Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue , encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?
| A．Using too much packaging. |
| B．Recycling too many wastes. |
| C．Making more products than necessary. |
| D．Having more material than is needed. |
According to the text, recycling ______.
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult. |
| B．Needless material is mostly recycled. |
| C．People like collecting recyclable waste. |
| D．The author is proud of their consumer culture. |
From babies to body builders, we all have muscles. They grow, they bulge(鼓起), they stretch they stretch and sometimes they even painfully pull. But for all the work they do for us, we are still unable to crown one as "the strongest muscle."
Instead, a few muscles could claim the title, depending on how strength is measured.
If the title goes to the muscle that can exert(产生) the most force, the victor would be the soleus（小腿肚肌）, according to Gray’s Anatomy（解剖学）. Without this muscle, we wouldn’t be able to stand, walk, run or shake our bodies on the dance floor. If the soleus was not continuously pulling, we would always be falling over ourselves (although some of us tend to do that from time to time anyway).
But perhaps the title should go to the muscle that exerts the most pressure. Pressure is different from force — pressure takes into account the area over which a force is exerted. The muscle that takes the prize for delivering the greatest amount of pressure is the masseter, or the jaw muscle, according to the book "Clinical Oral Science" (Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, 1998).
In 1986, Richard Hofmann of Lake City, Fla., achieved a bite strength of 975 pounds (442 kilograms) for two seconds, setting a Guinness Record. Talk about jaw dropping! The jaw is able to clench（咬紧） and chew because of the masseter muscle.
Others may argue the muscles used in childbirth are the most powerful.
When it comes to versatility, perhaps the tongue is the strongest muscle. Its combination of elasticity（伸缩性） and forcefulness gives us the ability to speak, eat and kiss – all things very desirable on a first date. However dexterous（灵巧的） it may be though, its power does not match that of muscles such as the soleus.
If slow and steady wins the race, the heart is certainly a contender for the title. When it contracts, the muscle pumps about 2 ounces (59 milliliters) of blood, and is constantly working over a lifetime. Beating about 40 million times a year, a person’s heart will beat approximately 2.5 billion times by the time of their 70th birthday.According the passage, the underlined word “contender” in the last paragraph is closet in meaning to “”.
| A．failure | B．partner | C．muscle | D．competitor |
Which would be t he best title for the passage?
| A．What’s the strongest muscle in the human body? |
| B．who is the strongest person in the world? |
| C．What are the functions of different muscles? |
| D．What are the standards of the strongest muscle? |
According to the passage,.
| A．Without the soleus, we could still stand, walk, run or shake our bodies on the dance floor |
| B．a few muscles could be the winners, according to different measures |
| C．the muscles used in childbirth are the most powerful |
| D．tongue is the strongest muscle for delivering the greatest amount of pressure |
What would be discussed in the following paragraph?
| A．Another possible strongest muscle. | B．the conclusion of the strongest muscle. |
| C．The functions of different muscles. | D．the Guinness record of strongest muscle. |
Cittaslow has discovered China, and it is awarding a little village in Jiangsu the title of "slow city"
The bored teenagers of Gaochun are impatient with the leisurely pace of hometown life．For them there is no nightlife to speak of, no bright lights, no excitement and they cannot wait to grow up and leave for the urban attractions of the big cities．But it is this laid-back lifestyle that has attracted international attention．At least, a quiet village within Gaochun county has come under the spotlight．Yaxi village, population 20,000, is about to be designated China’s first "slow city" by Cittaslow, the sustainable lifestyle movement that first surfaced in Italy 11 years ago．
At home, the residents at Yaxi are unfazed and pretty much unimpressed by the honor．To them, life has been like this for as long as they can remember．Here, growing old gracefully is natural．
Nobody living in this little county had heard of Cittaslow or the words "slow city" before this．
"The first time I heard the term was last July, when the vice-president of Cittaslow, Angelo Vassallo, visited Yaxi village," says Zuo Niansheng, the chief editor of local newspaper Gaochun Today．
"Vassallo was deeply impressed by this village’s natural and cultural resources and said it perfectly fitted the requirements for a slow city," says Zuo．"That was how Yaxi became connected with Cittaslow．
The Slow City must also be committed to protect and maintain the natural environment as well as promote a sustainable way of development ?all of which are the current strategies adopted in Gaochun．"We’ve been doing this for years," adds Zuo．
Cittaslow was founded in Tuscany, Italy in 1999．It was a spin-off from the Slow Food movement which started, also in Italy, in 1986 as a protest against the first McDonald ’ s opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome．The movement championed a return to healthy, nutritious home-grown, home -cooked food．
Slow Food has since expanded globally to more than 130 countries．Its mission has also broadened to include the promotion of sustainable foods and local small businesses, and the localization as opposed to globalization of food production．
Cittaslow is an expansion of the Slow Food movement, and it actively advocates a lifestyle that is sustainable, that will improve quality of life, and will preserve cultural and culinary （烹饪的）heritage．According the passage, Cittaslow is a（n） ____．
| A．organization | B．person | C．lifestyle | D．honor |
What’ s the reaction of the residents at Yaxi to the award according the passage? They feel
| A．very excited． | B．very shocked |
| C．indifferent | D．very happy |
Why is the village Yaxi awarded the title of “slow city”? Because.
