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 has 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 it 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, 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 associate packaging with quality．We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality．This is especially true of food．But it is also applied 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 realize just how much unnecessary materials are collected．We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．

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．

The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show ___________．

       A．the tendency of cutting household waste   

       B．the increase of packaging recycling

       C．the rapid growth of supermarkets         

       D．the fact of packaging overuse

According to the text, recycling ___________．

       A．helps control the greenhouse effect        

       B．means burning packaging for energy

       C．is the solution to gas shortage            

       D．leads to a waste of land

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．

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 it for carrying 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 associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is 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 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 “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 increase of packaging recycling

C. the rapid growth of super markets

D. the fact of packaging overuse

3. According to the text, recycling ______.

   A. helps control the greenhouse effect

   B. means burning packaging for energy

   C. is the solution to gas shortage

   D. leads to a waste of land

4. 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.

5. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

   A. Fighting wastefulness is difficult.

   B. Needless material is mostly recycled.

   C. People like collecting recyclable waste.

   D. The author is proud of their consumer culture.

For Lee Ann Laraway, polio(脑灰质炎) has made almost everything in life just out of reach. But what her hands can't retrieve, her assistant can. Meet Jeannie, a three-year-old help, has become Lee Ann's arms and legs.

    Jeannie understands no fewer than 72 commands. To get a feel for what that means, Lee Ann takes us on a shopping trip in San Jose. First stop: The bank, where she got cash from the teller. From the bank, it's on to the drug store, where Jeannie got a candy bar for Lee Ann. Then Jeannie helped pay the cashier, and got change hack.

    "When you have a really good working animal, they come and interact with you all the time," Lee Ann said. While there's no argument that Jeannie is an ordinary animal, she wasn't born that way. She was tutored and trained here at a facility that has become the final legacy of one of the Bay Area's most beloved figures.

    Canine Companions for Independence sits on twelve acres of land in Santa Rosa donated by late Peanuts cartoonist Charles Shultz, Here, handlers work with specially selected labs for hours a day— but not every dog will make the cut.

    The work is serious Business. In the case of hearing dogs, the animals alert their disabled owners to everything from ringing telephones to doorbells.

    Other dogs will work with severely disabled patients like eight-year-old Noah Habib of Mountain View who communicates with a special computer. "I like it when new people come up to ask me about my dog," he says. "People are really interested in the dog and will come over and ask to pet her and ask to play with her, and ask about what she does, and these are people that normally might not approach us and want to talk to Noah," says his Dad.

    And back in San Jose Lee Ann is arriving home with Jeannie and her groceries. With just one chore left—opening her own door. "You can train a dog to do a lot of things," said Lee Ann. "You cannot give them the heart to do the job, and that is what a good working dog has."

Lee Ann's dog Jeannie cannot ______.

     A) get cash at the bank                        C) pay a cashier for her

     B) take on a telephone for her                   D) open the door

Canine Companions for Independence is a place for ______.

     A) severely disabled children to have practice

     B) people to donate money or legacy

     C) ordinary dogs to be coached

     D) people to learn business

Which of the following can replace the phrase "make the cut" (Line 3, Para 4)?

     A) become a good working dog                  C) hurt the coach

     B) become a helpful star                        D) hurt itself

According to Lee Ann, you cannot train an ordinary dog ______.

     A) to put things on people's laps                 C) to always interact with its owner

     B) to alert deaf people                          D) to love working

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 has 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 it 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, 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 associate packaging with quality．We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality．This is especially true of food．But it is also applied 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 realize just how much unnecessary materials are collected．We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．

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．

The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show ___________．

     A．the tendency of cutting household waste    

       B．the increase of packaging recycling

     C．the rapid growth of supermarkets          

       D．the fact of packaging overuse

According to the text, recycling ___________．

     A．helps control the greenhouse effect        

       B．means burning packaging for energy

     C．is the solution to gas shortage             

       D．leads to a waste of land

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．

What can we learn from the last paragraph?

     A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult．

       B．Needless material is mostly recycled．

     C．People like collecting recyclable wastes．

       D．The author is proud of their consumer culture．

ASK LASKAS

YOU’VE GOT QUESTIONS. SHE'S GOT ANSWERS

My children go to a primary school where they are not allowed to play football in the playground for fear that a child might be hurt. Besides, now the school says there must be no homework because the local secondary school can't keep up with the amount of homework given in the primary school. Can the school do this?    Puzzled Dad

It can't if enough parents do something about it. It is not just schools. We live in a society which wishes to get rid of risk. However, schools should have a little common sense and courage. Children need risk if they arc to grow up self-sufficient and confident. They need homework, too, if they are to fulfill their academic potential. Complain, loudly.

I have a beautiful teenage daughter who spends an hour making up her face in front of the mirror every day. I tell her to go easy. She just gets mad or bursts into tears. How can I make her understand she's beautiful the way she is.       Plain Mom

You can't. Your daughter is at the age when she's trying to look beautiful, trying on new masks. And if her friends all dress up as she does, you're in for an extra hard time. Support her and tell her she's beautiful — even if she looks ridiculous for now. Then invite her to join you for a day at a spa. Let her try various looks until she's comfortable in her own skin.

Why are the children not allowed to play football in the playground?

A. The school is afraid that children might be injured.

B. The school is not sensible and confident.

C. The children don't have enough time to do homework.

D. The children may fail to fulfill their academic potential.

What disturbs Plain Mom is that her daughter______.

A. becomes mad                                       B. cries a lot

C. spends much time before the mirror    D. is not beautiful enough

The solution to Plain Mom's problem is to______.

A. make her daughter look less ridiculous           B. let her daughter dress up like her friends

C. make her daughter go to a spa every week   D. let her daughter feel herself what beauty is

What does the underlined word spa mean?

A. a place where water with minerals in it           B. a place where people can relax

C. a beauty salon                             D. a swimming pool