Every time you go to the supermarket, you come away with your purchases in plastic bags. But wouldn’t it be kinder to the environment if you asked for paper bags instead?
The answer is not the easy as it might seem. Environmentalists say there are drawbacks to using both plastic bags and paper bags.
According to the American Plastics Council 80 percent of groceries in the US are packed in plastic bags.
“The numbers are becoming huge,” said Vincent Cobb, a businessman from Chicago who set up “reusable bags. com” on the Internet. He notes that consumers use between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags per year worldwide.
Some experts believe that all these bags harm the environment. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and, as it does so, poisonous materials are released into the water and soil.
Further damage is caused if plastic bags enter the sea. For example, endangered sea turtles cannot tell the bags from jellyfish(水母), their main source of food, and often choke on them.
Floating plastic bags have been spotted as far north as the Arctic Ocean and as far south as the southern end of South America. One expert predicts that, within ten years, plastic bags will wash up in Antarctica!
However, this kind of bag does have its advantages.
“Plastic grocery bags are some of the most reused things around the house,” explained Laurie Kusek of the American Plastics Council.
According to the Film and Bag Federation, a trade group in the US plastics industry, paper bags use more energy and create more waste than plastic bags. Plastic bags require 40 per cent less energy to produce and cause 70 per cent less air pollution, the group explained. They also release as much as 94 percent less waste into the water than paper ones.
But paper bags do break down more quickly than plastic bags. They don’t endanger wildlife, either.
So what should we do? One possible solution would be to use biodegradable(能被生物分解的)plastic bags. But until biodegradable technology improves, it might be easier to pack things you buy in reusable cloth bags.The best title of the passage is _____.
| A．Paper Causes Less Pollution |
| B．Plastic Causes Less Pollution |
| C．Paper and Plastics Cause Pollution |
| D．Paper Bags Break Down More Quickly |
The underlined word “drawbacks” might mean “_____”.
| A．Advantages | B．disadvantages | C．air pollution | D．waste |
According to the passage, which of the following in NOT true?
| A．Plastic takes longer to break down than paper. |
| B．Sea turtles usually mistake the plastic bags for jellyfish. |
| C．Paper bags require less energy than plastic bags. |
| D．You’d better pack things in reusable cloth bags. |
Which of the following shows that paper bags are better than plastic ones?
| A．Paper bags take less time to rot. |
| B．Paper bags cause less air pollution. |
| C．Paper bags are more reusable. |
| D．Paper bags cause less water pollution. |
Harry potter and The Hunger Games haven’t been big hits for nothing. Lots of teens still read quite a lot. But a study shows a clear decrease over time. Nearly half of 17-year-olds say they read for pleasure no more than one or two times a year. That’s way down from ten years ago.
The digital revolution (革命) means there are more platforms (平台) than ever to read on. Jim Steyer has been studying the effect of technology on children. He has four kids and has seen the trend most with his 16-year-old. “I start to see it in our 10-year-old as well, because he is reading less and less, and more and more attracted to some of the digital media platforms that he has access to, and that he didn’t have access to when he was 6 or 7 years old,” he says.
The studies don’t say that kids are reading less because they’re spending more time online. But Steyer is convinced that’s at least part of the answer.
“First of all, most children now have access to e-readers, or other smart electronic devices like phones and tablets (平板电脑),” he says. “ And they’re spending time on that. Many reports show the increasing use of new technology platforms by kids. It just strikes me as extremely logical that that’s a big reason.
Researchers want to know more about how teens are spending their time in the digital age. But Kathryn Zickuhr of the Pew Research Center says it’s tricky. If a kid is looking at a book, you may think he or she is reading. But when it comes to looking at a smartphone or tablet, who knows?
“We’ve heard from middle and high school teachers that sometimes the Internet is wonderful for enthusiastic students to do deep research,” says Zickuhr. “But on the other side, obviously there are many distractions on the Internet.”
However, Jim Steyer says, “Kids with parents who read, who buy or take books out of the library for their kids, and who then set time aside in their kids’ daily schedule for reading, tend to read the most — whether it’s on a book, an e-book or some other devices.”What did Jim Steyer see in his four kids?
| A．They tend to read more on electronic devices. |
| B．They created their own digital media platform. |
| C．They improved their reading on electronic devices. |
| D．They have become more addicted to digital media. |
What statement may Kathryn Zickuhr agree to?
| A．Kids are easily distracted on the Internet. |
| B．Most kids pretend to be doing online reading. |
| C．Most kids like to read on a smartphone or tablet. |
| D．Kids rarely use the Internet to do serious research. |
The last paragraph suggests that ________.
| A．parents need to spare time to read for kids |
| B．parents should make a reading plan for kids |
| C．parents can do a lot to encourage more reading |
| D．parents working in a library tend to read the most |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．What books do teens like to read the most? |
| B．Why aren’t teens reading like they used to? |
| C．How can teens read on electronic platforms? |
| D．When will teens turn to books for fun again? |
I am usually in a bad mood after a long day at work, but on this particular Friday afternoon I was in a high mood. I planned to have a good meal and watch Bridget Jones’s Diary.
