The behaviour of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The UK promises to reduce its carbon emissions (排放）by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable building design on its own — though extremely important- is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behaviour of the people using the building has to change too.
The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency (效率)，which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.
‘Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,’explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher，‘consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design. ’In other words，old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.
Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information，it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback (反馈） facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors，could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behaviour directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.
Social science research has added a further dimension (方面），suggesting that individuals’ behaviour in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted 一 whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat (恒温器) , for example.
Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused programme to teach people about buildings and their own behaviour in them.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of________.
| A．zero-carbon homes |
| B．the behaviour of building users |
| C．sustainable building design |
| D．the reduction of carbon emissions |
The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to”________.”
| A．the ways |
| B．their homes |
| C．developments |
| D．existing efforts |
What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?
| A．The importance of changing building users, habits. |
| B．The necessity of making a careful building design. |
| C．The variety of consumption patterns of building users. |
| D．The role of technology in improving energy efficiency. |
The information gap in energy use _______.
| A．can be bridged by feedback facilities |
| B．affects the study on energy monitors |
| C．brings about problems for smart meters |
| D．will be caused by building users’ old habits |
What does the dimension added by social science research suggest?
| A．The social science research is to be furthered. |
| B．The education programme is under discussion. |
| C．The behaviour of building users is unpredictable. |
| D．The behaviour preference of building users is similar. |
It was an afternoon Truman would never forget．
Rayburn and his friend were talking in the office before Truman arrived. The telephone rang. It was a call from the White House asking whether Vice-President Truman had arrived yet. No, Rayburn replied. The caller asked to have him telephone the White House as soon as he arrived.
Truman entered a minute later. He immediately called the White House. As he talked, his face became white. He put down the phone and raced out of the door to his car.
Truman arrived at the White House within minutes. An assistant took him to the president’s private living area. Eleanor Roosevelt, the president’s wife, was waiting for him there. “Harry,” she said, “the president is dead.” Truman was shocked. He asked Mrs. Roosevelt if there was anything he could do to help her. But her reply made clear to him that his own life had suddenly changed. “Is there anything we can do for you ?” Mrs. Roosevelt asked the new president, “You are the one in trouble now.”
Truman had been a surprise choice for vice-president at the Democratic Party nominating convention in nineteen forty-four. Delegates considered several other candidates before they chose him as Roosevelt’s running mate. That was at a time when presidential candidates did not make their own choices for vice-president．
Harry Truman lacked the fame，the rich family and the strong speech-making skills of Franklin Roosevelt．He was a much simpler man．He grew up in the Midwestern state of Missouri．Truman only studied through high school but took some nighttime law school classes．He worked for many years as a farmer and a small businessman，but without much success．
Truman had long been interested in politics．When he was almost forty，he finally won several low-level positions in his home state．By nineteen thirty-four，he was popular enough in Missouri to be nominated and elected to the United States Senate. And he won re-election six years later．
Most Americans, however, knew little about Harry Truman when he became president．They knew he had close ties to the Democratic Party political machine in his home state．But they had also heard that he was a very honest man．They could see that Truman had strongly supported President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs．But they could not be sure what kind of president Truman would become．
At the center of all the action was Harry Truman．It was not long before he showed Americans and the world that he had the ability to be a good president．He was honest，strong and willing to make decisions．When Mrs. Roosevelt said”You are the one in trouble now”，she really meant that ．
| A．Truman’s life had suddenly changed |
| B．Truman was at the center of all the action |
| C．Truman was a surprise choice for vice-president |
| D．Truman had close ties to the Democratic Party |
According to the passage，of Truman’s day，the president’s running mate was ．
| A．decided by delegates |
| B．recommended by presidential candidates |
| C．chosen by the Democratic Party |
| D．elected by vice-president |
Truman served as the U．S．Senator ．
| A．for ten years | B．before he was forty |
| C．before 1943 | D．for two terms |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．An Unforgettable Afternoon |
| B．Vital Telephone Call Makes a Difference |
| C．Truman Makes His Decisions |
| D．Roosevelt’s Death Makes Truman President |
Going Zero Waste means more than just managing the rubbish we create．It means reducing it too．While it might seem like a difficult thing to do, it's well worth it．And what better time to start than Christmas?
We need to copy the way Nature wastes nothing．Many things are created by human society that we know will soon become useless and be thrown out．How many plastic bottles or even PCs end up in the rubbish bin? Instead，we should design products that can be more easily repaired，reused and recycled．
Kamikatsu, a Japanese village，has already gone Zero Waste．The 2，000 villagers compost their leftovers，and recycle everything else．There are 34 different boxes at the re-cycling centre! Residents grumble about the inconvenience，but they also see the benefits．
People who live Zero Waste lives are careful about what they do．They never take more than they need．Reusing plastic bags at supermarkets is a great way to reduce waste．And those who plan before they shop avoid having to throw food out later．Also，it’s best not to go food shopping when you’re hungry：You’ll be sure to buy too much!
Let’s think about how to enjoy a Zero Waste Christmas．By sending recyclable cards，we can help our friends and family reduce waste．And what better way to enjoy the spirit of Christmas than with a real tree that can be replanted in the spring?
