-What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技术). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today’s leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live, Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
1. According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by __________.
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A．diseases and aging |
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B．accidents and war |
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C．accidents and aging |
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D．heart disease and war |
2. In the author’s opinion, today’s most important advance in technology lies in __________.
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A．brain cell |
B．the Internet |
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C．medicine |
D．human organ |
3.Humans may live longer in the future because _________.
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A．heart disease will be far away from us |
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B．human brains can decide the final death |
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C．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
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D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
4.How long can humans live in the future according to the passage?
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A．Over 100 years. |
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B．More than 120 years. |
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C．About 150 years. |
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D．The passage doesn't tell us. |
-American office workers spend an average of 52 hours a week at their desks, according to a statistic survey. Some might argue that not all that time is spent working，but still all those hours in windowless offices with artificial light can have an influence.
A few green additions could have a large effect on worker happiness，according to the survey led by Tina Cade from Texas State University.
“We pretty much found out that if you had windows and plants or even if you just had plants in your office, you were more satisfied with your job,” Cade told LiveScience. “We thought it was important for offices because a lot of times people are looking for ways to keep employees happy and do all these expensive things like building a gym. Maybe for less investment they could put in a few plants in important places.”
The team surveyed 450 office workers in Texas and the Midwest，asking questions about job satisfaction and the work environments. When asked about their overall life quality,82 said they felt “content” or “very happy”. Only 69 percent of those who work with plants but without windows，and 60 percent of those who have windows but no plants, said they felt this way.
The group of people who work without plants or windows were the most dissatisfied，with only 58 percent of them saying that overall they were “content” or “very happy”. While no one who works with plants，windows，or both reported they felt “miserable”, 0.8 percent of those who work in offices without either said they were “miserable”. “I was really surprised that having a plant in your office appeared to be more beneficial than having a window in your office,” Cade said. “Everybody says, ‘I need a window!’ but actually it seemed like a plant could be a suitable alternative.”
1.What does the passage mainly tell us?
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A．Green plants can increase job satisfaction. |
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B．An easier way to increase job satisfaction. |
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C．What the best working environment is. |
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D．Who are happy with their job environment. |
2.Among the 450 people surveyed, ________.
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A．69 percent have plants in their offices |
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B．60 percent have windows in their walls |
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C．0.8 percent of them feel dissatisfied |
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D．about 18 percent of them are satisfied |
3. According to the survey，the group of people who work without plants or windows ______.
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A．didn’t feel content at all |
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B．all suffered from work pressure |
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C．were the most dissatisfied |
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D．worked with low efficiency |
4. Which of the following statement is true?
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A．The employers want to do little to keep employees happy. |
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B．Sometimes it doesn’t need much to increase job happiness. |
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C．A gym contributes less to job happiness than green plants. |
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D．Employers have tried every means to increase job happiness. |
-Without proper planning, tourism can cause problems．For example, too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants(居民) of a country. If tourists create too much traffic, the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy. They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely. They forget how much tourism can help the country’s economy. It is important to think about the people of a destination(目的地) country and how tourism affects them. Tourism should help a country, keep the customs and beauty that attract tourists．Tourism should also advance the wealth and happiness of local inhabitants.
Too much tourism can be a problem. If tourism grows too quickly, people must leave other jobs to work in the tourism industry. This means that other parts of the country’s economy can suffer.
On the other hand, if there is not enough tourism，people can lose jobs. Businesses can also lose money. It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels, airports，air terminals, first－class roads, and other support facilities（设施）needed by tourist attractions. For example, a major international class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build. If this room is not used most of the time, the owners of the hotel lose money.
Building a hotel is just a beginning．There must be many support facilities as well，including roads to get to the hotel, electricity, sewers to handle waste, and water. All of these support facilities cost money. If they are not used because there are not enough tourists, jobs and money are lost.
1.Which of the following has most probably been discussed in the part that goes before this passage?
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A．It is very important to develop tourism. |
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B．Building roads and hotels is necessary. |
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C．Support facilities are highly important. |
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D．Planning is very important to tourism. |
2.Too much tourism can cause all these problems EXCEPT ________.
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A．a bad effect on other industries |
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B．a change of tourists’ customs |
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C．over－crowdedness of places of interest |
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D．pressure on traffic |
3.Not enough tourism can lead to ________.
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A．an increase of unemployment (失业) |
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B．a decrease (减退) in tourist attractions. |
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C．the higher cost of support facilities |
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D．a rise in price and a fall in pay. |
4.The underlined word “handle” in the last paragraph most probably means _________.
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A．get in |
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B．pick up |
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C．carry away |
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D．take down |
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to £200 or £300 a week. Put an advertisement（广告）for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent（出租）a room
Spare room? Not only will a lodger（房客）earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Don’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money. Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free—but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment(around￡14,000) and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.
1.If you earn ￡5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
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A．￡300 |
B．￡500 |
C．￡4500 |
D．5000 |
2.Where can you put an advertisement to rent out a room during a big event?
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A．On Letpark. |
B．On Roomspare. |
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C．On Grashpadder. |
D．On Roommateeasy. |
3. If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
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A．sign an agreement with the government |
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B．pay around ￡14,000 for the equipment |
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C．sell the roof to some energy companies |
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D．keep the roof unchanged within 25 years |
4.For whom is the text most probably written?
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A．Lodgers. |
B．Advertisers. |
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C．House owners. |
D．Online companies |
When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”. My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl.” She looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many dines when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.
1.What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
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A．Look at them sadly. |
B．Keep them company. |
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C．Play games with them. |
D．Touch them gently. |
2.We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie ______.
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A．would eat anything when hungry |
B．felt scary for her mistake |
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C．loved playing hide-and-seek |
D．disliked the author's dad |
3. Why does the author say that Brownie was more than just a family pet?
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A．She was treated as a member of the family. |
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B．She played games with anyone she liked. |
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C．She was loved by everybody she met. |
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D．She went everywhere with the family. |
4.Some people got frightened by Brownie when she______.
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A．smiled |
B．barked |
C．rushed to them |
D．tried to be funny |
When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark. 31 , it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so 32 .
As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly 33 cold－very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.
With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move 34 that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also 35 . Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something 36 . Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear,” said the old lady. “I need 37 . I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes. ”
“Airport? You 38 are lost,” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers 39 you reach the T-junction. Turn left and 40 for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the 41 to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no 42 you’ll get there in five minutes!”
“Thank you very much, dear.” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry—I’ll 43 in time. ”
The 44 moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it 45 and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something 46 happened. The car began changing. First, its color 47 from black to silvery- grey. And then the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, 48 just above the ground. As the car 49 into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling 50 , the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…
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