City officials are hoping to use the power of dog droppings. San Franciscans already recycle more than 60% of their dogs’ droppings, but in this dog-friendly town, such wastes make up nearly 4% of residential waste, or 6,500 tons a year.
Within the next few months, Norcal Waste, a company that collects San Francisco’s wastes, will begin a trial program under which it uses biodegradable (生物分解的) bags and dog-waste carts to pick up droppings at a popular dog park.
The droppings will be thrown into a machine called a methane digester (沼气处理机), which is basically a tank in which bacteria feed on droppings for weeks to create methane gas.
The methane could then be piped directly to a gas stove, a steam heater, an air turbine or anything else powered by natural gas. It can also be used to produce electricity.
Someone doubts whether this plan is practical. But Norcal Waste spokesman, Robert Reed points to San Francisco’s creative food composting (混合肥料) program, which began 10 years ago. It is a proof that an unusual idea can work in this forward-thinking city. Norcal Waste collects 300 tons of food left over after meals per day from homes and restaurants and changes it into a rich fertilizer sold to grape farms and organic farms.
Methane digesters are nothing new. The technology was introduced in Europe about 20 years ago, and more than 600 farm-based digesters are in operation there. Nine are in use on California cow farms, and chicken and pig farms elsewhere in the United States also use them.
“The main obstacle is probably getting communities around the country the courage to collect dog droppings, to give value to something we’d rather not talk about,” Brinton, a recycling and composting consultant, said. “San Francisco is probably the king of pet cities. This could be an advantage of it, which is very important.”
Some other experts believe energy production from dog droppings must become more attractive economically before it gets popular. Landfill space is relatively cheap, and natural gas and electricity also remain fairly inexpensive. However, Reed said confidently, “Now, the city authorities asked us to look at dog waste specifically.”
61. How many dogs’ droppings can be recycled at present per year in San Francisco?
A. About 6,500 tons. B. About 169,000 tons.
C. About 260 tons. D. About 3,900 tons.
62. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. there are many pets that are treated well in San Francisco
B. Norcal Waste is a company of refuse (垃圾) treatment, which collects dog wastes only
C. most of the farms in Europe use Methane digesters
D. Brinton doesn’t feel optimistic about the collection of dog droppings in San Francisco
63. The underlined word “obstacle” in Paragraph 7 most probably means .
A. interest B. effect C. difficulty D. purpose
64. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. San Francisco is a city full of innovation.
B. Dog droppings can be changed into methane gas in several days.
C. It is the first time to utilize animal waste in San Francisco.
D. Utilizing dog droppings presently is more economical than the landfill.
65. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Animal wastes collection by Norcal Waste
B. Changing dog droppings into energy
C. Methane digester technology in San Francisco
D. A dog droppings composting program
If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don’t need to feel surprised. They are a flash mob. Don’t be confused by their name. Actually, a flash mob, organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks, is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a period of time, such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and shouting something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds, and then quickly disappear before the police can arrive.
Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob assembled on June 3, 2003 at Macy’s department store involving 100 people gathering on Macy’s Department Store. Following this, about 200 people flooded the lobby of the Hyatt hotel, applauding in one voice for fifteen seconds, and next participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip invaded a shoe boutique in Soho. A later mob saw hundreds of people in Central Park making bird noises.
Wasik claimed that he created flash mobs as a social experiment designed to tease hipsters（追逐时尚的人）, and highlight the cultural atmosphere of agreement and of being part of “the next big thing”.
Many Web logs, chat rooms and Web groups are devoted to the craze. Though flash mobs were originally regarded as pointless, the concept has already developed for the benefit of political and social events. Flash mobbing takes advantage of the efficiency of communicating information on Websites and by email, and protesters can similarly use the “on and off” concept to be involved in political events. Such flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock or frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place. They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product.
The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular. People use it to do many things. For example, in 2009, hundreds of Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him, gathering outside the railway station in Liverpool, singing and dancing Michael’s famous song Beat It together. In another example, some people took part in a flash mob to warn people against negative words. Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory.The purpose of flash mobs created by Wasik is to __________.
| A．make flash mobs a social experiment with political, social and economic potential |
| B．give people an opportunity to assemble and perform some distraction |
| C．make fun of hipsters and emphasize the cultural atmosphere of agreement and participation |
| D．make communicating information efficient and help people create a memory |
People took part in the following activities of flash mobs except that __________.
| A．they pretended to take a bus trip and invaded a shoe shop in Soho |
| B．they got together in central Park and played birdsong |
| C．they gathered upon the railway station in Liverpool, singing Beat It and dancing |
| D．they assembled in the department store and applauded together for 15 seconds |
Which of the following could most possibly be a flash mob according to the passage?
| A．Sixteen people get together quickly on the square and do jumping and singing and leave there suddenly. |
| B．A group of people are busy giving out leaflets of a limousine of a brand to those walking in front of them. |
| C．Some tourists plan for months and go mountaineering on the first day of Horse Year. |
| D．Protesters from different factories sit for days in front of the city hall for low wage. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．Flash mob: the political potential |
| B．Flash mob: the pop culture |
| C．Flash mob: the source of information |
| D．Flash mob: the short-term memory |
Recently a lot of managers complain that their employees don’t work hard and what they care about is only how much money they can get.
