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 |
It was a cold December and Mrs. Bell wanted to do a lot of shopping. She waited until it was Saturday, when her husband was free, and she took him to the shops with her to pay for everything and to carry for her what she had bought. They went to a lot of shops, and Mrs. Bell bought everything she could think of.
She often stopped and said, “Look, Peter! Isn’t that beautiful?
“All right, my dear. How much is it?” answered Mr. Bell, and then he took money out to buy it for her.
It was almost dark when they came out of the last shop, and Mr. Bell was tired. He was thinking about a nice drink by the side of a warm fire home. Suddenly his wife looked up at the sky and said, “Look at that beautiful moon, Peter!”
Without stopping, Mr. Bell answered at once. “All right, dear. How much is it?” Then he took his wallet out of his pocket.Mrs. Bell took her husband to the shops because ．
| A．he liked beautiful things |
| B．he liked to do shopping too. |
| C．she wanted him to pay money |
| D．he was always free |
Mrs. Bell bought in the shops.
| A．nothing | B．a drink |
| C．the most beautiful thing | D．a number of things |
Mr. Bell shopping.
| A．was addicted to | B．was thinking about |
| C．was tired of | D．was very interested in |
According to the last paragraph, we know Mr. Bell .
| A．wanted to buy the moon |
| B．did not really know what his wife was saying |
| C．was a millionaire |
| D．did not like the idea of buying the moon |
Ask any student to say one thing they know about Charles Dickens, and it is very likely they will say Oliver Twist. His classic tale of a poor orphan boy strikes at the heart of all those who have ever wanted "more", as Oliver did.
And now, Dickens' classic scenes of the lives of the Victorian British poor will appear in a big screen movie, "Oliver Twist," an adaptation of his classic tale directed by Roman Polanski.
The new film is not meant for younger viewers, and is meant for children over 13. For those old enough to enjoy it, however, the film shows just how long people have been enjoying Dickens' remarkable literature. His short stories and essays began appearing in magazines in 1833. "Oliver Twist" was published in 1837 - more than 165 years ago.
"Oliver Twist" tells the story of an orphan forced to live in a workhouse headed by the awful Mr Bumble, who cheats the boys who work there out of their already low pay. Oliver decides to escape to the streets of London, where he meets a thief called Fagin, played by Sir Ben Kingsley, who leads him into a world of crime. Several of Dickens' books have been made into films and television series, including 2002's "Nicholas Nickleby" and 2000's "David Copperfield." And several versions of "A Christmas Carol" have entertained audiences for years.
In his novels, Dickens wrote about several important issues. He talked about the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1824 in "Oliver Twist"; the French Revolution in "A Tale of Two Cities"; and helping the poor in "Hard Times.” One of Dickens' best-known books is the first Christmas book he wrote - "A Christmas Carol" (1843), about a mean man.
We thought this would be a good time to take a look at the man behind the words and see what kind of experiences helped shape and affect one of the best — known writers of all time.The “workhouse” in paragraph 4 should be ___
| A．a building where people are kept as a punishment for a crime they have committed |
| B．a place where dancing is taught or trained for international performance |
| C．a building where very poor people were sent to live and given work to do |
| D．a place where films are made or music is recorded |
How many works are mentioned in the passage?
A. 3 B. 4 C 5 D. 6The passage show many things about Oliver except that____
| A．he is forced to live in a workhouse by Roman Polanski |
| B．he meets a thief, Fagin, in the streets of London |
| C．he lives a hard life in his childhood |
| D．Fagin trains and forces Oliver to do some crimes |
The fifth paragraph mainly tells us ___
| A．Dickens’s birth and schooling |
| B．Dickens’s work experience |
| C．Dickens’s works and themes |
| D．Dickens’s influence and contribution |
In America, square dancing has been the most popular form of folk dancing since the early days. In early times, when men and women worked in groups to build a barn (谷仓) or harvest crops, they danced when the work was done. The music came from the violin for the most part, but if there was no one to play a musical instrument, clapping was used to produce the rhythm to which people dance. The early settlers danced in a store, in a barn, or in a farm kitchen.
A square is formed by four couples （对）who stand facing the centre of the square. Each couple stand on one side of the square, the boy on the left and the girl on the right.
The caller is an important part of the dance, since he tells the dancers which steps to do. If the dancers do not know the steps, he teaches them. It takes time to learn to be a good caller, and good callers are always in demand（被需要）.
