What if we could replace oil with a fuel which produced no pollution and which everybody had equal access to? The good news is that we can. In fact, we are swimming in it--- literally.
Hydrogen is one of the building blocks of the universe. Our own sun is basically a big, dense cloud of the stuff. And hydrogen can be used to create electricity for power, heat and light.
The problem is that hydrogen is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It does not exist as a material on its own, but is always part of something else. So it has to be separated before it can be used.
Most commercial hydrogen in use now is created from natural gas. As oil will start to run out in around the year 2030, it makes sense to produce as much hydrogen as possible as soon as we can. But natural gas supplies will also begin to run out soon after. Another source is needed.
Researchers are now using electricity to make water into hydrogen. Companies are working on the problem in their own areas. The first commercial hydrogen “fuel cells” for computers and mobile phones have already come on to the market. Auto companies have also invested over US $2 billion in the production of hydrogen fuelled cars.
The nations of a hydrogen fuelled planet would not fight over energy recourses. There would be a great reduction in pollution. The only by-product of creating hydrogen is pure drinking water--- something that is very scarce in many parts of the world. But that is not where the good news ends. Once the costs of producing hydrogen have been brought down, it will possibly provide power for a third of the Earth’s population that has no electricity.
And electricity creates wealth. In South Africa over the last decade there has been a large programme of electrification. Thanks to the programme, people do not have to spend their days looking firewood to burn for heat. And with electric light, they can work long into the night.
Some scientists see radical changes in the way the human race co-operates. Hydrogen creates electricity, and is also created by it. With dual use fuel cells, everyone who consumes energy could also produce it. Late at night, a man drives home in London and connects his car into the “world-wide hydrogen web,” which it supplies with electricity. A few hours later, a man in Beijing uses that electricity to power the hydrogen cell in his car. Hydrogen could be the first democratic energy source.
Like all dreams of the future, it seems very far away. But the threat of war and terrorism in the Middle East has made governments and businesses more aware of the need to end oil dependency and spend more time and money on hydrogen resource. So maybe the threat of war is not a completely bad thing for the future of the human race. What does the underlined word “it” in the last but one paragraph refer to?
| A．wealth | B．hydrogen | C．electricity | D．fuel |
What is the problem with using hydrogen as energy?
| A．It has by-products. |
| B．It has to be separated from other materials. |
| C．It will make energy too cheap. |
| D．It is too far away from us. |
Why does the author give the example in the last but one paragraph ?
| A．To tell us that we produce energy while using hydrogen power. |
| B．To tell us that hydrogen power does not produce pollution. |
| C．To show hydrogen power can stop war. |
| D．To show hydrogen power is cheap. |
What is the author’s attitude about the future?
| A．skeptical | B．negative | C．indifferent | D．positive |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．war and energy | B．the future of hydrogen as an energy resource |
| C．the disadvantages of oil | D．How to end war |
第三部分：阅读理解
第一节阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。（共15小题，每小题2分，共30分）
A
HOW TO BOOK
Booking opens for Beckett Shorts on 8 September.
BY TELEPHONE
For credit card（信用卡）bookings. Calls are answered.
BOX OFFICE
01789 295623 9 a.m. — 8 p. m.（Mon—Sat）
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BY FAX
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BOX OFFICE
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Please enclose（附上）a cheque or credit card details together with an SAE(Self-Addressed Envelope, 回信用信封) or add 50p to the total amount（总额）to cover postage. Please send to the Box Office. RST. Startford-upon-Avoe, CV37 6BB.
Booking opens for all other plays on 19 September
IN PERSON
BOX OFFICE
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OVERSEAS BOOKING
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PAYING FOR YOUR TICKETS
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CHEQUES
Cheques and postal orders should be payable to: Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
