(2013·高考安徽卷，B)Using too much water or throwingrubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger，but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways.You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water.A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater.Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers.It comes from underground.The more roads and parking lots we pave，the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺)．Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall，but in any case，good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference，too.In the United States，a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live，but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home.To start with，use the same glass for your drinking water all day.Wash it only once a day.Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full.Help your parents fix any leaks in your home.You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
1.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?
A．Using river water.
B．Throwing batteries away.
C．Paving parking lots.
D．Throwing rubbish into lakes.
2.What can be inferred from the text?
A．All water shortages are due to human behavior.
B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs.
C．There is much we can do to reduce family size.
D．The average family in America makes proper use of water.
3.The last paragraph is intended to________.
A．show us how to fix leaks at home
B．tell us how to run a dishwasher
C．prove what drinking glass is best for us
D．suggest what we do to save water at home
4.The text is mainly about________.
A．Why paving roads reduces our water
B．how much we depend on water to live
C．why droughts occur more in dry climates
D．how human activity affects our water supply
(2013·高考湖南卷，C)It’s such a happylooking library，painted yellow，decorated with palmtree stickers and sheltered from the Florida sun by its own roof.About the size of a microwave oven，it’s pedestrianfriendly，too，waiting for book lovers next to a sidewalk in Palm Beach County Estates，along the northern boundary of Palm Beach Gardens.
It’s a library built with love.
A year ago，shortly after Janey Henriksen saw a Brian Williams report about the Little Free Library organization，a Wisconsinbased nonprofit that aims to promote literacy and build a sense of community in a neighborhood by making books freely available，she announced to her family of four，“That’s what we’re going to do for our spring break！”
Son Austin，now a 10thgrader，didn’t see the point of building a library that resembles a mailbox.But Janey insisted，and husband Peter unwillingly got to work.The 51yearold owner of a ship supply company modified a small wooden house that he’d built years earlier for daughter Abbie’s toy horses，and made a door of glass.
After adding the library’s final touches (装点)，the family hung a signboard on the front，instructing users to“take a book，return a book，”and making the Henriksen library，now one of several hundred like it nationwide and among more than 2,500 in the world，the only Little Free Library in Palm Beach County.
They stocked it with 20 or so books they’d already read，a mix of science fiction，reference titles，novels and kids’ favorites.“I told them，keep in mind that you might not see it again，”said Janey，a stayathome mom.
Since then，the collection keeps replenishing (补充) itself，thanks to ongoing donations from borrowers.The library now gets an average of five visits a day.
The project’s best payoff，says Peter，are the thankyou notes left behind.“We had no idea in the beginning that it would be so popular.”
1.In what way is the library “pedestrianfriendly”？
A．It owns a yellow roof.
B．It stands near a sidewalk.
C．It protects book lovers from the sun.
D．It uses palmtree stickers as decorations.
2.Janey got the idea to build a library from________.
A．a visit to Brian Williams
B．a spring break with her family
C．a book sent by one of her neighbors
D．a report on a Wisconsinbased organization
3.The library was built________.
A．by a ship supply company
B．on the basis of toy horses
C．like a mailbox
D．with glass
4.What can we infer about the signboard?
A．It was made by a user of the library.
B．It marked a final touch to the library.
C．It aimed at making the library last long.
D．It indicated the library was a family property.
5.The passage tells us that the users________.
A．donate books to the library
B．get paid to collect books for the library
C．receive thankyou notes for using the library
D．visit the library over 5 times on average daily
(2013·高考广东卷，C)One day，when I was working as a psychologist in England，an adolescent boy showed up in my office.It was David.He kept walking up and down restlessly，his face pale，and his hands shaking slightly.His head teacher had referred him to me.“This boy has lost his family，”he wrote.“He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others，and I’m very worried about him.Can you help？”
I looked at David and showed him to a chair.How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn’t have the answer to，and which no words can describe.Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.
The first two times we met，David didn’t say a word.He sat there，only looking up to look at the children’s drawings on the wall behind me.I suggested we play a game of chess.He nodded.After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon—in complete silence and without looking at me.It’s not easy to cheat in chess，but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.
