题目内容
______ of potential danger on late night visits to ATMs, she didn’t dare to go without his boy friend ______ her.
A. Warned; accompanied B. Having warned; accompanying
C. Warning; accompanied D. Having been warned; accompanying
D
One of the world's richest men has taken a close interest in one of man’s most basic functions: visiting the toilet.Bill Gates’s charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world.
So, what's wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount of potential drinking water.Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution.This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations.Younger people are particularly at risk.Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1.5 million children a year.Finally, standard lavatories simply aren’t practical in remote areas.
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank(化粪池).It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents.28 designs were displayed at the recent Reinvent the Toilet Fair in Seattle, USA.Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing.
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity.The team from the California Institute of Technology(CIT)picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn’t feel he’s flushing money down the toilet.After the Seattle event he said, “We, couldn’t be happier with the response we’ve gotten,” Gates has even pledged $370m more to the future toilet project.They hope to field test more prototypes over the next three years.
【小题1】Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?
A.Because he wants to test people’s sense of creativity. |
B.Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people. |
C.Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion. |
D.Because he can’t design this kind of things himself. |
A.They waste too much water. |
B.They might cause diseases. |
C.They are not always practical. |
D.They are too complicated to use. |
A.Loo | B.sanitation | C.diarrhea | D.prototype |
A.can change human waste into electricity |
B.can turn human waste into charcoal |
C.can produce power with solar energy |
D.can use urine for flushing |
A.showing off their wealth |
B.being angry with their work onditions |
C.wasting money for nothing |
D.expressing their great determination |
Across countryside, non-food crops are growing alongside wheat.Some are used in new alternatives to plastics and other materials, but others will simply be burned.
Burning crops is becoming more popular because it is good for the planet.Doing so is also cheaper than burning fossil fuels.As more land is devoted to non-food crop production, the economics of crops for fuel are likely to become even more favorable.
Humans have been burning such biomass—organic materials from plants or animals— since they discovered fire.But that burning fossil fuels could have catastrophic consequences has brought biomass back into fashion.
Even allowing for emissions (排放) of carbon dioxide from fuel used in planting, harvesting, processing and transporting biomass fuel, replacing fossil fuel with biomass can typically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent.
Power stations around the world are experimenting with forms of biomass to add to their coal or oil, with encouraging results.Indeed, power companies could profit by turning to biomass, especially when the subsidies (补助) many governments offer for using renewable energy are taken into account.
Farmers can benefit from growing biomass.In Europe, the reduction of subsidies for certain crops is exposing farmers to market forces.Instead of being paid for whatever they produce, farmers must seek a clear demand for their product.Many believe that the demand for alternatives to fossil fuels could be just such a driver.
But while biomass offers a variety of potential alternatives, the world's infrastructure (基础设施) has developed around burning fossil fuels to such a stage that switching to biomass involves a change in conception that many companies have not accepted.
Also, there are problems with using biomass.Although most coal-fired power stations could take a small amount of their fuel from biomass without significant adjustment, few are built to run on biomass alone.Burning some forms of biomass also causes environmental problems.Oils and waste can be smelly, while wood produces smoke unless burned properly.
The supply chains for fossil fuels are set up well, but those for biomass are just the beginning. Sources of supply for biomass rely on farm production and can therefore be less reliable. They are necessarily limited and it wouldn't make sense to turn a very large amount of valuable agricultural land away from food crops.But as the world adjusts to the need to control greenhouse gas emissions, these problems may receive more attention.
【小题1】What do we know about biomass?
A.It is a useful way of burning crops. |
B.It is plant and animal matter used to provide power. |
C.It is a new alternative to be used widely. |
D.It is a popular approach to fighting against pollution. |
a.It gives off less greenhouse gases.
b.It helps farmers receive subsidies for what they produce.
c.It has met the clear demand for energy.
d.It has brought subsidies for some power companies.
e.It is cheaper than burning fossil fuels.
A.a, b, c | B.b, c, d | C.c, d, e | D.a, d, e |
A.more effective ways to use biomass have been tried |
B.using renewable energy has become their daily task |
C.burning biomass alone would require considerable changes |
D.setting up dependable supply channels needs governments' support |
A.Defensive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Negative. | D.Objective |
Sparrow is a fast-food chain with 200 restaurants. Some years ago, the group to which Sparrow belonged was taken over by another company. Although Sparrow showed no sign of declining, the chain was generally in an unhealthy state. With more and more fast-food concepts reaching the market, the Sparrow menu had to struggle for attention. And to make matters worse, its new owner had no plans to give it the funds it required.
Sparrow failed to grow for another two years. Until a new CEO, Carl Pearson, decided to build up its market share. He did a survey, which showed that consumers who already used Sparrow restaurants were extremely positive about the chain, while customers of other fast-food chains were unwilling to turn away from them. Sparrow had to develop a new promotional campaign.
Pearson faced a battle over the future of the Sparrow brand. The chain’s owner now favored rebranding Sparrow as Marcy’s restaurants. Pearson resisted, arguing for an advertising campaign designed to convince customers that visits to Sparrow restaurants were fun. Such an attempt to establish a positive relationship between a company and the general public was unusual for that time. Pearson strongly believed that numbers were the key to success, rather than customers’ speeding power. Finally, the owner accepted his idea.
The campaign itself changed the traditional advertising style of the fast-food industry. The TV ads of Sparrow focused on entertainment and featured original songs performed by a variety of stars. Instead of showing the superiority of a specific product, the intention was to put Sparrow in the hearts of potential customers.
Pearson also made other decisions which he believed would contribute to the new Sparrow image. For example, he offered to lower the rent of any restaurants which achieved a certain increase in their turnover (营业额) .
These efforts paid off, and Sparrow soon became one of the most successful fast-food chains in the regions where it operated.
【小题1】Which was one of the problems Sparrow faced before Pearson became CEO?
A.The number of its customers was declining |
B.Its customers found the food unhealthy |
C.It was in need of financial support |
D.Most of its restaurants were closed |
A.Customers of Sparrow restaurants | B.Sparrow restaurants |
C.Customers of other fast-food chains | D.other fast-food chains |
A.To build a good relationship with the public |
B.To stress the unusual tradition of Sparrow |
C.To lean about customers’ spending power. |
D.To meet the challenge from Marcy’s restaurants. |
A.changed people’s views on pop stars |
B.amused the public with original songs |
C.focused on the superiority of its products |
D.influenced the eating habits of the audience |
A.He managed to pay off Sparrow’s debts. |
B.He made Sparrow much more competitive |
C.He helped Sparrow take over a company |
D.He improved the welfare of Sparrow employees |