Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable resources like sun, wind and water．But it also leads to a fossil fuel．Natural gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the fuel created by plant and animal remains over millions of years．Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal．The gas is mainly methane （甲烷）．It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels．So it may help cut the production of carbon gases linked to climate change．
Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas．The United States is sixth．Over the years, big oil and gas companies recovered much of the easily reached supplies of gas in America．They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects．As these supplies were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries．
But now the industry is taking a new look．Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in shale （页岩） rock two to three thousand meters underground．They drill down to the shale, then go sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock．This causes the rock to fracture, releasing the gas．Huge fields of gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states．Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by small to medium sized companies．Eric Potter, a program director, says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these new reserves．
But hydraulic （液压的） fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the risk of groundwater pollution．This method of drilling is not federally supervised under the Safe Drinking Water Act．Some in Congress want to end that exemption （豁免） from the law．
Natural gas provides Americans with about one fourth of their energy．And, unlike oil, most of it is produced in America．Gas producers invested heavily in reaching new supplies when prices were high．But prices are down sharply now because the depression cut demand for energy．So energy expert Eric Potter says it is too early to know how the changing market prices will affect the market for gas shale exploration．
45．We can learn from the first paragraph that ________．
A．natural gas releases methane and carbon dioxide
B．natural gas is considered as the cleanest energy
C．natural gas is more environmentally friendly than other fossil fuels
D．natural gas is a renewable source of energy
46．The word “fracture” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______．
A．create B．break C．change D．decrease
47．Gas shale exploration may cause disagreement because ______．
A．it may cause water pollution B．it brings too high profits
C．it breaks the law D．it is out of states’ control
48．According to Eric Potter, the new gas shale exploration ______．
A．will provide America with about one fourth of their energy
B．will increase demand for energy
C．will make gas producers invest a big sum of money
D．may be influenced by the changing market prices
VINCOUVER （Reuters）——South Korea' s Kirn Yuna can finally relax and does fiot need to think 
about the future after she won the gold medal in the women' s figure skating （花样滑冰）on Thursday．
The 19-year-old was the overwhelming （压倒性的）favorite to finish top of the podium （颁奖台） but said the pressure going into the event was large．
"I feel now as if a huge burden has been lifted, " the Games' highest-earning female athlete-she makes an estimated $8 million a year —said after her near-perfect program where she nailed all of her 11 jumps．
"I will enjoy this moment and think about things later．I was just thrilled on the podium and I feel so relieved．I had been running toward this dream of the Olympics and was so happy to be here, " she said．
"Since I have achieved the most important goal in my life．I am going to enjoy this moment for a while and then think about what I am going to do," a smiling Yuna said．
Japanese rival Mao Asada took silver while Joannic Rochette of Canada grabbed the bronze medal four days after her mother died．
"I still cannot believe I did what I wanted to do at the Olympics．I have been dreaming about this moment and I cannot believe it is not a dream any more．" said Yuna．
South Korea was counting on her to grab their first gold medal in figure skating and the first Winter Olympics gold medal outside short track and speed skating．
"I was just happy to have skated a clean program．It was the first
time I skated two clean programs．During the program when I finished all elements I thought 'this is going to be yeah．．．this is it'．"[Kim Yuna felt relaxed because .
