【推荐3】Coal burning deep underground in China，India and Indonesia is threatening the environment and human life, scientists have warned. These large-scale underground fires cause the ground temperature to heat up and kill surrounding vegetation, produce greenhouse gases and can even bring about forest fires, a panel（专门小组）of scientists told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver. They warned the resulting release of poisonous elements like arsenic （砷）and mercury（汞）can also pollute local water sources and soils “Coal fires are a global disaster,” said Associate Professor Glenn Stracher of East Georgia College in Swainsboro, U.S.A. But surprisingly few people know about them.

Coal can heat up on its own, and eventually catch fire and burn, if there is a continuous oxygen supply. The heat produced is not caused to disappear and under the right combinations of sunlight and oxygen, can trigger spontaneous（自然产生的）catching fire and burning. This can occur underground in coal stockpiles（煤堆）, abandoned mines or even as coal is transported. Such fires in China destroy up to 200 million tons of coal per year, delegates were told. In comparison, the U. S. economy consumes about one billion tons of coal annually, said Stracher, whose analysis of the likely effect of coal fires has been accepted for publication in the International journal of Coal Ecology. Once underway, coal fires can burn for decades, even centuries. In the process, they release large volumes of greenhouse gases, poisonous fumes and black particles into the atmosphere.

The members of the panel discussed the effect these fires may be having on global and regional climate change, and agreed that the underground nature of the fires makes them difficult to detect(发现). One of the members of the panel, Assistant Professor Paul Van Dijk of the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation in the Netherlands, has been working with the Chinese government to detect and monitor fires in the northern regions of the country.

The remote sensing and other techniques will allow scientists to estimate how much carbon dioxide these fires are emitting. One suggested method of controlling the fires was presented by Gary Colaizzi, of the engineering firm Goodson, which has developed a beat-resistant grout designed to be pumped into the coal fire to cut off the oxygen supply.

1. According to Paragraph 2, what will happen when the underground heat does not disappear? ________.

A．Coal heats up on its own and catches fire and burns.

B．The underground oxygen will be used up.

C．Poisonous fumes and greenhouse gases will be accumulated underground.

D．There will be an increase of abandoned mines.

2. What did Stracher analyze in his article published in the International Journal of Coal Ecology? ________.

A．Annual consumption of coal in US.

B．Annual consumption of coal in China.

C．How long coal fires have lasted in the northern region of China.

D．Coal fires may have an effect on the environment.

3. Which of the following statements about Paul Van Dijk is NOT true? ________.

A．He was one of the scientists who have warned against the threats of underground fires.

B．He has detected and monitored underground fires in the Netherlands.

C．He has worked with the Chinese government on the underground fires issue.

D．He works for a research institute in the Netherlands.

4. What is the suggested method to control underground fires in the passage? ________.

A．Using remote sensing technique.

B．Controlling the release of carbon dioxide.

C．Cutting off the oxygen supply.

D．Making the soil heat resistant.

【推荐1】Saving Our Oceans

●Your Mission

Teach oceanographers(海洋学者)with different specialties about other ocean specialties and thus create a better understanding of the ocean as a complete, diverse system.

● Briefing

You've been invited to lead the International Oceanographic Conference in Oslo, Norway. Over one hundred of your fellow oceanographers will attend it. The problem is, with so many different specialties in the field-from geological to biological oceanography-the oceanographers at the conference are finding it difficult to understand what their colleagues are studying, let alone to grasp the ocean as an entire, diverse system!

Your job will be to give the opening speech at the Conference outlining the general kinds of oceanography in a way that each type of oceanographers will understand. Then, you will assign different oceanographers to different projects and explain to them how best to work together.

● Family-x file

Younger Xpeditioners: Pick one project, and learn more about it through its photo gallery. Then, create a poster based on the animals and terrain(地形). Make sure to label each animal that you draw. Show your poster to your family and describe to them what you have drawn.

Older Xpeditioners: Learn more about each of the projects: Where in the ocean would oceanographers go to study them? What animals might oceanographers study in the project? Which types of oceanographers would you assign for each project and how would they work together?

