Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable resources like sun, wind and water．But it also leads to a fossil（化石） fuel．Natural gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the fuel created by plant and animal remains over millions of years．Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal．The gas is mainly methane （甲烷）．It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels．So it may help cut the production of carbon gases linked to climate change．
Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas．The United States is sixth．Over the years, big oil and gas companies recovered much of the easily reached supplies of gas in America．They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects．As these supplies were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries．
But now the industry is taking on a new look．Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in shale （页岩） rock two to three thousand meters underground．They drill down to the shale, then go sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock．This causes the rock to fracture, releasing the gas．Huge fields of gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states．Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by small to medium sized companies．Eric Potter, a program director, says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these new reserves．
But hydraulic （液压的） fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the risk of groundwater pollution．This method of drilling is not federally supervised（监督） under the Safe Drinking Water Act．Some in Congress want to end that exemption （豁免） from the law．
Natural gas provides Americans with about one fourth of their energy．And, unlike oil, most of it is produced in America．Gas producers invested heavily in reaching new supplies when prices were high．But prices are down sharply now because the depression cut demand for energy．So energy expert Eric Potter says it is too early to know how the changing market prices will affect the market for gas shale exploration．
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that ________．
A．natural gas releases methane and carbon dioxide
B．natural gas is considered as the cleanest energy
C．natural gas is more environmentally friendly than other fossil fuels
D．natural gas is a renewable source of energy
2.The word “fracture” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________．
A．create B．break C．change D．decrease
3.Gas shale exploration may cause disagreement because ________．
A．it may cause water pollution B．it brings too high profits
C．it breaks the law D．it is out of states’ control
4.According to Eric Potter, the new gas shale exploration ________．
A．will provide America with about one fourth of their energy
B．will increase demand for energy
C．will make gas producers invest a big sum of money
D．may be influenced by the changing market prices
As I was reading a recent story in Slate on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruining their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled children who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them．As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment: my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we too are burdened by student loans（贷款）．But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?
Consider some of these views shared in the Slate story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet．
I read that, and I thought, what planet is she living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury（奢华）, not a fertility requirement．
A 26-year-old in the story despairs（绝望） that he can’t afford to get a Ph．D．in literature．Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years．
Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost．But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality．Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations are slowly adjusting, but today’s 20-somethings grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be expanding．Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments．“So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner．
This recession（衰退） will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group．In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful－for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day－than on longing for some kind of luxury life．
1.What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?
A．They expect everything to be easy for them．
B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans．
C．They are not willing to face all of the challenges．
D．They are burdened by student loans．
2.The underlined word “fertility” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________．
A．baby production B．pleasant
C．baby comfort D．essential（必需的）
3.What’s the author’s attitude towards the 20-somthings with high expectation in Paragraph 5?
A．Intolerant（不能容忍的）． B．Negative．
C．Unbelieving． D．Understanding．
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A．How Young People Afford to Continue Their Study
B．Why Young People Can’t Afford to Buy a House
C．Why Young People’s High Hopes Create Despair
D．What the 20-somethings’ High Expectations Are
假如你是一名高三学生，经常为看电视的事跟妈妈闹意见，今天你跟妈妈达成一致。请根据以下表格的内容，以An Argument为题为《英语广场》写一篇100字左右的英语短文：
|
母亲 |
儿子 |
|
高三学生学习任务重，看电视浪费时间 |
学业习一天很疲劳，看电视可以放松一下 |
|
儿子自制力差，看电视会影响视力 |
看电视也可以增长知识，了解国际国内大事，紧跟时代 |
|
星期中不准我看电视，但在周允许我看新闻、文艺、体育或科普类节目。 |
注意：1、短文的开头已给出，不记人总词数。
2、不能遗漏表格中的内容，但不要逐字翻译。
3、可以适当增添合乎情理的过渡性语言。
I am a Senior 3 student. I often quarrel with my mother over whether I can watch TV after school.
阅读下列各小题，根据括号内的汉语提示，用句末括号内的英语单词完成句子，并将答案写在答题卡上的相应题号后。
1.—What’s that noise?
