From school to band Practice, the Venturi Eclectic is an Earth-friendly way to get where you want
to go. This battery-powered, zero-emission (meaning it doesn't pollute the air) vehicle runs mainly on
renewable energy. Solar panels on the Eclectic's roof absorb sun rays when you're driving. On windy
days, you can connect a machine to the car's roof that collects energy from the wind while you're parked.
The Eclectic's top speed is 28 miles an hour; the battery lasts for 31 miles before it needs to be recharged.
Zipping (迅速行進(jìn)) around the neighborhood has never been better.
     Here's an eco-friendly way to tell time: Simply fill the Bedol Water-powered Clock's tank (箱) with
water, add some lemon juice, and the clock will display the time without the need for environmentally harmful
batteries. There are two sets of metal electrodes (電極) inside the water tank. Water contains ions (離子)
that carry negative and positive charges. These ions complete a charge between the electrodes, creating
enough energy to power the clock. Just refill the tank every few weeks, and this clock will keep on ticking.
     Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) will be the first car to attempt to break the l,000-mile-an-hour barrier.
(The current record is 763 miles an hour.) A concept for now, the rocket-shaped car gets its original push
to 350 miles an hour from a jet engine. Then a rocket fires up, pushing the SSC past 1,000 miles an hour.
In order to keep the car streamlined (流線型的), the driver lies back at a 45-degree angle (角度).
     You're having a blast at your friend's birthday party. But when it's time to bring out the cake, everyone
crowds around, blocking your view. No worries. Throw the Triops into the air, and this clever camera
captures the view from above. The Triops can take three pictures at once, each from different angles. You
can also record sounds and command the Triops to start shooting whenever it hears that noise. That's one
smart camera.

                                                           

1. What is the common characteristic of the Venturi Eclectic and the Bedol Water-powered Clock?

A. They don't need batteries.
B. They are difficult to operate.
C. They can be powered by water.
D. They are environmentally friendly.

2. According to the passage, the Venturi Eclectic _____.

A. is popular with businessmen
B. is suitable for a long trip
C. can turn wind into energy
D. has only a little gas emission

3. The underlined phrase "having a blast" in the last paragraph probably means _____. 

A. looking at a picture
B. enjoying yourself
C. blowing out a candle
D. recording sounds

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The Triops is sensitive to sounds.
B. The driver of the SSC must be of great size.
C. The color of the Bedol Water-powered Clock is like that of lemon.
D. The SSC doesn't have anything to do with a rocket actually.

     Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.
     Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, simply because they are in the way.(天生就該如此) Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are
on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United State alone are considered to be in danger.
     Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, __________________
_____________________________________________. Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a
source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create
many problems. For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks (老鷹), the farmers' stores of corn
and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep
down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied (繁殖) quickly.
     Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know
about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws to protect animals in danger.
     Quite a few counties have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger
list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

1. What is the best title of this passage?(please answer within 5 words.)
________________________________________________________________________
2.Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
   The number of rats and mice increased very fast because there were not enough hawks to kill them.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please fill in the blank in the third paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence.
    (please answer within 10 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the animals' future in your opinion? And why?(please answer within 30 words.)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
_______________________________________________________________________

     There is a growing problem of what to do with electronic waste such as old televisions, computers,
radios, cellular telephones and other electronic equipment.
     Electronic trash, or e-waste, is piling up faster than ever in American homes and businesses. People
do not know what to do with old televisions or computers so they throw them in the trash.
     National Solid Wastes Management Association(NSWMA) state programs director Chaz Miller says
the large amount of electronic waste Americans produce is not unexpected.
    The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates more than 400 million consumer electronic
items are dumped each year, and there is a push by more states to ban the waste from landfills(垃圾填
埋場) and create recycling programs. They can be torn apart and sorted for useable parts. Mike Fannon who runs the plant in Baltimore, says, "There are a lot of valuable metals that can be recovered and
reused instead of just putting them in the landfill, and in certain components there are some materials that
should not really be in the landfill," Fannon explained.
    Fannon says nearly 20 percent of electronic waste is recycled nationwide. Thirteen years ago, it was
only about 6 percent. Recycling rates continue to rise as more communities have banned electronics from
landfills in an effort to keep e-waste poisons like lead(鉛) and mercury(汞) out of garbage dumps.
    This year several states like Vermont imposed a ban on electronic waste in landfills. More than 25
other states have also adopted landfill bans, e-waste recycling programs or both. Chaz Miller says more
can be done to boost electronic waste recycling.
     "We can do much better," noted Miller. "I think clearly our goal should be to do as well as we do
recycling newspapers."

