D
Farmers in the United States sometimes plant switch grass as a border crop. But could this tall grass lower the nation’s dependence on foreign oil?
The Department of Energy plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to help produce fuels from materials that are not part of the food supply. Growing corn, or maize, for fuel has raised concerns about the supply and cost of corn available for food and animal feed.
Fuel made from switch grass or forestry waste like sawdust(锯屑) is known as cellulosic(有纤维质的) ethanol(酒精). Department officials say it contains more energy and produces fewer greenhouse gases than ethanol made from corn. Switch grass is also easier to grow.
Last month, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a study of switch grass grown on low-quality land. Government scientist Ken Vogel was the lead author. The study says the switch grass produced five times more energy than was needed to grow it. Also, it says switch grass, over its lifetime from crop to fuel, produces much less carbon compared to gasoline.
Fossil fuels like oil take carbon from the ground and release it as waste gas when the fuel is burned. Biofuels(生物燃料) like corn and cellulosic ethanol also produce greenhouse gases, through growing crops and making the fuel. The difference is that biofuels remove carbon from the atmosphere through the growth of the feedstock, the material for the fuel.
Science magazine just published two studies of biofuels and the heat-trapping gases that scientists link to climate change. One of the reports notes that most studies have found that substituting biofuels for gasoline will reduce greenhouse gases.
But it says the earlier studies failed to count the carbon released into the atmosphere as farmers worldwide react to higher prices. They are clearing forests and grasslands to make way for new cropland to replace the grain used for biofuels. Doing so can release much of the carbon stored in the plants and soil, and sacrifice future storage.
The study found that corn-based ethanol could increase greenhouse gases for years from land use change. And it found that biofuels from switch grass, if grown on American corn land, could also increase emissions, though by less.
The study team, led by Timothy Searchinger at Princeton University, says the result shows the value of using waste products for fuel. The other report says carbon savings depend on how biofuels are produced.
76．Switch grass is a better fuel than corn in all the following aspects except .
A．switch grass grows on low – quality land
B．switch grass produces more energy than corn
C．switch grass produces fewer greenhouse gases than corn
D．switchgears is easier to grow
77．It is implied in the underlined sentence that .
A．an increasing number of people worry about the use of corn as fuel
B．there will be an increase in price of corn for food if it is used as fuel
C．there will be an decrease in quantity of corn for food if it is used as fuel
D．all the above choices are right
78．Biofuels produces much less carbon compared to Fossil fuels in that .
A．biofuels produce less greenhouse gases than fossil fuels
B．fossil fuels release carbon while biofuels not when burning
C．biofuels take in carbon from the air when they are growing
D．biofuels produce greenhouse gases only when they are burning
79．The passage indicates that .
A．we’d better make full use of biofuels to protect the environment
B．the value of using biofuels remains to be further studied
C．it’s costless to grow biofeuls
D．biofuels are just switchgrass and corn
Section C
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from the list A – F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.
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A．How many people have
participated in the well – received competition? B．Does the well – received competition of tall tales have an origin? C．Who was the constant winner of the annual competition of tall tales? D．Is there any secret to win the competition? E．Does the competition win the hearts of the people all over the world? F．Who is the annual competition of tall tales given to honour? |
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80． |
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John Graham won the annual competition of tall tales, which is held at the Bridge. Inn in Santon Bridge, in Britain’s Lake District. The “world’s biggest liar” has been crowned, after telling a tale about a German World War II submarine invading Britain to get digital television decoders. The 69 – year – old Graham, who has won the title five times before, insisted to BBC radio that “it was a true story”.
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81． |
The annual World’s Biggest Liar Competition, which now draws tourists and competitors from around the world, dates back to the 19 th century when it was founded to honor a famous man called Will Ritson (1808 – 1890).
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82． |
The contest is always held at the Bridge Inn. Ritson was a popular pub owner who lived in the western Lake District. He always kept his customers interested with his funny stories. Of course, Ritson was a very honest and sincere man, who insisted that all his tales were true.
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83． |
Each year, a contest is held to award the title of “The Biggest Liar in the World” to the person who is worthy of following in Ritson’s footsteps. More than 120 people from across the country, and from as far away as Sweden and South Africa, have taken part in this interesting competition.
