For most of us, the rain that falls on our roof runs off into the ground or the sewer(下水道) system. But if you want to save a little water and reuse it on your lawns or plants --- or even use it for laundry, dishes, or other needs --- collecting rainwater from your gutter’s downspouts(檐槽的水落管) is a no-brainer.

According to John C. Davis, writing in E / The Environmental Magazine, just about any homeowner can collect rainwater, given that the roof and gutters do most of the work. And since an inch of rain falling on a 2,000-square-foot roof produces some 1,200 gallons of water, you can harvest enough to water your lawn or garden.

Plants and grass actually do better when fed rainwater instead of tap water, which is usually treated with substances that can hold back plant growth. Using rainwater can also extend the life of pipes, since the salts added to tap water may gradually damage the pipes. However, homeowners should set up a water purification system if they do plan to use rainwater for inside needs.

Rainwater harvesting can also be good for the local community, as it reduces the erosion, flooding, and pollution associated with heavy rainfall, and reduces dependence on public water supplies. So some states fund rainwater collection systems in their local communities.

Many varieties of rain barrel(桶) systems, starting at just $100, are available for home use. A typical setup is simply a rain barrel positioned under a gutter’s downspout. Skillful homeowners can make their own water harvesting systems, but buying one is a lot easier. Most garden centres offer a range of choices as well as tips.

1.The underlined word “no-brainer” in Para. 1 probably means something that ______.

A．is hard to deal with                      B．is very easy

C．is of no real value                       D．deserves more attention

2.From Paragraphs 3 and 4, we can learn _______.

A．how to set up a water harvesting system      B．how a rain barrel system works

C．some advice on saving tap water            D．the benefits of using rainwater

3.What is the topic of the passage ?

A．Basic gardening skills.                    B．Water-saving techniques.

C．Wastewater treatment systems.            D．Roof rainwater collection.

This is a true story of how my car got stuck in water and how a stranger helped me during the worst rain storm.

Last Sunday, the sky was grey when I woke up. The weather report said rain was coming, but I couldn’t stay home just because of rain.

Around 8:00 am I had a doctor’s appointment. It wasn’t raining then. At 9:00 I left the doctor’s office to drive to work, and it was raining hard. I just had to go about 5-6 miles down one main road to get to a nearby school, where I could stay until the rain ended. Unfortunately, the road in front of the school was flooded, and my car stopped in the middle.

“Who is going to save me?” I wondered. I shut off the engine and turned on my flashers (车灯). I called 911. They were not helpful. I called my husband, even though he couldn’t come and help me. I was also very close to a police station. But I never saw even one police car. I decided to get out of the car, since it was still pouring.

My best decision of the day had been to wear rain boots. I took my umbrella and quickly got out and ran across the street to a shelter.

Before long, a tow truck(拖车) happened to pass by the street. The driver kindly offered to help me. At that moment, I really needed car pulled out quickly, so I trusted the stranger. He pulled my car and drove me home. After he had dropped my car off, he also helped me check the engine. He said the engine was most likely flooded, but fortunately there was no water inside the car.

Although many years have passed, I still remember that stormy day and the warm-hearted stranger clearly.

1.How was the weather when the author got up?

A. Rainy.                                B. Cloudy.                    C. Windy.                     D. Sunny.

2.Which of the following is the correct order about the things that the author did?

① Drove to work.                                                  ② Drove to the doctor’s office.

③ Ran to a shelter.                                             ④ Called 911 for help.

A. ②①④③                        B. ②③①④                        C. ①②④③                        D. ①③②④

3.What did the author do after her car had got stuck in the water?

A. She turned off her flashers.

B. She tried to restart the engine.

C. She went to the police station nearby.

D. She got out of her car.

4.How did the stranger help the author?

A. He lent his car to her.                     

B. He pulled her car out of the water.

C. He drove her to school.                  

D. He helped her fix her engine.

We have met the enemy, and he is ours. We bought him at a pet shop. When monkey-pox, a disease usually found in the African rain forest, suddenly turns up in children in the American Midwest, it’s hard not to wonder if the disease that comes from foreign animals is homing in on human beings. “Most of the infections (感染) we think of as human infections started in other animals, ” says Stephen Morse, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at Columbia University.

It’s not just that we’re going to where the animals are, we’re also bringing them closer to us. Popular foreign pets have brought a whole new disease to this country. A strange illness killed Isaksen’s pets, and she now thinks that keeping foreign pets is a bad idea. “I don’t think it’s fair to have them as pets when we have such a limited knowledge of them,” says Isaksen.

“Laws allowing these animals to be brought in from deep forest areas without stricter control need changing,” says Peter Schantz. Monkey-pox may be the wake-up call. Researchers believe infected animals may infect their owners. We know very little about these new diseases. A new bug (病毒) may be kind at first. But some strains (变异体) may become harmful. Monkey-pox doesn’t look a major infectious disease. But it is not impossible to pass the disease from person to person.

