Daniel Hillel developed drip irrigation (滴灌) techniques. The techniques make farming possible in places where there is not enough water. Because of this, he won this year’s World Food Prize.
Hillel is using the techniques in his orchards (果园) near his home in Israel.
Irrigating drop by drop — called drip irrigation — has changed agriculture by greatly reducing the amount of water needed.
Farmers now rely on it in places from Spain, to Africa, to America. “We in California grow about 50 percent of the fruits and vegetables of the continental United States,” says Jan Hopmans from University of California at Davis. “And these drip irrigation techniques make it possible.”
Hillel got his start in dry land farming in Israel’s Negev Desert in the 1950s. “The key was making good use of water,” he says. “There’s much land. Water is limited.” These farmers did not have the advantage of running irrigation water through channels (水渠) to their crops. So Hillel and others gave plants just what they needed and just where they needed it.
“The idea is to use water little by little,” Hillel says. It worked so well that Hillel was soon traveling around the world, showing others how to do it. Experts say drip irrigation’s importance is growing, as climate change and rising population make water supplies become few in many parts of the world.
“This is where water use, climate change and crop production all meet at one point,” Hillel says. “And this has been really the essence (本质) of my career.”
A career whose importance can be measured drop by drop.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 4?
| A．Daniel Hillel is becoming popular worldwide. |
| B．Drip irrigation has greatly affected agriculture. |
| C．Jan Hopmans takes pride in American agriculture. |
| D．Drip irrigation plays a key role in American agriculture. |
Drip irrigation is popular because .
| A．it can make the most use of water |
| B．it can be used all around the world |
| C．it can provide plants with what is needed |
| D．it is more advanced than channel irrigation |
What makes drip irrigation seem increasingly important?
| A．Dry land farming. | B．Environmental pollution. |
| C．Food shortages. | D．Water shortages. |
The writer considers Daniel Hillel’s career to be .
| A．worthy of respect | B．worthy of understanding |
| C．brief | D．hard |
I am a German by birth and descent. My name is Schmidt. But by education I am quite as much an Englishman as a 'Deutscher', and by affection much more the former. M
y life has been spent pretty equally between the two countries, and I flatter myself I speak both languages without any foreign accent.
I count England my headquarters now: it is “home” to me. But a few years ago I was resident in Germany, only going over to London now and then on business. I will not mention the town where I lived. It is unnecessary to do so, and in the peculiar experience I am about to relate I think real names of people and places are just as well, or better avoided.
I was connected with a large and important firm of engineers. I had been bre
d up to the profession, and was credited with a certain amount of “talent”; and I was considered—and, with all modesty, I think I deserved the opinion—steady and reliable, so that I had already attained a fair position in the house, and was looked upon as a “rising man”. But I was still young, and not quite so wise as I thought myself. I came close once to making a great mess of a certain affair. It is this story which I am going to tell.
Our house went in largely for patents—rather too largely, some thought. But the head partner's son was a bit of a genius in his way, and his father was growing old, and let Herr Wilhelm - Moritz we will call the family name—do pretty much as he chose. And on the whole Herr Wilhelm did well. He was cautious, and he had the benefit of the st
ill greater caution and larger experience of Herr Gerhardt, the second partner in the firm.
P
atents and the laws which regulate them are strange things to have to do with. No one who has not had personal experience of the complications that arise could believe how far these spread and how involved they become. Great acuteness as well as caution is called for if you would guide your patent bark safely to port—and perhaps more than anything, a power of holding your tongue. I was no chatterbox, nor, when on a mission of importance, did I go about looking as if I were bursting with secrets, which is, in my opinion, almost as dangerous as revealing them. No one, to meet me on the journeys which it often fell to my lot to undertake, would have guessed that I had anything on my mind but an easy-going young fellow's natural interest i
n his surroundings, though many a time I have stayed awake through a whole night of railway travel if at all doubtful about my fellow-passengers, or not dared to go to sleep in a hotel without a ready-loaded gun by my pillow. For now and then - though not through me - our secrets did ooze out. And if, as has happened, they were secrets connected with Government orders or contracts, there was, or but for the exertion of the greatest energy and tact on the part of my superiors, there would have been, to put it plainly, the devil to pay. The writer preferred to be called ________.
| A．a German | B．an Englishman |
| C．both a German and an Englishman | D．neither a German nor an Englishman |
Which of the following words cannot be used to describe the writer?
| A．Talented | B．Modest | C．Reliable | D．Wise |
The head of the company where the writer works is ________.
| A．Schmidt | B．Moritz | C．Wilhelm’s father | D．Gerhardt |
The writer often stayed awake on the train or kept a ready-loaded gun in the hotel, because ________.
A．some peo ple sometimes let out the secrets of his company |
| B．the writer occasionally didn’t keep the secrets of his company |
| C．patents and the laws are strange things to have to do with |
| D．the secrets were connected with Government orders or contracts |
One Day Tour: Great Wall & Summer Palace
Overview: You will visit the famous Badaling Great Wall and Summer Palace in one day.