—Oh, I forgot to tell you．The new machines ____________ （检测）．（test）
2.I didn't know_________（他说了些什么） to his teacher, （say）
3.When Mark opened the door, he saw a woman_________ （站在那里）．He has never seen her before, （stand）
4.Not until we know more about the environment _________ （我们将能够）improve the situation, （able）
5.When was it ________ （他们到达） the city of Johannesburg? （arrive）
6.If Rachel had known that Godfrey was marrying her for her money, she （就不会同意） get engaged to him．（agree）
7.____________ （他们是否能完成） that task on time is still a question, （finish）
8.After enjoying Dinosaur World, the children came to Panda Park, _________ （那里他们看见了两只大熊猫）．（see）
9.I fount it easy_____________ （和他相处）（get）
10._________ （和他一起埋葬）were some of the tools he used when he was alive, （bury）
Those who plan to film a hostage （人质） scene might want to make it obvious to everyone around them that it' s a simulation．That may be the lesson that an independent film crew learned in Larimer County, Colo．after sheriff s deputies （治安警察） surrounded them during a shoot for a low -budget feature movie．Members of the crew were at a campground near Lake Carter, shooting a scene where the lead actor takes a girl hostage and beats up on a man who tries to intervene （干涉）．"It happened very suddenly after that．We heard, 'freeze' " said Director Eileen Agosta．They were in the middle of the scene when a team of Larimer County sheriff s deputies ran over, shouting orders to get on the ground, pointing guns at the crew, actor Chris Borden said．Members of the crew were cuffed （戴上手铐） and held on the ground until the situation was sorted out．Borden said he believes the only reason the deputies didn't shoot him was because they saw a cameraman．Maj．Justin Smith of the Larimer County Sheriff s Department said deputies received a call from someone at the lake and sheriff s deputies raced to the park, blocking roads．"I think it shows great self - control, great training and great judgment " said Cpl, Scott Shellhaas, a sheriff s spokesman．"They didn't rush into the situation and make a potentially bad situation worse．"Borden said the incident would have been funny except for the fact that he was issued a citation （传票） for disorderly conduct．Agosta was also cited for being an accessory to disorderly conduct．"It was complete ignorance on my part," said Agosta．"I honestly thought you could tell what we were doing… I wouldn' t have chosen a state park at 3 : 30 （p．m．） on Saturday if I was going to hurt somebody．" Authorities said the scene they saw was realistic enough - - - a woman handcuffed to a car, a man handgun - striking another man, people injured and bloodied and someone with a small video camera filming the event．"It is certainly not beyond belief these days that individuals do videotape crimes as they commit them," said Smith．"Having a video camera there did not necessarily mean there was not a threat．"
1.The underlined word probably means something that is ______．
A．not real B．really interesting
C．simply terrible D．seemingly true
2.The sheriff s deputies surrounded the film crew, because _____．
A．they found a girl hostage was terribly beaten
B．they were informed of a terrible scene at the lake
C．shooting a film was illegal at a state park in the county
D．they saw a cameraman shoot the hostage scene
3.According to the spokesman, the sheriff s deputies _____．
A．needed to be well trained later
B．made the situation from bad to worse
C．dealt with the situation successfully
D．made the situation from good to better
4.What the authorities and Smith said suggested that _____．
A．people should have told what really happened when they saw the scene
B．they couldn' t believe that individuals should do videotape crimes publicly
C．it was very surprising that the film crew shot such a bloody scene at the park
D．it' s not the sheriff s deputies but the film crew that was to blame for the incident
Of all the websites, one that has attracted attention recently is myspace．corn．Most of this attention has come from the media and tells every reason why the website should be shut down．The threat of internet predators （掠夺者） is indeed a tough reality, but shutting down the site is not the answer．If myspace．corn．were shut down, another site would quickly take its place．Therefore, the right way is to teach teens how to use the site safely and educate them about who may be predators and how to avoid them．
The key to staying safe on the Internet is to make sure that your profile （个人资料）is secure．The simplest way is to change the privacy setting on your profile to "private", which protects your information so that only the people on your friend list can view it．Although this is effective , it is not perfect．Predators can find ways to view your profile if they really want to, whether through hacking in or figuring out their way onto your friend list．Thus, you should never post too much personal information．Some people actually post their home and school addresses, date of birth, and other personal information, often letting predators know exactly where they will be and when．The safest information is your first name and province．Anything more is basically inviting a predator into your life．
Another big issue is photos．I suggest completely skipping photos and never posting a photo of a friend online without asking permission．
Most importantly, never, under any circumstances, agree to a real - life meeting with anyone you meet online．No matter how well you think you know this person, there are no guarantees that they have told the truth．But you could feel free to chat with people you meet on the site, but just remember that not everyone is who they say they are．Hopefully, the next time you edit your profile, you' 11 be more informed about the dangers of Internet predators and take the steps to defend yourself．
1.Kids can avoid web predators successfully by ___
A．attracting more public attention
B．shutting down the website "myspace．corn"
C．showing the kids ways to try other sites
D．recognizing and getting away from them
2.The safest basic personal information that you can share online is
A．your home address and birthday
B．your school address and your first name
C．your first name and province
D．your province and cell phone number
3.We can learn from the passage that _____．
A．not everybody you meet online is honest and reliable
B．it is not acceptable to post a photo of a friend online
C．it is not safe chatting with grown - ups on the website
D．only you and your friends can view your personal profile
4.What could be the best title of this passage?
A．Web Safety for Teens． B．Personal Safety．
C．Web Hackers in the Past． D．Predators'Tricks．
