How can cactus（仙人掌）help the world? It can provide a new kind of sustainable fuel（可持续燃料）. Nopalimex, a company in Mexico, has made one of the world's first cactus-powered factories. The idea came to Sosa in Nopalimex when he was looking for ways to save money for his food factory. He now powers his factory with cactus gas（气体）. The cost to produce the gas is half the cost of electricity.
Soon, the gas produced by Nopalimex will also be used in cars. Nopalimex's gas is made by using the prickly pear（刺梨）——a kind of cactus. To make the gas, the prickly pear is mixed together with manure（肥料）. Then the mixture produces the gas that can be used as fuel.
Why cactus? Fuel can be made from other plants such as corn. but there are a few reasons why cactus is a better choice. First, prickly pears need very little water and very little care, and grow well in hot temperatures. Today, these characteristics（特点）are key. Also, unlike corn, prickly pears don't need space that could be used for other food plants. They can grow in areas where many food plants can't grow. Last, after making gas from prickly pears and manure, their byproducts（副产品）can be used to help grow food.
Scientists still need to do more research on making and using prickly pear gas. As projects like Nopalimex show, we have the possibility to produce more sustainable fuel to power our lives.
1. How can cactus help the world?| A．By saving farmers' money. |
| B．By providing a new kind of sustainable fuel. |
| C．By taking the place of corn. |
| D．By producing a lot of electricity and gas. |
| A．Because he wants to save money for his food factory. |
| B．Because he has grown a lot of cactus and com in his town. |
| C．Because he wants to be well﹣known around the world. |
| D．Because he wants to grow cactus instead of corn. |
| A．The Nopalimex company. |
| B．The manure. |
| C．The prickly pear and manure. |
| D．Cactus. |
| A．How cactus is used to produce gas. |
| B．Where we can grow a lot of cactus. |
| C．What Nopalimex does with cactus. |
| D．Why cactus is a better choice to make fuel. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Many people say dolphins are intelligent. They seem to be able to think, understand and learn things quickly. But are they as smart as humans, or are they more like cats and dogs? Dolphins use their brains quite differently from the way humans do. But scientists say dolphins and humans are very similar in some ways. How?
Like humans, every dolphin has its own “name”. The name is a special whistle（哨声）. Each dolphin chooses a specific（特有的）whistle for itself, usually by its first birthday. Dolphins are like people in other ways, too. They “talk” to each other about a lot of things-such as their ages, their feelings, and finding food. They also use a system of sounds and body language to communicate. Understanding dolphin conversation is not easy for humans. No one “speaks dolphin” yet, but some scientists are trying to learn.
Dolphins are also social animals. They live in groups called pods, and they often join others from different pods to play games and have bin—just like people. Scientists believe playing together is something only intelligent animals do.
Dolphins and humans are similar in another way: both species make plans for getting things they want. In the seas of southern Brazil, for example dolphins use an intelligent plan to get food. When there are fish near a boat, dolphins signal（发信号）to the fishermen to put their nets in the water. Using this method, the men can catch a lot of fish. Why do dolphins help the men? There is an advantage for them: they get to eat some of the fish that escape（逃脱）from the net.
1. What is a dolphin’s “name”?| A．It is a kind of game. | B．It is a body sign. |
| C．It is a dolphin’s age. | D．It is a specific sound. |
| A．Other fishes. | B．Other people. | C．Other dolphins. | D．Other games. |
| A．Some scientists can understand dolphins system of sounds. |
| B．Dolphins probably help fishermen by using their body language. |
| C．Humans join dolphins’ groups to get things we want. |
| D．Dolphins can talk to humans about their age and their feelings. |
| A．Dolphins can communicate with each other at birth |
| B．Dolphins are social animals because they play together |
| C．Dolphins are smart and are like humans in some ways. |
| D．Dolphins help humans do many things like catching fish |
| A．In a science magazine | B．In a guidebook |
| C．In a storybook. | D．In a report card |
Many animals try to look bigger than they are to stay alive. Some animals can make other animals think they are very big. If they look very big, animals that are looking for food will run away. Bears can walk on two legs. They look very, very scary(吓人的). Some animals will run away from them.
