.
Valuing water
Human beings use a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet shortages and droughts(干旱) are causing starvation and poverty in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world’s population is expected to double in the next 51 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.
But that doesn’t have to be the result. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world—if we start valuing water more than we have in the past. Just as we began to value petrol more after the 1970s oil crisis, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic view. We can no longer afford to consider water a nearly free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.
Instead, for all uses except the demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its real value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.
Governments should also protect this source by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation(灌溉) water in the dry places is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions(凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.
No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their ways to use water. Rather than control hundreds or even thousands of local, regional agencies that watch water use, countries should set up central authorities to manage water policy.
65. What is the real cause of the potential water crisis?
A. Only half of the world’s water can be used.
B. The world population is increasing faster and faster.
C. Half of the world’s resources have been seriously polluted.
D. Human beings have not placed sufficient value on water resources.
66.We can conclude from the passage that the water problem______.
A. is already serious in certain parts of the world
B. has been exaggerated by some experts in the field
C. poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs
D. is underestimated by government organizations at different levels
67.According to the author, the water price should______.
A. be reduced to the minimum
B. stimulate domestic demand
C. equal its real value
D. take into account the occurrences of droughts.
As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me. I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper, "Not to be touched!"
I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old. Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve. The walls were old; some stones were missing, others loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally, one spring afternoon, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.
"I, uh-I want to climb the stone walls," I said. Everyone looked up. "Can I climb the stone walls? "Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. "Heavens, no!" You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed; the response was just as I'd expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice. "Now hold on just a minute," I heard him say. "Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself."
Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. "There's only one person in this whole world like you," the kids can count on hearing me say, "and people can like you exactly as you are.”When the writer was small, he lived .
| A．in the city | B．on the farm |
| C．with his grandparents | D．away from his parents |
The writer enjoyed his visits to the farm because .
| A．there were old stone walls. | B．it was an exciting place for him. |
| C．he liked his grandfather. | D．the living room there was clean |
The underlined word “approve” in paragraph 2 means .
| A．prove | B．suppose | C．allow | D．mind |
We can learn from the passage that the writer was .
| A．adventurous | B．funny | C．smart | D．talkative |
Here are six steps to better studying.
Pay attention in class
Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Are you sitting next to a loud person? Tell your teacher or parents about any problem that is preventing you from paying attention.
Take good notes
Write down facts that your teacher mentions or writes on the board. Try to use good handwriting so you can read your notes later. It’s a good idea to keep your notes organized by subject.
Plan ahead for tests and projects
Waiting until Thursday night to study for Friday’s test will make it hard to do your best. One of the best ways to make sure that doesn’t happen is to plan ahead. Write down your test dates. You can then plan how much to do after school each day, and how much time to spend on each topic.
Break it up
Ask for help
You can’t study effectively if you don’t understand the material. Be sure to ask your teacher for help. If you’re at home when the confusion occurs, your morn or dad might be able to help.
Sleep tight
So the test is tomorrow and you’ve followed your study plan—but suddenly you can’t remember anything! Don’t panic. Your brain needs time to digest all the information you’ve given it. Try to get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be surprised by what comes back to you in the morning.We know from the passage that a loud person is .
| A．a student who always answers questions loudly in class |
| B．someone who likes to talk with others in a loud voice |
| C．a student who likes speaking with others in class |
| D．a person who makes a lot of noise in public places |
According to the author, which of the following is an effective studying method?
| A．Don’t try to review everything you have learned in one go. |
| B．Try to review what you’ve learned in one go. |
| C．To read all your notes the night before the test. |
| D．Try to remember everything on the first try. |
If you don’t understand what you have learnt, you can .
| A．read your notes over and over again |
| B．turn to people around you for help |
| C．put aside the material for later review |
| D．ask your teacher to explain it the next day |
By saying “Sleep tight”, what does the author mean?
| A．Sleep again after waking up. | B．Sleep holding your breath deep. |
| C．Get a good night’s sleep. | D．Go to sleep early every night. |
The internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card(信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Website(非法网站). Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care Online shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought.
The thieves then go shopping with your card number—or sell the information over the Internet. Computer hackers(黑客)have broken down security(安全) system, raising questions about the safety of card holder information.
Several months ago, 25,000 customers of a CD universe, an online music retailer(批发商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay US $ 157,828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against online fraud. Master-card is working on plans for Web only credit-card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping online. However , there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.
