Morocco has a lot of sun, a lot of deserts and a high demand for imported fuel. And that's why the Moroccan government is moving ahead with a huge concentrated solar power plant near the desert city of Ouarzazate — one of four plants in total which, when completed, will have generating capacity(发电量) of 580MW. Combined with the country’s wind and hydro-power (水力发电) efforts, Morocco’s ambitious solar push will mean the country will get close to 50% of its electricity from renewable generation as early as 2020.

Phase I of the project, the 160MW Noor l, is going to start generating electricity next month and includes a capacity for molten sand energy storage which will allow up to 3 hours of electricity generation after the sun goes down. Phases 2 and 3 will have the capacity for up to eight hours of storage, meaning that solar energy really could be used to power homes around the clock.

Besides the scale of such plans, what’s impressive to me is how quickly the renewable energy can be developed. What other forms of energy could so greatly change a country’s energy composition in just a few short years? Not only should this be an encouraging sign for those of us who favor renewable energy, but it also should give reason for would-be investors in traditional fossil fuel generating industry.

If renewable energy costs continue to fall, even existing(现有的) coal and gas plants will find themselves limited by newer, cleaner forms of energy that can be increased rapidly.

Interestingly, some analysts suggest this is happening already. In the US, for example, coal power plants are being retired earlier than expected due to a combination of increased competition from gas and renewable energy, as well as tighter regulations of emissions (排放). Also, increasing amounts of solar and wind cause gas and coal plants not to use, significantly reducing their profits and further giving an edge to the clean energy competition.

If this proves to be the case in North Africa too, Morocco's solar ambitions could help transform the energy system well beyond its own borders.

1.What's the main theme of the passage?

A. Solar energy is fully developed in Morocco.

B. There are advantages of developing solar energy.

C. Morocco is a country with quantities of deserts.

D. Morocco's efforts to generate renewable electricity.

2.What is the advantage of Phase l?

A. Its energy storage can last up to three hours.

B. It has the capacity for as many as eight hours.

C. It continues producing electricity after the sun sets.

D. It is going to begin generating electricity in a month.

3.What does the author think of the renewable energy development?

A. Upset. B. Striking. C. Sensitive. D. Doubtful.

4.Coal power plants in the US are being retired earlier than expected because of ________.

A. various reasons B. heavy pollution

C. fierce competition D. the government's limitation

A

Ten years ago I went into the studio and recorded a 56-minute video for teenagers called “Three keys to greatness.” Although my focus was for teenagers, the principles I shared certainly apply to adults as well. Recently I was asked to list these three things. Now for your benefit here they are again.

Firstly, set goals. I call it the view of the future. Most people, including kids, will pay the price if they can see the promise of the future. So we need to help our kids see a clear future, and they will be ready to pay the price today to attain the rewards of tomorrow. Goals help them do this.

Secondly, pay attention to personal development. Simply making consistent investments in our education and knowledge we will benefit throughout our lives. I suggest having an amount of time set aside for reading books, listening to recording, attending discussion, keeping a journal and spending time with other successful people. Mr Jones recommends reading a lot as a good method of improving yourself. The simple fact is that you need to change your outlook on life and on yourself, as it will have a positive influence on your personality and outlook. You should learn something new about your profession every single day until you’re an expert in the field.

Thirdly, make a financial plan. I call it the 70/30 plan. After receiving your salary, simply setting aside 10% for saving, 10% for investing and 10% for giving, the rest for your life. And over time when you have your own family this will guarantee financial independence for you.

If people focus on doing these three simple things over a long period of time, I believe they will be surely successful!

1.The advantage of setting goals is that ______.

A. you’ll know the future of the world

B. you’ll know what kind of person you will become

C. you’ll be willing to work hard for your future

D. you’ll be satisfied with what you have achieved

2.The author lays the most stress on ______.

A. gaining knowledge

B. making good friends

C. attending discussions

D. listening to recordings

3.According to the passage, one picture of reading a lot is to ______.

A. lead a better life

B. have a good personality and outlook

C. change your position

D. become an expert in many fields

4.Whom does the author mainly advise to make a financial plan?

A. All kinds of people.

B. The young people.

C. The middle-aged people.

D. The rich people.

A

When milk arrived on the doorstep

When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note—"Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery"一and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.

All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.

Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊).Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

1.Mr Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer________.

A.to show his magical power

B.to pay for the delivery

C.to satisfy his curiosity

D.to please his mother

2.What can be inferred from the fact that the milkman had the key to the boy's house?

A. He wanted to have tea there.

B. He was treated as a family member.

C. He was a respectable person.

D. He was fully trusted by the family.

3. Why does home milk delivery no longer exist?

A. Nobody wants to be a milkman now.

B. It has been driven out of the market.

C. Its service is getting poor.

D. It is forbidden by law.

4. Why did the author bring back home an old milk box?

A.He missed the good old days.

B.He wanted to tell interesting stories.

C.He needed it for his milk bottles.

oD.He planted flowers in it.

B

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had "seven fathers ", because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she hid herself into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.

In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the University's Writers' Workshop, however, she felt lonely—a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her "creative voice".

"It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn't think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalanced in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That's when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn't write about."

Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street , when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children's book, and a shortstory collection.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?

A. She had seven brothers. B. She felt herself a nobody.

C. She was too shy to go to school. D. She did not have any good teachers.

2.The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to

A. make a lot of friends B. develop her writing style

C. run away from her family D. work for a school magazine

3.According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?

A. Her early years in college. B. Her childhood experience.

C. Her training in the Workshop. D. Her feeling of being different.

4.What do we learn about The House on Mango Street ?

A. It is quite popular among students.

B. It is the only book ever written by Cisneros.

C. It wasn't a success as it was written in Spanish.

D. It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.

5. According to the text, we know that________

A. she didn't enjoy reading

B. she met a Mexican American girl

C. her brothers treated her very kindly

D. she lived an uneasy life in her childhood

Getting your children to study can be a little like getting them to eat their vegetables.1. Make a study time and have it at the same time every day. This will help your kids to learn to schedule their day and will give them a sense of control over how they spend their time.

Allow them to study in blocks of time,such as for half an hour with a five-minute break in the middle. 2. Ideal(理想的) study times are after dinner or right after school before dinner.

Never allow your children to study in front of the television,as that will encourage passive activity. 3.You'll also need to help your kids find the right place to study. After you've set up a good study time for little learners,set up a good place where they can get those creative juices flowing. 4. Make sure there is a table or a desk and a comfortable chair.

5. This includes helping them out with their homework sometimes and being there for them with the answers to any questions. The input you give your children during study periods will help form a bond and help make studying enjoyable.

A.Pick a place where your children can study properly.B.Hold them to the schedule they create for themselves.

C.Finally,spend time with your kids when they're studying.

D.Keep the atmosphere light and offer lots of encouragement,too.

E.Instead,use TV as a treat or a reward when the homework is completed.

F.Try to stop this bad habit by offering some sort of reward.

G.One of the best ways to form good study habits for your kids is to design a schedule that they keep to.

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