A vegetarian diet is often praised for its health benefits. Vegetarians usually have lower levels of heart disease, and studies have also shown that they have a lower risk of diabetes(糖尿病)than people who eat meat. However, most people don't realize that a vegetarian diet produces less pollution to the earth.
Researchers from the Union of Concerned Scientists in the US recently studied how people affect the environment. The study showed that eating meat is one of the main ways that humans can change the environment, second only to the use of motor vehicle.
Then, how can eating meat have a negative effect on the environment? For a start, all farm animals such as cows, pigs, and sheep give off methane gas(沼气)by breathing. One cow can produce up to 60 liters of methane each day. Methane gas is the second most common greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Many environmental experts now believe that it is more responsible for global warming than carbon dioxide. It is estimated that 25% of all methane released into the air comes from farm animals.
Another way that meat production affects the environment is through the use of water and land. 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef while only 20 gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of wheat. One acre of farmland used for crop production can produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 pounds of carrots, or 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, however, one acre of farmland used for raising cows can produce just 250 pounds of beef.
Many people now see the benefits of a vegetarian diet, not just for health reasons, but also because it plays an important role in protecting the environment. However, some nutritionists advise against switching to a totally strict vegetarian, or vegan diet. They believe a vegan diet, which excludes(拒绝) all products from animal sources, such as cheese, eggs, and milk, can be short of many necessary vitamins and minerals our bodies need.
Today, many people know that it is important to take better care of their bodies, and to use the earth's resources more efficiently. As this understanding spreads, more people may realize that to help the environment and for the human race to survive, more of us will need to become vegetarian.
1.The underlined word "vegetarian" in the first paragraph most probably means " ".
A. a person who eats healthy food
B. a person who eats meat and vegetables
C. a person who only eats meat, fish and seafood
D. a person who only eats vegetables，grains, and fruit
2.It's for a vegetarian to have diabetes than a person who eats meat.
A. more possible B. less possible
C. highly possible D. impossible
3.Which of the statement is TRUE according to the article?
A. Doctors suggest switching to totally vegetarian diets.
B. It takes more water and land to produce a kilo of crops.
C. Farm animals give off methane gas and pollute the environment.
D. Carbon dioxide is more responsible for global warming than methane gas.
4.The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 5 refers to " ".
A. a vegetarian diet B. animal source
C. necessary vitamin D. health reason
5.The main idea of the article is that .
A. our diet is destroying the surroundings
B. raising farm animals affects the environment
C. a vegetarian diet helps to protect the environment
D. more and more people are becoming strict vegetarians
Overweight(超重)is one of the biggest health problems now. Being overweight affects more than how you look. Too much fat can kill you. What’s worse, overweight children turn into overweight adults(成人). If you’re obese now, you probably will grow into an obese adult. But here’s good news. You can fight overweight.
Change your eating habits.
You are what you eat, Kids like snacks. Did you list any healthy snacks? One study of eating habits showed that soft drinks are the first in the snack list. Next, kids choose salty snacks, like chips .What’s more, the list is full of junk food from No.3 to No.11. Finally, No.12, kids picked a healthy snack—fruit, So, think about your snack choice again.
Get outside to exercise
Jim, a player on his school football team, had a weight problem not long time ago. He could never get anyone to play with him. So his father and he started playing football for a few minutes every night. Ten minutes turned into an hour or more. In just a few years, the heavy kid became athletic, fit and healthy.
More TV means more fat
Nearly every American kid watches TV for 2 hours and 56 minutes every day that adds up to 44 days a year of sitting. More TV (or more Internet surfing, or more computer games) means more fat.
Eat an apple a day, walk around the house, play with your family…Do it today, and do it more tomorrow. It will help you a lot.
1.According to the passage, kids put______at the end of the snack list in one study of eating habits.
A. chips B. ice cream C. fruit D. soft drinks
2.What does the underlined word “obese” mean in Chinese?
A. 苗条的 B. 虚胖的 C. 健康的 D.聪明的
3.What can we do to fight overweight according to the passage?
1. Try to get up early.
2. Try to take more exercise.
3. Try not to sit in front of TV or computer for too long.
4. Try to eat more healthy food.
A. 2 3 4 B. 1 2 3 C. 1 3 4 D. 1 2 4
4.The passage mainly talks about _______.
