Businesses are witnessing a difficult time, which has in turn produced influence on consumers' edsire to go green．However, shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns．
Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago, while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy．
This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves．And the companies should still make efforts to become more envitonmentally friendly．Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies, with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company's environmental reputation was not good enough．
Harry Morrison, chief executive(主管)of the Carbon Trust, sympathizes：“I understand this situation where survival is very important now．But from environmental considerations, the clocd is ticking－we don't have much time．In addition, cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a mediun-term benefit for the brand．”
Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint, as new rules next year will require businesses bo buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions(排放)．Those that have taken early action will have a head start．More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible．This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers．
The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing．“When companies are granted(授予)the standard, they can use a logo(标识)in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions,”Mr．Morrison said．
(1)
What's the main idea of the passage?
[ ]
A．
Businesses are finding ways to send their message to the shoppers．
B．
Companies will soon get information about cutting carbon emissions．
C．
Firms are making efforts to encourage customers to keep goods at home．
D．
Firms are urged to cut carbon emissions by shoppers' environmental awareness．
(2)
The underlined word“inform”in Paragraph 2 probably means“________”．
[ ]
A．
affect
B．
change
C．
disturb
D．
reject
(3)
According to Harry Morrison, businesses ________．
[ ]
A．
will benefit from cutting carbon emissions
B．
should buy carbon allowances for shoppers
C．
are required to make up for their carbon emissions
D．
have encouraged shoppers to take their custom elsewhere
(4)
We can learn from the passage that businesses will ________．
London－“Everyone else has one!”Lucy declared to her parents, trying to get a mobile phone as a gift for her 14th birthday．Her parents gave in．
Curious to know how her daughter would use the phone, the mother, followed Lucy to the school bus in the morning．The bus seats 20, of whom half have a mobile phone．One rings and several adolescent(青少年)owners fumble(摸索)with their bags．
Many parents have just come to realize that the mobile phone is not longer only for traveling business-men－it is as likely to be found in school bags．
The mobile phone seems to have become something essential for today's teens in Britain, according to a survey(调查)published last week, by NOP, leading market research company in Britain．Research found that 66 percent of 16-year-old kids now have access to a mobile phone．
The mobile phone has been turned into a secret messaging service by teen users．They are talking on the mobile and their parents are not able to eavesdrop on the second line．
The interview with 2,019 young people aged 7 to 16 found that they favor the text messaging services because they offer a secret way of keeping in touch．The days of secret notes in the classroom are dying out．
For example,“cu”means “see you”;“lol”means “laugh out loud”; and“2nite”is an abbreviation(缩略语)of“tonight”．All these are based on shorthand phrases used on the Internet．
Many schools have banned(禁止)students using mobile phones．
Scientists believe children are especially vulnerable(易受伤害的)to the mobile radiation(放射线)．
(1)
The story of Lucy is told to show us ________．
[ ]
A．
British parents meet their children's needs whatever they are
B．
British kids have good relationships with their parents
C．
how British parents accept the truth of teenagers owning a mobile phone
D．
why every child gets a mobile phone as a birthday present in UK
(2)
What would be the best title for this news story?
[ ]
A．
School Bans Mobile Phones
B．
Parents' Curiosity about Children Using Mobiles
C．
Mobile Popularity among UK Teens
D．
Secret Messages Popular among Kids in UK
(3)
The underlined word “eavesdrop”means ________．
[ ]
A．
join in activity
B．
interrupt rudely
C．
watch carefully
D．
listen secretly
(4)
Interviews discover children like sending messages instead of ________．
[ ]
A．
calling each other
B．
writing to each other
C．
playing games on line
D．
greeting each other
阅读理解
Nick was tired of life．Every day was exactly the same．
“What I need is a little adventure!”Nick thought as he waited at the bus stop one morning．Nick’s little adventure happened sooner than he had expected．
While he was on the bus, reading his newspaper, the man sitting next to him suddenly pushed a large brown envelope in his hands．“Here, take this!”he murmured．Then he stood up and got off the bus before Nick could say a word．
Nick sat there holding the envelope．It felt heavy．There were papers inside, or money perhaps．“I’d better hand it over to the police,”he thought．There was a police station close to his office．But as he got off the bus, a man came up to him．He was obviously waiting for something．“He wants the envelope．”Nick thought．Nick began to walk quickly and the man hurried after him．Nick started to run and the man began to run, too．But then, just before he got to the police station, Nick managed to lose the man in the crowds when he entered the police station, the man was no longer in sight．
Inside the police station, the envelope was full of money－false money．“Obviously the man made a mistake,”the inspector said,“He thought you were one of the gang!Well, congratulations!”
