B
Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don't dispute(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
1.What has Steven Stein been hired to do?
A. Help increase grocery sales.
B. Recycle the waste material.
C. Stop things falling off trucks.
D. Argue for the use of plastic bags.
2.What does the word “headwinds” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Bans on plastic bags.
B. Effects of city development.
C. Headaches caused by garbage.
D. Plastic bags hung in trees.
3.What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?
A. They are quite expensive.
B. Replacing them can be difficult.
C. They are less strong than plastic bags.
D. Producing them requires more energy.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Plastic, Paper or Neither
B. Industry, Pollution and Environment
C. Recycle or Throw Away
D. Garbage Collection and Waste Control
A
In 1812, the year Charles Dickens was born, there were 66 novels published in Britain. People had been writing novels for a century—most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719—but nobody wanted to do it professionally. The steam-powered printing press was still in its early stages; the literacy（识字） rate in England was under 50%. Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors, often with something like “By a lady.” Novels, for the most part, were looked upon as silly, immoral, or just plain bad.
In 1870, when Dickens died, the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher, famous and beloved, who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters — from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim— were held up as moral touchstones. Today Dickens’ greatness is unchallenged. Removing him from the pantheon（名人堂） of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa.
How did Dickens get to the top? For all the feelings readers attach to stories, literature is a numbers game, and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass. Some 60,000 novels were published during the Victorian age, from 1837 to1901; today a casual reader might be able to name a half-dozen of them. It’s partly true that Dickens’ style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life. It’s partly that his writings rode a wave of social, political and scientific progress. But it’s also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center. No one will ever know what mix of talent, ambition, energy and luck made Dickens such a distinguished writer. But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, it is possible — and important for our own culture—to understand how he made himself a lasting one.
1.Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century?
A. They were difficult to understand.
B. They were popular among the rich.
C. They were seen as nearly worthless.
D. They were written mostly by women.
2.Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress________.
A. his reputation in France
B. his interest in modern art
C. his success in publication
D. his importance in literature
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To remember a great writer.
B. To introduce an English novel.
C. To encourage studies on culture.
D. To promote values of the Victorian age.
听第10段材料，完成下面小题。
1.Who is the speaker probably talking to?
A. Movie fans. B. News reporters. C. College students.
2.When did the speaker take English classes?
A. Before he left his hometown.
B. After he came to America.
C. When he was 15 years old.
3.How does the speaker feel about his teacher?
A. He's proud. B. He's sympathetic. C. He's grateful.
4.What does the speaker mainly talk about?
A. How education shaped his life.
B. How his language skills improved.
C. How he managed his business well.
听第8段材料，完成下面小题。
1.Where does the conversation probably take place?
A. In an office. B. At home. C. At a restaurant.
2.What will the speakers do tomorow evening?
A. Go to a concert. B. Visit a friend. C. Work extra hours.
3.Who is Alice going to call?
A. Mike. B. Joan. C. Catherine.
听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。
听第6段材料，完成下面小题。
1.What does the woman regret?
A. Giving up her research.
B. Dropping out of college.
C. Changing her major.
2.What is the woman interested in studying now?
A. Ecology.
B. Education.
C. Chemistry.
What is the probable relationship between the speakers?
A. Classmates. B. Teacher and student. C. Doctor and patient.
