U.S. Bottled Water Sales Are Booming Again Despite Opposition
Despite organized anti-bottled-water campaigns across the country and a noisy debate about bottled water’s environmental impact, Americans are buying more bottled water than ever.
Why do so many people seem to think they should have any input on what other American’s choose to buy or do?
If they want to buy bottled water, let them.
If they want to eat fast food, let them.
If they want to smoke pot, let them.
— Barackalypse
People just get tired of paying for others’ bad behavior. If many people eat excessive fast food, you pay higher insurance premiums. If many people frequently buy bottled water, your trash bills go up and landfills fill up quickly.
It’s about personal responsibility, which really should be a cornerstone of libertarianism.
— Bdbr
So? This is the price you pay to live in a free society. You want to control the life of another just so you can save a few bucks? What would you say when someone do the same to you?
— Norman619
Defend selfish pricks all you like; I’m just glad there are still people who still believe personal responsibility is a good and decent thing. We make your life cheaper and less bothersome.
— Yoyo
What a waste of money! It’s fine when you’re on the road and you need a cold drink, but people who buy cases of bottled water for home are completely crazy.
— Agmlauncher
I wish we all can find a way to improve things and benefit from this. The environment needs a lot of help but businesses will always work on what people would need and demand. Is this part of the balance? Hope we can find better ways.
— SkipweisWhat can we know about bottled water in America?
| A．Americans are consuming more bottled water than tap. |
| B．US bottled water sales have increased for the first time. |
| C．Activists in several regions have been fighting against it. |
| D．Some people worry about its bad effect on the environment. |
Who would agree with Barackalypse on this matter?
| A．Bdbr. | B．Norman619. | C．Yoyo. | D．Agmlauncher. |
According to the text, Agmlauncher is _____ bottled water.
| A．partly supportive of | B．extremely against |
| C．strongly in favor of | D．not concerned about |
Which of the following statements goes with Skipweis’ opinion?
| A．The environment is emphasized too much. |
| B．It’s impossible for people to find a better way. |
| C．Business is not totally responsible for the problem. |
| D．At present we can’t benefit from bottled water at all. |
To Whom It May Concern:
On March 5, 2012 , I bought a Perfect Muffin Kit from your store at Midfield Shopping Center. The cashier who assisted me was George. George was very friendly and told me that the Perfect Muffin Kit would live up to the guarantee on the box: “Perfect Muffins Every Time!”.
Unfortunately, this product did not live up to what it promised . The muffins I made were far from perfect . I followed the directions in the package very carefully . First , I removed the bag of mix from the box. Then , I poured it into a bowl. Next, I added the correct amount of water to the mix and stirred it. According to the directions, after stirring the mixture , I added half a cup of dried grapes, nuts , berries, or another favorite ingredient . My favorite ingredient happens to be hot sauce . I find that a bit of hot sauce makes pizza and soup taste very delicious. So, continuing to follow the directions, I added half a cup of hot sauce to the mix and stirred it. Finally, I poured the mix into muffin tins and baked it in the baker at 350 degrees for exactly 20 minutes.
When the muffins finished baking, I was very excited to eat the “Perfect Muffins” as promised on the box. You can imagine my disappointment when, upon tasting the muffins, I discovered that they were not perfect. These muffins were , in fact , absolutely terrible. Not even my dog was interested in eating these supposedly “perfect” muffins.
I would appreciate a full refund( money to be returned) of $3.99 for this product as soon as possible. Enclosed are the receipt, the empty box, and one of the un-perfect muffins so that you can experience it for yourself . Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely，
Michelle BauerThis letter is most likely addressed to _______.
| A．a local storeowner |
| B．the owner of the muffin mix company |
| C．the clerk at a local muffin bakery |
| D．George, the cashier who sold the muffin mix |
The tone(语气 ) of the author can best be described as ________.
| A．embarrassed | B．hopeless | C．disappointed | D．disgusted |
The author was unhappy with the product because________.
| A．the directions of the product contained a mistake |
| B．it was not up to the promise made on the box |
| C．it was too difficult to follow the directions |
| D．it was worth less money than she paid for it |
The author’s main purpose in writing this letter is to ________.
| A．prevent others from making the same mistake |
| B．persuade the company to change the wording on their box |
| C．get back all the money paid from the shop |
| D．complain about how bad the muffins tasted |
Churchill's full name was Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. He was born in 1874. He was educated at Harrow School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
In 1900 Churchill was elected a member of parliament .As First Lord of the Admiralty , in 1911, he was responsible for strengthening the British navy.
During World War I, he still remained a member of parliament, but he resigned from his post in the British navy, and became a soldier again, fighting in France. In 1917, however, he became Minister of Munitions . In this job, he encouraged the development and use of the tank, which was then a new weapon. After the war, Churchill held several government posts.
From 1931 to 1939, he was only a member of parliament. He had fallen into dislike because of his militant (war-loving) attitude. Even his closest friends discouraged him from seeking higher office. But when World War II started in 1939. Churchill returned to his former job as First Lord of the Admiralty.
In May 1940, he became Prime Minister. Throughout the war, Churchill showed great strength and energy. He worked for long periods with little sleep and traveled many thousands of miles. By the courage and determination expressed in his speeches, he inspired the people of Britain to keep on fighting. His speeches also gave hope to people in parts of Europe occupied by enemy forces.
