We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.  

Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO₂）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.  

We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO₂ .We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO₂ a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?

For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO₂ emissions by 80 percent,” he said.  

Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.  

1. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?

A. To take special kinds of food                        B. To respond to climate change.  

C. To lose weight                            D. To improve their health

2. The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to       

A. freezing points       B. burning points       C. melting points     D. boiling points

3. It can be inferred from the passage that         .

A. it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time

B. it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO₂

C. the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO₂ a month

D. the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO₂ a month

4. Which of the following would be best title for this passage?

   A. Saving English Starts at Home           B. Changing Our Habits Begins at Work

   C. Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable     D. Reducing Emission of CO₂ Prove Difficult

阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示，2）首字母提示，3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，并将该词完整地写在右边相对应的横线上。所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。

Mr. Smith offers us some advice on how to write a good

composition, which i       the following steps.                             1       

Firstly, we should read the topic c       and organize our ideas.               2.        

Then we start to shape our thoughts        our own word and finish               3.        

our writing in the g       time. After that, we have to check our                      4.       

compositions, paying attention to         （语法）and spelling. It is very        5.     

important to read them aloud to          （自己）or someone else form     6.      

       to end. Lastly, we had better ask our teachers or classmates for             7.     

advice on how to improve our writing. If        （可能）, we may leave        8.        

them alone for some time before reading again,        will help a                     9.        

great deal. I hope you will b       a lot from the advice above.                        10.       

The population of Jiangsu _______ to more than twice what it was in 1949．The figure is now approaching 74 million．

A．has grown          B．have grown          C．grew       D．are growing

-- Ann is in hospital．

-- Oh，really? I ________ know．I ________ go and visit her．

A．didn't；am going to                  B．don't；would

C．don't；will                         D．didn't；will

Because of the financial crisis，days are gone ________ local 5-star hotels charged 6,000 yuan for one night．

A．if          B．when          C．which         D．since

-- I'm surprised to hear that Sue and Paul have ________．

--So am I．They seemed very happy together when I last saw them．

A．broken up            B．finished up          C．divided up          D．closed up

-- Hi，Terry，can I use your computer for a while this afternoon?

-- Sorry．________．

A．It's repaired                        B．It has been repaired

C．It's being repaired                   D．It had been repaired

Schools across China are expected to hire 50,000 college graduates this year as short-term teachers，almost three times the number hired last year，________ reduce unemployment pressures．

A．help        B．to have helped            C．to help            D．having helped

Compared with his sister，Jerry is even more ________ to，and more easily troubled by，emotional and relationship problems．

A．skeptical           B．addicted             C．available            D．sensitive

He did not regret saying what he did but felt that he ________ it differently．

A．could express                        B．would express

C．could have expressed                  D．must have expressed