The name sounds funny but the idea is no joke: it’s a personal toilet called the pee-pool, Anders Wilhelmson, a Swedish architect, is the inventor of the pee-pool.
He became interested in the idea of sanitation(卫生设施) after taking part in a research project on the social and political development of cities, One of the most common problems he found in developing countries was the lack of toilets, He wanted to do something to help, So working with others, he started the project in 2005, and the next year started a company called Peepoolple.
The toilet is a single—use bag made of environmentally friendly plastics, The inside is treated with urea （尿素）, a chemical commonly used as fertilizer, The hotter the weather, the more quickly the waste turns into what is needed by plants The sanitation process can be as soon as a couple of hours or as long as two to four weeks ,You can just bury it in a pot and grow whatever you like.
The company expects to start selling the bags in August in Kenya and Bangladesh, But it is just beginning production and sales in Nairobi now , Full production could reach about half a million bags a day and people may be able to buy the pee-pool in countries Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.
The United Nations says more than two and a half billion people around the world do not have good sanitation ,Many have no choice but to use the outdoors, which is not only bad for the environment ,but also harmful to people’s health, Each year, poor sanitation leads to three fifths of those people getting an infectious disease which on average causes one out of 1,000 patients to die.
Jack Smith ,the founder of the World Toilet Organization ,says “This is quite an unacceptable situation given the fact that we are living in the modem world , And strangely, many of them own televisions ,phones but have no toilet.”What was the original purpose of Anders Wilhelmson in starting the company?
| A．To protect the local environment |
| B．To earn a lot of money from the project |
| C．To do research on the social development |
| D．To help solve the problem of lack of toilets in developing countries |
What can be learned about the pee-pool from the passage?
| A．It can be used over again |
| B．Its sanitation process doesn’t last long |
| C．It works better in summer than in winter |
| D．It should be buried in a pot after being used |
In which place can people buy the Pee-pool now?
| A．Nairobi | B．Vietnam | C．Sweden | D．Bangladesh |
The fifth paragraph is written mainly to tell us that
| A．poor sanitation may cause many problems |
| B．many people don’t care for the environment |
| C．many people get ill from using the outdoors |
| D．quite a number of people died from poor sanitation |
The underlined word“This ”in the last paragraph probably refers to
| A．the outdoors being damaged |
| B．many places being shout of toilets |
| C．many people having TVs and phones |
| D．many people getting an infection disease |
Electronic books have changed the way many people read for pleasure. Now online textbooks are changing the way some students learn and some teachers teach.
More than one hundred seventy-five thousand students attend the public schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, outside Washington. Last year, the school system used digital books in fifteen schools. This school year, middle schools and high schools changed from printed to electronic textbooks in their social studies classes.
Luke Rosa is a history teacher at Falls Church High School. His students work on laptop computers at school. He explains the idea to them this way. “I mean, it’s just like a regular textbook, except it’s got it all online.”
Peter Noonan, an assistant superintendent (助理监督) of schools, said, “The world’s changing. And the online textbooks can change right along with the events that are happening.” Digital books also cost less than printed textbooks, he said.
A student named Melanie Reuter said, “I don’t have to carry a textbook around, so that’s nice.”
But another student said, “I don’t like it because the Internet sometimes doesn’t work.”
Students also need access to the Internet when they are not at school. About ten percent of students in Fairfax Country do not have a computer or online access at home. Public libraries in the country have free Internet. There are also after-school computer labs as well as computer clubhouse supported by the country. Middle school student Slieman Hakim is happy about that. He said, “My family only has one computer; my sister and I both do our homework on it. So I come here to do my homework. It’s good.”