Tour Description and Itinerary (行程)
One day Private Tour or Coach Tour: Depart everyday
Start from 8:30 am to around 6:00 pm, flexible schedule for private tour.
Itinerary:
Pick you up from hotel on departure time, then drive to the famous Badaling Great Wall, which is 60 miles away from downtown about one and a half hour driving. Sightseeing on Great Wall Badaling section for about 3 hours.
Visit scenic spots: Badaling Geat Wall, Badaling Fortress, Beacon-towers, "Looking-toward-Beijing Stone", etc. (Cable car is available for you to get to the highest point to have a bird view)
Drive to restaurant for lunch. After lunch, visit the largest and most beautiful Chinese imperial garden- Summer Palace.
Visit scenic spots: 1. East palace gate, 2. the hall of benevolence and longevity, 3. hall of jade billows, 4. the hall of joyful longevity, 5. the covered walkway, 6. the marble boat, etc.
Transfer you back to your hotel after the whole day tour.
For the coach tour (small group in each bus, 6-10 persons per group):
★Suitable for economic or single travelers, make friends on the same bus, only English-speaking travelers on our bus.
★Travellers will be arranged in a small group, Keep group size less than ten in each air-conditioned bus;
★Vehicle mode: Coaster-New air-conditioned tour coach (click for picture)- 26 seats, only 6-10 persons per bus.
For Private Tour:
★Private tour is suitable for those individual or family travelers who is not willing to join the tour group, it may not feel very free when following the group. A designated car and private guide will follow you to go to the place you like, this package cost higher than coach tour.
★Vehicle mode: private luxury car or MPV van (click for picture)
For the private tour, you also need to go to one or two shopping stops every day.
Tour Price includes:
1. Pick-up and drop-off from your hotel.
2. Air-conditioned car, van or minibus for your private group.
3. Entrance tickets of the sightseeings.
4. English-speaking tour guide explain the sightseeings along the tour.
5. Typical Chinese lunch.
6. Chinese Jade shop visit.
Tour Package excludes:
Fee of cable car - cable car to the highest point of Great Wall, 60 RMB ($7.4)
Note: Children taller than 1.1 meter should be charged as full price, children shorter than 1.1 meter should be charged only half of the price.
How to Book?
1. You can book online or by email, tell us which hotel to pick you up, then receive our confirmation email.
2. When you arrive in Beijing, our tour guide will call you the night before the tour, if you are not in hotel room, we will leave a message in your room, to inform the time to pick you up in the next morning.
Payment Methods: 1.Cash to tour guide 2.Credit card 3.PayPal 4.Bank remit (wire transfer) If a group of 26 Americans want to have a one-day tour in Beijing, they can .
| A．share the same bus | B．take 6 coaches at most |
| C．take 3 coaches at least | D．not speak English |
For private tour,.
| A．travellers can ask the tour guide to change the travel schedule |
| B．travellers should pay the same amount of money as the coach tour |
| C．travellers must pay additional money for the entrance tickets |
| D．travellers needn’t pay additional money for the cable car |
This passage is most probably taken from .
| A．a travel guide | B．a newspaper | C．a magazine |
D．the Internet |
These days no car show is complete without an electric car, and the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, US, which ran from January 10 to 23, was no exception.
Among the fully electric vehicles on display were the Ford Focus Electric and the Honda Fit EV. BMW and Volvo also had prominent displays at the show, proving that they can produce practical, yet spacious family-oriented electric cars.
Industry insiders at the show claimed that more efficient batteries, improved performance and greater consumer acceptance could make 2011 the “year of el
ectric car”.
It’s long been clear that electric cars score heavily for convenience. They are, for instance, much easier to maintain than gasoline-powered cars. When the battery runs out, you simply replace it or recharge it, just like you would for a cell phone or a laptop.
This is also a much cheaper method than filling your tank with gasoline. Better yet, electric cars don’t emit exhaust fumes. As a result, they don’t produce environmentally damaging greenhouse gases.
It appears that improved technology is making electric cars and their maintenance much more user-friendly. So, what are the obstacles which are preventing electric cars from becoming popular and fashionable?
Home charging for electric cars could be extremely convenient for users. However, it is also a potential obstacle. For a start, installing charging stations in owners’ homes will be a challenge, particularly for those who have to park several blocks away from their homes.
Also, charging the car’s battery still takes quite a long time. It may be some time yet before you can recharge an electric car in the same time as you can refill your gas tank.
Another problem is that many electric vehicles have limited ranges that may only allow for journeys of 50 miles (80 km) or less between charges. In cases where a driver wishes to charge the car primarily at home (perhaps overnight), this limits their daily driving to the range of their vehicle.
This may be one reason why hybrid cars are now becoming more popular. A hybrid car has more than one energy source, usually a traditional gasoline fuel tank and an electric battery. It’s like a more practical version of an electric car: It’s greener than a conventional vehicle, with fewer CO2 emissions, yet it also doubles as a conventional vehicle.
“I would say that hybrid is a transition to fully electronic,” Road and Track magazine editor Richard Horman told Detroit News during the show. “The trend is for lighter, smarter, more economical cars. Of course
, electronic vehicles are meant to be that way.”
