Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and one of the richest people in the world, is now making efforts to reinvent （以新形式出现）the toilet. Gates has donated a big part of his wealth to charity. Now his charitable organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for future toilets that can improve the living conditions of millions of people.
The flush toilet （抽水马桶）we use today was invented in 1775. While it works well in getting rid of our waste, it also uses a lot of water and needs a costly sewage system（下水道排污系统）. Besides, it’s not necessarily practical for the developing world. In some developing countries, lack of toilets leads to poor hygiene（卫生），and that could kill people. According to the World Health Organization, 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year because of hygiene problems.
Last year, the Gates Foundation gave money to eight universities around the world and asked them to start inventing the toilet of tomorrow: a toilet that uses little or no water is cheap and easy to fix, and is safe and hygienic.
At the “ Reinvent the Toilet Fair（展销会）” competition recently held in Seattle, twenty-eight designs were displayed. The winners, from the California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）, were awarded a $ 100,000 prize by the Gates Foundation.
“We couldn’t be happier with the response that we’ve gotten,” Bill Gates said at the event. Many of the new designs would not only greatly improve hygiene in the developing world, but also help change the dependence on traditional flush toilets in developed nations, he said.What are disadvantages of the flush toilet we use today?
| A．Wasting a lot of water and energy. |
| B．Washing a lot of water and needing a costly sewage system. |
| C．Spending too much time and energy. |
| D．Improving hygiene and environment. |
How many designs were displayed at the “Reinvent the Toilet Fair”?
| A．Eight. | B．Eighty. |
| C．Eighteen. | D．Twenty-eight. |
What does the underlined word “that” refer to?
| A．The flush toilet we use today. |
| B．The old toilet we used long ago. |
| C．Lack of toilets in some developing countries. |
| D．Lack of toilets leads to poor hygiene in some developing countries. |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Bill Gates of Microsoft | B．Revolution （革命） of the toilet |
| C．Fair of the toilet | D．Type of the toilet |
Tanzania Tarangire is a national Park which lies in Tanzania．The park itself covers an area of around 2,850 square kilometers, making it the sixth largest park of its kind in the country．I recently visited Tarangire to see what it was like．
One of the first sightings upon entering the park which I found was a huge group of elephants．Our guide told us that Tagrangire was probably the best place in Tanzania to find large group of elephants, and that their population in the park was around 2,500．We continued to watch the elephants as they stood under trees and scratched themselves against the trees to hit the spot of an itch.
To the right of the elephant group, we noticed a big tree! Our guide informed us that this was a Baobab tree and that they could live for hundreds of years．Compared with this tree, the elephant just looked like dwarfs (much smaller plants or animals)! We were informed that Tarangire was one of the best National Parks in Africa to see so many Baobab trees．
As we continued our drive through the park, we finally reached a watering hole．Our guide warned us that there were lions all around us．It took us all a while to find them, but there they were! Most of them are resting in the shade under bushes, but there was one that was drinking from the watering hole directly in front of us．We then noticed just to our right, there were a couple of fresh zebra bodies — it seemed as if the lions which were resting had killed them! We were unlucky not to have seen the kill, as our guide had mentioned that the zebra bodies were fresh and the kill had happened within the last hour．
Our final big sighting was one that none of us were expecting to see, even our guide! We stopped at a place where there were quite a many cars, with a sleeping leopard（美洲豹）there! We took photos and watched its surprising body before returning to our hotel as it was getting late．
So, I hope you enjoyed my description of Tarangire, and add this amazing park to your very own Tanzania travel route．
Which statement is correct about the park?
| A．It covers an area of about 2,580 square kilometers. |
| B．It is the largest park of its kind in the country. |
| C．Their population in the park was around 2,000. |
| D．There are a lot of Baobab trees in the park． |
What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 infer?
| A．They moved their bodies against the trees to solve the skin problem. |
| B．They rested under the trees, doing nothing, just for killing the time. |
| C．They helped each other to knock down the dirty things on their bodies |
| D．They guarded their baobab trees, fighting the terrible leopards and lions. |
What does the passage possibly tell us?
| A．A Page from Tanzania Tourist Diary. | B．Animals and Plants in Tarangire Park. |
| C．A Visit to Tarangire National Park. | D．Protecting Animals and Environment. |
Every day, it is easy to see advertisements in English all around us. Look at your own bags and clothes of your classmates. How many different advertisements can you see which use English words? Often, bags and clothes show the name of company that made them. This is a popular form. A special picture or symbol (标志) called a logo is sometimes used. Logos appear on many different products. They are popular because when you see a logo, it helps you to remember that product or company. It is common to see advertisements on TV and hear them on the radio. Most advertisements are very short. Sometimes the advertisers use a short sentence and it is easy for people to say. Nike, for example, has a simple English sentence which is used all around the world: “Just do it.” Advertisements often use funny situations as well. It is simple to remember it. All advertisements are designed to make people buy a product. An advertisement for a soft drink, for example, might show a group of young people who are having fun. The young people are all drinking the soft drink. Advertisements are saying to you, “Why don’t you buy this drink and be like these people? You can be young and modern.” You might think that advertisements are not for you, but the next time you buy a soft drink, ask yourself this question: Why am I buying this particular product? From the passage, we know that _______.
| A．all advertisements around us are written in English |
| B．many bags have the name of the company that made them |
| C．having soft drinks makes a person young and modern |
| D．advertisements are only for young people |
All advertisements are designed to _______.
| A．sell you something you don’t want | B．make you young and modern |
| C．make you buy the product | D．show you what you need to buy |
The best title of this passage is .
| A．advertisements all around us |
| B．all kinds of advertisements |
| C．to make people buy a product |
| D．advertisements often use funny situations |
Have you ever wished to have an umbrella that makes your hands free? Alan Kaufman has come up with the “Nubrella”, which means “new” + “umbrella”. It is the first truly hands-free umbrella in the world. The inventor says that it stops rain, wind and snow and can keep your head, face and hair dry.
