Schools across the country are turning green. So-called green schools are built from recycled and environmentally friendly materials. They are designed to use less energy than traditional school buildings. In the next few years, Southern California alone plans to open 150 green schools. Studies have shown that there are good reasons to go green, including good air quality that cuts down on asthma(哮喘)attacks and airborne germs that can cause illnesses. Students learn better in classrooms that have natural light and ideal temperatures. Green schools have lower energy bills. Go On, Get Green

     Here’s how to save energy and help the environment.

Light Savers

     Turn off the lights in a room when it is not in use. This bright idea can produce big savings on energy costs. Some schools use sensors that automatically shut off the lights when there is no motion in a room.

Heat Smart

     Your school’s thermostat(溫度調(diào)節(jié)器)should be set to 78℃in warm weather and 68℃in cooler weather. The temperature can be even farther from the comfort zone at night and on weekends, when no one is using the school building.

 Reuse, Recycle

     Reuse paper, cans, bottles and batteries. Use both sides of notebook paper. Carry a lunch box rather than a paper bag. Recycle whatever you can reuse.

Don’t Drip(滴水)

     Leaky taps can waste large amounts of water. A small, steady flow can add up to hundreds of gallons a year. Report drips if you see them.

What is the best title for the passage?

      A. Green Schools.    B. Reusing and Recycling.    C. Light Savers.   D. No Dripping.

Some schools are called green schools because ______.

     A. they are built from new materials          B. they are painted green

C. there are more trees in these schools        D. they are built from recycled materials

All of the following are advantages of a green school EXCEPT __________.

A. the air quality of the school is great

B. the temperature is comfortable

C. the school has lower energy bills than a traditional school

    D. it is more beautiful than a traditional school

In a green school, students will ________.

     A. use both sides of their notebook paper    B. not use lights at all

C. use paper bags to carry food            D. get sick more easily

The good thing about children is that they _____ very easily to new environments.

A. appeal            B. adapt      C. attach      D. apply

—It’s noisy.

  —The office upstairs ______ , which _______ two weeks

  A. will decorate  ,  will last     B. will be decorated , will be lasted 

C. is being decorated, will last    D. is decorating .is lasting

Americans are proud of their variety and individuality (個性), yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of a lift operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect higher quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform is likely to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a hairdresser, or a waiter to lose professional identity (職業(yè)身份) than to step out of uniform?

Uniforms also have many practical good points. They are often more comfortable and more lasting than civilian clothes.

Primary facts among the argument against uniforms is their lack of variety and the loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they are likely to think, speak, and act similarly on the job at least.

Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

68. What surprises us is that Americans _______.

A. still judge a man by his clothes        

B. think highly of uniforms

C. less prefer wearing civilian clothes     

D. respect a elevator operator in uniform

69. People are likely to think that a man in uniform ________.

A. suggests quality work              B. shows his social position

C. appears to be more practical         D. looks more fresh and attractive

70. Those who are against uniforms believe that people wearing uniforms ______.

A. are usually helpful                     B. have little freedom

C. lose personal character                  D. enjoy greater popularity

71. It can be concluded from the passage that ________.

A. people generally trust a person in uniform more

B. people enjoy wearing comfortable uniform

C. the cost of the uniform is acceptable to people

D. people wear uniforms to show they should be respected  

More teachers are starting off the school year with letters to parents and students to introduce themselves and set a tone (基調(diào)) for the year. The letters are a good way to start positive communication with parents, several teachers told Education World.

“I think it’s professional, ”said Dorothy Peselli, an English teacher at Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersay, Peselli, who gives out the letters the first day of school, told Education World. “It gives parents an image of you as a professional. If you start communication off in a positive manner, you will have the parents on your side when you need them.”

In her letter to parents, Peselli encourages them to call or e-mail her with specific concerns about their children. “I want to work as a team to make sure that your child becomes an independent lifelong learner,” Peselli wrote to parents last September. She also telephones the parents of all her students at the beginning of the year.

