Many Americans concerned about pollution are demanding cleaner supplies of energy. The demand has resulted in increased research about ethanol fuel. Ethanol is an alcohol that can be mixed with gas. It burns up most of the pollutants in gas. It replaces some of the chemicals that are known to cause cancer, and it can be produced in the United States.
Some experts say that in the future ethanol will replace some of the oil imported into America. Today ethanol is less than one percent of total American fuel supply. The head of the National Corn Growers Association, Kieve Hard, says ethanol will provide twenty-five percent of the fuel supply by 2030. The organization is involved in the production of ethanol because it can be made from corn.
One company in the American Midwest says it is starting to produce ethanol because of demands from people and from the government. The Congress approved the Clean Air Act in 1990. The company says this means the market for ethanol will expand. The company is a major producer of corn starch that can be used to make ethanol.
At Texas A and M University Professor Mark Holzapple produces ethanol from materials found in solid waste. He has developed a way to turn materials like paper into simple sugar. He then uses yeast to turn the sugar into ethanol. Professor Holzapple says two hundred liters of ethanol fuel can be produced from one ton of solid waste.
A professor at the University of Arkansas, John Geddie, is exploring another way to make ethanol. He is using acids on paper material. He says a large factory could produce ethanol from waste paper at a cost about the same as the cost of producing gasoline.
Environmentalists support the use of ethanol because it turns solid waste into a useful product. Professor Holzapple says law makers in industrial nations need to support the development of this clean, less expensive fuel of the future.Why does the interest in ethanol fuel increase in the United States according to the passage?
| A．Ethanol products are known to cause cancer. |
| B．Ethanol can remove some harmful pollutants from gas. |
| C．The production of ethanol is protected by law. |
| D．Ethanol-fueled automobiles are cheaper than gas-fueled ones. |
In this passage, what is the significance of the Clean Air Act passed by American Congress in 1990?
| A．It will increase the consumers’ demand for ethanol as a fuel. |
| B．It may increase the cost of producing gas. |
| C．It reflects the view of the government on automobiles production. |
| D．It limits the ethanol production of one company in the American Midwest. |
The author mentions all of the following resources for making ethanol except____.
| A．corn starch | B．natural gas |
| C．waste paper | D．solid waste |
What does Professor Mark Holzapple think of the development of ethanol in countries?
| A．It needs the cooperation of many chemists. |
| B．It associates with the use of advanced equipment. |
| C．It will improve the use of heat from exhaust gases. |
| D．It requires the support of the government. |
任务型读写（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
The USA is the first country where Mother’s Day appeared.
On May 9th, 1906,an American Anne Jevis’s mother died. Ann was in deep sorrow. In order to memorize her mother, she put forward a proposal to fix a day as Mother’s Day. On May 7th ,1914,the Congress of the USA passed a law ,making the second Sunday of May “Mother’s Day”.
Today millions of Americans observe Mother’s Day in some ways. They buy more than 150,000,000Mother’s Day greeting cards. Companies produce more than 1,000 different kinds. Most of the cards show pictures of flowers, hearts or other things that people feel are linked to being a mother. They have messages that express a person’s love for his or her mother. Some are humorous. And some have no words. People can express their own feelings for their mother. Many people give flowers for Mother’s Day. It is one of the busiest days of the year for the flower industry. Many people have written songs about mothers and Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day is a time for young children to do special things for their mother. Some would make a special gift or draw a special picture. One family activity on Mother’s Day is to have the children cook the early morning meal .Then they serve the food to their mother while she is still in bed. Or they might clean the house so she does not have to do it. Fathers might take care of the children that day so the mothers can rest, or take a walk, or read a book. Many mothers feel that this free time on their special day is a very good Mother’s Day gift.
Some families will get together for a meal at a local eating place. This means that mothers do not have to cook on their special day. Coming out to dinner has become a tradition on Mother’s Day. As a result, restaurants are extremely crowded that day. It has become one of the busiest days of the year for the restaurant industry in the United States.
Now Mother’s Day has been an international festival and more than 40 countries have accepted this festival.
Title:76Day
| Date |
The 77Sunday of May |
| 78. |
Anne’s 79.at her mother’s death |
| 82. to celebrate |
Cards are sent with flowers or hearts to express80. |
| 81.written for mothers |
|
| Special things done by children |
Make special gifts |
| Draw special pictures |
|
| Cook and serve the early morning meal |
|
| Clean the house |
|
| Special things done by fathers |
Look after children |
| Get together for a meal at a local eating place, which makes restaurants very83. |
|
| 84. |
An international festival celebrated in over 85.countries |
I am so worried about global warming. We need stop cutting down all of the trees so that they can absorb the carbon dioxide. I think the Kyoto Protocol（京都议定书) to stop pollution is a great idea ,and I hope our country will decide to follow it, too.
