Two things I really believe in—saving money and saving the planet，and it's even better when I can do something that accomplishes both at the same time.
Rainwater harvesting is just such a thing.In the near future，rainwater harvesting will be as common as twelveyearold girls carrying cell phones.
Many countries already rely heavily on rainwater.Bermuda，for example，every building on the small island collects the rainwater from its roof and stores it for later use.However，America_is_just_slightly_behind_the_curve.
There are many ways you can begin harvesting rainwater and most of them are easy and inexpensive.Use rain barrels to collect the water that would run off of your roof.You'd be surprised how fast a fiftygallon barrel will fill with free，usable water.New building construction offers some good ways to gather rainwater，and the cost of installation is usually offset by reduced usage very quickly.Roof drains can be piped into underground tanks，where a pump can draw it up as needed.
The rainwater can even be treated to make it drinkable...but wait—there's more！If that rainwater were not collected，but allowed to run over your lawn，into the street and eventually to a stormwater treatment facility，it would pick up all sorts of pollutants on its journey—fertilizers and pesticides from the grass，motor oil，antifreeze and such from the roads，and who knows what else.
Depending on where you live，the stormwater may be piped to a treatment plant or it may run in natural channels to allow nature to remove the pollutants.Either way，the treatment of stormwater is costly.If you reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from your home or office，you reduce the need for treatment.
Water is rapidly becoming one of our most precious resources and it is not as abundant as you may think.In the year 2000，the United States used approximately 326 billion gallons of fresh water per day.What does the underlined sentence “America is just slightly behind the curve” mean?
| A．Americans don't show interest in harvesting rainwater. |
| B．There is no need for Americans to harvest rainwater. |
| C．Harvesting rainwater in America is not that common. |
| D．Americans can't collect rainwater from the roof correctly. |
According to the passage，harvesting rainwater can ________.
| A．benefit you economically and ecologically |
| B．benefit your health and the surroundings around |
| C．promote the development of economy and peace |
| D．make us live a better life in the near future |
What is the fourth paragraph mainly concerned with?
| A．How to take advantage of the rainwater. |
| B．How to fix the equipment under the ground. |
| C．How to reduce the cost of new equipment. |
| D．How to harvest rainwater effectively. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．it is not easy to make rainwater drinkable |
| B．the author calls on people to harvest rainwater |
| C．the stormwater cannot be made drinkable |
| D．people can treat the stormwater very easily |
Zinc (锌) is one of about 20 elements necessary for good health. It is present in the body in a very small amount, but it makes it possible for important chemical actions to be carried out in cells. Scientists are just beginning to discover how zinc and other elements work.
Researchers first studied zinc as a way to speed recovery. Dr. Waltor Powys, formerly with the United States Air Force, noted that the laboratory animals recovered faster when some matters were added to their food. One of these matters was zinc. Dr. Powys later tested the zinc treatment on an American airman recovering from medical operations. The airman who received zinc sulphate (硫酸盐) recovered in half of the usual time. Other doctors studied persons who had a number of strange disorders. The doctors learned that all of these problems were caused by lack of zinc in the body. They treated these disorders successfully by giving the patients zinc sulphate.
The amount of zinc in the body can be found by examining blood and hair. A lack of this important element is not uncommon among people in both industrial and developing countries. Zinc is found in most high protein foods, such as meat milk, fish and eggs. It is also found in whole grains. But many people do not eat enough of these foods. Food markets should add these elements so that more people could get needed amount of these necessary matters.
1. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Scientists found how zinc works a long time ago.
B. People need a large amount of zinc to be healthy.
C. Zinc allows important chemical actions to take place in cells.
D. Zinc must be used in the course of medical operation.
2. One of the results from the study of zinc is that _________.
A. there's only a little zinc in the human body
B. food rich in protein contains more zinc
C. some physical problems are caused by lack of zinc
D. any patient who receives zinc sulphate gets well immediately
3. The best title for the passage may be ________.
A. A New Discovery B. Zinc and Health
C. How Zinc Works D. Add Zinc to Your Food
Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a ＄10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees-anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology , laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.
At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said, “ Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we’re giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do
everything.”
1. The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ________.
A. use for their schoolwork B. use the Internet
C. work at home D. connect them to libraries
2.Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks(引号)?
