Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost mention recycling. Recycling in the homes is very important. However, having to recycle often means we already have more products than we need. We are just dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way, but it would be much better if we did not bring so many goods home.
The total amount of packaging（外包装） has increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It is 1/3 of a home’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets, food products are packaged twice with plastic and paper. Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of land because of this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Besides, the plastic from the package puts some creatures in danger, especially birds and fish.
Recycling helps, but the recycling itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such waste in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, few of them have the idea that this cannot continue. For example, supermarkets should encourage customers to reuse their plastic bags.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have been used to the idea that packaging means excellence while anything unpackaged is of poor condition. This is especially true of food. But this idea has spread to other products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how many unnecessary goods are collected. We need to face the waste of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.
1. What does the underlined word “over-consumption” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A. Using too much packaging.
B. Recycling too many wastes.
C. Buying more products than needed.
D. Making more products than necessary.
2.Which of the following damage of over packaging is NOT mentioned?
A. It may waste land.
B. It may pollute the food.
C. It may do harm to the living things.
D. It may make the green house effect worse.
3. According to the passage, which of the following is true about recycling?
A. It leads to a waste of land.
B. It means burning packaging for energy.
C. It is the only solution to the greenhouse effect.
D. It helps reduce the harm caused by too much packaging.
4. Why do people prefer packaged products?
A. Supermarkets encourage them.
B. People care more about packaging.
C. It is necessary for all the products to have package.
D. People think unpackaged products are of poor condition.
5.What does the writer tell us in the last paragraph?
A. Fighting waste is difficult.
B. People don’t waste any more.
C. People only recycle necessary goods now.
D. We should continue our consumer culture.
Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it repaired, as there are a lot of antique (古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.
The second shop, though a little more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth. I realized that my approach must be wrong so I decided to try another way. I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair? Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK. I’ll give you twenty pounds for it,” he said. “It’s got a slightly broken leg,” I added. “Yes, I saw that. It’s nothing,” the shopkeeper replied.
Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell after the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean? You’ve just sold it to me,” the man asked in surprise. “Yes, I know. But I’ve changed my mind. I am sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. He shouted, “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You’re right,” I said, “And what would you have said if I had walked in and asked you to repair my chair?” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it. We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll repair this for you. Five pounds will be the cost,” the man answered. He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.
1.What happened to the writer in the first shop?
A. He broke his leg.
B. His chair was repaired.
C. He was refused impolitely.
D. The shopkeeper bought his chair.
2.What does the underlined phrase “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph mean?
A. The shopkeeper changed his mind.
B. The shopkeeper accepted the price.
C. The shopkeeper decided to help the writer.
D. The shopkeeper found out the writer’s purpose.
3. How much did the writer pay the shopkeeper at last?
A. 5 pounds. B. 7 pounds.
C. 20 pounds. D. 27 pounds.
4. From the passage, we can learn that the writer was__________.
A. honest B. smart
C. careful D. crazy
5.Which of the following statements is true?
A. The writer wanted to sell his chair for 20 pounds.
B. It was very easy to repair the writer’s broken chair.
C. The writer succeeded in getting his chair repaired at last.
D. The man in the first shop thought the chair was too old to repair.
Amy was looking for a gift for her little daughter. Suddenly she before a store of dolls. “Girls like dolls,” she thought as she stepped into it.
Looking around, she saw a doll – one with grey hair and a pair of glasses. In her mind appeared Joyce, her mother.
When Amy was a little girl, she got her first doll from Joyce for her birthday. Then the second, third … A doll a year from Joyce never arrived .
“Why always a doll?” This had been in Amy’s mind until one day she knew the answer.
Little Joyce dreamed to have a doll. Her parents promised one for her birthday. Sadly, they both in a traffic accident before it arrived. The never-received gift was the most thing in her eyes.
Joyce’s story being recalled, Amy got an idea.
It was Joyce’s 60th birthday. A parcel was sent to her, with a that read,
Dear Joyce,
I forget to you the parcel that you should have received on May 20, 1956, your fifth birthday. The gift inside has aged, but I felt that you might still wish to have it.
Love, Angel of Joy
Joyce opened the parcel and saw a lovely grandma doll. She held the doll tightly that she had waited so many years for, with tears running down her face. The doll, given by “Angel of Joy”, made her the “child” in the world.
1.A. Stopped B. sat C. went D. moved
2.A. Mother B. child C. grandma D. daughter
3.A. early B. late C. sadly D. lovely
4.A. idea B. mind C. question D. answer
5.A. Second B. third C. fifth D. sixtieth
6.A. left B. stepped C. dreamed D. died
7.A. helpful B. important C. useful D. careful
8.A. gift B. word C. card D. parcel
9.A. buy B. send C. leave D. show
10.A. Happiest B. saddest C. loveliest D. smallest
— Did you see Anna after class?
— I saw her leave the classroom, but I didn’t notice __________after that.
A. when did she go B. where did she go
C. when she went D. where she went
I love my cat and spend a lot of time __________ after it.
A. look B. looks
C. to look D. looking
Mike __________ live in London, but now he works in China.
A. is used to B. used to
C. was used to D. gets used to