— Eli S.,10,Texa
People should do all they can to help stop pollution, even if it is something as little as recycling your soda can. Every little thing helps. Maybe schools can put recycling bins in classrooms. Students can bring in all of their cans and bottles and see how many the school can collect.
— Lindsey A.,11, Massachusett
The United States should take action to help stop pollution. Since we are one of the richest countries, we should at least spend a little money to help.
— Aaron z,11,Massachusett
It is not good that the United States is not following the Kyoto Protocol. The U.S. is one of the most pollution emitting (污染物排放)countries in the world. Even if the rest of the world agrees to follow those rules, without the U. S. and its big businesses agreeing, global warming will still be a big problem.
—Augustine S.,11,Ohio
The world needs to learn more about global warming problems. If we do not do something soon then some of Earth’s coolest animals will become extinct. People should use solar power instead of things that pollute the atmosphere!
— Jillian J.,10,Pennsylvania
Global warming is very dangerous, and it must be prevented. Even if people think that it cannot be stopped ,we should at least try. Stopping global warming is more important than keeping our businesses going. What about the penguins(企鹅)and the polar bears? We can’t just let them become extinct.
—Samantha R.,11,IllinoisWhy does Lindsey suggest schools put recycling bins in classrooms?
| A．To keep the classroom clean | B．To help protect wild animals. |
| C．To help protect our earth. | D．To collect waste in classroom. |
Augustine worries that global warming problems will be difficult to solve because.
| A．many people think that global warming cannot be stopped |
| B．more and more trees are being cut down |
| C．American government spends little money stopping pollution |
| D．the U.S. refuses to follow the Kyoto Protocol |
Jillian and Samantha believe that.
| A．solar power is earth-friendly energy |
| B．global warming threatens animals’ survival |
| C．America is the richest country in the world |
| D．the penguins and the polar bears are dying out |
What do the six children mainly talk about?
| A．Environmental problems. | B．The Kyoto Protocol. |
| C．Animal protection. | D．The climate change. |
When Colonel Harland Sanders retired at the age of 65, he had little to show for himself, except an old Caddie roadster, a $105 monthly pension check ,and a recipe for chicken.
Knowing he couldn’t live on his pension, he took his chicken recipe in hand, got behind the wheel of his van (货车),and set out to make his fortune. His first plan was to sell his chicken recipe to restaurant owners, who would in turn give him a residual (酬金)for every piece of chicken they sold—5 cents per chicken. The first restaurateur he called on turned him down.
So did the second.
So did the third.
In fact, the first 1,008 sales calls Colonel Sanders made ended in rejection. Still, he continued to call on owners as he traveled across the USA, sleeping in his car to save money. Prospect number 1,009 gave him first “yes”.
After two years of making daily sales he had signed up a total of five restaurants. Still the Colonel pressed on , knowing that he had a great chicken recipe and that someday the idea would catch on .
Of course, you know how the story ends. The idea did catch on. By 1963 the Colonel had 600 restaurants across the country selling his secret recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken (with ll herbs and spices ).
In 1964 he was bought out by future Kentucky governor John Brown.Even though the sale made him a multi-millionaire, he continued to represent and promote KFC until his death in 1990.Which of the following statements about Colonel Sanders is wrong according to the passage?
| A．He received a pension of a little more than $100 every month after he retired. |
| B．He couldn’t live on his pension because he had a chicken recipe in hand. |
| C．He didn’t succeed in selling his recipe until he tried 1,009 times. |
| D．He lived a hard life when he stared the business. |
The underlined phrase“catch on ”in Paragraph 6 probably means.
| A．be accepted | B．be grasped | C．be popular | D．be rejected |
The sentence “Of course, you know how the story ends” means.
| A．you are sure to know the result of Colonel Sanders’ business |
| B．You are sure to know Colonel Sanders had finished his story |
| C．It is certain Colonel Sanders ended his business |
| D．It is certain Colonel Sanders knew how to end his story |
Colonel Sanders’ story teaches us an important lesson:
| A．It’s never too late to make a change in your life . |
| B．The early bird catches the worm. |
| C．Live and learn. Life can teach you a lot of lessons. |
| D．Constant dripping wears away a stone. |
The Field Museum
Hours
Regular hours are 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. , daily. Last admission at 4:00 p.m.
Open every day except Christmas.
