The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in four weeks has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory (呼吸的) illnesses and led to calls for laws to control the pollution.

Pan Shiyi, a celebrity, said he is planning to propose a Clean Air Act to the local government. As a representative to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, he started an online survey at 9:20 a.m. Within three hours, more than 25,000 web users, or 99 percent of total respondents (应答者) , welcomed his proposal.

They have good reasons to stand alongside Pan. The latest round of haze（雾霾）reduced visibility to under 500 meters in many parts of the city. The smog has also led to a great increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly. Anxious parents and doctors almost all blame the smoggy air for the illnesses. Though most schoolchildren are home for the winter holidays, the bad air can easily move indoors. Besides, ordinary medical masks fail to provide enough protection, so some people have turned to gas masks.

The causes of the frightening smog are rather mysterious, though experts blame too much emissions (排放) and the mountains around Beijing that trap pollution in winter, unless there is enough wind to clear it away. Some critics blamed China’s top two oil firms, China National Petroleum Corp and China Petrochemical Corporation, saying the companies’ outdated production technologies produce large quantities of high-polluting gas fuel.

Meanwhile, some Beijingers have moved their brainstorming discussion to computers. If Pan’s proposal for a Clean Air Act is adopted, netizens say the new law should include items providing for “car-free days” in times of smog, higher standards for vehicle fuel, stricter limit to industrial and engine gas emissions, and more effective protection for the public.

Beijing is not the only city that has ever lost the blue sky. Five days of thick fog caused thousands of deaths in Britain in December 1952, urging the government to pass the first Clean Air Act in 1956, which introduced smokeless zones and cleaner fuels to reduce pollution. That may provide some experience for Beijing to refer to.

1.Why did Pan Shiyi started an online survey?

A. To know the public’s opinions on pollution

B. To tell people the danger of the smoggy weather

C. To call on people to support his proposal

D. To collect supporting evidence for his proposal

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. People are clear about the causes of the smoggy weather.

B. Children staying indoors will not get respiratory illnesses.

C. Smog is worse for people with lower resistance to diseases.

D. Masks can give people protection against the smoggy weather.

3.Britain is mentioned in the last paragraph to ______.

A. suggest Beijing should learn from other countries

B. let people know many places have this problem

C. tell people the situation in Britain is worse

D. call on the government to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act

4. What’s the best title for this passage？

A. The Use of Gas masks and Engines

B. Beijingers Call for Clean Air Act

C. Effective Protection for Blue Sky

D. The Mysterious Causes of the Scary Smog

Forgiveness

To forgive is a virtue, but no one has ever said it is easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your hate. However, forgiveness is possible, and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health. People who forgive show less sadness, anger and stress and more hopefulness, according to a recent research.

_____1._______ Try the following steps:

Calm yourself. _____2.________ You can take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, or someone you love.

Don’t wait for an apology. Many times the person who hurt you does not intend to apologize. They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don’t see things the same way. ______3._______ Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean becoming friends again with the person who upset you.

Take the control away from your offender(冒犯者). Rethinking about your hurt gives power to the person who causes you pain. Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.

_____4._______ If you understand your offender, you may realize that he or she was acting out of unawareness, fear, and even love. You may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender’s point of view.

Don’t forget to forgive yourself. _____5.______ But it can rob you of your self-confidence if you don’t do it.

A.Why should you forgive?

B.How should you start to forgive?

C.Recognize the benefits of forgiveness.

D.Try to see things from your offender’s angle.

E.For some people, forgiving themselves is the biggest challenge.

F.To make your anger die away, try a simple stress-management technique.

G.If you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping across Americas farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country's farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census (普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of farmers is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.

Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of America's farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No.1 on a list of "useless" college degrees. Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.

“There couldn't be anything that's more incorrect," Merrigan said. "We know that there aren't enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.

In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said.

“I truly believe we're at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows," said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. "Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture”.

The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers' Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new fermers.

Ryan Best, president of Future Fanners of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21 -year-old Best hopes his message-that this is a new time in agriculture-will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics.“Never before have we had the innovations (创新）in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in”

1.What is the new challenge to American agriculture?

A. Fewer and older farmers.                                           B. Higher fuel prices.

C. More natural disasters.                                              D. Lower agricultural output.

2.Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country?

A.To draw federal agriculture officials' attention

B.To select qualified agriculture graduates.

C.To clarify a recent blog posting.

D.To talk more students into farming careers

3.According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people because__________.

A.the government will cover production costs

B.global food supplies will be even lower

C.investment in agriculture will be profitable

D.America will increase its food export

4.What do the underlined words "to turn around the statistics" in the last paragraph mean?

A.To re-analyze the result of the national census.

B.To increase production.

C.To bring down the average age of farmers.

D.To invest more in agriculture.

You might say that one reason why Barack Obama is president of the US is that he knows how to give a good speech.

Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent（有智慧的） adults, and he is able to express complicated ideas in an easy, natural way.

Before becoming president, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer---his two memories have become best-sellers.

What’s more, he has some secret weapons.

Teleprompter: Obama doesn’t go anywhere without his Teleprompter. The textbook-sized panes of glass holding the president’s prepared remarks follow him wherever he goes to speak.

Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential speeches and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits(编辑)and rewrites the drafts(草稿)several times.

Tricks for lighthearted speeches:

Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently teasing his guests. His opening lines draw the audience’s attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.

Make fun of yourself: A good rule for speechmakers: If you’re going to make a joke about someone else, be sure to make one about yourself, too. Obama mocks(嘲弄) his own poor choices for filling the position of Commerce Secretary, saying, “No president in history has ever named three Commerce Secretaries this quickly.” In fact, his first two nominees（被提名人）for the position withdrew(撤出) their names for different reasons. In a process that had otherwise gone smoothly, the Obama Administration found it hard to deal with the problem of filling the Commerce seat.

1.Obama made the poetic and inspiring speech in 2004 as________.

A. president                     B. a nominee for the presidency

C. a senator                     D. a secretary

2.What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 2?

A. Difficult to understand.           B. Easy to understand.

C. Different from others.             D. Interesting to say.

3.From the passage, we know that Obama’s secret weapons are all these EXCEPT ____.

A. a writing team                 B. a teleprompter             C. humor                   D. motivation

4.What’s the best title of the passage？

A. Secrets of Obama’s successful speeches.  

B. Obama’s successful speeches.

C. Obama’s way of making speeches. 

D. Problems of Obama’s speeches.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it were your last, someday you’ ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
Remembering that I’ ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choice in life.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that was incurable, and that I would live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is my doctors’ code for preparing yourself to die.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. I was completely in despair. Later that evening, I had another examination and my wife told me that tumor turned to be curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’ m fine now.
This was the closest I’ve been to facing death. To tell the truth, no one wants to die. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. It clears out the old to make room for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.
Your time is so limited that you shouldn’t waste it repeating someone else’s life. Don’ t be trapped by dogma（教条）—which is living with the results of other people’ s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart. It somehow already knows what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
【小题1】The doctor advised the author to go home and get his affairs in order because_________.

A．Hopeless

B．Excited

C．Optimistic

D．Angry