题目内容

In Greek mythology(神话), fire is a gift form God, stolen from Zeus(宙斯) by Prometheus and handed over to humans suffering from cold. What could be more natural than sitting around a beautiful fire on a winter night, at a campsite in the Berkshires?

Hard as it may be to believe, the fireplace—long considered a trophy(奖杯), particularly in a city like New York—is acquiring a social shame. Among those who desire to be environmentally responsible, it is joining the ranks of bottled water and big houses.

Sally Treadwell, a 51-year-old public relations executive in Boone, N.C., said nothing makes her happier than building a fire on a cold winter night. But most of the time she doesn’t, because she feels too guilty about the damage it may do to the environment. Every time she builds a fire, it causes “inner conflict,” she said. “It’s a guilty pleasure”.

“The smoke from a fire smells very nice,” said Diane Bailey, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. “But it can cause a lot of harm. The tiny particles(颗粒) can cause illness, and can cross into the bloodstream, causing heart attacks as well as worsening other conditions.”

Growing concerns about the air pollution and health problems caused by smoke from wood fires are urging a number of areas across the country to pass laws regulating them. Idaho offers a tax cut to people who replace uncertified(不合格的)wood stoves with “greener” ones; San Joaquin County in California forbids selling a home unless its wood stove is replaced with an E.P.A. certified one;and Palo Alto and other governments in California forbid wood-burning fireplaces in new construction.

Certainly, many think otherwise. In any case, most fireplaces are used far too infrequently to cause any real damage to the environment, said Stephen Sears, the vice president of the Brick Industry Association, voicing an opinion shared by some.

Perhaps not coincidentally, sales of wood-burning equipment dropped to 235,000 in 2009 from 800,000 in 1999, according to the Brick Industry Association. It also reports that approximately 35,000 fireplaces were installed in the United States in 2009, compared to 80,000 in 2005. Certainly those numbers reflect the economic slowdown, but the may also be affected by growing mixed feelings to wood fries.

1.We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that ________.

A. big houses are not considered environmentally friendly

B. bottle water is a good companion for a fire place

C. a fireplace is viewed as a sign of success

D. people in New York are laughed at for their tradition

2.Sally’s “inner conflict” in the 3rd paragraph resulted from ________.

A. her love for the fireplace

B. the damage to the environment

C. the concern about her health

D. her mixed emotion fro the fireplace

3. In terms of the regulations about wood fires we can learn from the passage that_______.

A. uncertified fireplaces are forbidden in Idaho

B. some people are against the woodfire controlling regulations 

C. only energy-efficient wood stoves can be used in the US

D. all the people support measures taken to control the use of fireplaces

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To urge people to burn less wood

B. To discuss wood-burning’s impact

C. To throw light on the causes of the fireplace’s decline

D. To indicate the cooling love for the fireplace

 

【答案】

 

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析:在寒冷的冬天,壁炉一直是人们的至爱。可是现在越来越多的人开始意识到燃烧木柴的壁炉对环境的破坏, 很多地方开始出台相关规定, 以降低壁炉对环境和健康的影响。美国人对壁炉的热情开始降温。

1.考查推理判断。第二段说,一直以来,特别是在纽约这样的城市,壁炉被人们看得像奖杯一样珍贵, 如今却被视为社会的羞辱, 它加入到瓶装水和大房子的行列,要承担起对环境的责任。故可推知瓶装水、大房子、壁炉都.是对环境不利的,选A

2.推理题;从第三段的内容可知Sally喜欢壁炉带来的快乐,但是也担心壁炉给环境带来的破坏,选D

3.推理题:文章第五段提到针对燃烧木材的壁炉的有关规定,而第六段提到很多人认为燃烧壁炉不会给环境带来危害,选B

4.考查写作意图题:文章说到壁炉曾经 是美国人的挚爱,但是现在人们怀疑壁炉给环境带来的破坏,有的地方对燃烧壁炉设置了规定,规范壁炉的使用,由此可知美国人对壁炉的钟爱在下降,这也是作者的意图,选D

考点:考查环保类短文

 

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听力(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)

第一节

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后,你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

W:What about those in England?

