The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.
Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid(电网). Just as t tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replaces filters monthly or as needed.
For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Raton. (SEER)
Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat(恒温器) and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave; turn off the ceiling fan.
Let a programmable thermostat! “remember for you” to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.
Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.
Gut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.
Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up.
Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs(荧光灯), which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs(白炽灯).
Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 mils per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than ￡65 per year.
Carpool. The average U.S. commuter(乘车上班族) could save about ￡260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg---assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.
【小题1】According to the passage, the thermostat is used to ______.

“Why should I care about the environment?” some people ask. There is a very simple reason: We live on the earth, and it is the only place we can live on right now, as we cannot live in space yet. If we treat the earth like a garbage dump, it will become dirty and unlivable. If we treat it well by being eco-conscious, the earth will stay clean and suitable for living, for ourselves and for our children.

What is “being eco-conscious”?

Being eco-conscious means being aware of your actions, and what you do to the environment. For example, you might think, “Using hairspray is great for fixing my hair.” However, if you are eco-conscious, you would ask, “Does this hairspray have CFCs in it? Could I be destroying the earth by using hairspray?”

How can I be eco-conscious?

You can find many simple ways to help the environment in your everyday life.

When you go shopping, bring a bag or a basket with you. Please try not to use plastic bags as much as you can.

You can go to work by bike or on foot if it is not far from your home.

You can put your rubbish into different bags, which makes it convenient for recycling.

You can eat less chewing gum.

You can use your own chopsticks instead of the disposable ones in your company or in restaurants.

You can put batteries in a special box instead of in garbage bins.

You can use the water which has been used for washing vegetables or fruits to clean the floor and the toilet or to water your garden.

You can turn off the decorative lights in your room when watching TV.

You can turn down your air conditioner by one degree, as this will cause a 10% reduction in energy use.

You can use recycled paper. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil. You can also use recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials. This will reduce the related air pollution by 20%, and the related water pollution by 50%.

Please believe that. If you do a little, it will make a big difference.

1.Human beings should care about the environment because _________ .

A．if we make the earth unlivable, we’ll have to live in space

B．it can help our children live better

C．if we don’t, the earth will become a garbage dump

D．it will help to make the world a good living place

2.If your deskmate is an eco-conscious person, he should __________.

A．be aware of the importance of protecting the environment

B．use plastic bags when he buys something

C．know nothing about CFCs

D．turn his air conditioner to a higher degree

3.If you want to help the environment, you should do all the following EXCEPT ________.

A．share a car with your colleagues

B．use paper bags instead of plastic bags

C．use hairspray containing CFCs

D．use recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials

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

A．it’s very hard for human beings to keep the earth clean and comfortable

B．protecting the environment is the duty of everybody

C．we should protect the environment together, as it’s no use doing it individually

D．it’s very easy to be eco-conscious

5.According to the author, which of the following statements is WRONG?

A．Being eco-conscious means you should know much about the environment.

B．The more we care, the better the environment will be.

C．If each of us just does a little, we can’t make any difference.

D．If we treat the earth badly, we’ll make a lot of trouble for ourselves.

   The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.

   Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid(电网). Just as t tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replaces filters monthly or as needed.

   For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Raton. (SEER)

   Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat(恒温器) and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave; turn off the ceiling fan.

Let a programmable thermostat! “remember for you” to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.

 Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.

 Gut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.

 Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up.

  Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs(荧光灯), which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs(白炽灯).

 Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 mils per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than ￡65 per year.

 Carpool. The average U.S. commuter(乘车上班族) could save about ￡260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg---assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.

According to the passage, the thermostat is used to ______.

A. make rooms quieter              B. control room temperature

C. turn off the air conditioner         D. reduce room air pollution

We can conclude from the passage that the author probably discourages ______.

A. planting leafy trees around your home

B. turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house

C. keeping your south-facing windows open during the day

D. using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs

According to the passage, you can save fuel by ______.

A. using energy-efficient ceiling fans      B. sharing cars with others on workdays         

C. turning off everything not in use       D. reducing 10% of your car trips every year

This passage is mainly about ______.

A. energy-saving tips          B. fuel-saving tips         

C. do-it-yourself tips           D. environment-protecting tips

On December 8, Xinhua News Agency published a list of news keywords that it believes sum up the year 2009.

