Electric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, but they might even be more dirty than their gasoline-powered cousins.
People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions (排放) vehicles”, but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants mostly use fire to make it. Apart from the few people who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our electricity from generators (发电机). Generators are fueled by something----usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal (地热) plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.
In other words, those “zero-emissions” cars are likely coal-burning cars. Because the coal is burned somewhere else, it looks clean. It is not true. It's as if the California Greens are covering their eyes----“If I can't see it, it's not happening.” Gasoline is an incredibly (极其) efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But when you take that gas (or another fuel) and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat--at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.
A gallon of gas may drive your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won't get you nearly as far---so electric cars burn more fuel than gasoline-powered ones. If our electricity came mostly from wind or geothermal, or solar, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we don't use much of those energy sources.
In addition, electric cars' batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill (垃圾填埋场). And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When it's a power plant, though, all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.Which of the following words can replace “be clueless about” in Paragraph 2?
| A．be familiar with. | B．fail to understand. |
| C．be curious about. | D．show their interest in. |
The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car run _________.
| A．at least 25 miles | B．more than 25 miles |
| C．less than 25 miles | D．as far as 25 miles |
In the author’s opinion, compared with cars using gas, electric cars are more __________.
| A．harmful | B．expensive |
| C．efficient | D．environmentally-friendly |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．electric cars’ batteries are no longer poisonous in the landfill |
| B．electric cars are not clean since we get electricity mainly by burning something |
| C．zero-emissions vehicles should be chosen to protect our environment |
| D．now electric cars are used more than their gasoline-powered cousins |
Which city would you prefer to visit, London or Paris?London had welcomed 16.8 million foreign visitors in 2014, compared with 15.2 million visitors to Paris, according to a new report released by UK research firm Euromonitor International in January.
Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, is very proud.“With so many fascinating museums, the best theater scene in the world, more green space than any other European city, numerous top sporting venues , a low crime rate and much else besides, it is no wonder that people from all over the globe are flocking (蜂拥) to London in record numbers. These figures prove that London is without doubt the greatest city on the planet,”he told The Telegraph.
However, Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo, is not as pleased. “London is in some ways a suburb of Paris,” she said.The Huffington Post used the word “bickering” to describe these back-and-forth insults (侮辱). It refers to arguments about unimportant things, like small children fighting over a toy, or lovers arguing over the TV remote.
France and Britain are separated only by the English Channel. For centuries, they fought over territory (领土).But in fact, Paris and London are very similar. Both are centers of fashion and the arts. Even their most famous landmarks are a little similar --- the Palace of Versailles outside Paris and Buckingham Palace in London, for example.
That’s the trouble – they’re as good as each other. As the Daily Mail put it: London and Paris are “head-to-head” in their battle for supremacy. In fact, visitors to these great cities love them equally.Hidalgo also wrote an article in The Telegraph, but changed her words slightly: “London is a suburb of Paris and Paris is a suburb of London.”Does this mean these two cities could one day “grow up”, stop bickering, and become friends.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Paris welcomed more foreign visitors than London did last year. |
| B．Anne Hidalgo didn’t respond to Boris Johnson’s remarks about London. |
| C．Boris Johnson is too modest when talking about the characteristics of London. |
| D．The author thinks it meaningless to argue whether Paris is better than London or vice versa. |
The underlined word “bickering” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____.
| A．jealousy | B．quarreling |
| C．embarrassment | D．misunderstanding |
In her article in The Telegraph, we can infer Anne Hidalgo_______ .
| A．showed an objective attitude toward London and Paris. |
| B．avoided comparing London with Paris. |
| C．displayed Paris’ beauty in many different ways. |
| D．defended her idea that Paris is better than London. |
Delvin Washington was having a difficult speech therapy (治疗). Over half a year ago, Washington was preparing for the biggest day of his young life ---graduating from high school. But on a cloudy day in May, he had a serious car accident. He survived, but his life changed forever. He recently began all-day physical rehabilitation (康复治疗). He is relearning almost everything, from the names of his best friends to simple physical tasks.