My local supermarket is always busy. The first parking space I spotted was convenient, but I’d noticed a woman in an old car circling for a while. I let her have it. On the edge of the car park I backed into the next available spot — it was a tight fit.
In record time I’d made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air. In a rush of good spirits, I emptied my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman reverse (倒车) into a parking space.
Just as I spotted my car, I saw the woman I’d let have my car spot earlier. I smiled and wished her a pleasant day.
As I got back into my car, I spotted the same lady looking in at me. “ Hello,” she said, hesitantly (犹豫地). “ This might sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my mother’s things off at the charity bins.” I looked quickly at the orange bins in the corner of the parking lot, confused. “ I saw you helping those people, and you seemed so happy. My mom had a dress just like that.”
She looked at me meaningfully. I smiled at her in encouragement, hoping she wouldn’t notice that the dress she was admiring was now full of holes. “ I was going to give these away, but you are just so much like her.” She passed a box in through the window. Shocked, unthinking, I took it automatically (无意识地). “ I think she would like you to have it.” She smiled and walked away.
After a pause, I opened the box. Inside was a beautiful gold necklace. It was the nicest gift I’d ever received, and it was from a complete stranger.
Later, I thought back on the day. I didn’t feel the usual sense of exhaustion. The necklace was around my neck, a warm reminder of human kindness.
This Friday afternoon, the author ________.
| A．watched a new movie |
| B．had trouble parking her car |
| C．was in the mood to help others |
| D．spent a long time in the supermarket |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．She was not very wealthy actually. |
| B．She considered her dress beautiful. |
| C．She had met the lady’s mum. |
| D．She was living on charity. |
What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
| A．Success leads to happiness. |
| B．Good is rewarded with good. |
| C．Two heads are better than one. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
The film stars out as a normal day at a typical American high school. Friends chat in the dining room and boys play football. But there's big surprise when the movie ends with two students going crazy in the school-shooting and killing people.
This is Elephant. It stars real school kids. American director Gus Van Sant had no ready-made lines. The student actors made up their own dialogue, with Van Sant asking them to base their characters on their own lives.
Although it may not sound very high quality, the film won the Palme d'Or (金棕奖) for Best Film and the award for Best Director at the Cannes film festival.
The film is based on the shootings at a high school in the US, where two boys killed 13 people and then themselves in 1999.
The title of the movie refers to the old expression about a problem that's as hard to ignore as an elephant in the house.
The film takes a close look at a few hours in the lives of the victims and the killers. It shows how high school is a different experience for everyone---fun and friendly, or hard and lonely.
In many ways, the two boys, who carry out the shooting, act like ordinary kids. They joke around with one boy's mother as she serves them cakes and play the piano.
But there're hints of the anger they feel inside. One of the boys is bullied (欺负) at school. The other plays violent video games. But Van Sant isn't blaming their killings on either bullying or violent games. In fact, the film doesn't offer any reason for why school violence happens.
"I didn't want to explain anything. It's up to the audience to draw its own conclusions," said the 51-year-old director.The lines of the film were ________.
| A．given by the director |
| B．created by student actors |
| C．thought out by the director during the acting |
| D．carefully designed by professional people |
The film doesn't tell why school shootings happen________.
| A．so as to leave room for the audience to think and judge |
| B．because life itself is the problem maker |
| C．because the mental problems of students are hard to explain |
| D．but there are some hints of the reasons |
The film is named Elephant because ________.
| A．an elephant is always gentle and never causes trouble |
| B．an elephant is a symbol of big problems in American schools |
| C．elephant is used to suggest that the school crime is a big problem |
| D．the two boys liked elephants when alive |
What’s the passage mainly about？
| A．It shows American school life. |
| B．It introduces the film Elephant. |
| C．It tells people to be careful while in peace. |
| D．It reports a school killing in a US school. |
The Celerifere, an early version of the bicycle, was built around 1791 by a French man, Comte Mede de Sivrac. It was basically a scooter with a high seat. There were no pedals---you had to push with your feet like you do with a skateboard or a scooter.