A. one of the biggest health problems, overweight
B. how to play football
C. the healthy food
D. how to fight overweight
It is believed in some ways that the daughter is father’s lover. But my experience has taught me in a different way. For a long time, my father has been a very vague figure（模糊的形象）to me. He was a man of few words, tall but slim and nothing else.
When I was in primary school, my father was never there to pick me up, and he never came to any of my parent-teacher meetings. He was always busy doing projects. I remember when I was in middle school and my head was badly hurt in a PE class. During my operation, my father was nowhere to be found. This hurt me most. At that moment, I considered my father as a cold-blooded man who did not care about me at all.
But things seemed different at my high school graduation ceremony, where I was chosen to represent my class and give a speech. My father, once again, told me he had a business trip in a place outside the city and would be unable to show up（露面）. “Don’t come. I will be very nervous if I see you,” I told him.
I remember my speech went smoothly. After the ceremony was over and I was about to leave. I suddenly noticed a familiar（熟悉的）looking man sitting in a corner of the hall. It was my father! I was so surprised that I rushed to him with tears（眼泪）running down my face. “Well done,” he said. His eyes were also filled with tears.
Later, I found out that my father had managed to finish his work by staying up late, and he drove for eight hours to get back. He had been sitting in the corner because he didn’t want me to see him. My father remembered every word in my speech.
For much of my life, I described my father was a cold-blooded man who only cared about his work. But when I thought deeply aboutthis, it was obviously（明显地）not true. At my graduation ceremony. I could feel my father’s deep love. The fact is that seeing is not believing, and seeing may not be the fact if we don’t perceive（感知）the world with our hearts and minds. There’s no doubt that life doesn’t lack（缺少）love, but sometimes our eyes have trouble seeing it.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The writer’s father was in the hospital during her operation.
B. The writer’s father attended her high school graduation ceremony.
C. The writer’s father sometimes picked her up when she was in primary school
D. The writer’s father went to parent-teacher meeting when she was in primary school.
2.The writer rushed to her father with tears running down her face mainly because .
A. she gave a speech successfully
B. the graduation ceremony was over
C. she was so nervous that she couldn’t help crying
D. she was touched to find her father cared about her
3.What does the underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refer to（指代）?
A. That my father was always doing projects.
B. That my father was a cold-blooded man.
C. That my father sat in the corner of the hall.
D. That my father’s eyes were filled with tears.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. My busy father B. Life is full of love
C. Seeing is not believing D. A wonderful speech
Did you know that each day one person in the US throws away 4.4 pounds of rubbish? Almost every month, we throw away our own rubbish in packaging alone. Packaging ( including boxes, bags, etc) comes to our homes with the things we have bought. Several weeks ago, the TV news said that in a city in Italy, tons of rubbish were piled up in the streets, and the smell was rather terrible. What can we do to help? We should get to know the following Rs.
To reduce means to make less rubbish That is one of the first things we all should do for the environment. Reduce your rubbish by doing things like packing your lunch in reusable containers(可再利用的容器)，taking smaller potions(份)at dinner so you don't waste food when you have had enough, writing on both sides of paper, and using less water when taking a shower.
To reuse is to use things again. Think about the bags you get from the store. They can be reused to carry your lunch, to hold your rubbish, or to collect used cans. You can even take them back to the store the next time to carry your things instead of getting a new bag!
Recycling is an important part of keeping our planet clean and green. It can also save energy. Be sure that you don't throw things in the rubbish that can be recycled to make something else. Paper, plastic, cans and bottles can all be recycled, but food, electrical waste and mobile phones can't. When you are not sure whether something can be recycled, go to your parents and teachers for advice.
Follow the three Rs, and every one of us can do something to save the Earth. It is also the best way to save ourselves.
1.The first paragraph of the passage implies(暗示) that .
A. packaging should be given up
B. Italy is too dirty for us to visit
C. the US produces most rubbish
D. the Earth is becoming dirtier
2.The writer seems to ask people to reuse the bags .
A. only as rubbish bags
B. only for carrying other things
C. mainly to have a cleaner world
D. mainly to save some money
3.Which of the following can be recycled?
A. Food and bottles.
B. Books and newspapers.
C. Paper and mobile phones.
D. Plastic and electrical waste.
4.The passage mainly tells us that .
