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  In summer, millions of people will head for the beach.And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way.Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.

  “Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave?Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.” Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity.Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean.“The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹)in the water, but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ” Taylor said.“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.”

  When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮).The turbine can then power an electrical generator (发电机).The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy, and it is already being used in Scotland.The resource is huge.We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal.

  Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface.That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world.There are some drawbacks, however.Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money.He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown.Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic.With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome, ” Taylor said.“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world.Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day.”

  In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

(1)

Which of the following is NOT true?

[  ]

A.

Wave power costs too much money.

B.

Wave energy creates the same amount of pollution as other energy sources.

C.

Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic.

D.

Wave power may affect marine animals.

(2)

We can infer from the passage that ________.

[  ]

A.

finding new energy sources like wave energy is important

B.

wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world

C.

wave power is perfect for creating energy around the world

D.

wave power doesn’t create any pollution

(3)

The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ________.

[  ]

A.

regrets

B.

adventures

C.

disadvantages

D.

difficulties

(4)

What can be the best title for the passage?

[  ]

A.

How to Get Electricity by Waves

B.

A Huge Resource of Energy

C.

Can Waves Make Electricity?

D.

The Disadvantages of Wave Energy

Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans for company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using web conferencing.

     Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It is an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (参与者) must sit at their computer and they will be connected over the Internet.

Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work time is taken up in attending a conference.

Any material to be used during the web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing cost for the business.

As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation (住宿) for participants. All this means that less energy is used.

Many companies actively do many things to reduce their negative impact (影响) on the environment. So web conferencing is much cheaper and greener and more people are willing to host and attend a web conference.

What is the passage mainly about?

A. Ways of protecting the environment.

B. Green benefits of web conference.

C. Ways of hosting a web conference.

D. Impacts of web conferencing on costs.

According to paragraph 1, many companies use web conferencing because they________.

A. are interested in using any new technology

B. believe that web conferencing is more convenient

C. want to do something to protect the environment

D. haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference

Web conferencing has all of the following advantages EXCEPT _________.

A. saving time                B. promoting understanding

C. saving energy              D. saving paper

The participants of a web conference_________.

A. will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference

B. are required to sit in the office together

C. will receive many paper materials

D. must have access to the Internet

任务型阅读(共10小题;每小题1分,满分10分)

请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入1个最恰当的单词。(Reuters) - A U.N. climate deal due to be agreed in Copenhagen at talks from December 7-18 may fall short of a legally binding(有约束力的) agreement. If Copenhagen fails to live up to hopes of a strong agreement to slow global warming, what are the reasons and who risks blame? The following are some of the candidates:

● Decline in economy distracted(分散) focus from climate change after the world agreed in Bali, Indonesia, in 2007 to work out a new U.N. agreement by December 2009. Rich nations have put billions of dollars into green growth as part of recovery packages but, when unemployment at home is high, find it hard to promise extra money for developing countries. The slowdown in industrial output means a brief fix -- greenhouse gas emissions(排放) are likely to fall by as much as 3 percent this year.

● Many delegates at U.N. talks have given up hope that the United States, the number two emitter after China, will agree legislation(立法, 法律) to limit carbon emissions before Copenhagen. The US is the only industrialized nation outside the Kyoto Protocol(京都协议书) for cutting greenhouse emissions until 2012. Many countries welcomed President Barack Obama's promises of doing more to fight climate change when he took office in January but hoped for swifter action.

● Developing nations accuse the rich of repeatedly failing to keep promises of more aid. Few developed countries live up to a target agreed by the U.N. General Assembly in 1970 to give 0.7 percent of their gross domestic product in development aid. Other plans, such as the Agenda 21 environmental development plan agreed in 1992, have fallen short.

● Most rich nations are promising cuts in greenhouse gas emissions well short of the 25-40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, which are needed to avoid the worst of climate change. Overall cuts promised by developed nations total between 11 and 15 percent. Best offers by countries including Japan, the European Union, Australia and Norway would reach the range.

● More than 90 percent of the growth in emissions between now and 2030 is set to come from developing nations -- with almost 50 percent from China alone, U.S. climate envoy Todd Stern said this week. "No country holds the fate of the earth more in its hands than China. Not one," he said. China and India say they are slowing the growth of emissions but raising living standards is more important. So burning more energy is unavoidable -- as industrialized nations have done for 200 years.

● 2008 was the 10th warmest year since records began in the mid-19th century. The warmest was 1998, when a strong El Nino event in the eastern Pacific disrupted(使混乱) weather worldwide. That has led some to argue that global warming is slowing even though the U.N.'s WMO(世界气象组织) says a long-term warming trend is unchanged.

● People have been slow in changing lifestyles to use less carbon. Simple choices like taking more public transport, using less heating or air conditioning, even changing light bulbs can help if millions of people act.

Who's to blame if U.N. climate deal falls short?

Possible candidates

Supporting Details

__71___downturn

● Faced with the______72____ rising unemployment, rich countries fail to give more aid to developing ones.

●____73_____industrial output brings about a temporary relief from the pressure of greenhouse gas emissions.

United States

● It’s the only industrialized country outside the Kyoto Protocol.

● Immediate____74____ was expected to be taken by President Obama to fight climate change.

Rich-Poor divide

● Developed nations are____75____ by the poor for repeatedly breaking promises of aid.

Developed nations

● There is a huge ____76____between the overall cuts promised by developed nations and those required to avoid climate catastrophe.

Developing nations

● The increase in emissions from developing nations ____77____for 90% between now and 2030.

● Developing nations need to be given priority to raising living standards by burning more ___78____.

The weather

● The worldwide disorder caused by El Nino has __79__some people into believing that global warming is slowing.

The public

● People should be _80__to change lifestyles to use less carbon.

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