Many animals try to stay around other animals. This helps them stay alive. Zebras stay close together so that they can help each other look out of danger. Seeing many stripes at once can also confuse(使眼花缭乱) animals that want to eat them. Some birds stay in a circle(一圈), each toward a different direction. In this way they can also help each other stay alive by looking around for animals that many want to eat one of them.
1. Animals have ways to stay alive. How many ways are mentioned in the passage ?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Five |
| A．they can hide themselves better |
| B．they can find food easily |
| C．they look bigger than walk on four legs |
| D．they can reach fruit on the tree |
| A．斑点 | B．条纹 | C．光斑 | D．毛发 |
| A．some ways that animals hide themselves |
| B．some ways that animals find food |
| C．some ways that animals protect themselves |
| D．some ways that animals try to look bigger |
【推荐3】Most animals need to sleep to stay healthy. But sleeping can also be dangerous because other animals may hurt those who are sleeping. There are many different ways of sleeping that help them stay safe. Some of these may surprise you!
Almost all bats sleep with their feet up and heads down. They hang from a branch of a tree or the ceiling of a cave（洞穴）. Up high, bats are safe from most other animals. If they are in danger, they just fly away.
A dolphin sleeps with just half its brain at a time. It must stay awake to breathe and to watch for danger. Dolphin mothers and babies can go without sleep for as long as two months to stay safe.
Some ducks sleep with just half their brains too. These ducks often sleep in a line. The ducks at both ends help to keep the group safe. They keep one eye open to watch for danger. The ducks in the middle sleep deeply with both eyes closed.
Seals breathe air, but that doesn’t stop some of them from sleeping underwater. They hold their breath and dive deep to sleep for up to twenty minutes at a time. Sleeping deep underwater helps these seals stay safe from animals that hurt them near the surface.
Horses often sleep standing up. Their legs lock in place so they don’t fall over. If a horse falls over, it needs a long time to get up. A horse can run from danger more quickly if it is standing.
A flamingo can sleep while standing on one leg. The standing leg locks so it stays straight. The other leg remains close to the flamingo’s body. Its head rests on its back. A flamingo lives and sleeps near many other birds to stay safe.
Some seabirds can sleep while they fly. These large birds spend most of their lives over the ocean. They are in danger on the water, but they are safe in the air. Sometimes they sleep while they are flying.
1. The writer wrote the first paragraph to ________.| A．conclude（总结）the passage | B．give an example |
| C．tell a story | D．introduce the topic |
| A．ducks and seals | B．dolphins and ducks |
| C．bats and dolphin | D．flamingos and seabirds |
| A．they can run from danger quickly |
| B．they are afraid of falling over |
| C．this helps them to sleep deeply |
| D．it takes them a long time to go to sleep |
| A．All the ducks sleep with one eye open. |
| B．Dolphin babies can keep sleeping for two months. |
| C．For seals, sleeping deep underwater is safer than on the land. |
| D．Flamingos like to sleep alone with one leg standing. |
| A．how animals sleep | B．how to sleep to stay healthy |
| C．sleeping as animals do | D．what sleeping animals are like |
【推荐1】Robots are playing an important role in our life now.
Many scientists are trying to solve this problem. Among them is Ken Goldberg from University of California, Berkeley, US. He has studied the problem for years.
根据材料内容，从下面五个选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项， 使短文意思通顺、内容完整。
| A．They can help people a lot. |
| B．Finally, he found an answer to the question. |
| C．In our homes, robots can help us do housework. |
| D．In this way, the robot can pick up the thing easily. |
| E．But some things that are easy for us are difficult for robots. |
【推荐2】Now many people still go to work and school on buses, trains and bikes. However, some people dream of a day when they can fly in the sky.
In Singapore, a company (公司) has showed a flying taxi. If some people traveled in flying taxis, there would be fewer cars on the roads. It could be less crowded. In the 3d space (三维空间) of the sky, cars could move around each other without bridges or roads. The taxis could also take off and arrive on rooftops. That can save parking (停车) space on the ground (地面). And flying is fun. It’s cool to fly in the sky every day on the way to work.
However, there are quite a few reasons why people don’t need flying cars. A famous scientist has a rocket company and a car company. It seems that he can make flying cars, but he said, “If the sky was full of flying cars, it would be noisier. Something might fall on people’s heads more easily. Those are not good things.”