His friends and family have given him a lot of support. While Washington lay in a coma in hospital, friends and family filled his room during visits. They celebrated his 18th birthday in July while he was still unconscious.Two days after Thanksgiving, eight friends from high school visited Washington at his home. The friends looked through photos on Facebook, showing them all to Washington. As he sat in his wheelchair, friends asked him to recognize the people in the photos, helping him recover his brain.
Washington’s popularity doesn’t come from nowhere. He was determined to become a police officer after college and behaved like a respectable police officer at school.His high school principal (校长), Eric Markinson, said Washington was always a gentleman. “He was incredibly gracious (和善的) and incredibly helpful,”he said.
His accident has damaged Washington’s brain. It has caused his left side, from his face to his feet, to all but shut down. His personality has also changed. The serious police-officer behavior is gone. He laughs a lot and smiles when he sees children, his mom said.
Now Washington is working hard on all-day rehabilitation. So far, he has made tremendous (巨大的) improvement, said his therapist Lindsay Sims.“I try to live as independently as possible,”Washington said slowly but firmly.What happened to Delvin Washington last May?
| A．He started to make improvements in his speech therapy. |
| B．He was seriously injured in a car accident. |
| C．He graduated from high school with good grades. |
| D．He suffered a heart attack and went into a coma. |
What can we know about Washington’s friends?
| A．They helped Washington make up for the lesson s he had missed. |
| B．They worked together to collect money for Washington on campus. |
| C．They helped Washington realize his dream of becoming a police officer. |
| D．They regularly visited Washington and helped him with his rehabilitation. |
Which word can best describe Delvin Washington?
| A．strong—willed | B．energetic |
| C．pessimistic | D．depressed |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．Washington’s friendship with his friends. |
| B．Washington making great efforts to achieve his dream. |
| C．What makes Washington so popular at school. |
| D．How Washington is recovering his brain. |
“Itis a dreadful thing to be poor a fortnight before Christmas,” said Clorinda, with the mournful sigh of seventeen years.
AuntEmmy smiled. Aunt Emmy was sixty, and spent the hours she didn't spend in a bed, on a sofa or in a wheel chair; but Aunt Emmy was never heard to sigh.
“Thegifts which money can purchase are not the only ones we can give,” said Aunt Emmy gently, “nor the best, either.”
“Oh,I know it’s nicer to give something of your own work,” agreed Clorinda, “but materials for fancy work cost too. That kind of gift is just as much out of the question for me as any other.”
“Thatwas not what I meant,” said Aunt Emmy.
“Whatdid you mean, then?” asked Clorinda, looking puzzled.
AuntEmmy smiled.
“Supposeyou think out my meaning for yourself,” she said. “That would be better than if I explained it. Besides, I don’t think Icouldexplain it. Take the beautiful line of a beautiful poem to help you in your thinking out: ‘The gift without the giver is bare’.”
“I’dput it the other way and say, ‘The giver without the gift is bare’,” said Clorinda. “That is my predicament(窘境) exactly. Well, I hope by next Christmas I’ll not be quite bankrupt. I'm going into Mr. Callender’s store down at Murraybridge in February. He has offered me the place, you know.”
“Won’tyour aunt miss you terribly?” said Aunt Emmy gravely. “Ithink she would rather have your companionship than a part of your salary, Clorinda,” said Aunt Emmy. “But of course you must decide for yourself, dear.”
“Well,I must say bye-bye and run home.” Clorindalived just across the road from Aunt Emmy in a tiny white house behind some huge willows. But Aunt Mary lived there too--the only relative Clorinda had, for Aunt Emmy wasn’t really her aunt at all. Clorinda had always lived with Aunt Mary ever since she could remember.
Clorindapuzzled over Aunt Emmy’s meaning for days. Then all at once it came to her. OnChristmas Day, Clorinda went over to Aunt Emmy’s. Aunt Emmy was lying on the sofa before the fire, and Clorinda sat down beside her.
“I’vecome to tell you all about it,” she said. “AuntEmmy, I thought for days over your meaning ... And then one evening it just came to me. At first I didn’t think Icouldgive some of them, and then I thought how selfish I was. I would have been willing to pay any amount of money for gifts if I had had it, but I wasn't willing to pay what I had. I got over that, though, Aunt Emmy. Now I'm going to tell you what I did give.”