1. Which of the following does NOT belong to e-waste? 

A. Old televisions.
B. Old computers.
C. Old cell phones  
D. Old newspapers.

2. Why is e-waste banned from landfills in many states? 

A. Because it can not be recycled. 
B. Because it might damage the environment. 
C. Because it can be shipped to other countries. 
D. Because the landfills are already full.

3. According to Mike Fannon, what might be the best way of dealing with e-waste? 

A. Recycling it.
B. Selling it. 
C. Burying it.
D. Breaking it.

4. What can we learn from the passage?   

A. At present, less then 10 percent of e-waste is recycled. 
B. Chaz Miller works for EPA. 
C. All states in the US have banned e-waste from landfills. 
D. Experts are optimistic about the future of e-waste.

     Directions:Read the following passage.Answer the questions according to the information
given in the passage.
      Smoking in indoor public places including public working place, public transportation vehicles and
some other special outdoor working spaces has been banned in China since January 2011. Should
smoking be banned in public places? Of course, it should be. First, banning smoking in public places
will not only help in saving smokers from various kinds of heath conditions and diseases, but will also
be beneficial for passive smokers.
     Second, banning smoking in public places will put pressure on smokers to quit. Since a smoker is
forbidden from smoking in public places, he will learn how to live without smoking a cigarette for long
hours. Moreover, when a smoker doesn't see anybody around him smoking or smelling of cigarette, it
might reduce his urge to smoke too. Thus, people have to quit smoking as a result of smoking ban.
     Smoking in public places influences nonsmokers to take up smoking, especially adolescents. Since
teens are in an impressionable age, when they see people around them smoking, they get encouraged to
try it and then it becomes a habit, increasing the incidence of teen smoking. Moreover, asthma(哮喘)
and ear infections are commonly seen in children who live around smokers, so if it's banned in public
places, these places will become safe for children and teens, healthwise.
     Looking from the economic point of view, since smoking is a major contributing factor to many
diseases, it leads to absence from work. Moreover, employees who smoke tend to take breaks now
and then to smoke, thus cutting back on their working hours. So, if employers want to increase work
productivity and want to make sure that their employees remain healthy, they should ban and stop
smoking in and around offices.
     At last, smoking cigarettes adds to the pollution of the air, so if it is banned, it will help in saving the
environment from further deterioration(惡化).
1.According to the passage, in what situation do smokers reduce their urge to smoke? (No more than 11 words)
________________________________________________________________________
2. Seen from the environmental point of view, why shouldn't people smoke in public places? (No more than 7 words)
________________________________________________________________________
3. How does smoking in and around offices affect work productivity? (No more than 13 words)
________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the main idea of the passage?(No more than 8 words)
________________________________________________________________________

