Last year, two days after Christmas, we kicked China out of the house. Not the country obviously, but bits of plastic, metal, and wood with the words “Made in China”. We kept what we already had, but stopped bringing any more in. because it had coated our lives with toys, and useless stuff. Sometimes I worried about jobs sent overseas, but price triumphed over virtue at our house. We couldn’t resist what China was selling.

But on that dark Monday last year, an unease feeling washed over me as I sat on the sofa. It wasn’t until then that I noticed a fact: China was taking over the place.

It stared back at me from the empty screen of the television. I spied it in the pile of tennis shoes by the door. It glowed in the lights on the Christmas tree and watched me in the eyes of a doll lying on the floor, I slipped off the couch and sorted gifts into two piles: China and non-China. The count came to China, 25, the world, 14. Christmas, I realized, had become a holiday made by the Chinese. Suddenly I wanted China out.

I persuaded my husband, and on Jan. 1 st, we started a-year-long household embargo on Chinese imports. The idea wasn’t to punish China. And we didn’t fool ourselves into thinking because we wanted to measure how far it had pushed in. We wanted to know what it would take in time, money, and worry to kick our China habit!

In the spring, our 4-year-old son started a campaign to support “China things”. “It’s too long without China,” he cried. He kept at me all day. I have discovered for myself that China doesn’t control every aspect of our daily lives, but if you take a close look at the underside of boxes in the toy department, I promise it will give you pause. “When we can buy China things again? Let’s never stop.” My son said.

After a year without China I can tell you this: You can still live without it, but it’s getting costlier by the day. And a decade from now I may not be brave enough to try it again.

1. The best title for the text could be _______.

A．China Free Living: A Trouble One

B．A Year without “Made in China”

C．Why I Choose “Made in China”

D．“Made in China”: Good or Bad

2. According to the passage, why did the author stop bringing in things “Made in China”?

A．Because she wanted to bring back job opportunities for her natives.

B．Because she has a strong sense of nationalism against “Made in China”.

C．Because she wanted to learn what life would be like without “Made in China”.

D．Because too much stuff made in China was take over her house.

3. The Underlined word “embargo” in the forth paragraph means ________.

A．reaction                              B．ban

C．restriction                             D．cancellation

4.The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is ________.

A．to tell the readers an interesting experience

B．to describe the trouble facing a housewife

C．to explain the importance of Chinese goods

D．to show the difficulty without Chinese goods

       Scientists in the United States say plant life has increased on Earth in the past twenty years and that in every area of plant growth the increase is the result of weather conditions.

       Eight scientists from across the United States did the study. The space agency NASA and the Department of Energy paid for it. The findings were published in the magazine Science.

       The researchers spent one and a half years examining weather satellite information. The information was recorded from 1982 to 1999. That period was one of the warmest on record. Researchers found that rainfall generally increased during that time.

       The satellites measured the number of leaves on plants and the amount of sunlight taken in. The scientists used that information to estimate what is called net primary production. This is total amount of carbon stored in land plants.

       The scientists report a 6% increase in stored carbon since 1982. They say gains were high in equatorial areas, especially around the Amazon River in South America. The area alone had a 1% increase in the net primary production.

Ramakrishna Nemani of the University of Montana in Missoula headed the study. He says reduced cloud cover led to growth in Amazon area. He also says the lack of clouds allowed more sunlight to get through. More sunlight meant increases in photosynthesis(光合作用). That is the process by which plants use energy from sunlight to produce the chemicals they need to grow.

       Northern Canada, the north-central United States and northern Europe were second in increased plant growth. Ramakrishna Nemani says a rise in temperature helped plants there.

       All together, the report says 25% of areas of plant life on Earth experienced increases. But the scientists also note increase in the number of people on Earth and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Ranga Myneni of Boston University in Massachusetts, another study scientist says humans use about half the net primary production on Earth. And he notes that the world population grew by 36% during the period of time studied.

Which of the following is in charge of the study?

       A. The space agency NASA of the US.

       B. The Department of Energy of the US.

       C. Ramakrishna Nemani in Missoula.

       D. Ranga Myneni in Massachusetts.

What’s the main cause of the plant growth put forward by the study?

       A. Growth in population.

       B. Regional features.

       C. Seasonal variation.

       D. Weather conditions

Why do scientists believe that reduced cloud cover has led to the plant growth in       the Amazon area?

       A. Because plants could take in more sunlight.

       B. Because plants could get more rainfall.

       C. Because plants could enjoy cooler air.

       D. Because plants suffer less from natural disasters.

Which of the following descriptions about the years from 1982 to 1999 is TRUE?

       A. It was the warmest on record.

       B. Rainfall decreased little by little.

       C. World population grew by 25%.

       D. Stored carbon increased by 6%.

Like distance runners on a measured course，all of us will move through time in a roughly predictable pattern．

In the first stage of our lives，we develop and grow, reaching toward the top of physical vitality(活力)．

After we grow up，however, the body begins a process of gradually wearing out．

A new awareness of physical fitness may help lengthen our years of health and vitality，yet nothing we do will work to stop the unavoidable force of aging．

Most of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body．The lungs become less able to take in oxygen．Powerful muscles gradually lose their strength．The heart loses power and pumps less blood．Bones grow easier to break．

Finally, we meet a stress，a stress that is greater than our physical resistance．Often，it is only a minor accident or chance infection(a disease caused by virus)，but this time，it brings life to an end．

In 1932，a classic experiment nearly doubled the lifetime of rats，simply by cutting back the calories in their diet The reason for the effect was then unknown．

Today, at the University of California at Berkley, Dr．Paul Seagle has also greatly lengthened the normal lifetime of rats．The result was achieved through a special protein limited diet，which had a great effect on the chemistry of the brain．Seagle showed that within the brain，specific chemicals control many of the signals that influence aging．By changing that chemical balance，the clock of aging can be reset．

For the first time, the mystery of why we age is being seriously challenged．Scientists in many fields are now making striking and far-reaching discoveries．

An average lifetime lasts 75 years，yet in each of us lies a potential for a longer life．If we could keep the vitality and resistance to disease that we have at age twenty, we would live for 800 years．

1.What does the underlined word “it” refer to?

2.Which of the following is not a change of aging?

3.The author believes the following except that     ．

4.How did Dr．Paul Seagle lengthen the lifetime of rats in his experiment?

5.What is probably the best title for the article?

 Would you gather enough courage and energy to ______ the leadership of the dance group?

A．take in            B．take up           C．take off           D．take down

Plants _________carbon dioxide and at the same time _________oxygen. So we may put some in our bedrooms to purify the air.

A．take in, give out                        B．take up, give off

C．take over, give in                        D．take off, give up