M:The fifty-pence’s the biggest, and the half-penny is the smallest.

W:Really? In America, the biggest is the fifty-cents, and the smallest is the cent.

1.What are the speakers doing?

A.Comparing goods.

B.Doing shopping.

C.Talking about coins.

M:This meat is like old leather! It’s enough to break every tooth in your head.

W:Perhaps you’d like to change your order, sir.The fish is very tender.

2.How does the man feel?

A.Unsatisfied.

B.Impatient.

C.Pleased.

M:Tomorrow is the Tenth of June.It’s my birthday and I’m going to the George and Dragon.Would you like to come?

W:To celebrate your birthday? Of course I would.What group’s playing?

M:The Red Rose, I think.

3.What is the woman interested in?

A.The man.

B.The party.

C.The band.

W:Why are you so late?

M:My alarm clock failed to work again.

4.Why is the man late?

A.He could not walk fast.

B.He slept late last night.

C.His clock was out of order.

M:Where’s the book about cars I was reading last night? I laid it down on the table, and now it’s gone.

W:I don’t know.I cleaned early this morning and I don’t remember where I put it.

5.What is the man looking for?

A.A book about cards.

B.A book about furniture.

C.A book about cars.

第二节

听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前,你将有时间阅读各小题,每小题5秒钟;听完后,各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料,回答第6~8题。

M:Why aren’t you doing your homework?

W:I’ll do it later, Dad.I must get these things right first.Our group’s playing in a concert on Saturday.

M:Oh, is it? You’ll be making records next, will you?

W:We hope so.The man from “Dream Discs” is coming to the concert.So I’d better play well.

M:You’d better get on with your homework! You can practise the guitar all day Saturday.

W:Oh, Dad, you don’t understand at all.This concert could change my life.

M:It certainly could! You’ve got exams next month.Important ones.If you don’t pass them, you won’t get a good job.

W:I don’t want a boring old job in a bank.

M:Oh, don’t you? Whose boring old job paid for this house? And for what?

W:Yours, I know.But I’d rather be happy than rich.

6.What is the girl doing now?

A.Repairing a guitar.

B.Practising the guitar.

C.Preparing for making records.

7.What does the girl expect?

A.To be chosen by a band.

B.To pass the coming exams.

C.To get a job in a bank.

8.What is the man?

A.A school teacher.

B.A guitar player.

C.A bank clerk.

听第7段材料,回答第9~11题。

W:Hello?1523852.

M:Hello, may I speak to Anna?

W:I’m afraid Anna isn’t in.

M:Is that Tracy speaking?

W:No, this is Jane.

M:Oh, I’m sorry…er…well, could you please leave Anna a passage for me?

W:Sure, what is it?

M:Well, I’ll meet Anna for lunch at my home.Would you ask her to see if she has my French dictionary? And if she does, tell her to bring it along.

W:All right.And where are you calling from?

M:My home.I’m Anna’s friend, Pat.

W:Thank you for calling, Pat.

M:And thank you, Jane.

9.Where is Pat calling from?

A.His home.

B.His school.

C.His office.

10.Who does Pat want to call?

A.Tracy.

B.His friend Anna.

C.Tracy and Anna.

11.Why can’t Pat speak to Anna now?

A.Because Anna is at work.

B.Because Anna is out for lunch.

C.Because Anna is not at home.

听第8段材料,回答第12~14题。

W:Good evening, sir.I’m Assistant Manager.I’m afraid we’ve had a complaint about the noise from your neighbour who’s trying to get some sleep.

M:Oh, I see.

W:Could you please ask your friends to be a little quieter so that our guests can get a good night’s sleep?

M:Oh, I’m so sorry.I suppose we were talking rather loudly.We won an important prize.We were having a celebration.

W:I’m pleased to hear it.Shall I have some coffee brought to you?

M:No, that won’t be necessary.We were just about to pack up anyway.

12.Where does the conversation take place?

A.At a hotel.

B.In a flat building.

C.In the manager’s office.

13.What is the woman pleased to hear?

A.The man’s apology.

B.The man’s story.

C.The man’s explanation.

14.What were the man and his friends about to do?