Usually，he arrived earlier than agreed，took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down.It seemed as if he enjoyed my company.But why did he never look at me?
“Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with，”I thought.“Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.”Some months later，when we were playing chess，he looked up at me suddenly.
“It’s your turn，”he said.
After that day，David started talking.He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club.He wrote to me a few times，about his biking with some friends，and about his plan to get into university.Now he had really started to live his own life.
Maybe I gave David something.But I also learned that one—without any words—can reach out to another person.All it takes is a hug，a shoulder to cry on，a friendly touch，and an ear that listens.
1.When he first met the author，David________.
A．felt a little excited
B．walked energetically
C．looked a little nervous
D．showed up with his teacher
2.As a psychologist，the author________.
A．was ready to listen to David
B．was skeptical about psychology
C．was able to describe David’s problem
D．was sure of handling David’s problem
3.David enjoyed being with the author because he________.
A．wanted to ask the author for advice
B．needed to share sorrow with the author
C．liked the children’s drawings in the office
D．beat the author many times in the chess game
4.What can be inferred about David?
A．He recovered after months of treatment.
B．He liked biking before he lost his family.
C．He went into university soon after starting to talk.
D．He got friends in school before he met the author.
5.What made David change?
A．His teacher’s help.
B．The author’s friendship.
C．His exchange of letters with the author.
D．The author’s silent communication with him.
(2013·高考辽宁卷，D)“Indeed，”George Washington wrote in his diary in 1785，“some kind of fly，or bug，had begun to eat the leaves before I left home.”But the father of America was not the father of bug.When Washington wrote that，Englishmen had been referring to insects as bugs for more than a century，and Americans had already created lightningbug(萤火虫)．But the English were soon to stop using the bugs in their language，leaving it to the Americans to call a bug a bug in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The American bug could also be a person，referring to someone who was crazy about a particular activity.Although fan became the usual term，sports fans used to be called racing bugs，baseball bugs，and the like.
Or the bug could be a small machine or object，for example，a bugshaped car.The bug could also be a burglar alarm，from which comes the expression to bug，that is，“to install (安装) an alarm”．Now it means a small piece of equipment that people use for listening secretly to others’ conversations.Since the 1840s，to bug has long meant“to cheat”，and since the 1940s it has been annoying.
We also know the bug as a flaw in a computer program or other design.That meaning dates back to the time of Thomas Edison.In 1878 he explained bugs as“little problems and difficulties”that required months of study and labor to overcome in developing a successful product.In 1889 it was recorded that Edison“had been up the two previous nights discovering ‘a bug’ in his invented record player.”
1.We learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.
A．Americans had difficulty in learning to use the word bug
B．George Washington was the first person to call an insect a bug
C．the word bug was still popularly used in England in the nineteenth century
D．both Englishmen and Americans used the word bug in the eighteenth century
2.What does the word“flaw”in the last paragraph probably mean?
A．Explanation. B．Finding.
C．Origin. D．Fault.
3.The passage is mainly concerned with________.
A．the misunderstanding of the word bug
B．the development of the word bug
C．the public views of the word bug
D．the special characteristics of the word bug
(2013·高考福建卷，B)Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone，and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch.Some in the city can’t wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.
“ I’d use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a．m.and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open，”said Walter Choo,40，of Fort Greene.
The smartphonelike glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600，the Times said，possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality，a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one’s surroundings.So，for example，if you were walking down a street，indicators would pop_up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.
“As far as a mainstream consumer product，this just isn’t something anybody needs，”said Sam Biddle，who writes for Gizmodo.com.“ We’re accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things，”he added，“and the average consumer isn’t gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that’s hundreds and hundreds of dollars.”
9to5Google publisher Seth Weintraub，who has been reporting on the smartphonelike glasses since late last year，said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.
“It’s just like smartphones 10 years ago，”Weintraub said.“A few people started getting emails on their phones，and people thought that was crazy.Same kind of thing.We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones，and it’s unnatural，”he said.“ There’s gonna be improvements to that，and this a step there.”
