Humankind has tried to improve its standard of living since the very beginning of civilization. Back then, as well as today, providing food and security was the basic task for a person. However, nowadays the range of required goods has expanded significantly. People feel the need for not only some primary things, such as a piece of bread and a roof over their heads, but also for various facilities and luxuries. Providing humanity with these things is connected to the use of natural resources, which requires energy. In turn, the common sources of energy we use today cause pollution, so economic growth is almost inevitably associated with environmental damage.
Economic growth is the increase in numbers of goods and services produced over time by an economy, and it's calculated in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Before growth is calculated, inflation(通货膨胀) is adjusted in order to take into account its misleading effect on the price of goods and services. Economic growth can also be explained as the increase in expected output, which results from an increase in actual output, or total demand.
There are certain aspects of economic growth which affect the environment. The first of these is the fact that in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the construction of large industrial plants is required. These plants produce a lot of waste, leading to the pollution of water and the atmosphere, which may cause negative long- term health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people. They also lead to global warming.
Industrial manufacturing leads to the constantly increasing energy consumption. The traditional energy sources, which are commonly used nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters to the environment. There also exist so-called eco-friendly sources of energy. They are sometimes preferred but replacing the traditional sources with them also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertakings.
In order to produce economically practical energy, a sometimes significant transformation of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and, has harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would Block airflows' natural speed, which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pressure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to remember that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.
For these reasons, bringing about economic growth without resulting in any environmental damage is impossible.
【小题1】What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.Pollution caused by plant construction
B.Effects of windmills on the environment
C.Economic growth and human civilization
D.Economic growth and environmental damage
【小题2】According to the passage, the author holds the opinion that ____.
A.economic growth should be calculated in terms of GDP
B.use of natural resources causes no damage to the environment
C.industrial manufacturing may cause damage to the environment
D.a windmill is a perfect way to produce economically practical energy
【小题3】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

CP (Central Point)     P (Point)      Sp (Sub-point次要点)    C (Conclusion)

The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year, people start discussing the phrase “lake-effect snow”.

Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.

As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.

The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly(垂直地)across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.

The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.

1.The level of the snowfall depends on ________.

A.the size of the lake

B.the direction of the wind

C.the temperature of the lake

D.the strength of the wind

2.From the passage, we can learn that ________.

A.clouds are easy to produce with the help of the perpendicular wind

B.cold air always falls down and picks up moisture to form clouds

C.the temperature of the lake water is the same as the overrunning air’s above it

D.the longer journey of the cold atmosphere can make a grater amount of snow

3.The passage is mainly about ________.

A.the influences of the lake-effect snow for local people

B.the weight between moisture and atmosphere

C.how the phrase “lake-effect snow” comes in New York

D.how the lake-effect snow forms around the Great Lakes

 

XI’AN---Seven people died in a fire early on Wednesday morning in Xi’an, capital of Shanxi Province. A restaurant with a karaoke hall in the southern suburbs caught fire around 2 a. m. and seven waitresses who were sleeping on the second floor of the restaurant were killed. The restaurant was completely destroyed and the waitresses, the local police said, were killed by toxic smoke from burning decorations.

MANILA---Four people were killed yesterday in the central Philippine island of Tacloban when a bomb they had dug up exploded, local police were quoted as saying. The four people were digging to set up a septic(poisonous)tank in their house when they dug up the bomb. It went off, killing all four people, local police were quoted by radio station DZBB as saying. The police did not say where the bomb came from. Unexploded bombs from World War II are still discovered around the Philippines once in a while.

TEL AVIV---An Israeli couple kissed for 30 hours and 45 minutes which, a spokeswoman said yesterday, was a world record. The couple, both in their twenties, started kissing on Monday at 8:30 p.m. along with 250 other couples in a contest. “For nearly 31 hours they didn’t eat, drink, talk or even go to the bathroom. And the whole time, they were standing up”, said Arielle Goldman, who handled public relations for the event. She said a representative of the Guinness Book of World Records was on hang to witness the event, recorded on video. The previous record was 29 hour and 37 minutes, Goldman said. The winning couple received two round-the-world plane tickets and $2,500. (277 words)

1.Which of the following statements is right?

A.The news report didn’t mention the loss caused by the fire.

B.After reading the report we know how the fire broke out.

C.The reporter tended to think the bomb had something to do with World War II

D.The police refused to admit the bomb had anything to do with World War II.

2. The underlined word “toxic” means _____.

A.poisonous

B.dangerous

C.hot

D.thick

3. The Israeli couple kissed for nearly 31 hours_____.

A.to test their endurance

B.to set a new world record

C.to show their special love

D.to prove they are very healthy

4.Why did so many couples take part in the contest?

A.Because it was a good chance to enjoy themselves.

B.Because they were poor and wanted to gain the 2,500 dollars.

C.Because they wanted to attract people’s attention.

D.Because they aimed at the honor and prize.

 

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