It's time to be water efficient!

  As populations increase across Australia and the rest of the world,demand for water will also increase. If we don't reduce each individual's demand for water (both directly and through embodied water) ,the water situation will become dire.

  It is obvious that we cannot increase demands for water much more without detrimental (有害的) effects to the environment,society and the economy.

  It's all too easy to blame someone else for the water situation―"if 70% of water is used for agriculture then that's what we should target"―but it's not that easy. We all depend on the food and resources that agriculture provides,and while there are definitely opportunities to increase water efficiency on the farm,the solution will take more than that.

  We each share responsibility for the sustainable management of our water resources,which means using less water at home,in the workplace,at school,on holidays,on the farm... everyone,everywhere,every time.

  It's time to become water efficient!This involves reassessing our relationship with water,and learning to use it more sparingly. On the most basic level,it requires a behavioural change,and assigning a value to water that truly reflects its worth.

  We can also unlock economic benefits of being water efficient. There are many real world examples given in the case studies on this site.

  Everybody has a responsibility to save water,if future generations are to enjoy a similar standard of living to the one we enjoy now. In fact,many of the impacts associated with water use are likely to have an effect on our own lives!

  Www. savewater. com. au has been designed to help you respond to the challenge to become water efficient. It acts as a central repository for relevant information and further advice,so that you can actually achieve significant savings. It also showcases those companies with products that will assist you in your goal.

(   ) 5. You will probably find the article in         .

   A. a newspaper   B. a TV programme

   C. radio broadcast   D. Internet

(   ) 6. What can we do to save water?

   A. Find more water resources.

   B. Use less water everywhere,every time.

   C. Realize the importance of saving water.

   D. Unlock economic benefits of being water efficient.

(   ) 7. What is NOT the reason to save water?

   A. There are more and more people in the world.

   B. The water resources are limited.

   C. Agriculture needs more water.

   D. The water is very important for us.

(   ) 8. What is the main idea of this passage?

   A. Water is very important for the human.

   B. Everybody has a responsibility to save water.

   C. It's time to be water efficient.

   D. Let's save water for our future generations.

 Canada is the second biggest country in the world. It has an area of about ten million square kilometers,1       most of the northern part of the North American continent and with a(n) 2       larger than that of the United States. Canada 3       to the southwest of Greenland. To the south,it 4       to the same latitude as southern France. The 5       from the Pacific coast in the west to the Atlantic in the east is greater than that from North America to Europe. But 6       its large size,twothirds of the population of Canada live in a 7       belt of land no more than 200 kilometers from the U. S. territory. In the east are the Great Lakes that lie on the 8        with United States. These huge inland seas 9        into the St. Lawrence River,which 10       them with the Atlantic Ocean. The 11       of government and finance is in Ontario. So are many of Canada's industries.

  Canada is a country of ten provinces and three territories. The first inhabitants of Canada were North American Indians and Inuit. France and Britain each 12        Canada to their rule in the past. At that time the population of Canada was almost 13        the French,but in the next few decades,thousands of British colonists 14        to Canada from the British Isles and from the American colonies. In 1849,the right of Canada to selfgovernment was finally 15       . To?day,18 percent of Canadians still speak only French.

Canada is often 16       a land of the future. The 17       is that the country's rich oil and mineral 18        have hardly been touched. It is among the ten 19        industrial nations of the world. Its capital is Ottawa and the largest city is Toronto. Other important cities 20        Montreal,Vancouver,Edmonton,Calgary,Winnipeg,Hamilton,and Quebec.

(   ) 1. A. making   B. recovering   C. covering   D. determining

(   ) 2. A. altitude   B. nation   C. area   D. water

(   ) 3. A. limits   B. lies   C. spreads   D. connects

(   ) 4. A. rises   B. wanders   C. grows   D. reaches

(   ) 5. A. distance   B. scenery   C. culture   D. atmosphere

(   ) 6. A. instead of   B. in spite of   C. as for   D. as with

(   ) 7. A. sensitive   B. wide   C. tight   D. narrow

(   ) 8. A. border   B. valley   C. forest   D. bank

(   ) 9. A. float   B. run   C. hide   D. fall

(   ) 10. A. surrounds   B. provides   C. links   D. combines

(   ) 11. A. centre   B. balance   C. connection   D. mixture

(   ) 12. A. protected   B. frightened   C. subjected   D. impressed

(   ) 13. A. originally   B. accidentally   C. usually   D. entirely

(   ) 14. A. turned   B. moved   C. devoted   D. led

(   ) 15. A. recognized   B. organized   C. honored   D. settled

(   ) 16. A. allowed   B. called   C. named   D. said

(   ) 17. A. fact   B. truth   C. reason   D. idea

(   ) 18. A. materials   B. resources   C. sources   D. energies

(   ) 19. A. leading   B. fortunate   C. possible   D. growing

(   ) 20. A. replace   B. conclude   C. represent   D. include

  Hoffman,40, a former senior vice president of a financial company,had what she describes as "one of those extreme jobs". "I loved working," she says. But her career path reached a crossroad when her second child was born,and she left her job in February2007. Hoffman is one of many people who have left the work force to take a break,but she has a position as a consultant. She has described this type of career detour (绕路) 一which is more common for women than for men―as"offramping".   Typically it occurs when the balancing act of parenting and work becomes too tough.

A study by the center found that more than90 percent of women who offramp want to onramp back into the work force eventually. But making the transition back to work is rarely easy,and it is even harder in this economic climate of layoffs and hiring freezes.

  Considering some of the obstacles faced by onrampers,a threeday program called "Greater Returns:Restarting Your Career”was held at Columbia University. The goal of the three days was to have them walk away with a big shot of confidence.

According to one school of thought,women looking to make a comeback might even have an advantage in the current economy,especially if they are looking for parttime or consultant positions that do not offer benefits. And a majority of onrampers are women with extensive working experiences that could give them a slight advantage over lessexperienced competition.

  "You absolutely cannot be defensive about why you offramped," Ms. Hoffman says, "defensive" would have put her into a hard situation if the Greater Returns program had not taught her how to describe the years she spent at home. "I now feel confident talking to an employer and saying , ' Yes,I have been out of the work force,but here is where I can make significant contributions.'”

(   ) 5. What is the best title for the passage?

   A. Off-Ramp:It Is Common.

   B. On-Ramp:It Is Easy.

   C. Off-Ramp to On-Ramp:It Can Be a Hard journey.

   D. Off-Ramp or On-Ramp:It Depends on Confidence.

(   ) 6. According to the passage,Greater Returns         .

   A. is intended to relieve the pressure of the jobless women

   B. has all the jobless women restart their career

   C. is to last all the year around for the jobless women

   D. will build up the confidence of those in search of jobs

(   ) 7. The main reason for the women's offramping is that         .

   A. they have to suffer the sexual discrimination

   B. they reach a crossroad of career

   C. they have to parent their children

   D. they have great work pressure

(   ) 8. Which job is easier to get for a woman offramper?

   A. Regular workers. B. Casual workers.

   C. Company managers. D. Bank clerks.

(   ) 9. From what Ms. Hoffman says in the last paragraph,we can conclude         .

   A. she didn't get advice from the Greater Returns program

   B. she was defensive about her offramping

   C. she didn't get the job because she lied about her experience

   D. she is onramp partly due to her straightforward manner

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