These are the names of some of the steps the dancers do: Form a square; Circle; Honour your partner; Swing your partner; Form a star. There are many more. As the callers tell the dancers what to do next, they move to form the pattern（图形）he calls.
Large or small numbers of people can dance at one time. Sometimes 800 or 1,000 people may be dancing at the same time. Or there may be only one square of eight people.
Special clothes are worn by some when dancing. This makes the dance more colourful to watch. The special clothes are different from place to place. Women often wear full skirts of various colours with a pretty blouse. Men have coloured shirts and western trousers that they wear only when square dancing. In some country areas, everyone wears his best clothes.
Today in some parts of the United States you will find some schools, clubs, or groups square dancing for fun.From the passage we know that square dancing came from_______.
| A．the clubs | B．the schools |
| C．big cities | D．the countryside |
How many steps do the dancers usually do while square dancing?
| A．At most four. | B．At least one thousand. |
| C．At most eight. | D．At least five. |
For what purpose do the American men and women dance?
| A．For money. |
| B．To lose weight. |
| C．For fun. |
| D．To show their beautiful clothes. |
If 800 people dance at the same time，how many squares can be formed?
| A．200 squares. | B．100 squares. |
| C．400 squares. | D．One big square. |
Halloween falls on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. Halloween was referred to as All Hallows Eve and dates back to over 2000 years ago.
The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day marches in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray（祈祷）for the family's dead relatives.
The act of giving out soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for homeless ghosts. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was finally taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given sweets, food, and money.
The tradition of dressing in costume（服饰） for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies were often not enough because people were afraid of the darkness and would stay at home without doing businesses.
On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would meet with ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for their fellows(同伴).
On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to satisfy the ghosts and prevent them from trying to enter their houses.Halloween is a day_______.
| A．respecting the old |
| B．pleasing the children |
| C．honoring the dead |
| D．praying for relatives |
Which of the following statements is false about Halloween?
| A．Halloween has a long history. |
| B．Children can get a lot of gifts. |
| C．Americans created the festival. |
| D．People were afraid of darkness. |
Ancient people would wear masks on Halloween in order to______.
| A．frighten the ghosts | B．leave their homes |
| C．enjoy themselves | D．look like ghosts |
The best title for the passage is___________.
| A．Halloween Traditions | B．American Traditions |
| C．Ancient Church Practices | D．Halloween Costumes |
Mrs. Obama spoke to the graduates of Martin Luther King Jr. High School on Saturday in her only high school commencement（毕业典礼）speech this year. The ceremony took place in the gymnasium of Tennessee State University.
The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent too much of her time in college focusing on academe achievements. While her success in college and law school led to a good job, she said, she ended up focusing on public service. “My message to you today is that don’t waste a minute living someone else’s dream,” she said. “It takes a lot of real work to discover what brings you joy and you won’t find what you love simply by checking mailboxes or surfing the net.”
She said MLK reminded her of her own high school experience in Chicago. “My No.1 goal was to go to a high school that would push me and challenge me,” she said. “I wanted to go somewhere that would celebrate achievement. Unfortunately, schools like this don’t exist for every kid.” she said. “You are blessed.”
The first lady told graduates that failure may be a part of their college lives and careers, and that how they respond determines what they will become. “That’s when you find out what you’re really made of in those hard times,” she said. “But you can only do that if you’re willing to put yourself in a position where you might fail.” Overcoming difficulties has been the mark of many great people, she said, “Oprah was demoted（降职）from her first job as a news reporter, and now she doesn’t even need a last name,” she said of media giant Oprah Winfrey “And then there’s this guy Barack Obama, I could take up a whole afternoon talking about his failures. He lost his first race for Congress”, the first lady joked, “and now he gets to call himself my husband.”When choosing her high school, Mrs. Obama ________.
| A．was willing to meet challenges |
| B．was pushed to make a choice |
| C．failed to find an ideal school |
| D．wanted to study law |
By mentioning Oprah’s example, Mrs. Obama wanted to tell graduates _______.
| A．to start as a news reporter |
| B．to work hard to get promoted |
| C．to be brave enough to risk failing |
| D．not to waste time doing what they dislike |
What do we know about Mrs. Obama from the text?
| A．This was the first time she gave a speech to graduates. |
| B．She complained about her school life in her speech. |
| C．She is a graduate of Tennessee State University. |
| D．She is enthusiastic about public service. |
Where can you probably find this text?
| A．In a politics book. |
| B．On a news website. |
| C．In a graduation paper. |
| D．On Mrs. Obama’s blog. |