The January fashion show, called Future Fashion, exemplified how far green design has come. Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, the show inspired many top designers to work with sustainable fabrics for the first time. Several have since made pledges to include organic fabrics in their lines.
The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges. Scott Hahn, a cofounder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality sustainable materials can still be tough to find. “Most designers with existing labels are finding there aren’t comparable materials that can just replace what you’re doing and what your customers are used to,” he says. For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable once woven into a dress. But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equivalents(等同物).
Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support. Last year the influential trade show Designers & Agents stopped charging its participation fee for young green entrepreneurs who attend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special recognition to designers whose collections are at least 25% sustainable. It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago. This week Wal-Mart is set to announce a major initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional cotton at higher prices, thus helping to expand the supply of a key sustainable material. “Main-stream is about to occur,” says Hahn.
Some analysts are less sure. Among consumers, only 18% are even aware that eco-fashion exists, up from 6% four years ago. Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example of the unconverted consumer. When asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied, “Not that I’m aware of.” Like most consumers, she finds little time to shop, and when she does, she’s on the hunt for “cute stuff that isn’t too expensive.” By her own admission, green just isn’t yet on her mind. But thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliers—one day it will be.
小題1:What is said about Future Fashion?

A．It inspired leading designers to start going green.

B．It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far.

C．It served as an example of how fashion shows should be organized.

D．It convinced the public that fashionable clothes should be made durable.

小題2:According to Scott Hahn, one big challenge to designers who will go organic is that ________.

A．much more time is needed to finish a dress using sustainable materials

B．they have to create new brands for clothes made of organic materials

C．customers have difficulty telling organic from non-organic materials

D．quality organic replacements for synthetics are not readily available

小題3:We learn from Paragraph 3 that designers who undertake green fashion ________.

A．can attend various trade shows for free

B．a(chǎn)re readily recognized by the fashion world

C．can buy organic cotton at favorable prices

D．a(chǎn)re gaining more and more support

小題4:What is Natalie Hormilla’s attitude toward eco-fashion?

A．She doesn’t seem to care about it.

B．She doesn’t think it is sustainable.

C．She is doubtful of its practical value.

D．She is opposed to the idea very much.

小題5:What does the author think of green fashion?

A．Green products will soon go main stream.

B．It has a very promising future.

C．Consumers have the final say.

D．It will appeal more to young people.

BEIJING—As China scrambles to respond to the choking smog that has blanketed Beijing in recent weeks, authorities in several major cities are experimenting with carbon trading platforms. The schemes are one effort to get control over greenhouse gases in an economy still hungry for cheap energy.
It has been a persistent concern in recent years, but the spiking pollution levels in January are sparking a public outcry.
Emissions from coal-fired electricity plants and busy factories are part of the problem that officials hope to get control over through carbon trading platforms. Seven cities are expected to open carbon markets later this year, including Tianjin.
“The government has decided to start with programs because the carbon trading is something new to China,” said David Tang, secretary of the board of the Tianjin Carbon Exchange. “So we want to have a number of programs to explore the use of the market.” said Tang.
China wants to launch a national carbon trading program by 2016. If it is successful, analysts say, the program would be one of the largest in the world and would help the country meet its target of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 45 percent within seven years.
The platforms allow companies to earn credits for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, which can then be traded. If it works, it would encourage for-profit businesses to invest in green technology.
As public concern builds pressure for the government to find a solution, Wu Changhua, greater China director of the Climate Group, says there is a broad shift under way in how Chinese weigh their quality of life.
China has long put economic growth ahead of environmental concerns, making it the world’s biggest polluter. Carbon trading supporters hope that the markets could be one way to curb pollution and keep the economy growing.
小題1:Which of the following is TRUE about carbon trading platforms?

A．They are used to trade various resources.

B．They caused the choking smog in China.

C．They have been in existence for many years in China.

D．The choking smog may promote their development.

小題2:The underlined word in Paragraph 1 means “ ______”.

A．to make blanket

B．to cover something

C．to make something empty

D．to be like a blanket

小題3:Tang’s attitude towards carbon markets is ______.

A．unknown

B．indifferent

C．optimistic

D．pessimistic

小題4:What can we infer from the passage?

A．China will have built a national carbon trading program by 2016.

B．Chinese have lived a life of high quality in all aspects.

C．The markets could slow the development of economy.

D．Standards of life will be changed in China.

小題5:What's the main idea of this passage?

A．The choking smoke in China.	B．The urge for carbon trading platforms.
C．Greenhouse gases.	D．The world’s biggest polluter.