56. In which of the following ways of booking does one probably have to pay extra money?
A. In person B. By telephone C. By faxD. By post
57. One has to wait for 2 days or longer for a reply if he/she pays_________.
A. in person B. by telephone C. by fax D. by post
58. What is useful number to call at 11 a.m. Sunday?
A. 01789 295623 B. 0541 541051 C. 01789 261974 D. 01862 387765
Daredevil climber Alain Robert, known as the French Spiderman, stood strong winds and rain to climb the world's tallest skyscraper, Taipei 101, Saturday．
Robert, dressed in red rain jacket, tights and climbing shoes, climbed up ropes hung down the side of the 101 storey, 1,667-foot office tower, reaching the top in around four hours．"It was a very big moment and I felt a lot of satisfaction though I was so tired and nearly all of my muscles were painful．I felt completely eased．" said Robert after taking the ride down in one of the tower's lifts, the world's fastest．
Several hundred on-lookers and shoppers gathered at the base of the tower watching and cheering Robert's progress through live pictures on a large television screen．At times he disappeared from view as clouds passed by the top of the tower surrounding the upper stories．
The 42-year-old Frenchman has covered scores of well-known structures around the world including the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower——without permission or any safety equipment or ropes．
This time Robert was wearing a harness (背带) fastened to safety ropes for the entire climb．He used the ropes to pull himself up most of the way, using his hands and feet to climb up the walls for only short sections．He said that the management had requested he wear the ropes and safety equipment, which had also become necessary due to the rain making the windows and frames very slippery．Robert said he would not carry his pity the next time．The text mainly tells us that _________．
| A．another world record was broken by a Frenchman |
| B．The French Spiderman climbed the world's tallest building |
| C．How Alain Robert got the name" Daredevil" |
| D．Alain Robert was praised for his great success |
During his climbing up Taipei 101, Alain Rober
t ________．
| A．never felt tired all the time |
| B．never used his hands and feet |
| C．stayed somewhere for a short rest |
| D．was not seen on the television screen now and then |
When Alain Robert climbed the Empire State Building, he was likely to ________．
| A．use only his hands and feet | B．be 42 years old |
| C．carry some safety equipment | D．get permission of someone |
According to the text, we can infer that Alain Robert ________．
| A．spent three hours climbing Taipei 101 | B．chose a rainy day on purpose |
| C．will climb Taipei 101 a second time | D．got lots of help from on-lookers |
Starting the day on an egg could keep your blood pressure(血压) under control, research suggests．Scientists have shown that eggs produce proteins with a function similar to that of powerful blood pressure-lowering drugs．
The research, from the University of Alberta in Canada, showed that when eggs come in contact with stomach enzymes(酶) they produce a protein that acts in the same way as Ace inhibitors, but more work is needed to show the effects outside a lab and in the human body．
Earlier this month, British researchers declared that, contrary to popular beliefs, it is healthy to go to work on an egg．They concluded that the type of cholesterol (胆固醇) found in eggs has little effect on increasing heart disease risks．
Researcher Professor Bruce Griffin, from the University of Surrey, said:“The wrong beliefs linking egg eating to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected ．The amount of fat in our diet has an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of cholesterol found in eggs．The UK public do not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat．They can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet as they are one of nature’s most nutritious foods．”
The British Heart Foundation dropped its three-egg-a-week limit in 2005．However, almost half of Britons believe the limit still applies．From the text we know that Ace inhibitors are ．
| A．a kind of medicine | B．a kind of protein |
| C．a kind of illness | D．a kind of food |
According to what Professor Brcue said, eggs ．
| A．are the most nutritious food． |
| B．have no effect on blood cholesterol |
| C．can be included in a healthy diet |
| D．are forbidden to be eaten in the UK |
We can infer from the text that ．
| A．drugs to lower blood pressure will be replaced by eating eggs |
| B．stomach enzymes mixed with eggs can cure heart diseases |
| C．most Britons agree the three-egg-a-week limit should be dropped |
| D．about 50% of Britons think eating an egg a day is bad for their health |
The text is meant ．
| A．to introduce scientific findings about eggs |
| B．to introduce a medicine made from eggs |
| C．to tell people how to lower their blood pressure |
D．to advise people to eat as ma ny eggs as possible |
When important events are happening around the world, most people turn to traditional media sources, such as CNN and BBC for the news．However, during the war in Iraq in 2003, many people followed the war from the point of view of an unknown Iraqi citizen who called himself “Salam Pax ” ．(Salam Pax means peace)