“First,there was old Aunt Kitty. You know she was my nurse when I was a baby. She is always glad when I go to see her, but I’ve never gone except when I couldn’t help it. She is very deaf, and rather dull and stupid, you know. Well, I gave her a whole day. I took my knitting yesterday, and sat with her the whole time and just talked and talked. She was so pleased and proud; she told me when I came away that she hadn’t had such a nice time for years. ”
“Thenthere was ... Florence. You know, Aunt Emmy, we were always intimate friends until last year. Then Florence once told Rose Watson something I had told her in confidence. I found it out and I was so hurt. I couldn’t forgive Florence, and I told her plainly I could never be a real friend to her again. Florence felt badly, because she really did love me, and she asked me to forgive her, but it seemed as if I couldn’t. Well, Aunt Emmy, that was my Christmas gift to her ... my forgiveness.”
“Igave Aunt Mary her gift this morning. I told her I wasn’t going to Murraybridge, that I just meant to stay home with her. She was so glad--and I'm glad, too, now that I’ve decided so.”
“Yourgifts have been real gifts, Clorinda,” said Aunt Emmy. “Something of you--the best of you--went into each of them.”
“Ididn’t forget you, Aunt Emmy,” she said, as she unpinned the paper.
Therewas a rosebush. AuntEmmy loved flowers. She put her finger under one of the roses and kissed it.
“It’sas sweet as yourself, dear child,” she said tenderly. “And it will be a joy to me all through the lonely winter days. You’ve found out the best meaning of Christmas giving, haven’t you, dear?”
“Yes,thanks to you, Aunt Emmy,” said Clorinda softly.Clorinda felt anxious before Christmas because ___________.
| A．She had to leave Aunt Mary |
| B．She didn’t know what kind of Christmas gifts she should buy |
| C．She had not enough money to buy Christmas gifts |
| D．She had no time to make a proper decision |
Which of the following sentences can best explain the line “The gift without the giver is bare.”?
| A．A gift is valued by the mind of the giver. |
| B．Forgiveness is a gift for the giver and the receiver. |
| C．You cannot buy love or respect with expensive gifts. |
| D．Think twice before you give gifts to somebody |
What is the gift that Clorinda gave to old Aunt Kitty?
| A．Passion | B．Sympathy | C．Kindness | D．Company |
What does the underlined phrase “in confidence” mean?
| A．respectfully | B．confidently |
| C．secretly | D．willingly |
Which two words can best describe Aunt Emmy?
| A．cute and joyful | B．kind-hearted and emotional |
| C．optimistic and wise | D．gentle and reserved |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．A Special Christmas | B．Clorinda’s Gifts |
| C．Aunt Emmy | D．Clorinda’s Choice |
A high school history teacher once told us, “If you make one close friend in school, you will be most fortunate. A true friend is someone who stays with you for life.” Experience teaches that he was right. Good friendships are just not easily formed. Why?
One reason is that it is easy to move around in our society. Mr. Darrell Sifford, a news reporter for the Washington Daily, has been studying and talking about friendships for a number of years. He reports what one woman thought about the effect of ease of movement on friendship:
“I was nine, and we’d just moved from South Carolina to New Jersey, and I didn’t know anybody. My mother had a way of getting to the root of things and she said to me, ‘Amelia, I know you’re feeling bad because you don’t have any friends. But you can fix that. Just walk across the street — I know there’s a girl about your age over there — and knock on the door and ask her to be your friend.’”
“As a 9-year-old, I could do that. I knocked on the door and said, ‘Hi, my name is Amelia, and I’d like for us to be friends.’ And to my surprise, she said that she would like that too—and we became friends.”
She added that going about it directly always worked when she was a child. But as she left childhood, she found that the simple direct approach was more and more difficult for her to follow. So, as an adult, Amelia longed to have friends but her hands were tied when it came to doing anything about it. The problem, according to her, is that society teaches us in a number of ways that direct action is not an acceptable way of doing things. We need to be less direct so that our feelings will not be hurt if our offer of friendship is refused.
Mr. Sifford goes on to describe his own ideas on the subject:
“To most of us, friendship is very important, but we need to have clear in our own minds the kinds of friendships we want. Are they to be very close or kept at arm’s length? Do we want to share ourselves or do we want to walk on the surface?”