We learn from Paragraph 1 that the pet sold at the shop may ________.

A. come from Columbia

B. enjoy being with children

C. prevent us from being infected

D. suffer from monkey-pox

Why did Isaksen advise people not to have foreign pets?

A. They attack human beings.

B. We need to study native animals.

C. They can’t live out of the rain forest.

D. We do not know much about them yet.

What does the phrase “the wake-up call ” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

    A. a new disease

    B. a clear warning

    C. a dangerous call

    D. a morning call

The text suggests that in the future we_____.

    A. may have to fight against more new diseases

B. may easily get infected by diseases from dogs.

C. should not be allowed to have pets

D. should stop buying pets form Africa.

请阅读以下人员的相关信息，然后匹配和他/她感兴趣的广告。

Meimei is interested in playing the violin, but she can’t play very well because she has no music teacher to teach her face to face. She really wants to get one.

Peter begins to have his summer holiday today. He is too tired to go out for any activity. Instead, he would like to stay home in the evening.

Tom’s family is not rich. He wants to find a part-time job at weekends to earn some money for his study.

Jany is too fat. This is not good to her health. She knows it well and want to take more exercise after study.

Liu Hua is going to marry next month. Before that, she is going to take photos with her husband.

A. Guangzhou Sports Ground

Open next week from 6:20 to 8:30 pm.

Admission: $2, under 45 or over 60 -- $7.

Welcome to join us to keep you fit.

Tel: 23455884

B. CCTV-1

The programs are as follow: 18:30 Sports, 19:00 World News, 19:30 Introduction of Museum

of Modern Art, 21:30 Movie – DANCE IN THE RAIN

C. Dongfeng Photo Shop

Photos for all purposes are taken with half of the price for new husband and wife.

Mon --- Frid.: 8:30 am --- 8:30 pm, Sat. & Sun.: 9:00 am --- 10:00 pm

D. STAMPS ON SHOW

Time: 8:30am --- 5:00 pm. on October 23—24

Add: No. 1 Yuejin Road, Guangzhou

E. PART-TIME JOB OFFERED

Do you want to have a chance to communicate with those who do shopping? If so, you may contact with Sunny Bookshop, for two shop assistants are needed here.

          Tel: 020-23100013

F. HELP FROM MUSIC TEACHER

Violin lessons to be given at 8:00 on Monday evening. Those attending prepare violins by themselves.

Admission: 100 yuan (half price for students)

Tel: 020-28338381

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

On August 26,1999,New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm.The rain caused the streets to  51  and the subway system almost came to a stop.

Unfortunately,this happened during the morning rush hour.Many people who were going to work were  52  to go home.Some battled to  53 a taxi or to get on a bus.Still others faced the  54 bravely,walking miles to get to work.

I  55 to be one of people on the way to work that morning.I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most  56 had stopped.After making my way 57  crowds of people,I finally found a subway line that was  58  .Unfortunately,there were so many people waiting to  59  the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the  60  .So I took the train going in the opposite direction,and then switched back to the downtown train.Finally,after what seemed like forever,the train  61  my stop.Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain.When I finally got to my office,I was  62  through,exhausted and  63 .

My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off.When it was 5∶00 pm,I was ready to go home.I was about to turn off my computer  64  I received an email from Garth,my Director:

I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and  65  reported to work.It is always reassuring (令人欣慰),at times like these,when employees so clearly show their  66  to their jobs.Thank you.

Garth’s email was short,but I learned more from that  67  message than I ever did from a textbook.The email taught me that a few words of  68 can make a big difference.The rainstorm and the traffic  69  had made me tired and upset.But Garth’s words immediately  70  me and put a smile back on my face.

1.A.break                            B.flood                        C.sink                          D.crash

2.A.forced                    B.refused           C.adjusted               D.gathered

3.A.order                            B.pay                           C.call                           D.search

4.A.climate                   B.scenery                     C.storm                        D.burden

5.A.used                       B.promised            C.deserved                    D.happened

6.A.practice               B.routine               C.process                D.service

7.A.to                       B.through              C.over                          D.for

8.A.operating             B.cycling            C.turning                D.rushing

9.A.check                     B.carry                  C.find                          D.board

10.A.street                    B.ground            C.floor                         D.platform

11.A.paused                  B.crossed               C.reached                     D.parked

12.A.wet                   B.weak                  C.sick                          D.hurt

13.A.ashamed            B.discouraged     C.surprised                   D.puzzled

14.A.while                   B.when                 C.where                       D.after

15.A.hardly                  B.casually              C.absolutely               D.eventually

16.A.devotion               B.donation             C.connection             D.reaction

17.A.accurate                B.urgent                C.brief                         D.humorous

18.A.promise             B.appreciation        C.advice                 D.guidance

19.A.troubles                B.signals               C.rules                         D.signs

20.A.corrected                     B.supported           C.amazed                         D.refreshed