Americans won’t live without cars! Each year there is an increasing number of cars on roads and streets, as millions of new cars are produced. One out of every six Americans work at putting together the parts of cars, driving trucks, building roads or filling cars with gas.
Most Americans find it hard to think what life would be without a car. However, some have realized the serious problem of air pollution by cars. The polluted air is poisonous and dangerous to health.
One way to get rid of the polluted air is to design a new car that does not pollute. That’s what several large car factories are trying to do. But to build the new car is easier said than done. Progress in this field has been slow.
Another way is to take place of the car engine by something else. Engineers are now working on some new cars. Many makers believe that it will take years to develop a practical model that pleases man.
To prevent the world from being polluted by cars, we’ll have to make some changes in the way many of us live. Americans, for example, have to cut down the number of their cars they are encouraged to travel and go to work by bike. Riding a bike is thought to help keep the air clean.
But this change does not come easily, a large number of workers may find themselves with no jobs if a car factory closes down. And the problem of air pollution would become less important than that of unemployment.
1. If the number of cars is cut down, the most serious problem in American workers is_______.| A．to keep the air clean | B．to have no work to do |
| C．to get a better life | D．to go to work by bike |
| A．which is clean itself | B．which does not pollute the air |
| C．which is used to clean streets | D．which is easier to make |
| A．Bicycling is the only way out. |
| B．The number of cars must be cut down. |
| C．Cars bring us nothing but serious problems. |
| D．Cars bring us not only a better life but serious problems. |
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【推荐1】Petrol and diesel cars may still dominate our roads, but their days are numbered. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 per cent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 per cent by 2020.
One barrier (障碍) to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been ‘range anxiety’ -- drivers’ concerns about using up juice on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. Nevertheless, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.
Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed quite considerably over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their large price tags drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars is starting to persuade critics. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine models a run for their money.
As well as advancements on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having been popular for several decades from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.
Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions. Were the US to act on the study’s findings and replace 87 per cent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 percent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim to be completely emission-free. However, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.
1. In the past, why did many people refuse to buy the electric cars?| A．They were not good value. | B．They were very poorly made. |
| C．They were not widely promoted. | D．They couldn’t travel at a high speed. |
| A．To introduce the history of electric travel. |
| B．To explain why the world needs more electric cars. |
| C．To show why more people have interest in electric cars. |
| D．To describe different ways electric vehicles can be used. |
| A．My Dream Car | B．History of Electric Car |
| C．Problems with Petrol Cars | D．Driving into the Future |
【推荐2】Bicycle riding has become popular world-wide. Bicycles are typically made of metals such as steel and aluminum(铝), but now there is a company making bikes differently. These bicycles are made from British-grown ash trees by the Welsh furniture maker Andy Dix.
“It’s great to push for more bikes and fewer cars on the road, but the traditional bike industry as a whole is using a large amount of energy,” Dix said. “I’ve always tried to reduce environmental impact in my work. Rather than using metals, or plastic, I’m building bikes from green materials—wood.”
It took two years to build a model bike that was made from the ash tree. Dix tested the wooden bike on the roughest road she could find and discovered that it was comfortable, strong, and excellent at absorbing vibrations (吸收震动) . He put more than 3, 000 miles on the bike. Then he rode a normal bike on broken roads, which would have shaken him to bits, and then the penny dropped. “Not only could I make a bike out of wood, but it had advantages over other materials,” Dix said.
While cutting down trees can add more carbon to the atmosphere to a certain degree，sustainable(可持续的) tree farming is possible, which can balance the needs of the environment and forest communities. And Dix said producing a tonne of aluminum results in 4, 532kg of carbon emissions while producing a tonne of wood only gives out 457kg. Making bicycles out of wood won’t make a huge difference. “We have this material growing naturally all around us. It’s time people started to think about using it,” Dix said.
The cost of a new wooden bike is out of reach for many bicycle riders. But the idea of using sustainable materials like ash trees could start a new cycling change that puts the environment first. Helping the environment could be just a pedal(踏板) away.
1. What do Dix’s words in Paragraph 2tellus?| A．The disadvantages of metal bikes. |
| B．The process of producing wooden bikes. |
| C．The changes happening to the bike industry. |
| D．The driving force for his turning to wooden bikes. |
| A．It is eco-friendly and has an excellent performance. |
| B．It is consumer-friendly but needs many materials. |
| C．It is energy-saving but hard to operate. |
| D．It is well-recognized and affordable. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Worried. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Bikes made from trees may appear |
| B．Cycling is a good form of exercise |
| C．Let’s pay attention to our carbon footprint |
| D．Let’s challenge ourselves with a wooden bike |
【推荐3】Today, we drive safer cars on safer roads, but most car accidents are the result of human error.
Defensive driving includes keeping a safe distance and not speeding.
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how safely you drive. You are driving at the speed limit and obeying all traffic rules but someone else can crash into you. One good rule is to think everyone else on the road is a fool and be prepared for anything unexpected.
Drivers need enough time to react if the car in front makes a sudden turn or stop. It can be too difficult for drivers to judge the proper distances while driving and the exact distance is adjusted by speed, so most experts suggest a “three-second rule”.
