Valentine’s Day, for many couples, means cards, flowers, and candlelight dinners. For most couples it also means withdrawing money at the ATM to express their love. Fortunately, there are ways to save money by saving energy — even during the date — so you can spend the money you save on the things that really matter to your sweetheart. Here are five easy tips for those couples out there who want to save energy and save money:
A fireplace is always a perfect background to set up holiday decorations because of the space it provides, in addition to the grand role it plays in the house as being an important part of each room. If you plan on spending your Valentine’s Day near the fireplace, be sure to prevent the heat loss and make sure of the chimney efficiency. If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.
If you plan on having a nice, romantic dinner at home and want to set the mood with proper lighting, use energy efficient light bulbs that save you money, and look for bulbs that are lower in lumens. Lumens tell you the brightness of the bulb. The lower the lumens, the weaker the light.
For those who plan to cook that romantic dinner, there are some simple energy efficient ways you can prepare that meal. For example, did you know that if you’re baking in a china or glass dish, you can typically set your oven for 25 degrees less than the recipe calls for? Learn more about saving energy while cooking.
For those couples who would like to have a movie night, plug your TV and DVD into an electronic power strip to save money on your gas of the car. By plugging in electronic devices into a power strip and turning it off when not in use, you can save up to $100 per year.
If you plan on going on a romantic “escape” from your house by car, be sure to check out these tips to reduce fuel consumption and costs.How do most people spend their Valentine’s Day according to the passage?
| A．They make green trips by riding bikes or walking dogs. |
| B．They go to visit their parents or grandparents together. |
| C．They stay at home making delicious food for lovers. |
| D．They spend money creating romantic environment. |
What does the author advise you to do when you use a fireplace that night?
| A．Try to burn less wood by covering the chimney. |
| B．Try to use more wood to produce more heat. |
| C．Try to hold more heat by using it effectively. |
| D．Try to make the room wetter than usual. |
What does the author advise you to do if you choose to have dinner at home?
| A．Choose the bulbs without lumens. |
| B．Choose the bulbs with lower lumens. |
| C．Choose the small bulbs with higher lumens. |
| D．Choose the colorful bulbs as many as possible. |
How should you cook meals according to the author?
| A．Adjust electricity amount according to different dishes. |
| B．Set the oven for 25 degrees higher than required. |
| C．Try to cook all kinds of food with a china dish. |
| D．Try to bake some cakes in a glass dish. |
What is the greenest way for you to see a film on Valentine’s Day?
| A．Just watch a DVD at home. | B．Just see the film in the running car. |
| C．Go to the nearest theatre by bike. | D．“Escape” from your house by car. |
l like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well, which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There's more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares, if someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.The first paragraph tells us __________.
| A．none needs friends | B．we always need friends around us |
| C．making friends is the need in people's life | D．we need to be alone |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．People are happy when their friends leave them. |
| B．People may never see their friends after their friends move away. |
| C．People can know their friends in different ways. |
| D．People like their friends very much if they get to know them. |
Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people?
| A．A house. | B．A room. | C．A library. | D．A village. |
If people have friends, they would live longer, because __________.
| A．they feel happier and healthier | B．they get a lot of help from their friends |
| C．they take better care of themselves | D．both A and C |
This passage tells us __________.
| A．that people are all friends | B．that people need friends |
| C．how to get to know friends | D．how to name a place |
A student is learning to speak British English. He wonders: Can I communicate with Americans? Can they understand me? Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?
Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and "Have you a pen?” , Americans say “in the hospital” and ‘Do you have a pen?’.Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound theirs in words like “bird” and “hurt”. Speakers of British English do not sound theirs in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, “color” and “honor” are American.
These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.According to this passage, a student who is learning to speak American English might be afraid that __________.
| A．British people cannot understand him | B．American people cannot understand him |
| C．the grammar is too hard for him | D．the spelling is too hard for him |
American English and British English are different in __________.
| A．spelling | B．pronunciation | C．grammar | D．all of the above |
What is NOT mentioned(提及) in the passage?
| A．Whether there are differences between British English and American English. |
| B．Whether British English and American English are one language or two. |
| C．How the differences between British English and American English came about. |
| D．How important the differences are. |
Most __________ say “Do you have a watch?”
| A．British people | B．Americans | C．children | D．teachers |
According to this passage, British people and Americans have __________ difficulty in understanding each other.
| A．little | B．much | C．some | D．great |
While success is surely sweeter than failure, it seems failure is a far better teacher, and organizations that fail spectacularly often flourish more in the long run, according to a new study by Vinit Desai, assistant professor of management at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Researchers have found that people missing their goals perform much better in the long run. That is because they gain more knowledge from their failures than their successes and the lessons are more likely to stay longer in their minds.
“We found that the knowledge gained from success was often fleeting while knowledge from failure stuck around for years,” said professor Desai, who led the study. “But companies often ignore failure. Managers may fire people or turn over the whole workforce while they should treat the failure as a learning opportunity.”
Prof Desai compared the flights of the space shuttle Atlantis and the Challenger. During the 2002 Atlantis flight, a piece of insulation (绝缘体) broke off and damaged the left solid rocket booster (助推火箭) but didn’t influence the program. There was little investigation. The Challenger was launched next and another piece of insulation broke off. This time the shuttle and its seven–person crew were destroyed. The disaster led to a major investigation resulting in 29 changes to prevent future disasters.
The difference in response in the two cases came down to this: Atlantis was considered a success and the Challenger a failure.