Peselli includes with the letter a classroom handbook (手冊) listing plans and rules. And she requires that both parents and students read and sign statements (included in the letter) when they read the handbook. The student letter also lists needed supplies and gives encouragement. “Please come to class ready to work and learn. This will be an exciting year for all of us,” it says.

Last year, Peselli taught at a different high school and parents there were “shocked”, but appreciative, that she had so much contact with them. “I received roses and a thank-you note from one boy and his mother,” Peselli said. She wished her own children’s teachers would take the time to write notes as well. “I never got a letter home from any of my daughter’s high school teachers.” she said, “It would be nice to know the background of some of the people who are teaching my daughter.”

60. We may learn from the text that ______.

A. most teachers are writing letters to parents and students

B. the handbook is used to list supplies and give encouragement

C. Peselli believe it important for teachers to exchange information with parents

D. Peselli mainly introduces her background and teaching experiences in the letters

61. The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to _____.

A. the handbook       B. the requirement C. the school    D. the letter

62. We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.

A. parents were satisfied with Peselli’s way of working

B. Peselli means to surprise parents by writing students

C. Peselli seemed to be popular among boy students

D. all Peselli’s children are studying in high schools

63. The purpose of the text is to ______.

A. introduce an English teaching method        B. give advice on how to teach students

C. encourage teachers to keep in touch with parents

D. show us how Dorothy Peselli makes teaching plans

Our brains work in complex and strange ways．There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two．Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write．

         Dr．J．Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887．He called these people idiot savants．An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental impairment （損傷） , such as in autism ( 孤獨癥，自閉癥) or retardation．At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people．The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory．

         One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr．Benjamin Rush, an American doctor．His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in1724．It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds．Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write．

         Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s．Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5 ,000 musical pieces beautifully．

         In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly．

         Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment．Yet not all brain impairment leads to savant skills．Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills．However few people wish to participate in such experiments．There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain．The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate．Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots．

72．What does the passage mainly talk about?

         A．Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities．

         B．Human Beings have complicated thinking process．

         C．The brains of the idiot savants are partly impaired．

         D．The reasons why people have wonderful skills vary．

73．Which of the following can be done by Rain Man?

         A．He can play wonderful pieces of classical music．

         B．He can guess out exactly the length of a man's life．

         C．He can memorize the contents of the pictures fast．

         D．He can count matches dropped on the floor quickly．

64．What can you infer from the passage?

         A．Idiot savants have real talents for art and math．

         B．Dr．Down is the first person who found idiot savants．

         C．Few people wish to risk becoming savants by brain operations．

         D．Intentional left brain impairments will surely lead to idiot savants．

75．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

— Whenever you are short of money, just come to me.

—       

A. Do you really mean it?        B.I can’t believe it.

C. That’s something.            D. What’s up?

I went to bed very late last night, _____, early the next morning.

A. or rather              B. at least          C. at most                D. in a word

I can hardly ______ very loud noise while I am studying.

  A. put up with      B. get rid of          C. have efforts on     D. keep away from

How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations indicate that there are several keys to success that successful people share.  

First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering things they can do. Perhaps what most separates successful people from others is that they live a life “on purpose”---- they are doing what they believe they are put here to do. In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important element that enables them to become fully functioning people. They hold that when they live their life on purpose, their main concern is to do the job right. They love what they do ---- and it shows. People want to do business with them because of their commitment(忠誠). To live their life on purpose, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to work hard whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Top achievers always bear in mind what they don’t have.

Rather than be negative or depressing, they use the knowledge to spur themselves on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.

46. The underlined word “it ” refers to “____”.

   A. the main concern of successful people

   B. the job that successful people do

   C. the commitment with which successful people do their jobs

   D. the business that successful people do with other people

47. By living a life “on purpose”, successful people can do the following EXCEPT ____.  

   A. do a lot of work   

   B. concentrate on their jobs

   C. do business with many people     

   D. control things in life

48. The underlined word “spur ” most probably means “____”.

   A. encourage          B. excite                C. relieve       D. compel