We are now enjoying the cool air in the room. ____, the farmers are harvesting crops in the hot sun.

         A. Therefore             B. Besides                 C. As a result                      D. In the meantime

A used book or nearly-new kitchen gadget (配件) may not be at the top of every Christmas wish list, but hard economic times coupled with a new green awareness are changing attitudes about gift-giving in France.

    French holiday shoppers are choosing larger numbers for “green” gifting this Christmas, studies show. About 30 percent of French consumers will give second-hand items as gifts to stretch out their tight budgets but also to do their little bit for recycling, according to a study by international consulting firm Deloitte.

    The survey of Christmas consumer behaviors in 18 European countries found the French were more than twice as likely as other Europeans to give second-hand items. Websites promoting re-gifting and green gifting are popular in France, with many reporting a rise in business.

    “Concerns about the ecology and the economy have come together and we are now seeing people who accept the types of gifts that were not appreciated just a short time ago,” said Sebastien Ravut, who runs a website promoting eco-friendly consumerism. His site lists shops in France that offer fair trade products, bio-friendly goods and recycled items. Over the Christmas holidays, the number of visits to the site has doubled from last year, reaching 60,000 a month.

    A study by online survey firm Vivodi for PriceMinister showed eight out of 10 people would be happy to receive a used item as a gift and that younger consumers were more open to the idea.

    But Gilles Goldenberg, author of the Deloitte study, said that environmental concerns are not why customers buy used goods. “The number one concern is getting the lowest possible price,” said Goldenberg. “Eco-friendly products are drawing a lot of interest, but not if that means paying more.”

    Theatre tickets and other low-carbon gifts are fashionable, and eco-friendly websites are also encouraging gift givers to offer time and services instead of stuff. “The order of the day is to spend less time shopping and more time connecting” over the holidays, said Florence de Monclin from the Nicolas Helot foundation for Nature and Humanity.

1.We can judge from the Deloitte study that _________.

   A. over a quarter of the French give second-hand Christmas gifts

   B. the French are less willing to buy eco-friendly gifts than other Europeans

   C. 80% of French people are happy to receive second-hand gifts

   D. less than 10% of European consumers are likely to give second-hand gifts

2.According to Goldenberg, the main reason for customers to buy used goods is that _______.

   A. they want to be eco-friendly        B. they want to save money

   C. it is encouraged by websites        D. it is a new fashion in Europe

3. All the following might be a promoted gift EXCEPT ________.

   A. a theatre ticket

   B. a second-hand book

   C. a nearly-new digital toaster

   D. a box of heavily packaged chocolate

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

   A. Old people are not open minded enough to accept second-hand gifts.

   B. People wish to receive second-hand gifts because of the economic downturn.

   C. Ravut’s website received a sharp decrease in visits during the Christmas holidays.

   D. In de Monclin’s opinion, people should spend more time with friends and family during holidays

This is a dangerous world we live in. The numbers of murders goes up every year； people are dying of cancer；more people contract（感染）HIV；more teens are using drugs；etc. You know this because you’ve heard all the statistics on the news. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background, statistics mean very little.
This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous.
For example, several years ago a high school student reported dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors（肿瘤）， is found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statements is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made the mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background.
The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave out information that is different to his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people may die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightning strikes, but which is really more dangerous? If you think about it, you will realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people who are in danger of a lightening strike. When you think about it, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at statistics. If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able think critically, and form our own views. rather than be easily persuaded by another’s. To be warned is to be prepared.
59．In the first paragraph, what problem does the writer want to warn us?
A. We are now living in a dangerous world.
B. We got a lot of false statistics from the media.
C. There are around us more and more murders, diseases etc.
D. Statistics alone without full background don’t give us an accurate picture of things.
60．Why does the writer use the example in the second paragraph?
A. To show the danger of reporting only part of the information.
B. To argue that high school students are easily persuaded.
C. To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous.
D. To warn us of the harmful substances（物质）around us.
61．Relative information is often left out because__________
A. relative information is not that important
B. the author is trying to show what he or she says is true
C. too much information will make readers feel confused
D. readers are not able to analyze so much information at once
62．What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world.
B. We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides.
C. The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control.
D. Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.

Hong Kong’s government has urged the Walt Disney Company to cut the maximum number of people allowed into its new park after visitors complained about long queues at a trial opening over the weekend .

     The park admitted about 30.000guests on Sunday for a rehearsal, but visitors found themselves waiting in line for up to three hours for some popular rides .Many waited for up to half an hour at fast food outlets .

     The park ,which was built to take maximum capacity of 30.000 visitors, officially opens next Monday .But Hong Kong Financial Secretary Henry Tang urged the company to consider lowering the upper limit .

     “If it takes in 30.000 people, the queues will be very long and buying lunch would take a very long time. ”Tang told reporters late on Monday, “Disney has told us that queues at its other parks are also very long during peak periods, but people may not be used to lining up for so long. So we are discussing with Disney on whether it could manage this more flexibly.” 

     Asked if the full capacity should be lower than 30.000, he said, “We are now examining this ,we should handle it flexibly ”.

     Disney was not immediately available for comment .

     Hong Kong’s government holds a 57 percent stake in the park and Disney owns the rest. The project was launched during a time when Hong Kong was in recession (衰退)and was widely regarded as a best cure to the city’s economic trouble .

The park is expected to draw massive crowds, particularly from Chinese mainland .But not all news associated with the park has been encouraging .

1.When visitors were lining up for tickets for a long time, they were          

A. excited       B. upset           C. nervous       D. dissatisfied

2.What’s the best title for the passage？

    A. HK Disney opens up  

B. HK urges Disney to cut visitors capacity at the new park.

C. HK encourages natives to visit Disney

D. Disney attracts visitors from Hong Kong and Chinese mainland

3.By mentioning what Tang said ,the author wants to show          

A. visitors showed great interest in Disney

B. Disney will take some measures to limit visitors

C. why HK governments suggests lowering the number of visitors

D. the HK government tried to co-operate with Disney

4.When HK Disney was launched,          

    A. people thought little of its future development

    B. people thought it a way to revive (复苏、恢复)HK’s economy

    C. Disney hold belief that it could bring more money

    D. Disney was in recession across the global

Such _________ the difficulties that we are now faced with.

A.are                      B. is                        C. is being               D. be