In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decade has seen more and more forests disappearing and the globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a popular trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decade. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy resolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil(棕榈油), which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions(排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge public expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from the traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of a growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that .
| A． it makes the world warmer |
| B． it consumes natural resources |
| C． it brings severe damage to future |
| D． it makes growth hard to continue |
What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
| A． China lacks wind and solar energy. |
| B． China is the leader of the low-carbon market. |
| C． High-speed trains are a low-carbon development. |
| D． Palm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests. |
To fully develop the low-carbon markets governments can ______.
| A． cut public expenses |
| B． forbid carbon emissions |
| C． develop public resources |
| D． encourage energy conservation |
We can learn from the last paragraph that businesses have many chances to _______.
| A． develop sustainable products |
| B． explore new natural resources |
| C． make full use of natural resources |
| D． deal with the major challenge |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A． To introduce a new business model |
| B． To compare two business models |
| C． To predict a change of the global markets |
| D． To advocate sustainable development |
Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people’s houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, “We’ve been to a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?”
“Yes, certainly,” answered her husband, “A big party will be the easiest thing, won’t it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month.”
So Mrs. Harris said, “Yes, I’ll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December.”
“How many will that be?” Mr. Harris asked. “Don’t invite too many.”
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, “Party. 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.”
“That isn’t very nice, is it?” he said. “You’re telling our guests that they must go at 8.30.” So Mrs. Harris just wrote “Party. 6.30 p.m.”
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8.30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, “You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained.”
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. “That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Who complained about the noise?”
“I did,” Mr Harris answered in a tired voice.Why did Mr. Harris and his wife move to another town?
| A．They wanted to make some new friends. |
| B．Mr. Harris changed his work. |
| C．They wanted to meet a lot of interesting people. |
| D．They enjoyed going to parties and visiting other people’s houses. |
What made Mr. and Mrs. Harris hold a party at their house?
| A．It was easy to hold a big party at home. |
| B．They could ask people to dinner in small numbers. |
| C．They had gone to other people’s parties many times. |
| D．They liked making friends with others. |
How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last?
| A．From the morning till night. | B．About fourteen hours. |
| C．About two hours. | D．Till midnight |
When did the party end that evening?
| A．At about 8.30. |
| B．When the policeman talked with Mr. Harris on the phone. |
| C．About twelve o’clock.. |
| D．When someone telephoned the police station. |
Why did Mr. Harris telephone the policeman about the noise?
| A．Because someone rang his door bell many times at mid-night. |
| B．He did not want his friends to stay late that night. |
| C．His friends had a good time that night and also feel tired. |
| D．Because he hated the noise. |
Knott’s Berry Farm is the nation’s oldest, and first, theme park and draws around five million visitors each year. Knott’s Berry Farm hardly had a very good start. Arriving in Southern California in the 1920s, the Knott Family farmed about 20 acres of land and finally started a restaurant called Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Mrs. Knott’s food became well known and her husband Walter built a Ghost Town as a way of entertaining waiting customers. The family kept expanding and today, Knott’s Berry Farm has 165 rides, shows, attractions and restaurants. For more than 80 years, Knott’s Berry Farm has been entertaining families and visitors from around the world with great rides and fantastic fun.
Knott’s Berry Farm is separated into six different themed areas with rides and attractions. Fiesta Village highlights (突出) California’s Spanish heritage (遗产) with art work, rides and food. Indian Trails is similar to Fiesta Village but with an accent on Native American legends, crafts, music and dancing. The heart and soul of Knott’s, Ghost Town is an 1880s California Boom Town with cowboys, gunfights, stagecoaches, and a real steam train. The Boardwalk makes people think of Southern California beach and surfing heritage plus the Boomerang roller coaster and the Hammer-Head. Wild Water Wilderness is an 1800s-style park with water rapids and a magical journey into Native North America. For Peanuts fans, Camp Snoopy is a six-acre children’s wonderland with 30 rides and attractions. Knott’s Berry Farm also stages yearly special events such as Scary Farm and Halloween Haunt plus Knott’s Merry Farm for the holiday season.
Knott’s Berry Farm is in Buena Vista, Orange County, California. It is about half an hour from downtown Los Angeles and 10 minutes from Disneyland. Knott’s Berry Farm is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week. The park is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. During the summer months, the park is open later. The theme park is closed on Christmas Day. Tickets for 2010 are. adults, $53.99 all day; people older than 62, $23.99; children three to 11 years, $23.99. For more information about Knott’s Berry Farm, call 714-220-5220.The first paragraph is mainly about Knott’s Berry Farm’s _____.
| A．attractions | B．history | C．services | D．prices |
Besides Indian Trails, you can also experience Native American culture in _____.
| A．Fiesta Village | B．the Boardwalk | C．Wild Water Wilderness | D．Camp Snoopy |
How long is Knott’s Berry Farm open on week-days?
| A．For eight hours. | B．For nine hours. | C．For ten hours. | D．For twelve hours. |
What do we know about Knott’s Berry Farm from the passage?
| A．It is in Northern California. | B．It is open all the year round. |
| C．It has eight themed areas. | D．It is not far from Disneyland. |
The type of this passage would be _____.
| A．explanation | B．argumentation | C．narration | D．practical writing |
Mark Twain is a name not usually connected with Broadway(百老汇), but now his play “Is He Dead” will receive its first public performance on November 29.