“For some people, an ordinary friendship is enough — and that’s all right. But at some point we need to make sure that what we expect from the friendship is the same as what our friends expect from it. If one wants more from the friendship than the other, and if this is not talked about, one is likely eventually to feel that he’s not being given enough attention.
“The sharing of close secrets, including our fears as well as our dark dreams, is the surest way to deepen friendships. But the process must be gone through slowly and continued only if there are signs of interest and our efforts are answered.”
What are some of the problems in forming friendships? According to Mr. Sifford, the biggest problem is to expect too much too soon. Deep relationships take time. Another “big difficulty” is to think one “possesses” the other and that he should spend all his time only with you. Similarly, friendships require action from both sides. In short, you must give as much as you take. Finally there is a question of developing friendship. Unless you spend enough time together, talking on the phone, writing letters, doing things together, friendships will gradually fade away.
Why is it so difficult to form friendships? Perhaps it is possible, as Mr. Sifford states, that we simply do not stay in one place long enough for a true friendship to develop. However, we all agree that each of us should think carefully about the kind of friendships we want. As in all interpersonal relationships, success depends on the kind of friendship we expect to have, openness to others, and a willingness to experiment. By saying that “My mother had a way of getting to the root of things…” the author means that _____.
| A．her mother could always find friends for her |
| B．her mother had a way of making friends with people |
| C．her mother was able to find the cause of things |
| D．her mother was able to solve difficult problems |
In which of the following cases is it possible for you to develop true friendships?
| A．You stay in one place for long enough with your friend. |
| B．You spend all your time together with your friend. |
| C．You completely possess your friend’s time and attention. |
| D．You give your friend as much as you take from him. |
The author quoted many times what Mr. Darrell Sifford said in order to ________.
| A．show respect for him |
| B．share the same opinion with him |
| C．strengthen the authority of his opinion |
| D．make some comments about friendships |
The main point we learn from the passage is _____.
| A．willingness to experiment is the key to close friendship. |
| B．openness to others is important in interpersonal relationships |
| C．direct offers of friendship are not easily accepted |
| D．good friendships are not easily formed |
| ABOUT LIPITOR Lipitor(阿伐他汀钙片) is a prescription medicine. Along with diet and exercise, it lowers “bad” cholesterol(胆固醇) in your blood. It can also raise “good” cholesterol. Lipitor can lower the risk of heart attack in patients with several common risk factors, including family history of early heart disease, high blood pressure, age and smoking. |
| WHO IS LIPITOR FOR? Who can take LIPITOR： ●People who cannot lower their cholesterol enough with diet and exercise ●Adults and children over 10 Who should not take LIPITOR： ●Women who are pregnant, may be pregnant, or may become pregnant. Lipitor may harm your unborn baby. ●Women who are breast-feeding. Lipitor can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. ●People with liver problems |
| POSSIBIE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR Serious side effects in a small number of people： ●Muscle problems that can lead to kidney(肾脏) problems, including kidney failure ●liver problems. Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start Lipitor and while you are taking it. Call your doctor right away if you have： ●Unexplained muscle pain or weakness, especially if you have a fever or feel very tired ●Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and / or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing ●Stomach pain Some common side effects of LIPITOR are： ●Muscle pain ●Upset stomach ●Changes in some blood tests |
| HOW TO TAKE LIPITOR Dos： ●Take Lipitor as prescribed by your doctor, ●Try to eat heart healthy foods while you take Lipitor. ●Take Lipitor at any time of day, with or without food. ●If you miss a dose(一剂),take it as soon as you remember. But if it has been more than 12 hours since your missed dose, wait. Take the next dose at your regular time. Don’ts： ●Do not change or stop your dose before talking to your doctor. ●Do not start new medicines before talking to your doctor. |
What is a major function of Lipitor?
| A．To help quit smoking. |
| B．To control blood pressure. |
| C．To improve unhealthy diet. |
| D．To lower “bad” cholesterol. |
If it has been over 12 hours since you missed a dose, you should___________.
| A．change the amount of your next dose |
| B．eat more when taking your next dose |
| C．have a dose as soon as you remember |
| D．take the next dose at your regular time |
Which of the following is a common side effect of taking Lipitor?
| A．Face swelling. | B．Upset stomach. |
| C．Kidney failure. | D．Muscle weakness |