For computer users, there is no bigger excitement than tossing out your old PC and upgrading to a newer, faster and cleaner machine. With hardware designers like Intel, pushing newer, faster products every year, and new software requiring even more powerful machines, companies and consumers have little choice but to go along.

But this rapid turnover is having a serious effect on the planet. Producing a personal computer consumes large quantities of natural resources. A recent study by the United Nations estimates the energy required to produce a single new computer is equivalent to nearly two barrels of oil. And that doesn't include the 22 kg of chemicals or the 1,500 kg of water used in the manufacturing process.

  In fact, pound for pound（均等地）, the process for making a car is about 500% more efficient than that for making a computer. That doesn't matter so much 20 years ago when personal computers were few and far between, but times have changed. These days, computers are found nearly everywhere and sales continue to grow. The number of PCs in use topped one billion in 2002.

Waste in production is only half the problem. Old computers, especially the monitors, are full of dangerous substances, which need to be carefully recycled. The problem is sure to expand over the coming years as users replace their boxy CRT monitors with LCD flat displays.

  Europe now requires that 70% of parts from old computers be recycled, but the study’s authors say that’s also part of the problem. The solution, they insist, is for governments and companies to encourage people to use their computers longer, and upgrade rather than replace. But considering that much of the world’s recent economic growth has come from spending on computers and information technology, that advice may sound like wishful thinking. 

What do computer users have to do every few years according to the passage?

   A. Push newer, faster products.

   B. Produce more powerful machines.

   C. Consume large quantities of natural resources.

   D. Upgrade to a newer, faster computer.

What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A. The pound.                                   B. The process.

    C. The car.                                     D. The computer.

We can infer from the last paragraph that ____.

A. governments and companies will surely encourage people to use their computers longer

B. governments and companies will probably encourage people to replace their personal computers

C. the world's economic has been growing without people's spending on computers and information technology

D. all parts from old computers are now recycled in Europe

The purpose of writing this passage is ____

A. to encourage companies to push newer, faster personal computers

B. to encourage people to design more new software

C. to encourage people to save their personal computers

D. to encourage people to spend more money on computers and information technology

For thousands of millions of years the moon has been going round the earth. At that time, the moon was the 　36 satellite(卫星)of the earth. Today, 　37 , the earth has many other satellites. All of them are 38 by man. These man-made satellites are very much smaller than the moon. However, some of them will still be going 39 the earth thousands of years from now.

Man-made satellites don’t 40 because they are going too fast to do so. As they speed along, they 41 to go straight off into space. They 42 out of the earth, or its gravity, which 43 them from doing this. As a result, they travel in an orbit(轨道)round the earth.

If a man-made satellite travels about at a certain height, it can keep going 44 round the earth, just like the moon. This is 45 it is above the atmosphere(大气), and there is nothing to 46 it down. If it travels 47 than that, it will be slowed down so much that it will 48 the earth.

Men have 49 spaceships to the moon and to the two 50 planets Mars(火星) and Venus(金星). By putting a camera on 51 the spaceship to the moon, men have been able to 52 photographs of the other side of the moon. This side is always 53 from us as the moon 54 the earth. The 55 were later transmitted by radio to the earth. They showed that the other side of the moon is very much the same as the side that turns towards us.

