An artist in Bogota, Colombia is using his skills to aid the homeless. Greg Kloehn builds very small shelters that make life on the streets a little more comfortable. The structures offer the homeless some safety and protection from bad weather. Each little house also has wheels on the bottom so it can go wherever its owner goes.
Greg Kloehn has given away at least 20 tiny houses. Several are on the roadside near an active railroad. On a recent day, Mr. Kloehn stops at one to visit Oscar Young. The two men hug. Inside his little shelter Mr. Young gets relief from cold nights on the streets. Mr. Kloehn also visits Sweet-Pea, another friend who also lives in one of the little homes the artist built. She says it keeps her safe and protects her belongings.
In the mornings, Mr. Kloehn searches the streets for building materials. He gathers what he can and takes it to his studio. There, he puts the houses together. Empty coffee bags become roof material. A washing machine door and refrigerator part become windows. Nails, screws and the sticky glue hold all the pieces together. The artist also attaches a small electrical device to the house. The device is powered by the sun.
Some of the people living on the streets once had normal houses of their own. But some of the people say they have learned to live with the homeless and they are thankful to that man.
Mr. Kloehn says his work is not a social project. He says he is just someone applying his skills to helping his homeless neighbors.
1.The following are the advantages of the small shelters except ________.
A. saving power and energy
B. protecting possessions of the homeless
C. decorating the streets where they are
D. keeping the homeless safe and comfortable
2.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A. Greg Kloehn has sold at least 20 tiny houses
B. an act of kindness has made people simple and grateful
C. The shelters are immovable
D. The government has got involved in the action
3.The passage is likely taken from ________.
A. an official report B. an art review
C. a fictional brochure D. a news report
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. An artist creates homes for the homeless.
B. A more comfortable shelter on the streets.
C. A successful social project in Bogota.
D. An artist makes a living by designing small shelters.
With environmentalists pointing to the use of coal, oil and other fossil fuels as adding to the problem of global warming, the world is rushing to find other more environmentally friendly energy sources. Many countries are looking to nuclear power as the answer to their energy needs. Those who support using nuclear power point to the fact that the process for creating nuclear power produces huge quantities of electricity without producing any greenhouse gases. It seems to be the safest and most environmentally safe method for producing the largest amount of power, much more than solar or wind energy sources.
However, despite the many advantages of nuclear power, there are many groups who strongly advise against the use of nuclear power. Some groups point to concerns about possible terrorist attacks on nuclear plants or possible nuclear accidents that might result in widespread disaster. However, strange as it seems, many of the strongest voices against nuclear power are actually environmentalists, who oppose nuclear power because they claim it results in more greenhouse gases.
It may seem impossible, but in fact both facts are true: nuclear production itself produces no greenhouse gases, but nuclear power does, in fact, lead to the production of many greenhouse gases. How is this possible? The actual production of nuclear power does not let off any greenhouse gases at all; this is the fact that most governments and nuclear power companies point to, and it is, indeed, correct. However, those who oppose nuclear power point out the bigger problem: building and maintaining the nuclear power stations, mining the material used to produce the nuclear power and getting rid of the nuclear waste all create greenhouse gases, the very thing that nuclear power is supposed to avoid. The final point that environmentalists point out is that nuclear power is not a long-term solution to energy. One day uranium, the resource needed for producing nuclear power, will be at an end, the same problem the world is facing with coal and oil today.
1.What are many countries relying on to satisfy their energy needs according to the passage?
A. Coal. B. Oil.
C. Nuclear power. D. Other fossil fuels.
2.What disadvantages relating to the use of nuclear power are mentioned in the passage?
A. No greenhouse gases.
B. Killing more plants.
C. Widespread disasters and more greenhouse gases.
D. Making other energy sources not function well.
3.What’s the writer’s attitude towards the use of nuclear power?
A. Optimistic. B. Indifferent(漠不关心).
C. Pessimistic. D. Objective（客观的）.
4.Why do some environmentalists point out that nuclear power is not a long term solution to energy?
A. Because the resource for producing nuclear power will come to an end someday.
B. Because they think nuclear power gives off too many greenhouse gases.
C. Because the world is facing coal and oil shortages now.
D. Because more and more people are opposed to the use of nuclear power.
There is one type of illness in the world that has a severe effect on more people than anything else and is very deadly. If untreated, this illness could affect everything you do. What is this illness? Depression. Serious depression requires professional treatment. Self-induced depression is something each of us can change.
Everyone’s circumstances are different, but the causes of self-induced depression are common: low self-esteem, hurtful thinking and a bad attitude.
So how can we change the way we think, feel, and have a cheerful attitude?
First we must look at ourselves, truly and honestly examining our motives for what we wish to accomplish. If you are dissatisfied because you feel you haven’t or can’t do anything, then one step is needed—to set goals.
Always start your goals relatively small and easy to attain. Think of them as sand; one grain may be insignificant(微不足道的) but as a group they form the beach. Once you have set and attained small goals for yourself, move on to slightly larger, more challenging goals.It takes not just setting goals but positive thinking. How can we obtain this?
There are a number of factors that can make us think negatively and one of those is diet.In my opinion, a person who eats a lot of take-out and fast food is feeding their body junk. Start by eating better foods which give the body much NEEDED minerals. If your physical body is happy, it’s much easier for your mental body or “thinking ability” to be happy.[
Next, exercise. Half an hour a day is recommended for positive well-being. Then think about good memories you had, or generally think of things that make you smile. Remember, everything you wear costs money but to wear a smile is free. A smile can be the difference between an average day and a great day.
If you follow these steps, positive change is on the way.
1.Which of the statements about depression is TRUE?
