1 . In the United States, most of our electricity comes from power plants (发电厂) that burn coal and oil.
There are two big problems with using these things for electricity. First, their supply is limited (有限的). Second, burning them causes pollution. So to make sure we always have power and to keep our planet clean, we must find other ways to make electricity.
Some people think that wind power is our best choice. First, there will always be more wind. Also, wind power does not pollute the environment. Best of all, we don’t have to search for wind.
Today, less than 1 percent of our electricity comes from wind. But scientists have been developing better wind machines. As a result, wind power is getting more popular in this country.
Yet wind power may not keep growing so quickly in years to come. Why not? Many wind turbines (风力涡轮机) are needed to make much electricity. So wind-power companies try to build wind farms but are competing (竞争) with other uses for the land. A wind farm is a group of turbines placed close together in an area with frequent winds.
In places where companies try to build wind farms, people think that lines of turbines are ugly. Noise from turbines often troubles people. Also, turbines kill birds that fly into them.
Wind-power supporters disagree. They think the sight of wind turbines is lovely. They point out that people have gotten used to living near noisy highways. They say ways can be found to keep birds away from turbines.
In today’s world, we need clean and unlimited power sources more than ever. Unless a better power source comes along, people may just have to accept wind power as a part of their lives.
1. The underlined part “these things” in the second paragraph refers to ________.| A．frequent winds. | B．wind turbines. |
| C．power plants. | D．coal and oil. |
| A．How wind power works. |
| B．How wind power was found. |
| C．The advantages of wind power. |
| D．The development of wind power. |
| A．It is very expensive to build lots of wind turbines. |
| B．It is difficult to improve the wind power technology. |
| C．There are few people who accept it as a new power source. |
| D．Many wind turbines are needed and there is less space for them. |
| A．make a loud noise. |
| B．look very beautiful. |
| C．are built near highways. |
| D．provide places for birds to stay. |
| A．The Role of Wind. |
| B．The Power of Wind. |
| C．The Cost of Wind Power. |
| D．The History of Wind Power. |
2 . Here’s a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly.
Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for long periods --- even if you also exercise regularly --- could be bad for your health. And it doesn’t matter where the sitting takes place. Several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.
In an article published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define physical activity to stress the dangers of sitting.
While health officials have recommended minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven’t suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated position.
“After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals,” said Ekblom-Bak. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose (葡萄糖) and fat in the body start to shut down.
Even for people who exercise, spending long periods of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day --- but still spend a lot of time sitting --- might get more benefit if that exercise was spread across the day, rather than in a single bout (一回).
Still, in a study published in 2015 that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, whether or not they exercised.
“We don’t have enough evidence yet to say how much sitting is bad,” said Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, who led the Canadian study. “But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary (久坐的) behavior, the better.”
Experts said more research is needed to figure out just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects.
“People should keep exercising because that has a lot of benefits,” Ekblom-Bak said. “But when they’re in the office, they should try to interrupt sitting as often as possible,” she said.
