A new factory that turns used wine bottles into green sand could revolutionize the recycling industry and help to filter（過濾）the nation's drinking water.

For the last 100 years special high grade white sand quarried（開采）at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire has been used to filter tap water to remove bacteria and impurities—but this may no longer be necessary.

The green sand has already been successfully tested by water companies and is being used in 50 swimming pools in Scotland to keep the water clean.

Backed by one million pounds from the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defar),a company based in Scotland is building a factory to turn beverage bottles back into the sand from which they were made.

The idea is not only to avoid using up increasingly scarce sand in Scotland and avoid any further quarrying but also to solve a crisis in the recycles only 750 000 tones of it.

Howard Dryden, the scientist and managing director of the company has spent six years working on what he calls Active Filtration Meadia, or AFM, the recycled glass. He says he needs bottles that have already contained drinkable liquids to be sure that drinking water would not be polluted.

"The fact is that tests show that AFM does the job better than glass, it is easier to clean and reuse and has all sorts of properties that make it ideal for other applications, "he claimed. He also thinks the market will be able to take 250 000 tones of green sand a year. The plan is to build five or six factories in cites in UK where the bottles come from to cut down on transport.

The factory will be completed this month and is expected to go into full production on January 14 next year. Once it is providing a "regular" product, the government's drinking water inspectorate will be asked to perform tests and approve it for general use by water companies.

1.It may no longer be necessary to use high-grade white sand to keep water clean because_____.

A.there is no need to keep water clean

B.A new factory has been set up

C.The green sand has been used to keep the water clean

D.White sand is being use up

2.According to the passage ,the new idea can do the following except_____.

A. avoiding using up increasingly scarce sand

B. avoiding further quarrying of white sand

C. solving the crisis in the recycling industry

D. cutting down the cost on transport

3.Tests show that ______ in keeping the water clean.

A .AFM is more efficient than white sand

B.AFM is more efficient than glass

C. glass is more efficient than AFM

D. white sand is more efficient than green sand

4.The underlined word "Backed" in the third paragraph can best be replaced by"_____".

A. Allowed             B. Opposed

C. Supported            D. Forbidden

5.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Revolution in the Recycling for the Industry.

B. Modern Technology an New Markets.

C. Revolution in Environmental Protection.

D. Unlocking the Benefits of Green Sand.

 

 

“Whatever",totally tops most annoying word in the poll (民意測驗(yàn)).So, you know, it is what it is, but Americans are totally annoyed by the use of‘ whatever"’ in conversations. The popular term of indifference (不感興趣）was found most annoying in conversations by 47 percent of the Americans surveyed in a Marist College poll on Wednesday.

“Whatever"easily beat out “you know",which especially annoyed a quarter of interviewers. The other annoying expressions were "anyway"(at 7 percent), “it is what it is” (11percent) and “at the end of the day(2 percent).

"Whatever" is an expression with staying power It left everyone a deep impression in the song by Nirvana (“oh well, whatever, never mind”）in 1991 and was popularized by the Valley Girls in the film “Clueless”,later that decade. It is still commonly used, often by younger people.

It can be a common argument-ender or a signal of indifference. And it can really be annoying. The poll found "whatever" to be consistently(始終地) disliked by Americans regardless of their race, sex, age, income or where they live.

“It doesn't surprise me because ‘whatever’，is in a special class, probably, said Michael Adams, author of “Slang(俚語)~The People's Poetry" and an associate professor of English at Indiana University. "It's a word that -and it depends on how a speaker uses it -can suggest being not worthy of attention or respect.” Adams, who didn't take part in the poll and is not annoyed by "whatever," points out that its use is not always negative. “It can also be used in place of other neutral(中性的）phrases that have fallen out of favor, like ‘six of one, half dozen of the other’ ” he said. However, he also noted that the negative meaning of the word might explain why “whatever” was judged more annoying than the ever-popular “you know”.

1.Which tops second among the annoying expression according to the passage?'

A. Whatever.              B. You know

C. Anyway.         D. It is what it is.

2.What can we know about the word "whatever"?

A. It became popular because of Nirvana.

B. It can be commonly used at the beginning of an agreement.

C. Old people like it while young people don't.

D. Almost half of the Americans surveyed disliked it.

3.In Adams' opinion, the reason why “whatever”, was judged more annoying may be that_____.

