The name sounds funny but the idea is no joke: it’s a personal toilet called the pee-pool, Anders Wilhelmson, a Swedish architect, is the inventor of the pee-pool.
He became interested in the idea of sanitation(衛(wèi)生設(shè)施) after taking part in a research project on the social and political development of cities, One of the most common problems he found in developing countries was the lack of toilets, He wanted to do something to help, So working with others, he started the project in 2005, and the next year started a company called Peepoolple.
The toilet is a single—use bag made of environmentally friendly plastics, The inside is treated with urea （尿素）, a chemical commonly used as fertilizer, The hotter the weather, the more quickly the waste turns into what is needed by plants The sanitation process can be as soon as a couple of hours or as long as two to four weeks ,You can just bury it in a pot and grow whatever you like.
The company expects to start selling the bags in August in Kenya and Bangladesh, But it is just beginning production and sales in Nairobi now , Full production could reach about half a million bags a day and people may be able to buy the pee-pool in countries Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.
The United Nations says more than two and a half billion people around the world do not have good sanitation ,Many have no choice but to use the outdoors, which is not only bad for the environment ,but also harmful to people’s health, Each year, poor sanitation leads to three fifths of those people getting an infectious disease which on average causes one out of 1,000 patients to die.
Jack Smith ,the founder of the World Toilet Organization ,says “This is quite an unacceptable situation given the fact that we are living in the modem world , And strangely, many of them own televisions ,phones but have no toilet.”
小題1:What was the original purpose of Anders Wilhelmson in starting the company?

A．To protect the local environment

B．To earn a lot of money from the project

C．To do research on the social development

D．To help solve the problem of lack of toilets in developing countries

小題2:What can be learned about the pee-pool from the passage?

A．It can be used over again

B．Its sanitation process doesn’t last long

C．It works better in summer than in winter

D．It should be buried in a pot after being used

小題3:In which place can people buy the Pee-pool now?

A．Nairobi

B．Vietnam

C．Sweden

D．Bangladesh

小題4:The fifth paragraph is written mainly to tell us that       

A．poor sanitation may cause many problems

B．many people don’t care for the environment

C．many people get ill from using the outdoors

D．quite a number of people died from poor sanitation

小題5:The underlined word“This ”in the last paragraph probably refers to         

A．the outdoors being damaged

B．many places being shout of toilets

C．many people having TVs and phones

D．many people getting an infection disease

Many parents have learned the hard way that what sounds like open communication is otfen the very thing that closes a youngster’s ears and mouth, One common mistake is the Lecture, the long monologue that often starts with “When I was your age……”Eighteen –year –old Kelly calls lectures “Long , one-side discussions in which I don’t say much.”
Kids reflexively（條件反射地）shout down in the face of a lecture , Their eyes glaze over（呆滯）,and they don’t register any incoming information , Listen to 13-year –old Sarah describe her least favorite times with her mom and dad, “First, they scream, Then comes the“We’re so disappointed’ speech , Then the ‘I never did that to my parents’ lecture begins , After that, even if they realize how ridiculous they sound, they never take it back’”.
Lines like “When you have children of your own, you’ll understand” have been seriously said by parents since time immemorial, But many of our expert parents, like Bobby , a registered nurse and mother of three, feel that by falling back on cliches（陳詞濫調(diào)）to justify our actions, we weaken our position.
Since kids are creatures of here and now, the far-off future has no relevance to them, Therefore ,good communicators like Bobby suggest, “Give specific reasons for your actions in present language:‘I’m not letting you go to the party because I don’t think there will be enough adult supervisions（監(jiān)護(hù)）”。
Betty, who lives in Missouri ,uses and indirect approach, “I find that warnings are accepted more readily if I discuss a news article on a subject I am concerned about, My husband and I talk about it while our children absorb the information, Then they never think I’m preaching（布道）”.
This really helped when Betty’s kids began driving , Instead of constantly repeating “Don’t drink; don’t speed”, She would talk about articles in the paper and express sympathy for the victims of a car crash, Betty made no special effort to draw her kids into the conversation, She depended on a teenager’s strong desire to put in his opinions—especially if he thinks he isn’t being asked for them.
小題1:The purpose of the passage is to       

A．compare two ways of parents’ communicating with their kids

B．give parents advice on how to communicate with their kids

C．explain why kids won’t listen to their parents

D．introduce kids’ reaction to the communication between them and their parents

小題2:Which of the following statements is NOT right?