| A．it is full of excitement and activities of nightlife |
| B．the residents at Yaxi enjoy a leisure life |
| C．it is very rich and has a lot of attractions |
| D．foreign people like small towns than big cities. |
It can be inferred from the passage that.
| A．young people at Yaxi enjoy their life very much |
| B．China is more and more popular with foreign people |
| C．the first McDonald’s in Europe was opened in Spain |
| D．the lifestyle of “slow city” will be good to environment and people |
Contrary to common belief, social media websites such as Facebook do not weaken personal ties, they strengthen them in unique ways for different age groups, according to a new study．
The rapid spread of Facebook, which has more than 500 million users worldwide, has prompted concerns about its negative effects, but researchers at the University of Texas have reached a different conclusion．
"Our findings suggest that Facebook is not replacing face-to-face interactions between friends, family and colleagues," said S．Craig Watkins, an associate professor of radio, TV and film who headed the research team．
"In fact, we believe there is sufficient evidence that social media afford opportunities for new expressions of friendship, intimacy and community．"
The researchers questioned 900 college students and recent graduates about how and with whom they interact on Facebook．
More than 60 percent of Facebook users said posting status updates was among the most popular activities, followed by 60 percent who wrote comments on their profile and 49 percent who posted messages and comments to friends．
The researchers also found that although about the same number of men and women use Facebook, they do so in different ways．
"There is a noteworthy difference in aims in how to use a tool like Facebook．We found that for women the content tends to be more affectionate, and （they） are especially interested in using it for connection," said Watkins．
"For men, it’s more functional," he added．
Watkins pointed out that, for example, women are more likely to post pictures of social gatherings with friends, while men are more likely to post pictures of hobbies, or post a political or pop-culture related link．What’s the popular viewpoint of ordinary people about the function of social media websites? They think ____．
| A．It is positive to personal ties |
| B．It has negative effects on personal ties |
| C．It makes no difference to personal ties |
| D．It has both good and bad effects to personal ties |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word in the second paragraph?
| A．resulted from | B．had | C．showed | D．produced |
What do Facebook users like to do mostly on Facebook? They like to ____．
| A．create new expressions of friendship ’ |
| B．wrote comments on their profile |
| C．update their personal statuses |
| D．post messages and comments to friends |
According to the study, ____．
| A．Men concentrate more on the functions of Facebook |
| B．Much more men use Facebook than women |
| C．Men and women use a tool like Facebook for the same aim |
| D．Facebook is taking the place of face-to-face interactions between friends |
Three-Dimensional （3D） movies have been becoming more and more popular in recent years．It seems 3D TV sets may be going into family households in the near future．While new digital 3D technology has made the experience more comfortable for many, for some with eye problems, long 3D viewing may result in an aching head, doctors say．
"There are a lot of people walking around with very minor eye problems, which under normal situations, the brain deals with naturally," said Dr Michael Rosenberg, an ophthalmologist （眼科医师） in Chicago．He said in a 3D movie, these people face a completely new sensory experience．"That translates into greater mental effort, making it easier to get a headache," Rosenberg told Reuters．
In normal vision, each eye sees things at a slightly different angle．"When that gets processed in the brain, that creates the perception （感觉） of depth," said Dr Deborah Friedman, an ophthalmologist in New York．The images people see in three dimensions in the movies are not calibrated （校准的） in the same way that their eyes and brain are．"If your eyes are a little off to begin with, then it’s really throwing a whole degree of effort that your brain now needs
to exert （竭尽全力）," he said．
Dr John Hagan, a Kansas City ophthalmologist, said some people who do not have normal depth perception cannot see in 3D at all．He said people with eye muscle problems, in which the eyes are not pointed at the same object, have trouble processing 3D images．
Rock Heineman, a spokesman for RealD, a provider of 3D equipment to theaters, said headaches and nausea were the main reasons 3D technology never took off．
Heineman said older 3D technology used two film projectors（放映机）, one that projected a left-eye image and one that projected a right-eye image．Three-D glasses would allow viewers to see a different image in each eye．
