Starting in l972，the National Park Service established a policy for forest fires calle Natural Burn．It was acknowledged that some forest fires，such as those caused by lightning were necessary for forests to maintain balanced ecosystems，so the fire should be allowed to burn．However, a big fire in Yellowstone National Park in l988 caused this policy to be abandoned since the fire was initially allowed to burn yet soon out of control．As a result，the fire of l988 destroyed much of Yellowstone，which is America’s oldest and most beloved national park．Massive areas of plants were destroyed，and large empty spaces and acres of burned and blackened trees greeted visitors．The rivers and streams were choked with ash，and the ecosystem of the park was changed beyond repair.

    In addition，great numbers of animals were killed by the fires that bumed out of control. The fires were driven by high winds，moving as many as ten miles a day．Many small animals died in the flames．The fires’ rapid advances gave the wildlife little chance to escape. Even today，few of these small forest animals have returned to live in the park. In the years immediately following the fires，the numbers of visitors declined rapidly．No one was interested in seeing a blackened and treeless park on vacation．Yellowstone had previously been famous for its amazing views and unique geological formations such as the geyser Old Faithful. But now its reputation as America's wonder is damaged permanently.

1.Natural Burn was adopted because some forest fires were        

A．hard to put out

B．started by lightning

C．good for the balance of nature

D．approved by National Park Service

2.The big fire in Yellowstone in 1988          ．

A．became out of control at first

B．destroyed the park completely

C．was allowed to burn continuously

D．brought the natural burn policy to an end

3.Why were so many animals killed in the big fire?

A．Because winds were blown from high places．

B．Because the animals moved only ten miles a day．

C．Because the animals lived in lower places．

D．Because strong winds contributed to the fire a lot．

4.Yellowstone was famous for its         ．

A．rare animals   B．unique plants    C．beautiful scenery  D．little streams

5.The text probably comes from    ．

A．a science fiction    B．a news report

C．a commercial ad    D．a geography magazine

    Starting next month, people in Washington will be able to rent a bicycle day and night with a membership card. A new company called SmartBike will make 120 bicycles available at 10 spots in the city. “There’s a lot of stress on our transit systems,” said Jim Sebastian, who manages bicycle and pedestrian programs for Washington’s Transportation Department. Offering another choice, Mr Sebastian said, “It will help us reduce traffic jam and pollution, as well as parking problems.” In the deal, the company will have the advertising rights in the city’s bus shelters and it has reached a similar deal with San Erancisco. Chicago and Portland, Ore. , are also considering the program.

For a $40 annual membership fee, SmartBike users can check out three-speed bicycles for three hours at a time. The program will not provide helmets (头盔) but does encourage their use. Similar programs have proved successful in Europe. The Vé1ib program in Paris and Bicing in Barcelona, Spain, both started around a year ago and already offer thousands of bicycles. Mr Sebastian, who started trying to bring bike-sharing to Washington even before its success in Paris and Barcelona, said he believed that the program could grow within a year and hoped that it would eventually offer 1 000 bicycles.

“But studies showed that many bikes would get stolen in a day, or within a few weeks,” said Paul DeMaio, a Washington-area bike-sharing consultant. Improved technology allows programs to better protect bicycles. In Washington, SmartBike users who keep bicycles longer than the three-hour maximum will receive demerits and could eventually lose renting privileges. Bicycles gone for more than 48 hours will be considered lost, with the last user charged a $200 replacement fee.

The low cost could be one of the program’s major selling points. At George Washington University in Foggy Bottom, one of the program’s 10 locations, students were unsure how often they would use SmartBike, but said its price made it worth a try.

70．The program can help the city in the following ways EXCEPT ________.

A. protecting the environment                            B. reducing the traffic jam

C. giving more traveling choices                        D. making more money

71．From the text, we can know ________.

A. the SmartBike company can only make money by renting the bikes

B. there are many other cities which show great interest in the program

C. the SmartBike company will be the first one to run bike-renting business

D. the SmartBike company will have 1 000 bicycles at the renting spots

72．What is the problem the SmartBike DC facing?

A. The bike technology should be improved.              B. Their bikes would get lost.

C. There are too few renting spots available.              D. There are too few bikes.

73．What will attract the customers most in the program?

A. Low price.        B. Great convenience.           C. New idea.          D. High quality.

“We started as a group of friends with the same problem: difficulty in our personal life to manage our time, being always in a hurry.” This thought was recently offered by Bruno to explain the origin of The Art of Living Slowly, an organization that he founded two years ago, with his wife, Ella.

Bruno and Ella said they decided to draw more people’s attention to the overlooked idea that “time is wealth.” On February 19th last year, they created a new holiday, the first Global Day of Slow Living. Despite its ambitious name, the event was limited almost entirely to Italy, where the couple arranged a number of events: a reverse bicycle race in which the last rider was declared the winner; an afternoon of grandfathers reading poetry to children etc.
One Monday in late February, 2008, the couple staged a New York version (版本) of the Day of Slow Living. “It has to be a Monday, the worst day to try to slow down.” Bruno explained. Bruno was wearing a police cap, mirrored sunglasses, and a sandwich board stating, “Watch out! Speed-walking camera is in action!” He flagged down passers-by and handed them postcards printed with fourteen “slowmandments.” For example, No. 4: Write your text message on your cell phone with no symbols and get in the habit of starting with “Dear …” No 7: Avoid being so busy that you don’t have time for yourself. Bruno told the passers-by to read them once a day and keep the doctor away.
Many said, “I can’t do this. New York is too fast.” Bruno admitted. But many stopped, they read and said. “This one is good for me, because trying to slow down is like trying to stop smoking.”
When asked about their plans for the future. Bruno and Ella looked at each other and chanted the name of the city they have chosen for next year’s Global Day of Slow Living, “Tokyo!”
68. The Art of Living Slowly was founded to help people         .
A．understand the truth of life.    B．know the difficulty in managing time
C．avoid being in a hurry all the time  D．make friends with the same problem
69. What did Bruno do in New York?
A．He advertised his idea on a sandwich board.
B．He stopped passers-by and delivered postcards.
C．He served as a policeman to prevent accidents.
D．He took photos for the people who walked fast.
70. Which statement may be included in the fourteen “slowmandments” in paragraph 3?
A．Wake up five minutes earlier.  B．Do two things at the same time.
C．Make a habit of writing letters.      D．Don’t work on weekends and relax.
71. What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The new holiday is usually celebrated on a fixed day.
B．Italian grandfathers enjoy reading poetry to children.
C．The couple tend to choose busy cities to promote the idea.
D．New Yorkers have a negative attitude towards slow living.

