Three Yale University professors agreed in a discussion that the automobile was what one of them called “Public Health Enemy No. 1 in this century”. Besides polluting the air and overcrowding the cities, cars are involved in more than half the disastrous accidents, and they contribute to heart disease “because we won’t walk anywhere any more,” said Richard Weeinaman, professor of medicine and public health.
Speaking of many of those man-made dangers of the automobile, Arthur W. Galson, professor of biology, said it was possible to make a kerosene-burning turbine car that would “lessensmog by a very large factor”. But he expressed doubt whether Americans were willing to give up moving about the countryside at 90 miles per hour in a large vehicle. “America seems wedded to the motor car—every family has to have at least two, and one has to be a convertible (敞篷汽车) with 300 horsepower,” professor Galson continued. “Is this the way of life that we choose because we treasure these values?”
For professor Sears, part of the blame lies with “a society that regards profit as a supreme value, under the illusion that anything that’s technically possible is, therefore, morally justified”. Professor Sears also called the country’s dependence on its modern automobiles “terrible economics” because of the large horsepower used simply “moving one individual to work”. But he admitted that Americans have painted themselves into a corner by allowing the national economy to become so dependent on the automobile industry.
“The solution,” Dr Weeinerman said, “is not finding a less dangerous fuel but a different system of inner city transportation. Because of the increasing use of cars, public transportation has been allowed to wither (衰弱) and grow worse, so that if you can’t walk to where you want to go, you have to have a car in most cities,” he declared. This, in turn, Dr Weeinerman contended, is responsible for the “arteriosclerosis (动脉硬化)” of public roads, for the pollution of the inner city and for the middle-class movement to the suburbs.The main idea of the passage is that .
| A．Americans are used to travelling by cars |
| B．American public transportation is growing worse |
| C．American car industry caused disastrous road accidents |
| D．American people’s health is threatened by automobiles |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．Americans prefer cars to anything else |
| B．Americans are interested in fast automobiles |
| C．kerosene-burning engines cause more problems |
| D．kerosene-burning engines are green transportation |
In Paragraph 3, Professor Sears implies that .
| A．technology is always good for people |
| B．technology is a sword with two sides |
| C．more attention should be paid to social effects |
| D．US doesn’t care about the environment at all |
According to Dr Weeinerman, the best solution is .
| A．to look for a fuel alternative |
| B．to improve public transportation |
| C．to walk to where people want to go |
| D．to control the production of the automobile |
In American high schools, there is a tradition for each year's graduating class( called the seniors) to play a joke on the school—the Senior Prank(毕业恶作剧）.
This usually happens at the end of the school year just before the seniors graduate from the school. It is an unofficial tradition. Al-though the schools don't encourage it, each year the seniors try to make their pranks the most original so that their class will be remembered in the years to come. The joke is supposed to be light-hearted(无伤大雅的）and must not do major damage to the school property .
The best prank at my high school was done several years ago. A flower called the golden poppy(金罂粟花）is the state flower of California ； the state law states that no one can cut them down once they are planted.
The seniors at my school took advantage of the law. They planted golden poppies all over the football field one night, spelling out their graduation year with the flowers ！ Since the school couldn't break the law to cut down the poppies, they had to wait until the flowers died.
The greatest prank that I've ever heard was done by one of my history teachers when he was in high school. He and some of his close friends went fishing in hopes of catching big fish for their prank. They were lucky and caught a three-foot shark.
My teacher and his friends took the shark to the school at night and dumped it into the swimming pool. The next morning when students went swimming, they found a dead shark in their pool. The chlorine(氯）in the water had killed the shark ！ My history teacher always regretted that his school had put so much chlorine in the pool, or it would have been more fun if the shark was still alive the next day.
The schools won't take it seriously if the pranks don't cause too much damage. But, sometimes the school will punish the seniors for going too far with their prank. My teacher's “Shark Prank “is an example of a prank gone too far. The school had to drain (排水）the pool and have it cleaned before filling it up again, which had cost the school several thousand dollars. The underlined word “property “means _________.
| A．资产 | B．性质 | C．道具 | D．所有权 |
The author implies (暗示）_________.
| A．the schools encourage the seniors to play the prank |
| B．his history teacher was punished by the school |
| C．the law of California doesn't allow planting the golden poppy in the campus |
| D．after finding a shark in the swimming pool, the school killed it with the chlorine |
We can infer(推断）from the passage that _________.
| A．the “Golden Poppy Prank “is successful and well-meaning |
| B．the Senior Prank is an unofficial tradition |
| C．the school had to cut down the golden poppies at last |
| D．the golden poppy is the state flower of California |
Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
| A．Only the graduating class can play the Senior Prank. |
| B．The schools don't encourage the Senior Prank. |
| C．The “Golden Poppy Prank " cost the school a lot of money. |
| D．The “Shark Prank “is beyond the general pranks. |
Inventions are created every day because of people would like _________
to make life easier. TV provides us with different informations _________
so that we can know more about the whole world quickly. _________
We see all kinds of entertainment programs to relax ourselves. _________
However, some learning programs help us with our study. _________
We go to school or work on bike every day. At the same time, _________
it's not so expensive that most of us can afford. _________
It makes no pollution, that is good for our environment. _________
What's more, bicycling are a kind of exciting sports, _________
which is quite good for our health and popular in the young.
