The private car has long played an important role in the United States. In 1971 eighty—three percent of American families owned at least one car, and twenty--three percent had more than one. By giving workers rapid, convenient transportation, the car has freed them from having to live near their place of work. This has helped develop the growth of the suburbs, but it has also led to traffic problems in the city. In addition, the car has caused neighborhood ties to be weak by making it easy to keep up friendship at a distance and to enjoy leisure activities far from home.

For farm families the car is a great comfort. It has relieved their loneliness, making it possible for them to travel to town frequently for business and for pleasure, and also to transport their children to distant schools.

Family life has been affected in various ways. The car helps to keep families together when it is used for picnics, outings, camping trips, and other shared experiences. However, when teenage children use or own one, they can easily escape from their parents. For some--young or old--using a car leads to dangerous traffic accidents caused by carelessness or by deliberate breaking of driving laws. In 1971, over 5,000 people were killed in car accidents in the U. S., and many more were injured. This number has been somewhat reduced by the gas shortage which has decreased driving to some degree and has also lowered the speed limit.

For many Americans the car is something necessary as well as convenient. But for some, it is also a mark of social status, an important middle--class symbol, and for young people, a sign of becoming an adult. Altogether, cars mean much to Americans.

1. The car makes it possible for workers to            

A. work in the suburbs    

B. make more friends    

C. live farther from factories    

D. work fewer hours

2. It can be inferred from the passage that before the farmers owned cars,   

A. it was not convenient for them to live on their farms

B. they did not feel lonely living on their farms    

C. they could not send their children to schools    

D. they could only travel to town frequently for business but not for pleasure

3. Of the car's side effects, the author doesn't mention          

A. air pollution     

B. traffic problems     

C. weak neighborhood ties     

D. teenagers' escape from parents

4. From the passage, we can guess that                    

A. there will be fewer car accidents in the United States     

B. the car will cause personal relationship to be weaker     

C. people cannot live happily without cars in the United States     

D. the car will be merely a mark of social status

5. What's the main idea of the passage?     

A. The car has two sides as anything else.     

B. The car plays an important role in American life.      

C. Some people are not aware of the car's effects on teenagers.     

D. The car has advantages though it causes troubles and dangers.

Sam is not yet 2. He watches almost no TV and is takcn on daily walks through the zoo, so it was not surprising when he pointed to an elephant and said, "Ella." What was unexpected was when he pointed to his diaper(尿布) and said, "Elmo. "

In Sam's world, Elmo doesn't live on Sesame Street. He is the cheerful face of Pampers, printed on the waistband(腰帶), requested at every change. The little image has made Pampers Sam's diaper of choice and Pampers supplier Procter ﹠ Gamble very happy. If Sam's interest holds, his parents will buy more than $ 2,000 worth of Pampers before their son is potty(便壺)trained. And, the chances are, others who love Sam will encourage that change with the Sesame Street Potty Elmo and over time so large an amount of Elmo equipment that Sam's family may feel they bye on the street.

Sam is but one of the army of tiny consumers. In the United States, children recognize product patterns by 18 months, according to Boston College professor Juliet Schor, and, by2, many ask for products by brand name. Some parents report that Baby's first word was not "mama" or "dada" but "Coke"-- which makes sense considering that 26 percent of kids 2 and under have a TV in their room and the average American child sees some 40,000 advertisements a year. That in turn helps explain why the United States, with 4.5 percent of the world's population, buys 45 percent of the global toy production. American kids get an average of 70 new toys a year, calculates Schor, who surveyed 300 children for her new book, Born to Buy.

1. "Sesame Street" is probably                   

A. a street Sam's family live on

    B. a TV program in which Elmo is a role

    C. a company Sam is familiar with

    D. a product Sam is fond of

2. It was unexpected when Sam pointed to his diaper and said "Elmo', because he was supposed unable to                   

A. make meaningful sounds    

B. watch TV programs    

C. remember TV advertisements    

D. change his diaper

3. The underlined word "image" refers to                     

A. Elmo    

B. Pampers    

C. Sesame    

D. Ella

4. Baby's first word was not "mama" or "dada" but "Coke" because             

A. the kid liked Coke    

B. it was easier to pronounce "Coke" than "mama" or "dada"    

C. the kid referred to TV as Coke    

D. the kid watched too many TV advertisements

5. This passage mainly tells us       

A. advertisements greatly influence children    

B. Sam is cleverer than any other children    

C. Sam likes Elmo instead of other diapers    

D. children spend too much time watching TV

If the sun has enough power to warm and light the whole earth, it must have enough power to do other things, too. Can we use the sun's abundant energy to supply electricity, or at least to perform the functions which electricity or other types of power usually perform? The answer is yes.

For example, people have for many years been using the reflected heat of the sun to cook.

   Solar cookers have been built with several curved(彎曲) mirrors reflecting the sun and focusing its heat on the cooking component. This equipment can be used just like a gas or electric stove; it is more expensive to make but it does not need any fuel, and so costs nothing to use. Another possibility of using solar energy is in househeating.

The form of energy we use most is electricity, and every day more is needed. But electricity has to be made, too, and to make it                        are required--oil, gas and nowadays even uranium(鈾).

The question which worries everyone today is：how long will these fuels last? Nobody knows it for sure, but most experts think it will soon be difficult to obtain sufficient electricity from these sources. It is possible that the sun can make a contribution here, too.        

Solar power has already been used to produce terrific heat. In Southern France a solar furnace(huge stove) has been built, where temperatures reach more than 3,000℃. This furnace is only used for experiments at present, but could be used to produce steam for a power station.

1. What is the main idea of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words. )

2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

    The sun can also make it possible for us to get a large quantity of electricity instead of from other fuels.

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. Which can last longer, the ordinary fuels or the solar energy? What shall we do to have enough electricity? (Please answer within 30 words.)                                                                                5. Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.

Love is    way of life, but not    aim of it.        

A. the; the           B. a; the            C. a; an         D. the; an

—You look so upset, Jane.        ?  

—I have been told my father has got lung cancer.

A. What's up         B. What's for         C. So what       D. Guess what

—I'd like to meet Mr. King.     

—Sorry, to my      , he has gone home.

A. delight           B. awareness         C. knowledge    D. sorrow

—If you       change your mind, do let me know.     

—I will.

A. will              B. must             C. can          D. should

Little Melanie,        _ you forget, won't forgive you.   

A. in case            B. so that            C. no matter      D. in order that

Which sport has the most expenses       training equipment, player's personal equipment and uniforms?                

A. in honor of        B. in terms of        C. in favor of    D. in ease of

New York __   second in the production of apples, producing 850,000,000 pounds this year.  

A. occupied          B. ranked            C. arranged      D. classified