Soaring divorce rates around the globe are taking a toll for the environment, American researchers suggested in a study released Monday .

Michigan State University researcher Jianguo “Jack ”Liu and his assistant Eunice Yu said the increasing  number of divorces leads to more households with fewer people and greater consumption of water and energy .They said housing units require space ,construction materials and fuel to heat and cool ,regardless of the number of inhabitants .

For example, in the United States in 2005, divorced households consumed an extra 73 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water, An additional 38 million extra rooms required heating and lighting that same year due to divorced households .

“A married household actually uses resources more efficiently than a divorced household ”, Liu said ,He said that in cohabitating households ,people will watch the same television ,share the air conditioning and heat and use the same refrigerator ,all things that use energy at a regularly stable rate regardless of the number of uses .

Liu said he was not condemning divorce ,” Some people really need to get divorces ”He said cohabitation ---- whether by a family ,friends or even in a commune ------ was simply a more environmentally friendly option ,Additionally ,the researchers noted that trends other than divorce are also changing family living structures ,such as the end of multiple generations of a family sharing a home and people remaining single longer .

“People’s first reaction to this research is surprise, and then it seems simple”: Liu said in a release “But a lot of things become simple after research is done .Our challenges were to connect the dots and quantify their relationships People have been talking about how to protect the environment and combat climate change, but divorce is an overlooked factor that needs to be considered.”

He said the increasing energy demands caused by divorce should be considered by governments when they are creating environmental policies.

1.This passage is mainly meant to __________

       A．inform the reader of the increasing divorce in America

       B．emphasize the importance of protecting the environment

       C．a(chǎn)ppeal to married people to keep their households

       D．tell people the impact divorce has on the environment

2．According to the passage, what’s the attitude of Mr. Liu towards divorce?

       A．Critical             B．Indifferent       C．Objective          D．Unclear

3．It can be inferred from the passage that ___________

       A．divorced households will stimulate the sales of products

       B．married households are more willing to protect the environment

       C．divorced households contribute more to the society’s development

       D．divorce is not taken into account when people are protecting the environment

4．The underlined phrase “take a toll for” in the first paragraph roughly means ________

       A．promote            B．influence         C．strike                  D．decrease

5．From this passage we can find ______

       A．divorce rates are quickly rising globally these years

       B．cohabiting households will increase consumption of water and energy

       C．to divorce is a wise option accordingly

       D．the end of multi –generations of a family will save energy

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013屆上海市四區(qū)高考二模英語試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解

Stewart Island Ferry Services
While most visitors spend at least one night on Stewart Island, it is also readily accessible by ferry as a day excursion from Invercargill and Bluff.
Experience Foveaux Strait in comfort and style on board our express catamarans. During the one-hour crossing between Bluff and Stewart Island keep a lookout for wildlife, especially seabirds. Watching mollymawks (albatross) soaring behind the ferry is a fantastic sight.
Interesting landmarks commonly seen include Dog Island Lighthouse, Ruapuke Island, Titi Islands and Mt Anglem - Stewart Island’s highest point.
?         Free tea and coffee on board
?         Interpretation handouts are available (English only).
?         Wheelchair access available
?         Personal baggage is carried free on the ferries - max. two bags per person (one stowed and one small carry-on). Additional baggage is by prior arrangement.
?         Vehicle parking available at Bluff (extra cost - reservations recommended)

 FERRY TO STEWART ISLAND
Depart Bluff
All year 9:30am
Sep-May 5:00pm
Oct –Apr 11:00am
Jun –Aug 4:30pm
Late Dec –mid Jan8:00am
FERRY TO BLUFF
Depart Stewart Island
All year 8:00am
Sep –May 3:30pm
Oct –Mar 6:00pm
Apr 5:00pm
Jun-Aug 3:00pm
Late Dec –mid Jan 9:30am
Other departures as locally advertised
Duration 1hr
Check-in 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. (Check-in and boarding gates are closed 10 minutes prior to times stated above.)
 “20% Multi-Purchase REWARD” on Return Ferry Services
Buy 2 or more different excursions and SAVE 20% off all lower priced!
Kids Go FREE on selected departures during NZ School Holidays!
Kids Go FREE for travel 20 April - 5 May 2013.
【小題1】If leaving a car at Bluff, a traveler had better _____.
A．refer to the handouts first
B．use wheelchair access
C．make a reservation
D．park it 30 minutes before departure time
【小題2】John, who went to Stewart Island on Dec. 28th, got to the ferry dock at 7:55am. When did he      most probably leave Bluff?
A．At 8:00a.m..B．At 9:30a.m..C．At 11:00a.m..D．At 3:00p.m..
【小題3】Which of the following is false about the ferry services?
A．Tea and coffee are free for passengers.
B．Children go free for travel for about 15 days.
C．Travelers are sure to see some seabirds during the crossing.
D．Passengers have to pay extra cost for extra pieces of luggage.

