Snow-melting Agent

A heavy snow can kill pests and this means a good harvest next year.This will bring as well as trouble to urbanites.

On Nov.16,2003,a cold air current brought a heavy snow to Beijing.To prevent traffic jams,related government departments mobilized people to clear off snow on streets.

One of the most effective ways to clear off snow on roads is to scatter snow-melting agent on the roads.The major component of the snow-melting agent is salt.The snow-melting agent can make snow stop from freezing,make it easier to clear off the road,and allow traffic to flow smoothly.But it also brings about some hidden dangers.In the spring of 2003,over 300 000 trees in Beijing urban districts died.After analyzing soil around these trees,experts discovered that the salt content of these soils was 392 times higher than normal.Where did the excessive salt come from?After investigating,forestry experts found that when clearing snow in the winter,people usually heap snow containing snow-melting agent at trees’ roots,and that when the snow melts,this agent penetrates the soil and increases its salt content.The snow-melting agent indirectly killed the trees.

Statistics show that during a heavy snow in 2002,over 1000 tons of snow-melting agent was scatterred on streets in Beijing.Snow water containing a large amount of snow-melting agent got into the soil through sewers.

In addition,salt in the snow-melting agent can expedite the corrosion of steel bars in concrete buildings and cause the concrete to crack and peel,shortening the life of roads.

Scientists and government officials are required to solve traffic problems caused by heavy snows as soon as possible and at the same time try to reduce the negative effects of the snow-melting agent.This is a difficult problem placed before them.Related authorities have framed some local criteria to regulate the production and use of snow-melting agents.

Now,more harmless snow-melting agents are being developed.Now that even snow-melting agents that meet today’s criteria must still be used carefully,we have to rely more on our manpower and machines to clear off snow.

This year,in addition to using snow-melting agents,Beijing will use a large number of snow vehicles to clear snow on roads.In more places,citizens are mobilized to clear snow with their hands.This may be a test of a city’s civilization level.

Salt is a snow-melting agent while _________ is a cleaning agent.

A.water                 B.soap     C.a washing-machine     D.a housewife

The third paragraph of the text is mainly about _______.

A.the side effect of snow-melting agent

B.a case of damage to trees caused by snow-melting agent

C.the results of using snow-melting agent

D.the uses of snow-melting agent

According to the text,the most practical way to clear off snow is to _________.

A.use snow-melting agent as much as possible

B.only use more harmless snow-melting agent

C.encourage people to clear snow with their hands

D.use more snow vehicles

This text most probably appears in_________.

A.a newspaper                                                        B.a magazine on latest findings

C.a book on salt                                               D.a magazine on environmental protection

As nanny(保姆), cook, cleaner, shopper, driver, and gardener, she has one of the most demanding jobs in Britain today. And paying someone else to do the chores(家务活) which take the average housewife 71 hours a week would cost ?349.

    At over ?18,000 a year that’s more than the earnings of 70 percent of the population, including train drivers, firemen, prison officers, and social worker. Looking after a baby less than a year old takes a housewife into a even higher pay league. According to a study, she earns ?457 a week – at nearly ?24,000 a year, the same as teachers, engineers, and chemists.

     Researchers put a price on each chore, then tried to find out how long the average person takes doing them. They found housewives spend an average 70.7 hours a week on housework – with looking after the children (17.9hours) and cooking and cleaning (12.9 hours each) the most time-consuming(费时).

     A wife with a part-time job still works and average of 59 hours a week at home. Those in full-time employment put in longer hours at home than in the workplace. The good news is that these hours sharply decrease as children get older. While the average mother with child under one puts in 90 hours weekly, the figure drops to 80 hours from one to four and to 66 hours from five to ten.

     Mother-of-four Karen Williams from London said, “Paying the housewives may not be practical, but the government should recognize the value of housework, perhaps through the tax. Running a house takes a lot of time and most husbands don’t understand this. For example, my husband only puts a shelf up now and again. He never cleans the kitchen – that’s the real test.”

Who earns most according to the text?

   A. A social worker.    B. A fireman.   C. A gardener.   D. A teacher.

We lean from the text that looking after children ______.

  A. takes more time than doing any other housework

B. means more duties than being a teacher

  C. requires the mother to be well-educated

  D. prevents the mother from working outside

According to the text, a housewife with a baby less than one year old may work _____.

  A. 66 hours a week    B. 71 hours a week    C. 80 hours a week    D. 90 hours a week

By mentioning her husband, Karen Williams wants to show that ______.

   A. housework is no easy job                B. her husband has no time to clean the kitchen

   C. a housewife needs to be paid for cleaning   D. the kitchen is hard to clean

As John moved his bicycle out of the driveway, he heard his mom shout, “Don’t forget to lock it!” He thought to himself that she was such a   36  . Really, what could   37   at that little library in the small prairie(大草原)town?

