Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, black surfaces. One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings. But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt (柏油) roads?
Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer. He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up. The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside.
The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes. Most of them ran from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road. Some, however, dive deep into the ground.
When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes. At a depth of 100 meters lies a natural aquifer (蓄水层) into which several heat exchangers (交换器) have been built. The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe. The aquifer is thus used as a heat store.
In winter, the working system is changed slightly. Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer. This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up. After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice. Which of the following is TRUE according to the first two paragraphs?
| A．Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss. |
| B．Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities. |
| C．Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads. |
| D．The Dutch engineer's system has been widely used. |
For what purpose are the diving pipes used?
| A．To absorb heat from the sun. |
| B．To store heat for future use. |
| C．To turn solar energy into heat energy. |
| D．To carry heat down below the surface. |
From the last paragraph we can learn that _________.
| A．the system can do more than warming up the building |
| B．some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter |
| C．the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface |
| D．less heat may be collected in winter than in summer |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．What we shall do if the system goes wrong. |
| B．What we shall do if there are no asphalt roads. |
| C．How the system cools the building in summer. |
| D．How the system collects heat in spring and autumn. |
Before I had my son, I spent two years working with children with disabilities. I learned that shouting and threats of punishment would result in a disaster. Coming up against their behaviour could only make the job harder and their behaviour more extreme. I found something that worked, though.
There was a very naughty boy in the nursery and a teacher who was generally very confident with the children was asked to take charge of him. One day the boy joined a session in the room next to mine. His appearance created an atmosphere of tension. He spent the entire session running around, hitting and kicking, and destroying property.
I was in the craft room working with some other children when my co-worker told me that this boy’s teacher was in tears, and could not get control of the situation. As we were talking, the boy ran in. I told my co-worker that I would take care of him.
I closed the door. He was full of energy, throwing things around and making a huge mess. But I could see that he was doing all these to annoy me. He needed connection, and this was the only way he knew how to ask for it. So I sat back down and kept quiet. Then he slowed down and began making a rocket. I talked to him about it. We continued like this for a few minutes before I slipped into the conversation:
“So what happened today?”
It was purely a question, no blame or anger in my tone. I believe that if I had criticized him, the gate that was slowly opening would have shut firmly closed. He told me that the teacher didn’t let him do what he knew well due to safety but asked him to do what he disliked. He also admitted that he had enjoyed making her run around and saw it as a game. I explained that his teacher had not seen it as a game and was very upset. This again was stated simply as a fact. I suggested that next time he had a session, he talk about what he hoped to do at the start, which might be easier for everyone. He agreed and was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes before quietly asking if he could go to find his teacher to apologize. The boy made trouble for his teacher because he ______.
| A．was accused of destroying property |
| B．was told not to yell at other children |
| C．was made to do things against his will |
| D．was blamed for creating an air of tension |
Why didn’t the author do anything about the boy’s bad behavior at first?
| A．She didn’t want to make it worse. |
| B．She didn’t mind the huge mess at all. |
| C．She was tired of shouting and threats. |
| D．She hadn’t thought of a coping strategy. |
The author managed to get the boy to talk to her by ______.
| A．playing games with him |
| B．giving him a good suggestion |
| C．describing his teacher’s feelings |
| D．avoiding making critical remarks |
Why did the boy have tears in his eyes in the end?
| A．He was sorry about his reputation. |
| B．He was regretful about his behavior. |
| C．He was fearful of the author’s warning. |
| D．He was sad for the author’s misunderstanding. |
When computer salesman Li Guang and his girlfriend Huang Minxia saw on TV the destruction caused by the unexpected earthquake,they quickly filled their car with bottled water and instant noodles and drove more than 160 miles to lend a hand.
“It’s a small car,but we just wanted to help,” said Li,from Chongqing,a city next to the hardest-hit Sichuan province.
Donations (捐赠) are flooding in,more money than charities (慈善) in China collected all of last year,and so are volunteers.
In the week since the quake,donations have totaled $1.3 billion—85 percent raised within China.
Many,like Li,are taking advantage of growing private car ownership and a new,expanding highway system to join the line of government and army assistance toward the epicenter.
