The world consumes hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bags each year. They are difficult to recycle, wasteful and damage the nature. Environmental activists want to ban plastic bags or---as many communities have done ---charge a fee for them. But the plastic bag industry defends their use, saying people reuse plastic bags, and industry officials argue recycling is a matter of personal responsibility and should not be forced.
City officials say New Yorkers use 5.2 billion plastic bags each year. They are offered free with nearly every supermarket, or convenience store purchase. Many people like them, even if they sometimes feel guilty about using them. But what happens to those bags after they’ve been used in a huge environmental problem. They are found on beaches. They are caught in trees. They are swallowed by marine life.
Plastic bags are made of petroleum products and natural gas, and do not biodegrade (分解). And they are difficult to recycle. So New York City spends nearly $ 10 million dollars a year to send 100---thousand tons of plastic bags to landfills out of state.
In Washington, D.C., a five percent charge on all single-use bags led to about a 60 percent reduction and in Los Angeles County in California , a 10 cent charge on single-use bags led to a 95 percent reduction. With a 10 cent charge on bags, customers are much more likely to stop and think about whether they need a bag or not. And that’s really all that these laws are doing.Who object to the limit of using plastic bags?
| A．Plastic bag makers. | B．Government officials. |
| C．Stores and supermarkets. | D．Most of the consumers. |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us _____.
| A．the difficulty about dealing with plastic bags |
| B．the popularity of plastic bags in New York |
| C．the great convenience brought by using plastic bags |
| D．the usage and problems of plastic bags in New York |
What measure does the writer introduce to reduce the use of plastic bags?
| A．Reducing the production of plastic bags. |
| B．Charging for the use of plastic bags. |
| C．Offering paper bags instead of plastic bags. |
| D．Making people realize the harm of plastic bags. |
Lane waited on the bench nearest the bridge, as he had been instructed.
. The strong wind blew straight across the river, and he had to put his overcoat closer about him.
He went over his instructions in his mind. The spy would appear at four o’clock. He would talk to Lane for a while, after which he would get up, leaving his newspapers behind. The plans would be found inside.
A distant clock began to strike the hour. As if from nowhere, a man appeared and sat down beside Lane, placing his newspaper on the seat between them. He was thin and middle-aged, and seemed in need of a good meal. He didn’t look like a successful spy, Lane thought. His talk about the weather was uninteresting.
A few minutes later he got up and continued on his way. Lane picked up the paper which lay on the bench, as if he wanted to read the news. He was excited to see the plans, stuck on the center page. At that moment, however, there was a strong gust of wind which lifted the newspaper into the air, like a kite, and blew it into the river.Which of the following statement is TRUE?
| A．Sitting on the bench, Lane repeated his orders to himself |
| B．Lane would read about the plans in the newspaper. |
| C．The man Lane was expecting didn’t arrive on time |
| D．The man who suddenly appeared was not the one Lane was waiting for. |
The spy was going to give Lane some important .
| A．papers | B．information | C．instructions | D．advice |
Lane found the spy very .
| A．interesting | B．peculiar | C．ordinary | D．well-fed |
The spy left the newspaper .
| A．by the plan | B．by mistake | C．at Lane’s request | D．out of kindness |
.
| A．The Bargain Books Store | B．The 4-for-3 Books Store. |
| C．The Significant Seven. | D．The Textbook Store |
If you order two 9-dollar books, one 5-dollar book and one 3-dollar book in the 4-for-3 Books Store, then you can get free.
| A．none | B．the 3-dollar book |
| C．the 5-dollar book | D．the two 9-dollar books |
In the Significant Seven, you can find .
| A．your favorite books 40% off the list price |
| B．the reader’s favorite books 30% off the list price |
| C．the new titles chosen by the editors as the must-read books of the season everyday |
| D．the best-selling books chosen by editors on show every Monday |
The underlined word “categories” means “’.
| A．stores | B．shelves | C．types | D．sports |
It was starting to get dark and Bobby turned to walk home when suddenly his eyes caught the setting sun’s rays reflecting off something along the roadside. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime(一角钱). Never before has anyone felt so wealthy as B
obby felt at that moment.
As he held his new found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked into the first store he saw.
His excitement quickly turned cold when the salesperson told him that he couldn’t buy anything with only a dime.
He saw a flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother’s Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cents offering. Then he said to him, “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
The sound of the door closed as the last customer left. All alone in the shop, Bobby began to feel cold and afraid. Suddenly the shop owner came out. There, before Bobby’s eyes, lay twelve long stem, red roses, with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together with a big silver bow. Bobby’s heart sank as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box. “That will be ten cents, young man.” The shop owner said reaching out his hand for the dime.