Salam Pax wrote a diary about everyday life in Baghdad during the war, and posted it on his website．Pax’s online diary was a kind of website known as a “blog”．Blogs are online diaries, usually kept by individuals, but sometimes by companies and other groups of people．They are the fastest growing types of website on the Internet．
A blog differs from a traditional website in several ways．Most importantly, it is updated much more regularly．Many blogs are updated every day, and some are updated several times a day．Also, most blogs use special software or websites, which can help ordinary people easily set up and start writing their own blogs．
There are many different kinds of blogs．The most popular type is an online diary of links where the blog writer surfs the Internet and then posts links to sites or news articles that they find interesting , with a few comments about each one ．Other types are personal diaries, where the writer talks about their life and feelings．Sometimes these blogs can be very personal．
There is another kind of blogging, called “moblogging ”, short for “ mobile blogging ”．
Mobloggers use mobile phones with cameras to take photos, which are posted instantly to the Internet．The use of mobile phones in this way made the headlines in Singapore when a high school student posted a movie he had taken of a teacher shouting at another student on the Internet．Many people were shocked by what the student did, and wanted phones with cameras to be banned from schools．
Many people think that as blogs become common, news reporting will rely less on big media companies, and more on ordinary people posting news to the Internet．They think that then the news will be less like a lecture, and more like a conversation, where any one can join in．Which statement about Salam Pax was true?
| A．He worked for CNN． |
| B．Salam Pax was not his real name |
| C．He was famous as a host in BBC |
D．He used a mobile phone  for his blog |
What is the biggest difference between blogs and traditional websites?
| A．Blogs are updated much more often | B．Blogs contain links to other websites |
| C．Blogs use special software | D．Blogs contain personal information |
According to the passage, which statement ab
out the future is most likely ? In the future …
| A．everyone will have a blog |
| B．large media companies will be unnecessary |
| C．people will be able to learn the news from other points of view |
| D．blogging technology will be banned |
What is the passage mainly about ?
| A．the history of the Internet | B．new types of media |
| C．the war in Iraq | D．the increase of using computers |
More teachers are starting off the school year with letters to parents and students to introduce themselves and set a tone (基调) for the year．The letters are a good way to start positive communication with parents, several teachers told Education World．
“I think it’s professional (专业的)，”said Dorothy Peselli, an English teacher at Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersay, Peselli, who gives out the letters the first day of school, told Education World．“It gives parents an image of you as a professional．If you start communication off in a positive manner, you will have the parents on your side when you need them．”
In her letter to parents, Peselli encourages them to call or e-mail her with specific concerns about their children．“I want to work as a team to make sure that your child becomes an independent lifelong learner,” Peselli wrote to parents last September．She also telephones the parents of all
her students at the beginning of the year．
Peselli includes with the letter a classroom handbook (手册)listing plans and rules ．And she requires that both parents and students read and sign statements (included in the letter!) that they read the handbook．The student letter also lists needed supplies and gives encouragement．“Please come to class ready to work and learn．This will be an exciting year for all of us,” it says
Last year, Peselli taught at a different high school and parents there were “shocked”, but appreciative, that she had so much contact with them,“I received roses and a thank-you note from one boy and his mother”．Peselli said．She wished her own children’s teachers would take the time to write notes as well．“I never got a letter home from any of my daughter’s high school teachers．” she said, “It would be nice to know the background of some of the people who are teaching my daughter．”We may learn from the text that
| A．most teachers are writing letters to parents and students |
| B．the handbook is used to list supplies and give encouragement |
| C．Peselli believe it important for teachers to exchange information with parents |
| D．Peselli mainly introduces her background and teaching experiences in the letters |
The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to
| A．the handbook | B．the requirement |
| C．the school | D．the letter |
We can infer from the last paragraph that
| A．parents were satisfied with Peselli’s way of working |
| B．Peselli means to surprise parents by writing students |
| C．Peselli seemed to be popular among boy students |
| D．all Peselli’s children are studying in high schools |
The purpose of the text is to．
| A．introduce an English teaching method |
| B．give advice on how to teach students |
| C．encourage teachers to keep in touch with parents |
| D．show us how Dorothy Peselli makes teaching plans |