Nick felt like a hero．He could already see his name in all the paper．He could imagine an interview on television!
“However,”the inspector went on, interrupting Nick’s daydreams．“I’m afraid I must ask you to keep quiet about this．We’re trying to catch some very clever thieves－and we don’t want them to know that we have some of the money．So you mustn’t say a word to anyone even your boss!Sorry!”
“So that’s that!”Nick said to himself on his way to the office．He was over an hour late．“I’ve had my little adventure, but I can’t tell anyone about it．So what’s the point?I’ve even got to make up an excuse to the boss!”
(1)
Nick was bored because his life wasn’t ________．
[ ]
A．
very pleasant
B．
very easy
C．
full of amusement
D．
interesting
(2)
The man gave Nick an envelope while Nick was going ________．
[ ]
A．
to his office
B．
to get off the bus
C．
to take the bus
D．
to get the bus
(3)
Nick decided to take envelop to the police because he thought it was ________．
[ ]
A．
dangerous
B．
heavy
C．
important
D．
funny
(4)
After his adventure, Nick expected to be ________．
[ ]
A．
rich
B．
important
C．
famous
D．
an adventurer
阅读理解
We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache and stiff．Your whole body feels tight．The slightest move makes you jump with pain．Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck．
That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling．We have all met such people．
One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands－often at the wrong time－during a performance in the theater．He keeps you from hearing the actors．
Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins．They come hurrying down to your row of seats．You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap．You must stand up to let them pass．You are proud of your self-control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…Good God, one of them is up again．He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass．Now, that is“a pain in the neck”．
Another, well-known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies．His mouth is full of popcorn; he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him．None of them remain still．Up and down, back and forth, they go－for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink．
Then, there is the man sitting next to you at a lunch counter smoking a smelly cigar．He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth．
We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway car and sits down next to you, just as closes you will let him．You are reading the newspaper and he leans over and stretches his neck so that he can read the paper with you．He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it．
We also call such a person a“rubber-neck”, always stretching his neck to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors．They enjoy invading your privacy．People have a strong dislike for rubber-necks．They hate being spied upon．
(1)
Where can you find this passage?
[ ]
A．
Medicine dictionaries．
B．
Social science books．
C．
Kids’ comic books．
D．
Science text books．
(2)
How do you feel when late comers walk back and forth in front of you in a cinema?
[ ]
A．
Ignored．
B．
Bored．
C．
Disturbed．
D．
Relaxed．
(3)
A“rubber-neck”often ________．
[ ]
A．
says bad words behind people
B．
quarrels face to face with neighbors
C．
bargains the price with sales women
D．
asks about other people’s business
(4)
Which of the following is a“pain in the neck”?
[ ]
A．
Someone who helps you find your seat in a movie theatre．
B．
Someone who smokes in a smoking section on a train．
C．
Someone who throws trash out of his car window on the highway．
D．
Someone who goes to the doctor for his severe pain on the neck．
阅读理解
Remember those highly charged first days? They were full of real-life tests where there was always something new to learn, and not always from a book．One of my first lessons occurred on my first day of kindergarten, when I got on the wrong bus－as my older sister still likes to remind me．
Life’s minor embarrassments do happen, and I know I can’t protect my own children from them．I just try to teach them to laugh at theirs like I do at mine．
My daughter Erin started on the wrong foot in the 1st grade, at a new school where she knew no one．All the other 1st graders couldn’t resist opening and closing, closing and opening their new desks．Wouldn't you know Erin would neither open nor close? She came to find out she was sitting on the wrong side!
