Every year 2.2 million tons of oil are spilled ( 散落，溅出 ) into the ocean. Actually, this only amounts to a small percentage of the total 1.6 billion tons of oil shipped around the world each year.However, this spilled oil has terrible effects on ocean life, including the coastlines where the off washes up onto shore. Some of the largest spills in history were caused by oil tankers running into each other or by an oil tanker sailing into shallow water and hitting the bottom of the ocean. After these spills, officials try to discover who or what was at fault to help prevent similar accidents in the future.
One of the worst oil spills in history occurred along the Alaskan coastline in 1989. In this accident, 42,000 tons of oil spilled from a tanker which resulted in terrible damage to this sensitive natural area. In this spill, the tanker's captain, who was tired from overwork and drinking alcohol, had gone to take a rest. He gave control of the ship to the third mate. The third mate was unfamiliar with the path the ship took, and he ran the ship onto Blighe Reef. Blighe Reef is a natural underwater rock wall near the Alaskan coast. Damaged by the reef, the ship leaked oil out into the ocean. More than 1,600 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill. Some scientists who studied nature in the area guessed that 580,000 birds and 5,500 otters died when the oil from the spill covered their skin. As well, smaller shellfish and other sea creatures were later eaten by seals, whales, and other animals.
The most oil ever spilled was actually dumped on purpose as an act of ecological warfare. The term ecological warfare means to fight by doing harm to nature in the area under attack. In 1990, Iraq sent soldiers into Kuwait and set off the Persian Gulf War. As part of the Iraq war plan,900,000 tons of oil were let out into the Persian Gulf Way Iraq. This oil covered 1,500 square kilometers of water in the Persian Gulf. The oil also damaged 650 kilometers of the coastline of both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In some places, oil floating on the water was measured to be 43 centimeters thick. Water birds, water plants, and baby fish were all seriously affected by the oil. The long-term effects of this act on the food chain in the area are bound to cause problems tar into the future.Which cause of oil spills is described in the second paragraph?
| A．Dumping | B．War |
| C．Accidents | D．Throwing about carelessly |
The creatures affected by the oil spill near Alaska were_________.
| A．birds and otters | B．shellfish |
| C．seals and whales | D．all of the above |
The third mate ran the thanker agound (触礁) in this accident because_______.
| A．he was tired | B．he was drunk |
| C．he was talking on the phone | D．he did not know the sea |
________ was responsible for dumping oil into the Persian Gulf.
| A．The United States | B．Kuwait | C．Saudi Arabia | D．Iraq |
Down-to-earth means being honest，open，and easy to deal with．It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth．A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to．He or she accepts others as equals．A down-to-earth person may be an important member of society，of course，but they do not let their importance go to their heads，and they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important．Someone who is filled with self-importance and pride，often without cause，is said to have his nose in the air．There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth．
Americans use another expression that is similar in some way to down-to-earth．The expression is both feet on the ground．Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality．He has what is called common sense．He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real．The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds．A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the world．Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality；sharp words from the teacher，for example，can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground．
The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground．But the opposite is not always true．Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down-to-earth．When we have both our feet firmly on the ground，we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others，and our lives are like the ground below us，solid and strong．If a person has his nose in the air，he ．
| A．is down to the earth |
| B．is easy to deal with |
| C．always thinks he is more important than others |
| D．is confident |
If a person has both feet on the ground，he ．
| A．is in touch with reality，and doesn’t have any dreams |
| B．has some dreams but he is realistic |
| C．is honest，open and easy to deal with |
| D．is honest，open but hard to deal with |
The underlined sentence “But the opposite is not always true．” most probably means that ______．
| A．the person who has his nose in the air is not true |
| B．a man with his head in the clouds is often not intelligent |
| C．the opposite direction is always wrong |
| D．a person who has both feet on the ground may not be down-to-earth |
You may have experienced the frustration of receiving a parking fine or finding your car towed away （拖走）after leaving it parked for a couple of minutes.