A locavore is someone who eats foods produced locally. Locavores usually define local as within 160 kilometers. Local is a popular word these days in food advertising. Farmers markets are also popular. These are often held once a week, usually in a big outdoor space. And some people grow their own food at home or in community gardens.
Locally grown food can cost more but locavores find it more satisfying. Not just the taste, but the fact that they are supporting local producers. And some believe eating local foods is healthier. This may be true in terms of freshness, but it also depends on how the food was produced. Restaurants are also joining the local food movement. And local food is involved in another movement—" slow food " ，whose aim is to honor the tradition of foods prepared and enjoyed with time and care, like a fine wine.
The city of Sonoma, California, is getting in the spirit of the local food movement. The city is located in the wine-making Sonoma Valley. Next week, the City Council is expected to approve changes to make it easier to raise chickens and rabbits on smaller properties.
No one is sure how many people want to. But anyone with a single family house and a fenced backyard could keep as many as sixteen chickens and eight rabbits. Larger properties could have more. Either way, a permit and inspection would be required.
Residents could sell eggs but not meat. City officials did re-search about other places with similar rules. They learned that people often end up giving their chickens names and treating them like pets.
If the happens, Sonoma residents will have no trouble finding boy names for roosters. Under the proposed new rules, the city will not permit any roosters other than those now living there. City officials want to avoid early morning wake-up calls for the neighbors. As one Sonoma official explained：”You don't need a rooster to have eggs." The best title of the passage is that _________.
| A．Locavores like their food close to home |
| B．Farmers markets are popular |
| C．How to raise roosters at home |
| D．Locally grown food can cost more |
The advantage of eating locally grown food is _________.
| A．the price is low |
| B．it is fresh |
| C．it can support the local economy |
| D．both B and C |
According to the passage, the following terms have a close connection with local food movement EXCEPT _________.
| A．farmers markets and food advertisements |
| B．locavores and healthy food |
| C．restaurants and slow food |
| D．pets and boy names |
The underlined word " that " in the last paragraph refers to —_________
| A．a permit and inspection would be required |
| B．residents could sell eggs but not meat |
| C．city officials did research about other places with similar rules |
| D．people often end up giving their chickens names and treating them like pets |
Not everyone can become a professional basketball or football player. Not everyone, especially youth living in the city, has access to large green fields. But kids still want to compete. So all over America, young people started skateboarding and bicycling. This is where the Extreme Games, or X-Games, started.
The X-Games are beautiful to watch. They simply defy gravity. Riders fly down ramps on skateboards and do crazy tricks in the air. The X-Games have become so popular that this year BMX cycling is the newest sport in the Beijing Olympics. You will see competitors descend a 25-foot (8 meters) ramp, the highest in the world, as they race through a wild obstacle course.
But the X-Games are more than sports. They have become a culture. Fans of the X-Games have rejected the mainstream. They wear certain clothes, listen to different music and live life to the fullest.
It is not unusual to see young people riding a skateboard or showing off their cycling tricks in a park. Extreme sports arrived in China in the late 1990s. The Chinese Extreme Sports Association was established in 2004
Shanghai will hold the Asian X-Games at the end of April. Check them out and maybe you'll find a new sport you love. According to the passage we know that _________.
| A．all the young people have access to large green fields |
| B．not all the young people like playing sports |
| C．only young people living in the countryside have access to large green fields |
| D．not all the people can become a professional basketball player |
The Extreme Games start from _________.
| A．people's work |
| B．the countryside life |
| C．people's different sports interest |
| D．large green fields |
The Extreme Games are popular with a lot of people because of the factors except that _________.
| A．it is a very exciting sport |
| B．it makes people more confident |
| C．it is quite wonderful |
| D．it is the only sport for both city people and country people |
That we often see some young people wearing all kinds of clothes, listening to music and riding a skateboard or showing off their cycling tricks shows _________.
| A．the Extreme Games have come to China for a long time |
| B．the Extreme Games have become a fashionable culture |
| C．the Extreme Games have become new sports |
| D．the Extreme Games have become the best way to keep fit |
Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning set-back. Put simply, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight. Recent studies show that children gain weight more quickly in the summer than when they are in school.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar. Students get winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school.
Last year, a study at Ohio State University reported that year-round students did not learn any more than other students. Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. Research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term summer school. They said it created an image of children being forced to do work they missed during the school year. The parents welcomed other terms like " summer camp " ，" enrichment " ，" extra time " and " hands-on learning " . It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that _________.
| A．the educators in the US don't like long summer holiday |
| B．the students in the US learn nothing during their summer vacation |
| C．it's good for the students' health to spend long holiday |
| D．students are not ready to learn during the holiday by them-selves |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．A student in a traditional nine-month school is fatter than one in a year-round school. |
| B．Most American schools make use of a year-round calendar. |
| C．The traditional nine-month calendar has an advantage be-cause they have more class days. |
| D．Students following a traditional nine-month calendar has at least 3 long holidays. |
At the beginning of a new term, students from poor families—_________
| A．are fatter than those from rich families |
| B．have a more serious summer learning gap than those from rich families |
| C．learn more knowledge than those from a year-round school |
| D．make more progress than those from a traditional nine-month calendar school |
This passage mainly tells us _________.
| A．the American summer schools |
| B．to mind the summer learning gap |
| C．how to lose weight during the summer vacation |
| D．schools and local governments should offer programs to help students from poor families |