Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is clean and cool. Fox Point is a very new 47-unit living building in South Bronx, one of the city’s poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families. The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions while also cutting costs. 
Fox Point is operated by Palladia, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy people. Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers.
ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally clever and affordable homes which are called the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy.
Michael Bloomberg, New York’s mayor, plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for 500,000 New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City’s greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40% of those are caused by housing. So he recently announced that the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD) , whose duty is to develop and keep the city’s supply of affordable housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP’s green standards.
Similar measures have been taken by other cities, such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York’s DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph?
| A.To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people. |
| B.To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas. |
| C.To show how the environment-friendly building works. |
| D.To compare old and new boiler rooms. |
What is an advantage of the buildings meeting the Green Communities Standards? 5
| A.Lower running costs. |
| B.Costing less in construction. |
| C.Less air to be lost in hot days. |
| D.Better prices for homeless people. |
It can be learned from the text that .
| A.New York City is seriously polluted |
| B.people’s daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City |
| C.a great number of people in New York City don’t have houses to live in |
| D.some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City |
What is the main purpose of this text?
| A.To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems. |
| B.To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing. |
| C.To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families. |
| D.To introduce healthy, environmentally clever and affordable housing. |
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants. 
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe(成熟) or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not. Greenhorn now refers to ____.
| A.a person who is new in a job | B.a new solider | C.a young horse | D.a thumb |
A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.
| A.whose garden is greener than others’ | B.whose thumbs are in green color |
| C.who is good at growing plants | D.who is younger than his neighbors |
The author is actually talking about ____.
| A.colors | B.language | C.politics | D.agriculture |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A.In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier |
| B.The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs |
| C.The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare |
| D.The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous |
SPECIAL EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
Captain Good Fellow
Do your children enjoy interesting stories, funny games, and exciting dances? Captain Good Fellow will be ready to teach all these things to children of all ages at the City Theatre on Saturday morning at 10:00, Free.
Walking Tour of the Town
Forget your worries on Saturday morning. Take a beautiful walk and learn about local history. Meet at the front entrance of City Hall at 9:30. Wear comfortable shoes!
Films at the Museum
Two European films will be shown Saturday afternoon at the Museum Theatre. See Broken Window at 1:30. The workers will be at 3:45. For further information, call 4987898
International Picnic
Are you tired of eating the same food every day? Come to Central Park on Saturday and enjoy food from all over the world. Delicious and not expensive. Noon to 5:00 pm.
Take Me out to the Ballgame
It’s October, and tonight is your last chance to see the Redbirds this year. Get your tickets at the gate. It might be cold;don’t forget sweaters and jackets.
Do You Want to Hear “The Zoo”
“The Zoo”, a popular rock group from Australia, will give their first US concert tomorrow night at 8:00 at Rose Hall, City CollegeYou can probably eat Chinese, Italian, and Arab food____.
| A.at the front entrance of City Hall | B.at the Ballgame |
| C.at 5:00 pm | D.at Central Park on Saturday |
The Redbirds ballgame_____.
| A.is in the afternoon | B.is outside | C.is at the gate | D.might be cold |
“The Zoo” is _____.
| A.a park with lots of animals | B.US concert |
| C.a music group | D.going to give the concert at 8:00 am |
Nickname: Hawaii’s Island of Adventure
Size: 4,028 square miles
Population: 148,677.The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west.
Temperature: Averages between 71°F and 77°F year around.
Beaches: 47 Golf Courses: 20 Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet.
Agriculture: The bulk of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya.
Lodging: 9,655 rooms total; Nightly rates range from$ 35—$ 5,000.
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side.
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts.In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxis.
Resources: Call (800) 648—2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau.See www.bigisland.org for Updated information.
Shopping: The large shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kohala Coast.The passage is intended to be read by _______.
| A.students | B.businessmen | C.tourists | D.immigrants |
The average population per square mile on the island is about _________.
| A.28 | B.32 | C.37 | D.44 |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a traffic means to get around the Big Island
| A.By train. | B.By air. | C.By rental car. | D.By taxi. |
What can we infer from the passage
| A.You can see www.bigisland.org for updated information. |
| B.You can call (800) 648 – 2441 to order some food. |
| C.You can find some courts to play tennis on the island. |
| D.You may pay a high price for spending one night on the island. |
FROM 1964 to 1978, Dazhai, with a population of 500, was the most famous village in China. Millions of Chinese came to the Shanxi village to visit its terraced fields (梯田) and "splendid" irrigation systems.
