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．”
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 has 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 more．
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 neighbor had telephoned them about his clothesline．The Recks paid no attention to the warning and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard．“Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters into 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．”
1.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
2.Who are in favor of clothesline drying?
A．Housing businesses.
B．Environmentalists．
C．Homeowners Associations．
D．Reck’s dissatisfied neighbors．
3.What is mainly discussed in the text?
A．Clothesline drying: a way to save energy and money．
B．Clothesline drying: a lost art rediscovered．
C．Opposite opinions on clothesline drying．
D．Different varieties of clotheslines．
Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to have a seat by myself．Just then, an air hostess approached me and asked, “Would you mind 26 your seat? A couple would like to sit together．” The only 27 seat was next to a girl with her arms in casts（石膏），a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression．“ 28 am I going to sit there,” I thought immediately．But a soft voice spoke, “She needs help．” Finally, I 29 to move to that seat．
The girl was named Kathy．She 30 in a car accident and now was on her way for 31 When the snack and juice arrived, it did not take me long to 32 that Kathy would not be able to 33 herself．I considered 34 to feed her but hesitated, as it seemed too 35 to offer a service to a 36 ．But then I realized that Kathy’s need was more 37 than any of my discomfort．I offered to help her eat, and 38 she was uncomfortable to accept, she 39 as I expected．We became closer and closer in a short period of time．By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart 40 , and the 41 was really better spent than if I had just sat by myself．
I was glad I had reached 42 my comfort zone to sit next to Kathy and feed her．Love 43 flows beyond human borders and remove the fears that keep us 44 ．When we 45 to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world．
1.A．losing B．changing C．taking D．giving
2.A．comfortable B．suitable C．available D．favorable
3.A．No problem B．No way C．Nowhere D．No doubt
4.A．decided B．wanted C．regretted D．promised
5.A．was B．would be C．used to be D．had been
6.A．treatment B．travel C．pleasure D．business
7.A．know B．say C．realize D．recognize
8.A．eat B．feed C．choose D．support
9.A．offering B．needing C．stopping D．trying
10.A．impolite B．far C．close D．fast
11.A．girl B．neighbor C．passenger D．stranger
12.A．unusual B．direct C．important D．shameful
13.A．when B．although C．since D．as
14.A．refused B．wondered C．cried D．did
15.A．had warmed B．had jumped C．had broken D．had cheered
16.A．life B．money C．time D．energy
17.A．below B．through C．across D．beyond
18.A．seldom B．never C．hardly D．sometimes
19.A．separate B．independent C．silent D．upset
20.A．happen B．stretch C．wait D．continue
I don't like to travel to big cities because it seems to me that one city is very much like___ ．
A．one B．another C．the other D．others
----It shouldn’t take long to clear up after the party if we all volunteer to help．
-----That’s right．______________．
A．Many hands make light work．
B．Something is better than nothing．
C．The more, the merrier．
D．The sooner begun, the sooner done．
By improving reading skills, you can read faster and understand more of _______ you read．
A．that B．what C．which D．whether
Now everyone is concerned about how to conquer the economic crisis, __________is very important for us to preserve our standard of living．
A．which success B．its success
C．the success of which D．the success of it