1. What is the best title for the text?| A．Not Sitting Too Much While Working. |
| B．How to Avoid Sitting Too Much. |
| C．Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly. |
| D．More and More People Sit Too Much. |
| A．the more time you spend in exercising in a single bout, the healthier you will be |
| B．those who often sit too much are sure to grow fat or suffer from a heart attack |
| C．regular exercise is effective in getting rid of the side effects of sitting too much |
| D．you had better not sit for more than four hours in a single bout |
| A．It results in a higher death risk. |
| B．It increases glucose and fat in the body. |
| C．It makes a person unable to exercise long enough in a day. |
| D．It causes the genes to fail to balance the glucose and fat in the body. |
| A．improve | B．balance | C．ignore | D．achieve |
| A．having a walk around your office |
| B．sending your friends e-mails |
| C．chatting online or playing computer games |
| D．listening to music with your head on the desk |
3 . Several years ago my wife and I found ourselves struggling financially. What I
It was so
Back home, I was extremely
That day marked a big turnaround in our lives. We have never been in that difficult
| A．rewarded | B．earned | C．benefited | D．suffered |
| A．students | B．teachers | C．kids | D．patients |
| A．libraries | B．labs | C．studios | D．garages |
| A．charged | B．paid | C．afforded | D．accepted |
| A．stressful | B．painful | C．unbelievable | D．delighted |
| A．helping | B．leaving | C．providing | D．supplying |
| A．visited | B．comforted | C．called | D．forgave |
| A．promised | B．announced | C．predicted | D．prayed |
| A．Actually | B．Immediately | C．Sadly | D．Finally |
| A．as long as | B．in case | C．even if | D．so that |
| A．terrible | B．hot | C．long | D．busy |
| A．Focusing | B．Insisting | C．Agreeing | D．Deciding |
| A．always | B．almost | C．never | D．even |
| A．happy | B．bored | C．tired | D．disappointed |
| A．puzzled | B．woke | C．reminded | D．frightened |
| A．money | B．mistake | C．progress | D．effort |
| A．took out | B．picked out | C．counted out | D．found out |
| A．more | B．left | C．lost | D．short |
| A．bed | B．sofa | C．table | D．door |
| A．situation | B．moment | C．task | D．pressure |
4 . People are so busy these days that they hardly have time for small household matters like cleaning the house and windows, gardening, and looking after their babies or old ones. It is really difficult for them to manage between their households and professional life. They wish they could have an Angel who could help them out. Do such Angels really exist? Of course, yes! You just need to find them!
Angels don’t need to have wings and a halo (光环). They can be anyone who is ready to help you in need. And in this fast-paced world when everyone is so busy, such people who help you are really no less than angels. Your life would be definitely wonderful if you could find an angel doing cleaning for you. There are definitely various service providers who can easily provide you with such angels. Won’t you just take it if you can get all these services from one single provider?
Task Angels is one of such service providers that provide you with helpful angels who offer services that will not disappoint you at all. Established with the purpose of helping people, this has been playing an important role in domestic cleaning and other services. You may join the team as well if you want to help the people in need and are good at cleaning, gardening, babysitting or even event planning. Task Angels definitely waits for you.
Everyone needs love and care, the more the love and care you share, the more they grow in your family. This is what Task Angels believes. It will help you in the area to make your life easier. Wouldn’t you like to try its service once and encourage it for its good work?
1. Examples in Paragraph 1 are taken to ________.| A．put forward the topic |
| B．tell readers to stop them |
| C．give details for better understanding |
| D．introduce the difficulty people face |
| A．to have wings |
| B．to have a halo |
| C．to walk fast |
| D．to be ready to help |
| A．It can handle professional affairs. |
| B．It can settle domestic disagreement. |
| C．It can offer opportunities to share kindness. |
| D．It can provide services to angels. |
| A．To introduce helpful angels. |
| B．To advertise Task Angels. |
| C．To prove that angels exist. |
| D．To look for customers. |
| A．annoyed | B．worried | C．confident | D．approving |
5 . True happiness lies in rewarding relationships, not material wealth, according to new research. Scientists have said that a close circle of friends and family is most important for happiness, and that owning things such as iPhones, computers, being wealthy and owning a sports car do not provide the same level of satisfaction.
The study was done by psychologists at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Lund University, in Sweden. The experts analyzed articles in Swedish newspapers published in 2016 and recorded which words most often occurred in the same articles as the Swedish word for happiness. In this way, they could know our common happiness.
Co-author Dr Danilo Garcia, a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy’s Center for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, said, “It’s relationships that are most important, not material things that we possess, and this is in line with other findings in happiness research.”
The study, which contained more than 1.5 million words, showed that terms such as “grandmother” and personal pronouns such as “you”, “me”, “us” and “them” often emerge in the same article as the Swedish word for happiness. Researchers found that words such as “iPhone”, “millions” and “Google” almost never appear with the word “happiness”.
The study is a part of a larger research project on how people describe both positive and negative events in their lives. The researchers believe that the word analysis reflects a common perception among the members of our society as to what should make us happy.