Across the disaster region,thousands of cars decorated with large handwritten signs—“Hardship comes from one direction,help comes from everywhere” and “For the people,for the Beijing Olympics”—were coming from as far as the capital,Beijing,more than 900 miles away.
Private cars crowded so thickly on roads that the police set up donation drop-off points outside cities and towns to clear the way for army and government assistance.People living in tents along the roads posted handwritten signs asking for urgently needed items—water,rice,vegetables.Cars paused to hand out a box or two and then drove on.
Instead of waiting for government-organized charity drives,people quickly acted on their own.Bank account (银行账户) numbers for making earthquake donations flashed on Web logs and mobile phones.Blood donation centers were overwhelmed (使应接不暇) by offers and began asking citizens to register (登记) in advance.
“People are really united this time,and they’re acting on their own without waiting to be asked.It sounds corny,but we’re taught in schools and from our parents about helping others,” said Ge Jian,the company’s general manager.What did Li Guang and his girlfriend Huang Minxia intend to do soon after the earthquake?( )
| A．They intended to help the victims in the quake-hit areas. |
| B．They were on the way to a pleasant journey in Sichuan. |
| C．They were told to do something for the disaster. |
| D．They wanted to find their friends in the epicenter. |
What does the underlined word “corny” most probably mean?( )
| A．Out of date. | B．Heart-broken. |
| C．Funny. | D．Disappointing. |
According to the passage,all the following statements are true EXCEPT.
| A．The good road system made it possible for more private car owners to rush to help. |
| B．The local people in the quake zone were short of food and drinks. |
| C．More money was collected from overseas than within China for the earthquake. |
| D．People across China were taking active part in the rescue work. |
Why did Blood donation centers advise people to register ahead of time?( )
| A．Because they were expecting more money rather than blood. |
| B．Because they had collected enough blood for the disaster. |
| C．Because they were ready to go to the epicenter and they were much too busy. |
| D．Because too many people were offering to donate blood. |
The state of Colorado has four of the 58 national parks in the United States.These have been judged as the best places of all the national parks.
Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
This park lies in western Colorado and offers the most impressive views from up in the mountains into the canyons (峡谷)below.While exploring the canyons,you will find that the walls drop nearly straight down into very narrow valleys with snake-like rivers below.Visitors are offered more than 100 camping sites,and a lot of bird species and many animals are native to the area.
Rocky Mountain National Park
It is the only national park in the north central region in the state of Colorado.Elevations (高地)in this park you will find are anywhere from 8,000 feet to 14,259 at the top of Longs Peak.While travelling throughout this park,you will find there are two very different climates because of the fact that the tops of the Rocky Mountains make a difference.With 359 miles of trails for hiking,there are a lot of places for camping,horseback riding and just enjoying the sights of nature.
Mesa Verde National Park
This is probably the most interesting of all the national parks,offering an extremely interesting trip back in time to 600 A.D.up to 1,300 A.D.This park was declared (宣布)a protected national park in 1906 because of the cliff dwellings (住人的崖洞)that were found throughout the park area,which was once home to American Indians.Visitors can actually walk through these dwellings,and they may imagine what each room may have been used for so many years ago.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Great Sand Dunes (沙丘)National Park lies in south central Colorado,about 127 miles from Pueblo.This park has the tallest sand dunes in all of North America,with trails for hiking.Natural sandy beaches there are good for people who want to swim around the small rivers and lakes.A person who enjoys mountains and rivers will visit .
| A．Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park |
| B．Rocky Mountain National Park |
| C．Mesa Verde National Park |
| D．Great Sand Dunes National Park |
Which of the following is TRUE about Rocky Mountain National Park?( )
A.It has the tallest mountains in the USA.
B.It has very different weather conditions.
C.It is the most interesting national park.