A．Kids won’t listen to their parents because they think what their parents say is boring

B．Many kids think they have no right to express their own opinions

C．Some kids think their parents should apologize when they are wrong

D．Kids don’t like any discussion at all.

小題3:What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?

A．獨(dú)白

B．對(duì)話

C．插話

D．討論

小題4:Which of the following topic may appeal to kids?

A．Parents own experience

B．Kids possible life in the future

C．Something related to kids’ present life

D．What parents have done to their own parents

小題5:In order to make kids follow their advice, parents should       

A．tell their kids to listen carefully

B．set out their warnings directly

C．list out as many examples as possible

D．a(chǎn)rouse kids’ desire to express themselves

Kids have their own ideas about money---some are sensible and others are not so wise.
Twelve-year-old Amanda thinks it’s        to save and not blow your money right away  “ so you can         other things”.
When it comes to credit cards, eight-year-old Jeremie says when the monthly        comes in “ you sign it and then you give it back” ---leaving out the part about actually        it.
These kids are        far away from the working world, but the ideas they’re forming about        could affect how much they save, how they use credit cards and how much debt they finally take on in later life.
High school business teacher Jeff Balch said his students had        knowledge about money other than spending. “ They don’t know most things because        talks to them about them---as in their parents,” said Balch, “The discussions tend to be in terms of kids        too much money, but no one tells them why, where their money goes.
Mitch Murphy said students’ message to the task force was to “ make it       ”. “ It may be difficult to have a 14-or 15-year-old student get too        about retirement planning, ” Murphy said, “ But if you want to talk about a cellphone contract or a debt card,they will be engaged in.” Murphy said learning financial literacy (能力)　    ,  well        getting into the work force, should stay with Canadians for life and        the country as a result.
Sandra Martin said children can start learning about money when they learn to       . “ Sit down with the flyers and look at how much things cost,” Martin said. Babysitting and birthday money could be        and there would be a(n)        as to how much could be debited(借) every month, she said.
“ The reality is that we’re not spending with cash anymore. If you’re always in         of your child’s money, then they’re never going to learn what it means to save for something that’s      .”
Balch said he tries to make his students realize the differences between needs, wants and priorities(優(yōu)先權(quán)). If they haven’t learned self-control and if they haven’t learned how to        money, they can easily spiral(螺旋上升) out of control.

小題1:	A．good B．difficult C．easy D．hard

小題2:	A．sell B．exchange C．buy D．involve

小題3:	A．material B．bill C．catalogue D．figure

小題4:	A．paying B．replacing C．recycling D．a(chǎn)dopting

小題5:	A．a(chǎn)lready B．still C．even D．a(chǎn)lmost

小題6:	A．belief B．part C．discipline D．money

小題7:	A．much B．more C．little D．many

小題8:	A．everybody B．somebody C．a(chǎn)nybody D．nobody

小題9:	A．spending B．costing C．taking D．sparing

小題10:

A．a(chǎn)mazing B．real C．a(chǎn)ctive D．legal

小題11:

A．disappointed B．skeptical C．enthusiastic D．fortunate

小題12:

A．correctly B．early C．late D．patiently

小題13:

A．before B．a(chǎn)fter C．when D．while

小題14:

A．benefit B．bother C．contact D．educate

小題15:

A．cook B．trade C．count D．paint

小題16:

A．stood B．banned C．displayed D．deposited

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)ttitude B．conclusion C．limit D．data

小題18:

A．search B．control C．need D．place

小題19:

