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' arguments: 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. Argue for the use of plastic bags. B. Recycle the waste material.
C. Stop things falling off trucks. D. Help increase grocery sales.
2.What does the underlined word “headwinds” in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Plastic bags hung in trees. B. Effects of city development.
C. Headaches caused by garbage. D. Bans on plastic bags.
3.What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?
A. They are quite expensive. B. Producing them requires more energy.
C. Replacing them can be difficult. D. They are less strong than plastic bags.
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
James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer and the grandson of black slaves. His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9. There, a school teacher asked the youth his name.
“J.C., ”he replied.
She thought he had said “Jesse”, and he had a new name.
Owens ran his first race at age 13. After high school, he went to Ohio State University. He had to work part time so as to pay for his education. As a second year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later.
A week before the Big Ten Meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meet. He refused to listen to the suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event. He did try, and the results are in the record book.
The stage was set for Owens victory at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic but also political. Hitler did not congratulate any of the African American winners.
“It was all right with me,” he said years later. “I didn’t go to Berlin to shake hands with him, anyway. ”
Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone calls from the president of his own country, either. In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976, four years before his death.
Owens Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks, motorcycles and dogs.
“Sure, it bothered me, ”he said later. “But at least it was an honest living. I had to eat.”
In time, however, his gold medals changed his life. “They have kept me alive over the years,” he once said. “Time has stood still for me. That golden moment dies hard.”
1.In the Big Ten Meet, Owens ___.
A. hurt himself in the back B. succeeded in setting many records
C. tried every sports event but failed D. had to give up some events
2.We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the US at that time because ___.
A. he did not talk to the US president on the phone B. he was the son of a poor farmer
C. he was not of the right race D. he did not shake hands with Hitler
3.When Owens says “They have kept me alive over the years”, he means that the medals ___.
A. have been changed for money to help him live on
B. have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life
C. have made him famous in the US
D. have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Making a living as a sportsman B. Golden Moment — a life time struggle
C. Jesse Owens, a great American athlete D. How to be a successful athlete
Believe it or not but it is true. There are people who lose the ability to understand or use words due to brain damage. But they become extremely good at something else. They become experts at spotting liars. The condition in which people lose their power to understand or use words due to brain damage are called aphasia(失语症). A study conducted in Massachusetts, U.S., has clearly proved that aphasics make good lie detectors(测谎仪).
In the last 100 years, many doctors studying the brain have mentioned examples of this amazing power of patients suffering from aphasia. Recently, scientists conducted tests to see if all that was said about aphasics was true. They studied the powers of a mixed group of people. Some were normal; others were aphasic. And it was proved clearly that the normal volunteers still got fooled by words. The aphasics were far ahead of them in recognizing false speech. The results of the study were reported in the magazine Nature.
`Fourteen years ago, famous American doctor, Dr. Oliver Sacks, wrote about his experiences with aphasic patients in a book. He remembered a particular incident in a hospital. Patients from the aphasia room were watching TV. Their president, Ronald Reagan, was giving a speech. He was trying to put feelings into each and every word of his speech. But his speech had an opposite effect on the patients. They were not impressed. On the contrary, the whole room shook with their laughter. The aphasics knew that he did not mean a word of what he was saying.
Dr. Sacks saw aphasics as more gifted than normal people. Normal people “get carried away” by words. An aphasic cannot understand words. But he or she can still understand what is being said. He said most of the aphasics had this superior understanding. So, while normal people think of aphasic patients as brain damaged, they actually seem to understand human expressions better.
1.We can know from the first paragraph ___.
A. how aphasics get their special ability B. that aphasics can tell if you are lying
C. that aphasics are good at telling lies D. why aphasics are experts at spotting liars
2.The phrase “get carried away” in the last paragraph means ___.
A. get misunderstood B. get excited C. get fooled D. get discouraged
3.Dr. Oliver Sacks thinks that aphasics ___.
A. can be cured totally B. can not understand what is being said
C. are specially gifted in a way D. should be treated equally and nicely
4.Which would be the best title of the passage?
A. A great discovery B. A special way of understanding
C. Why aphasics can’t talk D. The great lie detectors
Glastonbury Festival:
Time and place: 22nd～26th June, Pilton, Somerse. Recognized as the best summer festival season, Glastonbury is one of the biggest and oldest festivals in the UK. Last year’s 40th anniversary was its best ever, even though the supergroup U2 canceled last minute because of Bono injuring his back.
Latitude Festival:
Time and place:14th～17th July, Henham Park, Suffolk. Now in its sixth year, this festival is the choice for more families. It is providing visitors with a range of entertainment to accompany the music, including comedy, show, theatre and literature.
Shrewsbury Folk Festival:
Time and place: 26th～29th August, West Mids Show Ground, Shrewsbury. Announced as one of the best folk festivals in the UK, this festival is only in its sixth year. It takes place over the 4 days of the August bank holiday weekend, and moved to Shrewsbury in 2006.
Download Festival:
Time and place: 10th and 12th, June, Donington Park Derby. It is a three-day rock music festival held every year. The name Download was chosen for the festival for two reasons. Downloading was a dirty work in the music industry at the time because of file sharing and rock is seen as a rebellious (反叛) type of music.
1.Which festival is one of the oldest festivals in the UK?
A. Glastonbury Festival B. Latitude Festival
C. Shrewsbury Folk Festival D. Download Festival
2.When and where is the rock music festival held?
A. 22nd～26th June, Pilton, Somerse B. 26th～29th August, West Mids Show Ground
C. 14th～17th July, Henham Park, Suffolk D. 10th and 12th, June, Donington Park Derby
3.What is special about Latitude Festival?
A. It is one of the best folk festivals in the UK.
B. It has a long history and is held every year.
C. It is the best summer festival in the UK.
D. It is attractive and joyful for many families.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Why will the speaker's uncle open the restaurants?
A. To make profits. B. To feed the needy. C. To spread his recipes.
2.How will the speaker's uncle get the ingredients?
A. By collecting unwanted things.
B. By buying fresh vegetables.
C. By getting cheap stuff at the market.
3.How can people receive food at the restaurant?
A. Help themselves. B. Reserve in advance. C. Wait at tables.
4.What's the speaker's attitude toward his uncle's action?
A. Supportive. B. Shocked. C. Worried.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What's Lisa's nationality?
A. Chinese. B. Spanish. C. American.
2.How many grapes do the Spanish eat as the clock strikes midnight?
A. 10. B. 12. C. 15.
3.What do people in the Philippines do for good luck?
A. Cook sauerkraut. B. Eat round fruits. C. Have peas and pork.
4.What is the conversation mainly about?
A. New Year traditions. B. Trips around the world. C. Customs in different countries.
