从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Muzak
The next time you go into a bank, a store, or a supermarket, stop and listen. What do you hear? 1. It's similar to the music you listen to, but it's not exactly the same. That's because this music was especially designed to relax you, or to give you extra energy. Sometimes you don't even realize the music is playing, but you react to the music anyway.
Quiet background music used to be called "elevator(电梯) music" because we often heard it in elevators. But lately we hear it in more and more places, and it has a new name "Muzak". About one-third of the people in America listen to "Muzak" everyday. The music plays for 15 minutes at a time, with short pauses in between. It is always more lively between ten and eleven in the morning, and between three and four in the afternoon, when people are more tired. 2.
If you listen to Muzak carefully, you will probably recognize the names of many of the songs. Some musicians or songwriters don't want their songs to be used as Muzak, but others are happy when their songs are chosen. Why? 3.
Music is often played in public places because it is designed to make people feel less lonely when they are in an airport or a hotel. It has been proven that Muzak does what it is designed to do. Tired office workers suddenly have more energy when they hear the pleasant sound of Muzak in the background. ___4.____ Supermarket shoppers buy 38 percent more groceries.
5. They say it's boring to hear the same songs all the time. But other people enjoy hearing Muzak in public places. They say it helps them relax and feel calm. One way or another, Muzak affects everyone. Some farmers even say their cows give more milk when they hear Muzak!
A. Some people don't like Muzak.
B. The music gives them extra energy.
C. Music is playing in the background.
D. Factory workers produce 13 percent more.
E. Muzak tends to help people understand music better.
F. They get as much as $4 million a year if their songs are used.
G. Muzak is played in most of the big supermarkets in the world.
Europe loves bicycle
Cycling isn’t always easy. Busy streets, noisy horns, and inadequate bike lanes and parking areas can make it an uphill battle. But not even these difficulties can stop Europeans passion for cycling. According to BBC,bicycles outsold cars in 26 of the European Union’s 28 states last year.
In some European countries just like Denmark and the Netherlands, people really love bicycles.
But BBC reported that Spain is also embracing bicycling: for the first time on record, bicycles outsold cars in the country in 2012.
And it’s becoming a continent-wide phenomenon. “people ride to work and take their bikes to the grocery
store,” Bill Strickland, executive editor of Bicycling magazine, told Reuters.
So what has led to cycling’s growing popularity in Europe?
“Cycling is a safe, clean, healthy way to get around,” the Daily Star concluded. “it not only reduces traffic congestion and pollution, abut also contributes to public health.”
Bike-friendly policies have also contributed to the phenomenon.
Dozens of cities have joined a European Union initiative(倡议) to make bicycles on the par with (与......平分秋色) cars as a form of urban transport. Quite a few cities such as Stockholm, London, Florence and Munich now offer extensive networks of well-marked bike lanes.
Copenhagen take it as a step future by keeping bicycles and motor vehicles physically separate as much as possible. On these routes, stoplights are adjusted to the rhythms of bicycles, not cars. And the routs are lined with bicycle pump stations that are designed to the Daily Star.
For people living far from city centers, getting to work by bicycles alone may not be time-efficient. That’s why many European countries now allow cyclists to bring their bicycles onto subway trains.
Europeans are also creative in solving parking problems. The Daily Star reported that Amsterdam has come up with a high-tech solution: you lock your bike to a rack (架子), which then revolves underground. When you want your bike back, the rack rotates (旋转) it back to the surface.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
A. In Denmark, all bike lanes are separated from motorized traffic.
B. In Copenhagen, cyclists are given priority (优先) over drivers in many traffic situations.
C. Bicycles are not allowed to be taken onto subway trains in most European countries.
D. Amsterdam’s cycling network and underground parking system is the most advanced in the world.
2.The underlined word “embracing” in Para3 is closest in the meaning to _____.
A. getting worries about
B. taking little interest in
C. accepting gladly
D. including as a part of something larger
3.What’s the purpose of the underlined sentence?
A. It shows the popularity of bicycles.
B. It shows why people dislike bicycles.
C. It serves as an introduction of why Europeans like bicycles.
D. It serves as a warning of difficulty in riding a bicycle.
4.More and more Europeans prefer bicycles because ________.
A. They think cycling is a safe, clean, healthy, inexpensive way to get around.
B. Cars are usually caught in traffic jams.
C. Governments require them to do so.
D. It is convenient to park their bicycles.
“I THIRST”
Each day water-related diseases kill 3,900 of the world’s children.
Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. More than 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation (卫生设备).
The combination proves deadly. Each year, diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world. Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and women, and poverty.
Consider these facts:
* The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometres.
* Only 58 percent of children in sub-Sharan Africa are drinking safe water, and only 37 percent of children in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet.
* Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-borne diseases.
Here are three ways you can help:
1) Write Congress
Current U.S. foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American citizen. Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad.
2) Sponsor a project with a faith-based organization
Many U.S. religious groups already sponsor water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations can make safe water a reality for thousands of people.