Many people in the world live in big cities, which are often dirty and difficult places to live. So, some cities will get bigger. They will also get higher, and lower, because people will begin to live under the ground as well as in tall buildings. Scientists also say that men can begin to live in cities under the sea, when there is not enough space on the land. Of course, these new cities will be very expensive, and difficult to build, but they are not impossible. Already, some countries are building places to live under the ground so their people can go there if there is a new war. There are underground cities in Switzerland（瑞士）and China, built by the government（政府）to help some of the people live during a great war. 
But will people change if they live under the ground for a long time？For example some fish go blind if they live in the dark sea for a long time. People will not go blind, because there will be light underground, but they may change in some way. Scientists say that people who live in cities today are losing their senses of smell, touch and taste. They can’t smell the dirty air, they can’t taste the chemicals（化學(xué)制劑）in their food. These senses are not as strong as before, when people lived in the country and grew their own food. The city has changed that. What will the underground city change in everyone？
小題1:People will live under the ground because _________． 

A．it’s neither hot nor cold there

B．they’ll be afraid of the war

C．there’ll be less space on the ground

D．they’ll make their life comfortable

小題2:Some countries try to build some places under the ground so that people will be able to live there _____．

A．when summer comes

B．when a war breaks out

C．because they think it’ll be safer for them

D．when they’re fed up with the life on the land

小題3:_________, so people who will live there won’t go blind． 

A．There’ll be enough light under the ground

B．It’ll be easy to go upstairs

C．Glasses will be sold under the ground

D．Medicine will be supplied for free

小題4:People will lose some senses under the ground because _______．

A．the world are polluted

B．it’s dark there

C．the air is dirty and there are a lot of chemicals in their food

D．they can’t grow their own food in the sun

Look, this is the first plane in the world to be created using the new technology of “3D printing”. The airplane was built using only a computer—but it can fly at a speed of 100mph and has a two-meter wingspan.
It was produced using a special nylon laser printer that builds up something layer-by-layer. The parts were made separately and attached using a “snap fit” technique so the aircraft could be put together without tools in minutes.
No fasteners at all were used in the manufacture of the plane. Unmanned and electrically powered, the plane can travel in near silence and is also equipped with a small autopilot system. The special production process used is known as “l(fā)aser sintering(激光燒結(jié))”and allows the designers to create shapes and structures that would normally include costly manufacturing techniques. This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from your own design to first flight in days, while using traditional materials and techniques would take months. And because no tooling is required for manufacture, major changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost.
Professor Jim Scanlon, who led the team, said, “The process allows the design team to revisit historical techniques and ideas that would have been too expensive using traditional manufacturing.” He added, “This form of structure is very firm and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured traditionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be connected or fastened at great expense.”
The new printed plane is known as the Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft—or SULSA for short—and is part of a wider project using cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. The University of Southampton has been at the leading position of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle development since the early 1990s.
小題1:Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Revolutionary Breakthrough of 3D Printer
Scientists Create Aircraft with High Speed
C. New Designed Airplane with New Techniques.
D. The World’s first 3-D printed Airplane, SULSA
小題2:How could the plane work while flying?

A．It should be controlled by an autopilot system.

B．It should be controlled by “l(fā)aser sintering”.

C．A pilot controls it using a remote control.

D．A pilot with high techniques controlled it.

小題3:This kind of plane has the following advantages EXCEPT ______.

A．it produces little noise while flying

B．it is manufactured in quite a short time

C．it only requires simple and cheap tools

D．it needn’t extra cost if changes are made

小題4:Professor Jim Scanlon believes they can _____ with their techniques.

A．produce firmer and lighter real planes easily

B．connect and fasten tailor parts for real planes

C．copy earlier planes to study their techniques

D．find differences by studying the traditional ones

More than 30 million kids buy school lunch each day. This year, many schools raised lunch prices to fight raising costs. Students pay about $2 a meal now. That is 27 cents more than last year. But they still get a good deal. The average cost for schools to produce one meal has gone up 30 cents, and is now $3. 
So, how do schools neither make money nor lose money? To start, the government pays for a small part of the difference. Schools have to make up the rest. Peggy Eller, a leader of school nutrition (營養(yǎng)) service in Hudson, Wisconsin, said her district is cutting costs by using fewer paper products and serving smaller portion(份額). Well, portion control is one key to healthful eating! 
The push for more healthful food has grown in recent years. One in five kids aged 6 to 19 is overweight. Being overweight can cause health problems. Many states passed laws that require schools to serve nutritious meals. 
Since 2004, more than 90% of all U.S. Schools have removed the fat from lunches. Foods high in fat, salt and sugar have been replaced by low-fat milk, fresh fruits and vegetables. These new items on lunch menus have encouraged kids to change their eating habits. “It makes easier to try new things at home, “said Savanna Mackey, a Florida fifth-grader.  
Students need healthful meals to grow strong and do well in school. “Rising prices won’t stand in the way,”says school nutritionist Jane Thornton. “We’ll just be more clever in how we do things.”
小題1:In the first paragraph, the author aims to tell us        .