| A．the competition was over |
| B．her dream finally came true |
| C．she won a large amount of money |
| D．she became well-known overnight |
According to the passage, Kim Yuna____．
| A．had a strong sense of team spirit in the Games |
| B．won the first gold medal for South Korea in the Winter Olympics |
| C．had expected she would surely win the gold medal |
| D．joined in the competition with great pressure from her country |
The underlined word '"riva” lin Paragraph 6 most probably means"____"．
| A．competitor | B．coach | C．judge | D．hostess |
It is known from the passage that____．
| A．Kim Yuna is a person of great confidence |
| B．Joannie Rochette joined in the games with great sorrow |
| C．Kim Yuna is the richest athlete in South Korea |
| D．Mao Asada took silver medal by accident |
Scientists are not sure how the brain follows the tracks of time．One theory holds that it has a group of cells specialized to record the intervals （间隔）of time, while another theory holds that some neural processes （神经突）act as an inside clock．
Whichever theory it may be, studies find, the cells have a poor grasp of longer interval．Time does seem to slow during an empty afternoon and race when the brain focuses on challenging work．Stimulants （兴奋剂）, including caffeine, tend to make people feel as if．time is passing faster; complex jobs, like doing taxes, can seem to drag on longer than they actually do．And emotional events — a breakup, a promotion, a transformative trip abroad —tend to be sensed as more recent than they actually are, by months or even years．In short, some psychologists say, the findings support the philosopher Martin Heidegger' s observation that time "persists merely as a consequence of the events taking place in it．"
Now researchers are finding that the opposite thing may also be true: if very few events come to mind, then the sense of time does not persist; the brain shortens the interval that has passed．
In one classic experiment, a French explorer named Michel Siffre lived in a cave for two months, cut off from the rhythms of night and day and man-made clocks．He appeared then, convinced that he had been isolated for only 25 days．Left to its own devices, the brain tends to shorten time．
In earlier work, researchers found that a similar case at work in people’s judgment of intervals that last only moments．Relatively infrequent stimuli, like flashes or tones, tend to increase the speed of the brain' s internal pacemaker．
On an obvious level, these kinds of findings offer an explanation for why other people' s children seem to grow up so much faster than one's own．Involved parents are all too well aware of first step in their own children; however, seeing a cousin's child once every few years, without bothering memories, shortens the time．What can we infer from the first paragraph?
| A．Scientists have agreed about how the brain records time． |
| B．Scientists all think that some cells record the intervals of time． |
| C．Scientists haven't agreed on how the brain records time． |
| D．Scientists all hold the theory that neural processes are an inside clock． |
According．to Paragraph 3, if we have few things to do, the brain will____．
| A．make the intervals of time long |
| B．make the intervals of time short |
| C．keep a state of rest |
| D．stop working |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Michel Siffre didn' t think he had stayed in the cave for as long as two months． |
| B．Parents tend to think their own children grow faster than others． |
C．Michel Diffre actually stayed in  the cave for twenty-five days． |
| D．Children usually bring bad memories to their parents． |
In which column of a newspaper can we find this passage?
| A．Social news | B．Community activities |
| C．Science | D．Children s life |
You maybe surprised to learn that one of the best steps you can take to protect your health is to step outside and spend some time in the grass, dirt and water．
Our ancestor
s enjoyed the healing power of nature , and now scientists are starting to catch up．According to research in recent years, just having a view of nature has been shown to improve hospital patients' recovery and reduce illness rates among office workers．Also, exposure （曝露）to wildlife, horseback riding, hiking, camping and farms can be helpful for a variety of health conditions in adults and children．
Much of this type of research is focusing on children, and in fact an entire movement has quickly developed to connect kids with the healing power of nature．
Obesity （肥胖）．Rates of childhood obesity have grown sharply in recent years, and this is partly because of reduced outdoor activity time．Increasing the time students spend learning about nature, both in and outside the classroom, would help solve this problem．Such lessons are often more attractive for students and often lead them to become more active outside．
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder （ADHD） （注意力缺失症）．Exposure to ordinary natural settings （环境） in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be effective in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children．Participation in green activities —such as nature walks—helped ADHD patients from a wide range of backgrounds to stay focused and complete tasks．
Stress．Access to nature, even houseplants, can help children cope with stress．
Depression and seasonal emotional disorder．Major depression requires medical treatment, but physical activity, especially outdoors, can help ease symptoms．For your average case of winter blues, experts suggest spending time outside every day and, if possible, taking the family to a sunny vacation spot in mid-winter．
