U.S. Bottled Water Sales Are Booming Again Despite Opposition
Despite organized anti-bottled-water campaigns across the country and a noisy debate about bottled water’s environmental impact, Americans are buying more bottled water than ever.
Why do so many people seem to think they should have any input on what other American’s choose to buy or do?
If they want to buy bottled water, let them.
If they want to eat fast food, let them.
If they want to smoke pot, let them.
— Barackalypse
People just get tired of paying for others’ bad behavior. If many people eat excessive fast food, you pay higher insurance premiums. If many people frequently buy bottled water, your trash bills go up and landfills fill up quickly.www.zxxk.com
It’s about personal responsibility, which really should be a cornerstone of libertarianism.
— Bdbr
So? This is the price you pay to live in a free society. You want to control the life of another just so you can save a few bucks? What would you say when someone do the same to you?
— Norman619
Defend selfish pricks all you like; I’m just glad there are still people who still believe personal responsibility is a good and decent thing. We make your life cheaper and less bothersome.
— Yoyo
What a waste of money! It’s fine when you’re on the road and you need a cold drink, but people who buy cases of bottled water for home are completely crazy.
— Agmlauncher
I wish we all can find a way to improve things and benefit from this. The environment needs a lot of help but businesses will always work on what people would need and demand. Is this part of the balance? Hope we can find better ways.
— Skipweis
1.What can we know about bottled water in America?
A. Americans are consuming more bottled water than tap.
B. US bottled water sales have increased for the first time.
C. Activists in several regions have been fighting against it.
D. Some people worry about its bad effect on the environment.
2.Who would agree with Barackalypse on this matter?
A. Bdbr. B. Norman619. C. Yoyo. D. Agmlauncher.
3.According to the text, Agmlauncher is _____ bottled water.
A. partly supportive of B. extremely against
C. strongly in favor of D. not concerned about
4.Which of the following statements goes with Skipweis’ opinion?
A. The environment is emphasized too much.
B. It’s impossible for people to find a better way.
C. Business is not totally responsible for the problem.
D. At present we can’t benefit from bottled water at all.
Not many people can say that they have lived in two totally different environments, and technically neither can I. I have lived in the same house in the same Connecticut town my whole life, but a lot of my childhood and teenage years have been spent visiting my family in New York City.
Wethersfield is a typical New England town, a small close community (社区) where almost everyone knows your name. My friends all go to the same high school and my parents are friendly with my friends’ parents. Most of my friends don’t realize what life is like outside this little town. Maybe every so often a few take a day trip to Manhattan or Boston, but none really knows what it’s like to live in an urban environment.
My parents are both from New York City and since they have siblings and friends who still live there, we visit a lot. From an early age I have been exposed to urban life. Jeff, one of my cousins, lives with his mother in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. He has never had his own room and has always been very much on his own. I don’t think any of my friends could understand how someone could live like that. www.zxxk.com
When I go to the city I see things I would never see in my hometown. I see poverty and people struggling to make a living. I observe a whole different pace; there, you’re just one guy living with millions of others who will never know your name.
I feel blessed to have experienced the lifestyles of two completely different places. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had. I feel that living in Wethersfield has given me a solid base in forming my character and the ability to deal in a close-knit society. On the other hand, my time spent in New York has exposed me to diverse cultural experiences. I feel that I would be comfortable in any environment and could make the best of any situation.
1.According to the author, most of his friends in the town _____.
A. have never experienced city life
B. can only understand the rural life
C. prefer the small close community
D. know little about the real city life
2.The underlined word “siblings” in paragraph 3 means _____.
A. schoolmates B. colleagues C. relatives D. parents
3.The author’s life in New York has brought him _____.
A. his present character B. the social ability
C. the comfort of city life D. diverse cultural experiences
4.What could be the best title for the passage?
A. A Small Town and a Big City
B. A Man of Two Different Worlds
C. Experience Various Environments
D. Make the Best of Diverse Cultures
Travel can be a lifesaver. But in today’s economy (经济) with airlines adding new fees almost daily and ticket prices sharply on the rise, many have written off travel as too expensive. However, with a few saving tricks and a little research, there are still lots of great deals to be had on airline tickets and more.
Early Bird Gets the Deal.
Travel experts say that there are certain times of day when more deals are available. Airfares can change three times a day as airlines adjust their prices to fill up flights. Early morning is when the fares tend to be lowest.www.zxxk.com
What Wouldn’t a Business Traveler do?
Flying when business travelers don’t can save you big money. Most business travelers fly on Mondays and Fridays, so Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days. Airlines will usually lower their prices on these days to aggressively try and fill empty seats.
Fly to popular places at unpopular times. The slowest time of the year for travel is in the Fall between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Again, to try and fill more empty seats, the airlines will lower prices and offer better deals to get people to fly during this time of the year.
Package Deals
Many times the best deals on airfare can be found as part of a package rate. Most travel sites have package rates available. Often, the entire package (hotel, airfare, rental car) is cheaper than just the plane ticket on another site. Even if you don’t need the rental car, with the money you’ve saved on the flight, you can afford to take a taxi. These deals are especially good on last minute bookings.
With a little inside knowledge and some good timing, you can get yourself a steal on a ticket to the vacation you thought was out of reach.
1.Which would be the best title for the text?
