Farmers in the United States sometimes plant switch grass as a border crop. But could this tall grass lower the nation’s dependence on foreign oil?

The Department of Energy plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to help produce fuels from materials that are not part of the food supply. Growing corn, or maize, for fuel has raised concerns about the supply and cost of corn available for food and animal feed.

Fuel made from switch grass or forestry waste like sawdust（锯屑） is known as cellulosic（有纤维质的） ethanol（酒精）. Department officials say it contains more energy and produces fewer greenhouse gases than ethanol made from corn. Switch grass is also easier to grow.

Last month, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study of switch grass grown on low-quality land. Government scientist Ken Vogel was the lead author. The study says the switch grass produced five times more energy than was needed to grow it. Also, it says switch grass, over its lifetime from crop to fuel, produces much less carbon compared to gasoline.

Fossil fuels like oil take carbon from the ground and release it as waste gas when the fuel is burned. Biofuels（生物燃料） like corn and cellulosic ethanol also produce greenhouse gases, through growing crops and making the fuel. The difference is that biofuels remove carbon from the atmosphere through the growth of the feedstock, the material for the fuel.

Science magazine just published two studies of biofuels and the heat-trapping gases that scientists link to climate change. One of the reports notes that most studies have found that substituting biofuels for gasoline will reduce greenhouse gases.

But it says the earlier studies failed to count the carbon released into the atmosphere as farmers worldwide react to higher prices. They are clearing forests and grasslands to make way for new cropland to replace the grain used for biofuels. Doing so can release much of the carbon stored in the plants and soil, and sacrifice future storage.

The study found that corn-based ethanol could increase greenhouse gases for years from land use change. And it found that biofuels from switch grass, if grown on American corn land, could also increase emissions, though by less.

The study team, led by Timothy Searchinger at Princeton University, says the result shows the value of using waste products for fuel. The other report says carbon savings depend on how biofuels are produced.

1．Switch grass is a better fuel than corn in all the following aspects except         .

       A．switch grass grows on low – quality land

       B．switch grass produces more energy than corn

       C．switch grass produces fewer greenhouse gases than corn

       D．switchgears is easier to grow

2．It is implied in the underlined sentence that         .

       A．an increasing number of people worry about the use of corn as fuel

       B．there will be an increase in price of corn for food if it is used as fuel

       C．there will be an decrease in quantity of corn for food if it is used as fuel

       D．all the above choices are right

3．Biofuels produces much less carbon compared to Fossil fuels in that         .

       A．biofuels produce less greenhouse gases than fossil fuels

       B．fossil fuels release carbon while biofuels not when burning

       C．biofuels take in carbon from the air when they are growing

       D．biofuels produce greenhouse gases only when they are burning

4．The passage indicates that           .

       A．we’d better make full use of biofuels to protect the environment

       B．the value of using biofuels remains to be further studied

       C．it’s costless to grow biofeuls

       D．biofuels are just switchgrass and corn

It is often said that politeness costs nothing．In fact，it seems that a little more courtesy could save businesses￡5 billion every year．

Frequently hearing the phrase “thank you” or “well done” means the same to staff as a modest pay rise，researchers say．

Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs，saving on the cost of finding replacements．

A third of 1,000 workers surveyed by consulting firm White Water Strategies said they did not get thanked at all when they did well—and a further third said they were not thanked enough．

In both cases，staff said they felt undervalued，meaning they were less likely to exert themselves and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere．

The net result is around ￡5.2 billion in lost productivity from employees who would raise their game if they felt more appreciated，White Water claimed According to the company，praising staff has the same motivational kick as a 1 per cent pay rise—and works out much cheaper for bosses．

Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement by their boss was important to them，but only a quarter said they were actually given as much praise as they felt they needed．

The survey found that those in blue-collar and manual jobs were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well．

In regional terms，Scottish staff felt most undervalued．Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise．However，workers in the North-East are less impressed by being buttered up by the boss，as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told “well done” regularly．

Older employees and women need the most reassurance，according to psychologist Averil Leimon，a director of White Water Strategies．She said that words of praise did more than create a pleasant place to work—they could even boost profits．

51．The second paragraph means that_____________.

       A．employees ask for high pay instead of hearing “thank you” or “well done”

       B．bosses always think highly of their employees’ work

       C．bosses’ praise and encouragement are important to workers

       D．bosses should praise their workers from time to time

52．Why praise and encouragement are needed according to the passage?

