An Earthship is a home that is built of materials such as old tires and aluminum cans. It is the idea of a man named Michael Reynolds. Many Earthships are more or less self-sufficient because they provide their own heat, air and water. They often have gardens watered and fed by waste water. They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.

The main material used in building Earthships is tires. Tires are plentiful and

can't be recycled like paper, plastic, and metal.  While building supplies for most houses can be very expensive, old used tires are free.

First, the tires are packed tightly with dirt. Each full tire weighs as much as

400 pounds. The tires are then stacked like bricks. The walls are extremely strong. They also help keep an even temperature in the house (between 60 and 70 degrees) without heating and cooling systems.?

The walls inside the Earthship are made of aluminum cans that are held together by cement. Then they are coated with adobe or stucco.?

The roofs of Earthships are sloped so that rain and snow run into large tanks. These tanks hold all the water for the house, and pumps push the water through the pipes. Sometimes, water flows in certain areas of the house as waterfalls! Water that has been used is pumped out into the gardens where owners grow much of their own food.?

In most of these houses, the southern side has huge windows that take in winter sunlight as a source of heat. Summer sun does not come in through the south windows, so it doesn't get too hot in the summer. The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water and cooking. The Earthships have all the comforts of a regular house without the high cost of electric bills!?

In a time when we are running out of energy resources, pollution is bad, and waste is piling up, Earthships are the best places to live in. For people who truly care about the environment,Earthships provide a great alternative to traditional houses. You won't be giving up any comforts, and the styles are attractive. We all hope that more and more people will build Earthships and take a huge step toward helping the environment and saving our planet.?

What is the main idea of this passage??

A. Earthships are a good way to live and protect the environment.?

B. Tanks hold water collected from rain and snow.?

C. It's important to grow your own food in a vegetable garden.?

D. People who live in Earthships usually live in the desert.?

Which of the following is NOT explained in the passage??

A. How an Earthship is built.?

B. What an Earthship is mainly made of.?

C. Why the Earthship is so called.?

D. How an Earthship is heated in winter.?

Which evidence best supports the idea that Earthships are environmentally friendly??

A. They were invented by Michael Reynolds.?

B. Water that has been used is pumped out into the garden.?

C. They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.?

D. The tires are packed tightly with dirt.?

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.?

A. a large population are already living in Earthships?      

B. the idea of Earthships will attract the attention of governments?

C. the materials for the Earthships will be harmful to the dwellers(居住者)?

D.the northern side of the Earthship has no window?

A man who served 11 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of murdering his wife was officially cleared yesterday, walking free from Jingshan County People's Court—the same body that sentenced him to a 15?year jail term in 1998—as over 2000 local residents cheered.

“Police and other law enforcers made the errors,”39?year?old She Xianglin told China Daily, “I believe the law will punish them and give me a just result.”?

The original conviction came based on a confession which She said was extracted under police torture and the misidentification of a still-unknown woman's body.?

“The provincial Hubei government has sent a team of police, procurators and high people's court officials to investigate the case,” a spokesperson for the Jingmen government, which administrates Jingshan County, said yesterday.?

The miscarriage of justice only came to light when Shen's wife, Zhang Zaiyu, resurfaced late last month after being thought missing for 11 years.?

This was despite at least five letters from Zhang to her brother over the last two years, which he said he didn't report to police because he thought they were a hoax.?

Zhang disappeared in January 1994 from Yanmenkou Township, and 3 months later a body was found in a pond that her relatives positively identified.?

Local police arrested Shen for murder in April 1994,although questions had been raised about discrepancies between the features and clothes of the body and Zhang. Confirmation through DNA testing had not been attempted.?

　　Zhang Chengmao, Shen's lawyer, said yesterday he would seek State compensation “but we have not reached a figure yet”.?

When asked about compensation, Shen said, “My mother, who died from the stress of continually appealing, cannot be bought. Eleven years of freedom cannot be bought. Schooling of my daughter that was stopped because of poverty cannot be bought.”?

As for his wife, the man said he did not hate her at all. “If she had not reappeared, maybe I would have been wronged for life,” he said.?

He also said he did not plan to sue Zhang for bigamy, though she had remarried in Shandong Province without divorcing him.?

Why did She Xianglin served 11 years in prison?

A. Because She Xianglin was convicted of murdering his wife.?

B. Because the Police and other law enforcers made the errors.?

C. Because through DNA testing the dead woman was his wife.?

D. Because her wife was missing.

Which of the following is NOT true??

A. The miscarriage of justice only came to light when Shen's wife reappeared.?

B. The man said he did not hate her at all.?

C. Zhang Zaiyu wrote at least five letters to her brother over the last two years to hoax him.?

D. She Xianglin's mother died from the stress of continually appealing.

We can infer from the passage _______.?

A. She Xianglin will get State compensation?

B. She Xianglin's daughter dropped out of school because of poverty?

C. She Xianglin stayed in prison for 11 years?

D. who murdered the woman is known to all

The underlined word “cleared” in the first paragraph means _______.?

A. 清除      B. 宣告無罪     C. （天氣）變晴    D. 移走物體

Like most big projects, learning to manage your mother well is what you should do. Here are what I believe the best steps towards a better relationship with her. They are not necessarily surprising or revolutionary, but they have worked for many people. Try them.

Remember your mother’s age. As children, we often do not think of our mother as having an age. Even when we become conscious of her as an individual, age does not change our view; she is still our mother. Knowing our mother’s age, not just in numbers of years but in terms of her psychological and physical state, often helps us to understand her better.

Listen to your mother. I have found that sometimes the things my mother told me long ago are remarkably useful. If your mother knows that you respect her point of view, even if you do not share it, it will help her feel close to you.

