | |
| D.charging higher fees for license plates |
The article tells us that____________.
| A.the BRT system will become common China’s rural areas |
| B.the Chinese government is aiming at changing the future of Chinese roads |
| C.the Shanghai government has charged cars for entering the central business district |
| D.here are enough ways to deal with traffic jams in Beijing |
It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night.The morning after the storm,though, was beautiful:blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently. My father realised it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him.I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.
On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast,but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape.After all,it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea.As we got on board,we noticed two big humps (脊背) in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it ——there aren’t any whales along the coast here.The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badlly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale——actually as big as our boat——was obviously stuck and could not move.The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡) and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,”my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappared under water.Then it swam up right beside its mum.They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction.We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Showly, they let us lead them, some-times rising from the water right beside us to breathe——and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement, it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea. The author says “I’m so glad I did ” because __________.
| A.he witnessed the whole process of fishing |
| B.he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea |
| C.he experienced the rescue of the whales |
| D.he spent the weekend with his family |
The harbour survived the storm because of ____________.
| A.the shape of the harbour | B.the arms of the bay |
| C.the still water in the channel | D.the long coast line |
The mother whale failed to help her baby because__________.
| A.she had stayed in the polluted water for too long |
| B.the whirlpools she had made were not big enough |
| C.she had no other whales around to turn to for help |
| D.the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction |
What is the theme of the story?
| A.Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness. |
| B.Fishing provides excitement for children. |
| C.It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals. |
| D.It’s vital to protect the environment. |
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What information CAN'T we get from the advertisement about Ouickeats?
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Which of the following can be cooled in a refrigerator before eating according to the ads?
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