To me, this all just seems to _______ and I think it’s reasonable.

A. make sense         B. lift up        C. take in        D. slow down

Across countryside, non-food crops are growing alongside wheat．Some are used in new alternatives to plastics and other materials, but others will simply be burned．
Burning crops is becoming more popular because it is good for the planet．Doing so is also cheaper than burning fossil fuels．As more land is devoted to non-food crop production, the economics of crops for fuel are likely to become even more favorable．
Humans have been burning such biomass—organic materials from plants or animals— since they discovered fire．But that burning fossil fuels could have catastrophic consequences has brought biomass back into fashion．
Even allowing for emissions (排放) of carbon dioxide from fuel used in planting, harvesting, processing and transporting biomass fuel, replacing fossil fuel with biomass can typically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent．
Power stations around the world are experimenting with forms of biomass to add to their coal or oil, with encouraging results．Indeed, power companies could profit by turning to biomass, especially when the subsidies (补助) many governments offer for using renewable energy are taken into account．
Farmers can benefit from growing biomass．In Europe, the reduction of subsidies for certain crops is exposing farmers to market forces．Instead of being paid for whatever they produce, farmers must seek a clear demand for their product．Many believe that the demand for alternatives to fossil fuels could be just such a driver．
But while biomass offers a variety of potential alternatives, the world's infrastructure (基础设施） has developed around burning fossil fuels to such a stage that switching to biomass involves a change in conception that many companies have not accepted．
Also, there are problems with using biomass．Although most coal-fired power stations could take a small amount of their fuel from biomass without significant adjustment, few are built to run on biomass alone．Burning some forms of biomass also causes environmental problems．Oils and waste can be smelly, while wood produces smoke unless burned properly．
The supply chains for fossil fuels are set up well, but those for biomass are just the beginning. Sources of supply for biomass rely on farm production and can therefore be less reliable. They are necessarily limited and it wouldn't make sense to turn a very large amount of valuable agricultural land away from food crops．But as the world adjusts to the need to control greenhouse gas emissions, these problems may receive more attention．
【小题1】What do we know about biomass?

As the semester(学期) ended, students had a chance to turn the tables on their teachers.

They got to grade me anonymously(匿名地), assessing the ability of my thinking, my organizational skills and the depth of my knowledge. Such evaluations keep me alert to what works and what doesn’t. Students reflect my performance back to me, and I’m glad to learn what they think of my teaching so that I might try to improve.

This system reflects many aspects of my work. There is, of course, nothing wrong with it. But this system assumes that what students need is the same as what they want. Reading my evaluations every semester has taught me otherwise. Actually many students’ expectations for their courses have already changed, reflecting, in part, the business model many universities are following: classes are considered services, and parents are eager to get their money’s worth from their children’s education. Students feel pressure from their parents to get practical use from their courses.

This could make sense for an engineering course, but in my field, creative writing, which rarely trains up excellent 21-year-old writers, it is more difficult to provide the results that the career-minded students desire. Then I tried some teaching techniques to change the criticism of those unhappy students to the opposite and improve my student evaluations. My record would accurately reflect a smart, attentive, encouraging teacher. However, I would admit that they loved me simply because I agreed writing should be easy.

I know other teachers have done the same thing: teach your heart out to the teachable but be sure to please the unteachable; keep your ratings high, like a politician trying to improve his poll(民意调查) results. I believe in the struggle. But I still can’t help wincing(退缩) when I read, “The instructor is mean.” “Marcus is not committed to my work.” “This class sucks.” The business model has taught me that customers are always right. And maybe a few more dissatisfied customers would mean a better learning experience.

1.What can we know from the underlined phrase “turn the tables on their teachers”？

A．Students get a chance to have dinner with their teachers.

B．Students begin to criticize and punish their teachers.

C．Students judge and grade their teachers.

D．Students take action to praise their teachers.

2.Why have the students’ expectations for their courses changed?

A．Because students want to improve other abilities.

B．Because students feel great pressure from universities.

C．Because the business model has changed.

D．Because students have to satisfy their parents.

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A．Parents don’t care about their money spent on their children’s education.

B．The writer adopted some teaching methods so that he improved his student evaluations.

C．Similar to other teachers, the writer struggled to work as politicians.

D．The students intended to punish their teachers by giving comments.

4.What is the author’s attitude towards being graded by his students?

A．Satisfied.          B．Negative.          C．Positive.          D．Scared.

Can you ______ what I say? Do you need more explanation?

       A．make sense of         B．put an end to  

       C．attend to                D．leave alone

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一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

       Literature is a term used to describe written as well as spoken material．Generally speaking, it is often used to describe anything from creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama and fiction．

       Then why read literature, since it is often imaginary and seems unconnected with real life?

       A lot of us read literature for pleasure and relaxation．It’s always pleasant to read some interesting books, such as comedies and novels, in our spare time．In a modern life full of pressure, it is our common desire to read some imaginary works and seek relaxation from the stress in life．

       Reading literature is more than fun; it also enables us to acquire knowledge．As a general rule, literature represents a language or a people, and it often gives us an insight（洞察力）into the traditions, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values of the age in which it was written．

       Sometimes literature can even offer us new, creative ways to have a better understanding of the world．It helps us make sense of the world around us．It introduces us to new worlds of experiences．We enjoy the comedy and the tragedy of poems, stories and plays; and we may even grow through our literary journey with books．Eventually, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it．In a sense, we explore the human condition and analyze how and why people think the way they think and feel the way they feel．Literature enables us to think analytically and promotes open minds．We see the world through the eyes of different cultures and in turn learn the ways to deal with things that happen around．

       So we can definitely say literature is of great importance to us．Why not get going with one poem, drama or fiction at once?