A.End their activity.

B.Leave where they were.

C.Apologize to their neighbor.

听第9段材料,回答第15~17题。

W:So, what do you think? How do you like New York?

M:I’m having a good time.I love it.I’m glad we came.

W:Yeath really like the stores and the shopping centers?.

M:I love the museums, too.

W:But the traffic is pretty bad.

M:Yeah.I hate all the traffic.It’s really noisy.

W:Listen, it’s almost dinner time.There are lots of restaurants around here.What do you want to try? Italian? Greek? Japanese? Chinese?

M:I can’t stand making decisions.You choose.

W:OK, let’s go American.Where is the nearest McDonald’s?

15.What do you know about the speakers from the dialogue?

A.They are native American.

B.They are tourists to New York.

C.They are from Japan.

16.What do they dislike here?

A.The museum.

B.The restaurants.

C.The traffic.

17.Which restaurants are NOT mentioned in their dialogue?

A.Chinese restaurants.

B.Thai restaurants.

C.American restaurants.

听第10段材料,回答第18~20题。

  Scientists are trying to make desert into good land again.They want to bring water to the deserts, so people can live and grow food.They are learning a lot about the deserts.But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time.Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time.

  Why is more and more land becoming desert? Scientists think that people make deserts.

  People are doing bad things to the earth.

  Some places on the earth don’t get much rain.But they still don’t become deserts.This is because some green plants are growing there.Green plants and grass are very important to dry places.Plants don’t let the wind blow away the dirt.When a bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water.Without plants, the land can become desert more easily.

18.Why is land becoming desert little by little according to the passage?

A.Because plants can’t grow there.

B.Because there is not enough rain.

C.Because people do bad things to the earth.

19.Why are green plants very important to dry places?

A.Because they don’t let the wind blow the earth away?.

B.Because they hold water.

C.Both of the above.

20.From this passage, what can we learn?

A.Plants can keep dry land from becoming desert.

B.All places without a lot of rain will become deserts?.

C.It is better to grow crops on dry land than on wet land.

听力测试(共20小题;每小题1.5分,满分30分)

第一节

听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项,并标在试卷相应的位置。听完每段对话后,你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。

W:What about those in England?

M:The fifty-pence’s the biggest, and the half-penny is the smallest.

W:Really? In America, the biggest is the fifty-cents, and the smallest is the cent.

1.What are the speakers doing?

A.Comparing goods.

B.Doing shopping.

C.Talking about coins.

M:This meat is like old leather! It’s enough to break every tooth in your head.

W:Perhaps you’d like to change your order, sir.The fish is very tender.

2.How does the man feel?

A.Unsatisfied.

B.Impatient.

C.Pleased.

M:Tomorrow is the tenth of June.It’s my birthday and I’m going to the George and Dragon.Would you like to come?

W:To celebrate your birthday? Of course I would.What group’s playing?

M:The Red Rose, I think.

3.What is the woman interested in?

A.The man.

B.The party.

C.The band.

W:Why are you so late?

M:My alarm clock failed to work again.

4.Why is the man late?

A.He could not walk fast.

B.He slept late last night.

C.His clock was out of order.

M:Where’s the book about cars I was reading last night? I laid it down on the table, and now it’s gone.

W:I don’t know.I cleaned early this morning and I don’t remember where I put it.

5.What is the man looking for?

A.A book about cards.

B.A book about furniture.

C.A book about cars.

第二节

听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题,从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前,你将有时间阅读各小题,每小题5秒钟;听完后,各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。

听第6段材料,回答第6~8题。

M:Why aren’t you doing your homework?

W:I’ll do it later, Dad.I must get these things right first.Our group’s playing in a concert on Saturday.

M:Oh, is it? You’ll be making records next, will you?

W:We hope so.The man from “Dream Discs” is coming to the concert.So I’d better play well.

M:You’d better get on with your homework! You can practise the guitar all day Saturday.

W:Oh, Dad, you don’t understand at all.This concert could change my life.

M:It certainly could! You’ve got exams next month.Important ones.If you don’t pass them, you won’t get a good job.

W:I don’t want a boring old job in a bank.

