You don’t have to be alive to protect the environment. Who wants to give something back?

Ray Ward does. And he’s not the only one. The British businessman has bought a million – pound plot of woodland outside London where he plans to set up a green funeral company. All the people buried there will be giving something back.

It’s hard to live a green life in a modern country. Everything you do seems to create pollution or threaten wildlife. Maybe that’s why people are waiting until they die to make a positive contribution to the environment.

The aim of conventional burials is to preserve the body as long as possible. The aim of green burials is exactly the reverse （opposite）. People are buried in cardboard or light wicker（柳条） coffins so nature takes its course as quickly as possible.

Eventually, Ray Ward hopes to have a full grown forest on his land, which people will pay to fertilize themselves. No headstones or other memorials are allowed, though, the detailed notes on exactly where people are buried will be kept for the benefit of relatives. But the idea is that the whole forest will be their memorial.

It’s not a new idea. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the former US President, often expressed a wish to be buried in the White House Rose Garden. Future presidents would look at the flowers and think of him.

In Britain, people were traditionally buried in vast cemeteries found on the outskirts（郊区） of nearly all the major towns and cities and built during the 19th century. But Britain is a crowded country, and as population continued to increase, space became short.

That’s why 70 present of British people are now cremated when they die. But there are problems here, too. Large amounts of poisonous gases are released when bodies are burned, especially from the metal used to feel teeth.

Natural burials adds to the richness of the soil instead of poisoning the air. And because natural burials takes place all over the countryside, there are no space limitations as there are in ordinary burials. And demand is growing so much that this spring will see Britain’s first ever national Green Funeral Exhibition.

1．Obviously the writer is trying to talk about __________.

       A．funerals in modern Britain                       

       B．the new idea of Ray Ward

       C．contribution that can be made after death

       D．the new trends of the funeral business

2．Which of the following means “ordinary burials”?

       A．Conventional burials.                          B．Green burials. 

       C．Natural burials.                                 D．Green funerals.

3．If you choose a picture to go with the passage as an editor, you will select _________.

       A．a picture in which people mourn at the funeral

       B．a picture in which there is a light wicker coffin

       C．a picture in which there is a green village

       D．a picture in which people are planting trees

4．Which paragraph is organized by means of comparison?

       A．Paragraph 1.                               B．Paragraph 2.        

       C．Paragraph 3.                        D．Paragraph 7.

This is a story that can teach us a good lesson. One day, a man in rags begged from door to door along the street. With an old wallet in his hand, he was asking for a few coins to buy something to eat. He kept complaining about his bad fortune and kept __36__ why those who had so much money were never __37__ and were always desiring more.
“As far as I'm concerned, if I had only enough to ___38__ and to wear, I would not want anything more.”
Just at that moment Goddess Fortune, who came down the __39__ saw the beggar and said to him, “Hi, I have wished to __40__ you for a long time. Now, open your __41__ and I will pour my gold into it. But I will do that only on this __42__ : All that falls into the wallet will be pure gold; but every piece falling upon the __43__ shall become dust. Do you understand？”
“I see.” said the beggar.
“Then you should __44__ ！It's obvious that your wallet is a(an) __45__ one, so don't load it too heavily，” said the Goddess Fortune.
The excited beggar could hardly __46__ to have gold. He quickly opened his wallet, and a __47__ of yellow coins was poured into it. The wallet grew heavier and heavier.
“Is that enough? Isn't it cracking？” asked Fortune.
“Never __48__ .It's still strong enough now.”answered the beggar.
The wallet was filled with so many coins that the beggar's hands began to __49__. “Ah, if only the golden stream would __50__ forever! Just a little more，” said the beggar, “__51__ just a handful or two.”
“There! It's full. The wallet will __52__ .” warned the Goddess, but the beggar requested, “It will __53__ a little more, just a little more.”
One more piece was added and the wallet split. The __54__ fell upon the ground and became dust. The greedy beggar had now __55__ but his broken bag.

You can't escape the message that smoking is bad for you.But what if one or both of your parents smoke?You might be worried about their health,sick of smelling the smoke,or even a little embarrassed(尴尬的) by it.You can't order your mom or dad to stop smoking ,but you can encourage them to quit.There are lots of good reasons.Here are some you can mention:
*Smoking will hurt their health.
*Smoking creates secondhand smoke,which you don't like .
*Smoking will make it hard for them to keep up with you because they might run out of breath easily.
If you think it will help,you could print out articles like this one to give it to your mom or dad. But what if your parent gets angry with you for bringing up the topic of smoking?People don't like to be reminded that they are doing something unhealthy,so it's possible that your parents will be insulted or angry,especially if they're worried they won't be able to quit.Maybe they have tried before and failed.
Remember to be kind and respectful when you discuss smoking with your mom or dad. Also rememeber that it is difficult to quit.Some people try several times before they're able to quit for good. Instead of yelling at the them,tell them that you love them and want them to enjoy many healthy years ahead. In time,your mom or dad may realize you are right about smoking .And if they do agree to stop smoking,be their biggest supporter.Ask if there's anything you can do to help them when they feel the urge to smoke.Maybe you could go for a walk,do a puzzle,or listen to music together.As they reach milestones,such as a month without smoking,be sure to celebrate the achievement.Way to go,mom!Way to go,dad!
【小题1】 In the first paragraph,the author intended to tell us______.