A．the large number of kids buying school lunch

B．the average price of school lunch

C．the school's ways to deal with school lunch

D．the fact of school lunch's getting more expensive

小題2:Many school districts raised lunch prices because        .

A．there is less healthful food on the menus

B．the cost of food has gone up

C．kids often forget to bring lunch money

D．some school dining-halls are serving smaller portions

小題3:According to Paragraph 4, Savanna Mackey      .

A．doesn't like the new items on the lunch menus

B．a(chǎn)lways enjoys foods like fresh and vegetables

C．becomes interested in eating healthy food at home

D．prefers eating at school to eating at home

小題4:What can be inferred from the passage?

A．American schools solve the problem of high food prices by themselves.

B．American schools are very concerned about their students’ health.

C．Almost all schools are forced by the government to serve healthy foods.

D．American childhood overweight is mainly caused by the present lunch foods.

When we read books we seem to enter a new world. This new world can be similar to the one we are living in, or it can be very      . Some stories are told       they were true. Real people who live in a       world do real things; in other words, the stories are about people just like us doing what we do. Other stories, such as the Harry Potter books, are not       . They are characters and creatures that are very different from us and do things that would be       for us.
But there is more to books and writing than this. If we think about it, even realistic writing is only     . How can we tell the difference between what is real and what is not real? For example, when we read about Harry Potter, we       seem to learn something about the real world. And when Harry studies magic at Hogwarts, he also learns more about his real life than      . Reading, like writing, is an action. It is a way of      . When we read or write something, we do much more than simple look at words on a page. We use our       -- which is real-- and our imagination-- which is real in a different way --- to make the words come to life in our minds.
　　Both realism and fantasy(幻想)       the imagination and the “magic” of reading and writing to make us think. When we read       realistic, we have to imagine that the people we are reading about are just like us, even though we       that we are real and they are    . It sounds       , but it works. When we read, we fill in missing information and     about the causes and effects of what a character does. We help the writer by   52  that what we read is like real life. In a way, we are writing the book, too.
Most of us probably don’t think about what is going on in our       when we are reading. We pick up a book and lose       in a good story, eager to find out what will happen next. Knowing how we feel       we read can help us become better readers, and it will help us discover more about the real magic of books.

小題1:	A．possible B．easy C．new D．different

小題2:	A．that B．what C．whether D．a(chǎn)s if

小題3:	A．usual B．normal C．certain D．common

小題4:	A．realistic B．reasonable C．moral D．instructive

小題5:	A．difficult B．impossible C．important D．necessary

小題6:	A．thinkable B．designed C．imagined D．planned

小題7:	A．do B．make C．have D．a(chǎn)re

小題8:	A．lessons B．dreams C．experience D．magic

小題9:	A．working B．thinking C．living D．understanding

小題10:

A．knowledge B．skill C．words D．grammar

小題11:

A．make B．get C．use D．have

小題12:

A．a(chǎn) newspaper B．something C．everything D．a(chǎn) story

小題13:

A．find B．learn C．know D．hope

小題14:

A．too B．not C．a(chǎn)ll D．so

小題15:

A．dangerous B．serious C．strange D．terrible

小題16:

A．talk B．learn C．read D．think

小題17:

A．telling B．pretending C．promising D．guessing

小題18:

A．mind B．life C．world D．society

小題19:

A．heart B．time C．money D．ourselves

小題20:

A．what B．how C．when D．why

Everyone may all have the experience of feeling anxious and stressed when having a rough day or having some troubles. Different people may choose different ways to deal with it, and for most people a break for a 10-minute walk may be quite useful.
Anyway, here is another way around: to get a piece of chewing gum, and chew it. According to a Swinburne University of Technology study, gum-chewing has been found to “relieve anxiety, improve alertness(機敏性) and reduce stress among individuals in a laboratory setting.”
Some may argue that a laboratory is not the same as an office. But check out the conditions of the study: individuals were monitored while performing “a group of ‘multi-tasking’ activities.” Doesn’t it sound like the situation in the office?
Here’s a summary of some of the study’s findings:
Gum chewers showed a reduction in anxiety as compared to non-gum chewers by nearly 17 percent during mild stress and nearly 10 percent in appropriate stress.
Gum chewers showed improvement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 percent during mild stress and 8 percent in moderate stress.
Improved Performance: Chewing gum resulted in a big improvement in overall performance on multi-tasking activities.
Although these aren’t major improvements, every little bit works and chewing a piece of gum is a lot quicker and easier than slipping outside for a 10-minute walk. So, how does gum work this magic? In part it does so by lowering the level of cortisol(皮質(zhì)醇)—a steroid(類固醇) hormone that is released in response to stress in your system.
A few words of advice before you reach for the gum: don’t crack your gum, and be sure to chew it with your mouth closed. In fact, I’d say keep the gum out of meetings, because it really looks impolite to others around you.
小題1:From the study in the text we know that_________________.