A. Tips on Vocation Travelling
B. Advice for Business Travelers
C. The Effect of Economy on Airlines
D. Tricks of Finding the Cheapest Flights
2.Many people have to cancel their travel plan because they _____.
A. have no saving tricks B. consider economic reasons
C. seldom do research D. can’t have great deals
3.Which of the following can be filled in the blank in the text?
A. Fly to popular places.
B. Don’t Miss the Holydays.
C. Better Avoid the Crowds.
D. Lose No Chance for Travelling.
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Saving tricks can make the seemingly impossible vacation possible.
B. Inside knowledge and good timing help you to steal tickets from airlines.
C. Vacation will be out of reach without inside knowledge and good timing.
D. Who thinks the vacation is out of reach never grasps the tricks of saving.
I will be the first to say that I am not materialistic. My friends regard me as a goody-goody; my parents say I am conservative and modest when it comes to clothes. None of my skirts or shorts end above my knees.
So why, why did I feel so invited? My family and I were in Target, and there it was, waiting. A skirt, specifically designed not to cover anything. It looked like something that one of those modern schoolgirls would wear.
I checked my purse. The skirt cost $10. I had the money. I could buy it. I imagined walking into school and my friends’ jaws (下巴) dropping. Guys would ask me out, and I would be happy. I could buy it, no, — I should buy it.
I showed my mother. She was surprised but said it was my decision. My sister looked on enviously.
I went into the dressing room to try it on. So sure was I that this skirt would change me, somehow make me not what I am but what I wished to be. I slid my jeans off and put it on. I looked in the mirror. There I was — a terrible girl in a Superman T-shirt and sneakers. My glasses fogged up as I started to cry. www.zxxk.com
The skirt did not change me. Though it fit well and might make me look good in the eyes of today’s world, it was not me. I am not a girl who wears cool clothes to fit in.
I took the thing off and slid back into the comfort of modesty. My mom knocked on the door. “Emily, are you okay?”
I wiped away my tears. “I’m fine.” I looked in the mirror again and saw a slim girl with funny glasses. I saw myself.
1.In the author’s eyes the skirt that interested her was ______.
A. not modern B. very short
C. too expensive D. poorly designed
2.The author thought if she went to school in this skirt her schoolmates would be ______.
A. shocked B. hurt C. confused D. happier
3.The underlined sentence in the 3rd paragraph indicates the author ______.
A. hesitated about buying the skirt
B. made up her mind to buy the skirt
C. was able to afford to buy the skirt
D. worried about others’ opinion on the skirt
4.The author cried because ______.
A. she found that she looked ugly in the skirt
B. she was aware the skirt didn’t fit her well
C. she realized it’s a wrong decision to make a change
D. she was disappointed the skirt failed to change her
Riding a motorcycle is a popular way to travel. A motorcycle often has better acceleration than the fastest . A motorcycle can traffic jams and can speed ahead while the cars wait. A motorcycle is to run --- you need less petrol per mile for a motorcycle than for most cars.
But this doesn’t explain why, for some people, motorcycles are a way to travel, they are a way of life. Everybody knows about the problems of riding a motorcycle. It’s quiet dangerous. It’s very uncomfortable too. However well dressed for a ride the motorcyclist is, wind and rain make the journey difficult and . And then, motorcycles often .
But the motorcyclist doesn’t care!
Take a look at any motorcycle magazine and you will have an idea of what motorcycling means to the enthusiast. The keen motorcyclist may sometimes think about the of his way of life. But he will still go ‘on the ride’ whenever he can!
1.A. car B. bike C. bus D. train
2.A. limit B. control C. avoid D. break
3.A. faster B. easier C. greater D. cheaper
4.A. more than B. less than C. better than D. worse than
5.A. puzzling B. astonishing C. tiring D. boring
6.A. break out B. break down C. break up D. break in
7.A. generous B. cautious C. responsible D. enthusiastic
8.A. safety B. excitement C. difficulties D. problems
Michael Scofield has won fans all over the world. The star of the hit show Prison Break is kind, clever and good-looking. But what about the man the character?
Wentworth Miller, the 35-year-old actor who plays Scofield, is a hard guy to figure out. He does not come from a traditional background and doesn’t a traditional path.
Miller didn’t take a road to fame. He graduated from Princeton University in 1995 with a degree in English, not a degree in or film. He didn’t even act when he was in college. His only experience was in his university’s well-known singing group. Yet, at graduation, Miller still decided to make the to Hollywood.
Miller has always been . Although he is American, he was born in Britain when his father was studying there. His family background is a of cultures. “My father is black and my mother is white. That means I have always been caught in the middle. I could be one, which can make you feel out of place,” Miller says.
Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films when he got to Hollywood. , he worked as a production assistant. Working on production side, he learned a lot about what makes a good .
In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia. He starred as a shy man. The producers his performance when they were making Prison Break two years later.
1.A. beside B. behind C. outside D. after
2.A. share B. know C. follow D. find
3.A. direct B. special C. wide D. correct
4.A. engineering B. communication C. literature D. theatre
5.A. graduation B. performance C. production D. education
6.A. move B. role C. decision D. movie
7.A. strange B. outstanding C. different D. successful
8.A. mixture B. result C. mystery D. representative
9.A. each B. either C. another D. every
10.A. Moreover B. Therefore C. Instead D. Finally
11.A. film B. actor C. drama D. director
12.A. denied B. made C. recorded D. remembered