Dr Danilo Garcia said, “Just as the Beatles sang, most people understand that money can’t buy you happiness or love. But even if we can understand the importance of close and warm relationships at a social level, it isn’t certain that everyone is aware that such relationships are actually necessary for our own personal happiness.”
1. New research mainly shows that ________.| A．various things can lead to happiness in people |
| B．having some close friends is very important to us |
| C．owning expensive things can actually make us happy |
| D．rewarding relationships make us happy instead of material wealth |
| A．By doing surveys. |
| B．By doing experiments. |
| C．By analyzing printed articles. |
| D．By referring to previous studies. |
| A．explain something new |
| B．are unbelievable to many people |
| C．prove material things are unimportant |
| D．confirm previous findings in happiness research |
| A．Appear. | B．Spread. | C．Start. | D．Unite. |
| A．money really buys us happiness or love |
| B．rewarding relationships really lead to personal happiness |
| C．close and warm relationships are important at a social level |
| D．all people know rewarding relationships lead to personal happiness |
6 . Biking is an amazing family activity, but finding a route that can accommodate a wide-range of ages can be a challenge.
Lee McNeil and his family are crazy about biking. They have seven children, from 4 to 24 years old. When looking for a route, they look for enough protection from traffic, good surface condition, easy access and interesting views.
With that in mind, here are some great routes for biking with your whole family, as are suggested by McNeil.
Iron Horse Trail
This is the McNeil family’s favourite ride. The route is 26 miles and goes through the 2.1mile Snoqualmie Tunnel.
“Beautiful views, the thrill the tunnel, and places to stop and watch the rock climbers make it special,” McNeil said. “All our kids have taken their turn at braving the black tunnel bravely for the first time, which we celebrate it at the end of the ride.”
How to get there: If you prefer, check http://bit.ly/Mlt9y4 for more information.
Centennial Trail
The Centennial Trail runs for 23 miles from Snohomish to Bryant. The trail is wide and smooth, and is safe for kids as it is off the roads. A nice stop is Lake Cassidy east of Marysville. A dock on the lake is fun to explore. It also has picnic tables and washrooms for a convenient lunch time stop.
How to get there: The trail can be accessed from a number of trailheads. For a map, go to http://bit.ly/L5qCeY.
Cascade Trail
The Cascade Trail follows an abandoned Burlington Northern railroad grade for 23 miles between Sedro-Woolley and Concrete. Because it’s on a railroad grade, the slope is gentle and it makes for an easy family ride.
McNeil said it is a “beautiful ride up the Skagit Valley, with lots of places to watch wildlife along the river.”
How to get there: Go to http://bit.ly/PR4wOW to see a map showing the trail, parking areas and bus stops .
Other good choices
Snoqualmie Valley Trail: http://l.usa.gov/nWGWO
Guemes Island: http://bit.ly/LJ3RxL
Burke-Gilman Trail: http://l.usa.gov/s33li
1. We can learn from the passage that Lee McNeil ________.| A．has a large family |
| B．often travels with his family |
| C．teaches his children how to bike |
| D．spends lots of money on bike rides |
| A．Cascade Trail | B．Iron Horse Trail |
| C．Centennial Trail | D．Burke-Gilman Trail |
| A．see a small valley | B．go through a tunnel |
| C．have a picnic for lunch | D．watch the rock climbers |
| A．http://bit.ly/Mlt9y4 | B．http://bit.ly/LJ3RxL |
| C．http://bit.ly/L5qCeY | D．http://bit.ly/PR4wOW |
| A．ask people to learn from Lee McNeil |
| B．tell people how to make a family ride |
| C．introduce some routes for family rides |
| D．encourage more people to ride bikes |
7 . When you travel, it’s inevitable (不可避免的) that things will go wrong. It doesn’t matter how
During a recent long international trip, my youngest daughter’s airsickness struck again. We were
When we stood in the middle of the terminal (航站楼), not only
He quietly asked me if my 4-year-old was the passenger who had gotten
Instead, he
As the captain walked away, she
It’s often the
| A．lucky | B．old | C．energetic | D．prepared |
| A．also | B．even | C．yet | D．still |
| A．includes | B．values | C．matters | D．offers |
| A．wrong | B．timely | C．sudden | D．quick |
| A．doubting | B．making | C．quitting | D．changing |
| A．pointing out | B．learning about | C．figuring out | D．quarrelling about |
| A．approached | B．examined | C．appreciated | D．discovered |
| A．hungry | B．thirsty | C．sick | D．lost |
| A．led | B．allowed | C．advised | D．expected |
| A．bent | B．looked | C．broke | D．fell |
| A．taking | B．handing | C．opening | D．flying |
| A．concerned | B．confused | C．shy | D．curious |
| A．fighted | B．hesitated | C．waited | D．chatted |
| A．refusing | B．deciding | C．hoping | D．pretending |
| A．cried | B．smiled | C．nodded | D．froze |
| A．awkward | B．funny | C．upset | D．special |
| A．ruined | B．saved | C．displayed | D．affected |
