The oldest and most common source (来源) of renewable energy known to man, biomass is one of the most important forms energy production in the United States and elsewhere. Since such a wide variety of biomass materials is everywhere —- from trees and grasses to agricultural and city —- life wastes —-biomass promises to play a continuing role in providing power and heat for millions of people around the world.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS), biomass is a kind of renewable energy source that produces no carbon dioxide, because the energy it contains comes from the sun. When plant matter is burned, it gives off the sun’s energy. In this way, biomass serves as a sort of natural battery(电池) for storing the sun’s energy. As long as biomass is produced continuously —-with only as much grown as is used— the “battery” lasts forever.
According to the Energy Information Administration, biomass has been one of the leading renewable energy sources in the United States for several years running through 2007, making up between 0.5 and 0.9 percent of the nation’s total electricity supply. In 2008—-although the numbers aren’t all in yet—-wind power probably took over first place because of the rapid development of wind farms across the country.
Producing power from biomass helps reduce some 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Some homeowners also try to make their own heat by using biomass materials. Such practice may save homeowner’s money, but it also produces a lot of pollution. So, the best way is to encourage power plants to use it.
1.Why is biomass considered as “a sort of natural battery”?
A. It burns simply plant matter.
B. It stores the energy from the sun.
C. It keeps producing electricity.
D. It produces zero carbon dioxide.
2.We learn from the text that in 2008 ______.
A. 0.5~0.9 of power supply came from biomass
B. biomass might become the main energy source
C. there was a rapid growth of electricity production
D. Wind power would be the leader of renewable energy.
3.Why does the author encourage power plants to use biomass?
A. To save money.
B. To prevent the waste of energy.
C. To reduce pollution.
D. To increase production safety.
4.Where does the text probably come from?
A. A book review. B. A business report.
C. A research plan. D. A science magazine
The biggest threat to the future of Oxfordshire’s economy is transport.
That is the key finding of a major new report which interviewed more than 120 county companies. The results show 76 percent of the company owners and directors believe traffic jams and the quality of transport are affecting their business.
More than 30 percent say this is costing them dearly in the form of extra fuel(燃料) costs, while some say the situation of being stuck in jams on key roads such as the A34 and A40 every day is making it harder to employ workers.
But lack of safer cycling plans is encouraging 72 percent of people to continue to go to work by car.
The report has led the government to try to work out a solution to the situation on the county’s crowded roads.
Nicola Blackwood, an official of Oxfordshire, recently brought transport minister Stephen Hammond to the county and said he became stuck in a traffic jam on the A34.
As a result, he has promised that he will aim to look at entire roads, rather than individual projects such as improving junctions (交叉路口).
Ms Blackwood said: “If we are able to achieve anything like our economic growth, we need to solve the problems that not only affect the new companies but also the growth of existing local businesses. What I want to see most of all is the quick production of a plan to solve the problem of the A34.”
John Cardy, co-founder of Garden Games, said he had considered moving his business from a farm in Garford to Witney but traffic fears had made him reconsider. He added: “Most of our employees were not prepared to use the A40 which is always crowded.”
1.According to the report, _____.
A. the A34 and A40 are the most crowded roads
B. more and more workers are losing their jobs
C. companies spend more on fuel than before
D. there is a serious lack of fuel
2.What do we know about the report mentioned in the text?
A. It aims to develop safer cycling plans.
B. It focuses on the unemployment problem.
C. It has attracted the government’s attention.
D. It is based on Stephen Hammond’s experience.
3.According to Ms Blackwood, what’s the most important thing to do?
A. To solve the problem of heavy traffic.
B. To limit the growth of new businesses.
C. To invite the transport minister to Oxfordshire.
D. To find ways to develop the county’s economy.
4.John Cardy’s worry shows _____.
A. his employees are always caught in traffic jams on the A40
B. most of his employees aren’t satisfied with him
C. transport is holding back business growth
D. business growth leads to traffic jams
How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
Journalist Tough spent five years reporting his previous (先前的) book, Whatever It Takes, a description of education activist Geoffrey Canada and the families influenced by his organization, the Harlem Children’s Zone. In this 2012 follow-up, Tough sets out to answer the difficult questions raised by Whatever It Takes: Why do some kids — particularly poor ones — succeed while others fail? And how can parents and educators help guide more children towards success?
The Death and Life of the Great American School System, by Diane Ravitch
Ravitch, a professor in New York University, takes a hard look at how public education has changed over the past twenty years, offering a reasoned explanation of popular policies, such as the emphasis (强调) on testing, and a solution (解决方法) to how to improve America’s schools.
Saving the School, by Michael Brick
When Anabel Garza became headteacher of Reagan High in Austin, Tex, she was faced with a large number of seemingly very difficult problems: A high dropout rate (辍学率) and low test scores. But as Brick writes Saving the School, a first-hand account of a year in the life of Reagan High, Garza, along with other teachers, was determined to turn things around for her school and her students.