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84． |
Competitiors have five minutes to tell the biggest lie. Last year’s winner Sue told the truth of “telling a successful lie”, “I think you have got to keep that element of truth and then add some mad and fantastical elements. If you start off in a spaceship then you’ve lost people straight away.”
“Politicians and lawyers are banned from entering as they are judged to be too skilled at telling lies.”
第Ⅱ卷(共45分)
B
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services I – 797 C, Notice of Action
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RECEIPT NUMBER CCC0729197862 |
CASE TYPE I – 901 – Application |
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RECEIVED DATE July 18,2007 |
PRIORITY DATE |
APPLECANT SEVIS ID: N0004469915 YITIAN CHEN |
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NOTICE DATE JULY 18,2007 |
PAGE 1 of 1 |
ASC CODE N/A |
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YITIAN CHEN 2008 HUANGXING ROAD SHANGHAI, 200034 CHINA, PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF NF 0311 |
NOTICE TYPE: Receipt
Notice Amount Received: $ 100.00 |
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YITIAN CHEN Your I – 901 fee transmittal form has been received. Please notify us immediately if any of the above information is incorrect. This fee payment is valid only for your particular course of study or program. If you fall out of status, apply for a new F – 1, F – 3. M – 1, M – 3 or J – 1 non – immigrant visa, or if you want to change your non – immigrant category to an F – 1, F – 3, M – 3 or J – 1, you may be required to pay another fee. Bring this receipt to the consulate as proof of payment of the SEVIS fee. Applicant Status: J – 1 Receipt Copy: 01 Date of Birth: 05/25/1975 Amount Received : $ 100.00 Program Number: P – 1 – 04576 |
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I – 901 Student / Exchange
Visitor Processing Fee P. O. Box 970020 St. Louis, MO 63197 – 0020 Customer Service Telephone: 785 – 330 – 1048 This form issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement |
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Form I – 797C (Rev. 01/31/05)
69．What does this table allow you to do?
A．To apply for a visit to America.
B．To apply for immigration to America.
C．To apply for a visit to the People’s Republic of China.
D．To apply for immigration to the People’s Republic of China.
70．You can get to the destination on .
A．May 25,1975 B．January 31, 2005
C．June 18,2007 D．July 18, 2007
71．Suppose you plan to change your applicant status, you have to .
A．notify U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services immediately
B．pay another fee as required
C．apply for a new F – 1, F – 3. M – 1, M – 3 or J – 1 non – immigrant visa
D．make a phone call to the Customer Service
40．--- It is said that Ziyi Zhang sang a song for the 2008 Chinese New Year Spring Festival Party without rehearsal in advance, isn’t it?
--- I’m not sure it is true.
A．how B．that C．why D．whether
Section B
Directions: Complete the passage with the words in the box. There is one extra word.
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A. truly B. leave C. give up D.
breathtaking E.
approaching F. goal G. worth H. opportunity I. exhausting J. naturally |
A few years ago, I went hiking with my older sister, Mary, and her friend, Jonathan. Our 41 was to reach the tip of the mountain so we could see the beautiful view. The hike was 42 and the heat drained our energy. As we were 43 the summit, through the treetops we could see the valley below. The sight at that point was 44 impressive. Jason was satisfied with the view and suggested we turn back. Jessi and I insisted we keep going so we could make it to the top, but Jason decided not to continue. When we finally reached our destination, the whole view was 45 . The view from the summit gave us a 360 degree advantageous point of the entire area, which was much more incredible than the limited view Jason had where he stopped. It was well 46 the extra effort. What is the point of this story? Set your goals and never settle for less than what you can achieve!
As we 47 high school to go forward with our lives, we will each have our own mountains to climb. All of us will face different challenges and struggles. We all have the 48 to set new goals and to achieve them. As we continue in life, we must remember that if we succeed, we must not be proud. If we fail, we must not 49 . If we face adversity (逆境), we must trust that there is always a way through it. If we experience prosperity, we must never forget those who are not so fortunate.
As graduates, we have already proven we can achieve important goals. Let’s go forward, set new goals and never settle for less than what we can achieve.