Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials. The World health Organization (WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation (保护) measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality. Some pollutants arise from insulation (隔音) products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials. As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important.
Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde (甲醛). Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes. Paint, lacquer, etc. can also release dangerous gas into indoor air.
Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos（石棉）. Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide. It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible（非易燃品） fiber. These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material. As early as 1931, however, public health officers in the United Kingdom revealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer.
The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution. Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium. As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms. The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air. The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer.
53．What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Some building materials pollute indoor air.
B．Some factors cause indoor air pollution.
C．Asbestos can cause lung cancer.
D．The land on which houses are built contributes to indoor pollution.
54．Why are Europeans particularly concerned with building materials?
A．Lots of building materials there are radioactive.
B．They stay home up to 90% of their lives.
C．They have a high rate of lung cancer.
D．They spend most of their time indoors.
55．Why is asbestos a sought-after building material?
A．It is a kind of insulation foam.
B．Asbestos will not give out dangerous gas.
C．This material is not easy to catch fire.
D．It is rarely present in rock formations.
56．Why should we be careful about the land on which a building is to be sited?
A．To determine whether the land is firm enough for a building to be sited on.
B．To make sure that the land contains no radioactive material.
C．To make certain that the land releases no formaldehyde or other gases.
D．To check whether it contains any combustible materials.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter． It was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside． When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter,, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a walking stick．He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans． I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning． He looked so confused and very worded． I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question． He just kept saying, "She said I have to go to New Orleans．"
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the road on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family． She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket． When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay． He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow． Naturally, I felt a little ashamed． Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant． It broke my heart．
Immediately, our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning． When I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage． He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes．I called for a wheelchair． He said that he had just had bypass surgery（分流手术）and an artery was taken from his leg． I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn't sure what I could do． I went back to ask my supervisors（主管）if we could find a place for him to stay． They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher(收据) for Mr． MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast．
The moment he left, he said, "Thank you," bending his head and starting to cry． I cried too．When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, "I love stories like that． He is your Christmas Man．"The writer's first impression of the old man was that he was ．
| A．gentle-looking and weak |
| B．tired out and worded |
| C．confused and very sick |
| D．sad and anxious |
On hearing the old man say that he would wait at the airport the whole night, the writer felt a bit ashamed because ．
| A．she felt sorry that she couldn't do the old man a favor |
| B．she realized that someone was even more miserable than she felt |
| C．it took her a long time to find out how helpless the old man was |
| D．the old man was like an angel in the writer's eyes |
The writer called for a wheelchair for the old man because ．
| A．the old man had broken his leg when he was dropped off at the road |
| B．the old man could spend the whole night on it at the airport |
| C．the old man was carrying a whole lot of clothes |
| D．the old man had had surgery just before and was very weak by then |
By calling the old man the writer's Christmas Man, the writer's supervisor implied that ．
| A．the old man had told the writer a love story on Christmas |
| B．the old man had caused a lot of trouble for the writer on Christmas |
| C．the old man was the best gift the writer could have received on Christmas |
| D．the old man was the only customer the writer had served on Christmas |
Sometimes it is difficult to talk to taxi drivers. They must give all their attention to the road as they work out the shortest way to the place where you are going. However, passengers from Wangfujing were in surprise when they took a taxi. The driver just would not stop talking - in English.
Organized by the Cultural and Education Section of the British Embassy, “Dare to Speak” examines if Chinese people will speak English in “real-life” situations.
Matthew Knowles, an acting student from South Carolina at Beijing Film Academy, acted the part as the “driver”. He collected six passengers on Saturday morning, most of whom were female white-collar （白领）workers.
“Of course they were surprised at first, wondering why I’m driving a taxi, and wondering whether this is a real taxi, but then most of them were pretty willing to speak,” he said. Knowles said he was also surprised by his “passengers”. “Apart from my first ‘passenger’, who could speak very little English, all the rest spoke English very well, and it was fun to communicate with them,” he said, adding that some “passengers” were quite talkative.
The “foreign taxi driver” project was just one of the “Dare to Speak” activities, which have been going on since the end of October. Other projects included a foreign store owner near a high school in Beijing, a cook in a Shanghai university canteen. They were testing the willingness of Chinese people, especially students and white-collar workers, to speak to foreigners in English.
Rong Xin, senior manager of IELTS （雅思） with the British Embassy, said they hoped to let IELTS takers in China know that communication is the ultimate goal of IELTS.