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科目：高中英語 來源：2013-2014學(xué)年高考二輪短文語法填空訓(xùn)練題（8）英語試卷（解析版） 題型：其他題

Long before, there was a large mountainside, where rested an eagle's nest with four large eagle eggs. One day ? 1.?? earthquake rocked the mountain, causing one of the eggs to roll down the mountain to a chicken farm 2.?? (locate) in the valley below. The chickens were kind enough to care for the eagle's egg, and an old hen volunteered to nurture (哺育) and raise the large egg.

One day, the egg hatched and a beautiful eagle was born. Sadly,? 3.? , the eagle was raised to be a chicken. Soon, the eagle believed he was nothing more ? 4.? a chicken. The eagle loved his present family, but his spirit cried out ? 5.?? more. While playing on the farm one day, the eagle happened to notice a group of mighty eagles soaring in the skies. "Oh," the eagle cried, "I wish I could soar like those birds."

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科目：高中英語 來源：2012-2013學(xué)年福建廈門高三3月質(zhì)量檢查英語卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a freezing cold wet day in the winter of 1975. I remember the right moment, hiding behind a fragile mud wall, peeking (窺視）into the alley (胡同）near the frozen stream. That was a long time ago ，but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I，ve learned, about how you can bury it, because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I，ve been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.

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And suddenly Hassan5S voice whispered in my head: For you, a thousand times over. Hassan the hare-lipped kite runner. I sat on a park bench near a willow tree. I thought about something Rahim Khan said just before he hung up, almost as an after thought. There is a way to be good again. I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. AU. Kabul. I thought of the life I had lived until the winter of 1975 came along and changed everything. And made me what I am today.

1.After 1975，the hero of the story spent his life_____.

A. with happiness      B. with regret

C. in peace        D. in danger

2.It can be inferred from the passage that_____.

A. Rahim Khan spoke ill of the hero

B. the hero had made up for his wrong-doings

C. San Francisco was the birthplace of the hero

D. something bad might have happened in the alley

3.The writer attracts the readers by using_____

a.an impressive opening   b.a lively description of inner thoughts

c.concrete and vivid language   d.a detailed plot of the story

A. abc        B. bcd        C. acd        D. abd

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.A hide-and-seek game.       B.A forget-me-not event.

C.kite-flying competition.    D.A coming-of-age story.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2012-2013學(xué)年上海市四區(qū)高考二模英語試卷（解析版） 題型：閱讀理解

Stewart Island Ferry Services

While most visitors spend at least one night on Stewart Island, it is also readily accessible by ferry as a day excursion from Invercargill and Bluff.

Experience Foveaux Strait in comfort and style on board our express catamarans. During the one-hour crossing between Bluff and Stewart Island keep a lookout for wildlife, especially seabirds. Watching mollymawks (albatross) soaring behind the ferry is a fantastic sight.

Interesting landmarks commonly seen include Dog Island Lighthouse, Ruapuke Island, Titi Islands and Mt Anglem - Stewart Island’s highest point.

?         Free tea and coffee on board

?         Interpretation handouts are available (English only).

?         Wheelchair access available

?         Personal baggage is carried free on the ferries - max. two bags per person (one stowed and one small carry-on). Additional baggage is by prior arrangement.

?         Vehicle parking available at Bluff (extra cost - reservations recommended)

 FERRY TO STEWART ISLAND

Depart Bluff

All year 9:30am

Sep-May 5:00pm

Oct –Apr 11:00am

Jun –Aug 4:30pm

Late Dec –mid Jan8:00am             FERRY TO BLUFF

Depart Stewart Island

All year 8:00am

Sep –May 3:30pm

Oct –Mar 6:00pm

Apr 5:00pm

Jun-Aug 3:00pm

Late Dec –mid Jan 9:30am

Other departures as locally advertised

Duration 1hr

Check-in 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. (Check-in and boarding gates are closed 10 minutes prior to times stated above.)