Admission
We have several ticket choices for you to choose from. Advance tickets may be purchased at the will- call booth in person at the museum before 4:00 p.m.
Getting Here
The Field Museum is located on Chicago’s Museum Campus; at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, just south of Roosevelt Rd.
How to get here : by car or public transit or free trolley.
Parking
Visitor parking in all lots on the Museum Campus is $ 15.00 per day .This includes the Adler lot, the north garage, the Waldron garage and the east museum lot.
Hours for the north garage and Adler lot are 5:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. Mon—Fri and 6:00a.m. —5:00p.m. weekends; east museum lot9:00 a.m.—3:00p.m. Designated handicapped parking is available in every lot.
When all other lots are full , parking will be made available in the remote south lot for$ 8.00 per day.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day , the parking lot will only accept cash payments , which will need to be paid upon entering the garage.
Please note : These hours and rates are for daytime only and do not apply when special events are scheduled at the museums or Soldier Field.
Getting Here During Chicago Bears Home Games
During bears home games and other major special events at Soldier Field , access to the Museum Campus can be challenging. No museum visitor parking is available on the Museum Campus during bears home games. However, public transit remains a great way to get to the Campus every day of the year. For more information, call the Regional Transportation Authority at (312) 836 — 7000 or visit www. rtachicago.com.
Additional parking is available at the Monroe Street garage , located at 350 East Monroe Street.If you buy advance tickets ,you.
| A．call 60605—2496(312)922—9410 to register a ticket |
| B．should go and buy tickets all by yourself |
| C．can ask others to buy a ticket for you |
| D．make an order with the museum in advancee |
Where can you park your car for the least cost?
| A．The south lot. | B．The Adler lot. | C．The north lot . | D．The Waldron garage. |
If you park your car at east museum lot ,you should go at .
A. 9:00 a.m.— 5：00 p.m . B. 5:00a.m. .—5:00p.m.
C. 9:00 a.m.— 3：00 p.m .B. 6:00a.m. .—5:00p.m. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The museum is opened all the year around. |
| B．You can usually pay your parking in check. |
| C．During bears home games visitors can park on the museum Campus for free. |
| D．After 4:00 p.m.you are not allowed to enter the museum. |
WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) —U.S. President Barack Obama confirmed on Saturday at the White House that China can have confidence in the American economy.
“Not just the Chinese government, but every investor can have absolute confidence in the soundness of investments in the United States,” Obama said.
“There is a reason why even in the midst of this economic downfall you have seen actual increases in investment flows here in the U. S.,”he said.
Obama also noted the U. S. will push for stricter regulation of the financial industry “front and center” at the upcoming Group of 20 Summit (峰会) in London ,ending an argument between the Europe and the United States over whether more focus should be placed on financial regulatory reform.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said earlier Friady he is “a little bit worried ”about the safety of Chinese assets (财产) in the United States ,urging the U. S. government to ensure the security of those assets.
China has invested its huge foreign exchangereserves (外汇储备) in low-risk but low-yield assets ,such as U. S.government bonds (政府债券) ,to play it safe . According to the U.S. Treasury, China held 681.9 billion U.S. dollars worth of U.S. government bonds as of November.
“China is indeed the largest creditor of the United States, which is the world’ s biggest economy .We are extremely interested in developments in the U. S. economy.”said Wen, adding that he is expecting the effect of the measures taken by the U.S.government to counter the global financial crisis.
Asked to react to Wen’ s concern, Lawrence Summers, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, noted on Friday that the U.S. will be sound steward (管家)of the money it invests.
“This is a commitment that the president has made very clear—we need to be sound stewards of the money we invest.”said Summers in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a leading think tank in the united states.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao expressed his worry about the huge fund to the United States. |
| B．Obama claimed that China can have confidence in the American economy. |
| C．Obama said that the U. S. would be “sound stewards of the money we invest.” |
| D．The U. S. will push for stricter regulation of the financial industry. |
It can most likely be inferred from the passage that.
| A．the U. S. is now having great difficulty improving the economy. |
| B．China will have confidence in Obama forever according to Wen’s speech |
| C．China held 681.9 billion U.S. dollars worth of U.S.government bonds as of November |
| D．China will do its best to help the U.S. overcome the global financial crisis. |
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said earlier Friday he is “a little bit worried”, because.
| A．he doesn’t have confidence in America’ s economy at all |
| B．China lent a huge fund to the United States |
| C．he is concerned about the security of China’s assets in the U. S. |
| D．the U.S. refused to ensure the security of China’s assets |
The underlined word “soundness” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “”
| A．loudness | B．safety | C．richness | D．friendship |