"People often complained of headaches and it was really because the projectors weren’t lined up," Heineman said．
Now his company has developed a new single digital projector, which switches between the left and the right-eye image 144 times a second, to help overcome some of the old problems．
"By going to a single digital projector, those problems were solved," he said．Friedman said he thinks most people will do fine with 3D movies and with 3D TVs, but Rosenberg said people may quickly tire of the novelty （新鲜事物）．"I suspect there will be a lot of people who say it’s sort of neat, but it’s not really comfortable," he said．The text is mainly about ____．
| A．the reasons why people like 3D movies |
| B．how to improve 3D technology |
| C．the development of 3D technology in recent years |
| D．causes of headaches and nausea when people watch 3D movies |
The underlined phrase "took off" could be replaced by "______"．
| A．became popular |
| B．flew in the sky |
| C．left hurriedly |
| D．removed one’s clothes |
This article implies that _____．
| A．people do not like new things like 3D movies |
| B．3D TVs will completely take the place of old TV sets |
| C．3D technology is the most important technology ever |
| D．those with eye muscle problems should not watch 3D movies |
We can learn from what Rosenberg said in the last paragraph that
| A．a single digital projector could solve all the problems with 3D technology |
| B．people will gradually become comfortable with 3D movies and TVs |
| C．the appeal of 3D movies and "TVs may fade |
| D．most people will actually enjoy the 3D experience |
Are you crazy about adventures? If so, enjoy the trips we have specially designed for you:
| ABSOLUTE MOTHER OF ALL ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES Calling all thrill seekers．．．Try our extreme trio of wind, water and wave．．． Enjoy a wonderful helicopter flight over the Cape Peninsular．An adventure you will never forget! A 1．5 hour bay sail on a stylish yacht （游艇）．A pure sailing experience that will show you Cape Town like you’ve never seen her before．A one hour high speed racing boat ride with 2 × 250hp engine capacity! Fastest commercial boat ride in the world that’s fun and safe． For enquiries or bookings please contact us on 082 3711372 or wendy@ atlanticadventures. co．za |
| SHARK CAGE DIVING SPECIAL IN GANSBAAI NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Ages 6 to 60 + COMPLETELY SAFE, VIEWING OR SHARK CAGE DIVING． Full day * Breakfast, Lunch and Refreshments* All equipment supplied: wetsuit, goggles, snorkel etc, just bring warm jacket, camera and sun-screen．Also view Fur Seals, Penguins, Whales （in season）, Dolphins etc． Contact Bib on 083 8536144 or shark@aaax. co．za |
| HORSEBACK BEACH ADVENTURES Enjoy leisurely beach rides on horseback．Be thrilled by a fast gallop if you have more experience and confidence．Our 12km riding path winds through some lovely bush paths with fascinating colourful and unusual birds to spy, alongside market gardens and onto a peaceful beach．Or use your break opportunity to visit the mangroves （红树林） on a pleasant boardwalk if this is your taste of fun． Contact us on 084 4670752 or HorsebackBeachAdventures@gmail．com |
| TANDEM SKYDIVING We skydive everyday weather permitting．No training is required．You will arrive at the drop zone and get a short briefing from a tandem instructor and then will go in the plane to 9,000ft above the ground．Just before exiting the plane the instructor hooks the passenger to him and you both exit the plane together．The free fall is done from 9,000ft till approximately 4,000ft after which the instructor will open the parachute （降落伞） and they both fly it to the ground to land． For bookings / enquiries please contact us on 082 3711372 or Cathy@atlanticadzentures．co．za |
Interested in a trip during which she can study plants along the seaside, which number will Kate dial?
| A．082 3711372． | B．083 8536144． |
| C．084 4670752． | D．082 3711372． |
Expecting to experience exciting races on water, Mr Grant, over 70, needs to send an email to _____．
| A．wendy@atlanticadventures. co．za |
| B．shark@aaax. co．za |
| C．HorsebackBeachAdventures@gmail．com |
| D．Cathy@atlanticadventures. co．za |
Which trip will provide you the opportunity to feel horrible animals face to face?
| A．ABSOLUTE MOTHER OF ALL ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES |
| B．SHARK CAGE DIVING SPECIAL IN GANSBAAI |
| C．HORSEBACK BEACH ADVENTURES |
| D．TANDEM SKYDIVING |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．ABSOLUTE MOTHER OF ALL ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES offers you a tour by air． |
| B．SHARK CAGE DIVING SPECIAL IN GANSBAAI requires no diving experience． |
| C．HORSEBACK BEACH ADVENTURES reaches as far as 12 kilometers． |
| D．During TANDEM SKYDIVING, you can operate the parachute． |