Other school systems in the area are also considering online textbooks. Which of the following is /are NOT used when students have social studies classes?
| A．Paper textbooks. | B．The Internet. |
| C．Computers. | D．Electronic textbooks. |
According to the passage, one of the disadvantages of digital textbooks is that_________.
| A．they are more expensive |
| B．they can’t be used if the computer is offline |
| C．they’re soon out of date |
| D．reading online does harm to the students’ eyes |
Why does Slieman Hakim feel happy?
| A．He is offered a free computer to do his homework. |
| B．He doesn’t have to do his homework at home. |
| C．He has access to the Internet to study at any place. |
| D．He needn’t share a computer with his sister to do homework. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The lessons online are completely different from those in paper textbooks. |
| B．Digital textbooks are more beautiful than paper textbooks. |
| C．All students like digital textbooks because they are new. |
| D．Students can do their homework in the computer clubhouses. |
The passage aims to ________.
| A．report the use of electronic textbooks in school |
| B．show how to use electronic textbooks |
| C．encourage more schools to use electronic textbooks |
| D．tell readers electronic textbooks will replace regular textbooks |
I have always really loved receiving my monthly pocket money form my dad. After getting the money I would be very excited and would rush off to my friend’s place where after much consideration we would decide what to do with it and where to spend it. Mostly it would go for the ice cream treats（请客；款待） or jam sessions with our favorite people around. Girls will manage to find some way of budgeting so the money we save can be used for other purposes.
I think that the best way to enjoy your pocket money would be to enjoy those treats that come occasionally. Since just mere pocket money would be not enough, many girls are doing a part time job of some form so that a larger amount of money can be collected. The best use of pocket money is to spend it in such a way that it involves lots of fun with your closest friends. Those treats are no fun if done alone. Company, especially good company can work wonders for providing you the best relaxation that you need. It is also best to spend your pocket money on things that otherwise parents end up refusing. When you use your pocket money to get this sense of achievement you will just feel so crazily happy.
I remember the time when a friend and I were just so tired of our everyday monotonous life that we decided to go out, have some great food and then head out to the beach and have those lovely grape and mango ice-creams. And we did exactly that. That day has just been one of the most refreshing days of my life. I think the true meaning of pocket money is to be able to maximize your fun at a minimal cost!The writer thinks he can get greatest fun from pocket money by ________,.
| A．spending it alone | B．treating good friends |
| C．travelling for fun | D．buying ice creams |
We can tell from Paragraph 1 that ________.
| A．the writer didn’t know where to spend his pocket money |
| B．girls used pocket money to buy ice creams |
| C．the writer got pocket money from his dad yearly |
| D．boys and girls may spend pocket money in different ways |
What does the underlined phrase “monotonous” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．exciting. | B．Boring. | C．Wonderful. | D．Colorful. |
We can know from the passage that ________.
| A．children can’t spend our pocket money wisely |
| B．there would be no fun without pocket money |
| C．childhood happiness mainly comes from pocket money |
| D．we can enjoy ourselves with a little pocket money |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．How to get much pocket money |
| B．Save pocket money as much as possible |
| C．Pocket money brings great fun |
| D．Pocket money means everything |
French novelist Jules Verne (1828—1905) is often called the father of science fiction. Although he was not a great traveler himself, his characters travelled to the moon (in From the Earth to the Moon), under the sea (in Twenty thousand leagues under the sea), into a volcano (in A journey to the centre of the earth), around the world (in Around the World in Eighty Days) and to many other places.
Jules Verne was born in the French city of Nantes in 1828. When he was a boy he ran away from home to work on a ship. However, his father soon found him and brought him home. After that he decided that any future travel he did would be in books. In 1847 his father sent Jules to Paris to study to be a lawyer. Even though he was busy writing, Verne passed his exams in 1849 with high marks.
When Jules told his father he did not want to be a lawyer, his father was very angry. He stopped sending his son any money, so Jules had to earn a living by his writing. Over the next few years he wrote many stories and plays, which brought him only a little money. Then, in 1856, he met Honorine de Viane, a rich, young widow with two children. The couple married the next year.
After his marriage, Verne worked as a businessman in Paris. However, he was not very successful at his job and spent most of his time writing books and doing research for the next one. In 1863 he published his novel Five Weeks in a balloon and the following year he published A Journey to the centre of the earth which made him famous. His books became so popular and earned him so much money that he was able to leave his job and work full time on his writing.