The phrase “low-carbon life” had been heard in China before 2009, but in 2009, it has become popular among young Chinese who are concerned about the environment. It comes as world leaders are talking about fighting global warming in Copenhagen, Denmark. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, are the main cause of global warming, which leads to extreme weather and other conditions.

Living a low carbon life means trying to cut carbon dioxide emissions(排放) in one’s daily life. For example, burning less coal and oil, which produce CO₂. It means walking, biking or taking buses, rather than using a private car.

“A(H1N1) flu” is also on Xinhua’s list. Since April, 2009 the virus has made over 100,000 people ill on the Chinese mainland and 325 people had died of it as of December 9. But as US magazine Newsweek pointed out recently, the best evidence suggests it is no more dangerous than a bad seasonal flu.

The year 2009 saw the growing impact of the Internet on society, with the word “duomaomao”, meaning hide-and-seek, becoming a hit on the web. On February 12, Li Qiaoming died of brain injuries several days after being detained(拘留) by police in Jinning county, Yunnan Province. Police said it was an accident sustained(遭受)while he was playing hide-and-seek with his fellow prisoners. Netizens cast doubt on this explanation and called for an investigation. It turned out that Li had been beaten to death by other prisoners.

Another phrase connected with the Internet on the list is “Net Addiction Camps”. Many parents send children obsessed(沉迷) with the web to “Net Addiction Camps” for treatment. But some camps use physical punishment or electrical shocks. In 2009, some young people died as a result of the extreme methods, which led to a nationwide discussion. In November, the Ministry of Health banned the use of physical punishment to keep children off the net and dropped the term “net addiction(网瘾)”. It did not say that excessive(过度的) net use is a mental illness either.

The purpose of the passage is to ___________.

A. call on the public to live a low-carbon life

B. show the great effect of the Internet

C. introduce some news keywords of the year 2009

D. warn people not to be addicted to the Internet

The underlined word “Netizens” in the fifth paragraph refer to_________.

A. Li’s fellow prisoners

B. Li’s friends and relatives

C. the local people

D. people actively involved in online communities

What can be inferred from the incident of “duomaomao”?

A. Hide-and-seek is a dangerous game.

B. Li was beaten to death by other prisoners.

C. Police did a great job in the investigation (调查).

D. It was the influence of the Internet that led to the truth.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The phrase “low-carbon life” had been popular among young people before 2009.

B. Global warming mainly results from greenhouse gases.

C. A (H1N1) flu is more dangerous than a bad seasonal flu.

D. Li Qiaoming died of an accident while playing hide-and-seek with his fellow prisoners.

Which of the following doesn’t mean a low-carbon life ?

A. Using a private car.

B. Using efficient light bulbs.

C. Walking, biking or taking buses.

D. Turning your air-conditioner one degree higher.

“Why should I care about the environment?” some people ask. There is a very simple reason: We live on the earth, and it is the only place we can live on right now, as we cannot live in space yet. If we treat the earth like a garbage dump, it will become dirty and unlivable. If we treat it well by being eco-conscious, the earth will stay clean and suitable for living, for ourselves and for our children.
What is “being eco-conscious”?
Being eco-conscious means being aware of your actions, and what you do to the environment. For example, you might think, “Using hairspray is great for fixing my hair.” However, if you are eco-conscious, you would ask, “Does this hairspray have CFCs in it? Could I be destroying the earth by using hairspray?”
How can I be eco-conscious?
You can find many simple ways to help the environment in your everyday life.
When you go shopping, bring a bag or a basket with you. Please try not to use plastic bags as much as you can.
You can go to work by bike or on foot if it is not far from your home.
You can put your rubbish into different bags, which makes it convenient for recycling.
You can eat less chewing gum.
You can use your own chopsticks instead of the disposable ones in your company or in restaurants.
You can put batteries in a special box instead of in garbage bins.
You can use the water which has been used for washing vegetables or fruits to clean the floor and the toilet or to water your garden.
You can turn off the decorative lights in your room when watching TV.
You can turn down your air conditioner by one degree, as this will cause a 10% reduction in energy use.
You can use recycled paper. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil. You can also use recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials. This will reduce the related air pollution by 20%, and the related water pollution by 50%.
Please believe that. If you do a little, it will make a big difference.
【小题1】Human beings should care about the environment because _________ .