Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.

   The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.

    Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of areas for burying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.

    But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to connect packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.

   There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material we are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.

1.What does the underlined phrase “that over-consumption” refer to?

  A. Using too much packaging.

  B. Recycling too many wastes.

  C. Making more products than necessary.

  D. Having more material than is needed.

2. The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.

  A. the tendency of cutting household waste

B. the fact of packaging overuse

  C. the rapid growth of supermarkets

  D. the increase of packaging recycling

3.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

   A. Unpackaged products are of bad quality.

   B. Supermarkets care more about packaging.

   C. It is improper to judge quality by packaging.

   D. Other products are better packaged than food.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

   A. Needless material is mostly recycled.

  B. Fighting wastefulness is difficult.

    C. People like collecting recyclable waste.

   D. The author is proud of their consumer culture.

Twelve-year-old Paul Crossnickle has lived as a hero for six years now. It wasn’t until he wrote a composition for a recent class project, however, that he got the recognition he should have got.

On July 27, 1991, Paul saved his three-year-old sister Julie from drowning in the family swimming pool. When he found her, he jumped in, pulled her off the bottom and brought her to the ground.

Their father was trying to bring Julie to life when fire fighters arrived. She survived without serious injury.

Last month, in Paul’s seventh-grade language arts class at Juniper Elementary School, teacher Liliana Mauro asked students to write about an important event in their lives. Paul wrote about rescuing Julie.

“He was somewhat disappointed, for he was never recognized for his deed,” Principal Mondragon said. “Mrs. Mauro telephoned the Fire Department and looked into what they could do for him.”

The school held a regular gathering for their teachers and 200 pupils, which surprised Paul Firefighters from a local station joined Assistant Fire Chief Dave Horn and the city officials who presented Paul with a plaque (徽章) that recognized him “for his heroic efforts preventing a needless loss of life in a near-drowning accident.”

Paul’s parents, Alan and Kathy Crossnickle, were there as well as Julie.

“Paul’s story was one of success…and his sister was able to survive with all her faculties in place,” fire Captain Steve Valenzuela said. “This should remind everyone else that because of Paul’s quick action, knowing to get his sister out of the pool and calling 911 and beginning CPR probably saved her life.”

1.The correct order of the story is _____.

   a. Paul became a known hero      

b. Paul wrote a composition    c. Paul pulled his three-year—old sister off the bottom.      d. Paul’s parents were present at the gathering.   

   e. Mrs. Mauro connected the Fire Department    f. Paul was given a plaque.

  A. a, b, c, d, e, f         B. c, a, b, d, e, f       C. c, b, e, d, f, a      D. b, c, a, e, f, d

2.Fire Captain Steve meant that _______ when he said that Julie survived “with all her faculties in place.”

  A. Julie was saved undamaged             

B. Julie was frightened though she was saved

  C. Julie was sent to hospital without delay    

D. Julie was able to return to the place because of Paul’s rescue

3.What conclusion can we get from the text?

  A. Paul’s parents didn’t want Paul to be a hero at all.

  B. The school wanted other students to learn from Paul.

  C. Mrs. Mauro was fond of Paul very much.

  D. Paul looked forward to being a hero for six years.

Last week I went to a supermarket. After I1the bill and was passing through the door, the alarm suddenly started to ring. Suddenly, a young guard ran toward me and ordered me to2him. I felt so upset and3. He took me to a small room, but I was4frightened that I stopped at the door. Finding me5to enter the room, he shouted that I had to go into the room.
He closed the door. I thought he was going to hurt me. Suddenly, a6voice said in my ear, “Take out the things you've stolen!” “I stole nothing.” I said. “Do as I tell you. If we find them, you’11 be in trouble.” “There is nothing.” I answered. “I didn't take anything.” I said, taking everything out of my pockets and bag.
7this point, a guard came in and asked a salesgirl to8me.9, they found nothing.
But they didn't believe that I hadn't stolen anything. So the young guard ordered me to pass through the door alarm again.
I was10when it rang again. I felt11and burst into tears. I didn't know how to prove12I was innocent.
They made me go into the small room again.
“Take out the stolen things quickly,13we will dial 110.” They said.
“OK, call the police. I’ m not afraid.” I said14.
Suddenly, they15their tone. After a while, a salesgirl asked me to raise my feet. I did16she had told me. There was a label (标签) on the bottom of my shoe. That was it! That was the17thing that had brought me such great trouble. But it18my innocence.
After that, they19to me in the small room. But they should have apologized20, shouldn't they? A lot of people were there when I was taken away. What did they think of me?

1. 1.
   1. A.
      buy
   2. B.
      paid
   3. C.
      passed
   4. D.
      spent
2. 2.
   1. A.
      obey
   2. B.
      beg
   3. C.
      follow
   4. D.
      listen to
3. 3.
   1. A.
      angry
   2. B.
      excited
   3. C.
      happy
   4. D.
      puzzled
4. 4.
   1. A.
      very
   2. B.
      much
   3. C.
      such
   4. D.
      so
5. 5.
   1. A.
      disagree
   2. B.
      unwilling
   3. C.
      voluntarily
   4. D.
      willingly
6. 6.
   1. A.
      gentle
   2. B.
      cold
   3. C.
      sound
   4. D.
      polite
7. 7.
   1. A.
      Of
   2. B.
      In
   3. C.
      At
   4. D.
      From
8. 8.
   1. A.
      look at
   2. B.
      watch
   3. C.
      examine
   4. D.
      keep
9. 9.
   1. A.
      Needless to say
   2. B.
      So far
   3. C.
      On one hand
   4. D.
      As a result of
10. 10.
    1. A.
       afraid
    2. B.
       frightened
    3. C.
       shocked
    4. D.
       sad
11. 11.
    1. A.
       wronged
    2. B.
       annoying
    3. C.
       confused
    4. D.
       unpleasant
12. 12.
    1. A.
       what
    2. B.
       whether
    3. C.
       that
    4. D.
       how
13. 13.
    1. A.
       and
    2. B.
       but
    3. C.
       or
    4. D.
       so
14. 14.
    1. A.
       unhappily
    2. B.
       forcefully
    3. C.
       terribly
    4. D.
       widely
15. 15.
    1. A.
       changed
    2. B.
       raised
    3. C.
       increased
    4. D.
       closed
16. 16.
    1. A.
       like
    2. B.
       as
    3. C.
       according to
    4. D.
       as if
17. 17.
    1. A.
       only
    2. B.
       last
    3. C.
       very
    4. D.
       just
18. 18.
    1. A.
       tested
    2. B.
       showed
    3. C.
       proved
    4. D.
       gave
19. 19.
    1. A.
       said
    2. B.
       apologized
    3. C.
       agreed
    4. D.
       promised
20. 20.
    1. A.
       loudly
    2. B.
       together
    3. C.
       politely
    4. D.
       in public

He comes from America; ________, he can speak English．Do you agree with me?

1. A.
   needless to say
2. B.
   that is to say
3. C.
   not to mention
4. D.
   to say nothing of