Nations plan next steps to end global warming

On December 3，more than 10,000 scientists, environmental activists and government officials from 187 countries met in Bali, Indonesia, which is the largest global warming conference ever held.

One of the main goals of the two-week meeting is to develop a replacement for the international treaty called the Kyoto Protocol, which has been signed by 174, countries, calling for limits on the emission of greenhouse gases.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, nations were legally bound to reduce greenhouse gases, but since it was signed in 2005, they have continued to increase worldwide. Of the largest greenhouse gas emitters, only Russia and Japan have agreed to follow me rules. China and India－second and sixth on the list－are making efforts to make cuts.

The U.S signed the treaty in 1997 but has not yet agreed to follow the strict rules, which require that greenhouse gas release be reduced by 10% by 2012. U.S. officials are opposed to these mandatory（强制性的），or required, cuts in emissions. "We’re worrying that it would be too costly and would hurt the U.S. economy. But we're not here to be a roadblock," said Harlan L. Watson, a top U.S. climate official.

Even if greenhouse gases are reduced, scientists say it will take decades or longer to stop the global warming that is already underway. To help poor countries deal with rising temperatures and climate changes, the UN has developed the "Adaptation Fund" to help them improve farming techniques and water systems.

But so far, it has only raised $67 million.

"The money should come from the countries most responsible and most capable," said Kate Raworth, a senior research official from the Oxfam International aid group. She listed the U.S., European Union, Japan, Australia and Canada.

1. The underlined word "they" in Paragraph 3 refers to“_____”.

2. By saying "But we’re not here to be a roadblock", Harlan L. Watson wants to say that_____．

3.According to Kate Raworth, the "Adaptation Fund" should come from all the following EXCEPT______．

4.Why did U.S officials not agree to make effort to reduce greenhouse gases?

5.We can learn from the passage that_____.

It was a comfortable sunny Sunday. I was going to meet an old university friend I hadn't seen for years, and was really excited to hear all his news.

?? My train was running a little late, but that was no big problem - I could text him to say I would be delayed. He would understand. But… where was my mobile phone? I had that familiar sinking feeling. Yes, I'd forgotten it at home.

??? No mobile phone. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling anxious, on edge and worried when I don't have my phone with me. In fact, I know I'm not alone: two-thirds of us experience ‘nomophobia’, the fear of being out of mobile phone contact.

That's according to a study from 2012 which surveyed 1,000 people in the UK about their relationship with mobile phones.

??? It says we check our mobile phones 34 times a day, that women are more ‘nomophobic’than men, and that 18-24 year-olds are the most likely to suffer fear of being without their mobiles: 77% of them say they are unable to be apart from their phones for more than a few minutes.

Do you have nomophobia ?

· You never turn your phone off

· You obsessively check for texts, missed calls and emails· You always take your phone to the bathroom with you· You never let the battery run out

It's funny to think that around 20 years ago the only people with mobile phones would be businessperson carrying their large, plastic ‘bricks’.?? Of course, these days, mobile phones are everywhere. A UN study from this year said mobile phone subscriptions would outnumber people across the world by the end of 2014.

?? And when there are more phones than people in the world, maybe it's time to ask who really is in charge? Are you in control of your phone, or does your phone control you?

?? So, what happened with my university friend? When I arrived a few minutes late he just laughed and said: "You haven't changed at all – still always late!" And we had a great afternoon catching up, full of jokes and stories, with no interruptions and no nagging(唠叨的) desire to check my phone.

? Not having it with me felt strangely liberating. Maybe I'll leave it at home on purpose next time.

1.What does the passage talk about ?

A. The history of mobiles.

B. The story of meeting an old university friend.

C. The addiction of playing mobile phone.

D. The terrible feeling of being without their mobiles.

2.The underlined phrase “ on edge ”in the third paragraph probably means_______.

A.? nervous???????? B. energetic????????? C. crazy??????? D. surprised

3.Which word is used to describe old mobile phones according to the passage?

A. digital phone??? B. cell phone??? ???? C. bricks??? ??? D. smart phone

4.According to the passage, who is most likely to be addicted to mobiles ?

A. a successful manager??????? ? B. a 21-year-old girl?

C. a 21-year-old boy??????????? D. a lonely middle-aged person

5.What’s the author’s attitude towards the using mobiles ?

A. Worried?? ??????? B. Favorable??? ??? C. Neutral???? ?? D. Critical

     Officials say an elephant has killed an American woman and her baby while the family was on a tour in Kenya．Kenya Wildlife Service official Michel Kipkeu said Sharon Brown，39, was holding her one-year-old daughter when they were trampled (踩踏) by the elephant Monday．Melia van Laar, owner of the castle Forest Hotel，where the family was walking with a guide about 2 kilometers from the hotel when an elephant came out from the bush at full speed．The father of the family is a teacher in Naiobi．Friends and colleagues held funeral services Wednesday．
From world leaders on the White House lawn to people at the bus stop，the common handshake is the universal greeting of peace and kindness．But young people are kissing goodbye to traditional social etiquette (礼节)，killing off the handshake, researchers say．The custom is seen as too formal by many, who prefer to touch fists or blow an air kiss instead．Nearly 74 percent of adults shake hands less than they used to — and only 45 percent of under-25s use the greeting．But many prefer no physical contact at all, a side effect of the growing fear of diseases，according to the survey of 1,000 people．
The growing mountain of e-waste will cause great environmental damage if no new strategies are produced to deal with the discarded televisions, mobile phones and computers，the UN Environment Program (UNEP) study said．Electronic waste is piling up around the world at a rate estimated at 40 million tons a year．China produces 2.6 million tons of electronic waste a year,  second only to the United States with 3.3 million tons, it said．LNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said the globe was ill-prepared to deal with the explosion of electronic products over the past decade．
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the 1paragraph?