A．gum chewers may lack alertness

B．gum chewers tend to be less stressed

C．gum chewers can finish many jobs perfectly

D．gum chewers can reduce their anxiety and anger easily

小題2:How does gum work to reduce stress according to the text?

A．It works by improving alertness.

B．It works by allowing a 10-minute walk.

C．It works by reducing one’s level of cortisol.

D．It works by being chewed in a laboratory setting.

小題3:Which one may the author probably agree with?

A．People should chew gum with their mouths closed in a meeting.

B．It is impolite to chew gum in a meeting with people around you.

C．People can crack gum freely when meeting friends.

D．People should be careful when chewing gum at home.

小題4:What does the text mainly talk about?

A．How to chew gum.	B．How to relieve stress.
C．Why people love chewing gum.	D．Chewing gum can relieve stress.

What will people die of 100 years from now？ If you think that is not a simple question， you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio­technology(生物技術(shù)). With the help of new medicine， the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents， murder and war. Today's leading killers， such as heart disease， cancer， and aging itself， will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes， the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live？ Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things， and until recently， scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells， such as those of brain cells， would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100， medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so， people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine， made up of the basic building materials of life， will build new brain cells， heart cells，and so on－in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence， but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future. 
小題1:According to the passage， human death is now mainly caused by____ 　　

A．diseases and aging	B．a(chǎn)ccidents and war
C．a(chǎn)ccidents and aging	D．heart disease and war

小題2:Humans may live longer in the future because ____　　

A．heart disease will be far away from us

B．human brains can decide the final death

C．the basic materials of cells will last forever

D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine

小題3:We can learn from the passage that ____

A．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future

B．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now

C．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life

D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells

Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.
Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they’re a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.
However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
All emotions affect our thinking and motivation, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.
小題1:According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?

A．To think about happy times.

B．To make many decisions at a time.

C．To stop feeling regretful about the past.

D．To learn about the process of decision-making.

小題2:Damasio’s study suggests that ______.

A．emotions are the enemy of decision making

B．our brain has nothing to do with decision making

C．people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds

D．our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions

小題3:Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?

A．They often forget their past choices.

B．They make decisions without much thinking.

C．They tend to save time when shopping.

D．They are too angry to bargain.

小題4:What do we learn from the text?

A．Emotions are a part of decision making.

B．Sad people always make the worst choices.

C．No emotion seems to help us make good choices.

D．Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

All too often, a choice that seems sustainable(可持續(xù)的)turns out on closer examination to be problematic. Probably the best example is the rush to produce ethanol(乙醇) for fuel from corn. Corn is a renewable resource —you can harvest it and grow more, almost limitlessly. So replacing gas with corn ethanol seems like a great idea. 
One might get a bit more energy out of the ethanol than that used to make it, which could still make ethanol more sustainable than gas generally, but that’s not the end of the problem. Using corn to make ethanol means less corn is left to feed animals and people, which drives up the cost of food. That result leads to turning the fallow land –including, in some cases, rain forest in places such as Brazil—into farmland, which in turn gives off lots of carbon dioxide (CO) into the air. Finally, over many years, the energy benefit from burning ethanol would make up for the forest loss. But by then, climate change would have progressed so far that it might not help.
You cannot really declare any practice “sustainable” until you have done a complete life-cycle analysis of its environmental(環(huán)境的) costs. Even then, technology and public keep developing, and that development can lead to unforeseen and undesired results. The admirable goal of living sustainably requires plenty of thought on an ongoing basis.
小題1:What might directly cause the loss of the forest according to the text?

A．The growing demand for energy to make ethanol

B．The increasing carbon dioxide in the air

C．The greater need for farmland

D．The big change in weather.

小題2:The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “           ” 

A．the energy benefit	B．the forest loss
C．climate change	D．burning ethanol

小題3:The author thinks that replacing gas with corn ethanol is           . 

A．impractical

B．a(chǎn)cceptable

C．a(chǎn)dmirable

D．useless

小題4:What does the author mainly discuss in the text? 

A．Technology	B．Sustainability
C．Ethanol energy	D．Environmental protection