Electric cars will not be really much cleaner than autos powered by mineral fuels until they rely less on electricity produced from usual coal-fired power plants.

 “For electric vehicles to become a major green alternative, the power fuel has to move away from

coal, or cleaner coal technologies have to be developed,” said Jared Cohon, the chairman of a National

Research Council report released on Monday. About half of US power is produced by

burning coal, which gives off many times more of traditional pollutants than natural gas, and about

twice as much of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Nuclear and renewable power have to

generate a larger portion of US power for electric cars to become much greener compared to

gasoline-powered cars, Cohan, who is president of Carnegie Mellon University, said in an interview.

Advances in coal burning, like capturing carbon at power plants for permanent burial underground,

could also help electric cars become a cleaner alternative to vehicles powered by fossil fuels, he said.

Pollution from energy sources did $120 billion worth of damage to human health, agriculture and

recreation in 2008, and electricity was responsible for more than half of the damage, said the NRC

report.

  Electric cars have their benefits such as reducing imports of foreign oil. But they also have hidden

costs. Materials in electric car batteries are hard to produce, which adds to the energy it takes to make

them. In fact, the health and environmental costs of making electric cars can be 20 percent greater

than usual cars, the report said.

  The report estimated that electric cars could still cost more than gas-powered cars to operate and

manufacture in 2030 unless US power production becomes cleaner.[来源:]

1. Why are electric cars not clean enough?

   A. Because they run too slowly              B. Because they are too expensive

   C. Because they rely on coal-fired power.      D. Because they give off more carbon dioxide.

2. We can infer from the passage that ______.

   A. electric cars will soon take the place of gas-powered cars

   B. no one holds hope for electric cars at present

   C. electric cars waste more energy than before

   D. some people believe that electric cars are cleaner

3. The underlined word “them” refers to “______”.

   A. electric cars     B. batteries       C. producers        D. materials

4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to make electric cars cleaner?

   A. Developing cleaner coal technologies.        B. Making electric cars run faster.

   C. Generating more unclear power.             D. Making advances in coal burning.

第二卷 非选择题（两部分，共35分）

第四部分：任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应的横线上。

It is said that English speakers fall into three groups: those who have learnt it as a mother tongue, those who have learnt it as a second language through exposure(显露) in a society where it is spoken, and those who are forced to use it for administrative(管理的), professional or educational purposes.

This third group, along with the supremacy(至高地位) of English in the business world, has created a fast development in institutions offering English for business. However, the average business person, while happily accepting the challenge, does not have any idea how long the process may take.

Duncan Ford, a specialist in language teaching theory, partly puts the blame on misleading publicity and says that you have to think in terms of hundreds of hours while people still think learning a language is a three-hour-a-week job.

According to him, the key is lots of variety of the activities similar to the happiness of the class. The communicative way has replaced the old–fashioned note-taking method and for those people who think that a couple of hours with the latest CD-ROM is not to replace for English classes, they should think again. While seen as a useful back-up, they are not teacher replacement.

Learning English for a Special Purpose

The olive is one of the oldest planted crops known to man and is still widely grown in the Mediterranean.An olive tree can have a life of 500 years and is strong enough to continue to grow if ever chopped to the ground.It takes up four years before the olive tree is ripe enough to bear fruit.

Olive trees originated in the Mediterranean region where there is the perfect climate for the olive tree planting.It is characterized by abundant sunshine year-round and hot,dry summers with an average temperature of 80°F.In winter,it rarely drops below 50°F.Olive trees were first planted by humans around 4000 BC in an area known as the Fertile Crescent.Before the areas became desert,countries such as modern-day Turkey and Iraq had a lush environment with soil that plants grow well.Archaeological findings suggest that farming began in the Fertile Crescent before 7000BC.Instead of living as hunter-gatherers,these early humans settled down and harvested native plants.They selected olive trees that produced larger and oilier olives than the wild trees.

Olives and olive oil became valuable trade items between societies and civilizations.People who moved from one place to another and traders from the Fertile Crescent introduced olive oil to Syria and Crete,which spread to Egypt,Greece,and Rome.It continued to migrate westward until olive trees were first introduced to Califomia between 1769 and 1785.

The olive tree and olive oil have important symbolism in each religion.In Christianity,a dove(鸽子)brought an olive branch to Noah as a symbol of peace and new life after God flooded the Earth.The Prophet Muhammad suggested the use of olive oil for medicinal(药用的) purposes and massage(按摩).