“I never planned to invent a product. I just noticed a problem and had a new idea,” said the inventor. The idea for the invention began on one rainy day. Mr Kaufman was standing in one of his stores. He began to look at people’s umbrellas. He found that they had to try very hard to keep their umbrellas in the right place. At that moment an idea came into his mind. He ran to his desk and drew a picture. In this way, the nubrella was born.
One cool feature of the nubrella is that you don’t hold it like a normal umbrella; you wear it. The shoulder straps (肩带) of the nubrella allow people to be fully hands-free, so when walking in the rain with the nubrella, you are able to use your cell phone or drink a hot cup of coffee. Also, the nubrella will never be inverted (颠倒) in the wind. The new umbrella is far safer than traditional ones, because it has no sharp points.
“Nubrella” is a kind of _____ umbrella.
| A．normal | B．hands-free |
| C．traditional | D．paper |
--- How can you use the “Nubrella”?
--- You can _____.
| A．wear the shoulder straps of the nubrella |
| B．put the nubrella on your head |
| C．use your hands to hold it up |
| D．carry it on your bike |
Which of the following is not right?
| A．"Nubrella" means "new" + "umbrella"． |
| B．The idea of the nubrella came from the rainy day． |
| C．Walking in the rain, you'd better take the nubrella． |
| D．If you go out with the nubrella, you have it in your hands. |
| Ocean Museum 9:00–17:00 Thurs. to Sun. 132 College Street Price: 50 yuan Tel: 543-9871  Show you a full picture of sea lives! |
Health Centre 9:00 – 17:00 16 Yongle Street[ Tel:380-1451 Free exams for those over 70  Give you good advice to keephealthy! |
Jundu Tourist Villa Jundu Tourist Villa is situated at the Ming Tombs, Changping District, Beijing.Price: 480 yuan per night or more |
Red Wall Hotel Red Wall Hotel, enjoying the favorable geographic position, is close to many famous scenic spots in Beijing.[Surrounding: Beihai Park, Wangfujing Street Price: $ 32 to $ 75 per night |
You can visit Ocean Museum on ______
| A．Monday | B．Tuesday |
| C．Wednesday | D．Saturday |
One can get free exams in Health Centre if he is _____.
| A．73 | B．67 | C．35 | D．27 |
How long does Health Centre last every day?
A. 5 hours B. 6 hours C. 8 hours C. 10 hours If you want to live in Jundu Tourist Villa, you should pay _____ per night at least.
| A．nothing | B．50 yuan | C．$ 75 | D．480 yuan |
For many years, a small percentage of homeowners have fixed solar panels (太阳能板) on their rooftops. Those panels collect some of the sun’s energy and either change it into electricity or use it to heat water. Until recently, the panels were too expensive for average homeowners, and their designs were not attractive. Thanks to new advances, however, solar panels for homes are becoming cheaper and less large and heavy. Now more homeowners are considering using them.
Stores begin to sell Solar panels
Last fall furniture retailer(零售商) IKEA began selling solar panels in its U.K. stores. IKEA has brought the DIY solar choice to the public. While shopping for furniture, shoppers could not add a box or two of solar panels to their shopping cart (购物车). IKEA is partnering with a company. The company deals with fixing and servcing of the solar panels on the roofs. So it is easy for customers to change from old energy system to solar system. If all goes well, IKEA plans to begin selling the panels in other countries soon.
Stylish solar panels
SolTech, a Swedish company, offers a really great solar-power solution. Instead of flat panels, SolTech covers the panels with a special glass tile. And the shape of the glass tile fits traditional tiled roof designs. SolTech recently offers solar systems that heat the home’s air or water. And it also offers one solar system that produces electricity.
______________
New technology has turned windows into solar panels. SolarWindow technology enables see-through windows to produce electricity after the glass surface is added with a special coating. Amazingly, SolarWindow can produce electricity in low-light conditons and can even turn indoor, man-made light into electricity! Since buildings are getting taller and about 60 percent of an office building’s surface is covered with windows, solar window could become a very popular way for people to produce energy and save money.
Turning your home –business-into a solar-powered one is a choice that’s becoming a lot more attractive these days!This passage mainly talks about ______.
| A．fashion shows | B．life in the UK |
| C．a technology | D．different opinions |
The reason why only a few homeowners used solar panels is that they are __________.
| A．cheap but heavy | B．attractive but expensive |
| C．light and small | D．dear and not attractive |
.The DIY solar choice has been brought to the public so that _______.
the IKEA stores can sell more furniture in the U.K.
it is possible to make more panels in other countries.
more people will choose to use a new energy system.
people can get solar panels for free after buying furniture..The best title for the fourth paragraph is __________.
| A．Making new kinds of windowns | B．Turning windows into solar panels |
| C．Changing our homes into panels | D．Adding electricity to the windows |
.The author’s attitude towards solar panels is _________.
A.positive B.negative
D.uncertain D.questioning