“Despite crowded skies, airlines are extremely reliable,” he said. “The number of failures is extremely small. And past researches have shown that older airlines, those with more experience in failure, have a lower number of accidents.”
Prof Desai doesn’t recommend finding out failure in order to learn. Instead, he advises organizations to analyze small failures to collect useful information rather than wait for major failures.Why did experts pay little attention to the problem of Atlantis?
| A．Because it worked perfectly. |
| B．Because the right booster was still OK. |
| C．Because nothing serious happened then. |
| D．Because fewer people died in the flight. |
Fewer accidents happen to older airlines in that _____.
| A．their planes couldn’t fly high in the sky |
| B．they gained much from experience in failure |
| C．their planes were often checked by the experts |
| D．they were unpopular among passengers |
The passage is written mainly to _____.
| A．show failure is a better teacher than success |
| B．explain why Challenger failed |
| C．introduce something about Prof Desai |
| D．tell managers how to achieve success |
Which writing strategy is NOT used in developing the passage?
| A．Giving definitions. | B．Making comparisons. |
| C．Analyzing causes. | D．Providing different examples. |
When many people see birds cleaning their feathers, they attribute it to vanity on the part of the bird. But, in reality, what they are doing is maintaining their wings, the instruments that they depend on for safe flight. If a bird’s wings are not in perfect condition, the bird either won’t be able to fly or won’t be able to control its flight. That is why after a long flight and even throughout the day, you will see them cleaning their feathers.
Most birds, if they get a chance, will take a bath at least once a day. They do this to get rid of the dust that has accumulated in their feathers throughout their flight s during the day. In dry or desert areas, birds will not always be able to find water in which to bath, but they still need to clean their feathers. What many birds will do is to take dust baths. They will roll around in dust until it covers their feathers. They will stand up, shaking the dust out, and then clean their feathers with their beaks (鸟嘴) as usual.
Baths are important for another reason. During the course of the day and night, many parasites (寄生虫) are attracted to birds. Bugs, mites, fleas and so on will try to reach birds and suck from their blood. Daily baths help to keep the parasites to a minimum.
Some birds, especially those that spend a lot of time in or around water, have skin glands (皮肤腺) that produce oil. After bathing, these birds will squeeze the glands to spread the oil over their wings to keep them free of water.
If you are a bird lover and have bird houses in your yard, it can be good to go to the extra step, providing a bird bath. Once the birds in your neighborhood discover it, you will be surprised at how popular it becomes as they periodically stop by to take their daily bath.What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．How birds clean themselves. | B．What birds enjoy doing. |
| C．Why baths matter so much to birds. | D．What bird lovers should do. |
What does the underlined part in Para 1 probably mean?
| A．Most people think it good for birds to clean their feathers. |
| B．Most people show much interest in how birds clean themselves. |
| C．Most people believe that birds’ keeping themselves clean is necessary. |
| D．Most people think birds’ cleaning their feathers of no practical significance. |
According to Para 3, birds’ feather cleaning _____.
| A．helps keep them healthy | B．keeps them free of any parasite |
| C．makes them more attractive | D．helps them relax enough |
In the last paragraph, the author further reminds us that _____ .
| A．we should love birds as much as possible |
| B．birds enjoy cleaning themselves by bathing |
| C．we can be good bird lovers by bathing birds |
| D．birds like to come close to the people in a yard |
Have you ever wanted to feel like you were in a western film? Or maybe you wanted to feel like you were a pioneer traveling the west? It is possible to experience such things during a Wild West vacation! Here are four of the best Wild West vacation locations available:
Walk the Lewis and Clark Trail
Walk some or all of the 3,700 miles trail that was traversed by Mariwether Lewis and William Clark, two of the world’s greatest explorers. Though not all the trails are marked, there are various stops that have been preserved by various historic societies. There is also a coach (长途客车) that makes a 16-day trek following the trail. This begins in St. Louis, Missouri, and ends in Astoria, Oregon.
Venture Route 66
Take a tour or go to see it yourself — ride on the famous Route 66. The road is nearly 2,500 miles long. Harley Davidson offers motorcycle tours that last two weeks. Route 66 will provide an experience that may only be found on the open road. The historic road is still well taken care of.
Visit the Grand Canyon
Visit the greatest canyon in the world, located in Northern Arizona. Raft down the Colorado River, or hike the various trails that run throughout the canyon. If walking is not your thing, there are donkey and horse riding adventures available. In addition, there are motorized boats that float down through the canyon in a week’s time.
Visit Deadwood
Located in South Dakota, Deadwood is a historic landmark. It is the kind of town that comes to mind when one thinks of an old western film. Actors who act as gunslingers (杀手) will often be seen in the streets playing their roles. Winter activities are popular in this old town, and there is always something to do.The underlined word “trek” (Para 2) can be replaced by .
| A．beautiful scenery | B．traveling information |
| C．pleasant holiday | D．long and hard journey |
Which of following riding adventures can tourists take on Route 66?
| A．A horse riding adventure. | B．A coach riding adventure. |
| C．A motorcycle riding adventure. | D．A donkey riding adventure. |
If you want to hike various trails you are advised to .
| A．visit the Grand Canyon | B．visit Deadwood |
| C．venture Route 66 | D．walk the Lewis and Clark Trail |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．A number of historic stops aren’t protected well. |
| B．William Clark was a pioneer who explored the west. |
| C．Western films are the most popular among Americans. |
| D．None of the trails in the west are marked. |