The United Nations says forty million people or so around the world went hungry in 2008, mainly because of higher food prices. Early estimates（估计） from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that 963 million people did not get enough to eat.
World food prices have dropped since early 2008. Prices of major crops have decreased by more than half from their height earlier last year. But they remain high compared to earlier years.
But FAO official Hafez Ghanem says lower prices have failed to end the food crisis (危机) in many poor countries. “For millions in developing countries,” he says, “getting enough food every day to live an active and healthy life is a distant dream.”
The FAO says food shortage is a threat to people's health. Today, two-thirds of the world's undernourished people live in just a few countries. These are India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Ethiopia and so on.
A report on food insecurity warns that the current economic crisis could send even more people into hunger and poverty.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the percentage of the people who continually go hungry fell from 34% in 1997 to 30% in 2008. But the FAO says Ghana is the only country that has reached two sets of hunger reduction targets. These were set by the 1996 World Food Summit and the Millennium Development Goals. The main reason is the growth in agricultural production in Ghana.
The FAO says some countries in Southeast Asia like Thailand and Vietnam have made progress in hunger reduction goals. But South Asia and Central Asia haven't, and North Korea is still in hot water.What FAO official Hafez Ghanem says implies（暗示）__________
| A．it's easy but takes long to provide people with enough food |
| B．enough food can make people more active and healthier |
| C．there is difficulty solving the food shortage in a short time |
| D．people in developing countries will never get enough food |
Ghana has reached the targets of hunger reduction mainly because of ________.
| A．the still high food prices |
| B．the donation of developed countries |
| C．the two targets of hunger reduction |
| D．the growth in agricultural production |
The underlined word "undernourished" in Para. 4 probably means ________.
| A．hungry and unhappy |
| B．unhealthy for lack of food |
| C．not fat because of poverty |
| D．undeveloped and poor |
Which country has not made progress in hunger reduction?
| A．North Korea | B．Thailand | C．Vietnam | D．Ghana |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．The food production of the world |
| B．The hunger reduction target of the FAO |
| C．The food shortage around the world |
| D．The solution to the global food shortage |
Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in San Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers.
The cottages could be an example of the industry’ s odd love affair with “low technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的)—so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by hand in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example, but Twitter’s designs lie on the extreme end. Other companies are using a broader interpretation (阐释) of low technology that focuses on nature.
Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Google’s office, an entire floor is carpeted in glass. Facebook’s second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking trail.
Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “We have lost the connection to the maker in our lives, and our tech engineers are the ones who feel impoverished (贫乏的) , because they’re surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “They’re looking for a way to regain their individual identity, and we’ve found that introducing real crafts is one way to do that.”
This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life,” Morris said.
Research has shown that natural environments can restore(恢复) our mental capacities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe,” taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure.
These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative effects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office—even simple views of trees and flowers—felt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially nourish the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine, bring on the cottages.The writer mentions the two nineteenth-century cottages to show that ________.
| A．Twitter is having a hard time |
| B．old cottages are in need of protection |
| C．early settlers once suffered from a dry climate in Montana |
| D．Internet companies have rediscovered the benefits of low technology |
Low technology is regarded as something that _______.
| A．is related to nature |
| B．is out of date today |
| C．consumes too much energy |
| D．exists in the virtual world |
The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that human beings ________.
| A．have destroyed many pre-industrial arts |
| B．have a tradition of valuing arts and crafts |
| C．can become intelligent by learning history |
| D．can regain their individual identity by using machines |
The writer’s attitude to “low technology” can best be described as ________.
| A．positive | B．defensive |
| C．cautious | D．doubtful |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Past Glories, Future Dreams |
| B．The Virtual World, the Real Challenge |
| C．High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices |
| D．The More Craftsmanship, the Less Creativity |
I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled（贴标签）everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming. “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled（爬）under her covers, sobbing.
Obviously, that was not something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.What made Kate so angry one evening?
| A．She couldn’t find her books. |
| B．She heard the author shouting loud. |
| C．She got the news that her grandma was ill. |
| D．She saw the author’s shoes beneath her bed. |
The author tidied up the room most probably because _______.
| A．she was scared by Kate’s anger |
| B．she hated herself for being so messy |
| C．she wanted to show her care |
| D．she was asked by Kate to do so |
How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?
| A．By analyzing causes |
| B．By showing differences |
| C．By describing a process |
| D．By following time order |
What might be the best title for the story?
| A．My Friend Kate |
| B．Hard Work Pays Off |
| C．How to Be Organized |
| D．Learning to Be Roommates |
Every day we are adding more and more vacation ideas，destinations，tours, and articles．As you explore our website，you will find there is an ever-growing collection of things that will help make your vacation easier and more affordable．
We change our featured destinations very frequently so be sure to keep coming back to see what new ideas we have for your family vacation．We feature a different state，park, and city destination on the front page of the website．These change frequently, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you can be sure to keep up with all the new information．
Another great feature we are offering is Guest Articles．These may come from a travel professional，author, parent or child about their travel ideas or offers．These informative articles are great to read and are perfect for discovering valuable tips and tricks for malting travel less stressful．Plus，in many articles you will discover some hidden gems(珍品)that you probably miss if you did not know about them．
One of the best things about our website is our ability to get you discounted Tours and Attraction Passes to the places you want to go most．This is a fantastic way to plan ahead and have your tours and passes paid for and pick them up before you leave your home．Now that is a helpful way to go．These programs can save you over 50％of what you could expect to pay when you arrive．And，we are adding new tours and programs every week．Be sure to check it out．
You can be sure we are working hard for you so that you can relax on your vacation. Let us do all the leg work for you so you can simply enjoy your family vacation!What does the writer want to do by writing this text?