A．important B．formal C．scientific D．independent

小題20:

A．borrow B．lend C．increase D．handle

Growers around the world are using new methods to grow grapes to make wine. They use natural and organic methods to control harmful insects and weeds instead of using chemicals. Now, a winery in Canada has adopted a natural way to control its grapevines (葡萄藤).The Featherstone Winery is in southern Ontario. The grapevines, like other plants, need to be cut every year.
Cutting grapevines must be done very carefully. Only a targeted area of leaves is removed from the lower part of the vines to help the grapes grow better. But at the Featherstone Winery, no man or machine does the cutting. Instead, the job is done by 40 little wooly lambs.
David Johnson owns the vineyard. He says he learned about using lambs while visiting wineries in New Zealand. The young lambs are perfectly designed to do the job. They eat the grape leaves on the lower parts of the vine. But they are not tall enough to reach the grapes. They only weigh about 22 kilograms, so they do not beat down the soil. And their waste makes good organic fertilizer. In addition, using the lambs costs much less than hiring workers to cut the vines for seven weeks in summer. And when the cutting is done in August, the lambs become tasty dishes.
Mr Johnson says he had a difficult time finding enough lambs to do the job. There are about 50 million lambs in New Zealand. But there are not nearly as many in Ontario. Also, some organic pesticides (殺蟲劑) are harmful to lambs. And the lambs must be watched to make sure they do not eat too much of the grapevines.
David Johnson says the lambs help him carry out his environmental ideas about farming. They are lovely and peaceful and he likes having them in his vineyard. People visiting the vineyard also enjoy watching the lambs do their job.
小題1:Farmers who grow grapes with natural and organic methods _____.

A．don't cut grapevines every year

B．don't use chemicals to control harmful insects and weeds

C．don't need to control harmful insects and weeds

D．don't use organic fertilizer

小題2:In order to help the grapes grow better, growers _____.

A．only have to remove the dead leaves

B．need to remove a specific area of leaves

C．shouldn't remove any part of the plants

D．should let little lambs do the cutting

小題3:Paragraph 4 is mainly about _____.

A．the future of getting lambs to do the cutting

B．the worries about using organic pesticides

C．the ways to get lambs to do the cutting

D．the problems related to lambs doing the cutting

小題4:We can infer from the passage that David Johnson______.

A．owns several wineries in Canada

B．buys lambs from New Zealand

C．is concerned about protecting the environment

D．loves keeping lambs instead of farming

The home computer industry has been growing rapidly in the United States for the last ten years . Computers used to be large, expensive machines that were very difficult to use . But scientists and technicians have been making them smaller and cheaper while at the same time they have been made easier to use. As a result, their popularity has been increasing as more people have been buying computers for their homes and businesses. Computers have been designed to store information and compute problems that are difficult for human beings to work out. Some have voices that speak with the operators. Stores use computers to keep records of their inventories(庫(kù)存貨物) and to send bills to their customers(顧客) . Offices use computers to copy letters, record business and keep in touch with other offices. People have been using computers in their homes to keep track of the money they spend.
One important new use for computers is for entertainment(娛樂(lè)). Many new games have been designed to be played on the computers. People of all ages have been playing these games, People also have been buying home computers to play computer games, watch movies and listen to concerts at home. They have become very popular indeed.
小題1: Computers used to _____.

A．work rapidly	B．be large and expensive
C．be easy to use	D．be used for fun

小題2: In recent years , computers are being made ______.

A．larger and more expensive	B．smaller and cheaper
C．more difficult to use	D．to work more slowly

小題3: Home computers can be used for ______.

A．writing letters	B．playing games
C．doing business	D．a(chǎn)ll of the above

小題4: Salesmen use computers mainly to ______.

A．check the list of goods and materials that are kept in the store house

B．play games for pleasure

C．talk with their friends

D．write letters

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, and stored in refrigerators at your local store. Compare that with the influence on environment of turning 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.” And what comes out of your tap is carefully monitored to follow the strict rules. Consider another fact that bottled water is surprisingly expensive, especially when compared with the alternative, which is almost free, and it is astonishing that America’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.”
小題1:In the first paragraph, the underlined sentence “It shouldn’t.” suggest 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 pleased with just recycling empty bottles.