“We hope that more and more IELTS takers in China can realize the importance of communicating in English in real life, instead of just getting high test scores,” she said.Why did Matthew Knowles drive a taxi?
| A．He took part in the project “Dear to speak” |
| B．He played the role of a taxi driver in a film. |
| C．He enjoyed chatting with people in English. |
| D．He wanted to improve his Chinese while driving. |
The Chinese may meet and talk to _______ in “Dear to speak” projects.
| A．a white-collar worker | B．a foreign store owner |
| C．a restaurant manager | D．a high school student |
The underlined word ultimate is closest in meaning to ________.
| A．most difficult | B．most common |
| C．most famous | D．most important |
The purpose of the project “Dear to Speak” is to _______ .
| A．attract more foreigners to start business in China |
| B．draw Chinese people’s attention to IELT |
| C．remind language learners of the goal of learning |
| D．give more chances for English learners in China |
Early risers are most likely to be healthy, wealthy and wise, according to the old saying. But those who are early to bed and early to rise do not always have advantages, researchers say. They have found that night owls（夜猫子） are generally brighter and wealthier than those who are able to get up early in the morning.
Experts from the University of Madrid carried out tests on around 1,000 teenagers and found that those who preferred to stay up late showed the kind of intelligence to find good jobs and earn much money. Larks or “morning people”, however, often get better exam results, possibly because lessons are held at the wrong time of day for night owls.
The researchers examined the habits and body clocks of the young people to determine whether they liked to stay up late and sleep later in the morning, or preferred to go to bed early and were at their best state in the morning. School performance and problem solving ability, were judged and test grades in the major subjects were also taken into consideration.
Jim Horne, professor of psychophysiology at Loughborough University, said: “Evening types tend（倾向） to be the more creative types, the poets, artists and inventors, while the morning types are considered to be civil servants and accountants（会计）. ”The researchers from the University of Madrid found _______.
| A．morning people will probably find good jobs and earn a lot |
| B．morning people show higher intelligence from an early age |
| C．night owls may earn more money than morning people |
| D．night owls might be healthier than morning people |
Early risers often do well in exams possibly because_______.
| A．they go to bed by 10p.m. regularly |
| B．they make full preparations before exam |
| C．lessons are held at the right time for them |
| D．they have longer time to prepare for their lessons |
The research may include questions about the following EXCEPT_______.
| A．favorite sports |
| B．grades in main subjects |
| C．living habits and body clocks |
| D．school performance |
In Jim Horne’ opinion, Larks may choose to be _______ in the future.
| A．inventors | B．artists |
| C．poets | D．civil servants |
My 3-year-old son and I lived a very hard life because I had been out of work since two years ago. Being poor is a terrible feeling when your 3-year-old finishes his meal and says: “Can I have some more bread and jam （果酱） please, Mummy?” And you break down in tears, because you don’t know how to tell him that there is no more food. With ￡6, I went to the supermarket, picked up some food and started to cook at home. It was time for me to make a change and get back on my feet. I began to write a series of articles for the website named Hunger Hurt in July 2011.
A few months later, local food bank gave me some help-- with some free vegetables every month, which made my life a little easier. I began to write recipes（食谱）, posting them on my blog. To my surprise, families, students and those poor people told me how much it helped to see healthy recipes made from affordable supermarket vegetables.
My Life took unexpected turns. I was invited to give a speech on food , interviewed for an Oxfam report on food banks and asked to write a cookery book.
When I got the money from the book, for the first night in almost two years, I went to bed without worrying. Now, I have a well-paid job and a beautiful home, and I’ll never forget the days when I worked hard for a good life.The writer started to cook because _______.
| A．the food at the supermarket was unhealthy |
| B．she had to feed themselves in a cheap way |
| C．she was advised to do so by someone |
| D．her son preferred home-cooked food |
According to the text, the food bank _______.
| A．helps sell the food in supermarkets |
| B．gives out food to those people who are in need |
| C．brings people together who care about food waste |
| D．write healthy recipes to food lovers around the world |
The writer’s first post of recipes _______.
| A．drew much attention | B．was given little notice |
| C．moved the readers | D．attracted only housewives |
Which could be the best title?
| A．what a loving mother |
| B．A lesson hard life teaches me |
| C．A mother’s dream job |
| D．Success lies in your own hands |
One day an old woman was traveling alone in the mountains. Suddenly she saw something shining in the stream. When she came close, she found it was a precious stone. She put the stone into her bag and went on with her trip.
The next day the old woman met a young man, who was also a traveler in the mountains. The young man looked very hungry, so the old woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked carefully, “The stone is beautiful. Would you like to give it to me?”
“Sure. Why not?” the woman said, and handed the stone to him.
The young man left happily with the stone. He knew it was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back and hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within your bag.”
The woman opened her bag. It was almost empty. She looked at the young man and smiled, “I have nothing special in my bag, but I do have something precious — the joy of giving!” The young man felt ashamed and left silently.How did the young man find the precious stone?
| A．He found it in his food. |
| B．He dug it out in a valley. |
| C．He saw it in the woman’s bag. |
| D．He noticed it shining in the stream. |
What does the underlined word “security” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Money. | B．Worry. | C．Health. | D．Trouble. |
The man returned the stone to the woman because ______.
| A．he found the stone was not precious |
| B．he understood the real meaning of joy |
| C．he felt embarrassed at taking away the stone |
| D．he wanted to get something even more precious |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．A special stone |
| B．The joy of giving |
| C．A woman and a young man |
| D．An experience in the mountains |
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