1 . Vehicles on our roads are now mostly petrol and diesel (柴油) cars, but their days cannot continue for much longer. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 percent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 percent by 2020.
One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been “range anxiety” — drivers concerns about running out of electricity on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.
Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed greatly over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their high prices drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade picky consumers. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine (内燃机) models a run for their money.
As well as development on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity 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 (排放). If the US could replace 87 percent 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 (声称) to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.
1. The underlined word “hurdle” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.| A．aim | B．difficulty | C．result | D．step |
| A．They were very poorly made. | B．They were not widely promoted. |
| C．They were expensive. | 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．Driving into a Cleaner Future | B．History of Electric Cars |
| C．Problems with Petrol and Diesel Cars | D．Best Means of Transportation |
2 . San Francisco Fire Engine Tours
San Francisco Winery TourRunning: February 1st through April 30th
This delicious tour goes through the city on its way to Treasure Island where we will stop at the famous Winery SF. Here you can enjoy 4 pours of some of the best wine San Francisco has to offer.(Included in tickets price)
Departing from the Cannery: Tour times upon request.Duration(时长): 2 hours
Price: $90
Back to the Fifties Tour
Running: August 16th through August 31st
This tour transports you back in time to one of San Francisco’s most fantastic periods, the 1950s! Enjoy fun history as we take you through San Francisco for a free taste of ice cream.
Departing from the Cannery: 5:00 pm and 7:30 pmDuration: 2 hours
Price: $90
Spooky Halloween Tour
Running: October 10th through October 31st
Join us for a ride through the historical Presidio district. Authentic fire gear(服装) is provided for your warmth as our entertainers take you to some of the most thrilling parts of San Francisco.
Departing from the Cannery: 6:30 pm and 8:30 pmDuration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Price: Available upon request
Holiday Lights Tour
Running: December 6th through December 23rd
This attractive tour takes you to some of San Francisco’s most cheerful holiday scenes. Authentic fire gear is provided for your warmth as you get into the holiday spirit.
Departing from the Cannery: 7:00 pm and 9:00 pmDuration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Advance reservations required.
1. Which of the tours is available in March?
| A．San Francisco Winery Tour. | B．Back to the Fifties Tour. |
| C．Spooky Hallowen Tour. | D．Holiday Lights Tour. |
| A．Go to Treasure Island. | B．Enjoy the holiday scenes. |
| C．Have free ice cream. | D．Visit the Presidio district. |
| A．Take some drinks. | B．Set off early in the morning. |
| C．Wear warm clothes. | D．Make reservations in advance. |
3 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.| A．show his magical power | B．pay for the delivery |
| C．satisfy his curiosity | D．please his mother |
| A．He wanted to have tea there. | B．He was a respectable person. |
| C．He was treated as a family member. | D．He was fully trusted by the family. |
| A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B．It has been driven out of the market. |
| C．Its service is getting poor. | D．It is not allowed by law. |
| A．He missed the good old days. | B．He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
| C．He needed it for his milk bottles. | D．He planted flowers in it. |
4 . When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(照亮)me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say, “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at that time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think, “Yes, I must tell…”, though we have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kindness is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
1. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to________.| A．become serious about her study | B．go to her friend’s house regularly |
| C．learn from her classmates at school | D．share poems and stories with her friend |
| A．our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us |
| B．we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London |
| C．our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared |
| D．we parted with each other in London |
| A．seek professional help | B．be left alone |
| C．stay with her best friend | D．break the silence |
| A．Unforgettable Experiences | B．Noble Companions |
| C．Remarkable Imagination | D．Lifelong Friendship |
5 . Teenagers are especially likely to suffer loneliness. Here are some suggestions for speeding a recovery from loneliness.
Reach out to others, but start small. A smile and a friendly greeting for the student behind you in line at the cafeteria won’t make you best friends.
Find a safe place to make connections. If going to the school dance makes you feel like you just don’t belong, try joining a specialinterest group. Maybe it’s the drama club or the marching band.
Find other ways of making connections. Lonely people hunger for acceptance and friendship. Sometimes feeling accepted and liked comes more easily when you do something for others.
You get what you expect, so expect the best. If you expect others to be friendly, you will behave in similar ways.
| A．But it will make you both feel pretty good. |
| B．So consider becoming a volunteer. |
| C．Some teens aren’t so adaptable, however. |
| D．Encourage people to be friendlier to you. |
| E．Choose the right people. |
| F．For most young people, loneliness is only temporary. |
| G．Look for a group that allows you to join in gradually and cheerfully. |
6 . A British friend told me he couldn’t understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds(嗑瓜子) as a snack so much.“I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth, I believe that’s from cracking the seeds,”he said.
I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware, I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn’t like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so much just to get one small seed.
When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go door-to-door on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.
I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. Out in the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with fancy tablecloth, ready-made dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds. Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.
I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.
It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins your breath. They think it’s a delicacy(美味佳肴), and it’s connected to their certain culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.
1. What did the writer become aware of?| A．She had ever typed a report about seeds. |
| B．She had various snacks while watching TV. |
| C．She had a habit of cracking sunflower seeds. |
| D．She damaged her teeth by eating sunflower seeds. |
| A．The families get together for it. | B．Eating sunflower seeds is related to it. |
| C．The traditions of celebrating it disappear. | D．Children can eat delicious food on that day. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Critical. | C．Understandable. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．It is good to form healthy eating habits. |
| B．Eating habits come from a certain culture. |
| C．Changing your eating habits will change your life. |
| D．One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. |
7 . Humans are not the only ones that like gold. Australian scientists have discovered a new fungus (真菌) that decorates its long, thread-like tendrils (卷须) with gold collected from the soil. The experts desperately hope the “gold digger” will provide information on the locations of gold deposits and make searching for the precious metal easier, and more environmentally friendly.