A. all useless things can be recycled
B. the environment is greatly improving
C. the three Rs can help us clean the Earth
D. we should never throw any rubbish away
阅读理解
(2013温州)
It is widely agreed that the overuse of fossil fuels，such as coal and oil has caused serious environmental problems．Scientists are trying to find new clean energies that do not pollute the air，the water or the ground．Solar power is one of them．
Solar power is a kind of electricity which is produced by taking energy from the sun，using solar panels．The solar panels are usually fixed on the roofs of houses and buildings．It is the family solar power system．Some countries are even beginning to build solar power plants by setting thousands of solar panels in the places where there is enough sunshine．Solar power has many advantages．The power is easy to get and will never be used up．Whenever it is sunny，there is the power．The power is clean and renewable．It helps to reduce waste and pollution，which is great for the environment．In the areas that are too far away to send electricity to or not easy to build electric power plants，solar power is especially necessary．It enables the people there to use lights，TVs，computers，washing machines，fridges and many other things．
Therefore，more and more countries，such as China，the USA，Japan and India，encourage scientists to develop practical technology to put solar power to use．However，the power is not as widely used as expected．
One of the challenges is that a solar power system needs sunshine．Countries or areas with a lot of rain，like the UK，are not suitable to develop such power systems．Secondly，a solar power plant requires a very large site to fix enough solar panels to collect sunlight and change it into electricity．Maybe an area in the desert would be one of the perfect places for such a plant to build．What’s more，solar panels are expensive at present though the energy itself doesn’t cost anything．
Today scientists are working hard to develop more practical and cheaper solar power systems．Maybe one day solar power will be one of the most important clean energies in our life．
1.Solar power is a kind of energy taken from________．
A. the air
B. the sun
C. the water
D. the ground
2.The underlined word“reduce”probably means________．
A. to make something less
B. to make something better
C. to make something more
D. to make something cleaner
3.What is the fourth paragraph of the passage mainly about？
A. The ways to use solar power．
B. The advantages of solar power．
C. The places to build the solar power plants．
D. The difficulties of putting solar power to use widely．
4.What can we learn from the passage？
A. Solar energy itself is expensive．
B. Solar power will be used up very soon．
C. Solar power is a kind of clean and useful energy．
D. Solar power is much better than the other energies．
Countless people long to make a difference this holiday season, yet they don’t realize that opportunities to make a difference are everywhere. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Organize a blank drive
It is cold outside, but imagine how thousands of homeless people may feel without a home of their own, or even a blanket to keep them from the cold. Organize a blank drive for your local homeless, and ask around for donations!
Practice random acts of kindness
I’ll never forget the time when I went to pay for my Dr. Pepper, but the server resisted, saying my bill was paid by an anonymous(匿名的) guest. It’s this random act of kindness that restores my faith in humanity. Bless someone by paying for their drink at Starbucks, or praising them! If you live somewhere where it snows, shovel your neighbor’s snow out of their driveway for them! Whether it is as simple as praise or as complex as paying the bill, you’ll never know how far your impact will reach.
Say thank you
ust a simple thank-you can_________, especially if they feel like their work is never noticed. Cultivate（培养）a smile on their face by being sincere and grateful for all that they do.
Use your talents to help the community
The best way to show your appreciation for people is by using the talents and skills you have to bless others. For me, I love to coordinate（协调）events and write , and so my way of reaching out to the community is through writing articles and creating awareness about problems we face today. If you can bake, make some delicious cookies for people to enjoy! If you can knit, put your talents to use by making clothes for children in foster care. Any talent can be used to help the community in meaningful ways.
Wish you a happy, healthy and helpful holiday season.
1.If you join a blank drive, you can _________.
A. collect donations for the homeless people
B. bring a blanket to go on a trip
C. buy a home for homeless people
D. keep yourself from the cold
2.How did the author restore his faith in humanity?
A. He helps others
B. He often blessed others
C. He got help from others
D. He got praised by others
3.The underlined phrase “make somebody’s day” is to_________.
A. make someone feel grateful all day
B. do something unnoticed by people
C. make someone feel good all day
D. help someone to solve problems
4.What is the author’s talent?
A. Sewing
B. Writing
C. Baking
D. Knitting
5.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Make a Difference in Your Holiday Season
B. Make the Best of Talent
C. Enjoy Your Holiday Season
D. Help Others in Need