Finally, think about the ways in which the different general kinds of oceanography might relate. Why is it important to look at the ocean as an entire system, rather than as distinct parts? How might looking at each separate part and the ocean as a whole impact conservation efforts? Practice your speech for the Conference in front of your family.

1. What is your mission according to the text?

A．To save the oceans all over the earth.

B．To attend the International Oceanographic Conference in Norway.

C．To enter for an activity with one hundred fellow oceanographers.

D．To help better understand the ocean as a complete, diverse system.

2. Where can you get the detailed instructions for you in advance?

A．From the leader of the conference.

B．From Younger Xpeditioners.

C．From the part of Briefing.

D．From Older Xpeditioners.

3. How should you prepare your speech according to the text?

A．Practice it at home with the family in front.

B．Ask a lot of questions about the oceans.

C．Create a poster to get informed.

D．Invite other oceanographers to take part.

【推荐2】For a scholar focusing on Australia's public diplomacy (外交活动), working as a recreational manager in China may never be part of his career path. But Bradley does have lots to say now about his special experience at a resort in the picturesque tropical coastal city of Sanya in South China's Hainan province.

The 33-year-old Australian is actually a student in international relations completing his PhD through Griffith University. He came to Beijing for a cooperative research at Peking University less than two years ago. Such an academic life was just added color with a chance offered by the cultural exchanges project, "I'm in China".

"What I liked most about the experience was it was something completely different that you would never be able to do as a regular tourist," Bradley said in an interview. Bradley was chosen to work as a recreational manager for a Chinese wedding.

The film crew took them to many "amazing sites" and the staff at the resort taught them a lot about how to "incorporate modern Chinese features while still keeping traditional customs", Bradley said.

"I would have to say two things stick out as the most memorable: the helicopter ride and talking with the staff at the hotel about how they organize weddings here in China," he said.

That was Bradley's first time to be in a helicopter, and he was too absorbed in the "stunning" view of the beautiful coastline.

"I think it is so important to show other Australians the different landscapes China has to offer. I think so many Australians, when they think about China, imagine the historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things to see in Shanghai but have no idea about other beautiful places, like Sanya or many other places people have been taken to in this TV series," Bradley said.

"I'm in China" is a project sponsored by China Intercontinental Communication Centre and other institutions under the guidance of China's State Council Information Office. It invites foreign natives worldwide to experience unique jobs and participate in activities that one can find nowhere else except in China. More than 10,000 photos and articles were submitted from around the globe by over 6,00 applicants.

1. Bradley actually is ________.

A．an Australian PhD student	B．a regular Australian tourist
C．a recreational manager	D．an Australian diplomat

2. What does the underlined word "incarporate" in paragraph 4 mean?

A．get rid of	B．take advantage of
C．take in	D．keep off

3. What impressed Bradley most?

A．The beautiful scenery of Sanya and special activities.

B．Flying in a helicopter and organizing Chinese wedding.

C．Chinese traditional customs and many amazing sites.

D．The historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things in Shanghai.

4. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the project "I'm in China" is ________.

A．funded by some international institutions

B．special but helpless to know about China

C．uninteresting and rejected by foreigners

D．unique and popular with foreigners

【推荐3】When we think of Hollywood, we think of films and famous film stars.     1    . Today people make films in other places, too. Not all famous film stars live in Hollywood.     2    .You can easily see where Hollywood is in Los Angeles.

    3    . It says “HOLLYWOOD”. The white letters are fifty feet tall. You can see the sign from far away. The Hollywood sign is a famous Hollywood landmark (印迹) in Los Angeles. Many postcards show this famous Hollywood landmark.

    4    .This is one of the open-air theatres in the word. It has seventeen thousand seats and a very different stage (台阶). The design (设计)of the stage was by a great American called Frank Lcoyed Wright.     5    .

