题目内容

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes-khaki pants and sports shirt-to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work in the United States. The change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday(but only on Friday). This became known as “dress-down Friday” of “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss and Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
小题1:David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because _______.
A.he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt
B.he couldn’t stand a clean appearance
C.he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time
D.he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes
小题2:David Smith wears casual clothes now, because _______.
A.they make him feel at ease when working
B.he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes
C.he looks handsome in casual clothes
D.he no longer works for any company
小题3: According to this passage, which of the following statements is false?
A.Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.
B.Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.
C.A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.
D.All the employers in the U. S. are for casual office wear.
小题4: According to this passage, which of the following statements is true?
A.Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago.
B.Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s.
C.“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.
D.Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.
小题5:In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned in the passage except _______.
A.saving employees’ money
B.making employees more attractive
C.improving employees’ motivation
D.making employees happier

小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:D
小题4:C
小题5:B

从20世纪90年代起,美国许多公司开始允许员工星期五可以不统一着装上班。现在越来越多的公司许可领员工穿便装上班了,这对调节他们的心情,调动其工作热情有一定的作用。
小题1:语义理解题。大卫自嘲以前是服装爱好者,衣服一起皱,他就得换上备穿的服装。
小题2:语义理解题。从第 1 段最后一句话 “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.” 可找到答案。
小题3:细节判断题。根据最后一段中的 Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative impact on productivity 可知还有一些雇主不赞同穿便装上班。
小题4:细节判断题。从第 2 段最后 1 句 “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” 可以做出正确判断。
小题5:推断题。通读最后一段可知选项A(为雇员省钱)、B(提高雇员的工作热情)、D(使雇主高兴)在原文中均被提到,只有A未被提到。
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When people want to know about the weather,they usually go to their radios,TVs, newspapers,or to the Internet.However,you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses.Drops in air pressure(压力) produce an effect on small animals in many ways.Mice and deer are good weather indicators.People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that,before a storm,field mice come out of their holes and run around.Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways.For example,some birds become irritable(急躁的) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread.Other birds chirp(叽叽喳喳) and sing just before a storm.It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two.Birds also seek safe places before a storm.You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building.Pre-storm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime,rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn.Watch for other weather signs if you see this.If they fly in the wrong direction,they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature,we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.
小题1:The word “indicators” in Paragraph 1 probably means______.
A.mapsB.services
C.signsD.stations
小题2:There will be a storm if birds______.
A.make more noise than usual
B.fly in different directions
C.come down from tall trees
D.share a piece of bread
小题3:How can birds sense the coming of a storm?
A.By feeling a drop in air temperature.
B.By noticing the change of wind directions.
C.By feeling a drop in air pressure.
D.By noticing the movements of other animals.
小题4:The best title for the text would be______.
A.Signs of a Storm
B.Drops in Air Pressure
C.Animals’ Sharp Senses
D.Nature’s Weather Signs
If you've been joining in chat room conversations, or trading e-mail with Web pals, you have become one of the millions who write in a peculiarly short form of English.?
And you've got a sense of humor about short forms like SOHF(="sense" of humor failure) to describe Internet newcomers who don't understand you.
Across the globe, every night teenagers and their elders are “talking” online—many of them are talking at the same time.?
It's fast: try talking to six people at once. It's brief: three or four words per exchange. It takes wit, concentration, and quick fingers.?
And it requires tremendous linguistic economy. There's neither time nor space for explanations. Why consume precious key-strokes telling six friends you have to leave for a moment to take care of your little brother when BRB(="be" right back) will do? Want to enter a conversation? Just type PMFJI(="pardon" me for jumping in).  Interested in whom you're talking to? Type A/S/L, the nearly universal request to know your pal's age, sex and location. You may get 15/M/NY as a response from your pal.?
If something makes you laugh, say you're OTF(="on" the floor),or LOL(="laughing" out loud),or combine the two into ROTFL(="rolling" on the floor laughing).?
And when it's time to get back to work or go to bed, you type GTG(="got" to go) or TTYL(talk to you later).?
People want to write as fast as possible, and they want to get their ideas across as quickly as they can. Capital letters are left in the dust, except when expressing emotion, as it takes more time to hold down the “shift” key and capitals. Punctuation is going, too.?
小题1:In order to talk to several people at the same time on the Internet_______.
A.you have to speak fast and fluently?
B.you have to express your ideas in a brief way?
C.you should speak with wit and humor ?
D.one should pay much attention to the accuracy of the words?
小题2:If you get 17/F/NY as an answer to your A/S/L, it means_______.?