Remember that your mother has a past. A key step in managing our relationship with our mother is to find out about her early life. Niclle’s mother suffered much during the Second War World War. “My parents are both Jewish-Turkish. They met in France and married young for love. They were in their twenties when war broke out and because they were Jews, they had to go into hiding. She does speak to me about the war, and I think it is important to know what she went through. It is a part of her life that must have affected her deeply. ” Sometimes, in learning about our mother’s past, we know that it can encourage us to think about her whole life.

Ask your mother about your childhood history. My grandparents died when I was young. If you are fortunate enough to have living family, think of your life as a jigsaw puzzle and ask as many questions as you can to put the picture together. Understanding your roots and your childhood can help you now more clearly who you are, as part of a family which you share with your mother.

Keep a sense of humor about your mother. When we hear about someone else’s misfortunes with their mothers and are amused by them, our laughter is one of recognition. I have often listened to stories of difficult mothers and I have also listened to the following piece of advice they have found most helpful is: “Don’t have a sense of humor failure about your mother. ”

Remember that managing your mother is really about managing yourself. Taking any measure to managing our mother is the issue of how we manage ourselves. No matter how difficult we find her, it is important to remember that is not her behavior it self that is causing us discomfort, but the way we feel about her behavior. We should follow the way of her life. At the heart of managing your mother is being able to accept your flawed self. Only then are you able to accept your mother—-with all her failings.

The followings are the steps you can take to get on with your mother EXCEPT________.

A. Remember your mother’s age and past  

B. Share your roots and your childhood with your mother

C. Have a sense of humor failure about your mother

D. Managing your shortcoming while managing your mother

What does the underlined phrase “a jigsaw puzzle” mean?

A. 拼圖玩具         B. 瀏覽迷宮        C. 填充字謎       D. 游戲人生

Which of the following is implied but not stated in the passage?

A. It will help you have a better relationship with your mother if you respect her opinion.

B. You should follow a most useful piece of advice——a sense of humor.

C. The key measure of managing our mother is how we manage ourselves.

D. It is unreasonable to expect our mother to change totally from the way she was brought up.

The main purpose of writing the text is ________.

A. to give information about how we think of your mother.

B. to improve the relationship with your mother.

C. to keep a sense of humor about your mother all day long.

D. to accept your mother—-with all her failings.

When my daughter was five, we gave her a piano as her birthday gift, with great excitement; she began learning piano under the teacher’s guidance. However, when she was no longer curious about it, she became sick of it. After all, it is a tough job to learn piano, not to mention the daily routine of practice. Therefore, every time, I had to urge her again and again, either to force or offer her some profits for the practice. She always felt uncomfortable sitting on that stool, so she would either scratch her nose or ears, or hide in the bathroom for quite a long while.

Her first teacher left and moved somewhere else; my friend introduced me to an American teacher. The American teacher’s way of teaching was complete American style. After practicing, she would give my daughter some good comments on the excellent part (despite it being just a small one), and then point out what should be improved. What’s more, every time she came, instead of beginning the lesson right away, she would first play some music. She said, “To learn playing the piano, you should learn not only the skills of playing, but more importantly, to feel the music and love it.”

To my surprise, my daughter gradually became fond of piano lessons. Sometimes she even would like to show off a little bit in class after her skill had reached a certain level. Her confidence and sense of achievement were enhanced with the appreciation and acknowledgement from her teachers and classmates.

Surprisingly, my daughter said to me one day, “Mom, I was lucky because you didn’t give up my piano lessons.Learining piano is like climbing a mountain. You’ll feel tired when you are on the way. When you look down from where you are, you will realize that you have been making progress. But if you stop, you will never take one more step.” Hearing these inspiring words, I could not hold back my tears, thinking: that is the very thing I want to teach her, something that is more important than learning piano.                                     

56. My daughter __________ when she was not curious about piano.

  A. became sick         B. got tired of it        C. felt tired          D.felt relaxed

57. According to the passage, what is most important for the children to learn to play the piano _______

  A.praise            B.encourage           C.force             D.help

58. What made my daughter interested in piano again?

  A. Showing off in class.                        B. Her skillful performance.

C. Her confidence and sense of an achievement.     D. Her acknowledge from classmates.

59. What is best title of the passage?

  A.Piano is an useful instrument                  B. American teachers are excellent.

C.Playing the piano is very important             D. Be addicted, and you’ll succeed

D

      People believes that climbing can do good to health. Where can you learn the skill of climbing then? If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb, you’re wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms (體育館). Here, people are learning on climbing. The climbing wall goes straight up and small holding places for hands and feet.

     How do people climb the wall? To climb, you need special shoes and (保護帶) around your chest to hold you. There are ropes (繩索) tied to your. The ropes hold you in place so that you don’t fall. A beginner’s wall is usually about 15 feet high, and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it’s easy to see the new piece of metal. Sometimes, it’s not. The most difficult is your fear. It’s normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it’s difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall, the ropes hold you, and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.

    Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb, both your mind and your body can become stronger.

68. What can we infer from the passage?

    A. People are fairly interested in climbing nowadays.

    B. It is impossible to build up one’s body by climbing.

    C. People can only learn the skill of climbing outdoors.

   D. It is always easy to see holding places in climbing.

69. The most difficult thing to do in wall climbing is _______.

    A. to tie ropes to your                          B. to control your fear

   C. to move away from the wall                 D. to climb straight up

70. The word “workout” underlined in the last paragraph most probably means _________.

   A. settlement              B. exercise          C. excitement           D. tiredness

71. Why does the author write this passage?

    A. To tell people where to find gyms.           B. To prove the basic need for climbing

   C. To encourage people to climb mountains.   D. introduce the sport of wall climbing