It was not until 1978 when Guo Fenglian, head of the village, paid a visit to the US that China's model village found how far it had fallen behind those in developed countries.
"I was astonished at their modern equipment in harvesting, which could even separate big tomatoes with small ones," said Guo. "American farmers' life quality also impressed me a lot. Every day they had two cups of milk, which is something we don't have even in our wildest dreams."
"We have to learn their advanced technology and administration for our own development," said then first Deputy Prime Minister Deng Xiaoping who was planning China's reform and opening up policy then. "Through opening our doors, we would not only take advantage of foreign funds (资金), but also create job opportunities and cultivate (培养) talents."
In 1978 Japanese electricity giant Panasonic (松下) came to China as the first foreign business to invest (投资) here and its success attracted other world brands into exploring the Chinese market. So far China has for 15 years taken in the world's second biggest foreign investment, following the US, to help set the country in a fast growth.
However, China's 30-year road of reform was not always smooth. Doubts on the reform began to rise at the end of the 1980s as many people worried the country would turn to capitalism (资本主义).
"The criterion for our judgment is whether it helps develop socialist productive forces, whether it helps increase the overall national strength of a socialist country, and whether it brings about better living standards," said Deng.
"China's reform and opening up is a unique success story. It has brought benefit to both China and the world," said William Keller, chief manager of a Swiss pharmaceutical (制药的) company.Guo Fenglian was ______ at the sight of the modern equipment in harvesting when she visited the US in 1978.
| A.shocked | B.delighted | C.excited | D.attracted |
______ was the first big country to invest in China.
| A.America | B.Japan | C.Swiss | D.Panasonic |
Many people have doubts about the reform ________.
| A.in 1978 | B.in 1980 |
| C.in 1981 | D.at the end of the 1980s |
According to remarks by Deng, which one is NOT the criterion for judging the success or failure of our work in various fields?
| A.whether it helps develop socialist productive forces. |
| B.whether it strengthens the overall capacity of the country. |
| C.whether it brings about better investment and more profit. |
| D.whether it improves the peoples living standards. |
BUNOL, Spain (AFP) — Tens of thousands of people from around the world threw tons of ripe tomatoes at each other in an annual food fight that painted the eastern Spanish town of Bunol red.
More than 40,000 people, including many visitors from Australia, Britain and the United States, took part in the food fight known as the “Tomatina”, now in its 64th year, a spokeswoman for Bunol’s town hall said.
They were provided with over 100 tons of tomatoes by the town council for the battle which lasted about one hour and left participants covered in red.
Many men were shirtless while others wore old clothes, hardhats, goggles or protective plastic sheets.
Shopkeepers put up huge plastic covers on their store fronts or boarded them up to protect their properties from the sea of red mush (糊状物).
After the battle, governmental workers and local residents used “giant hoses” to clear the walls and streets of the tomato pulp in just half an hour while the participants headed to a nearby river where temporary showers were set up.
The event cost the town of some l0, 000 residents 40,000 dollars, and Spanish media reported.
The “Tomatina” is held each year in Bunol, located in a fertile (富饶的) region about 40 kilometers north of the coastal city of Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, on the last Wednesday in August.
The origins of the event are unclear although it is thought to have its roots in a food fight between childhood friends in the mid-1940s in the city.
It has grown in size as international press coverage brought more and more people to the festival.To keep their stores safe, the shopkeepers _____.
| A.kept their store fronts covered | B.hung plastic sheets on the walls |
| C.closed all the doors and windows | D.stopped people throwing at them |
Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the underlined word “pulp” (in Paragraph 6)?
| A.skin. | B.color. | C.mush. | D.value. |
It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A.the “Tomatina” brings in huge profits |
| B.the festival attracted more tourists this year |
| C.no one knows the history of the festival |
| D.tourism plays an important role in Bunol |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A.It is fun to throw tomatoes | B.An exciting story about tomatoes |
| C.Fighting and sightseeing in Bunol | D.Spanish town painted red in tomato fight |