A.the person on the other end is 17 from New York and he is fine?
B.you are talking to a girl who is 17 and lives in New York?
C.you are talking to 17 girls who are from New York?
D.the person who are talking to you is a 1.7-foot tall New York girl?
小题3:To save time on the Internet_______.?
A.some people leave their letters in the dustbin?
B.some people never use “shift” in their writing?
C.many people leave the capital and punctuation?
D.people seldom use capital letters or punctuation
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening. 
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own. 
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. 
小题1:Which of the following statements is NOT true? 
A.People who like country things prefer to live outside the city.
B.People who work in London prefer to live in the country.
C.Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London.
D.Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London.
小题2:One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
A.getting a small flat with a gardenB.having a small flat with a garden
C.renting a small flat without a gardenD.buying a small flat without a garden
小题3:When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature. 
A.who live in the country
B.who have spent time working in the garden
C.who have a garden of their own
D.who have been digging, planting and watering
小题4:People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London. 
A.their life was meaninglessB.their life was invaluable
C.they didn’t deserve a happy lifeD.they were not worthy of their happy life
小题5: The underlined word rest in the last paragraph refers to ________.
A.the rest timeB.the rest people
C.the rest of the countryD.the rest of the parks and of the sea
LONDON — Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent(永久的) fast-forward.
Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hanger also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.
Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.
Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.
“Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress,” says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.
Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four.
“There is a new parenting trend(趋势) under way which says that you have to tap all your child’s potential(潜能) at a young age; otherwise you will let him down,” says Terry Apter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist(青少年精神病专家).
“It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously(以前) seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted.”
小题1: From the second paragraph of this passage we can find that _______.
A.Hagner wastes much time helping her children's lessons
B.Hagner doesn't spend much time on her full-time job
C.Hagner is interested in sports and music
D.Hagner busies herself by following a trend
小题2:British parents, as the writer described in this passage, _______.
A.treat their children as sports players
B.pay no attention to their children's lessons
C.bring up their children in a simple way
D.give their children little time to develop freely
小题3:The writer's opinion about after-school clubs is that ________.
A.activities in the country are too competitive
B.children should attend four clubs at a time
C.some clubs result in competitive pressures
D.clubs should have more subjects for school children
小题4:The last paragraph tells us that in Britain _______.
A.parents used to take their children to every club
B.parents used to be wise on how to raise children
C.parents have all benefited from children’s clubs
D.parents have come to know the standard of education
阅读理解
(A)
Every object tells a story. Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images. Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary. Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska. At first glance it does not look like much. It is a woman’s shoe of a style popular in the 1890s. But what is unique(独特的) about this shoe is where it was found. It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail used by the people seeking gold in Alaska. Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known. Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1500 stairs carved outface? Or did she throw away goods that she didn’t need in order to travel lighter?
Over 100, 000 people with “gold fever” made this trip hoping to become millionaires. Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh wildness. Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather.
The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them. This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year. They would carry their supplies in backpacks(背包) each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass. Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman. Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska. Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat. No one will ever know for sure, but what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century.
1. The ordinary woman’s leather shoe is considered unusual because _______. 
A. it was an important clue to life in the past B. it was found on a famous trail
C. it at one time belonged to a VIP         D. it was a fashionable shoe at that time
2. According to this passage, many people who went to Alaska _______. 
A. eventually became millionaires       B. brought with them many shoes
C. had conflicts with the Eskimos       D. were not properly equipped
3. The Canadian government made gold seekers bring one year’s supplies with them so that _______.
A. they would not die of hunger and cold
B. the army would have enough food for fighting a war
C. they would change these goods with the Eskimos
D. the supplies would make Alaska rich
4. No matter what happened to the woman who owned the shoe, _______. 
A. she must have lived a happy life
B. she certainly dropped the shoe on purpose
C. her adventurous spirit is definitely admired
D. her other shoes were equally fashionable
(B)
Listen carefully, working people, we would like to tell you something that could save your precious time and money! Best of all, it is free!
It’s “no”.
What do you ask? We’ll say it again: “No”.
Sweet and simple “no”.
Say “no” at your office and see how quickly that pile of work on your desk disappears.
“Saying ‘no’ to others means you are saying ‘yes’ to yourself, ” said Leslie Charles, a professional speaker from East Lansing, Michigan.
“Time is precious. People are spending money buying time. And yet we are willing to give up our time because we can’t say ‘no’.”
Susie Watson, a famous writer, said people who always say “yes” need to say “no” without guilt(内疚)or fear of punishment. “I would rather have someone give me a loving ‘no’ than an obligated(强制的) ‘yes’, ” she said.