He thinks it’s much better to build lots of tunnels (隧道) underground. What do you think of it? Are flying cars or taxis a good idea? Shall we find other ways to solve the traffic (交通) problems?
1. Why did the writer write the first paragraph?| A．To describe the traffic ways today. | B．To talk about the traffic accidents (事故). |
| C．To draw into the topic (主题) of flying cars. | D．To show his care about ground-running cars. |
| A．In buildings. | B．On buildings. | C．Under the sea. | D．Under the ground. |
① less pollution ② more parking space
③ safer (更安全的) traffic ④ light (畅通的) traffic ⑤ more fun
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ | C．①③⑤ | D．②④⑤ |
| A．It’s better to develop (发展) underground traffic. | B．He wants to make lots of flying cars. |
| C．It’s difficult to solve the traffic problem. | D．There will be less noise if we use flying cars. |
| A．Some people dream of flying in the sky one day. |
| B．The roads will be less crowded if some people can travel in flying cars. |
| C．It’s necessary for flying cars to have bridges and roads in the 3d space of the sky. |
| D．We haven’t found a good way to solve the traffic problems yet. |
Do you wonder what your work environment will be in 10 years? Imagine you walk into your office, with the temperature just right. You sit down and begin a nice day. This is the kind of smart office that engineers are trying to make. It uses technology to help workers perform at their best while at work.
Sitting in front of a desk for too long can be bad for your health. For example, it can cause back and waist (腰) pain. Sanon, a company (公司) in Zhejiang, built UP7 to help solve this. As a smart lifting desk, UP7 can tell how long a user has been sitting in the chair. When it reaches the time set by the user, it will “tell” the user to stop working by either vibrating (振动) the table or sending messages to the user’s phone.
The company also designed (设计) a type of smart chair to match with the table. “The chair is so comfortable. It can adjust the arms and height according to your body shape,” a user in Zhejiang posted on Xiaohongshu. In smart offices, you probably won’t use paper notebooks. Instead, you can try electronic paper books to put every work document online. N10, created by Hanvon Technology in Beijing, is a new “notebook” like this. It uses a screen that doesn’t produce much light. Users write on it with an electronic pen.
“It truly feels like reading and writing on real paper, completely meeting my office needs,” a user Mr. Lin said to People’s Daily, “Notes recorded can be easily organized, searched and stored. You usually need several paper notebooks to do what the electronic notebook does.”
Are you looking forward to working in such a comfortable and friendly work environment in the future?
1. What can the smart office do?| A．Make the work day longer. |
| B．Help workers work at their best. |
| C．Check a person’s body temperature. |
| A．By making calls to users. |
| B．By sending messages to user’s phone. |
| C．By vibrating the chair to relax users’ bodies. |
| A．Move or change. | B．Thank or miss. | C．Wash or sweep |
| A．Because N10 has a big screen. |
| B．Because N10 can read and write on its own. |
| C．Because N10 can easily organize, search and store notes. |
| A．The talented engineer. | B．The comfortable chair. | C．The user-friendly office. |
【推荐1】People usually check whether their keys, wallets and phones are with them before going out. But many people in China now have one more important thing to take: a face mask. They hope that it can protect them from polluted air.
Since January 2013, many cities in China have seen a lot of foggy days. In Beijing, only five days in January were free of smog (雾霾). What’s the difference between fog and smog?
According to scientists, fog is made up of tiny (微小的) drops of water and also ice particles (颗粒) during very cold conditions. Smog is dirty air that looks like a mixture of smoke and fog, caused mainly by smoke from cars and factories in cities.
An official for the Ministry of Environmental Protection told Beijing News that PM2.5 pollution is the main problem with air pollution. PM 2.5 refers to pollution with small particles 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter (直径).
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, two main factors that cause PM 2.5 are motor vehicles and the burning of coal.
Poor air has done harm to people’s health. Children and the elderly are more at risk. A report from Beijing Children’s Hospital shows that from December 5 to December 11, 2013, half of the patients in the hospital came for respiratory (呼吸道的) problems.
Air problems and environmental protection have become a care for the whole nation.