A. most of the people don't like it

B. it can be used in place of other neutral phrases

C. it carries certain negative meaning sometimes

D. the poor don't like it

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A.Adams is not only a writer but also a professor.

B.“Whatever” is a signal of concern.

C.Adams is angry at the word “whatever”

D."Whatever" will be replaced by "You know”

 

The Chinese word"Shanzhai" means a small mountain village， but now it becomes an accepted name for fakes(假貨) after" Shanzhai cell phones " produced by small workshops in southern China ，became popular in the mainland market over the past few years.

Besides" Shanzhai" electronic products， there are "Shanzhai" movies， "Shanzhai" stars and even a "Shanzhai" Spring Festival Gala， a copy of the 25-year-old traditional show presented by CCTV on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve.

" Shanzhai" has become a culture of its own，symbolizing anything that imitates something famous.

The phenomenon has caused a public debate over whether it is healthy or sick being a copycat.

In southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality，a "Shanzhai" -version"Bird’s Nest" woven by farmers with bamboo attracts wide attention and the"Shanzhai"-version "Water Cube"is popular with tourists too. Both are copies of the famous Olympics buildings in Beijing.

Xie Xizhang，a literature critic，said that taking the "Shanzhai" Gala as an example， when the traditional CCTV program becomes less and less attractive to the audience， the "Shanzhai" version appears naturally to attract people.

"In spite of its poor techniques and operation， ‘Shanzhai’ culture meets the psychological demands of common people and could be a comfort to their minds," Xie said.

Tian Huiqun，a professor at Beijing Normal University，said that "Shanzhai" culture never copies classic things，only trendy products. In that sense，it's like a computer virus， multiplying without meaning.

Though controversial，"Shanzhai" culture is becoming a widely accepted phenomenon.

"To the mainstream culture, the rise of ‘Shanzhai' culture is a challenge as well as a motivation，" said Xie.

Tian said different kinds of cultures developing together is an ideal situation and it is for the public to choose.

1.The Chinese word "Shanzhai" may have its origin in      .

A．fake cell phones	B．electronic products
C．Spring Festival Gala	D．Olympics buildings

2.The underlined word "imitates" is closest in meaning to       

A．steals

B．copies

C．a(chǎn)dvertises

D．cheats

3.According to the passage，"Shanzhai" culture refers to      .

A．the action that a person imitates famous people

B．a(chǎn)nything that imitates something famous

C．those similar names to famous brands

D．products with poor techniques and quality

4.According to Xie Xizhang ,the mainstream culture       .

A．will be held back by "Shanzhai"culture

B．will sooner or later be replaced by "Shanzhai" culture

C．may develop faster because of the challenging of "Shanzhai" culture

D．thinks nothing of the challenge of"Shanzhai"culture

5.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．" Shanzhai" culture will definitely fade out

B．"Shanzhai" culture-the mountain village culture

C．"Shanzhai" culture-the mainstream culture

D．"Shanzhai" culture takes on life of its own

 

Three-Dimensional （3D） movies have been becoming more and more popular in recent years．It seems 3D TV sets may be going into family households in the near future．While new digital 3D technology has made the experience more comfortable for many, for some with eye problems, long 3D viewing may result in an aching head, doctors say．

         "There are a lot of people walking around with very minor eye problems, which under normal situations, the brain deals with naturally," said Dr Michael Rosenberg, an ophthalmologist （眼科醫(yī)師） in Chicago．He said in a 3D movie, these people face a completely new sensory experience．"That translates into greater mental effort, making it easier to get a headache," Rosenberg told Reuters．

         In normal vision, each eye sees things at a slightly different angle．"When that gets processed in the brain, that creates the perception （感覺） of depth," said Dr Deborah Friedman, an ophthalmologist in New York．The images people see in three dimensions in the movies are not calibrated （校準(zhǔn)的） in the same way that their eyes and brain are．"If your eyes are a little off to begin with, then it's really throwing a whole degree of effort that your brain now needs

to exert （竭盡全力）," he said．                    

         Dr John Hagan, a Kansas City ophthalmologist, said some people who do not have normal depth perception cannot see in 3D at all．He said people with eye muscle problems, in which the eyes are not pointed at the same object, have trouble processing 3D images．

