17. Which of the following best describes Matt Reck?

　 A. He is a kind-hearted man.　　　　　 B. He is an impolite man.

　 C. He is and experienced gardener.　　 D. He is a man of social responsibility.

16. One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying is that ____.

A. clothes dryers are more efficient　　 B. clothesline drying reduces home value

C. clothes dryers are energy-saving　　 D. clothesline drying is not allowed in most U.S. states

15. We learn from the passage that _______________.

　 A. all living things on the Earth depend on the Sun for their food

　 B. a forest looks dark in winter because it absorbs solar energy

　 C. only 0.023% of the energy from the Sun is made use of on the Earth

　 D. greenhouse gases allow heat energy to escape from the Earth’s surface

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　E

(NMET2008浙江)A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors.

On one side stand those who see clothes dryers(干衣机) as a waste of energy and a major polluter of the environment. As a result, they are turning to clotheslines as part of the “what-I –can do environmentalism(环境保护主义).”

On the other side are people who are against drying clothes outside, arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant to look at. They have persuaded Homeowners Associations (HOAs) access the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, because clothesline drying also tends to lower home value in the neighborhood. This had led to a Right-to-Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect people’s right to use clotheslines.

So far, only three states have laws to protect clothesline. Right-to-Dry supporters argue that there should be move.

Matt Reck, 37, is the kind of eco-conscious(有生态意识的) person who feeds his trees with bathwater and reuses water drops from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But on July 9, 2007, the HOA in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told him that a dissatisfied neighlzir had telephoned them about him clothesline. The Recks paid no attention to the warming and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard. “Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters in their own hands,” says Reck. The local HOA has decided not to take any action, unless more neighbors come to them.

North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to do. But HOAs and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people of poor neighborhoods. They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford dryers, housing prices will fall.

Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary, and in view of global warming, that idea needs to change. As they say, “The clothesline is beautiful”. Hanging clothes outside should be encouraged. We all have to do at least something to slow down the process of global warming.”

14. Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because most of it _______________.

　 A. absorbed by the clouds in the lower atmosphere

　 B. reflected by the gases in the upper atmosphere

　 C. lost in the upper and lower atmosphere

　 D. used to evaporate water from the oceans and lakes

12.Why does Peffers ask people to say “I’ll have tap.”loudly?

　A.TO encourage them to set an example for others to follow

　B.TO advise them to save the money for one more dessert

　C.TO remind them to be aware of their social status

　D.TO persuade them to speak confidently in public

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D

(NMET2008江苏)We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day. We can see its light　 and feel its warmth. The Sun is the major source of evaporation (蒸发) of water from the oceans and lakes. Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food. These green plants then provide food for all organisms (生物) on the Earth.

Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface. It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere. Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere, 30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface. The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet, causes water to evaporate, and provides energy for the water cycle and weather. Only a tiny part, approximately 0.023%, is actually used by green plants to produce food.

Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth. These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving. They are therefore called greenhouse gases.

When sunlight strikes an object, some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected. The amount reflected depends on the surface. For example, you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it. Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun, so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter. Dark-coloured surfaces, such as dark soil or forest, absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air.

13According to the passage, the root cause for weather changes on the Earth is ______.

　 A. the atmosphere surrounding the Earth　 B. water from oceans and lakes

　 C. energy from the Sun　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. greenhouse gases in the sky

11.The underlined part “going bottle free”(in Para.4)means “________”

　A.making bottled water free

　B.abandoning bottled water

　C.recycling used water bottles

　D.providing free water containers

10.According to the author，tap water is________

　A.as safe as bottle water

　B.more likely to be polluted

　C.healthier than bottle water

　D.less convenient than bottle water

9.In the first paragraph, the underlined sentence “It shouldn’t.”suggests that people_____

　A.shouldn’t feel pleased with finishing the water in the bottle

　B.shouldn’t feel good about drinking an expensive brand H2O

　C.shouldn’t be content with just recycling empty bottles

　D.shouldn’t be satisfied with drinking only bottle water

8. The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are 　　　　　．　

A．rushed away into the river

　　 B．cleaned and purified by water

　　 C．destroyed and carried away by water

　　 D．mixed with water and become part of it

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C

(NMET2008湖北)　Downing the last drop of an expensive famous brand H2O as well as remembering to throw the empty bottle in the recycling bin,makes you feel pretty good about yourself,right?It shouldn't.Even when the bottles are recycled，there are all kinds of other consequences of swallowing bottled water，says Melissa Peffers，the air-quality program manager for Environmental Defense.

　The containers are often filled in faraway lands，then shipped from abroad，pare that with the influence on environment of turining on your tap，filling a glass，and drinking up！

　Anyone who is choosing bottled water for health reasons is misguided，says Peffers，“Most bottled water is just tap water.”sider another fact that bottled water is surprisingly expensive,especially when compared with the alternative,which is almost free,and it is astonishing that Amecica's desire for bottled water seems impossible to satisfy,reaching nearly 30 billion bottles a year.

　“My parents'generation never had bottled water，”says Isabelle Silverman，an Environmental Defense legal adviser.She has made a commitment to going bottle free.“You don't need to fetch it home from the store，and it's cheaper，”she adds.

　Bottled water's role as a status symbol needs to change,Peffers points out.So when a waiter at an expensive restaurant offers“And what's your drink?”that's no reason to forget your conviction(信念).“Don't be afraid to say,‘I'll have tap.’Say it loud enough that the other tables nearby can hear you，”Peffers says,“And then spend that money on a dessert.”

7. We can infer from the passage that the water table lies　　　 ．

A．between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer

B．in the subsoil layer above bedrock

　　 C．between the subsoil layer and bedrock

　　 D．in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil