题目内容

Think about what you had for lunch: Was it a hamburger? A chicken sandwich? Barbecue? What about vegetables? Would it surprise you to learn that what you eat can affect the whole planet?

It can—in a big way. New studies show how food and its production affect the globe and its warming climate. You’ve probably heard of global warming. The temperature is on the rise because humankind has been releasing (排放) amounts of gases into the atmosphere. One of these greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide (二氧化碳).

What does this have to do with food? A big part of the carbon dioxide that we put in the atmosphere every year comes from the process of making and eating food. The production of meat contributes a lot of that carbon dioxide. And much of meat’s contribution comes from beef, which is responsible for releasing even more warming gases into the atmosphere.

The process of making a hamburger, for example, requires a lot of energy. A cow has to be fed and raised on farmland, and cow waste is a major source of methane (沼气) — an especially powerful greenhouse gas. The cow has to be killed. The meat has to be processed and shipped to a shop, which takes fuel. Most of the cow won’t even be used for meat that people eat. By the time a hamburger finally lands on a dinner plate, it has made a heavy effect on the environment.

We can reduce the production of global-warming gases by eating less beef. Other kinds of meat like pork and chicken do less harm to the environment — at least in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases released.

All kinds of meat are harder on the planet than vegetables. To grow and eat a pound of potatoes, for example, sends less than one-quarter pound of carbon dioxide into the air. So changing our diet to less meat and more vegetables, as it turns out, may do the world some good.

1.The questions asked in the first paragraph are used to ________.

A. show the author’s concern about food safety

B. express the author’s puzzlement at what to eat

C. introduce the topic to be discussed in the passage

D. remind readers of something delicious to eat

2.What is the bad news for meat-eaters?

A. Most cows are raised not for people to eat.

B. Meat producing contributes to global warming.

C. There is a lot of carbon dioxide in the meat we eat.

D. Animals begin to die off because of global warming.

3.Which is the most environment-friendly food according to the passage?

A. Carrot.B. Beef.C. Pork.D. Chicken.

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The sharing economy, represented by companies like Airbnb or Uber, is the latest fashion craze. But many supporters have overlooked the reality that this new business model is largely based on escaping regulations and breaking the law.

Airbnb is an Internet-based service that allows people to rent out spare rooms to strangers for short stays. Uber is an Internet taxi service that allows thousands of people to answer ride requests with their own cars. There are hundreds of other such services.

The good thing about the sharing economy is that it promotes the use of underused resources. Millions of people have houses or apartments with empty rooms, and Airbnb allows them to profit from these rooms while allowing guests a place to stay at prices that are often far less than those charged by hotels. Uber offers prices that are competitive with standard taxi prices and their drivers are often much quicker and more trustworthy.

But the downside of the sharing economy has gotten much less attention. Most cities and states both tax and regulate hotels, and the tourists who stay in hotels are usually an important source of tax income. But many of Airbnb’s customers are not paying the taxes required under the law.

Airbnb can also raise issues of safety for its customers and trouble for hosts’ neighbors. Hotels are regularly inspected to ensure that they are not fire traps and that they don’t form other risks for visitors. Airbnb hosts face no such inspections.

Since Airbnb is allowing people to escape taxes and regulations, the company is simply promoting thefts. Others in the economy will lose by bearing an additional tax burden or being forced to live next to an apartment unit with a never-ending series of noisy visitors.

The same story may apply with Uber. Uber is currently in disputes over whether its cars meet the safety and insurance requirements imposed on standard taxis. Also, if Uber and related services flood the market, they could harm all taxi drivers’ ability to earn a minimum wage.

This downside of the sharing needs to be taken seriously, but that doesn’t mean the current tax and regulatory structure is perfect.

1.What is the positive thing about the sharing economy?

A. It is a global trend.

B. It is beyond regulations.

C. It draws on spare resources.

D. It brings in modest profits.

2.What is the problem with Airbnb customers according to the passage?

A. They are not regularly inspected.

B. They are likely to commit thefts.

C. They are allowed not to pay taxes.

D. They can be noisy to hosts’ neighbours.

3.What is the argument over Uber according to the passage?

A. Whether it guarantees customers’ safety.

B. Whether it provides reliable services.

C. Whether it lowers customers’ expenses.

D. Whether it can compete with standard taxis.

4.What will be talked about in the following paragraphs?

A. Existing regulations and laws.

B. Necessary improvements of current laws.

C. Further development of Airbnb and Uber.

D. More downsides of Airbnb and Uber.

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mum, you must come and see the daffodils(水仙花)before they are over.”

I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Lake Arrowhead. "I will go next Tuesday," I promised, a little unwillingly, on her third call.

The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. When I finally walked

into Carolyn's house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible (看不见的) in the cloud and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see!"

My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this weather all the time, Mum. You will never forgive

yourself if you miss this experience."

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand-lettered sign that read "Daffodil Garden"? We got out of the car and each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, we turned a comer of the path, and I looked up amazed. Before me lay the most beautiful sight. Flows of flowers of different colors seemed poured down the peak and slopes. There were five acres of flowers! A seas of daffodil! It was like a fairyland all beyond description.

"But who has done this?" I asked Carolyn. "It's just one woman," Carolyn answered. That's her home, "Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house that looked small and modest in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house. On the patio (露台), we saw a poster." Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking" was the headline.