A. Depression is a kind of illness that can’t be cured like some cancer.
B. Depression can all be cured successfully by doctors in an easy way.
C. Those who suffer from depression live in the same circumstances.
D. Those who suffer from depression hold negative attitudes.
2.According to the passage we can learn that ________.
A. a practical goal can help people to achieve a sense of success
B. we shouldn’t be satisfied with small goals that are insignificant
C. we should avoid challenging goals that may result in failure
D. people can enjoy happiness even if they set inappropriate goals
3.What can we infer from the reading passage?
A. Those who can achieve small goals can surely achieve big ones.
B. Depression has something to do with the food people eat.
C. You can only exercise half an hour if you want to get rid of depression.
D. Smile makes no sense to the feeling in daily life.
Most of the sandstorms that had swept China last year came from foreign land, a Chinese official in charge of desertification(荒漠化) control said on Monday. And the invasions(入侵)could partly explain the frequent sandstorms in the country in recent years despite its achievements in desertification control.
Since the start of last spring, the north and northwestern Chinese regions had been hit by 17 sandstorms, of which, a dozen came from foreign land.
Situated in the central Asia sandstorm region, one of the world’s four largest sandstorm sources, China also suffers from sandstorms from outside the country while being blamed as a sand source to northeast Asia. The other three major sources are in Africa, North America and Australia.
The land suffering from desertification has been decreasing by 7,585 square kilometres annually in China, and the area of sandy land has also been falling by 1,284 square kilometres a year.
The shrinkage(收缩)forms a clear contrast to the fact that the land suffering from desertification and sandy feature was added by 10,400 square kilometers and 3,436 square kilometers late last century, respectively.
Currently, the desertification land in China makes up 2.64 million square kilometres, accounting for 27.46 percent of the nation’s land, and its sandy land totals 1.74 million square kilometres, accounting for 18.1 percent of the country’s total.
1.What does the underlined word “decreasing” mean in Paragraph 4?
A. Going down. B. Going up.
C. Coming from. D. Taking up.
2.Where do most of the sandstorms in China come from?
A. The northwestern Chinese regions. B. The northern Chinese regions.
C. The western part of China. D. Foreign countries.
3.Which of the following is believed to be the sand source to northeast Asia?
A. Mongolia. B. Africa.
C. China. D. Australia.
4.What can we infer from this passage?
A. The land in China suffering from desertification has been increasing greatly.
B. China has made achievements in its own desertification control.
C. The desertification land makes up nearly half of China’s territory.
D. Little progress has been made in controlling desertification in China.
受某英语报的委托，你最近对高中生的英语阅读兴趣做了一次调查。请根据以下信息，用英语为该报写一篇报告并谈谈你的看法。
1．调查内容：在新闻、故事、科普、学习方法四种英语文章中，学生更喜欢哪一种？
2．调查范围：江苏省的10所中学；
3．调查人数：1000；
4．调查方式：访谈；
5．调查结果：见图。
注意：
1．不要逐句翻译，但可适当增加内容，以使行文连贯；
2．词数：150词左右。
3．标题及首句已给出，但不计入总词数。
Reading Interests of Senior Middle School Students
Recently a survey has been done to find out the reading interests of senior middle school students._____
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At the beginning of the twentieth century，many people thought that the American family was falling apart.A century later，we know that this was not the case.However，although the family is still alive in the United States，its size and shape were very different 100 years ago.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s，there were mainly two types of families in the United States: the extended and the nuclear.The extended family usually includes grandparents，parents，and children living under the same roof.The nuclear family consists of only parents and children.
Today there are many different kinds of families.Some people live in “traditional” families，that is，a stayhome mother，a working father，and their own biological children.Others live in twopaycheck families，singleparent families，adoptive or foster families，blended families (where men and women who were married before marry again and combine the children from previous marriages into the new families)，childless families，and so on.
What caused the structure of the family to change? In the early 1900s the birthrate began to fall and the divorce rate began to rise.Women were suddenly choosing to go to college and take jobs outside the home.In the 1930s and 1940s，many families faced serious financial，or money problems during the Great Depression，when many people lost their jobs.During World War Ⅱ(1939－1945)，5 million women were left alone to take care of their homes and their children.Because many men were at war，thousands of these “war windows” had to go to work outside their home.
During the next ten years，the situation changed.There were fewer divorces，and people married at a younger age and had more children than the previous generation.It was unusual for a mother to work outside the home during the years when her children were growing up.Families began leaving cities and moving into singlefamily homes in the suburbs.The traditional family seemed to be returning.
In the years between 1960s and 1990s，there were many important changes in the structure of the family.From the 1960s to the early 1970s，the divorce rate doubled and the birthrate fell by half.The number of singleparent families tripled，and the number of couples living together without being married doubled again.In fact，the singleparent household，once unusual，has replaced the “traditional” family as the typical family in the States.If we can judge from history，however，this will probably change again in the twentyfirst century.
The Changes of the American Family
Main comparisons | Contexts | |
Different 1. | There were two 2.types of families in the past， 3.，the extended and the nuclear. | |
| Nowadays 4.types of families can be seen than before. | |
Changes in different 5. | In the 1900s and 1940s | Many of the women had to work outside due to the 6.of money，thus causing the fall of 7. and the rise of divorce rate. |
In the 1950s | Divorce rate slide and there were more children.The families tended to be 8.again. | |
In the years between 1960s and 1990s | Different types of families 9..Traditional families are no longer the typical ones in America. | |
A trend worth noting Author's opinion on changes | Judging from what has happened in the past，it is 10.that the present structure will experience changes again in the near future. | |