M:Oh, don’t you? Whose boring old job paid for this house? And for what?

W:Yours, I know.But I’d rather be happy than rich.

6.What is the girl doing now?

A.Repairing a guitar.

B.Practising the guitar.

C.Preparing for making records.

7.What does the girl expect?

A.To be chosen by a band.

B.To pass the coming exams.

C.To get a job in a bank.

8.What is the man?

A.A school teacher.

B.A guitar player.

C.A bank clerk.

听第7段材料,回答第9~11题。

W:Hello?1523852.

M:Hello, may I speak to Anna?

W:I’m afraid Anna isn’t in.

M:Is that Tracy speaking?

W:No, this is Jane.

M:Oh, I’m sorry…er…well, could you please leave Anna a message for me?

W:Sure, what is it?

M:Well, I’ll meet Anna for lunch at my home.Would you ask her to see if she has my French dictionary? And if she does, tell her to bring it along.

W:All right.And where are you calling from?

M:My home.I’m Anna’s friend, Pat.

W:Thank you for calling, Pat.

M:And thank you, Jane.

9.Where is Pat calling from?

A.His home.

B.His school.

C.His office.

10.Who does Pat want to call?

A.Tracy.

B.His friend Anna.

C.Tracy and Anna.

11.Why can’t Pat speak to Anna now?

A.Because Anna is at work.

B.Because Anna is out for lunch.

C.Because Anna is not at home.

听第8段材料,回答第12~14题。

W:Good evening, sir.I’m Assistant Manager.I’m afraid we’ve had a complaint about the noise from your neighbour who’s trying to get some sleep.

M:Oh, I see.

W:Could you please ask your friends to be a little quieter so that our guests can get a good night’s sleep?

M:Oh, I’m so sorry.I suppose we were talking rather loudly.We won an important prize.We were having a celebration.

W:I’m pleased to hear it.Shall I have some coffee brought to you?

M:No, that won’t be necessary.We were just about to pack up anyway.

12.Where does the conversation take place?

A.At a hotel.

B.In a flat building.

C.In the manager’s office.

13.What is the woman pleased to hear?

A.The man’s apology.

B.The man’s story.

C.The man’s explanation.

14.What were the man and his friends about to do?

A.End their activity.

B.Quarrel with the Assistant Manager.

C.Apologize to their neighbor.

听第9段材料,回答第15~17题。

W:So, what do you think? How do you like New York?

M:I’m having a good time.I love it.I’m glad we came.

W:Yeath I really like the stores and the shopping centers.

M:I love the museums, too.

W:But the traffic is pretty bad.

M:Yeah.I hate all the traffic.It’s really noisy.

W:Listen, it’s almost dinner time.There are lots of restaurants around here.What do you want to try? Italian? Greek? Japanese? Chinese?

M:I can’t stand making decisions.You choose.

W:OK, let’s go American.Where is the nearest McDonald’s?

15.What do you know about the speakers from the dialogue?

A.They are native American.

B.They are tourists to New York.

C.They are from Japan.

16.What do they dislike here?

A.The museum.

B.The restaurants.

C.The traffic.

17.Which restaurants are NOT mentioned in their dialogue?

A.Chinese restaurants.

B.Thai restaurants.

C.American restaurants.

听第10段材料,回答第18~20题。

  Scientists are trying to make desert into good land again.They want to bring water to the deserts, so people can live and grow food.They are learning a lot about the deserts.But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time.Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time.

  Why is more and more land becoming desert? Scientists think that people make deserts.People are doing bad things to the earth.

  Some places on the earth don’t get much rain.But they still don’t become deserts.This is because some green plants are growing there.Green plants and grass are very important to dry places.Plants don’t let the wind blow away the dirt.When a bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water.Without plants, the land can become desert more easily.

18.Why is land becoming desert little by little according to the passage?

A.Because plants can’t grow there.

B.Because there is not enough rain.

C.Because people do bad things to the earth.

19.Why are green plants very important to dry places?

A.Because they don’t let the wind blow the earth away.

B.Because they hold water.

C.Both of the above.

20.From this passage, what can we learn?