Susie Watson says she feels “no” obligation to give an explanation when she says “no” either socially or professionally. Does she feel guilty about it? “Not at all, ” said Watson, who is director of advertising and public relations at Timex Corp in Middlebury, Conneticut. “Most people are afraid of saying ‘no’… My advice is to say ‘yes’ only if you don’t mean ‘no’.”
Watson said “no” is the most effective weapon against wasting time. “Every year there are more demands on your time… Other people are happy to use up your time, ” Watson said. Time saving appears to be “no’s” greatest friend.
“No” can be your new friend, a powerful tool to take back your life. “No” may even take you further in the business world than “yes”.
“No” is power and strength. “No” now seems completely correct. “Saying ‘no’ isn’t easy. But finally it’s greatly liberating,” Charles said. But, he added, a “no” project needs to be worked on every day because it is hard to change long-term habit.
But, he also warns: “Don’t go to extremes. Don’t find yourself saying ‘no’ to everything. In return you should learn to hear ‘no’.”
5. The sentence “Saying ‘yes’ to yourself” means _______.
A. you can have more time to play with others
B. you needn’t care about other’s feeling if you are happy
C. you are selfish and treat others rudely
D. you can deal with your business as you have planned
6. When you say “no” to others you should say it in a _______.
A. secret way   B. polite way
C. proud way     D. guilty way
7. In Watson’s opinion, people can save much time on condition that _______.
A. they say “no” at a suitable time
B. they say “no” as much as possible
C. they are afraid of saying “no”    
D. they make others angry at them
8. If a person says “no” to everything, the result he or she receive may be that he or she _______.
A. enjoys a wonderful life  B. makes a lot of money
C. faces difficulty in life  D. forgets to say “yes” in the end
(C)
A characteristic of American culture that has become almost a tradition is to respect the self-made man — the man who has risen to the top through his own efforts, usually beginning by working with his hands. While the leader in business or industry or the college professor occupies a higher social position and commands greater respect in the community than the common laborer or even the skilled factory worker, he may take pains to point out that his father started life in America as a farmer or laborer of some sort.
This attitude toward manual(体力的) labor is now still seen in many aspects of American life. One is invited to dinner at a home that is not only comfortably but even luxuriously (豪华地) furnished and in which there is every evidence of the fact that the family has been able to afford foreign travel, expensive hobbies, and college education for the children; yet the hostess probably will cook the dinner herself, will serve it herself and will wash dishes afterward, furthermore the dinner will not consist merely of something quickly and easily assembled from contents of various cans and a cake or a pie bought at the nearby bakery. On the contrary, the hostess usually takes pride in careful preparation of special dishes. A professional man may talk about washing the car, digging in his flowerbeds, painting the house. His wife may even help with these things, just as he often helps her with the dishwashing. The son who is away at college may wait on table and wash dishes for his living, or during the summer he may work with a construction gang on a highway in order to pay for his education. 
9. From paragraph 1, we can know that in America _________.
A. people tend to have a high opinion of the self-made man
B. people can always rise to the top through their won efforts
C. college professors win great respect from common workers
D. people feel painful to mention their fathers as labors.
10. According to the passage, the hostess cooks dinner herself mainly because _________.
A. servants in American are hard to get
B. she takes pride in what she can do herself
C. she can hardly afford servants
D. It is easy to prepare a meal with canned food
11. The expression “ wait on table” in the second paragraph means “_________”.
A. work in a furniture shop         B. keep accounts for a bar
C. wait to lay the table                D. serve customers in a restaurant
12. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?
A. A Respectable Self-made Family       B. American Attitude toward Manual Labor
C. Characteristics of American Culture      D. The Development of Manual Labor
(D)
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p. m. Tel: 682—1158.
SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789—4536
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688—4626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.
13. Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
A. At the Derby Arms on Friday.
B. At the Black Horse on Friday.
C. At the Star and Garter on Saturday.
D. At the Derby Arms on Sunday.
14. You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
A. 789—6749.       B. 789—4536.      C. 682—1158.  D. 688—4626.
15. You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?
A. Disco at The Lord Napier.
B. The sing-along at The Black Horse.
C. The electric accordion at The Derby Arms.
D. Jazz at The Bull’s Head.
16. You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?
A. The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull’s Head.
B. The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms.
C. Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull.
D. Musical Hal lat The Star &Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier.
(E)
With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种). That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark”.
Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A& M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”
17. The aim of “Noah’s Ark” project is to _______.
A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas
B. save endangered animals from dying out
C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study
D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another
18. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of _______.
