Prediction(预言) has always been a serious business .In the old days ,astrologers(星占学家) were employed(从事于) to predict the future .Today futurologists(未来学家) make scientificall based predictions which are taken seriously .Basically ,the methods used in the past and those used today are similar.You look at what is happening in the present and then project(设想) into the future.

Take something like the motor-car ,for example .It's obviously wasteful , noisy ,dangerous , etc. So perhaps in the future it will have been replaced by something better. Projecting in the same way we can say that the common cold will have been cured; pollution will be got rid of; Antarctica will have been developed; money will have been replaced by credit cards; floating cities will have been built; the Jupiter(木星) will have been visited ;a cure for cancer will have been discovered .The world's mineral supplies will have been used up ,and so on .But only one thing is really certain：most of us will have been completely forgotten!?

1.What do astrologers and futurologists have in common??

A.They use scientific methods.?

B.They make predictions.?

C.They tell us something about the past.?

D.They tell us something about the present.?

2.Forecasts(预测)about the future are _______.?

A.based on the present

B.made by astrologers?

C.taken seriously

D.scientifically based?

3.As far as human beings are concerned,the only really certain thing is that_______.

A.pollution will be got rid of?

B.money will be replaced?

C.we will disappear from the world?

D.we will visit Jupiter?

4.Which is the best title for the passage??

A.The Past,the Present and the Future?

B.Astrologers and Futurologists?

C.The Changing World?

D.Tomorrow's World

No one can avoid being influenced by advertisements. Much as we may pride ourselves on our good taste, we are no longer free to choose the things we want, for advertising exerts a subtle influence on us. In their efforts to persuade us to buy this or that product, advertisers have made a close study of human nature and have classified all our little weaknesses.

Advertisers discovered years ago that all of us love to get something for nothing. An advertisement which begins with the magic word FREE can rarely go wrong. These days, advertisers not only offer free samples, but free cars, free houses, and free trips round the world as well. They devise hundreds of competitions which will enable us to win huge sums of money. Radio and television have made it possible for advertisers to capture the attention of millions of people in this way.

During a radio programme, a company of biscuit manufacturers once asked listeners to bake biscuits and send them to their factory. They offered to pay $10 a pound for the biggest biscuit baked by a listener. The response to this competition was tremendous. Before long, biscuits of all shapes and sizes began arriving at the factory. One lady brought in a biscuit on a wheelbarrow. It weighed nearly 500 pounds. A little later, a man came along with a biscuit which occupied the whole of his car. All the biscuits that were sent were carefully weighed. The largest was 713 pounds. It seemed certain that this would win the prize. But just before the competition closed, a lorry arrived at the factory with a truly colossal biscuit which weighed 2,400 pounds. It had been baked by a college student who had used over 1,000 pounds of flour, 800 pounds of sugar, 200 pounds of fat, and 400 pounds of various other ingredients. It was so heavy that a crane had to be used to remove it from the lorry. The manufacturers had to pay more money than they had anticipated, for they bought the biscuit from the student for $24,000.

1..

. Why have advertisers made a close study of human weakness?

A. They thought it was very interesting to do so.

B. They wanted to persuade the customers to buy their products.

C. They thought it was their duty.

D. They wanted to research how much people spend buying their products.

2..

. Why do advertisers offer free samples and other things to people?

A. They use them to attract people’s attention.

B. Their advertisements have little effect on customers.

C. Different means are being used to cheat people.

D. They produce too many products that can’t be sold out.

3..

 From the last paragraph, we know that the factory failed to expect _______.