| A．To give people tips on family vacations． |
| B．To offer travelers featured destinations． |
| C．To attract readers to surf a tourist website． |
| D．To introduce hidden gems for traveling． |
Why does the writer suggest surfing the website-frequently?
| A．Because the featured destinations are changeable． |
| B．Because the front page is quite unique |
| C．Because it can attract more advertisements． |
| D．Because it helps to sell more newsletters． |
What can we learn from Guest Articles?
| A．steps to sign up for the family vacation website． |
| B．Tips on keeping up with new travel information． |
| C．Tips and tricks for a comfortable trip. |
| D．Tricks for enjoying a free family vacation． |
Which isn’t the benefit that the website brings to us?
| A．We can get discounted Tours and Attraction Passes |
| B．We can get some information of new tours and programs |
| C．We can have our Passes in hand when starting off． |
| D．We can enjoy a family vacation with leg work． |
Which of the following shows the organization of the text?(P=Paragraph)
The behaviour of a building’s users may be at least as important as its design when it comes to energy use, according to new research from the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The UK promises to reduce its carbon emissions (排放）by 80 percent by 2050, part of which will be achieved by all new homes being zero-carbon by 2016. But this report shows that sustainable building design on its own — though extremely important- is not enough to achieve such reductions: the behaviour of the people using the building has to change too.
The study suggests that the ways that people use and live in their homes have been largely ignored by existing efforts to improve energy efficiency (效率)，which instead focus on architectural and technological developments.
‘Technology is going to assist but it is not going to do everything,’explains Katy Janda, a UKERC senior researcher，‘consumption patterns of building users can defeat the most careful design. ’In other words，old habits die hard, even in the best-designed eco-home.
Another part of the problem is information. Households and bill-payers don’t have the knowledge they need to change their energy-use habits. Without specific information，it’s hard to estimate the costs and benefits of making different choices. Feedback (反馈） facilities, like smart meters and energy monitors，could help bridge this information gap by helping people see how changing their behaviour directly affects their energy use; some studies have shown that households can achieve up to 15 percent energy savings using smart meters.
Social science research has added a further dimension (方面），suggesting that individuals’ behaviour in the home can be personal and cannot be predicted 一 whether people throw open their windows rather than turn down the thermostat (恒温器) , for example.
Janda argues that education is the key. She calls for a focused programme to teach people about buildings and their own behaviour in them.As to energy use, the new research from UKERC stresses the importance of________.
| A．zero-carbon homes |
| B．the behaviour of building users |
| C．sustainable building design |
| D．the reduction of carbon emissions |
The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to”________.”
| A．the ways |
| B．their homes |
| C．developments |
| D．existing efforts |
What are Katy Janda’s words mainly about?
| A．The importance of changing building users, habits. |
| B．The necessity of making a careful building design. |
| C．The variety of consumption patterns of building users. |
| D．The role of technology in improving energy efficiency. |
The information gap in energy use _______.
| A．can be bridged by feedback facilities |
| B．affects the study on energy monitors |
| C．brings about problems for smart meters |
| D．will be caused by building users’ old habits |
What does the dimension added by social science research suggest?
| A．The social science research is to be furthered. |
| B．The education programme is under discussion. |
| C．The behaviour of building users is unpredictable. |
| D．The behaviour preference of building users is similar. |
A typical lion tamer (驯兽师) in people’s mind is an entertainer holding a whip (鞭子)and a chair .The whip get all of the attention , but it’s mostly for show .In reality , it’s the chair that does the important work .When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion’s face , the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time .With its focus divided , the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next .When faced with so many options , the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion ? How often do you have something you want to achiever (e,g. lose weight , start a business , travel more ) –only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress ?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best , the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information .The end result is that we feel like we can’t focus or that we’re focused on the wrong things , and so we take less action , make less progress , and stay the same when we could be improving .
It doesn’t have to be that way .Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face , remember this :All you need to do is focus on one thing .You just need to get started .Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people .If you have somewhere you want to go , something you want to accomplish , someone you want to become ….take immediate action .If you’re clear about where you want to go , the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out the way .Why does the lion tamer use a chair?
| A．To trick the lion. |
| B．To show off his skill . |
| C．To get ready for a fight. |
| D．To entertain the audience. |
In what sense are people similar to a lion facing a chair?
| A．They feel puzzled over choices. |
| B．They hold on to the wrong things. |
| C．They find it hard to make changes. |
| D．They have to do something for show. |
What is the author’s attitude towards the experts mentioned in paragraph 3?
| A．Tolerant |
| B．Doubtful |
| C．Respectful |
| D．Supportive |
When the world is “waving a chair in your face”, you’re advised to_____.
| A．wait for a better chance |
| B．break your old habits |
| C．make a quick decision |
| D．ask for clear guidance |