The day,   38   most that summer, was bright and hot. As he   39  , sweat trickled(滴下) down. When he arrived at the library, he leaned his bike   40   the railing(栏杆) and,   41   his mother’s advice, didn’t bother to   42   it.

The library was extremely   43  , filled with the distinct smell of books.   44   in the stacks(堆), John spent longer than he’d imagined   45   just the right book. He waited patiently for his   46  , and watched   47   the librarian fed his card through the recorded machine.

As he went out of the library, he saw his bike   48   down the sidewalk. Walking beside it was a boy, perhaps fifteen years old.

“Hey! That’s my bike! What do you think you’re doing? Give it   49  .”

“Give it back! You’re   50  . It’s not yours.”

John felt   51   with this boy and his words that the bike was his own. What could he do? He wasn’t at all sure   52   to deal with him.

At that moment, John surprised himself.   53   a step toward the boy, he took   54   of his bike. “This bike is mine. You’ll have to give it back to me.”   55   by his determination, the boy let him go. John jumped on and rode home as quickly as he dared. He felt a little strange, however, and a bit older somehow, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

36. A. housewife                B. mother                   C. worrier           D. talker

37. A. happen             B. steal               C. lose                D. take

38. A. as                       B. with                  C. of                     D. like

39. A. went                       B. rode               C. ran                        D. drove

40. A. to                           B. on                   C. at                          D. against

41. A. remembering           B. thinking       C. reminding            D. ignoring

42. A. lock                        B. place              C. mind              D. care

43. A. hot                   B. warm              C. cool                       D. cold

44. A. Missed                     B. Run               C. Seated            D. Lost

45. A. to choose           B. choosing          C. to search          D. searching

46. A. turn                  B. chance            C. book               D. Bike

47. A. as                    B. because           C. since               D. while

48. A. move                       B. moving           C. moved             D. being moved

49. A. in                     B. out                 C. up                  D. back

50. A. laughing                    B. smiling             C. cheating            D. joking

51. A. angry                       B. glad                C. sorry              D. content

52. A. what                       B. how                C. when              D. whether

53. A. Walking                     B. Making             C. Going               D. Taking

54. A. hand                          B. lift                    C. hold                  D. finger

55. A. scared                 B. surprised           C. worried             D. disappointed

Whenever my kids have a party at school, I am the mom who always signs up to bring the juice boxes. It’s not because I’m   36  or that I don’t care if my kids have a good party. I am just not good at making homemade bread into holiday-themed shapes like other mothers.   37 , I’m happy to try, even though it’ll   38  me a long time to do it.
People say that housewives should have the   39  to make delicious meals, keep their houses clean, and   40  every minute of their child’s life. Their words used to   41  me a lot. I felt that I should also be able to do those things as a housewife. So   42  I couldn’t make the turkey-shaped cookies, I   43  feeling like a failure as a mom.
After many   44  attempts at baking, and many afternoons spent crying over my inabilities as a mother, I finally accepted the   45  that my lot(命运) in life is to be the juice box mom. I worked hard to be the   46  one in the elementary school. And after one of my daughter’s class parties, it   47 . Her teacher stopped me as I was leaving and said, “Thank you so much for always bringing   48  drinks. Sometimes parents forget that other children will also   49  class parties, and they end up being left out because we don’t have enough   50  for everyone.”
I just accepted her appreciation, rather than telling her that I brought extra drinks because I could   51  remember how many kids were in the class. But her   52  taught me an important lesson: I’m not a failure as a mom.
Not everyone is cut out to be a(n)   53  mom. I believe it’s okay to be the juice box mom. I may not bake cookies and decorate them beautifully, but I  54  something to drink. And I think that’s just as   55 .

【小题1】
A.smartB.lazyC.tiredD.desperate
【小题2】
A.However B.Therefore C.OtherwiseD.Besides
【小题3】
A.costB.giveC.introduceD.take
【小题4】
A.dreamB.abilityC.experienceD.tool
【小题5】
A.compare B.saveC.treasureD.teach
【小题6】
A.reflectB.puzzleC.upsetD.amuse
【小题7】
A.unlessB.becauseC.thoughD.when
【小题8】
A.ended upB.went onC.insisted onD.set out
【小题9】
A.failedB.carelessC.successfulD.useful
【小题10】
A.goalB.opinionC.factD.impression
【小题11】
A.slowestB.bestC.worstD.quickest
【小题12】
A.stood outB.got outC.came backD.paid off
【小题13】
A.coldB.softC.extraD.fresh
【小题14】
A.attend B.holdC.enjoyD.leave
【小题15】
A.cookiesB.drinksC.booksD.cups
【小题16】
A.alreadyB.alwaysC.everD.never
【小题17】
A.contributionB.appreciationC.congratulationD.comprehension
【小题18】
A.loyalB.cleverC.ableD.rich
【小题19】
A.provideB.makeC.buyD.retell
【小题20】
A.believable B.ridiculousC.interestingD.important

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