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. |
What are you reading? (A3)
How do your reading habits compare to those of students of a similar age? We ran a poll（抽样检查） to discover what, when, where and why teens read.
Literary（文学） greats（A4-7）
People have been telling stories for centuries. We profile（扼要描写） eight authors, whose work has made a great contribution both to literature and the world as a whole. Have you read any of their books?
Teen reading（A8-10）
Not all books are written by adults for adults. The market for books aimed at young adults is very strong and many new titles are published each year. Some of them are even written by teenagers.
Science fiction (A11)
Have you ever thought what it would be like to travel in space or meet aliens? Jules Verne and Douglas Adams did. It’s time to explore the world of science fiction, where anything and everything can happen.
Horror（A12）
You’ll want to sleep with the light on after reading a story by Edgar Allan Poe or Stephen King. They are two of the finest fiction writers. Get ready for unpleasant deaths and frightening ghosts（鬼）.
_____（A13）
Don’t have time to read a whole book? Then why not spend a few minutes with a book of poetry? We have selected some poems that celebrate the winter season—white snow, cold weather and Christmas.
Past and present（A14）
Over the centuries, stories have been written on all kinds of things. Find out about the development of paper and printing——and what books will look like in the future.
Join in the fun（A15—16）
Reading is enjoyed by almost everyone. Here are some activities you can do to make it even more fun. You can also try our special literature quiz.The text is most probably taken from _____.
| A．a book | B．a literature works |
| C．a newspaper | D．a fiction |
What does the underlined word “aliens” mean?
| A．Persons from another place. |
| B．Astronauts from another country. |
| C．Visitors into space. |
| D．Science fiction writers. |
Which of the following can be put into the blank before（A13）?
| A．Winter poems |
| B．Christmas is coming |
| C．A book of poetry |
| D．The winter season |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Articles about Shakespeare or Charles Dickens can be found in A12. |
| B．An introduction of the book Journey to the Center of the Earth may possibly appear in A11. |
| C．A section named “BESTSELLERS” can be found in A16. |
| D．An article about Harry Potter may possibly appear in A14. |
If you want fully enjoy your vacation, you’d better check the Durban City Tours! This is actually one of the best choices in South Africa today.
There is nothing more relaxing than to think about that there is a place to go and relax, right? City life is strained, but you can escape this situation and be in the place where there is nothing but relaxation. Here in Durban you will get to see all the amazing tourist attractions. If you love animals and want to see some elephants wandering around the streets, then Durban is the place to go. You can even get to ride one if you want!
Here you will also get to taste all the delicious South African food. You can choose from Italian cooking to its native dishes. Durban is a great place to tour with your friends and family. You will learn a lot about its history through the landmarks you will see down the streets. Tourists and even the local villagers just can’t get enough of these treats!
However, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements. There are actually lots of tour guides that will help you as you make your journey along the streets of Durban. But if you prefer the best tour guides here in Durban, then you’d better choose the Street Scene Tours. Their staff are all well-trained and professional. They will certainly make your stay here an unforgettable one. No wonder tourists prefer the Street Scene Tours when it comes to Durban City Tours.The underlined word “strained” in Para. 2 means ______.
| A．easy | B．stressful |
| C．relaxing | D．wonderful |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Durban is a relaxing city. |
| B．People don’t like city life. |
| C．It is good to have a place to relax. |
| D．One can have fun riding elephants. |
If you walk in the streets of Durban, what will impress you most?
| A．Tourists from all over the world. |
| B．The buildings and many kinds of animals. |
| C．The streets and some wandering elephants. |
| D．The friendly local people and the scenery. |
The author wrote the last paragraph mainly to ______.
| A．attract tourists to Durban |
| B．help readers make arrangements |
| C．introduce the tour guides |
| D．persuade tourists to choose the Street Scene Tours |
If you want to get the most out of the study of a language, you must also read for pleasure: novels, plays, travel books, and so on. And in reading books of this kind the important thing is to get on with reading; to try to grasp what the writer is going to tell you in the book as a whole. This is impossible if you stop and think over the meaning of every single word which happens to be unfamiliar. You can not enjoy a story if you stop half a dozen times on every page in order to look up words in the dictionary. You may even prevent yourself from understanding the story as a whole by doing this.