         Rock Heineman, a spokesman for RealD, a provider of 3D equipment to theaters, said headaches and nausea were the main reasons 3D technology never took off．

         Heineman said older 3D technology used two film projectors（放映機(jī)）, one that projected a left-eye image and one that projected a right-eye image．Three-D glasses would allow viewers to see a different image in each eye．

         "People often complained of headaches and it was really because the projectors weren’t lined up," Heineman said．

         Now his company has developed a new single digital projector, which switches between the left and the right-eye image 144 times a second, to help overcome some of the old problems．

         "By going to a single digital projector, those problems were solved," he said．Friedman said he thinks most people will do fine with 3D movies and with 3D TVs, but Rosenberg said people may quickly tire of the novelty （新鮮事物）．"I suspect there will be a lot of people who say it's sort of neat, but it's not really comfortable," he said．

1.The text is mainly about ____．

         A．the reasons why people like 3D movies

         B．how to improve 3D technology

         C．the development of 3D technology in recent years

         D．causes of headaches and nausea when people watch 3D movies

2.The underlined phrase "took off" could be replaced by "______"．

         A．became popular             

         B．flew in the sky

         C．left hurriedly              

         D．removed one's clothes

3.This article implies that _____．

         A．people do not like new things like 3D movies

         B．3D TVs will completely take the place of old TV sets

         C．3D technology is the most important technology ever

         D．those with eye muscle problems should not watch 3D movies

4.We can learn from what Rosenberg said in the last paragraph that

         A．a(chǎn) single digital projector could solve all the problems with 3D technology

         B．people will gradually become comfortable with 3D movies and TVs

         C．the appeal of 3D movies and "TVs may fade

         D．most people will actually enjoy the 3D experience

 

Bum rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate would be $ 50,000 a month when my new media company started. So, I began looking around for individuals who would be my first investors. “Angel money” it was called. But when I reviewed my list of acquaintances to find those who might be able to help, I found the number got small.

　　With no other choices, I began meeting with the venture-capital companies. But I was warned they took a huge share of your company for the money they put in. And if you struggled, they could drop you cold.

　　As I was searching for “angel money”, I started to build a team who trusted me even though I didn't have money for paychecks yet.

　　Bill Becker was an expert in computer programming and image processing at a very famous Media Lab at M. I.T. With his arrival, my company suddenly had a major technology “guy” in-house.

　　Katherine Henderson, a filmmaker and a former real-estate dealer, joined us as our director of market research. Steve White came on as operating officer. He had worked for the developer of a home-finance software, Quicken. We grabbed him.

　　We had some really good people, but we still didn't have enough money. One night, my neighbor, Louise Johnson, came for a visit. She and I were only nodding acquaintances, but her boys and ours were constant companions. She ran a very good business at the time.

　　Louise was brilliant and missed nothing. She had been watching my progress closely. She knew I was dying for money and I had prospects but could offer no guarantees of success.

　　She told me that her attorney had talked to mine and the terms had been agreed upon. She handed me an envelope. Inside was a check for $ 500,000.

　　I almost fell down. I heard her voice as if from heaven.

　　“I have confidence in your plan,” she said. “You' 11 do well. You're going to work hard for it, but it' s satisfying when you build your own company.”

　　Who would have thought I'd find an angel so close to home? There were no words sufficient for the moment. We just said good night. She left and I just stood there, completely humbled and completely committed.

1.For a newly-established business, bum rate refers to___________.

A. the salary it pays to its staff

B. the interest it pays to the bank

C. the way in which it raises capital

D. the speed at which it spends money

2.By "Angel money", the author refers to__________.

A. the money borrowed from banks

B. the money spent to promote sales

C. the money raised from close friends

D. the money needed to start a business

3.To get help from a venture-capital company, you may have to__________.

A. put up with unfair terms　         B. change your business line

C. enlarge your business scope      　D. let them operate your business

4.The author easily built a team for his company because__________.

A. they were underpaid at their previous jobs

B. they were turned down by other companies

C. they were confident of the author and his business

D. they were satisfied with the salaries in his company

5.Louise decided to lend money to the author because__________.

A. she wanted to join his company

B. she knew he would build a team

C. she knew his plan would succeed

D. she wanted to help promote his sales