Ask about your credit-card firm’s online rules: under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US $ 78 of any fraudulent spending. And shop only at secure sites: send your credit-card information only if the Website offers advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start http://--the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password safe: most online sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.The underlined word “fraud” in the first paragraph probably means ______.
| A．cheating | B．sale | C．payment | D．use |
According to this passage most people worry about shopping on the Internet because ______.
| A．a great number of stolen credit-cards are sold on the Internet every day |
| B．fraud on the Internet happens very often |
| C．many Websites break down every day |
| D．there are too many illegal Websites on the Internet |
Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card ______.
| A．because many customers lost their cards |
| B．by paying money for people working in the information companies |
| C．because of the carelessness of the customers |
| D．by stealing the information from Websites |
If the passwords of your credit-cards are not probably kept, _____.
| A．the bank and the shop will suffer great losses |
| B．you will not be able to get back your information |
| C．you might suffer great losses |
| D．the bank will answer for your loss |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．How to Beat Online Credit-card Thieves |
| B．How to Shop on the Internet |
| C．Never Use Credit-card Without an Advanced Computer |
| D．Why Thieves Steal Credit-card Information |
I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died “ full of years”, as the Bible would say. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence(吊唁) calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased(已故的)woman said to me, “ If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It’s my fault that she died.” At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, “ If only I hadn’t insisted on my mother’s going to Florida, she would be alive today.. that long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take. It’s my fault that she’s dead.”
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out bad, they believe that the opposite course—keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation—would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There are seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens that leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens , especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believe that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it. He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks. He cries, and someone comes to attend to him. When he is hungry, people feed him , and when he is wet, people change him. Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen.What is said about the two diseased elderly women?
| A．They lived out a natural life |
| B．They died of exhaustion after the long plane ride |
| C．They weren’t used to the change in weather. |
| D．They died due to lack of care by family members. |
The author had to conduct the two women’s funerals probably because ______.
| A．he wanted to comfort the two families |
| B．he was an official from the community |
| C．he had great pity for the deceased |
| D．he was minister of the local church |
People feel guilty for the deaths of their loved ones because _____.
| A．they couldn’t find a better way to express their sorrow |
| B．they believe that they were responsible |
| C．they had neglected the natural course of events |
| D．they didn’t know things often turn in the opposite direction |
According to the passage, the underlined part in paragraph 4 probably means that_____.
| A．everything in the world is predetermined |
| B．the world can be interpreted in different ways |
| C．there is an explanation for everything in the world |
| D．we have to be sensible in order to understand the world |
What’s the idea of the passage?
| A．Life and death is an unsolved mystery. |
| B．Every story should have a happy ending. |
| C．Never feel guilty all the time because not every disaster is our fault. |
| D．In general, the survivors will feel guilty about the people who passed away. |
As I was leaving to meet Lynne，my roommate told me that I’d better take some money，but I didn’t listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me.
I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I’d been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of the restaurant and a waitress came and took our order. The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed (尴尬) when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said，“Oh！I forgot my money! Can I call my roommate，please？” The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate.
In a few minutes he arrived with some money，but he couldn’t hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home.
Now，I think it’s funny too. But at the time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner meant the same thing in the United States as in my country. I guess you have to understand that your customs（习俗） are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country，you have to learn about their customs，too.Customs can be ________in different countries according to this passage.
| A．close to each other | B．entirely different | C．quite the same | D．very similar |
The writer’s roommate advised the writer to take some money with him to________.
| A．invite Lynne to dinner | B．pay for the table |
| C．share the cost of the meal | D．pay for the restaurant |
The writer and Lynne________.
| A．shared a successful dinner | B．had a talk for three hours |
| C．traveled to Saudi Arabia together | D．enjoyed their meal without talking |
Why didn’t Lynne pay the check for the writer?
| A．Because she thought it was natural for people to pay their own check. |
| B．Because she didn’t have the meal. |
| C．Because she wanted to embarrass the writer. |
| D．Because she didn’t have enough money with her. |
The roommate laughed all the way home because the writer________.
| A．was embarrassed when he couldn’t pay his breakfast |
| B．would not listen to him when he left the house |
| C．telephoned him to bring some books to him |
| D．hadn’t told Lynne the truth |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号