But now a hightech car sticker could help motorists avoid such a situation by allowing a traffic warden（管理员）to get in touch with them. Car owners can buy the sticker and place it inside their car’ s windscreen， having set it up with vital information, such as their phone number. The slim design will include a sensor that will send a text message warning a driver about a coming fine when touched by a traffic warden. The message will ask them to move their car immediately. The driver could then type a reply for the warden using their smartphone, which will appear on the sticker’ s screen.They may choose to write something along the lines of“back in two minutes”in a bid to avoid a fine. Frankfurt-based IT consultant, Daniel Kalliontzis, came up with the idea and is raising funds on Indiegogo to put his 54 sticker into production.
The smart sticker system will rely on the good will of traffic wardens and critically, a German law. The law states:“An officer has to choose the most efficient and inexpensive way for the car owner to remove the vehicle.”It could be cheaper for the authorities to contact the driver than to tow his car.
At the time of writing, Mr Kalliontzis has raised just over 3,000 of his 50,000 goal on Indiegogo. If he manages to raise the money, the stickers will be shipped in June 2015. But it appears that car owners using the smart system could get some unnecessary warning messages, because anyone could touch the smart sticker.The first paragraph is intended to ________.
| A．highlight an awkward situation |
| B．complain about a parking fine |
| C．introduce the topic of the passage |
| D．remind motorists of the parking risk |
What may probably contribute to the application of the TowStop sticker in Germany?
| A．The sticker’ s low cost. |
| B．The mass production. |
| C．The goodwill of motorists. |
| D．The law of the country. |
What can be concluded from the last paragraph about the TowStop Sticker?
| A．It takes time and efforts to put it to use. |
| B．Only traffic wardens can touch the sticker． |
| C．All car owners will use the sticker in 2015． |
| D．Kalliontzis is experienced in raising money． |
What’ s the right order of the following statements according to the passage?
①A message is sent by the sensor.
②The sticker is put inside a car’ s windscreen.
③A traffic warden touches the smart sticker.
④The sticker is set up with vital information.
⑤The motorist sends a message.
| A．②④⑤③① | B．④②③①⑤ |
| C．④②③⑤① | D．②④①③⑤ |
The Silver City Council recognizes that citizens have certain needs. To better meet your needs, we have made several changes to community facilities in 2014. The followings show how we have tried to make your life better.
Transport
☆Three stations for the suburbs have been added to the western train service.
☆20 new buses for the southern line were purchased in January.
☆50 per cent of city busstops have been upgraded.
Communication
☆Broadband cable is now available to all parts of the city.
☆All of the new Government buildings are smartwired for better computer service!
Medical Facilities
☆The new stateoftheart Nightingale Hospital was opened in June.
☆To overcome a shortage of trained medical staff at Dover Hospital, 10 doctors have been employed from overseas.
☆Some facilities at Station Street Hospital have been upgraded.
Education
☆Textbooks will be free to all primary students in 2014!
☆Rental for private schools has been reduced.
Protection and Security
☆Extra police now patrol（巡逻）the tourist areas.
☆50 new police officers graduated in July and have taken up duties in the city area.
Entertainment / Recreation
☆The new Central Community Building opened in May.
☆5,000 new fiction books were bought for the Silver City Library.What is the purpose of the changes in Silver City?
| A．To satisfy all the needs of the citizens. |
| B．To make public service improved. |
| C．To better the citizens’life. |
| D．To meet the needs of the Silver City Council. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Travel books are provided in the new library. |
| B．More bus lines and stops are bought in Silver City. |
| C．Free medical treatment is available at Station Street Hospital. |
| D．There are more police officers on duty now. |
The public notice is from _______.
| A．the community | B．the local government |
| C．the Silver City Library | D．a travel agency |
Shake Shack is a new kind of restaurant becoming more popular in the U.S. The restaurants are not“fast food” . They are known as“fast casual” .