3) Support nonprofit water organizations
Numerous U.S. based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community led projects related to drinking water and sanitation. Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows, some organizations are large, others small-scale, some operate world-wide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, Latin America. Support them generously.
1.The three facts presented in the passage are used to illustrate that ______.
A. poverty can result in water-borne diseases
B. people have no access to clean drinking water
C. women’s rights are denied in some developing countries
D. safe drinking water should be a primary concern
2.The intended readers of the passage are _______.
A. Americans B. overseas sponsors
C. Congressmen D. U.S. based water organizations
3.The main purpose of the passage is to call on people to ______.
A. get rid of water-related diseases in developing countries
B. donate money to people short of water through religious groups
C. fight against the worldwide water shortage and sanitation problem
D. take joint action in support of some nonprofit water organizations
Americans have developed an olive oil habit. Out to dinner recently, I saw a man dipping his white bread in olive oil and then pouring it all over his salad, saying, "Wow, this is so good for me!"
But is olive oil the healthiest fat? No, it's not. You might ask, doesn't it lower cholesterol(胆固醇)? Well, only when you substitute olive oil in equivalent amounts for butter or oils that are higher in saturated（饱和的）fat. Olive oil doesn't lower cholesterol; it just doesn't raise it as much.
You may be better off with canola（菜籽油） oil. The 1999 Lyon Diet Heart Study found that a Mediterranean diet significantly reduced heart attacks and premature deaths. Many people attributed this to eating a lot of olive oil. But it was increased consumption of canola oil that accounted for these improvements.
Also, study participants ate more whole-grain bread, vegetables, fish and fruit, and less meat. Butter and cream were replaced with man-made butter made from canola oil, which has more healthy omega-3 fatty acids than olive oil does.
Another study found that olive oil reduced blood flow by 31%. Canola oil and fish oil don't. (You want to increase blood flow to all body parts.)
I like the taste of olive oil, and I use it sometimes. It's a healthier fat than many others, but it's not nearly as healthy as canola oil -- or fish oil and flaxseed oil, for that matter, which also have lots of omega-3s. And a tablespoon of any oil has 126 calories. Think about that before you pour it on.
1.It can be inferred that in America ________.
A. most people prefer canola oil than olive oil
B. most people think olive oil is healthier than others
C. people use olive oil to help them lose weight
D. most people choose olive oil for its better taste
2.The author may advise people _______.
A. to choose canola oil instead of olive oil
B. to think over before choosing new products
C. to keep on eating olive oil to keep healthy
D. to consult the researchers before accepting a trend
3.According to the author, olive oil ________.
A. isn’t as health as most people think
B. can be used as a substitute for meat
C. can help increase the blood flow
D. contain less calories than other oils
4.A Mediterranean diet reduced heart attacks and premature deaths thanks to .
A. olive oil B. butter C. canola oil D. Bread
It was Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.
He rode along until a strange sound drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. What he saw shocked and terrified him. A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like a black cloud and the buzzing mass seemed to be heading angrily towards him.
With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiously—but without knowing how to escape the swarm. With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospital—and that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bed for two whole days. Suddenly, his father’s words came to him.“When you are in a tight situation, don’t panic. Use your brain and think your way out of it.”
On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards from the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees don’t like smoke,” he thought. “They couldn’t get into the house.” Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground. Andy knew he could not reach the house in time. He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden. Off his bike and into the cool water he lived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees had gone. Dragging himself out of the dam, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. Mrs. Nelson took him inside and rang his mother.
“You’ll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “Thank goodness you didn’t panic!” But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow.
1.Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?
A. He was riding to school.
B. He was listening to a strange sound.
C. He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip.
D. He was going fishing with his father.
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?
A. They crowded like a black cloud.
B. They shocked and terrified Andy.
C. They tried to attack Andy in a mass.
D. They made Andy stay in hospital for two days.
3.How did Andy avoid the bees in the end?
A. He asked Mr. Nelson for help.
B. He hid himself under the water.
C. He rushed into the Nelson house.
D. He rode off in the opposite direction.
4.Which of the following can best describe Andy’s escape from the bees?
A. No pains, no gains.
B. Once bitten, twice shy.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way.
D. In time of danger, one’s mind works fast.
书面表达
假如你正在参加学校举行的英语演讲比赛，就如何应对全球变暖这一话题发表自己的见解，号召同学们过低碳生活，为减少二氧化碳（CO2）排放做贡献。请就这一话题写一篇演讲稿，陈述你自己的观点。演讲稿应包括以下内容：
1． 节能减排，低碳生活，人人可为。
2． 改变以往的家庭生活习惯。（如用电，用水）
3． 出行使用公共交通工具或骑自行车。
4． …
要求：1.词数不少于120词。2．可适当增加内容细节，以使行文连贯。
3． 开头已经给出，不计入总词数。
提示：碳排放 carbon emission
Good morning, everyone!
My topic today is how to
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