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

小題2:According to the author, tap water is _______.

A．a(chǎn)s safe as bottled water	B．morel likely to be polluted
C．healthier than bottle water	D．less convenient than bottled water

小題3:The underlined part “going bottle free” (in Para. 4) means “_______”.

A．making bottled water free	B．giving up bottled water
C．recycling use water bottles	D．providing free water containers

小題4: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.

At the beginning of this century, medical scientists made an interesting discovery; we are built not just of flesh and blood but also of time. They were        to show that we all have “a body clock”         us, which controls the        and fall of our body energies,        us different from one day to the next.
The        of “a body clock” should not be too        since the lives of most living things are controlled        the 24 hour night-and-day cycle. We feel        and fall asleep at night and become        and energetic during the day. If the 24 hour-cycle is        , most people experience unpleasant        . For example, people who are not        to working at night can find that        of sleep causes them to        badly at work.
      the daily cycle of sleeping and       , we also have other cycles which       longer than one day. Most of us would        that we feel good on some days and not so good on        ; sometimes our ideas seem to flow and at other times, they        do not exist.

小題1:	A．a(chǎn)nxious B．a(chǎn)ble C．careful D．proud

小題2:	A．inside B．a(chǎn)round C．between D．on

小題3:	A．movement B．supply C．use D．rise

小題4:	A．showing B．treating C．making D．changing

小題5:	A．invention B．opinion C．story D．idea

小題6:	A．difficult B．exciting C．surprising D．interesting

小題7:	A．from B．by C．over D．during

小題8:	A．dull B．tired C．dreamy D．peaceful

小題9:	A．regular B．excited C．lively D．clear

小題10:

A．disturbed B．shortened C．reset D．troubled

小題11:

A．moments B．feelings C．senses D．effects

小題12:

A．prevented B．a(chǎn)llowed C．expected D．used

小題13:

A．miss B．none C．lack D．need

小題14:

A．perform B．show C．manage D．control

小題15:

A．With B．As well as C．Except D．Rather than

小題16:

A．working B．moving C．living D．waking

小題17:

A．repeat B．remain C．last D．happen

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)gree B．believe C．realize D．a(chǎn)llow

小題19:

A．other B．the other C．a(chǎn)ll other D．others

小題20:

A．just B．only C．still D．yet

The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the Earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?
小題1:What is mainly described in the passage?

A．A historic discovery.	B．An event of imagination.
C．A research on space.	D．A scientific adventure.

小題2:When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes      .

A．a(chǎn)n earthquake	B．damages to cities
C．a(chǎn)n Earth explosion	D．huge waves

小題3:Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long?

A．Because the land is covered with water.

B．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the Earth.

C．Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero.

D．Because wars break out among countries.

小題4:By giving the example of dinosaurs, the author tries to prove      .