A. how many people would take an interest in the competition

B. how many ingredients are needed to bake a large biscuit

C. it was possible to bake a biscuit as large as the student’s

D. the payment wouldn’t be as high as $ 24,000

E
The earth is getting warmer. The planet is suffering. But what can you do about it? Reduce the amount of waste you generate. Use cleaner energy sources and go greener today, starting with these steps:
1. Get a reusable water bottle
Americans buy about 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles each year. That's an average of 83 bottles per person per year. Plastic bottles take plenty of resources to produce, including fuel for transportation and petroleum to make the plastic. Even recycling bottles uses energy.
2. Eat less meat
You don't need to become a vegetarian to help save the planet. Eating meat just one day less a week can reduce your negative impact on the environment. More water, energy and land are required to produce meat than to produce grain.
3. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
Most households use standard incandescent (白炽的) bulbs. But compact fluorescent (荧光的) light bulbs, or CFLs, use 66 percent less energy than standard bulbs, produce just as much light, last up to 10 times longer and don't need to be replaced as often. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would equal removing one million cars from the road.
4. Buy organic and local food
Did you know that only 1 percent of pesticides (杀虫剂) applied to crops reach the pests they target? The rest enter the environment. Organic food is grown without the use of pesticides. Organic farming can use 50 percent less energy than traditional farming methods. Buying local food saves on the fuel used to transport food grown elsewhere, thousands of miles across the country or around the world.
5. Recycle your electronics
Everyone knows the importance of recycling glass and plastic, but what about cell phones, computers, CDs and batteries? Electronics are responsible for about 40 percent of toxic (有毒的) heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Check with your city's recycling facilities to see if they take electronics.
72. The readers of this passage are called on to ______.
A. help reduce global warming               B. use water in a wise way               C. donate money for charity                      D. keep a balanced diet
73. What is an advantage of CFLs according to the passage?
A. They use more energy but produce more light.                                   B. They can last longer so don't need to be replaced often.                                        C. They cost less than standard incandescent bulbs.                                         D. They are as energy-efficient as incandescent bulbs.
74. Which of the following figures is correct according to the passage?
A. Every year an American buys 63 plastic water bottles on average.                   B. Eating meat one day less a week helps cut environment costs.                                   C. 99 of the pesticides used on crops is effective in practice.                                         D. Electronics account for half of poisonous heavy metals on the earth.
75. Which can be the best title for this passage?
A. Why is the earth getting warmer?           B. What can we do about pollution?              C. How can you lead a greener life?          D. Who is to blame for global warming?

E
The earth is getting warmer. The planet is suffering. But what can you do about it? Reduce the amount of waste you generate. Use cleaner energy sources and go greener today, starting with these steps:
1. Get a reusable water bottle
Americans buy about 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles each year. That's an average of 83 bottles per person per year. Plastic bottles take plenty of resources to produce, including fuel for transportation and petroleum to make the plastic. Even recycling bottles uses energy.
2. Eat less meat
You don't need to become a vegetarian to help save the planet. Eating meat just one day less a week can reduce your negative impact on the environment. More water, energy and land are required to produce meat than to produce grain.
3. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
Most households use standard incandescent (白炽的) bulbs. But compact fluorescent (荧光的) light bulbs, or CFLs, use 66 percent less energy than standard bulbs, produce just as much light, last up to 10 times longer and don't need to be replaced as often. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would equal removing one million cars from the road.
4. Buy organic and local food
Did you know that only 1 percent of pesticides (杀虫剂) applied to crops reach the pests they target? The rest enter the environment. Organic food is grown without the use of pesticides. Organic farming can use 50 percent less energy than traditional farming methods. Buying local food saves on the fuel used to transport food grown elsewhere, thousands of miles across the country or around the world.
5. Recycle your electronics
Everyone knows the importance of recycling glass and plastic, but what about cell phones, computers, CDs and batteries? Electronics are responsible for about 40 percent of toxic (有毒的) heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Check with your city's recycling facilities to see if they take electronics.
72. The readers of this passage are called on to ______.
A. help reduce global warming               B. use water in a wise way              
C. donate money for charity                 D. keep a balanced diet
73. What is an advantage of CFLs according to the passage?
A. They use more energy but produce more light.                                  
B. They can last longer so don't need to be replaced often.
C. They cost less than standard incandescent bulbs.                                      
D. They are as energy-efficient as incandescent bulbs.
74. Which of the following figures is correct according to the passage?
A. Every year an American buys 63 plastic water bottles on average.                  
B. Eating meat one day less a week helps cut environment costs.                                  
C. 99 of the pesticides used on crops is effective in practice.                                        
D. Electronics account for half of poisonous heavy metals on the earth.
75. Which can be the best title for this passage?
A. Why is the earth getting warmer?           B. What can we do about pollution?              C. How can you lead a greener life?              D. Who is to blame for global warming?

Traveling without a map in different countries, I find out about different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs; in Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”

People in Los Angeles, the US, have no idea of distance on the map: they measure distance by time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You don’t understand completely, “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won’t get an answer, because most probably they don’t know it themselves.

People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.

Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People there believe that “I don’t” is impolite. They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan!

However, one thing will help you everywhere in the world. It’s body language.

1.Which one of the followings is probably an example of Japanese directions?

A. “Go south two miles. Turn west and then go another mile.”

B. “Turn right at the hospital and go past a school. The library is right in front of you.”

C. “The post office is about five minutes from here”

D. “The post office is at Street Kamira.”

2. People in Los Angeles don’t give directions in miles because _________.

A. they use landmarks in their directions instead of distance

B. they prefer to lead you the way

C. they often have no idea of distance measured by miles

D. they prefer to use body language

3. Greeks give directions by __________.

A. using street names         B. using landmarks

C. leading people the way     D. giving people a wrong direction

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. There are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world.

B. People in Yucatan give wrong directions on purpose.

C. People in some places give directions using landmarks.

D. People in some places give directions in time. 

5.What does the writer want to tell us?

A. It's difficult to travel without a map.

B. It's important to use body language when you are travelling.

C. In different countries, there are different styles of directions.

D. You can't trust everyone when you are travelling.