4. Be more careful in bad weather.| A．Wear your safety belt. |
| B．Watch out for other drivers. |
| C．Chances are that you’ll eventually meet someone foolish. |
| D．The best way to reduce accidents is to practice safe driving behaviors. |
| E．If you’re driving through fog, heavy rain or on icy roads, be extra careful. |
| F．Remaining calm in the face of annoying traffic is another major part of the idea. |
| G．If a driver is tired enough to fall asleep while driving, the results are terrible. |
【推荐1】Putting food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless. However, a new study has found Europe's stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit(排放) as much carbon as nearly 7million cars and the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming common, owners are throwing many microwave after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwave which are expected to reach 135 million every year in the EU by the end of the decade.
A study by the University of Manchester worked out the emissions of carbon dioxide-the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change-at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture(生产) to waste disposal(处理). "It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment," say the authors, who also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour to use appliances more efficiently. For example, electricity consumption by microwaves can be reduced by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.
However, David Rea professor of carbon management argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, the car emissions are far more than all those from microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69m tonnes of CO2 in 2015.This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual em1sS1ons for all the microwave ovens in the whole of the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves 1s lower than any other form of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient. followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.
1. What is the finding of the new study?| A．Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular. |
| B．The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health. |
| C．CO2 emissions constitute a major threat to the environment. |
| D．The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think. |
| A．Cooking food of different varieties. |
| B．Improving microwave users' habits. |
| C．Eating less to cut energy consumption. |
| D．Using microwave ovens less frequently. |
| A．There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves. |
| B．People should be persuaded into using passenger cars less often. |
| C．The UK produces less CO2 than many other countries in the EU. |
| D．More data are needed to show whether microwaves are harmful. |
【推荐2】Eating porridge（粥） in later life can help you avoid the dreaded middle-aged spread, according to a new study. Researchers from Tufts University in Boston monitored 3,000 people in their mid-50s and found that those who ate three servings of wholegrains（全谷物） a day had waist sizes two inches less than those who didn't consume the same amount, as well as lower blood pressure and lower blood sugar levels.
The US researchers believe the wholegrains found in oats, as well as brown bread and brown rice, are the key to midlife weight loss."Our findings suggest that eating wholegrain foods as part of a healthy diet delivers health benefits beyond just helping us lose or maintain weight as we age," says Nicola McKeown, one of the study's authors.
In fact, the data suggests that people who eat more wholegrains are better able to maintain their blood sugar and blood pressure over time. Managing these risk factors as we age may help to protect against heart disease.
Caleigh Sawicki of Tufts University says: "There are several reasons that wholegrains may work to help people maintain waist size and reduce increases in the other risk factors. The presence of dietary fibre in wholegrains can have a satiating effect, and the magnesium, potassium and antioxidants may contribute to lowering blood pressure.
The study's authors also found that nuts, chicken, seafood and yoghurt are among the foods you should be eating to avoid putting on weight as you age.
1. There are many benefits of eating wholegrains during the Middle-age period except for ________.| A．keeping you away from getting fat | B．reducing your blood pressure |
| C．preventing a heart attack | D．promoting blood circulation |
| A．the chemical composition of wholegrains lowers the blood sugar |
| B．dietary fiber can feel satiety |
| C．the nutrients are abundant |
| D．it can make the waist even thinner |
| A．Wholegrains are rich in nutrients |
| B．A way to prevent getting fat |
| C．Eating more wholegrain food helps you keep you in shape in middle age |
| D．Wholegrain—— a food that treats the disease |
【推荐3】Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. "Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting creatures," William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the everchanging 21st century, even the word "habit" carries a negative meaning.
So it seems contradictory to talk about habits in the same context as innovation （创新）. But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop new habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.
Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try, the more creative we become.
But don't bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the brain, they're there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.
"The first thing needed for innovation is attraction to wonder, "says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind. "But we are taught instead to 'decide', just as our president calls himself "the Decider'.” She adds, however, that "to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities."
“All of us work through problems in ways of which we're unaware, “she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the ability to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, collaboratively （合作地）and innovatively. At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that ability, preserving only those ways of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.
The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us use our innovative and collaborative ways of thought "This breaks the major rule in the American belief system-that anyone can do anything, " explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will... and Ms. Markova's business partner. “That's a lie that we have preserved, and it fosters commonness. Knowing what you're good at and doing even more of it creates excellence." This is where developing new habits comes in.
1. William Wordsworth's words are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________| A．give the definition of habits |
| B．explain how habits are formed |
| C．highlight the nature and influence of habits |
| D．indicate the benefits of having habits |
| A．the forming of new habits can be guided |
| B．the development of habits can be predicted |
| C．the regulation of old habits can be transformed |
| D．the track of new habits can be created unconsciously |
| A．Decision makes no sense in choices. |
| B．Curiosity makes creative minds active. |
| C．Creative ideas are born of a relaxing mind. |
| D．Innovators always stick with only one possibility. |
| A．Positive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Short-sighted. | D．Critical. |
| A．to give up our traditional habits deliberately |
| B．to create and develop new habits consciously |
| C．to resist the application of standardized testing |
| D．to believe that old habits conflict with new habits |
