题目内容
In 2007, the first solar electric boat crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Now a Swiss group wants to cover that distance and keep going, circling the globe on nothing but the sun’s power for the first time.
The team of engineers and scientists has started the building of its 98-foot long boat, named Planet Solar, in Kiel Germany. The boat’s power will come from the 5,000 square feet of solar panels（电池板）, about the size of two tennis courts, covering its broad deck. When the sun is shining bright above, they will turn 23 percent of the sun’s rays to energy — six percent more than average solar panels.
Even though batteries aboard Planet Solar can store enough energy to power it through up to three days of cloudy weather, the sailors will try to avoid clouds: constant communication with the French meteorological institute, Meteo France, will help the sailors stay with the sunny course.
The $11.5 million project, which is led by Raphael Domjan, should be ready for its first voyage next summer. The solar electric boat will warm up in European waters, and attempt to deal with traveling around the globe in spring 2011. At a maximum speed of 16 mph, Planet Solar will be the fastest solar electric boat. The team expects to finish the first leg of its journey across the Atlantic in about two weeks, compared to the six months the solar boat took back in 2007.
If sailing by sun becomes practical, it would be a return to the green boating methods of the days of Christopher Columbus. Those long-ago voyages relied only on a different type of renewable energy: wind. And, if wind-powered sails could be combined with solar panels, we might really pick up the boating speed.
57. Which of the following is NOT true about Planet Solar?
A. Its deck is covered by solar panels.
B. It will be the fastest solar electric boat.
C. It is 98-foot long and is to be made in Germany.
D. It can turn 17 percent of the sun’s rays into energy.
58. Planet Solar will be likely to __________ in continuous rainy weather.
A. continue traveling forward
B. ask the local weather station for help
C. stop to wait for the weather to clear up
D. turn to Meteo France for help to choose the sunny course
59. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Sailing by solar energy has not been widely used in today’s green boating.
B. Planet Solar will be the first boat to circle the globe using solar energy in 2011.
C. The solar panels in Planet Solar can turn more sunlight to energy than average ones.
D. Batteries aboard Planet Solar can be consumed for at most three days of cloudy weather.
60. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Planet Solar uses solar energy all over the world.
B. Planet Solar aims to be the first to circle the globe.
C. Planet Solar collects a different kind of renewable energy.
D. Planet Solar combines traditional methods with modern technology.
D
D
A
B
【解析】
On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time.
China became the world’s second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China’s participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement.
The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day.
Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers.
Even worse is the environmental impact（影响）caused by cars. According to a national report, on a “smog day”, 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars.
The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world.
108 cities’ participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.
On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day.
With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year.
【小题1】From the passage, we can know that China ______.
| A．has the world’s highest number of road deaths |
| B．has the world’s largest auto market |
| C．is the world’s largest greenhouse gas producer |
| D．is the world’s second-largest car-maker |
| A．The causes of car growth in China. |
| B．The effects of car growth in China. |
| C．The history of World Car-Free Day. |
| D．The popularity of World Car-Free Day. |
| A．didn’t allow people to drive |
| B．didn’t have air pollution |
| C．called on people to drive less |
| D．called on people to drive freely |
| A．be held all the year round |
| B．stop air pollution and traffic jams |
| C．attract more people to join in |
| D．reduce the production of cars |
Ibrahim became disabled after contracting polio (小儿麻痹症) when he was three years old. At first his parents, like many other parents of disabled children in Niger, did not want to send him to school. They were worried he would be laughed at by his classmates.
Despite his disability, and his parents’ doubts, Ibrahim was determined to go to school. “When I was eight,” Ibrahim says, “other kids of my age were going to school while I stayed at home. I did not like that. So, I pestered (缠着) my parents until they finally let me go to school.”
Ibrahim’s parents sent him to a private school nearby. Although the journey to and from school was a short one, it still wasn’t easy for Ibrahim. He had to use his hands to help him move along, protecting them with plastic slippers. But at least he was getting an education.
However, after only a year in school, Ibrahim’s education was interrupted when his parents separated. His mother did not have the means to continue paying for his tuition.
In 2007, Ibrahim received some money to be fitted with a leg brace (支架), corrective shoes and his first pair of crutches (拐杖). Now that he was more mobile than before, the most important thing for him was to find a way to go back to school.
“I wanted to start school again last October,” Ibrahim says. “After my mother told me she could not afford it, I went to visit some of my relatives for support. And I collected 5,000 francs CFA (US $8) to pay my tuition for half a year. I will find the rest of the money somehow.”
Ibrahim attends a school in which he is the only disabled student. According to his teacher, he is among the top five students in a class of 55.
【小题1】 Why did Ibrahim’s parents prefer Ibrahim to stay at home?
| A．There was a lot of housework for him to do. |
| B．They had no money to pay for his tuition. |
C．There were not enough schools in the  country. |
| D．They were afraid the students would make fun of him. |
| A．He went to school on his wheelchair. |
| B．He went to school on his parents’ bicycle. |
| C．He walked to school with the support of his hands. |
| D．He walked to school using a pair of crutches. |
| A．parents’ doubts | B．lack of tuition | C． physical disability | D．terrible mood |
| A．A long way to go | B．Determined to learn |
| C．The only disabled student | D．I did not like that |
of ______．