Last night’s meteor(流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothsclild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.

 “My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. ”

       Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—-have been complaining about this problem for decades. They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.

 There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats frogs, snakes, etc. For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating(迁徙的)birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association. “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers. ”

 Countless more animals casualties(伤亡)result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings, but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans, too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase person’s chances of getting cancer.

        Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution. For years, Flagstaff,Arizona,has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night.

1. What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?

A. Birds may take other migration paths

B. Animals’ living habits may change suddenly

C. Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced

D. Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting

2.Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to

A. Lessen the chance of getting cancer

B. create an ideal observation condition

C. ensure citizens a good sleep at night

D. enable all creatures to live in harmony

3. What message does the author most want to give us?

A. Saving wildlife is saving ourselves

B. Great efforts should be made to save energy

C. Human activities should be environmentally friendly

D. New equipment should be introduced for space study

 

Last year, two days after Christmas, we kicked China out of the house. Not the country obviously, but bits of plastic, metal, and wood with the words “Made in China”. We kept what we already had, but stopped bringing any more in. because it had coated our lives with toys, and useless stuff. Sometimes I worried about jobs sent overseas, but price triumphed over virtue at our house. We couldn’t resist what China was selling.

But on that dark Monday last year, an unease feeling washed over me as I sat on the sofa. It wasn’t until then that I noticed a fact: China was taking over the place.

It stared back at me from the empty screen of the television. I spied it in the pile of tennis shoes by the door. It glowed in the lights on the Christmas tree and watched me in the eyes of a doll lying on the floor, I slipped off the couch and sorted gifts into two piles: China and non-China. The count came to China, 25, the world, 14. Christmas, I realized, had become a holiday made by the Chinese. Suddenly I wanted China out.

I persuaded my husband, and on Jan. 1 st, we started a-year-long household embargo on Chinese imports. The idea wasn’t to punish China. And we didn’t fool ourselves into thinking because we wanted to measure how far it had pushed in. We wanted to know what it would take in time, money, and worry to kick our China habit!

In the spring, our 4-year-old son started a campaign to support “China things”. “It’s too long without China,” he cried. He kept at me all day. I have discovered for myself that China doesn’t control every aspect of our daily lives, but if you take a close look at the underside of boxes in the toy department, I promise it will give you pause. “When we can buy China things again? Let’s never stop.” My son said.

After a year without China I can tell you this: You can still live without it, but it’s getting costlier by the day. And a decade from now I may not be brave enough to try it again.

1. The best title for the text could be _______.

A.China Free Living: A Trouble One

B.A Year without “Made in China”

C.Why I Choose “Made in China”

D.“Made in China”: Good or Bad

2. According to the passage, why did the author stop bringing in things “Made in China”?

A.Because she wanted to bring back job opportunities for her natives.

B.Because she has a strong sense of nationalism against “Made in China”.

C.Because she wanted to learn what life would be like without “Made in China”.

D.Because too much stuff made in China was take over her house.

3. The Underlined word “embargo” in the forth paragraph means ________.

A.reaction                              B.ban

C.restriction                             D.cancellation

4.The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is ________.

A.to tell the readers an interesting experience

B.to describe the trouble facing a housewife

C.to explain the importance of Chinese goods

D.to show the difficulty without Chinese goods

 

Inside the pleasingly fragrant cafe, So All May Eat(SAME) in downtown Denver ,the spirit ofgenerosityis instantly noticeable :donation box stands in place of a cash register. Customers here pay only what they can afford, no questions asked.A risky business plan, perhaps, but SAME Café has done one unchangeable thing in the Mile High City for six years: Open only at midday, the restaurant allows poor local customers who cannot pay to work as volunteers instead. They can act as waiters and waitresses, and dishwashers, or look after the buildings and equipment for the cafe.   

It’s based on trust, and it’s working all right”, says co-owner Brad Birky, who started the café in 2006.  Previously volunteering at soup kitchens, the Birkys were dissatisfied with the often unhealthy meals they served there. “We wanted to offer quality food in a restaurant where everyone felt comfortable, regardless of their circumstances,” Birky says. SAME’s special lunch menu changes

daily and most food materials are natural and grown by local farmers. The café now averages 65 to 70 customers (and eight volunteers) a day. And the spirit of generosity behind the project appears to be spreading. In early 2007,one volunteer who had cleared snow for his meals during t he long

winter said goodbye to the Birkys, He said he was going to New Orleans to help with the hurricane clearing up,” says Birky.

1.What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys previously worked for?

A.They refused to have volunteers.

B.They offered low quality food.

C.They provided customers with a good environment.

D.They closed down because of poor management.

2.According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A.The customers who cannot pay can work as volunteers instead.

B.More volunteers will go to new Orleans for the hurricane cleanup.

C.Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town.

D.The lunch menu has remained the same since the café was started.

3.The author’s attitude towards running such a café is_______

A.unfavorable

B.doubtful

C.cautious

D.approving

 

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