 “20% Multi-Purchase REWARD” on Return Ferry Services

Buy 2 or more different excursions and SAVE 20% off all lower priced!

Kids Go FREE on selected departures during NZ School Holidays!

Kids Go FREE for travel 20 April - 5 May 2013.

1.If leaving a car at Bluff, a traveler had better _____.

A．refer to the handouts first

B．use wheelchair access

C．make a reservation

D．park it 30 minutes before departure time

2.John, who went to Stewart Island on Dec. 28th, got to the ferry dock at 7:55am. When did he      most probably leave Bluff?

A．At 8:00a.m..       B．At 9:30a.m..        C．At 11:00a.m..       D．At 3:00p.m..

3.Which of the following is false about the ferry services?

A．Tea and coffee are free for passengers.

B．Children go free for travel for about 15 days.

C．Travelers are sure to see some seabirds during the crossing.

D．Passengers have to pay extra cost for extra pieces of luggage.

 

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科目：高中英語 來源：2012-2013學(xué)年湖南省長(zhǎng)沙市高考模擬英語試卷（解析版） 題型：其他題

Having long been underrated(低估) and ignored, the penny is one of America's most enduring failures. But a recent proposal to ban the penny by some US congress members seeks to put the coin to sleep — permanently.

Representative Jim Kolbe from Arizona is the man who proposed the bill to stamp out penny. He says the coin has outlived its usefulness. With metal prices soaring, Kolbe says it costs 1.23 cents to produce a penny. Producing the coins will amount to a $20 million waste each year.

It is not simply about the cost of production. Centuries of inflation have made the penny—first put into circulation in 1787—close to worthless.

Many Americans don’t even view pennies as currency any more. They take them only reluctantly in change and then put them in jars or desk drawers at home. An estimated $10.5 billion in pennies, or $93.75 per household, sits idle in piggy banks and behind sofas.

Anti-penny advocates argue that 1-cent coins cost US companies more than $300 million a year in lost productivity. This comes mostly from the time and effort spent counting and putting pennies into paper rolls for bank deposits.

Jim Kolbe suggests that all cash transactions be rounded to the nearest nickel. For example, items that cost 11 or 12 cents would be rounded down to 10, 13- and 14-cent items would be rounded up to 15. People paying by credit or bank card, however, would likely continue to pay exact amounts.

But plenty of Americans oppose the ban. Some say eliminating the penny would cause significant hardship to a wide range of people.

US economist Raymond Lombra says that moving to the 5-cent nickel would cost consumers $ 3 billion over five years. The poor suffer more since they tend to buy with cash instead of credit cards.

Penny supporters point out that the penny is the only coin carrying the image of America’s much respected president Abraham Lincoln. Some major charities are also alarmed by talk of a penny ban. They often base fund-raising campaigns on donations of pennies and other coins. One such campaign is called “Pennies for Patients”. They have raised more than $68 million through coin collections since 1994.

A recent US Today poll found that 55 percent of adults want to keep the penny. They may not value pennies as currency like before, but they remain attached to them as an old, familiar friend.

“The penny has been a necessary part of the American experience---whose childhood would be complete without penny candy and other small purchases?” read a post supporting the penny on a forum.

It shapes US superstitions. “Find a penny, pick it up, and all day you will have good luck.” “A penny saved is a penny earned.” And little girls are sometimes called “as pretty as a penny”.

Title: Ban    1   Or Not?

   2  :

They have long been underrated and ignored.

Reasons for the ban:

● The coin has outlived its usefulness.

●    3   to produce coins are rising fast.

● Centuries of inflation have made the penny close to worthless.

● Large amount of    4   is wasted counting and putting pennies into paper rolls for

bank deposits.

   5  :

● All cash transactions are rounded to    6  .

● People paying by credit or bank card would continue to pay exact amounts.

Reasons against the ban:   

● Eliminating the penny would cause significant hardship to a wide range of people.

● Rounding to the 5-cent nickel would cost consumers $3 billion over five years.

● The penny is the only coin carrying the image of America’s much respected president___7  .

●    8   base fund-raising campaigns on donations of pennies and other coins.

● 55 percent of adults regard it as a necessary part of    9  .

● The penny shapes    10  .

 

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