A．They’re part of Hollywood’s history

B．There is a big sign (标志) on the hills

C．Hollywood is a famous city in the USA

D．We all like the city

E．But Hollywood is still a very special city in Los Angeles, California

F．You can listen to all kinds of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl

G．In the hills (小山) of Hollywood , there is also the Hollywood Bowl

【推荐2】 The phone rang. I waited for the answering machine to get it, but it was not picking up. I was angry because I knew the call was either going to be for my wife, Susan, who had left to take Alyce to school ten minutes earlier, or it was the latest of 300 attempts (企图) to sell me something I had absolutely no interest in. “Hello,” I said. “Daddy, it’s me, Alyce. Mommy was just in a car accident.” “Are you all right?” “Yes.” “Is Mommy?” A deep sob (哭泣).“I don’t know. . . I don’t think so. Come quick”. I walked quickly a few blocks to what looked like a shoot for a disaster movie. Fire engines, police cars, and ambulances were parked in the street; helicopters circled. A city bus was on the wrong side of the road. In front of it were the remains of Susan’s destroyed car.

Susan was trapped under the dashboard (仪表盘). Alyce was standing on the comer, crying, covered in some glass but uninjured. Susan wasn’t so lucky. But she was alive. She spent almost three months in the hospital.

More than two years later, Susan and I were at an event and met with a woman, who told us she lived in the apartment building by where the accident had happened. That morning, she rushed to the street and saw Alyce standing there, crying. Alyce told her that she needed to call me, but her phone was missing. So the woman lent Alyce her phone.

We had our picture taken together, and as we were saying goodbye, we realized we had never been formally introduced, so she said to me, I’m sorry, but I never got your name. I told her it was Doug, and she paused, as if she hadn't heard me. I repeated, “Doug, like Douglas.”

She looked at us and said, “Wait, your name is Susan?” Susan nodded. “And your name is Doug?” The woman put her hand over her heart. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “My name is Susan Douglas.”

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．The daughter was seriously injured in the accident.

B．The husband was waiting for an important call at that moment.

C．The family had received many calls about promoting products.

D．The wife was picking up Alyce from school when the accident happened.

2. What did the author find when he arrived at the scene of the accident?

A．His wife got stuck in the car.

B．His wife had been sent to hospital.

C．A disaster movie was being made.

D．A city bus had been ruined on the street.

3. What did Alyce beg the woman to do?

A．Call her father.	B．Lend her a phone.
C．Save her mother.	D．Ask the police for help.

4. Why was the woman surprised at the names of the author and his wife?

A．They sounded funny.	B．They were similar to hers.
C．They were heard quite often.	D．They were exactly the same as hers.

【推荐3】When I was nine years old, I never dreamed that the small vending machine (自动售货机) I had owned would turn me into a small business owner. Wanting to inspire his daughter’ s business sense, my dad brought home a vending machine he had purchased from a friend. Setting it down in front of me in our living room, he asked in all seriousness, “Do you want to start a business?” I said yes.

I owned 15 vending machines by the time I left high school, with all of the profits going toward my college fund. In addition to being a great bonding experience for my family, I couldn't tell you how many skills I learned from starting and developing my own business that helped me gain responsibility. I learned that not every experience in life led to the comforting encouragement: Well, you were tried. You should face bravely all kinds of difficulties.

Understanding both personal and professional finances is one of the most important life lessons to learn—the earlier, the better. I had to be fearless and confident—learning these skills at a young age saved me from speaking with difficulty through presentations later in life. Truly understanding what you’re selling displays confidence and reliability, as does truly believing in it. Comprehending the ins and outs of your product and business shines through when speaking with clients though rejection (拒绝) happens all the time.

Throughout the unbelievable experience of running my own business in my childhood, I’ve learned valuable skills that help me in my school, job and personal life. I believe in the value of customer service. I go after clients and chances and understand that sometimes things don’t go my way. With the help of my parents and customers who supported me, I grew up as a young entrepreneur with skills to keep for the rest of my life.

1. Why did the author’s dad give her a vending machine?

A．To earn her college fund.

B．To raise her business awareness.

C．To solve her friend’s financial problem.

D．To remind her how hard it is for him to earn money.

2. What does the author think of her experience of running vending machines?

A．It was tough but worthwhile.	B．It was scary but smooth.
C．It distanced her from her family.	D．It taught her how to refuse clients.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the author?

A．Her attitude towards rejection.

B．Her understanding of financial problems.

C．Her insight into her business experience.

D．Her vision of the future vending machines.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．One can succeed without support.

B．One is never too old to run the business.

C．Abilities acquired at a young age are useful in the future.

D．Customer needs are always consistent with the enterprise.