【推荐2】We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO₂）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere. 21世纪We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO₂^. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO₂ a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce? For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important _______, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO₂ emissions by 80 percent,” he said.
Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.
1. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?

A．To take special kinds of food

B．To respond to climate change.

C．To lose weight

D．To improve their health

2. The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to .

A．freezing points

B．burning points

C．melting points

D．boiling points

3. It can be inferred from the passage that 2___. ..

A．it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time ..

B．it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO2

C．the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO2 a month.

D．the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO2 a month.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．Saving Energy Starts at Home	B．Changing Our Habits Begins at work
C．Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable	D．Reducing Emissions of CO2 Proves Difficult

【推荐3】Life is difficult.

It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.

Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.

What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.

Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin

Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.

1. From the passage, it can be inferred that __________.

A．everybody has problems

B．we become stronger by meeting and solving the problems of life

C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain

D．people like to complain about their problems

2. The writer probably used just one short sentence in the first paragraph to __________.

A．save space	B．persuade readers
C．make readers laugh	D．get reader’s attention

3. The main idea of Paragraph 3 is that __________.

A．Most people feel life is easy.

B．the writer feels life is easy

C．the writer likes to complain about his problems

D．most people complain about how hard their lives are

4. The underlined saying from Benjamin Franklin “Those things that hurt, instruct” suggests that __________.

A．we do not learn from experience	B．we do not learn when we are pain
C．pain teaches us important lessons	D．pain cannot be avoided

【推荐1】Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Pinocchio, and more Disney characters all have something in common — gloves. Although there are many surprising facts about Disney’s characters, putting gloves on them is actually a reasonable move.

The short answer as to why so many characters wear gloves is that animation (动画制作) is a difficult process. It takes time and efforts to create the characters you know and love. Animators wanted to make their job easier and faster with a few techniques. One of these techniques was using round edges (边) instead of angles. So this also meant making some parts simple, such as hands, to make the animation process quicker.

Still, in the age of black-and-white cartoons, separating characters’ round-edged hands from their black bodies was hard. Gloves were an easy way to make their hands stand out. In fact, Walt Disney might have been the first to put gloves on his characters. Once animation moved away from black and white, Mickey and his friends kept their white gloves.

Besides keeping the animation simple, Walt Disney told his biographer, Bob Thomas, that the gloves existed for another reason: to make the mouse more like a human. “We didn’t want him to have mouse hands because he was supposed to be more human,” Disney told Thomas in 1957. “So we gave him gloves. Five fingers seemed like too much on such a little figure, so we took away one. That was just one less finger to animate.” All this Disney’s talk makes us want to go back and look at photos of Mickey Mouse.

1. Why were round edges used in animation?

A．They looked more beautiful.

B．They could be copied more easily.

C．They could make the creating job easier.

D．They were more popular with children.

2. What can we know about Mickey Mouse?

A．It is like a human with five fingers.

B．Its hands are different from humans’.

C．Gloves help it stand out among all characters.

D．It wore gloves in the past but it doesn’t nowadays.

3. What does the Disney’s talk make people do?

A．Enjoy Mickey’s beauty.

B．Count Mickey’s fingers.

C．Recall our childhood.

D．Check Mickey’s gloves’ color.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．How Disney created his characters.

B．What difference Disney characters have.

C．What makes Disney characters so popular.

D．Why Disney characters wear white gloves.

【推荐3】Smokers may ignore the health warnings by telling themselves their habit makes them look cool. After all, sex symbols James Dean and Humphrey Bogart were rarely seen without a cigarette. However, the latest evidence shows that smoking actually makes you less attractive to the opposite sex. Wrinkles from smoking a cigarette may be to blame for people judging non-smokers to be better-looking.

This was the result of a study asking more than 500 people to pick the most attractive of twins where one smoked and the other did not. Men found female non-smokers the most attractive in two-thirds of cases, while women chose non-smoking men as the most attractive 68 percent of the time.

Professor Ian Penton-Voak, a co-author of the study from Bristol University, said, “People assume that smoking causes damage to the skin and appearance, but this is a really neat way of looking at it because these twins are genetically identical, so we can control for genetic factors involved in ageing. Appearance seems to be important to people, especially young people, so we could use these sorts of findings as a basis for future interventions to stop people smoking.”

Smoking can speed up the normal ageing, even after only a decade. Nicotine causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outermost layers of the skin, while the chemicals in tobacco smoke damage collagen and elastin, fibres which give the skin its elasticity(弹性).

The wrinkles this causes are added to by facial expressions made when smoking—such as pursing the lips when inhaling(吸气)or squinting to keep smoke out of your eyes.

1. Why does the author mention James Dean and Humphrey Bogart?

A．To persuade smokers to give up smoking.

B．To compare them with non-smokers.

C．To tell us many people are influenced by them.

D．To show understanding and comfort smokers.

2. What is Professor Ian Penton-Voak’s attitude to smoking?

A．Disapproving.	B．Favourable.
C．Unconcerned.	D．Cautious.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Smokers look cooler than non-smokers.

B．Smoking may speed up skin’s ageing.

C．Smokers look younger than non-smokers.

D．Smoking should be banned right away.

【推荐3】After a busy day of work and play,the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time,the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day.

There are four levels of sleep,each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep,your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly,and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level,your body adjusts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.

Although your mind slows down,from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs,your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (Although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM,which stands for rapid eye movement.

If you have trouble falling asleep,some people recommend breathing very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion the counting sheep will put you to sleep!

1. A good title for this passage is             .

A．Sleep

B．Dreams

C．Good Health

D．Work and Rest

2. The underlined word “drowsy” in the last paragraph means             .

A．sick

B．asleep

C．stand up

D．a little sleepy

3. This passage suggests that not getting enough sleep might make you                           .

A．dream more often	B．have poor health
C．nervous	D．breathe quickly

4. During REM,_________.            

A．your eyes move quickly	B．you dream
C．you are restless	D．both A and B