       Officials say an elephant has killed an American woman and her baby while the family was on a tour in Kenya．Kenya Wildlife Service official Michel Kipkeu said Sharon Brown，39, was holding her one-year-old daughter when they were trampled (踩踏) by the elephant Monday．Melia van Laar, owner of the castle Forest Hotel，where the family was walking with a guide about 2 kilometers from the hotel when an elephant came out from the bush at full speed．The father of the family is a teacher in Naiobi．Friends and colleagues held funeral services Wednesday．

       From world leaders on the White House lawn to people at the bus stop，the common handshake is the universal greeting of peace and kindness．But young people are kissing goodbye to traditional social etiquette (礼节)，killing off the handshake, researchers say．The custom is seen as too formal by many, who prefer to touch fists or blow an air kiss instead．Nearly 74 percent of adults shake hands less than they used to — and only 45 percent of under-25s use the greeting．But many prefer no physical contact at all, a side effect of the growing fear of diseases，according to the survey of 1,000 people．

       The growing mountain of e-waste will cause great environmental damage if no new strategies are produced to deal with the discarded televisions, mobile phones and computers，the UN Environment Program (UNEP) study said．Electronic waste is piling up around the world at a rate estimated at 40 million tons a year．China produces 2.6 million tons of electronic waste a year,  second only to the United States with 3.3 million tons, it said．LNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said the globe was ill-prepared to deal with the explosion of electronic products over the past decade．

1.What’s the main idea of the 1paragraph?

        A．Tour in Kenya                                                            

B．Kenya wildlife Service                 

C．A one-year-old girl trampled by an elephant             

D．American mother, baby killed by elephant in Kenya

2.Yong people wave goodbye to handshakes because     

       A．they prefer physical contact

       B．many young people think handshaking is too formal

       C．they prefer to touch fists or blow an air kiss

       D．they are not accustomed to handshaking

3.What ean be inferred from passage three?

       A．America ranks first in producing e-waste a year

     B．China produces 2.6 million tons of electronic waste a year

       C．the globe was ill prepared to deal with the explosion of electronic products

       D．The growlng mountain of e-wasted won’t cause great environmental damage．

4.The underlined word“discarded”means      

        A．disliked                    B．deserted                 C．scarred                        D．scared

5.The passages are most likely to appear in a/an       

     A．brochure                 B．science book          C．newspaper                      D．magazine

One is never too old to learn. Life learning (sometimes called un-schooling or self-directed learning) is one of those concepts that are almost easier to explain by saying what it isn’t than what it is. And that’s probably because our own schooled backgrounds have convinced us that learning happens only in a fine building on certain days, between certain hours, and managed by a specially trained professional.

Within that schooling framestudy, no matter how hard teachers try and no matter how good their textbooks, many bright students get bored, many slower students struggle and give up or lose their self-respect, and most of them reach the end of the process unprepared to enter into society. They have memorized a certain body of knowledge long enough to rush back the information on tests, but they haven’t really learnt much, at least of the official curriculum.

Life learners, on the other hand, know that learning is not difficult, that people learn things quite easily if they’re not compelled and forced, if they see a need to learn something, and if they are trusted and respected enough to learn it on their own timetable, at their own speed, in their own way—no matter what age and no matter whether we’re at school or at home.

Life learning is independent of time, location or the presence of teacher. It does not require mom or dad to teach, or kids to work in workbooks at the table from 9 to noon. Life learning is learner-driven. It involves living and learning—in and from the real world. It is about exploring, questioning, experimenting, making messes, taking risks without fear of making mistakes, being laughed at and trying again.

Furthermore, life learning is about trusting kids to learn what they need to know and about helping them to learn and grow in their own ways. It is about providing positive experiences that enable children to understand the world and their culture and to interact with it.

1.It is implied in the text that it is hard to ______.

A. tell the nature of life learning 　　      B. carry life learning through

C. learn without going to school 　　      D. find a specially trained teacher

2.According to the author, the schooling framestudy often ______.

A. produces slow students with poor memories

B. ignores some parts of the official curriculum

C. fails to provide enough knowledge about life

D. gives little care to the quality of teaching materials

3.Life learners recognize that learning will not be difficult if they are ______.

A. able to respect other people　                  B. careful to make a time table

C. clear about why to learn　　                     D. cautious about any mistakes

4.According to the author, life learning ______.

A. could prevent one from running risks

B. teaches a kid how to avoid being laughed at

C. makes a kid independent of his parents

D. could be a road full of trials and errors

5.Through life learning, children ______.

A. will grow without the assistance from parents

B. will be seperated from the negative side of society

C. will be driven to learn necessary life knowledge

D. will learn to communicate with the real society