题目内容
The January fashion show, called Future Fashion, exemplified how far green design has come. Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, the show inspired many top designers to work with long-lasting fabrics（织物） for the first time. Several have since made promise to include organic fabrics in their lines.
The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges. Scott Hahn, co-founder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality long-lasting materials can still be tough to find. “Most designers with existing labels are finding there aren’t comparable fabrics that can just replace what you’re doing and what your customers are used to,” he says. For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable once woven into a dress. But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equals.
Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support. Last year the influential trade show Designers & Agents stopped charging its participation fee for young green entrepreneurs (企业家) who attend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special recognition to designers whose collections are at least 25% sustainable. It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago. This week Wal-Mart is set to announce a major initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional (过渡型的) cotton at higher prices, thus helping to expand the supply of a key sustainable material. “Mainstream is about to occur,” says Hahn.
Some analysts (分析师) flare less sure. Among consumers, only 18% are even aware that eco-fashion exists, up from 6% four years ago. Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example of the unconverted consumer. When asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied: “Not that I’m aware of.” Like most consumers, she finds little time to shop, and when she does, she’s on the hunt for “cute stuff that isn’t too expensive.” By her own admission, green just isn’t yet on her mind. But—thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliers—one day it will be.
1. What is said about Future Fashion?
A. It inspired many leading designers to start going green.
B. It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far.
C. It served as an example of how fashion shows should be organized.
D. It convinced the public that fashionable clothes should be made durable.
2. According to Scott Hahn, one big challenge to designers who will go organic is that ____.
A. much more time is needed to finish a dress using sustainable materials
B. they have to create new brands for clothes made of organic materials
C. customers have difficulty telling organic from non-organic materials
D. quality organic replacements for synthetics are not readily available
3. We learn from the Paragraph that designers who undertake green fashion ____.
A. can attend various trade shows free
B. are readily recognized by the fashion world
C. can buy organic cotton at favorable prices
D. are gaining more and more support
4. What is Natalie Hormilla’s attitude toward eco-fashion?
A. She doesn’t seem to care about it. B. She doesn’t think it is sustainable.
C. She is doubtful of its practical value. D. She is very much opposed to the idea.
5. What does the author think of green fashion?
A. Green products will soon go mainstream. B. It has a very promising future.
C. Consumers have the final say. D. It will appeal more to young people.
【小题1】A
【小题2】D
【小题3】D
【小题4】A
【小题5】B
THIS was the year the Earth struck back.
Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, snow storms, landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter of a million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.
"It just seemed like it was back-to-back and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.
And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.
Even though many catastrophes have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and weird（古怪的） year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.
Poor construction and development practices conspire to make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable（脆弱的） buildings in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river breaches, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die.
Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes "are pretty much constant," said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. "All the change that's made is man-made."
The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people - many of them living in poverty - and more poorly built shanties than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010, total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University.
In February, an earthquake that was more than 500 times stronger than the one that struck Haiti hit an area of Chile that was less populated, better constructed, and not as poor. Chile's bigger quake caused fewer than 1,000 deaths.
Climate scientists say Earth's climate also is changing, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.
In the summer, one weather system caused oppressive heat in Russia, while farther south it caused flooding in Pakistan that inundated 161,200 square kilometers, about the size of Wisconsin. That single heat-and-storm system killed almost 17,000 people, more people than all the worldwide airplane crashes in the past 15 years.
Scientists have calculated that the killer Russian heat wave—setting a national record of 43.9℃—would happen once every 100,000 years without global warming.
【小题1】What is responsible for the most human deaths in 2010?
| A．Natrual disasters. | B．Terrorist attacks. |
| C．Poor buildings. | D．Too rapid developrnent. |
| A．earthquakes are happening more often because of human beings |
| B．earthquakes are causing more damage because of human beings |
| C．stronger houses should be built to limit storm damage |
| D．Port—au—Prince is now overpopulated |
| A．list the natural disasters that occurred in 2010 |
| B．give the details of some natural disasters of 2010 |
| C．warn that more natural disasters are to strike |
| D．blame humanity for not helping those affected by the disasters |
For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing ---- sales! Across the country, prices are reducing sharply on clothing, electronics and home furniture, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains.
The sales start on Boxing Day — 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford Street queues formed outside shops ahead of before-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30 am for the ‘Next’ clothing store’s sale which began at 4 am. Some eager individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line.
Consumers who hit the shops were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80% as department stores joined the bargain sales. The shops are very crowded as the sales reached the boiling-point, with more than half a million people gathering on London’s West End.
Famous sales include the biggest, most popular shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis. Department stores are always a good bet — you’re likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed food and drinks!
It’s a good time to stock up on cheap small tools, and there’s no better time to invest in some designer clothes.
Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale----a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online sellers are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own.
The most organized of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales!
【小题1】In the sales, people can buy, at a very low price, all of the following except ______.
| A．fashionable clothing | B．bestseller | C．TV sets | D．bookcases |
| A．actually start before the end of December | B．generally last for two months |
| C．basically benefit none of the people | D．are a time to buy Christmas gifts in a romantic way |
| A．attack the shops | B．arrive at the shops |
| C．affect the shops | D．find the shops |
| A．January Sales | B．Sales in London at Christmas |
| C．Practical but Unromantic Shopping | D．Shopping under One Roof |