Lookingbackonmychildhood,Iamco-优题课

Air travel chaos across Europe caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland continued Sunday, impacting tourists and business people's schedules and causing economic loss to Chinese airlines and tourism agencies.
Air China canceled five one-way flights and eight return flights to European cities including Paris, Frankfurt and Moscow Sunday, according to a notice on its website. "The cancellation was due to closure of most European airports, and we will keep a close eye on the latest situation, "said Zhu Mei, an Air China spokeswoman.
Other carders including China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines have also canceled most flights to Europe, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Airlines worldwide are losing at least $200 million per day in revenue, the International Air Transport Association said Friday.
Tourism agencies have been affected too. "This is the first time we met such a natural disaster, and we can only wait and keep in contact with our tourists," said Hun Ping, an employee on duty at China International Travel Service's(CITS) branch in Beijing Sunday. "We have a group of more than 30 Chinese tourists who were scheduled to fly to Paris from Beijing around noon Sunday and their flights will be postponed to tomorrow at the earliest," she said. Hun said another group of Chinese tourists in Europe, who will fly back to Beijing from Brussels Wednesday, might also be affected by the incident. "The possible delay will not add to tourists' financial burdens, as we will share our tourists' additional expenses with the airlines," she said.
1. How many flights has Air China canceled?
A. 8 B. 9 C. 13 D.15
2. What does the word "chaos"(bold in para. 1) mean in the passage?
A. disorder B. incidents C. closure D. damage
3. Which of the following statements is True?
A. The air travel chaos in Europe has caused great losses to only air carriers.
B. The direct reason for the flight cancellation is the closure of most European airport.
C. The International Air Transport Association is suffering a huge loss of $200 million per day.
D. Air China and other Chinese air carriers have already canceled all their flights to Europe.
4. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
A. Flights Cancellation Caused by Volcanic Eruption
B. The Effects of Volcanic Eruption in Iceland
C. The chaos caused by Volcanic Eruption
D. Tourism Disaster Owing to Volcanic Eruption

People living in the UK .take quite a few holidays abroad and in this country each year. Choices made about where to go, how to get there and what to do while there can either benefit or harm the environment.
While on holiday:
Many of the things you can do to be greener on holiday will be the same things you can do at home--but there are also some extra things too, like avoiding gifts made from endangered plants and animals. Here are some suggestions:
●Making the most of locally produced food and drink, and local activities and attractions will support people in the area you are visiting and reduce the need for further environmental influence from transport;
●Switching off any air conditioning, heating and lights will help reduce climate change effect;
● Save water--some countries suffer from water shortages and saving water can help avoid damage to our natural habitats.
Endangered species:
Some gifts and foods available in some countries can be made from endangered plants or animals. Check before you buy, but if in doubt, avoid animal and plant gifts. More details of the types of products to avoid and illegal trade hotspots can be found on the Souvenir Alert webpage.
Making a positive contribution to the place you are visiting:
There are ways in which your holiday can help support local people and the environment:
●There are many opportunities to volunteer and help with projects that conserve and improve natural habitats;
●When you are away, or if you are looking for somewhere to visit, you can support projects or attractions which protect wildlife, such as nature reserves and conservation projects.
1. According to the passage, we can to help reduce climate change effect.
A. make good use of water B. buy local food and drink
C. save electricity D. go around on foot
2. We should check the gifts and foods before buying because .
A. sometimes they are of poor quality
B. they may not be typical local products
C. some of them will do harm to our health
D. they may be made from endangered animals or plants
3. We can infer from the passage that .
A. it is not easy for people to travel abroad
B. not everyone can tell an illegal souvenir
C. green holidays have been accepted by all people
D. volunteer work is a must for protecting natural habitats
4 The passage is mainly about .
A. travel dos and don'ts B. the harm done to the environment
C. greener choices for holiday D. tips on protecting endangered species

第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I could make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have three-day passes posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers. It was Christmas Eve when I arrived home, and a light snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights, all colors, and ornaments shining against the green of a pine. "Where did it come from?" I asked.
"I asked the Gates boy to cut it," my mother said. "I wouldn't have had one just for myself, but-such a rush! He just brought it in this afternoon…" The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the Tree Top Krystal Star was its place. A few green branches reached about a little awkwardly at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the, tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with the pleasant smell of Christmas. "It's not like the one you used to find." my mother went on. "Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn't know where to look. But I couldn't be fussy(挑剔的)."
"Don't worry," I told her. "It's perfect." It wasn't, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: all Christmas trees are perfect.
1. From para. 1, we can infer that .
A. the writer spent his first wartime Christmas at home
B. Not all the soldiers were allowed to go home for Christmas
C. all the soldiers would have three-day passes for Christmas
D. the writer could not go home for Christmas
2. When the writer got home, .
A. it was December 23
B. it was snowing heavily
C. he found a Christmas tree in the living room
D. the Gates boy was cutting a Christmas tree
3. "All Christmas trees are perfect", because they can remind you of .
A. the wartime B. the green of a pine
C. the pleasant moment D. the sweet home
4. The best title for this passage would be " ".
A. How to Choose a Christmas Tree
B. How Soldiers Spent Christmas
C. A Perfect Christmas Tree
D. A Christmas Without a Tree