The gold-loving fungus was discovered accidentally by a team of researchers led by Dr. Tsing Bohu, a scientist at Australia national science agency, CSIRO, when they were examining the microbes (微生物) in the soil at Boddington, a tiny town home to Australia’s largest gold mine.
A closer analysis suggested that the fungus uses chemical interactions with underground minerals to accumulate gold from its surroundings. Though fungi often interact with other things in nature, the reaction with gold was unexpected. ―Fungi are well-known for playing an important role in the recycling of organic material, such as leaves and bark, as well as for the cycling of other metals,” Dr. Bohu explained. ―But gold is so chemically inactive that this interaction is both unusual and surprising.”
The fungi are not wearing the gold for beauty. ―There is a biological benefit from this reaction.” Dr. Bohu said, ―Gold-loving fungi can grow faster and bigger relative to other fungi that don’t work with gold.”
The researchers still need to conduct further analysis to understand the relationship between the fungi and the precious metal. More importantly, they need to determine if its presence is a sure sign of the existence of large deposits of the metal underground. The scientists also believe the fungi could be used to detect the presence of gold in waste products and man-made electronics.
However, those hoping to get free gold from the fungi are in for a disappointment, for the delicate fungus is hard to see. Also, its gold can only be seen under a microscope.
1. What do the experts hope for?| A．Investigating the sites. | B．Excavating the gold mines. |
| C．Getting further informed. | D．Unearthing gold deposits. |
| A．Fungi’s interaction with gold is unexpected but beneficial. |
| B．Gold’s classification is biologically identified by fungi. |
| C．Fungi’s formation with gold is fairly natural and frequent. |
| D．Gold is chemically accumulated by fungi’s evolution. |
| A．It excites the gold diggers’ motivation. |
| B．It has a long way to go before confirmation. |
| C．It lays the foundation of geological studies. |
| D．It ensures the search of gold sites. |
| A．Beauty-loving Fungi Wrapped by Gold |
| B．Gold-loving Fungi Discovered in Australia |
| C．Boddington, Austria’s Largest Gold Mine |
| D．New Discovery of Gold with Fungi |
8 . Impolite cellphone users are anywhere where there’s a cellphone signal.
Know where not to use your phone.
Don’t talk too loudly. When in public, try not to raise your voice while on the phone. Generally you don’t have to shout on the phone to be heard on the other end. In fact, doing so often makes it harder for you to be understood.
Don’t use your phone when having a meal with someone. If possible, turn it off. If you’re waiting for an important call, let the person you’re with know beforehand (事先) that you’re expecting a call that you’ll need to take.
| A．Learn to text |
| B．Focus on your messages |
| C．Some places are inappropriate for cellphone usage |
| D．Limit phone use during gatherings with your friends |
| E．Try not to hold a phone conversation at table |
| F．In addition, shouting on the phone disturbs people around you |
| G．Most people who are impolite don’t even realize what they’re doing |
9 . Everything is going to change more in the next ten years than it has in the last hundred, so it’s difficult to think about 100 years in the future. I can only guess what it might be like.
After 100 years, I think that borders will disappear through the development of science and technology.
Food from Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter will become popular.
My family will live in Mangshi, but I’ll take the super airplane daily to my work office. It’ll take 30 minutes from Mangshi to New York. My wife will go to her office in London.
| A．We plan to eat dinner in Paris. |
| B．They will fly to Tokyo for shopping. |
| C．In other words, the world will be united into one. |
| D．What kinds of car will we be driving in the future? |
| E．However, I think it will be better to live then than now. |
| F．People who don’t have time will eat such things as beans. |
| G．The clothes that people will wear in the future are easy to wash. |
10 . As you drive the streets of Maine, you will often notice the various unwanted things people place outside, all with one extremely attractive word — FREE! And you will find most of them are serviceable, and often valuable!
So why don’t the state’s people just sell them? The answer is tied in with Maine’s belief in keeping it simple: It’s easier to give something away than to go through the trouble of advertising and then receiving phone calls, followed by the unavoidable bargaining. But there is also the light joy of seeing an item collected by someone who can use it.
What strikes me is the speed with which unwanted goods are taken away. There seems to be an army always ready to collect them at a moment’s notice.
Case in point: For years I had a large piece of old steel near my garage. I finally decided to pull it outside my house. No sooner had I turned my back than a pickup truck appeared. The driver jumped out and asked,“You are getting rid of this?” When I nodded, he lifted it, yelled a sincere “Thanks!” and drove away.
I have a guilty little secret. For me, the word “free” speaks of some deep desire to acquire, and to compete, in case someone else beats me to a free gift. I once carried a picnic table home. My son remarked, “but we already have a picnic table. Why did you get another one?” I replied, “Because it was free!”
As I write this, I am glancing out the window at a Windsor chair my neighbor has put out. The sign says FREE, but the chair is missing one leg. I could either repair it or use it for firewood. Hmm … Too late! While I hesitate, a senior citizen has pulled up. The chair is his, and I have a sense of loss.
1. How do people of Maine look at selling unwanted things?| A．It is a deep-rooted tradition. | B．Selling such things is a real pleasure. |
| C．The process is too complex. | D．It is a good chance to make money. |
| A．Things thrown away will quickly be collected. | B．The driver needed the old steel very much. |
| C．People prefer to collect expensive goods. | D．The old steel was particularly valuable. |
| A．He can’t give more gifts to his son. | B．He shows much interest in free things. |
| C．He has a hobby of collecting tables. | D．He wants to become a strong competitor. |
| A．The chair is of no use. | B．The chair is missing a leg. |
| C．He fails to get the chair. | D．His neighbor rejects the chair. |