Experts emphasize that you needn' t go to wilderness preserves to enjoy nature' s benefits—simply walking in a city park or growing in a rooftop garden can make a difference．It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that____．
| A．ancient people were not familiar with the healing power of nature． |
| B．modern people are not familiar with the healing power of nature． |
| C．the healing power of nature works better on children． |
| D．the healing power of nature works better on office workers． |
According to Para．4, lessons about nature_____．
| A．should engage parents in them |
| B．should take place outdoors |
| C．are used widely at schools |
| D．are liked by students |
Exposure to green areas in neighborhoods can_____．
| A．improve children' s skills at learning |
| B．help reduce ADHD symptoms |
| C．treat major depression |
| D．cure winter blues |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．You can only enjoy nature's benefits in the wilderness． |
| B．A common natural setting is beneficial to your health． |
| C．A city park and a rooftop garden have different benefits． |
| D．Too many people in the wilderness will reduce the benefits of nature． |
Attitude is one of the most important factors in determining success for all people．Successful people have one thing in common—an expectant （期待的） attitude of success．Most people begin each morning in neutral and react to events of the day．You can be one of the successful people in life by starting each day with a positive attitude, a gratitude for the opportunities you have, and an expectancy （期待） of the best for yourself．
People tend to live up to expectations．We get out of life just about what we put into it．Our environment becomes a mirror of our spirit, our attitude, and expectations．If we set a great goal, we get great results．If we have a fair goal, we accomplish fair results, and if we have a poor goal, we accomplish poor results．The world will give you back what you expect, so expect the very best．Don't be defensive or doubtful．Nothing changes unless you do．Before you can do something, you've got to be something．Know that you have worth and value．Show that to the world．
Treat everyone you come in contact with as the most important person in life．It will build self-esteem （自尊心）．Smile! You'll be rewarded with a returned smile．Don't react to others rudely．Forgive everyone who ever hurt you．Then, forgive yourself．Keep yourself healthy．Exercise．Eat a proper diet．Display an attitude of confidence．
Develop these good habits and your expectancy will be rewarded by successes．This attitude will put you into that group of people who are truly successful, because you will know and understand how an expectant attitude enhances （提高） every aspect of your life．According to the author, we are likely to achieve success if we____．
| A．take a positive attitude |
| B．hold on to our dreams |
| C．have a good opportunity |
| D．show gratitude every day |
We learn from Paragraph 2 that____．
| A．success mainly depends on your efforts |
| B．our environment reflects what we think |
| C．the greater our goal, the better results we will get |
| D．it is our determination that decides our future |
Paragraph 3 tells us that____．
| A．building self-esteem is important |
| B．we should treat everyone else fairly |
| C．if treated kindly, others are friendly |
| D．it makes good sense to forgive others |
The author's purpose of writing the text is to____．
| A．share his view point about life |
| B．offer advice on confidence building |
| C．suggest some ways to acquire success |
| D．stress the importance of positive attitude |
Liu Jiaoyang, 16, carefully winds a bobbin（绕线筒） with thread, places it on her sewing machine （缝纫机） and then presses her foot down to begin sewing．While she' s doing this, she pretends to guide fabric （布料）through the machine．Liu looks forward to the class when she can work on a piece of real cloth, and make a beautiful dress．
Each Tuesday afternoon, after the bell rings for the fourth period, Liu becomes a fashion designer．At the same time, the rest of the students at the High School Attached to Yunnan Normal University in Kunming are also having classes a little bit different from the usual ones．Some students dance, others create robots, and still others review films．These are just a few of the other 27 elective （选修的） courses besides Liu's sewing class that the school began to offer last month．
"The fashion design class has become the bright point of my week．I learn how to choose colors and fabrics （织物） as well as sewing and sketching （素描） skills．It's all helping me to realize the dream of becoming a fashion designer I' ve had since I was a little girl, " Liu said．
Design is Liu' s favorite, but for other students the electives are interesting lessons which relieve （舒缓） the pressures of schoolwork．Some students, for example, are learning how to play bridge．Chen Xi,15, is one of them．She said, "Many people think that playing a card game like this in class is a waste of time．But in fact, bridge is a very challenging game that helps develop memory and math skills．"How often do the students have elective classes?
A．Once a week B
．Once a month C．Once a term D．Once a yearHow many elective courses had the school offered by last month?
| A．27 | B．28 | C．26 | D．25 |
Why did the students like to have elective classes?
| A．Because the elective classes are easier． |
| B．Because they needn't do any homework in the elective classes． |
| C．Because they can get an opportunity to relieve their pressures． |
| D．Because they want to be fashion designers in the future． |
According to the passage many people think____in class is a waste of time．
| A．dancing | B．creating robots |
| C．playing a card game | D．reviewing films |
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