Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated (人口密集的)cities in the world, but with night skies around 1,000 times brighter than globally accepted levels, it gains a bad reputation for its light pollution.

A study by Hong Kong University found that brightness levels in the southern Chinese city's popular shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui were 1,200 times greater than the international dark sky standard.

The crowded city of 7 million residents(居民), full or residential high-rises, towering office blocks and neon(霓虹灯) advertisements, has no laws to control outdoor lightning.

The result is that light pollution is thought to be much worse than in other large cities, including London, Sydney, Tokyo and Shanghai.

“In Hong Kong , you can’t go anywhere outdoor in the evening without your eyes being blinded by this really disturbing outdoor lightning,” the light pollution survey’s head Jason Pum told AFP.

“The fact that we have all this light in the sky means energy is wasted,” he said, adding that too much artificial lightning also affects nightly wildlife.

Research has suggested that light pollution can cause a number of harmful health effects in humans, including sleeplessness and headaches and can also interrupt body clocks and hormones(荷尔蒙).

The university survey, the result of five million measurements taken from points across the city, was released just days before the start of the annual Earth Hour event, organized by the World Wildlife Fund.

People around the world will be encouraged to turn off the lights for an hour on Saturday night to raise awareness of climate change. Last year, a number of Hong Kong’s major buildings along Victoria Harbour went dark to mark Earth Hour.

“Anyway, we should do our best to reduce the amount of lightning and adjust it for the benefit of the environment.”

1.If you walk out at night in Hong Kong, you can see all those things except ______.

A. neon advertisements              B. residential buildings

C. a dark sky with twinkling stars      D. high office blocks

2..which of the following statements about too much lightning is NOT true?

A. Too much lightning means a waste of energy.

B. It can make the sky and the city more beautiful.

C. It may have a bad effect on nightly wildlife.

D. It can lead to some health problems.

3..We can know from the passage that__________

A. light pollution in Hong Kong is among world’s worst.

B. light pollution is the biggest problem in Hong Kong.

C. Earth Hour is simply organized to reduce pollution.

D. light pollution is the primary causes of sleeplessness.

4..what will the author probably discuss after the last paragraph?

A. Bad effects of light pollution

B. Causes of light pollution

C. Worries about light pollution

D. Ways to reduce light pollution

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated (人口密集的)cities in the world, but with night skies around 1,000 times brighter than globally accepted levels, it gains a bad reputation for its light pollution.
A study by Hong Kong University found that brightness levels in the southern Chinese city's popular shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui were 1,200 times greater than the international dark sky standard.
The crowded city of 7 million residents(居民), full or residential high-rises, towering office blocks and neon(霓虹灯) advertisements, has no laws to control outdoor lightning.
The result is that light pollution is thought to be much worse than in other large cities, including London, Sydney, Tokyo and Shanghai.
“In Hong Kong , you can’t go anywhere outdoor in the evening without your eyes being blinded by this really disturbing outdoor lightning,” the light pollution survey’s head Jason Pum told AFP.
“The fact that we have all this light in the sky means energy is wasted,” he said, adding that too much artificial lightning also affects nightly wildlife.
Research has suggested that light pollution can cause a number of harmful health effects in humans, including sleeplessness and headaches and can also interrupt body clocks and hormones(荷尔蒙).
The university survey, the result of five million measurements taken from points across the city, was released just days before the start of the annual Earth Hour event, organized by the World Wildlife Fund.
People around the world will be encouraged to turn off the lights for an hour on Saturday night to raise awareness of climate change. Last year, a number of Hong Kong’s major buildings along Victoria Harbour went dark to mark Earth Hour.
“Anyway, we should do our best to reduce the amount of lightning and adjust it for the benefit of the environment.”

1. 1.

   If you walk out at night in Hong Kong, you can see all those things except ______

   1. A.
      neon advertisements
   2. B.
      residential buildings
   3. C.
      a dark sky with twinkling stars
   4. D.
      high office blocks
2. 2.

   which of the following statements about too much lightning is NOT true?

   1. A.
      Too much lightning means a waste of energy
   2. B.
      It can make the sky and the city more beautiful
   3. C.
      It may have a bad effect on nightly wildlife
   4. D.
      It can lead to some health problems
3. 3.