Sensing the boy’s reluctance(勉强), the shop owner added, “I just happened to have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?”
When the man placed the long box into his hands, he knew it was true. Walking out of the door that the owner was holding, Bobby heard the shopkeeper say, “Merry Christmas, son.” Bobby feel that he was rich?
| A．Because he found a purse with many dollars |
B．Becau se he found some money on the way home. |
| C．Because he was given a bunch of flowers |
| D．Because he found some hidden treasure. |
What can we infer from the third paragraph?
| A．Christmas gifts were always very expensive |
| B．The salesperson’s words greatly disappointed Bobby. |
| C．Bobby was tired of trying one shop after another |
| D．The salesperson was trying to cheat Bobby. |
While waiting for the shop owner in the flower ship, Bobby .
| A．was full of excitement and joy |
| B．was very thankful to the shop owner |
| C．felt he had been cheated by the owner |
| D．was not sure whether the owner would accept his offering |
Living an Adventurous Life
Nearly ten years ago, I was told that I had a brain tumor （瘤）, and this experience changed my attitude about adventure forever．I thought that I was going to die and that all my adventures were over．I did not have a brain tumor, it turned out, but rather multiple sclerosis （多发性硬化症）, which meant that, although they were not over, the nature of my adventures could have to change．
Each morning that I wake up is a fresh event, something that I might not have had．Each gesture that I make carries the weight of uncertainty and demands significant attention: buttoning my shirt, changing a light bulb, walking down stairs．I might not be able to do it this time．If I could not delight in them, they would likely drown me in anger and in self-pity．
I admire the grand adventures of others．I read about them with interest．With Peter Matthiessen I have hiked across the Himalayas to the Crystal Mountain．I have walked with Annie Dillard up, down, into, and across Tinker Creek in all seasons．David Bain has gone with me along 110 miles of Philippine coast, and Ed Abbey has rowed me down the Colorado River．I enjoy the adventures of these courageous figures, who can strike out on difficult trips – 2 miles, 250 miles, 3000 miles – ready to bear cold and tiredness, indeed not just to bear but to celebrate．
But as for me, I can no longer walk very far from the armchair in which I read．Some days I don’t even make it to the backyard．And yet I’m unwilling to give up the adventurous life, the difficulty of it, even the pain, the anxiety and fear, and the sudden brief lift of spirit that makes a hard journey more attractive．
I refine adventure, make it smaller and smaller．And now, whether I am moving on my hands and knees across the dining room to help my cat, lying wide-eyed in the dark battling another period of sadness, gathering flowers from the garden, meeting a friend for lunch, I am always having the adventures that are mine to have．Which of the following is TRUE about the author’s reaction after the illness?
| A．The author is drowned in anger and self-pity． |
| B．The author travels to places he/she has dreamed of． |
| C．The author can’t take care of himself/herself any longer． |
D．The a uthor adapts to the condition successfully． |
Why does the author admire the people mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A．Because they write popular novels． | B．Because they are great adventurers． |
| C．Because they are famous geographers． | D．Because they fight with hardship in life． |
Which of the following shows the author’s strong love for adventures?
| A．The author spends almost every day looking for adventures． |
| B．The author works hard to make more money for adventures． |
| C．The author imagines having adventures while reading． |
| D．The author expects to recover only to continue adventures． |
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes．To some degree our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount 
of special education can make a genius （天才） out of a child born with low intelligence．On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings．Thus the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment．This view, now held by most experts can be supported in a number of ways．
It is easy to say that intelligence is to some degree something we are born with．The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different．If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other．Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth．
Imagine that now we take two identical twins and put them in different environments．We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring．We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part．This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence．By using the example that two people closer in blood relationship are closer in intelligence, the writer wants to prove _________．
| A．intelligence is given at birth |
| B．intelligence can be developed by environment |
| C．intelligence can be developed by experience |
| D．education plays an important part in the development of education |
A child who lives in rich and varied surroundings turns out higher in intelligence because ________．
| A．his family is rich and therefore can afford to develop his intelligence |
| B．he can break the limits of intelligence fixed at birth |
C．his family is rich and provides him with various healthy food |
| D．these surroundings are likely to help him reach the limits of their intelligence |
The writer of this article believes that _________．
| A．the development of one’s intelligence is determined by many things working together |
| B．environment plays the most important role in the development of intelligence |
| C．education plays the most important role in the development of intelligence |
| D．birth plays the most important role in the development of intelligence |
The best title for this passage might be ________
__．
| A．The Answer to a Question | B．Birth and Environment |
| C．Intelligence | D．Intelligence and Education |