Observers say Americans want more choices and fresh food when choosing where and what to eat. This trend is one reason why the fast food restaurant McDonald’ s has struggled financially. In the last quarter of 2014, McDonald’ s net income dropped by about $300 million. The January earnings report brought more bad news. Worldwide sales dropped for the eighth month in a row and even more than expected. While McDonald’ s is struggling to get their customers back, Shake
Shack, is doing well in making money. The New York-based burger chain had a very successful IPO, or initial public offering, of shares at the end of January. On its first day of trading, Shake Shack went from $21 a share to just under $46 a share. Being part of the “fast casual ”trend has helped Shake Shack. Other fast casual restaurants in the U.S. include Chipotle and Panera.
Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant expert with NPD has studied Americans’ restaurant habits for almost 30 years. She says one reason why Americans like fast casual food is that it’ s new. It’ s creative, it’ s something different and people like to try new things. Her study shows Americans made 61 billion visits to restaurants last year. Three out of four visits were to fast food restaurants, like McDonald’ s. Fast casual is still a small percentage of restaurant visits, but it has developed fast. Just as Ms. Riggs says,“It’ s growing by leaps and bounds, because they meet consumers’ needs. They know it’ s being prepared while they wait, it’ s fresh, quality food, good tasting food at what they say are reasonable and affordable prices.”
Many Americans still like their fast food. They just are not going as often. They are finding other ways to have a meal.What’ s the trouble with McDonald’ s?
| A．Its share goes down to $21. |
| B．Shake Shack has taken its place. |
| C．It’ s not popular with Americans. |
| D．Its sales and income have dropped. |
We can learn from Bonnie Riggs that Americans ________.
| A．don’ t like fast food any more |
| B．care only about the quality |
| C．like to try something new |
| D．pay more restaurant visits to fast casual |
What does the underlined phrase“by leaps and bounds”in Para. 3 mean?
| A．Steadily. | B．Rapidly. |
| C．Slowly. | D．Normally. |
Which of the following best describes fast casual?
| A．Fresh-made and tasty. |
| B．High-quality and expensive. |
| C．Farm-to-table and traditional. |
| D．Time-consuming and special. |
We don’ t always get a second chance to achieve our dreams. But some people are lucky, like Matthew McConaughey. Once almost unknown, the actor has recently found himself back on the list of the best actors in Hollywood. His new movie Interstellar is just another sign that his career reinvention has been an incredible success. “The film relies on McConaughey’ s performance to hold together the emotional story of a father and his daughter against the background of space travel and the end of the world,”Forbes commented.
But only years ago, the Texas native was often the butt of jokes（笑柄）about being too handsome. In 1993, after meeting with director Richard Linklater, McConaughey starred in Dazed and Confused. And a Hollywood career was born, mostly in romantic comedies. For a long time, the whole world believed McConaughey was just a handsome guy with comic talent.
But McConaughey stopped starring in that type of movie, and began to use his looks differently. Slowly he built up his reputation as a serious actor. In 2013, McConaughey was offered to play an AIDS activist in Dallas Buyers Club. The role saw the normally muscular actor losing 50 pounds in order to appear sick. His performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor.
The actor gave thanks to someone he has always looked up to as a hero during his Oscar acceptance speech. When he was 15, the actor said, he decided that his hero would be himself in 10 years. But 10 years later, he pushed the deadline ahead another decade. Then 10 years later, another decade.“My hero’ s always 10 years away,” he said. “I’ m never going to attain that. That keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.”Or perhaps constantly chasing the chance to be his own hero has given him a second chance to follow his dreams.Why was McConaughey often the butt of jokes in his early career?
| A．He was limited to handsome roles. |
| B．He was unknown to the audience. |
| C．He played in romantic comedies. |
| D．He was handsome and emotional. |
What role won Mc Conaughey an Oscar for Best Actor?
| A．A caring father. | B．An AIDS activist. |
| C．A serious buyer. | D．A strong hero. |
What can we learn about McConaughey？
| A．He was born in Hollywood. |
| B．He has become a hero of his own. |
| C．He wasn’ t famous until recently. |
| D．He isn’ t content with his achievements. |
Which of the following can be the best title?
| A．McConaughey, a Romantic Comedian |
| B．McConaughey, a Man Making a Hit |
| C．McConaughey, a Man Daring to change |
| D．McConaughey, Handsome and Talented |