The Flat World and Education, by Linda Darling -Hammond
While scores on the tests required by “No Child Left Behind” have steadily (平稳地) risen, America’s students are always falling behind on international testing measures. Why? According to Stanford education professor Darling-Hammond, it’s because U.S. schools, “designed at the turn of the last century,” are in need of a complete change. In this book, she describes the latest education models used by schools all over the world, which she argues could offer a long-term road map to changing the American public school system.
1.Which book answers questions from another book?
A. Saving the School.
B. How Children Succeed.
C. The Flat World and Education.
D. The Death and Life of the Great American School System.
2.Who writes about a particular high school?
A. Diane Ravitch. B. Michael Brick.
C. Paul Tough. D. Linda Darling-Hammond.
3.Both Diane and Linda are offering measures to _____.
A. cut down the dropout rate
B. help students get high scores
C. improve schools in America
D. guide more children to success
Imagination and fantasy(幻想) can play an important role in achieving the things we fear. Tom, a four-year-old boy with a cancer in his back bone, knew this very well. Fred Epstein, in his book If I Make It to Five, tells a story he heard from one of friends about Tom. He came through several operations and a lot of pain by mastering his imagination.
Tom loved to pretend, and he particularly loved to play superheroes. Dr. Epstein explained that it was actually a wonderful way for his young mind to manage the terrifying and painful life he led.
The day before his third trip to the operating room, Tom was terribly afraid. “Maybe I could go as Superman,” he said to his mom. Hearing this, the mother hesitated (犹豫) for a while. She had avoided buying the expensive costume (戏装), but finally she agreed.
The next day Tom appeared as the powerful Superman, showing off through the hospital halls and coolly waving his hand to the people greeting him along the way. And Tom, with the strength of his fantasy, successfully made it through the operation.
The power of imagination need not be reserved for children only. we all have the power to use our fantasies to attempt things we never thought possible, to go through those things that seem impossible, and to achieve what we never believed we could. Just as Dr. Epstein puts it, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
It doesn’t mean that you should dress as a superhero for your next job interview. But, next time you are tested in a way that seems impossible, imagine what it would take to overcome it. Become the person you need to become to win over your challenge and do it in your mind first. So, let your imagination run wild, and dare to dream.
1.What do we know about Tom?
A. He was seriously ill B. He was a dishonest boy.
C. He was crazy about magic. D. He was Dr. Epstein’s patient.
2.What can be inferred about Tom’s mother?
A. She was a rich lady.
B. She refused Tom’s request.
C. She wanted Tom to be a superhero.
D. She wanted to get Tom through the pain.
3.When Tom went for the third operation, he ______.
A. pretended to be painful B. acted like a superhero
C. appeared in poor spirits D. argued with his mother
4.In the last paragraph, you are advised ______.
A. to go through some difficult tests
B. to wake up from your wild dreams
C. to become a powerful person in your mind
D. to wear expensive clothes for job interviews
5.What is the purpose of the passage?
A. To tell us an interesting story.
B. To help us make right decisions.
C. To advise us to care about children.
D. To encourage us to use our imagination.
He slept in my arms last night, with his little head on my shoulder. I stayed awake listening to his breathing. He smiled in his sleep, and I wondered what could be funny to a one-year-old baby. I could sense the safety he felt.
However, my home life is completely different from the scene that greets me each morning at work. As a lawyer at Eastlake Juvenile Court (少年法庭), I always see kids that society has labeled the worst of the worst, the “thief”, the “robber”, the list goes on. But they are still children. As I sit across from them, I have a chance to talk to them about their lives, homes, and dreams. I sit through tears, anger, but mostly hurt. I see their parents, most of whom sit in the hallways day after day wanting to take their kids home. I also see parents that come to the court ready to walk away from their children forever. Each day I see hope destroyed.
I have come to realize that these children are our future, even if we don’t want to admit it. They also want to sleep on a mother’s shoulder at night, they also had dreams
and smiled in their sleep when they were babies. But then something terrible happened, which robbed (剥夺) them of that youth, that hope, and that joy. I hope one day we can find how to put back the destroyed childhoods and ruined lives.
Every day when I go home, I hold my children tightly in my arms and say “I love you” over and over again. And as I am filled with hope, I cannot forget those children I leave behind. I live in two worlds, one of promise, one of tragedy(悲剧). No matter what they are accused (指控) of, what crimes (罪行) they have carried out and what society thinks of them, they are children, they are our children and our future.
1.The author mentions her son in Paragraph 1 mainly to tell readers _____.
A. her son is lovely
B. it’s hard to raise a child
C. what leads children to break laws
D. children should be taken good care of
2.The underlined word “labeled” in Paragraph 2 can best be replaced by _____.
A. praised B. chosen C. designed D. described
3.What’s the author’s attitude towards the children who break laws?
A. Doubtful. B. Hopeful. C. Angry. D. Relaxed.
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To accuse those parents who ruin their children’s life.
B. To show the difficulty of her work as a lawyer.
C. To win support for problem children.
D. To show her deep love for her child.
Great changes _____ in my hometown in the last 30 years and local people are living a happy life today.
A. took place B. were taken place
C. have taken place D. have been taken place