When you are reading books of this kind, therefore, you will usually have to rely mainly on the context to help you. If you meet an unfamiliar word, do not let it take too much of your attention from the main thread(主线) of the story. In all probability you will meet the same word again a few pages later on in a slightly different context, and each time you see it that your understanding of it will become more exact.The phrase “to get on with reading” in the passage has the same meaning as “_________”.
| A．to try to grasp the meaning of every sentence in the book |
| B．to try to catch the meaning of every word in the book |
| C．to try to understand all the writer is going to tell you |
| D．to try to understand the main idea of the book |
When you meet new words in reading such kinds of books, you’d better _________.
| A．stop and look them up in a dictionary |
| B．stop and think them over |
| C．try to guess their meanings from the context |
| D．have none of them |
From the passage the best way to read novels, plays and travel books is _____.
| A．to read very slowly |
| B．to read quickly and not too carefully |
| C．to read very carefully |
| D．to read very seriously |
The best title for this passage is “___________”.
| A．Read for Pleasure |
| B．Get on with the Books |
| C．Reading Skills |
| D．The Importance of Reading |
QINGDAO—Water and power supplies have been restored in the East Chinese city of Qingdao, the site of an oil pipeline explosion on Friday, the local government said on Monday.
Crude oil began leaking(泄漏)from the pipeline at 3：00 a．m. Friday in Qingdao in Shandong province. The valves(阀门)of the Huangdao oil warehouse were shut about 15 minutes later.The oil spill(泄漏的石油)then flowed into the city's rainwater pipe network, which empties into Jiaozhou Bay. Explosions occurred at two locations around 10：30 a．m. Friday when workers were clearing the spill.
According to the local government, about 85 percent of public heating and 90 percent of the gas supply were also brought back to normal as of Monday.
Residents who have been taken to the temporary settlements are receiving bottled water and bread.
Many schools and kindergartens have reopened classes after Friday's oil pipeline explosion. No injuries and deaths of students or teachers have been reported following the explosions at an underground pipeline operated by Sinopec. The school buildings of one middle school in the district were seriously damaged during the explosions. Education authorities have arranged psychological help for students and teaching staff. All other 18 schools and kindergartens in the district reopened classes on Monday.
As of Monday noon, the death toll from the explosion had risen to 55, with 9 people still missing and 136 hospitalized. According to local police, 49 bodies have been identified so far, and 42 of them were male victims. As of Monday morning, the blood supply in Qingdao was enough for the injured after more than 950 people in the city donated more than 340,000 ml of blood in the wake of the incident.The underlined word “restored” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．
| A．cut | B．recovered |
| C．destroyed | D．repaired |
We can learn that by Monday noon the deaths in the explosion reached at least ________.
| A．64 | B．49 |
| C．42 | D．55 |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．everything was brought back to normal right after the explosion |
| B．no measures were taken to help the suffering people out of trouble |
| C．all the 19 schools in the district were affected by the explosion |
| D．no more dead body was found after Monday noon |
Apply early to assure your place! Please sign up now!
Songs of Hope is an overnight performing arts summer camp in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA for kids aged 10 and older from around the world. More than just a performing arts camp, Songs of Hope offers participants a unique opportunity to live with kids from other cultures while learning and performing music from many countries.
Each summer, up to 75 children venture to Minnesota from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US. They arrive as strangers but soon become friends as they learn popular songs and dances from each other's cultures. The lessons learned during these six weeks are profound (深远的). The friendships are enduring. And the stories are inspirational. Taking part in the Songs of Hope camp is a lifechanging experience.
DATES
The Songs of Hope 2013 session will run from June 17 to July 30. Because Songs of Hope is a global camp, it is impossible for us to schedule the program to fit all the school schedules of all the schools in the world. Therefore, we understand that some participants may need to arrive late or leave early. Don't let that stop you from applying! We are happy to make special arrangements as needed. Just send us an email to explain your scheduling challenges. We are happy to arrange a special study room for late arrivals to make up for the missing lessons.
PARTICIPANT FEE
For the 2013 summer, the fee for new, firsttime participants is $2,950, subject to the special discounts offered below.
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS
If you apply before February 28, you get a special fee reduction of $100. Also, there is a 20% fee discount for additional participants from your family if you have a brother or sister who is a Songs of Hope participant. The discount applies to the second, third, and any other additional siblings attending in the same year from the same family.The Songs of Hope 2013 session will last about ______.
| A．three weeks | B．five weeks |
| C．nine weeks | D．six weeks |
The summer camp will help kids in the following ways EXCEPT ________.
| A．making more international friends |
| B．improving their performing ability |
| C．traveling around the US |
| D．learning more about other cultures |
What will happen if you arrive late?
A．They will give you a special discount.
B．You will have to miss some lessons.
C．You will have to attend the next year's camp.
D．They will make up for the missed lessons.
【小题4If you and your sister apply for the first time on May 18, how much will both of you pay in total?
A．$5,310. B．$4,720.
C．$5,900. D．$6,100.