A. available panda eggs         B. host animals
C. qualified researchers            D. enough money
19. The best title for the passage may be _______.
A. China’s Success in Pandas Cloning                                 
B. The First Cloned Panda in the World
C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas
D. China —the Native Place of Pandas Forever
20. From the passage we know that _______.
A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog
B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit
C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches
D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships .One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful conditions .Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties .Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles(困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people fend off(挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways .First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us .Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support .They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移注意力)us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support—money aid ,material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.
56. Interpersonal relationships are important because _______.
A. they are indispensable(不可缺少的)to people’s social well-being   
B. they awaken people’s desire to exchange resources
C. they help people to cope with life in the information era
D. they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc
57. Research shows that people's physical and mental health _______.
A. relies on the social medical care systems which support them
B. has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C. depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D. is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives
58. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions”?
(Line 1, Para 2)
A. adds up to                      B. does away with
C. lessens the effect of                D. lays the foundation for
59. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of _______.
A. instrumental support             B. informational support
C. social companionship             D. the strengthening of self-respect
60. Social companionship is beneficial in that__________.
A. it helps strengthen our ties with relatives
B. it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes
C. it makes our leisure-time activities more enjoyable
D. it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles
In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was “Save water. Shower with a friend.” Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse. It charges students for the amount of time in a shower. Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card. The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on. It pauses when a button is pressed for soap. An integrated circuit(IC) card reader at each tap shows the time. No money, no water. The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower. The university used about 320 tones of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now.
Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided. Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race. Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower. Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap. They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time.
“It’s a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,” said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University. The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower. Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower. But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense.
Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse.
Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes. “In my experience, 10-20 minutes is enough,” said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes.
A similar system has been installed in other universities. Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September. The bathing fee there is 0.2 yuan per minute. One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower.
51. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower.
B. The clock times all through while the student is bathing except when the bather paused for soap.
C. If money runs out, there will be no water.
D. Having finished bathing, the student has to pay for it.
52. The underline word “flaw” (Paragraph3) most probably means______.
A. perfection   B. advantage    C. pity      D. fault
53. Since the new system has performed, ______ of water can be saved.
A. a quarter   B. one third   C. one half   D. two thirds
54. It can be inferred from the passage that______.
A. the new operation can solve the water crisis.
B. The new operation can raise students’ environmental awareness.
C. a similar operation has been set in other universities.
D. The university has saved a lot of water by using the new system.
55. In which column can you find this passage?
A. People.    B. Society.  C. Campus Life.   D. Lifesty
Eco City Farms(生态城市农场) are becoming more popular in cities and towns around the Unites States.
Eco City Farms in Edmonton, Maryland, is located near shopping centers, car repair shops and homes. The neighborhood is a working-class community(社区). People do not have very much money. And they have limited access to fresh food in markets.
Over the past two years, the farm has attracted volunteers from the community like Marcy Clark. She schools her four children at home. On a recent day she brought them to Eco City Farms for a lesson. Her son Alston Clark thinks his experience is very valuable.“I like coming out here,”he says,“You know, you connect with the earth, where your food comes from. You appreciate the food a little bit more.”
Margaret Morgan started Eco City Farms. She thinks of it as a place where people can learn to live healthier lives. “Growing food in a community brings people together,”she continues,“Every piece of what we do here is a demonstration(示范) to show people everything about how to have an eco-friendly community.”she says. From the Eco City Farms people come to know that they are not only growing food and raising chickens and bees, but improving the soil with compost(肥料)made from food waste.
Eco City Farms is an experimental operation. The farm gets its power not from the local electricity networks, but from the sun with solar panels. In winter, the green house use a geothermal(地热)system.
Vegetables can be grown all year. So once a week, all winter long, neighbors like Chris Moss and her three children bike to the farm to pick up a share of the harvest.
“I like eating the vegetables ”say five-year-old Owen Moss.
小题1:What is mainly talked about in the passage?
A.Eco City Farms save a lot of energy.
B.Eco City Farms are gaining popularity.
C.Eco City Farms are influencing community life.
D.Eco City Farms helps the working-class live better.
小题2:According to the passage, Eco City Farms are close to the following places EXCEPT______.
A.shopping centers B.car repair shops
C.fast-food restaurantsD.working-class community
小题3:What is the author’s attitude toward Eco City Farms?
A.Enthusiastic(热心的).B.Disappointed.
C.Surprised.D.Doubtful.
小题4:In which column(专栏) of a newspaper can you most probably read this article?
A.People.B.Travel.C.Environment.D.Education.

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