Even getting around in a new school can be a challenge．Erin's older sister, Molly, almost missed her first lunch in junior high．The school secretary came to her rescue, arming her with the knowledge that while the gym and flex space were next door to each other, lunch was served only in the latter．
The first day sometimes has pitfalls for Mom and Dad, too．Once, I managed to stockpile(储备)Molly and Erin's school supplies as they went on sale the previous year．I thought everything was ready for the first day－oh, yeah! My victory dance was short-lived, however．After day one myladies rushed off the bus, both worried and confused, saying “Mom, we need wide-rule not college-rule paper, and three 2-inch notebooks instead of two 3-inch ones! And for standardized testing, standardized No．2 pencils only, please．”
Perhaps my favorite first-day memory happened the first time my two daughters went to full-day public school together, when I was understandably emotional．Erin noticed my red eyes and white smile．“You are happy and sad, huh, Mommy?” Such a sensitive girl! She added, “Just like the time when you were crying and laughing after the car stopped running on the ice and we were OK．” Well, at least I could laugh!
(1)
What happened to Molly the first day she went to junior high school?
[ ]
A．
She couldn't find her new classroom．
B．
She didn't know how to use her new desk．
C．
She couldn’t find the place to have lunch．
D．
She didn’t get along with her classmates．
(2)
What does the underlined word “pitfalls” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
[ ]
A．
Unexpected problems．
B．
Great pleasures．
C．
Unnecessary worries．
D．
Painful experiences．
(3)
We can learn from the last paragraph that Erin _________．
[ ]
A．
had mixed feelings when leaving her home
B．
didn't want to go to full-day public school
C．
noticed her mother was sick that day
D．
understood how her mother felt then
(4)
What is the subject of the passage?
[ ]
A．
The relationship between Morn and child．
B．
The first day of a new school year．
C．
How to keep kids from making mistakes．
D．
Sweet memories at school．
阅读理解
Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California's Santa Freeway．It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home．I couldn't reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus．Not knowing the routes, I thought I should just go east．
A bus stopped．I got on and asked the driver how far she was going．“Ten more miles, ”she said．There was another bus I could take from here．This clearly was going to be a long night．
I got off at the end of the route and she told me which bus to look for．After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home．Then a bus came up．There was no light number above its windshield(挡风玻璃)．It was out of service, but the door opened．It was the same driver．“I just can't leave you here, ”she said．“This isn't the nicest place．I will give you a ride home．”
“You will drive me home on the bus? ”I asked, astonished．
“No, I will take you in my car, ”she said．
“It's a long way, ”I insisted．
“Come on, ” she said．“I have nothing else to do．”
As we drove from, the station in the car, she began telling me a story．A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas．A good man picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car．“I'm just passing the favour on, ”she said．
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn't accept．“Just do something nice for somebody．Pass it on．”she said．
(1)
Why did the writer say that he would have a long night?
[ ]
A．
He wondered how long he had to wait for the next bus．
B．
No driver would give him a ride．
C．
He didn't know the routes．
D．
He perhaps would have to take a taxi．
(2)
Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was ________．
[ ]
A．
very quiet and peaceful
B．
dark without street lights
C．
neither clean nor beautiful
D．
a little unsafe
(3)
Why did the writer change his mind after waiting for 30 minutes at the end of the route?
[ ]
A．
No bus would come at the time．
B．
A taxi ride would be more comfortable．
C．
He became impatient and a bit worried．
D．
He knew the driver would never return．
(4)
The bus driver drove the writer home later because ________．
