There were a thousand reasons not to stop.I was running late for a very important...well,whatever it was that I was running late for that day.Surely the Highway Patrol would be along soon,and it's their job to help stranded (搁浅) motorists,isn't it?

That made 1,004 reasons not to stop.And here was 1,005:I was the world's worst auto mechanic.The first time I tried to change my car's oil myself I did fine—until I forgot to put the new oil in.The boys down at the garage had a big laugh over that.

I'm not sure how much it would have helped that lady who was stranded by the side of the freeway if I had pulled over.So I drove on by,just like hundreds of other drivers on the freeway that day.Then suddenly I turned off at the next exit and made my way back to see if I could at least give her a lift or something.But by the time I got back to her,a Hispanic (西班牙的) gentleman had pulled in behind her,and was tinkering (修补) with her car's engine.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

“No,thank you,”the lady replied.“This nice man says he can fix it.” After the man repaired it,the woman tried to give him some money,but he declined and waved as she drove off.It wasn't until we started walking toward our cars that I noticed he had five more reasons not to stop than I did;his family was sitting in the station wagon,waiting patiently.“Do you stop and help people like this often?”I asked.

“Somebody has to,”he said.“What's she going to do if nobody helps?”And for him,that was enough.

1.By telling the story,the author intends to tell us ________.

A.we must help someone in trouble even if we have every reason not to do so

B.if we don't have the necessary skills or knowledge,we can't help a person much

C.what the person in trouble needs most is kindness rather than practical skills

D.we much thank the person who has helped us when we are in trouble

2.What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A.The author once helped a person who was in trouble but was laughed at by a

boy.

B.The author just wanted to find an excuse to stop to help the stranded lady.

C.The author doubted whether he had the ability to give the lady some necessary

help.

D.What the author was running late for made him very angry.

3.Why did the author make his way back at the next exit?

A.Because he wanted to see if anybody else had helped the lady out.

B.Because he felt guilty about not helping the lady.

C.Because he wanted to help the Hispanic gentleman fix the lady's car.

D.Because he had thought of a way to help the lady.

 

With petroleum reserves (石油储量) decreasing,the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner,greener alternative.Though much eco-talk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans,the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source:algae (藻类).

Algae,like corn,soybeans,and other crops,grow via photosynthesis (光合作用) and can be processed into fuel oil.However,they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans,according to the U.S.Department of Energy.Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water-while corn and soy require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons.

“If you replaced all the diesel (柴油) in the U.S.with soy biodiesel,it would take half the land mass of the U.S.to grow those soybeans,”says Matt Caspari,chief executive of Aurora Biofuels,a Berkeley,Calif.-based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology.On the other hand,the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States,it would require 15,000 square miles,which is a few thousand miles larger that Maryland (12,407 square miles),the 42nd state in land area.

Another bonus:Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space,they 're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber.Smokestack emissions (烟囱排放物) can be pumped directly into the ponds,feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

Although processing technology for algae fuel—also known as “oilgae” in some environmentalist circles—is improving,it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump.“It's just a question of cost,because no large-scale facilities have been built yet,” Caspari says.

1.The underlined word “yield” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”.

A.control B.require

C.produce D.grow

2.Compared with corn and soybeans,algae ________.

A.may pollute water and soil

B.can grow in poor conditions

C.provide much less energy

D.need more special care

3.According to Paragraph 3,one of the advantages of algae fuel is that ________.

A.it can be used more widely

B.it is more easy to produce

C.it needs much less land

D.it costs much less money

4.What do we learn about algae from Paragraph 4?

A.Algae help protect the environment.

B.People can grow algae anywhere.

C.Fish can get more oxygen from algae.

D.Algae produce less waste.

 

 0  128976  128984  128990  128994  129000  129002  129006  129012  129014  129020  129026  129030  129032  129036  129042  129044  129050  129054  129056  129060  129062  129066  129068  129070  129071  129072  129074  129075  129076  129078  129080  129084  129086  129090  129092  129096  129102  129104  129110  129114  129116  129120  129126  129132  129134  129140  129144  129146  129152  129156  129162  129170  151629 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网