A．a(chǎn)nimals could not live in the cold climate

B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story

C．the human beings will die out in 2094

D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space

The fourth round of heavy smog to hit Beijing in four weeks has sent more people to the hospital with respiratory (呼吸的) illnesses and led to calls for laws to control the pollution.
Pan Shiyi, a celebrity, said he is planning to propose a Clean Air Act to the local government. As a representative to the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, he started an online survey at 9:20 a.m. Within three hours, more than 25,000 web users, or 99 percent of total respondents (應(yīng)答者) , welcomed his proposal.
They have good reasons to stand alongside Pan. The latest round of haze（霧霾）reduced visibility to under 500 meters in many parts of the city. The smog has also led to a great increase in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children and the elderly. Anxious parents and doctors almost all blame the smoggy air for the illnesses. Though most schoolchildren are home for the winter holidays, the bad air can easily move indoors. Besides, ordinary medical masks fail to provide enough protection, so some people have turned to gas masks.
The causes of the frightening smog are rather mysterious, though experts blame too much emissions (排放) and the mountains around Beijing that trap pollution in winter, unless there is enough wind to clear it away. Some critics blamed China’s top two oil firms, China National Petroleum Corp and China Petrochemical Corporation, saying the companies’ outdated production technologies produce large quantities of high-polluting gas fuel.
Meanwhile, some Beijingers have moved their brainstorming discussion to computers. If Pan’s proposal for a Clean Air Act is adopted, netizens say the new law should include items providing for “car-free days” in times of smog, higher standards for vehicle fuel, stricter limit to industrial and engine gas emissions, and more effective protection for the public.
Beijing is not the only city that has ever lost the blue sky. Five days of thick fog caused thousands of deaths in Britain in December 1952, urging the government to pass the first Clean Air Act in 1956, which introduced smokeless zones and cleaner fuels to reduce pollution. That may provide some experience for Beijing to refer to.
小題1:Why did Pan Shiyi started an online survey?

A．To know the public’s opinions on pollution

B．To tell people the danger of the smoggy weather

C．To call on people to support his proposal

D．To collect supporting evidence for his proposal

小題2:What can we learn from the passage?

A．People are clear about the causes of the smoggy weather.

B．Children staying indoors will not get respiratory illnesses.

C．Smog is worse for people with lower resistance to diseases.

D．Masks can give people protection against the smoggy weather.

小題3:Britain is mentioned in the last paragraph to ______.

A．suggest Beijing should learn from other countries

B．let people know many places have this problem

C．tell people the situation in Britain is worse

D．call on the government to pass Britain’s Clean Air Act

小題4: What’s the best title for this passage？

A．The Use of Gas masks and Engines

B．Beijingers Call for Clean Air Act

C．Effective Protection for Blue Sky

D．The Mysterious Causes of the Scary Smog

When my brother and I were young, my mom would take us on Transportation Days.
It goes like this: You can't take any means of transportation more than once. We would start from home, walking two blocks to the rail station. We'd take the train into the city center, then a bus, switching to the train, then maybe a taxi. We always considered taking a horse carriage in the historic district, but we didn't like the way the horses were treated, so we never did. At the end of the day, we took the subway to our closest station, where Mom's friend was waiting to give us a ride home—our first car ride of the day.
The good thing about Transportation Days is not only that Mom taught us how to get around. She was born to be multimodal (多方式的). She understood that depending on cars only was a  failure of imagination and, above all, a failure of confidence—the product of a childhood not spent exploring subway tunnels.
Once you learn the route map and step with certainty over the gap between the train and the platform, nothing is frightening anymore. New cities are just light­rail lines to be explored. And your personal car, if you have one, becomes just one more tool in the toolbox—and often an inadequate one, limiting both your mobility and your wallet.
On Transportation Days, we might stop for lunch on Chestrut Street or buy a new book or toy, but the transportation was the point. First, it was exciting enough to watch the world speed by from the train window. As I got older, my mom helped me unlock the mysteries that would otherwise have paralyzed my first attempts to do it myself: How do I know where to get off? How do I know how much it costs? How do I know when I need tickets, and where to get them? What track, what line, which direction, where's the stop, and will I get wet when we go under the river?
I'm writing this right now on an airplane, a means we didn't try on our Transportation Days and, we now know, the dirtiest and most polluting of them all. My flight routed me through Philadelphia. My multimodal mom met me for dinner in the airport. She took a train to meet me.
小題1: According to the writer, what was the greatest benefit of her Transportation Days?

A．Building confidence in herself.

B．Reducing her use of private cars.

C．Developing her sense of direction.

D．Giving her knowledge about vehicles.

小題2: The underlined word “paralyzed”(in Para.5) is closest in meaning to “________”．

A．displayed

B．justified

C．ignored

D．ruined

小題3: Which means of transportation does the writer probably disapprove of?

A．Airplane.

B．Subway.

C．Train.

D．Car.