       A．Most bosses feel it necessary

       B．Most workers didn’t work hard enough.

       C．Most bosses can make money from praise and encouragement

       D．Most workers will work harder and stay in their jobs from praise and encouragement.

53．According to tiffs passage，the majority of staff felt______________．

    A．there were thanked enough         B．they were undervalued

    C．they got satisfactory pay          D．they didn’t need encouragement

54．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A．Blue-collar and manual workers need more regular acknowledgement by their bosses．

B．A third of the workers surveyed by White Water Strategies never got thanked at all when

they did well．

    C．Old employees and women do not need to be appreciated as much as the young．

    D．Fewer than 20％ of Scotiish felt that they never got thanked．

55．The main idea of the passage is that___________

    A．praise and encouragement may help employees work better

    B．workers are always demanding more praise and encouragement

    C．bosses in Scotland usually praise and encourage their staff enough

    D．if undervalued employees will certainly look for employment elsewhere

It is often said that politeness costs nothing．In fact，it seems that a little more courtesy could save businesses￡5 billion every year．

Frequently hearing the phrase “thank you” or “well done” means the same to staff as a modest pay rise，researchers say．

Praise and encouragement also makes employees more likely to work hard and stay in their jobs，saving on the cost of finding replacements．

A third of 1,000 workers surveyed by consulting firm White Water Strategies said they did not get thanked at all when they did well―and a further third said they were not thanked enough．

In both cases，staff said they felt undervalued，meaning they were less likely to exert themselves and were more likely to look for employment elsewhere．

The net result is around ￡5.2 billion in lost productivity from employees who would raise their game if they felt more appreciated，White Water claimed According to the company，praising staff has the same motivational kick as a 1 per cent pay rise―and works out much cheaper for bosses．

Three out of four employees said that regular acknowledgement by their boss was important to them，but only a quarter said they were actually given as much praise as they felt they needed．

The survey found that those in blue-collar and manual jobs were less likely to be given any recognition for doing well．

In regional terms，Scottish staff felt most undervalued．Four out of ten workers said they were never thanked and eight out of ten said they would like more praise．However，workers in the North-East are less impressed by being buttered up by the boss，as only 69 per cent said they felt the need to be told "well done"regularly．

Older employees and women need the most reassurance，according to psychologist Averil Leimon，a director of White Water Strategies．She said that words of praise did more than create a pleasant place to work―they could even boost profits．

51．The first paragraph means that_________．

    A．employees ask for high pay instead of hearing “thank you” or “well done”

    B．bosses always think highly of their employees’ work

    C．bosses’ praise and encouragement are important to workers

    D．bosses should praise their workers from time to time

52．Why didn’t bosses give their Staff enough praise and encouragement?

    A．Most bosses feel it unnecessary

    B．Most workers didn’t work hard enough．

    C．This was not what the staff want

    D．The passage doesn’t mention it

53．According to tiffs passage，the majority of staff felt______________．

    A．there were thanked enough    B．they were undervalued

    C．they got satisfactory pay    D．they didn’t need encouragement

54．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A．Blue-collar and manual workers need more regular acknowledgement by their bosses．

    B．A third of the workers surveyed by White Water Strategies never got thanked at all when they did well．

    C．Old employees and women do not need to be appreciated as much as the young．

    D．Fewer than 30％ of Scotiish felt that they never got thanked．

55．The main idea of the passage is that___________．

    A．praise and encouragement may help employees work better

    B．workers are always demanding more praise and encouragement

    C．bosses in Scotland usually praise and encourage their staff enough

    D．if undervalued employees will certainly look for employment elsewhere

There have been great changes in the lives of women. During the twentieth century ,there was an unusual shortening of the time of a woman’s life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the 19th century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have about eight children, of whom about five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which custom, chance and health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman’s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty. Even while she has the care of children, her work is lightened by household appliances(家用电器) and convenience(方便) foods.
This important change in women’s way of life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women’s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards, return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with both husband and wife accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfaction of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money and running the home, according to the abilities and interest of each them.
【小题1】Women marrying at the end of the 19th century ________.

A．would have fewer children than those today.

B．would have more children than those today.

C．lived as hard as those in the 20th century

D．lived more comfortably than those in the 20th century