36. A. first　　　　　　 B. second　　　　　　　　　C. last　　　　　　　　　　 D. only

37. A. then　　　　　　B. however　　　　　 　 C. though　　　　　　　　 D. so

38. A. found　　　　　B. discovered　　　　　　C. made　　　　　　　　　 D. sent

39. A. with　　　　　 B. round　　　　　　　　　 C. behind　　　　　　　　 D. after

40. A. fall　　　　　　 B. rise　　　　　　　　　　　　C. break　　　　　　　　 D. stop

41. A. want　　　　 B. wish　　　　　　　　　 C. hope　　　　　　　　　 D. tend

42. A. pull　　　　　 B. push　　　　　　　　　　 C. take　　　　　　　　　　 D. launch

43. A. protects　　B. keeps　　　　　　　　　　C. makes　　　　　　　　 D. discourages

44. A. in and in　 B. on and on　　　　　　 C. out and out　　　　　D. up and up

45. A. because　 B. why　　　　　　　　　　　 C. whether　　　　　　　 D. when

46. A. hand　　　　 B. force　　　　　　　　　 C. slow　　　　　　　　　　 D. bring

47. A. higher　　　 B. longer　　　　　　　　　　 C. more　　　　　　　　　 D. lower

48. A. leave away　　　　　 B. fall to　　 C. go after　　　　　　　　 D. knock over

49. A. gave　　　　 B. offered　　　　　　　　　　C. sent　　　　　　　　　 D. drove

50. A. nearest　　 B. smallest　　　　　　　　　C. biggest　　　　　　 D. closest

51. A. board　　　 B. right　　　　　　　　　　 C. left　　　　　　　　　　 D. top

52. A. form　　　　 B. film　　　　　　　　　　　　C. catch　　　　　　　 D. take

53. A. far　　　　　　　B. hidden　　　　　　　　　C. different　　　　　　 D. separated

54. A. leads　　　　　 B. obeys　　　　　　　　　 C. circles　　　　　　　 D. pursues

55. A. information　 B. letters　　　　　　　　　C. sounds　　　　　　 D. photos

For computer users, there is no bigger excitement than tossing out your old PC and upgrading to a newer, faster and cleaner machine. With hardware designers like Intel, pushing newer, faster products every year, and new software requiring even more powerful machines, companies and consumers have little choice but to go along.
But this rapid turnover is having a serious effect on the planet. Producing a personal computer consumes large quantities of natural resources. A recent study by the United Nations estimates the energy required to produce a single new computer is equivalent to nearly two barrels of oil. And that doesn't include the 22 kg of chemicals or the 1,500 kg of water used in the manufacturing process.
In fact, pound for pound（均等地）, the process for making a car is about 500% more efficient than that for making a computer. That doesn't matter so much 20 years ago when personal computers were few and far between, but times have changed. These days, computers are found nearly everywhere and sales continue to grow. The number of PCs in use topped one billion in 2002.
Waste in production is only half the problem. Old computers, especially the monitors, are full of dangerous substances, which need to be carefully recycled. The problem is sure to expand over the coming years as users replace their boxy CRT monitors with LCD flat displays.
Europe now requires that 70% of parts from old computers be recycled, but the study’s authors say that’s also part of the problem. The solution, they insist, is for governments and companies to encourage people to use their computers longer, and upgrade rather than replace. But considering that much of the world’s recent economic growth has come from spending on computers and information technology, that advice may sound like wishful thinking. 
【小题1】What do computer users have to do every few years according to the passage?
A. Push newer, faster products.
B. Produce more powerful machines.
C. Consume large quantities of natural resources.
D. Upgrade to a newer, faster computer.
【小题2】What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?

For most people, graduation is an exciting day – the culmination (顶点) of years of hard work. My graduation day... was not.
I remember that weekend two years ago, Family and friends had traveled far to watch our class walk across the stage. But like everyone else in my graduating class, I had watched the economy go from bad to worse during my senior year. We graduates had degrees, but very limited prospects (前景). I hadn’t secured a job, and I knew that the next day, when my lease (租约) ended, I would no longer have a place to call home.
The weeks ahead weren’t easy. I gathered up everything I couldn’t carry and put it into storage. Then, because I had no opportunities in my small university town, I packed up my car and drove to California to find work. But what I thought would take a week dragged into two, then four, and 100 job applications later, I found myself still jobless. The due date to begin paying back my student loans was creeping even closer.
Have you ever felt utter dread? That feeling became a constant in my life. The most frustrating part was no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t seem to make any progress.
So what did I do to maintain my sanity? I wrote. Something about putting my words on a page made everything clearer. Something about writing gave me hope.
I channeled my frustration into a children’s book. Beyond the river was the story of an unlikely hero, a little fish who refused to give up.
And then one day, with no writing degree or contacts in the writing world – just hard work and perseverance – I was offered a publishing contract for my first book. After that, things were in place, I was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with the Walt Disney Company and was hired shortly after.
The moral of this story is… don’t give up, even if things look bleak now.  Two years ago I was drinking cold soup right out the can. Things change. All we need is the courage to push beyond the river.
【小题1】When it was time to graduate, the author felt _____.

For 40 years, the people of London have been happy to discover in their parks a bird that seems to have made its way from the Himalayas to the capital of England. With its shocking green body, red mouth, long tail and noisy screech(尖叫), the rose-ringed parakeet (长尾小鹦鹉) brought a vivid colour to parks in and around London.
However, the parakeets are no longer welcome. The government has suddenly woken up to the fact that there are many more parakeets in and around London making life harder for the local bird population. Government experts put the number of parakeets at around 30,000. They fear that if the number of parakeets keeps rising, these birds will push out local birds like wood-peckers, starlings and nuthatches from trees to build their own nests.
Not only that. According to an online report by The Independent, the parakeets will then also get control of most of the food available in the parks — seeds, berries, fruit and nuts. The local bird population will then have a hard time staying alive. An organization called the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has asked the government to investigate (调查) what kind of a threat the parakeet brings to local birds. If the government decides that these birds are indeed a threat to local birds, steps will be taken to control the number of parakeets.
The most surprising thing about the case of the rose-ringed parakeet is that no one quite knows how the parakeets came from India and started breeding (繁殖) in areas around London.
【小题1】Parakeets are no longer welcome mainly because ______.