A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors.

　　On one side stand those who see clothes dryers(干衣机) as a waste of energy and a major polluter of the environment. As a result, they are turning to clotheslines as part of the “what-I-can-do environmentalism(环境保护主义).”

　　On the other side are people who are against drying clothes outside, arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant to look at. They have persuaded Homeowners Associations (HOAs) across the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, because clothesline drying also tends to lower home value in the neighborhood. This had led to a Right-to-Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect people’s right to use clotheslines.　　

　　So far, only three states have laws to protect clothesline. Right-to-Dry supporters argue that there should be more.　　

　　Matt Reck, 37, is the kind of eco-conscious(有生态意识的) person who feeds his trees with bathwater and reuses water drops from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But on July 9, 2007, the HOA in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told him that a dissatisfied neighbor had telephoned them about his clothesline. The Recks paid no attention to the warning and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard. “Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters in their own hands,” says Reck. The local HOA has decided not to take any action, unless more neighbors come to them.　　

　　North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to do. But HOAs and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people of poor neighborhoods. They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford dryers, housing prices will fall.

　　Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary, and in view of global warming, that idea needs to change. As they say, “The clothesline is beautiful”. Hanging clothes outside should be encouraged. We all have to do at least something to slow down the process of global warming.”

One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying is that ________.

A. clothes dryers are more efficient   

B. clothesline drying reduces home value

C. clothes dryers are energy-saving    

D. clothesline drying is not allowed in most U.S. states

Which of the following best describes Matt Reck?

　　A. He is a kind-hearted man.         B. He is an impolite man.　　

　　C. He is an experienced gardener.    D. He is a man of social responsibility.　　

Who are in favor of clothesline drying?　　

　　A. housing businesses.           B. Environmentalists.　　

　　C. Homeowners Associations.     D. Reck’s dissatisfied neighbors.　　

What is mainly discussed in the text?　　

　　A. Clothesline drying: a way to save energy and money.　　

　　B. Clothesline drying: a lost art rediscovered.　　

　　C. Opposite opinions on clothesline drying.　　

　　D. Different varieties of clotheslines.　　

３１ｓｔ　Ｏｃｔｏｂｅｒ　—— A team of British explorers has announced they are going to the North Pole to measure the ice cap’s thickness. The exploration will take ground-based readings (仪表的读数) of an ice formation which most scientists agree is shrinking at an alarming rate.

    Explorer Pen Hadow’s three-member team will pull a sled-fixed radar device, which measures ice density every eight centimeters, 2,000 kilometers across the Arctic and will produce millions of readings.

    They will leave in February, 2008 and will face temperatures of -50℃ on a journey that will take up to 120 days. They have been testing their equipment in Britain and Canada.

    Hadow is excited about the prospects (前景), “For the first time we will be able to transmit video images — webcam film of the expedition — as it unfolds so people can track us, and the whole idea is to engage as many people as we can in what we’re doing.”

    New fallen snow on top of the ice makes ground-based measurements more accurate than satellite data.

    “It has been in the planning stage for a while,” said Hadow. “We spent the last two years developing impulse radar (冲击雷达), which normally is about 100 kilograms and hangs under an aircraft and so on. We’ve managed to get it down to about 4 kilograms. It’s the size of a briefcase and we are dragging it behind the sled as we go.”

　　　　The ice cap shrank enough in 2007 so that a pathway through the cap known as the Northwest Passage opened up during the melting of the Arctic summer.

    Cambridge University’s Joao Rodrigues explains, “Thickness of the ice cap will determine how much solar radiation will be reflected and the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere and it is thus a vital component (成分) of climate models.”

    If warming trends continue, some experts predict that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free during the summer within a few decades.

1.What would be the best title for the text?

A. Exploration to the North Pole.

B. Arctic ice cap shrinking.

C. Arctic ice survey announced.

D. Ground-based measurements of ice.

2.What is special about the exploration?

A. It will be broadcast live on the Internet.

B. Explorers will use a sled-fixed radar device.

C. Explorers will travel in extremely cold conditions.

D. Ground-based measurements are more accurate.

3.What is the purpose of the exploration?

A. To measure the ice cap’s thickness.

B. To study whether ice will disappear in the Arctic.

C. To make a film about the Arctic exploration.

D. To make people interested in what they are doing.

4.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. ice in the Arctic will disappear in ten years

B. the exploration will last for half a year

C. Hadow spent two years developing a kind of radar, which is about 100 kilograms

D. if there is snow on ice, satellites can’t measure the ice thickness accurately enough

5.From the passage, we learn that ________.

A. the explorers will measure ice density every other centimeter

B. people will be able to follow the explorers and see what they are doing

C. people could go through the Northwest Passage in the 2007 Arctic summer

D. the equipment that Hadow’s team use will be tested in the United States

D

Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist. She was born on

May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child.
　 Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris.
　 Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous French painter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes(笔画) in their work. They recognized Mary 's spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows.
　 Mary painted what she saw: gardens, and paintings of persons , especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today.
　 Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately, all her life, she refused to accept students.

1. Which year was the most critical to her career and life?

A. 1877　　　　　　　　 B. 1864　　 C. 1860　　　 D. 1914

2. Mary left Pennsylvania for Europe at age 20 mainly because_____.

A. she didn’t learn anything in Pennsylvania

B she wanted to learn another style of paintings

C. her desire for the learning wasn’t satisfied well

D. her father didn’t want her to learn painting again

3. Mary Cassatt stopping painting because of_____.

A. her poor eyesight　　 B. her old age　　 C.lack of interest　 D. her family

4. Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage?

A. Her painting featured scenes of everyday living

B. Her father had a decisive effect on her painting

C. She used various colors and long lines in her works

D. She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A

5. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A. the paintings of Edgar Degas belong to realism

B. during the last ten year of life, she painted nothing.

C. her works were controversial though highly recognized

D. her students showed great respect for her