Olive oil has medicinal benefits.Olive oil has been used for health benefits.Regular eating olive oil can reduce the risk of cancers.It was used during the Spanish Civil War from 1808 to 1813 to treat cases of fever.In 1960,oleuropein(橄榄多酚)was removed from olive leaves,which helps with food poisoning.

1.If an olive tree is chopped to the ground,______.

2.What does the underlined word “lush”in para.2 probably mean?

3.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that_____.

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

①Olive trees bear fruits every four years.

②Olive oil was a food production before 7000BC.

③In Muhammad,olive oil was used as medicine.

④Olive trees were introduced to California in the 18^th century.

A.②③④          B. ①②③           C. ①③④           D. ①②④

5.What is this passage mainly about?

Every day, life is made and lost. Every day, life goes on. Every day we experience some of the most important parts of life and may not even realize it: love, generosity, and perseverance. These values aren’t just important to us; they make the world what it is.

Scientists say that gravitaional(重力的)force makes the world turn, but some people say that love makes it go round. Love can be found anywhere: in families, friends, even complete strangers. Even if you can’t see it, you know it’s there.

Love may connect people all over the world, but what would the world be without generosity? Whether after a national disaster, or a school fund-raiser, one thing is certain----it is better to give than to receive. Generosity is found everywhere and whether it’s a large or small act, it makes a difference. Sometimes, though, it takes effort to be generous, which leads us to perseverance.

Founding a country, riding a bike, or finishing an essay, these are all finished with perseverance. Perseverance is the one thing that can help us achieve whatever we want. It is what helps scientists to discover cures for diseases, and athletes to become champions.

There is an infinite(无穷的) number of things we value, but without love, generosity and perseverance, we just don’t think that our life or the world would be the way it is.

1. The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to “________”.

A. the world              B. gravitational force

C. value                    D. experience

2. To be generous, the author thinks________.

A. you needn’t make efforts                    B. you should be qualified

C. you should give all you have        D. you will find it good to give

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Perseverance is the only thing that can halp us to achieve success.

B. People don’t understand the life they are experiencing at all.

C. We can find love in complete strangers sometimes.

D. What the world is like depends on gravity and love.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Success and Failure                    B. Three Values

C. Endless Love                          D. Life Full of Hope

Fresh flowers actually continue to grow while in a vase．So in order to keep flowers fresh, you need to consider what the flowers need to grow and stay healthy．Flowers need water, light, and food．Besides, you need to be aware of a few precautions to take．

Distilled water（蒸馏水） is the best kind of water to use for fresh flowers, because there are no chemicals in it．Change the water for your fresh flowers every day or no less than every 2 days to prevent bacteria（细菌） building up．Cut the stems under water again before putting them back in the vase, so that they will be able to draw water up easily．

Keep your fresh flowers out of direct sunlight．At night, put them in the fridge．This will prolong their life．Adding commercial flower food to good water is probably the best method of keeping flowers fresh．Some people put sugar in the water for food．That is OK, but commercial flower food has bacteria-killing ingredients, which can make the water more acidic（酸性的）．If you want a more natural food for your fresh flowers, try water that has been specially treated．That solution will also give the water acidity, sugar, and bacteria-killing ability．

Keep your fresh flowers away from fruit．Fruit gas, or ethylene, will reduce the life of your fresh flowers, making them get older faster．Ethylene is what makes fruit ripen．It is given off by dead flowers, too, so be sure to remove them．

If you follow these tips, your fresh flowers will last a long time and beautify any room in which you put them．

1．What does the underlined word precautions in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．problems that happen to flowers． B．advantages of having flowers．

C．measures taken to prevent problems．   D．preparations to grow flowers outside．

2．The fact that distilled water is most beneficial for fresh flowers indicates that ______．

A．distilled water is perfect for people to drink

B．running water shouldn’t be used to water flowers

C．it takes great efforts to keep flowers fresh

D．fresh flowers aren’t used to certain chemicals

3．In order to prolong the life of fresh flowers, you should ______．

A．protect them from direct sunlight during the daytime

B．put them in a damp place at night

C．put them in a fridge all the time

D．put them near water during the daytime

4．Which of the following is the best method of keeping flowers fresh?

A．Cutting the stems under water before putting them back．

B．Using distilled water and commercial flower food．

C．Keeping them away from fruit gas．

D．Watering them with water which contains sugar．