This sounds promising, particularly in light of the fact that the show featured more electric cars from big manufacturers than ever before.
However, it seems that the technology associated with electric cars is not yet able to fully meet people’s expectations. Don’t expect gasoline-powered cars to disappear from roads just yet. What made electric cars more convenient?
| A．Easier maintenance. | B．High scores on the show. |
| C．Practicality and large space. | D．Much lower prices. |
Which of the following could NOT act as a potential obstacle of electric cars?
| A．It is rough work to install charging stations at home. |
| B．It is time-consuming to charge the batteries. |
| C．The ranges between charges are limited. |
| D．There’s no need to fill the tank with petrol. |
In Paragraph 10, the underlined word “hybrid” is probably closest in meaning to ________.
| A．gasoline | B．electric | C．combined | D．separated |
The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is to_________.
| A．introduce the 2011 Auto Show in US | B．get readers informed of electric cars |
| C．comment on different types of cars | D．advertise for electric cars |
Temperature is measured by means of a thermometer (温度计). One general form of thermometer depends upon the fact that most solids and liquids expand as their temperature rises. There are one or two exceptions. There is, for instance, a kind of steel called invar (from “invariable”) which does not change its dimensions as temperature changes; it is valuable for making pendulums (钟摆), since, if the length of a pendulum changes, its time of vibration changes. It is also used for making very accurate measuring scales. In both cases, then, changes of atmospheric temperature have no effect if invar is used.
Another exception is that very odd liquid, water, which has many strange properties (特性). As water gets colder it contracts (收缩), which is ordinary behavior, until it reaches the temperature of 30℃. above freezing point. After that, as it gets colder, it expands. This is fortunate---for considering the freezing of a pond. As the water on top gets colder, it shrinks; and so, volume for volume, it becomes heavier and sinks. This goes on until all the pond is at 30℃, but after that, as the water becomes colder it expands. Therefore the colder water stays on top and freezes, covering the pond with ice. If the water went on contracting down to the freezing point, the pond would become a solid block of ice in the end. This would not worry people who live in hot climates, but it would be very serious for those who live in cold climates, especially for those who want to break the ice and catch fish which live in the cold water beneath. Invar is valuable for making pendulums because _______.
| A．it can hardly change its shape or size as temperature changes. |
| B．it will change its dimensions without the change of temperature. |
| C．its time of vibration doesn’t change if its length changes. |
| D．its time of vibration does not change if its length changes. |
As water gets colder after reaching the temperature of 30℃. it will _______.
| A．contract | B．shrink | C．expand | D．freeze |
Which of the following statements is true, according to this passage?
| A．Only invar can be used to make a thermometer. |
| B．Only water can be used to make a thermometer. |
| C．Both invar and water can be used to make a thermometer. |
| D．Neither invar nor water can be used to make a thermometer. |
The best title of this passage is most likely to be _____.
| A．Temperature Measurement | B．Two Exceptions |
| C．Uses of Invar | D．Properties of Water |
There is a boy called Bill in my gym class who has unbearably yellow teeth that almost make everyone feel unpleasant. Recently another boy told Bill that he should “go Ajax” his teeth. Bill was crushed. If the other boy had been thinking, he would have realized that there is a better way to handle such a situation. He could have dealt with it with tact. He could have showed this hurtful truth in a more careful, sensitive way—that’s “tact”.
If a person isn’t sensitive to another’s feelings, there is no way he or she can be tactful. Yesterday, my 5-year-old brother proudly announced that he had cleaned the screen on our television set. Unfortunately, he used furniture polish, which produced an oily film on the television screen. My mother smiled arid thanked him for his efforts—and then showed how to clean the screen properly. Her sensitivity enables my brother to keep his self-respect. Yet, sensitivity alone does not make tact.
“Tactfulness” also requires “truthfulness”. Doctors, for example must be truthful. If a patient has just been disabled in an accident, a tactful doctor will tell the truth—but express it with sensitivity. The doctor may try to give the patient hope by telling them curing techniques under study or about advanced equipment now available. Doctors must use tact with patients’ relatives as well. Instead of bluntly saying, “Your husband is disabled,” a doctor might say, “I’m sorry, but your husband has lost feeling in his legs and. . .”
Tact should not be confused with trickery. Trickery occurs when a nurse is 
about to give a patient an injection（注射） and says, “This won’t hurt a bit. ” Instead of trickery, the nurse might guarantee the patient that the discomfort of the injection is a small thing compared to the benefits of it. It would also be thoughtful for the nurse to tell the patients about some of these benefits.
Tact is a wonderful skill to have, and tactful people are usually admired and respected. Without tact our society would become an intole
rable place to live in. .
The underlined word “crushed” in the first paragraph probably means .
| A．surprised | B．cheated | C．regretful | D．painful |
.
According to the author, his mother’s praise for the brother is .
| A．sensitive and tactful | B．sensitive but not tactful enough |
| C．truthful but not tactful enough | D．sensitive but trickish |
.
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
 |
| A． | B． | C． | D． （The numbers stand for the paragraphs） |