| A．love | B．news | C．horror | D．comedy |
| A．attracted | B．grateful | C．opposed | D．mean |
| A．misfortune | B．mess | C．wonder | D．difference |
8 . Priscilla Ouchida’s “energy efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $100,000 three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla’s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness.
Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting.
The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is not given sufficient attention partly because of the nation’s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn’t new. “The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along,” says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland. “Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases.”
The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn’t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants generated in most households seldom built up to dangerous levels.
1. It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas’ house ________.| A．is well worth the money spent on its construction |
| B．is almost faultless from the point of energy conservation |
| C．failed to meet energy conservation standards |
| D．was designed and constructed in a scientific way |
| A．Poor quality of the air inside. | B．Poor quality of the construction. |
| C．Gas leakage in the kitchen. | D．The newly painted walls. |
| A．relieve | B．accelerate | C．worsen | D．improve |
| A．Because indoor cleanliness was not emphasized. |
| B．Because energy used to be inexpensive. |
| C．Because environmental protection was given top priority. |
| D．Because they were technically unavoidable. |
| A．Energy Conservation | B．House Building Crisis |
| C．Air Pollution Indoors | D．Traps in Building Construction |
9 . “In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.” “Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device. The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way to add to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than moneymaking things for their promoters. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA(Food and Drug Administration) can require proof under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure(查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline( 腰围 ). The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings(法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually. Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.
1. It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are ________.| A．objective | B．costly | C．illegal | D．unreliable |
| A．The court is in charge of removing dangerous product. |
| B．New products are more likely to be questionable. |
| C．The promoters usually just care about profits. |
| D．The production of a device must be approved by FDA. |
| A．if it is a device | B．if it is a drug |
| C．if its consumers make complaints | D．if its distributors challenge FDA’s authority |
| A．make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promises |
| B．show the weakness of the law on product safety |
| C．give advice on how to keep young and beautiful |
| D．introduce the organization of FDA |
10 . A scientist turned out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she dealt with it. Some children reached eagerly for the candy they saw. Some lasted a few minutes before they gave in. But others were determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reached high school, something amazing had happened. A survey found that those who were four-year-olds having enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation (诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily upset and inflexible.
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant (有抵抗力的) soul.
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "characters".
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together and how one’s ability handles stress, for instance, affecting the ability to concentrate and putting intelligence to use. Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now gradually agree that IQ counts for about 20%, the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues are finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.
1. Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text?| A．To make the readers amused. | B．To prove the scientists’ wisdom. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the text. | D．To show us how to do an IQ test. |
| A．the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment |
| B．the ability of sell-control plays a role in personal success |
| C．emotional intelligence won’t show up until teen years |
| D．candy can be used to measure a person’s emotional intelligence |
| A．positive | B．negative | C．impatient | D．friendly |
| A．EQ does not have any connection with IQ |
| B．the higher a person’s IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is |
| C．brain theory is able to explain what we wonder about most |
| D．scientists haven’t discovered the way EQ and IQ work together. |