A. They don’t really talk. B. They use the computer language.
C. Laptops have speakers. D. None of the above reasons is correct.
3. Which of the following is true about Westlake College?
A. All teachers use computers. B.1500 students have laptops.
C. It is an old college in America. D. Students there can do everything.
4. A window on the world in the last paragraph means that students can ________.
A. attend lectures on information technology
B. travel around the world
C. get information from around the world
D. have free laptops
5. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The program is successful. B. The program is not workable.
C. The program is too expensive. D. We don’t know the result yet.
Weekend one –day out
A walk along the Great Wall
Beijing Hikers is organizing a hike in a village along the Great Wall in Changping District, north of downtown Beijing. The walk will take around three hours covering a distance of 10 kilometres.
Time:8:30 a.m~4:30 p.m,Dec,4
Cost:200 yuan(US$25) per adult, 150 yuan ((US$18.5)for under~12s.
Meeting place:8:30 a.m. in front of Satarbucks at Lido Holiday Inn, Jiangtai Lu
To sign-up(one day before the hike)and more information ,contact Huijie at 139 100 5516.
Skiing and hot springs
Cycle China plans a day’s skiing fun at a resort around Beijing followed by an outdoor hot spring bath for your sore body.
Cost:.50 yuan (US$43.40)
Time :8:30 a.m~6:30p.m, Dec.4
Location: Meet at the office of Cycle China, opposite the east gate of Jinshan Park, Xicheng District.
For more information and reservation, email reserve@ cyclechina. Com or call 139 1188 6524.
Horse riding
This is a trip to a professional horse- riding club with well- trained bilingual instructors, offering lessons to people who love riding and those willing to learn more. The club is located in Hebei Province next to the Kangxi Grassland.
Time:1:30a.m~4:30p.m,Dec.4
Cost:3320 yuan (US$40.74)including one hour’s riding, transportation, guide ,lunch
To sign-up and more information, contact Lucy at 8580 5080 or 130 1117 1326.
1. This passage is written mainly for ______.
A. touristsB. holiday-makers C. guidesD. sportsmen
2. If Mary, who is ten years old, wants to hike along the Great Wall with her parents, they will pay______dollars.
A. 400B. 450C. 68.50 D. 65
3. If you are interested in the knowledge about horse riding, you’ll contact______ .
A. 139 1188 6515 B. 139 1188 6524
C. 130 1117 1326 D. 139 1002 5516
4. Cycle China is______
A. a website which offers traveling information B. a traveling agency
C. a trainer for skiing D. a resort which offers hot spring bath
II.阅读理解( 满分34分)
A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to warm themselves up during one particularly icy cold winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. They both had jobs, so it was decided that her husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop(笔记本电脑) and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address and sent the e-mail without noticing his error.
In the mean time: In Houston, a woman had just returned from her husband’s burial. He was a minister of many years who had been “called home to glory” following a heart attack. The woman checked her e-mail, expecting message from family and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted(昏厥)and fell to the floor. Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
From: Your Departed Husband
Subject: I’ve arrived!
I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful(平静)as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down here.
1. Why did the couple decide to go to Florida for weekend?
A. To visit their family and friends B. To escape from the cold winter
C. To escape from their busy work D. To attend a friend’s funeral
2. What mistake did the husband make after checking into the hotel?
A. He checked into a wrong hotel B. He forget to bring the laptop
C. He misspelled her wife’s address D. He forgot to mail his letter
3. The expression “called home to glory” probably suggests that the man had______.
A. gone back to his hometown B. called his family to say hello
C. been awarded an honor D. died and gone to heaven
4. How did the woman probably feel after reading the e-mail?
A. Pleased B. Inspired C. Frightened D. Moved
5. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The woman’s husband died of a heart attack
B. The woman liked to chat with her friends by e-mail
C. The couple held their wedding in Florida 20 years ago.
D. His wife wouldn’t go to Florida for his error.
The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病) that flesh receives.
The most widespread fallacy(谬误) of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated Arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.
In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz Concentration Camp(奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片) such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms.
1. The writer offered__________examples to support his argument.
A.4 B. 5 C. 6 D. 3
2. Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage?
A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.
B. Colds are not caused by cold.
C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.
D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.
3. Arctic explorers may catch colds when_______.
A. they are working in the isolated arctic regions
B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather
C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions
D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world
4. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit_______.
A. suffered a lot B. never caught colds C. often caught colds D. became very strong
5. The passage mainly discusses_______.
A. the experiments on the common coldB. the fallacy about the common cold
C. the reason and the way people catch coldsD. the continued spread of common colds