1.One of the possible functions of the smartphonelike glasses is to ________.
A．program the opening hours of a bar
B．supply you with a picture of the future
C．provide information about your surroundings
D．update the maps and GPS in your smartphones
2.The underlined phrase“pop up”in the third paragraph probably means“ ________”．
A．develop rapidly
B．get round quickly
C．appear immediately
D．go over automatically
3.According to Sam Biddle，the smartphonelike glasses are ________.
A．necessary for teenagers
B．attractive to New Yorkers
C．available to people worldwide
D．expensive for average consumers
4.We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphonelike glasses ________.
A．may have a potential market
B．are as common as smartphones
C．are popular among young adults
D．will be improved by a new technology
(2013·高考浙江卷，D)In 1974，after filling out fifty applications，going through four interviews，and winning one offer，I took what I could get—a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area：western New Jersey.My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen—teaching English.
School started，but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country.Was this rural area really New Jersey？My students took a week off when hunting season began.I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms.I was a young woman from New York City，who thought that“Make hay while the sun shines” just meant to have a good time.
But，still，I was teaching English.I worked hard，taking time off only to eat and sleep.And then there was my sixthgrade class—seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me.I had a problem long before I knew it.I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher.I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word.The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.
In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior.So I did，confident that，as the textbook had said，the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention.It sounds reasonable，but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans，particularly teenagers，rarely seem reasonable.By the time my boss，who was also my taskmaster，known to be the strictest，most demanding，most quick to fire inexperienced teachers，came into the classroom to observe me，the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.
My boss sat in the back of the room.The boys in the class were making animal noises，hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines.I just pretended it all wasn’t happening，and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions.My boss，sitting in the back of room，seemed to be growing bigger and bigger.After twenty minutes he left，silently.Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.
I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying，but at my next free period I had to face him.I wondered if he would let me finish out the day.I walked to his office，took a deep breath，and opened the door.
He was sitting in his chair，and he looked at me long and hard.I said nothing.All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher；I had been lying to myself，pretending that everything was fine.
When he spoke，he said simply，without accusation，“You had nothing to say to them.”
“You had nothing to say to them.”he repeated.“No wonder they’re bored.Why not get to the meat of the literature and stop talking about symbolism.Talk with them，not at them.And more important，why do you ignore their bad behavior？”We talked.He named my problems and offered solutions.We roleplayed.He was the bad student，and I was the forceful，yet，warm，teacher.
As the year progressed，we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations.He helped me identify my weaknesses and my strengths.In short，he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson’s words：“The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil.”
Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school.Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year，the school is my home now.
1.It can be inferred from the story that in 1974________.
A．the writer became an optimistic person
B．the writer was very happy about her new job
C．it was rather difficult to get a job in the USA
D．it was easy to get a teaching job in New Jersey
2.According to the passage，which of the following is most probably the writer’s problem as a new teacher?
A．She had blind trust in what she learnt at college.
B．She didn’t ask experienced teachers for advice.
C．She took too much time off to eat and sleep.
D．She didn’t like teaching English literature.
3.What is the writer’s biggest worry after her taskmaster’s observation of her class?
A．She might lose her teaching job.
B．She might lose her students’ respect.
C．She couldn’t teach the same class any more.
D．She couldn’t ignore her students’ bad behavior any more.
4.Which of the following gives the writer a sense of mild victory?
A．Her talk about symbolism sounded convincing.
B．Her students behaved a little better than usual.
C．She managed to finish the class without crying.
D．She was invited for a talk by her boss after class.
5.The students behaved badly in the writer’s classes because________.
A．they were eager to embarrass her
B．she didn’t really understand them
C．they didn’t regard her as a good teacher
D．she didn’t have a good command of English
6.The taskmaster’s attitude towards the writer after his observation of her class can be best described as ________.
A．cruel but encouraging
B．fierce but forgiving
C．sincere and supportive
D．angry and aggressive