“We started as a group of friends with the same problem: difficulty in our personal life to manage our time, being always in a hurry.” This thought was recently offered by Bruno to explain the origin of The Art of Living Slowly, an organization that he founded two years ago, with his wife, Ella.

Bruno and Ella said they decided to draw more people’s attention to the overlooked idea that “time is wealth.” On February 19th last year, they created a new holiday, the first Global Day of Slow Living. Despite its ambitious name, the event was limited almost entirely to Italy, where the couple arranged a number of events: a reverse bicycle race in which the last rider was declared the winner; an afternoon of grandfathers reading poetry to children etc.

    One Monday in late February, 2008, the couple staged a New York version (版本) of the Day of Slow Living. “It has to be a Monday, the worst day to try to slow down.” Bruno explained. Bruno was wearing a police cap, mirrored sunglasses, and a sandwich board stating, “Watch out! Speed-walking camera is in action!” He flagged down passers-by and handed them postcards printed with fourteen “slowmandments.” For example, No. 4: Write your text message on your cell phone with no symbols and get in the habit of starting with “Dear …” No 7: Avoid being so busy that you don’t have time for yourself. Bruno told the passers-by to read them once a day and keep the doctor away.

Many said, “I can’t do this. New York is too fast.” Bruno admitted. But many stopped, they read and said. “This one is good for me, because trying to slow down is like trying to stop smoking.”

When asked about their plans for the future. Bruno and Ella looked at each other and chanted the name of the city they have chosen for next year’s Global Day of Slow Living, “Tokyo!”

1.The Art of Living Slowly was founded to help people         .

    A．understand the truth of life.      B．know the difficulty in managing time

    C．avoid being in a hurry all the time                D．make friends with the same problem

2.What did Bruno do in New York?

    A．He advertised his idea on a sandwich board.

    B．He stopped passers-by and delivered postcards.

    C．He served as a policeman to prevent accidents.

    D．He took photos for the people who walked fast.

3.Which statement may be included in the fourteen “slowmandments” in paragraph 3?

    A．Wake up five minutes earlier.      B．Do two things at the same time.

    C．Make a habit of writing letters.   D．Don’t work on weekends and relax.

4.What can be inferred from the passage?

    A．The new holiday is usually celebrated on a fixed day.

    B．Italian grandfathers enjoy reading poetry to children.

    C．The couple tend to choose busy cities to promote the idea.

    D．New Yorkers have a negative attitude towards slow living.

“We started as a group of friends with the same problem: difficulty in our personal life to manage our time, being always in a hurry.” This thought was recently offered by Bruno to explain the origin of The Art of Living Slowly, an organization that he founded two years ago, with his wife, Ella.

Bruno and Ella said they decided to draw more people’s attention to the overlooked idea that “time is wealth.” On February 19th last year, they created a new holiday, the first Global Day of Slow Living. Despite its ambitious name, the event was limited almost entirely to Italy, where the couple arranged a number of events: a reverse bicycle race in which the last rider was declared the winner; an afternoon of grandfathers reading poetry to children etc.

    One Monday in late February, 2008, the couple staged a New York version (版本) of the Day of Slow Living. “It has to be a Monday, the worst day to try to slow down.” Bruno explained. Bruno was wearing a police cap, mirrored sunglasses, and a sandwich board stating, “Watch out! Speed-walking camera is in action!” He flagged down passers-by and handed them postcards printed with fourteen “slowmandments.” For example, No. 4: Write your text message on your cell phone with no symbols and get in the habit of starting with “Dear …” No 7: Avoid being so busy that you don’t have time for yourself. Bruno told the passers-by to read them once a day and keep the doctor away.

Many said, “I can’t do this. New York is too fast.” Bruno admitted. But many stopped, they read and said. “This one is good for me, because trying to slow down is like trying to stop smoking.”

When asked about their plans for the future. Bruno and Ella looked at each other and chanted the name of the city they have chosen for next year’s Global Day of Slow Living, “Tokyo!”

68. The Art of Living Slowly was founded to help people         .

       A．understand the truth of life.    B．know the difficulty in managing time

       C．avoid being in a hurry all the time  D．make friends with the same problem

69. What did Bruno do in New York?

       A．He advertised his idea on a sandwich board.

       B．He stopped passers-by and delivered postcards.

       C．He served as a policeman to prevent accidents.

       D．He took photos for the people who walked fast.

70. Which statement may be included in the fourteen “slowmandments” in paragraph 3?

       A．Wake up five minutes earlier.  B．Do two things at the same time.

       C．Make a habit of writing letters.      D．Don’t work on weekends and relax.

71. What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．The new holiday is usually celebrated on a fixed day.

       B．Italian grandfathers enjoy reading poetry to children.

       C．The couple tend to choose busy cities to promote the idea.

       D．New Yorkers have a negative attitude towards slow living.