D.It is about 359 miles from Pueblo.If you are interested in history you will visit .
| A．Rocky Mountain National Park |
| B．Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park |
| C．Great Sand Dunes National Park |
| D．Mesa Verde National Park |
Mesa Verde National Park has been a protected national park for around years.
| A．1,000 | B．1,500 | C．100 | D．200 |
In choosing a friend,one should be very careful.A good friend can help you study.You can have fun together and make each other happy.Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends.They will be with you as long as you have money or luck,but when you are down,they will run away.How do I know when I have found a good friend?I look for certain qualities (品质) of character,especially understanding,honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all,I look for understanding in a friend.A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling.He is not quick to judge.Instead,he tries to learn from others.He puts himself in the other person’s place,and he tries to think of ways to be helpful.He is also a good listener.
At the same time,however,a good friend is honest.He does not look for faults (过错) in others.He notices their good points.In short,a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability.I can always depend on (信赖) a good friend.If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time,I can be sure that he will be there.If I need a favor,he will do his best to help me.If I am in trouble,he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special.A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun.We should enjoy our lives,and we would enjoy our friendship.That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with.A good friend likes the same things I like.We share experience (经验) and learn from each other.A good friend has a good sense of humor (幽默),too.He likes to laugh with me.That is how we share in the joy of being friends.And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable,honest,and understanding,I know I’ve found a friend!Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?( )
| A．Understanding. | B．Honesty. |
| C．Reliability. | D．A sense of humor. |
If you have fair weather friends,.
| A．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| B．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| C．you will become rich |
| D．you can be sure that you get real friends |
Good friends need to .
| A．always point out each other’s mistakes |
| B．be helped with money |
| C．understand each other’s feelings |
| D．have money or luck |
This passage mainly discusses .
| A．the qualities of a friend |
| B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends |
| D．the importance of having a friend |
In many businesses, computers have largely replaced paperwork, because they are fast, flexible, and do not make mistakes. As one banker said, "Unlike humans, computers never have a bad day." And they are honest. Many banks advertise that their transactions are "untouched by human hands" and therefore safe from human temptation. Obviously, computers have no reason to steal money. But they also have no conscience, and the growing number of computer crimes shows they can be used to steal.
Computer criminals don't use guns. And even they are caught, it is hard to punish them because there are no witnesses and often no evidence. A computer cannot remember who used it: it simply does what it is told. The head teller at a New York City Bank used a computer to steal more than one and a half billion dollars in just four years. No one noticed this theft because he moved the money from one account to another. Each time a customer he had robbed questioned the balance in his account, the teller claimed a computer error, then replaced the missing money from someone else's account. This man was caught only because he was a gambler. When the police broke up an illegal gambling operation, his name was in the records.
Some employees use the computer's power to get revenge on employers they consider unfair. Recently, a large insurance company fired its computer-tape librarian for reasons that involved her personal rather than her professional life. She was given thirty days' notice. In those thirty days, she erased all the company's computerized records.
Most computer criminals have been minor employees. Now police wonder if this is "the tip of the iceberg". As one official says, "I have the feeling that there is more crime out there than we are catching. What we are seeing now is all so poorly done. I wonder what the real experts are doing—the ones who really know how a computer works."Which feature of computers makes computer theft possible?
| A．They are fast, flexible and accurate. |
| B．They usually function normally. |
| C．They have no sense of what is right or wrong. |
| D．They are honest and have no reason to steal money. |
The author uses the case of the head teller to show_______.
| A．how computer criminals so evil things |
| B．how hard it is to find computer criminals |
| C．computers lack conscience |
| D．computer crime can involve a big sum of money |
The head teller was found guilty of stealing ________.
| A．when he was caught transmitting money from one account to another |
| B．when the police broke up the illegal gambling operation |
| C．afer he was questioned on the abnormal balance of an account |
| D．after the police examined the illegal gambling operation documents |
Why did the computer tape librarian erase all the company’s computerized records?
| A．She thought it was right to revenge any injustice in professional problems. |
| B．She thought the employer was wrong to fire her for personal problems. |
| C．The company carelessly gave her enough time to do the erasing. |
| D．The company always interfered with its employees’ personal life. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．Computer criminals are minor employees. |
| B．Of all crimes, computer theft is “the tip of the iceberg”. |
| C．Computer crimes are all poorly done. |
| D．There are more computer crimes committed by computer experts. |