The first answer was a simple one. "50,000 bulbs (鳞茎)" it read. The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman." The third answer was, "Began in 1958."

I thought of this woman whom I Had never met, who, more than fifty years before, had begun-one bulb

at a time-to bring the beauty and joy to the mountain top. Just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, had changed the world where she lived and created something of magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small amounts of daily effort, we too can accomplish great things. Everyone can do something to change the world.

1.The writer wasn’t going to see the daffodils at first because ______.

A. she cared more about the children

B. they were on a remote mountain top

C. the weather was not good enough

D. it was not easy for her to drive there

2. What do we know from the passage about the woman who grew daffodil?

A. She must have been a modest woman

B. She worked as a professional gardener

C. She grew the daffodils over 50 years by herself

D. Being poor, she made a living by selling daffodils

3. What has the writer learned from this experience?

A. It’s never too late to learn

B. Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it

C. People can change the world where they live by growing flowers

D. Accumulation of small steps may lead to something magnificent

4.Which may be the best title for the passage?

A. An Unforgettable Experience

B. A woman and Daffodils

C. The Daffodil Garden

D. One bulb grown, magnificence dawns

My dad loved pennies, especially those with wheat. Those were the pennies he grew up with in Iowa and he didn’t have many.

When I was a kid, Dad and I would go for walks together. We’d spy coins along the way. Whenever I picked up a penny, he'd ask, "Is it a wheat?" It always thrilled him when we found one of those special coins produced between 1909 and 1958, the year of my birth. He told me he often dreamed of finding coins. “I have that dream too!” I told him. It was our secret connection.

Dad died in 2002. One grey day, not long after his death, I was walking down Fifth Avenue and I found myself in front of the oldest church in Manhattan, which my father had been attending. I was greeted in warmly. The song was Dad's favorite, one we’d sung at his funeral.

After the service, I walked out, stepped onto the sidewalk—and there was a penny. I picked it up, and sure enough, it was a wheat, a 1944, a year my father was serving on a ship in the South Pacific. Then, wheat pennies began turning up on the sidewalks everywhere. I got most of the important years: his birth year, the war years, the year he met my mom, the year they got married. But, no 1958 penny-my year.

The next Sunday, after the service, I was walking up Fifth Avenue and spotted a penny in the middle of the street. It was a busy street, but I risked my safety and got it.

A wheat! There was my birthday.

I found 21 wheat pennies on the streets of Manhattan in the year after my father died, and I don't think that's a coincidence.

1.What is the best title for the text?

A. Pennies from Heaven

B. My loving Dad

C. My happy childhood

D. Days in New York

2.What do we know about Dad in the text?

A. Dad helped to build the old church.

B. Dad was once in the navy during the war.

C. Dad had enough money to spend as a kid.

D. Dad was greedy for he always looked for pennies.

3.How did the author find the penny with his year?

A. He searched hard and found it.

B. He dug in the street in order to get it.

C. He sang a religious song in order to find it.

D. He found it by chance but got it by trying hard.

4.What does the author mean by the last sentence?

A. Dad buried the pennies before passing away.

B. Our life is fixed and no one can change it.

C. The author thinks 21 pennies is a lot of money.

D. The pennies started for father’s love from heaven.

Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.

My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.

I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.

1.Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule ?

A. Start the car the moment everyone is seated.

B. Leave the room for a minute with the iron working.

C. Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better.

D. Move an object out of the way before it trips someone.

2.The author decided to go to her office on Good Friday to ______.

A. keep her appointment with the eye doctor

B. meet her father who was already an old man

C. join in the holiday celebration of the company

D. finish her work before the deadline approached

3.The underlined word “foregone” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. avoided B. lacked C. abandoned D. took

4.What is the best title for the passage?

A. The Emotional Well-being

B. The Two Saddest Words

C. The Most Useful Rule

D. The Peace of Mind

Make the right choices

What is life’s gift? 1. Choice is the ability to select one course of action from a set of alternatives to achieve a goal. What is so great about choice? It transforms us from dumb animals into artists. Each of us becomes another Michelangelo. Choice becomes nothing other than the tool we use to sculpt (雕刻)our life. The tool doesn’t come free, however, for the price of choice is responsibility. 2. The reward is happiness.

Life is not still. It is a flow. 3. We constantly need to monitor where we are on our journey. We need to ask questions: Am I moving closer to my goals? If not, what corrective measures can I take? What action will I take now to readjust myself to my goals? Choice is power. Choice is at the heart of life. It is the creative power of life.

4. And your life becomes more convenient or comfortable because of them. For example, you decide which stores to shop at and which gas station to go to. But the decisions that we make to sculpt our lives are far more important than deciding where to shop. The more we appreciate the difference between minor and major decisions, the greater the probability that we will experience happiness and fulfillment.

All chess lovers realize that it isn’t necessary to win to enjoy the game. The pleasure is in the playing. Life is like a chess game. 5.

A.But when we accept ad carry it out, we get a great return.

B.Make the best moves you can under the circumstances.

C.Life is full of hard choices, and the bigger they are, the harder they get.

D.Every choice we make leads us closer to or farther from our goals.

E.Choose to carry out responsibilities not because you have to, but because you want to.

F.You have to make choices every day.

G..It is free will or choice.

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