In his Lifetime, Jules Verne wrote more than 50 books and he became a rich man. Many of this imaginative novels have been turned into films. When Jules Verne was brought home by his father, he decided that ________.
| A．he would devote himself to writing |
| B．he would go on more travels in the future |
| C．he would stop writing about future travels |
| D．he would do what his father required |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．He was not good at his schoolwork. |
| B．He went to Paris because he wanted to be a lawyer. |
| C．His early stories and plays didn’t bring in much money. |
| D．He got married in 1856. |
Jules Verne became rich mainly because of his ________.
| A．family | B．marriage | C．business | D．writing |
Which book can be considered as a turning point in Jules Verne’s life?
A. From the Earth to the Moon.
B. Five Weeks in a Balloon.
C. A Journey to the Center of the Earth.
D. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.Which can we infer from the passage?
| A．Jules Verne’s stories and plays were liked by film makers. |
| B．Jules Verne was not clever enough to learn law. |
| C．Jules Verne’s wife helped him a lot in his writing career. |
| D．Jules Verne’s stories and plays made him famous in the 1850s. |
Arthur Miller (1915—2005) is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller's father had moved to the USA from Austria-Hungary, drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.Why did Arthur Miller's father move to the USA?
| A．He suffered from severe hunger in his home country. |
| B．He was attracted by the “Great American Dream.” |
| C．He hoped to make his son a dramatist. |
| D．His family business failed |
What can we learn about Willy Loman?
| A．He treats his employer badly. |
| B．He runs the Wagner Company. |
| C．He is a victim of the American system. |
| D．He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues. |
After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman________.
| A．achieved huge success |
| B．won the first Tony Award |
| C．was warmly welcomed by salesmen |
| D．was severely attacked by dramatists |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Arthur Miller and his family. |
| B．The awards Arthur Miller won. |
| C．The hardship Arthur Miller experienced. |
| D．Arthur Miller and his best-known play. |
No one wants to look silly or do the wrong thing at a new job. It’s important to make the right impression (印象) from the first day. You will face new people. You will be in a new place. It may be difficult to know what to do. Here are seven tips to help you make it through the first days at a new job:
1. First impression is important. Make sure you make a good one. Before your first day, find out if your new job has a dress code. If so, be sure to follow it. No matter what you wear, always be neat (整洁) and clean.
2. Get to work on time. Employers value workers who come to work on time. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes to make sure you arrive on time.
3. Pay attention to introduction. One of the first things that your supervisor (主管) may do is to introduce you to co-workers. These co-workers will be important to you. They are the ones who will answer your questions when the boss isn’t around.
4. Ask plenty of questions. Make sure that your supervisor has told you what your are expected to do. If he or she has not told you your job duties, ask for a list. Set daily and weekly goals for yourself.
5. Don't make personal phone calls. You should never make personal phone calls to your friends and family unless it's an emergency.
6. Don’t take too long for lunch. What’s the lunch-hour policy at your new job? You can find out from your supervisor or your company’s personnel department(人事部门). For example, do people eat at their desks or does everyone take a full hour outside the workplace?
7. Never be the first one to leave. Observe how your co-workers behave around quitting (离开) time. It does no good for you to be eager to leave.Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Tips On First Days At a New Job | B．How to Do a Job Well |
| C．Be the Last to Leave | D．Ways to Find a New Job |
From the last two paragraphs, we can infer that the most important rule we should follow is ______.
| A．to have lunch outside the workplace | B．to do as other people do |
| C．not to be the first to leave after work | D．to pay attention to introductions |
The underlined phrase “a dress code” (Para. 2) means ______.
| A．a beautiful dress | B．a place where a dress can be placed |
| C．a neat and clean dress | D．a rule about what you can wear to work |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．You should not make personal calls unless very necessary. |
| B．Co-workers will be important to you when the boss is out. |
| C．You shouldn’t ask any questions in case you trouble others. |
| D．Leave an extra 15 minutes earlier to make sure you won’t be late. |