A.Plants can keep dry land from becoming desert.

B.All places without a lot of rain will become deserts.

C.It is better to grow crops on dry land than on wet land.

阅读理解,阅读下面短文,从各题A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

  In Greek mythology(神话), the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity(来世).But he was probably better off than if they'd forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy.They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around.

  “The general phenomenon I'm interested in is why people are to busy doing what they are doing in modern society, ” says Christopher K.Hsee, of the University of Chicago.“People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on.But, Hsee says, “I think there's something deeper:We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.”

  In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys.After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one.They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to.Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar.Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location.Two-thirds chose the lazy option.Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put

  But if the chocolate bars offered at the two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location-because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say.

  Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle-people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable-to benefit society.“If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business, ” he says.Hsee himself has been known to give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn't have anything to do, so he isn't sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.

(1)

The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.

[  ]

A.

make it easier to understand the passage

B.

draw readers’ attention to Greek culture

C.

show Greek people enjoyed being busy

D.

bring about the subject of the passage

(2)

According to Hsee, people are busy in modern society because they want to ________.

[  ]

A.

make others think they are not lazy

B.

keep their energy at the basic level

C.

earn more money to support their family

D.

avoid the state of having nothing to do

(3)

The underlined phrase “stayed put” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

[  ]

A.

remained there

B.

kept occupied

C.

got around

D.

stayed awake

(4)

How does Hsee's assistant probably feel while performing a task?

[  ]

A.

Blue.

B.

Empty.

C.

Contented.

D.

Trapped.


In Greek mythology(神话), the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity(来世). But he was probably better off than if they’d forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy. They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around.
“The general phenomenon I’m interested in is why people are too busy doing what they are doing in modern society,” says Christopher K. Hsee, of the University of Chicago. “People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on. But, Hsee says, “I think there’s something deeper: We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.”
In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location. Two-thirds chose the lazy option. Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put.
But if the chocolate bars offered at the  two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location—because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say.
Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle—people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable—to benefit society. “If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business,” he says. Hsee himself has been known to  give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn’t have anything to do, so he isn’t sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.
【小题1】The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.

A.make it easier to understand the passage
B.draw readers’ attention to Greek culture
C.show Greek people enjoyed being busy
D.bring about the subject of the passage
【小题2】According to Hsee, people are busy in modern society because they want to _________.
A.make others think they are not lazy
B.keep their energy at the basic level
C.earn more money to support their family
D.avoid the state of having nothing to do
【小题3】The underlined phrase “stayed put” in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.
A.remained thereB.kept occupiedC.got aroundD.stayed awake
【小题4】How does Hsee’s assistant probably feel while performing a task?
A.Blue.B.Empty.C.Contented.D.Trapped.

In Greek mythology(神话), the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity(来世). But he was probably better off than if they’d forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy. They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around.
“The general phenomenon I’m interested in is why people are too busy doing what they are doing in modern society,” says Christopher K. Hsee, of the University of Chicago. “People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on. But, Hsee says, “I think there’s something deeper: We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.”
In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location. Two-thirds chose the lazy option. Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put.
But if the chocolate bars offered at the  two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location—because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say.
Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle—people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable—to benefit society. “If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business,” he says. Hsee himself has been known to  give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn’t have anything to do, so he isn’t sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.

  1. 1.

    The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.

    1. A.
      make it easier to understand the passage
    2. B.
      draw readers’ attention to Greek culture
    3. C.
      show Greek people enjoyed being busy
    4. D.
      bring about the subject of the passage
  2. 2.

    According to Hsee, people are busy in modern society because they want to _________.

    1. A.
      make others think they are not lazy
    2. B.
      keep their energy at the basic level
    3. C.
      earn more money to support their family
    4. D.
      avoid the state of having nothing to do
  3. 3.

    The underlined phrase “stayed put” in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.

    1. A.
      remained there
    2. B.
      kept occupied
    3. C.
      got around
    4. D.
      stayed awake
  4. 4.

    How does Hsee’s assistant probably feel while performing a task?

    1. A.
      Blue.
    2. B.
      Empty.
    3. C.
      Contented.
    4. D.
      Trapped.

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