Going Zero Waste requires us to think more about what happens before and after we act．It takes ambition，and it's not always easy．But just think how good it would be，both for ourselves and for the environment, if we never had to waste anything．When is this passage probably written?
| A．After a Christmas． | B．Before Zero Waste starts． |
| C．Before a Christmas． | D．When Zero Waste is very popular． |
What should we do to reduce waste according to the passage?
| A．To stop using plastic bottles or even PCs． |
| B．To create more things that can be repaired quickly． |
| C．To avoid sending cards on Christmas． |
| D．To copy the way Nature wastes nothing． |
If we want to live Zero Waste lives we should do the following except .
| A．taking no more than we need |
| B．reusing plastic bags |
| C．not going food shopping when we’re hungry |
| D．not making a plan before we shop |
What’s the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To enjoy a clean Christmas． |
| B．To complain about the pollution． |
| C．To educate people to behave well． |
| D．To call on people to attend Zero Waste． |
Small talk is meaningless conversation in terms of content，but is often seen as socially important in certain situations，or context．In many English-speaking countries，it can be viewed as rude or unfriendly not to make small talk.
Discussing the weather with people who you don’t really know is an example of small talk that many of us are very familiar with on a daily basis．We may chat about the weather with the cashier at the supermarket or with the attendant at the gas station．Small talk may also be related to the situation such as waiting in line．People in the line may comment to others about how slow it is in the post office or bank that day，for instance．We also engage in small talk with people we may see every day but don’t really know such as those we share the elevator with in our office building．
Small talk is common at parties when guests may know the host but not each other．It is considered rude not to mingle and speak with other guests at social functions，so small talk can break the ice and get guests chatting．Compliments(赞美)may be a type of small talk such as one woman at party complimenting another on her dress．
Some people like small talk because they find silence uncomfortable and／or they enjoy communicating verbally．Others enjoy meeting new people and use small talk to start conversations. When making small talk，especially with strangers or those you don’t know very well，it’s important to observe certain socially acceptable conventions．First，small talk should be general and not personal or about controversial topics. Second，while compliments are acceptable，they shouldn't refer to the person’s body or sound like a pick-up line．What do people usually talk about in small talk?
| A．Light topics． | B．Personal topics． |
| C． Meaningless things. | D．Controversial affairs． |
Who do we usually have small talk with?
| A．Close friends． | B．People we don’t really know． |
| C．Family members． | D．Our seniors． |
At parties，it’s considered rude to ．
| A．speak to one guest only and not speak with other guests |
| B．speak to several guests at the same time |
| C．compliment a woman on her dress |
| D．have small talk with the host |
We can infer from the last paragraph that．
| A．compliments are the most acceptable in small talk |
| B．we should refer to a person’s body when complimenting in order to sound sincere |
| C．there are some rules in making small talk |
| D．some people use small talk to make new friends |
When the lazy days of summer arrive and the schedule is packed with swimming，camp，and family vacations，it can be a challenge to find time for learning. But kids’ reading skills don’t have to grow cold once school’s out. Here are some ways to make reading a natural part of their summer fun.
Explore your library. Visit your local library to check out books and magazines that your kids haven’t seen before. Many libraries have summer reading programs，book clubs，and reading contests for even the youngest borrowers. With a new library card，a child will feel extra grownup checking out books.
Read on the road. Going on a long car trip？Make sure the back seat is stocked with favorite reads. When you’re not at the wheel，read the books aloud. Get some audiobooks (many libraries have large selections)and listen to them together during driving time.
Make your own books. Pick one of your family’s favorite parts of summer—whether it’s baseball，ice cream，or the pool—and have your child draw pictures of it or cut out pictures from magazines. Stick the pictures onto paper to make a booklet and write text for it. When you’re done，read the book together. Reread it whenever you like!
Keep in touch. Kids don’t have to go away to write about summer vacation. Even if your family stays home，they can send postcards to tell friends and relatives about their adventures. Ask a relative to be your child’s pen pal and encourage them to write each week.
Keep up the reading habits. Even if everything else changes during the summer，keep up the reading routines around your house. Read with your kids every day—whether it’s just before bedtime or under a shady tree on a lazy afternoon. And don’t forget to take a book to the beach！Just brush the sand off the pages—it’s no sweat!The purpose of the passage is to________.
| A．encourage parents to read |
| B．give advice on raising kids |
| C．raise a good summer reader |
| D．suggest places for vacations |
If you drive on a long trip in summer，you can ________.
| A．visit the local library and join book clubs |
| B．borrow some audiobooks to listen to |
| C．keep in touch with friends by sending postcards |
| D．read your own picture books with your son |
By saying “Just brush the sand off the pages—it’s no sweat”，the author means ________.
| A．taking away the sand on the book is very difficult |
| B．a special book is needed when you’re reading on the beach |
| C．one can remove the sand on the book with a brush easily |
| D．there’s no trouble reading even on the beach |
Who are the intended readers of the passage?
| A．Parents. | B．Students. |
| C．Teachers. | D．Editors. |
The vitamins (维生素) are named by letters of the alphabet (字母表). Vitamin A is needed by the eyes. There is Vitamin A in milk, butter, and green vegetables. It can be kept by the body.
Vitamin B cannot be kept. It must be supplied all the time by some of the food we eat.
Vitamin C is very important to the body. Without it men’s teeth become loose (松的) and their arms and legs get weak. Lemons (柠檬), oranges and tomatoes have Vitamin C in them.
Vitamin D is the sun vitamin. We get it in milk and eggs and from sunlight on our skin (皮). There are other Vitamins, but these A, B, C and D, are the most important.There are many kinds of vitamins, the most important of which are ______.
| A．Vitamin A | B．Vitamin B and C |
| C．Vitamin D and A | D．Vitamin A ,B,Cand D |
There are both Vitamins A and D in ______.
| A．green vegetable | B．sunlight | C．butter and eggs | D．milk |
If somebody is near-eye sighted probably he needs ______.
| A．Vitamin A | B．Vitamins A and C | C．Vitamin D | D．Vitamin B |
We can get Vitamin D when ______.
| A．we have bread and butter for our breakfast | B．we are eating fruits |
| C．we are working in the field in the sun | D．we are having eggs |