The future of agriculture must achieve several goals at the same time.
First, it now appears that we will have to double world food production in the next 40 years due to population growth, increasing meat consumption and pressure from biofuels (生物燃料). We will also have to reduce the environmental impacts from our farming practices, which have caused widespread damage to soils, ecosystems, waters and even the atmosphere. In fact, agriculture’s impacts are as bad as climate change as an environmental concern. Besides, we will have to improve food security for the world’s poor. While the Green Revolution of the 1960s made it possible to feed hundreds of millions more people than in earlier eras, the number of the under-nourished in the world has started to rise again. Finally, we will have to increase the recovering ability of agriculture from shocks. Today, our high-efficiency, globalized world has many benefits, but it is vulnerable (易受伤的) to destruction, whether from droughts, diseases or sudden price rises. We must start building better food systems to better keep us away from future shocks.
Currently, there are two models of agriculture: local and organic agriculture vs. globalized and industrialized agriculture. Each has been strongly supported and severely criticized, but neither of these models, standing alone, can fully meet our needs.
Organic agriculture teaches us important lessons about soils, nutrition and pest management. Unfortunately, organic food provides less than 1% of the world’s calories, mostly to the wealthy. It is hard to imagine organic farming developing to feed 9 billion. Globalized and industrialized agriculture has benefits of high output and low labor demands. Without it, billions of people would have starved. However, it has come with enormous environmental and social costs, which cannot be sustained.
Rather than voting for just one solution, we need a third way to solve the crisis. Let’s take ideas from both sides, creating new, hybrid solutions that increase production, save resources and build a more sustainable agriculture.
There are many promising avenues to pursue. A new “third way” for agriculture is not only possible but also necessary. Our problems are huge, and they will require everyone at the table, working together toward solutions.
1. How many goals of agriculture are mentioned in the passage?
A. Three B. Four C. Five D. Six
2. Which is true according to the passage?
A. Organic agriculture can feed most people in the world now.
B. Industrialized agriculture does no harm to our environment.
C. Modern farming is criticized while organic farming is not.
D. The future agriculture can’t only depend on organic agriculture.
3. We can learn from the passage that _______.
A. everyone can afford to enjoy organic food at will
B. we will vote to decide which farming system to take
C. the writer is quite optimistic about future agriculture
D. only experts can find a better agricultural solution
4. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Organic Agriculture Vs. Industrialized Agriculture.
B. The Goals of Future Agriculture and Its Way Out.
C. A Third Possible and Necessary Way for Agriculture.
D. Modern Globalized and Industrialized Agriculture.

Larry Walters is among the relatively few who have actually turned their dreams into reality. His story is true, even though you may find it hard to believe.
Larry was a truck driver, but his lifelong dream was to fly. After graduating from high school, he joined the Air Force in hopes of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, poor eyesight disqualified him. So, as he sat there in his lawn chair, he dreamed about the magic of flying.
Then one day, Larry Walters got an idea. He went to the local Army-Navy store and bought a tank of helium (氦) and forty-five weather balloons. Back in his yard, Larry used straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair, the kind you might have in your own back yard.
He fixed the chair to the ground and filled the balloons with helium. Then he packed some sandwiches and drinks and loaded a BB gun, figuring he could pop (打爆) a few of those balloons when it was time to return to earth.
Being ready, Larry sat in his chair and cut the fixing rope. His plan was to lazily float upwards and then lazily back down to land. But, things didn’t quite work out that way.
Instead, he shot up as if fired from a cannon! He climbed until he finally reached eleven THOUSAND feet! At that height, he could hardly risk shooting at any of the balloons, for fear of losing the balance! So, he stayed up there, sailing around for fourteen hours, totally at a loss as to how to get down. Eventually, an airliner pilot radioed the airport about passing a guy in a lawn chair at eleven thousand feet ... with a gun in his lap (腿面).
At nightfall, the winds on the coast made Larry drift out to sea. At that point, the Navy sent a helicopter to rescue him. Eventually they were able to fly over him and drop a rescue line with which they gradually get him back to earth.
On hitting the ground, he was arrested. When led away in handcuffs, a television reporter called out to ask, “Mr. Walters, why did you do it?” Larry stopped, eyed the man for a moment and replied, “A man can’t just sit around. What happens tomorrow depends on what you do today.”
Are you doing something to improve your life ... or just sitting around?
18. It is the fact that Larry .
A. was a qualified pilot B. was an amazing bus driver
C. failed to become a pilot D. popped a few balloons
2. While pulled by the helium balloon, Larry took off to fly by _______.
A. shooting at the balloons to get the up-pushing power
B. using straps to attach the balloons to his lawn chair
C. fixing the chair to the balloons filled with helium
D. cutting the rope fixing his chair to the ground
3. Larry’s being arrested suggests that _______.
A. he is a wanted criminal by the police
B. it is against law to fly without a license
C. an air liner pilot found a gun in his lap
D. he intended to steal military information
4. What might the writer think of Larry?
A. He is stupid enough to get arrested.
B. He is wise enough to be a success.
C. He is brave enough to reach his goal.
D. He is violent enough to go against law.

A．full of ambition	B．self-disciplined
C．full of enthusiasm	D．knowledgeable