Premier Li Keqiang made his last Government Work Report(政府工作报告) on March 6, 2014. The report said that the government should work hard to prevent pollution and give people a healthy living environment.
It calls on people to make full use of energy and resources (资源) and cut down on energy use.
“We should give people hope through our actions,” Li said.
1. The underlined phrase “were free of” means _______.| A．had some | B．had no |
| C．had many | D．had more and more |
| A．fog is made up of drops of water with smoke |
| B．smog is formed (形成) during cold hours |
| C．smog is a mixture of fog and smoke |
| D．smoke from cars and factories cause fog |
| A．what PM 2.5 is and how to protect ourselves against PM 2.5 |
| B．how to prevent PM 2.5 pollution and how PM 2.5 looks |
| C．what PM 2.5 is and what causes PM 2.5 |
| D．how seriously PM 2.5 affects us and how to deal with PM 2.5 |
| A．driving cars less | B．burning gases but not coals |
| C．making full use of resources | D．cutting down on energy use |
| A．the environment has improved a lot since Li was in office |
| B．many people have breathing problems because of the air pollution |
| C．the air pollution problem is the government’s task |
| D．the government will try its best to solve the air pollution problem |
【推荐2】
Are you a fan of Chinese culture? If yes, Dunhuang is a must-visit place for you. If you are a fan of Dunhuang, Glory is Back is a must-see show for you.
This show has 10 episodes (集). In each of the episodes: Wang Han, a famous host, leads a group of young people to learn and feel the rich culture in Dunhuang. They learn about the frescoes (湿壁画), music, traditions, foods, sports and even fashions in this city. From this show, they get to know what happened more than one thousand years ago. Also in the show, they meet some people who work hard to protect the cultural treasures in Dunhuang. It is the workers’ efforts that make it possible for us to see the great treasures today.
Li Wuwang is the director (导演) of the show. He came up with the idea of creating a show about Dunhuang during a two-week trip there.
“Dunhuang is an amazing place. Once you visit it, you’ll never forget about it and always want to go back there. But the frescoes will fade away (逐渐消失) one day, so we made this show to call on people to protect them,” said Li.
In order to protect the frescoes from the light of cameras, the director and his team didn’t use any cameras in the caves (洞窟). Luckily, the digitization (数字化) of the frescoes helped them a lot.
Want to know more about Dunhuang? Just watch the show now.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．How Dunhuang was made. |
| B．How Li Wuwang’s trip to Dunhuang was. |
| C．What the show Glory is Back is like. |
| D．What cultural treasures we can see in Dunhuang. |
| A．Creative work. | B．Hard work. | C．Easy work. | D．Boring work. |
| A．To memorize his trip to Dunhuang. |
| B．To help with the digitization of the frescoes. |
| C．To show and call for protection of the culture in Dunhuang. |
| D．To realize his dream of creating a show about Dunhuang. |
| A．In a story book. | B．In a history book. | C．In a science report. | D．In a newspaper. |
Do you want to be a basketball player like Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal? Come to join us! We have many sports clubs: basketball, ping-pong, soccer, volleyball and so on. The price is 5 dollars for each lesson.
Do you want to join our sports clubs? Please call Mr. Green. He plays basketball very well. His telephone number is 371-1236. His e-mail address is spcb@163. com. Or you can call Miss Jones at 371-1237. She is our tennis coach(教练). She is good with the students. Her e-mail address is jiayi@126. com.
1. From the passage, we know Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal are __________ players.
| A．volleyball | B．tennis | C．Basketball | D．ping-pong |
| A．computer | B．singing | C．art | D．tennis |
—__________.
| A．10 yuan | B．5 yuan | C．5 dollars | D．10 dollars |
| A．tennis | B．Basketball | C．volleyball | D．ping-pong |
◆Keep a cool head. Worry won’t help you. Think about what you should do. The first several seconds are important.
◆If you are indoors, stay inside and duck and cover. Hide under a desk or table, or stand in a corner. Cover your head and neck with your arms. Stay away from windows and anything that could fall on you.
◆If you are in a crowded(拥挤的) hall or shop, don’t rush for the door. You will find too many people trying to get out at the same time. Instead, lower(降低) yourself close to the ground and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms.