   We can know from the passage that__________

   1. A.
      light pollution in Hong Kong is among world’s worst
   2. B.
      light pollution is the biggest problem in Hong Kong
   3. C.
      Earth Hour is simply organized to reduce pollution
   4. D.
      light pollution is the primary causes of sleeplessness
4. 4.

   what will the author probably discuss after the last paragraph?

   1. A.
      Bad effects of light pollution
   2. B.
      Causes of light pollution
   3. C.
      Worries about light pollution
   4. D.
      Ways to reduce light pollution

自2009年7月18日起，大陆居民可以赴台湾旅游。为便于大家更好地了解台湾，请你用英语写一篇短文，简介台湾，内容要求如下：

1、台湾的地理位置：位于福建省的东南，东面被太平洋环抱；

2、台湾是我国最大的岛屿，其面积约三万六千平方公里，人口约两千三百万；

3、台湾资源丰富，盛产大米、香蕉、茶叶和甘蔗等；

4、台湾气候宜人，风景优美，著名的风景区有日月潭、阿里山等。

注意：1. 词数：100字左右 

2. 参考词汇： 日月潭 the Sun Moon Lake;   阿里山 A-Li Mountain

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

自2009年7月18日起，大陆居民可以赴台湾旅游。为便于大家更好地了解台湾，请你用英语写一篇短文，简介台湾，内容要求如下：
1、台湾的地理位置：位于福建省的东南，东面被太平洋环抱；
2、台湾是我国最大的岛屿，其面积约三万六千平方公里，人口约两千三百万；
3、台湾资源丰富，盛产大米、香蕉、茶叶和甘蔗等；
4、台湾气候宜人，风景优美，著名的风景区有日月潭、阿里山等。
注意：1. 词数：100字左右 
2. 参考词汇：日月潭 the Sun Moon Lake;  阿里山 A-Li Mountain
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

America, has always had people of many different nationalities and languages. The 1990 census (人口普查) indicates that almost 14% of Americans speak a non-English language at home. Yet only 3% reported that they spoke English “not well” or “not at all ”. That means that slightly more than one out of 10 Americans could be considered bilingual. Besides that, many high school and college students---and even some elementary school students---are required to take a foreign language. Actually, a growing number of Americans are coming to appreciate the benefits of using different languages.

    Ethnic enclaves (少数民族聚居地) have preserved the language and culture of American immigrants. Some local residents can function quite well in their native language, without having to bother learning English. Regions such as southern Florida and the Southwest have numerous Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. In fact, Spanish speakers---numbering over 17 million---form the largest non-English linguistic group in America. But Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Polish and many other ethnic group add to the linguistic flavor of America. Foreign languages are so commonly used in some ethnic neighborhoods that visitors might think they are in another country!

    Although some Americans welcome this linguistic and cultural diversity, others have begun to fear that the English language is being threatened. Since the 1980s, the “English Only ” movement has sought to promote legislation (立法) which would establish English as the “official language” and restrict the use of non-English language. However, some groups, including TESOL, the organization for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other language, object to such “language restrictionism”. But so far, 19 states have passed “English Only” legislation, and the topic is the focus of an ongoing debate.

Whether or not English is the official language of the United States, it remains the “language of wider communication”. Nearly everyone recognizes the need to develop the ability in using English in order to do well in America. American also recognize that English is the international language, and people with good English skills can get by in many international settings. On the other hand, in a world growing increasingly smaller, second language skills can be a great favor. They can build cross-cultural bridges and give people an edge in a variety of career field. Indeed, lack of foreign language skill can limit one’s chances for advancement and keep one in a cultural dead-end street. 

Ethnic groups have preserved their native languages because ______.

       A. their native languages are commonly used in their neighborhoods

       B. ethnic groups are not allowed to speak English

       C. ethnic groups can do very well in their native languages

       D. ethnic groups don’t allow their natives to learn English

The underlined word “bilingual” in paragraph 1 probably means ______.

       A. being able to speak two languages    B. being able to speak one language

       C. being able to speak different languages    D. being able to speak many foreign languages

Which of the following is TRUE about “English Only” movement?

       A. Its purpose was to establish a legislation of restricting the use of English.

       B. TESOL was in favor of “English Only ” by objecting to “English plus”.

       C. It was launched because English was being threatened.

       D. A large majority of American states support the movement.

What can be the best title of this passage?

       A. The English Only Movement        B. Learn to speak English

       C. English---an International Language D. Being Bilingual