“Is He Dead” was written by Mark Twain in 1898 but was never performed. It was rediscovered in 2002 by Shelley Fisher Fishkin, an English professor and director of the American Studies Program at Stanford University. It was published the following year by the University of California Press.
The story is about a group of poor artists who fake the death of their friend in order to increase the value of his work.
“Is He Dead” is set in France in the 1840s and centers on the French painter Jean-Francois Millet. “Millet was probably the most popular European painter in the United States in Twain’s lifetime,” Fishkin said in a telephone interview. “Americans greatly admired him because he focused on the life of the common man and the common woman.”
According to Fishkin, “Is He Dead” is a satire(讽刺) about how value is created in the art world. Twain wrote the play when he was coming out of the hardest time of his life.What’s “Is He Dead” about?
| A．The death of a poor artist in the 1840s. |
| B．A trick played by a group of poor artists. |
| C．A story about the French painter Jean-Francois Millet. |
| D．An experience Mark Twain had gone through. |
From the second paragraph we learn that ______.
| A．the play was one of Mark Twain’s early works |
| B．no one knew the play until 2002 |
| C．Fishkin is an expert on Mark Twain’s works |
| D．the play was published in 2002 |
According to Fishkin, Jean-Francois Millet was admired by Americans because ____.
| A．he was a famous French painter at that time |
| B．he focused on the life of ordinary Americans |
| C．his works showed respect for ordinary people |
| D．Mark Twain agreed on his thoughts |
We can infer from the passage that Mark Twain ______.
| A．had experienced several difficult times for no money |
| B．was a good novelist but a bad playwright(剧作家) |
| C．was a writer who only cared about ordinary people’s life |
| D．was dissatisfied with some methods of creating the value of art work |
High school students need “cool” jobs in summer holidays. Working at popular retail chains(零售连锁店) and ice-cream shops are good choices. The U.S. Department of Labor(美国劳工部) says that about two-thirds of the teenager workers are in fast food business. 1/5 of cooks and food workers are between 16 and 19 years old and 2/5 of food workers are part-time workers.
If you think taking a part-time job is easier, you are wrong. For young people, whatever you do, do your jobs well. Because a good work record will be useful for higher-paid jobs in the future. Let’s share my story.
Unless with my family members, I would go to eat fast food. That doesn’t mean I don’t like working in a fast food restaurant. My first part-time job, at age 16, was at the McDonald’s in Bloomington, Indiana. It was very hard work. Especially on Indiana University football weekends, we had no time to rest, but we still had a lot of fun. Finally I got a higher-paid job.
A future manager believes that difficult work encourages success. The growing U.S. population will bring more restaurants. While many people can’t deal with the pressure(压力) to fill orders quickly, the people who really do a great job will get plenty of rewards in the workplace. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, ______.
| A．more than half of teenager workers are in fast food business |
| B．teenagers in America like to work in a fast food restaurant |
| C．teenagers like to take a part-time job in summer holidays |
| D．almost all teenagers are interested in fast food |
The author uses his own story mainly to tell us that ______.
| A．he never liked fast food and would never eat it |
| B．he didn’t like working in a fast food restaurant at all |
| C．he did a great job, which enabled him to find a better one |
| D．he never went to the fast food restaurant with his family |
The underlined phrase “A future manager” in Paragraph 4 means the person who ______.
| A．will become a manager in the future | B．wants to be a manager in the future |
| C．doesn’t like his job at present | D．worries about his future |
From the last paragraph, we can learn that ______.
| A．a manager will do less work and get more money |
| B．not all the people are suitable for the job in fast food business |
| C．a hardworking waiter has few chances to be a manager |
| D．the growing U.S. population can bring higher-paid jobs |
Kenya is the first country to protect elephants by text messages. Mobile phone SIM cards are inserted(插入) in the collars of elephants. The cards will send a text message when the elephants wander too close to farms, allowing wildlife protectors to drive them off rather than shoot them.
Hungry elephants cause big problems for farmers and villagers in some parts of Kenya when they are searching for food. Two years ago the Kenyan wildlife service had to unwillingly shoot five elephants who continued to destroy crops.
In order to prevent such bad activities, the Elephants charity put a mobile phone SIM card on a huge bull elephant called Kimani. The conservationists(自然保护者) then set up a virtual(虚拟的) fence. Each time Kimani came near the fence, a text message was sent to farmers. So far he’s been stopped from going into the danger area fifteen times.
The project seems to be working successfully as Kimani hasn’t come near a farm for four months. A similar system has now been put into operation in another part of the country.
One of the biggest benefits of the project is that elephants seem to learn from one another, which can help a whole group change their habits.
The elephants can also be tracked using Google Earth software. This is also helping the protectors know where to use their resources to protect the animals well. Elephants often cause problems in Kenya, because ______.
| A．they are attacked | B．they are angry |
| C．they are sad | D．they are hungry |
What does the underlined word “he” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The protector. | B．The writer. |
| C．The elephant. | D．The conservationist. |
From the passage, we know that ______.
| A．the text messages are of little help to the wildlife protectors |
| B．the project has worked out to be a great success in Kenya |
| C．a mobile phone SIM card has been put in all the elephants |
| D．the project has been introduced to all parts of the country |