◆If you are outdoors, try to get into an open area away from buildings, trees or street lights.
◆If you are trapped in a place, you may make noises by knocking at the rocks. But don’t shout all the time. You could be without help for up to 72 hours. Try to find some water and food.
◆Stay in your seat if in a cinema or a theatre. Get below the level(水平线) of the back of the seat. Cover your head and neck with your arms.
◆Stay in a safe area until you are sure it’s OK to leave. Some aftershocks(余震) may follow. They are as dangerous as the earthquake.
1. The best title(题目) of the passage is ____________.
| A．Advice for dangerous situations |
| B．How to keep calm in earthquakes |
| C．Ways to protect yourself in earthquakes |
| D．Be careful with aftershocks |
| A．a water bird with short legs | B．some kind of meat for eating |
| C．walk like a duck | D．lower your head or body very quickly |
| A．Your head and arms | B．Your head and neck |
| C．Your neck and arms | D．Your arms |
| A．keeping calm is very important during the earthquake |
| B．we can hide under the tree during the earthquake |
| C．we don’t have to care about aftershocks |
| D．we should keep shouting for help if we are trapped |
【推荐2】A young painter had just completed a beautiful painting. To get people’s opinions about his painting skills, he put his painting at a crossing on a busy street and put up a board that read, “Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. Since I’m new, I might have made some mistakes in my work. Please put a cross (叉形记号) wherever you see a mistake.”
When he came back in the evening, he was completely shocked to see that the whole painting was filled with crosses. He ran to his master and said to him, “I’m useless and if this is what I have learned to paint, I’m not worth teaching.”
The master smiled and said, “I’ll let you know that you are a great artist. Now go to paint the same painting again and give it to me.”
Then they went to the same street the next morning and put the same painting exactly at the same place. Now the master took out another board which read, “Gentlemen, I have painted this piece. I might have made some mistakes in my painting. I have put a box with colors and brushes just below. If you see a mistake, pick up the brush and correct it.” Two days later, they came back to the place. The young painter was surprised to see that actually there was no correction.
If you want to help people improve their behavior, you’d better learn how to help people change their behavior. Also, always remember not to judge (评判) yourself by others’ criticism (批评), because you are the best judge to judge yourself.
根据短文内容判断正误，正确的写（A），错误的写（B）。
1. The young painter put his painting on a busy street to sell for money.
2. The young painter felt shocked when he saw the crosses on the painting.
3. The young painter and the master put another painting which was the same as the last one at the same place.
4. The master asked people to put a cross on the painting if they see a mistake.
5. From the passage, we know we should accept others’ criticism with an open mind, and make us better.
【推荐3】It is most difficult for parents to decide to have a second child. Someone says that a single child is likely to be a lonely child. There are no other children in the family for the child to talk or play with. An only child is not able to get along well with children of his age. Some parents regretted (后悔) making the decisions to have only one child.
But the number of parents choosing to have only one child is increasing in many parts of the world. In the US, for example, more than 14 percent of women between 18 and 34 plan to have just one child. The same can be seen in the UK. In Japan, the average number of children born per family had gone down to 1.42 by 1996.
For some single child parents, especially who are busy working every day, time and energy seem to be overwhelming. They don't have enough time and energy to share with more children. For other people, money is their first consideration (考虑). Many couples in Japan choose not to have large families because the cost of supporting a child up to the age of 18 reaches around US $ 160,000.
1. According to the passage, why is a single child likely to be lonely?| A．Because his parents don't love him. |
| B．Because he doesn't have holidays. |
| C．Because he doesn't have a brother or a sister to talk or play with. |
| D．Because there are other children in the family. |
| A．Time. | B．Food. | C．Money. | D．Energy. |
| A．压倒一切的 | B．宽松的 | C．流行的 | D．充足的 |
| A．It is not easy to make a decision to have a second child. |
| B．Many couples in Japan love to have large families. |
| C．All parents feel confident about having a second child. |
| D．Less than 14% of women in the UK plan to have just one child. |
| A．the cost of supporting a child is so high. |
| B．parents can't share their time and energy with more children. |
| C．some parents regretted making the decisions to have only one child. |
| D．the reasons for parents not to have a second child. |