In the general election at the end of the war, the Conservative Party, of which he was leader, was defeated. But he became Prime Minister again in 1951. He resigned as Prime Minister in 1955. However, he remained a member of parliament until 1964. Some time later, in 1965, he died.Before World War I, Churchill worked for his country as ____.
| A．headmaster of Harrow School | B．a leader of the Britain Navy |
| C．a leader of the Conservative Party | D．Prime Minister of Britain |
How many times was Churchill elected Prime Minister?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
What can we learn from Para. 4?
| A．In 1938 Churchill left the parliament. |
| B．Churchill's closest friends were against his attitude toward war. |
| C．Churchill's closest friends always inspired him to seek higher office. |
| D．Churchill and his closet friends served in the army before World War II. |
We can know all the following from the text EXCEPT that ____.
| A．Churchill gave up as Prime Minister in 1955 |
| B．Churchill once became a soldier, fighting in France |
| C．Churchill's speeches encouraged the British people to keep on fighting |
| D．Churchill led his army to fight bravely and defeated the enemy in World War I |
In the year 1986 there was a terrible explosion(爆炸). The explosion was at a nuclear power plant(核电站) in Ukraine. The radiation(辐射) caused a lot of damage. It polluted the soil and other things. People were living in the area when the explosion happened. More than twenty years later those people are still suffering. The influence of the explosion will go on for a long time.
Over two million people still live in that area. Only 56 people died from the explosion but many other problems have been caused because of it. Some types of cancer are more than 200 times above the world average(平均水平). Many children have cancer now and children born with problems have doubled since the accident.
Some people in the United States are worried about the children living in the explosion area. One group has been trying to raise money. They are called the Chenobyl Children’s Project. They want to bring children from Ukraine to the U.S. each summer.
A spokesperson for the group says that radiation is the highest in the summertime so it is a good time to get the children out of the country. They want to help the children get away for a little while. The Project wants them to be safe from radiation.
It costs $1,500 to bring each child to the United States for six weeks. The group raised enough money to bring 28 children to the United States last year. The children were able to do lots of fun things. They enjoyed clean air, healthy food, and plenty of outdoor fun. One little nine-year-old girl who got to come to the United States said that she likes America.
The spokesperson says that the children that come to America during the summer miss less school when they return home because they have a long summer vacation.What can we learn about the explosion that happened in 1986?
| A．Children suffering from cancer have doubled since the accident. |
| B．More than 200 people died in the accident. |
| C．The influence of the explosion will last for more than 20 years. |
| D．Millions of people still live in the area where the explosion happened. |
Why does the group bring children to the U.S. in summer?
| A．Because the radiation is the highest in summer. |
| B．Because children have a long summer vacation. |
| C．Because the U.S. is the most beautiful in summer. |
| D．Because traveling in the U.S. in summer costs the least. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the Project?
| A．It brings 28 children to the U.S. every summer. |
| B．It lets children stay in the U.S. for six weeks. |
| C．It teaches children useful outdoor skills. |
| D．It mainly raises money in Ukraine. |
What does the underlined word in Paragraph1 mean?
A. effort B affect C. offer D. effect
Young people and older people do not always agree with each other. They sometimes have different ideas about living, working and playing. But in one special program in New York State, adults (成年人) and teenagers live together in a friendly way.
Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. They do so not just to keep busy but to find meaning and enjoyment in work. Some teenagers work in the woods or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make things like tables and chairs and to build houses. The adults teach them these skills.
There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photo-taking or painting. Others sit around and talk or sing. Each teenager chooses his own way to spend his free time.
When people live together, rules are necessary. In this program, the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. They talk about it and ask, “Why did it happen? What should we do about it?”
One of the teenagers has something to say about the experience, “You stop thinking only about yourself. You learn how to think about the group.” In one special program in New York, young and older people ______.
| A．are friendly to each other. |
| B．teach each other new ways of building houses |
| C．live together but do not work together |
| D．spend eight weeks together, working as farmers |
Living together, ________.
| A．the teenagers have to obey the rules the adults make |
| B．the members don’t have to obey the rules |
| C．the members are not allowed to break the rules they make together |
| D．the members have no free time except on weekends |
The last paragraph shows that the teenager thinks his experience in the program is _______.
| A．disappointing | B．helpful | C．tiring | D．unpleasant |
The best title for the passage is _______.
| A．Rules of Living Together | B．Different Ideas about Living |
| C．Teenagers and Adults Together | D．Life in New York State |
Britain Today
Food
British people like good food, and more than half of them go to a restaurant every month. Fast food is also very popular— 30% of all adults have a hamburger every three months, but 46% have fish and chips!
Sports
British people don’t do a lot of sports. Only 17% of people go swimming every week, about 9% go cycling and 8% play golf—and only 6% of people play football (but 32% go to watch it).
Cinema and TV
Films are very popular in Britain, and about 60% of people between 15 and 24 go to the cinema every month. At home, men watch TV for about three hours every day — two quarters more than women.
Holidays
British people love going on holiday, and have 56 million holidays every year. Most of these holidays aren't in the UK—27% are in Spain, 10% are in the USA, and 9% are in France. Maybe this is because the weather in Britain isn't very good!Which food could be more popular among British adults, a hamburger or fish and chips?
| A．A hamburger. | B．Fish and chips. | C．Both. | D．Neither. |
Those who are interested in movies are ____.
| A．men | B．women | C．old people | D．young people |
How long do British women spend watching TV every day?
| A．Three hours. | B．Three hours and a half |
| C．Two hours | D．Two hours and a half |
British people's favorite country for a holiday is ____.
| A．Spain | B．France | C．America | D．Australia |