A．the reasons you have for your parents' giving up smoking

B．the great damage smoking can cause to secondhand smokers

C．most smokers are includable and stubborn

D．smoking does harm to smoker's health

This is a story that can teach us a good lesson. One day, a man in rags begged from door to door along the street. With an old wallet in his hand, he was asking for a few coins to buy something to eat. He kept complaining about his bad fortune and kept __36__ why those who had so much money were never __37__ and were always desiring more.

“As far as I'm concerned, if I had only enough to ___38__ and to wear, I would not want anything more.”

Just at that moment Goddess Fortune, who came down the __39__ saw the beggar and said to him, “Hi, I have wished to __40__ you for a long time. Now, open your __41__ and I will pour my gold into it. But I will do that only on this __42__ : All that falls into the wallet will be pure gold; but every piece falling upon the __43__ shall become dust. Do you understand？”

“I see.” said the beggar.

“Then you should __44__ ！It's obvious that your wallet is a(an) __45__ one, so don't load it too heavily，” said the Goddess Fortune.

The excited beggar could hardly __46__ to have gold. He quickly opened his wallet, and a __47__ of yellow coins was poured into it. The wallet grew heavier and heavier.

“Is that enough? Isn't it cracking？” asked Fortune.

“Never __48__ .It's still strong enough now.”answered the beggar.

The wallet was filled with so many coins that the beggar's hands began to __49__. “Ah, if only the golden stream would __50__ forever! Just a little more，” said the beggar, “__51__ just a handful or two.”

“There! It's full. The wallet will __52__ .” warned the Goddess, but the beggar requested, “It will __53__ a little more, just a little more.”

One more piece was added and the wallet split. The __54__ fell upon the ground and became dust. The greedy beggar had now __55__ but his broken bag.

1.                A．showing        B．explaining       C．proving   D．wondering

2.                A．relaxed         B．satisfied        C．worried  D．depressed

3.                A．learn　         B．watch          C．eat  D．play

4.                A．street　        B．bridge          C．yard D．forest

5.                A．praise　        B．forgive         C．help D．comfort

6.                A．coat           B．pocket         C．box  D．wallet

7.                A．occasion        B．suggestion       C．situation  D．condition

8.                A．hand           B．feet            C．ground   D．street

9.                A．look out        B．look after       C．look up   D．look down

10.               A．small　         B．empty          C．worn 　　　   D．full

11.               A．stand　        B．wait           C．breathe　 D．think

12.               A．stream         B．piece          C．pair D．variety

13.               A．stop           B．request        C．fear D．insist

14.               A．spread         B．close          C．loose　　　    D．shake

15.               A．pour　　　     B．end           C．dry   D．bury

16.               A．take　　       B．add            C．lend D．send

17.               A．flow           B．break          C．disappear　    D．change

18.               A．attract         B．permit         C．include　  D．hold

19.               A．wallet 　       B．food           C．gold 　　 D．bag

20.               A．nothing        B．anything        C．everything D．something

You can't escape the message that smoking is bad for you.But what if one or both of your parents smoke?You might be worried about their health,sick of smelling the smoke,or even a little embarrassed(尴尬的) by it.You can't order your mom or dad to stop smoking ,but you can encourage them to quit.There are lots of good reasons.Here are some you can mention:

*Smoking will hurt their health.

*Smoking creates secondhand smoke,which you don't like .

*Smoking will make it hard for them to keep up with you because they might run out of breath easily.

If you think it will help,you could print out articles like this one to give it to your mom or dad. But what if your parent gets angry with you for bringing up the topic of smoking?People don't like to be reminded that they are doing something unhealthy,so it's possible that your parents will be insulted or angry,especially if they're worried they won't be able to quit.Maybe they have tried before and failed.

Remember to be kind and respectful when you discuss smoking with your mom or dad. Also rememeber that it is difficult to quit.Some people try several times before they're able to quit for good. Instead of yelling at the them,tell them that you love them and want them to enjoy many healthy years ahead. In time,your mom or dad may realize you are right about smoking .And if they do agree to stop smoking,be their biggest supporter.Ask if there's anything you can do to help them when they feel the urge to smoke.Maybe you could go for a walk,do a puzzle,or listen to music together.As they reach milestones,such as a month without smoking,be sure to celebrate the achievement.Way to go,mom!Way to go,dad!

1. In the first paragraph,the author intended to tell us______.

A.the reasons you have for your parents' giving up smoking

B.the great damage smoking can cause to secondhand smokers

C.most smokers are includable and stubborn

D.smoking does harm to smoker's health

2. If you bring up the topic of smoking directly,_________.

A.the smokers will accept your advice willingly 

B.the smokers may become very annoyed at once

C.the smokers will take your words into account  

D.the smokers will put you in an embarrassing situation

3.The underlined word "milestones" in the first paragraph means________.

A.stones which are miles away    

B.agreements signed by both sides

C.practical tools for stopping smoking 

D.achievements gained with great efforts

4.The author wrote the text for_______.

A.school teachers      B.health experts   

C.sons and daughters   D.medical scientists