Around 1816 Baron Karl Drais de Sauerbrun in Germany added a moveable steering（操纵）handle. These early machines were often known as dandy horses or hobby horses, but weren’t very popular.
The improvement that made them popular was added by a Scottish blacksmith around 1839. Kirkpatrick Macmillan added pedals to enable it to get up hills. It was this improvement that made the bicycle a serious form of transportation.
Bike were called velocipedes（脚踏两轮车）or bone-shakers, because of the lack of the proper tires made for a rough ride! It wasn’t until around 1869 that they began to be called bicycles (“two-wheels”). Carriage makers in Paris (either Pierre and Ernest Michaux, or their employee Pierre Lallement) switched the pedal to the front wheel. That’s why it is usually either Lallement or the Michauxs, not Macmillan, who are considered as the inventor of the bicycle.
In 1869 the penny-farthing or high-wheeler was invented. With the large wheel the rider could go much farther with each push of the pedal, but caused many accidents because the seat was so far off the ground.
In the mid-1880s Englishman James Starley manufactured what he called the “safety bicycle” , which had two similarly-sized wheels and a major improvement--- a chain（链条）and sprocket（链轮齿） driven rear wheel, with the pedals between the two wheels like modern bicycles.
One more historical note---it’s possible that the idea of the bicycle was thought of almost 400 years before it was actually invented. There is a drawing of a bicycle-like machine in one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, which dates back to about 1493.Who is recognized as the inventor of the bicycle?
| A．The Michauxs. |
| B．Macmillan. |
| C．Comte Mede de Sivac. |
| D．Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun. |
Why was the bicycle not popular in the early 1800’s?
| A．It was too expensive. |
| B．The seat was too high. |
| C．There were no pedals. |
| D．It had no tires. |
Which of the following statements can NOT be inferred from the passage?
| A．The “safety bicycle” was much like the modern bicycle. |
| B．Leonardo da Vinci once drew a machine similar to the bicycle. |
| C．The penny-farthing did not last long because it was a bit too dangerous. |
| D．Comte Mede De Sivrac’s invention had both a steering handle and pedals. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．The Inventor of the Bicycle |
| B．Modern Bicycles |
| C．The History of the Bicycle |
| D．Leonardo da Vinci and the Bicycle |
When I was three, my parents took me to have an operation in India, which stopped my eyesight from deteriorating（恶化）. Several years later we moved to Pakistan, where I received 12 operations within one year and went completely blind. Later, I realized that the doctors used me as an experiment.
I met my husband when he came over from India to study. I wanted to go to India to marry him, but it was almost impossible to emigrate. I made a crazy plan to cross the borders of several countries to get to India. I was arrested in the first country I escaped to. Back in Pakistan, I lost my job and was asked to sign a “never-to-escape” promise. Instead, when I got home, I made a cup of coffee and decided to make a formal application for emigration. The chance was slim, and people who applied to go to India found it hard to find a job in Pakistan while they were waiting. In the end, my husband managed to smooth the way for my emigration. We got married and had children. But after nine years, he died of brain cancer. I was helpless for a while, and then I learned to face reality optimistically. He taught us happiness came from inside us.
Six years ago, I brought home a dog called Moritz from the seeing-eye dog centre. He was short with long ears. No one liked him because of his pathetic（可怜的）appearance. We were almost always together. Moritz could not leave me for even one minute. Now when I walk down the street, not like before, people will come up and say, “What a good seeing-eye dog!”, and have a little chat with me as a normal creature.
I’m now working for the Association of the Blind and I have many good friends, and a special friend in Hamburg. It is a wonderful feeling to speak freely with someone I can’t see, to trust one another.The author went blind just because _______.
| A．she was born completely blind |
| B．she received an operation in India |
| C．her parents didn’t pay attention to her illness |
| D．she was unluckily put to the test |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．It was full of hope to unite with her husband. |
| B．Emigrating to India was never easy at that time. |
| C．She was very thin and weak at that hard time. |
| D．There was little chance to find a job in India. |
When the author walked down the street before, people may _________.
| A．look down upon her and view her as a poor being |
| B．chat with her with great warmth |
| C．criticize how ugly her dog looked |
| D．respect her for her independence |
From the text, we learn the author is ________.
| A．a burden not only for her family but also for the society |
| B．a kind-hearted lady protecting wretched pets |
| C．not an obedient citizen |
| D．a determined and optimistic person |