     The atmosphere is a gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth. It is a collection of gases, vapor and particulates surrounding the Earth.
     The atmosphere is very important to life on this planet because, firstly, it acts as a system for cycling and recycling carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen; living things transform these elements into sources of carbohydrates and proteins for nourishment(營養(yǎng)). Secondly, it protects us from invisible threats such as the harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Thirdly, it protects the Earth's surface from rapid heating during the day and rapid cooling down at night. Lastly, it provides us with the air we breathe as it is our basic life support system; every breath we take requires oxygen in the air.
     However, human activities are causing the emission of harmful gases into the atmosphere. This has resulted in many environmental and health problems. Urban air pollution, acid rain, contamination by toxic chemicals, the lessening of the stratospheric ozone layer and changes in the global climatic system are all important environmental threats to the atmosphere.
     Air pollution
     Our planet is becoming choked with poisonous gases mostly from our daily activities like driving cars, warming out house and running power stations. And pollution doesn't need a passport to travel around the world.
     Ozone depletion
For years, chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs)were used as a cooling device in freezers and air conditioners. CFCs destroy the ozone layer, the layer that filters(過濾)ultraviolet radiation from the sun which causes eye damage and skin cancer.
     The greenhouse effect
     As more greenhouse gases released in the atmosphere reflect more heat back to the Earth, it causes a rise in temperature, beyond that which is considered to be normal. Rising temperature will cause the climate change, which may lead to more natural disasters, extinction(滅絕)of some animals and plants. Additionally, while passing through surface, some is lost in space. Greenhouse gases reflect back some solar energy and make the atmosphere hotter.
     Humans are damaging the atmosphere, which serves to be our coat. One day it deserves their right. And the world is warming up, the polar icecaps to melt, sea levels to rise and extreme weather conditions to occur more frequently.

     Each of us is different and our body clocks are different too. Some of us can stay awake and work till
late in the night, 1.________   feeling tired, while others may find it easy to wake up and start work  
2.________, instead of continuing late in the night. These tendencies make some of us "night persons"
and   3.________   "morning persons". So if you are a morning person, the best time to exercise for you
would be mornings,   4.________   you feel energetic. However, if you are a night person, who hates to
wake up early, afternoons or evenings will suit you more for exercising.
     If you want to know when is the best time to exercise to burn fat, then mornings are the ideal choice.  
5.________  are mornings considered the best time to exercise for weight loss? There is   6.________  
scientific explanation for that. When a person exercises in the afternoon or in the evening, he is simply
burning the calories coming from   7.________   he has eaten last. But when he exercises on an empty
stomach in the morning, he is burning calories which are stored in the body as fat.   8.________, the best
time to exercise to lose weight is in the morning.

     Doctors say anger can be an very harmful emotion(情緒)unless you learn how to deal with it. They
warn that angry feelings can lead to heart disease,  stomach problems,  headaches,  emotional problems
and possibly cancer.
     Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a
calm reasonable way. Others burst with anger,  losing control of themselves. But other people repress
their anger. They cannot or will not express it.
     For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person's health than
expressing it. They said that when a person is angry,  the brain gives off the same hormones(激素)that
are produced during tense situations. They speed the heart rate,  raise blood pressure,  or sugar into the
blood and narrow the blood vessels(脈管)to the interstices(空隙). In general,  the person feels excited
and ready to act.
     Doctors said that repressing these feelings only makes the feelings continue. And this can lead to
many medical problems. Doctors thought a person could prevent these problems by letting the anger out
by expressing it freely. But recently some doctors held a different view. They said that people who
express anger repeatedly and violently did become,  in fact,  more and not less angry.They said this, too,
can cause medical problems.
     Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that
those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease,  and they believe that
those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
     Doctors say the solution(解決辦法)is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to
admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger,  and then decide if the cause is
serious. If it is,  they say: "Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down
and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably. "

1. What does the phrase" repress anger" mean in Paragraph 2?

A. Forget one's anger.                    
B. Express one's anger openly.
C. Treat one's anger calmly and reasonably.
D. Keep one's anger inside.

2. When you get angry,  which of the following should you do for the good of health?

A. Repressing the anger.          
B. Expressing the anger.
C. Learning how to make a deal.  
D. Treating the anger properly.

3. What is the central topic of this passage about?

A. The different ways of dealing with anger.
B. The dangers of anger and the solution.
C. New medical discoveries.
D. The argument between the new and old views about anger.