How does this happen? I t
hink it is time for them to think about that seriously now.
Shakespeare once said that “some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”. So it is with leadership. Some persons are born with the ability of leadership. Some gain that art by watching and studying the actions of those around them. Other persons find themselves forced into special situations which require them to make the best of the resources they never realized they had and events bring out strong leadership. Most of us are never put to such tests. Most of us are not born leaders.
We often hear people say, “He is a great fellow to work for.” We see workers try their best to do things for certain managers. We see them carry out instructions cheerfully and well or even add something to the doing of the job which was unexpected. In other words, they put themselves into the job and give it their “extra effort” which people give only when they feel that they are part of the team, that they are making a contribution to its success, and that their contributions are understood and appreciated by their managers.
However, this is not something which happens naturally or by chance. It is built on one-to-one relationship. It is a reflection of a person’s attitudes toward the job, the manager and the company. Where it exists, it has been developed over a period, as a result of three simple factors: confide
nce, cooperation and understanding of their manager who understands them, appreciates their efforts and tries to give them all a fair deal.The author quotes Shakespeare's words in order to ________．
| A．introduce the topic of the passage |
| B．stress the importance of good leadership |
| C．help to describe three different kinds of leaders |
| D．compare the difference between greatness with leadership |
According to the author, as a manager, you should ________．
| A．understand and appreciate your workers and their contributions |
| B．make good use of those workers born willing to work hard for you |
| C．treat different workers in different ways and different attitudes |
| D．not only control your workers but understand and appreciate them |
Most people gain the art of leadership because ________．
| A．they are born with the ability of it |
| B．they are always put into some special tests |
| C．they are much wiser than others |
| D．they like to watch and study the actions of others |
A new survey finds that more than eighty percent of Internet users in the United States search for health information online．The survey found that searching online is one of the leading ways that people look for a second opinion though doctors are still the main source of health information．
Forty-four percent of people are actually looking for doctors or other providers when they search for health information online．Another finding of the survey: Two-thirds of Internet users look online for information about a specific disease or medical condition．
The Internet has also become an important source of e
motional support for people with health problems．Susannah Fox says one in five Internet users has gone online to find other people who have the same condition．It was more popular among people with more serious health issues—one in four people living with chronic diseases （慢性病）．And it was basically off the charts with pe
ople living with rare disease．They are so eager to find other people online who share their health concerns．
A disease is considered rare if it affects fewer than two hundred thousand people worldwide．The rise of social networking has made it easier for people with rare diseases to connect with each other and feel less alone．Social networking is also changing the way some doctors and patients communicate with each other．Dr．Jeff Livingston operates a medical center for women in Irving, Texas．His office uses password-protected software to share information with patients．
“We provide the patient full access to their medical care．Anything I can see, the patient can see．All of their notes, all of their doctor visits are right there．All 
of their lab work is right there．” Dr．Livingston says the software has increased efficiency, reduced costs and improved relations with patients．From the first paragraph, we can know _________．
| A．most online health information is reliable |
| B．more people now turn to the Internet for medical advice |
| C．people shouldn’t rely on the Internet for medical advice |
| D．doctors are no longer the patients’ first choice |
The underlined words “off the charts” in Paragraph 3 mean _________．
A．very popular |
| B．not accessible |
| C．far away from |
| D．not attractive |
By using social networking, patients with rare diseases can _________．
| A．find effective cures |
B．get emotion al comfort |
| C．ask for financial support |
| D．consult doctors anytime |
Which of the following is NOT true for Dr．Livingston’s software?
| A．It cuts down medical expenses． |
| B．It decreases the time spent on medical care． |
| C．It takes doctors closer to their patients． |
| D．It gives patients a medical test online． |
I’m writing to complain about the service offered by your company.
I told your service department on November 21 that my washing machine needed repairing, Your service engineers have since been here four times—on December 1l, December 19, December 25 and January 5．The problem was found out on the first visit and the wrong parts were brought by different engineers on the two next visits. The correct part was fitted by the first engineer on the fourth visit.
In short, my complaints are:
a．I had to wait three weeks for an engineer to call and nearly two months for the machine to be repaired.
b．The engineers who called on December 19 and December 25 had been given wrong information by the company, which made me take two half days off unnecessarily.
c．The first and fourth visits lasted a total of thirty minutes. But in the invoice （发票）, I have to pay for four visits of four hours’ work. I will not be paying the invoice for their mistakes and I do hope to receive your answers to these complaints.
Yours,
Robert WhiteRobert’s main purpose in writing to the company is to tell the company ________.
| A．how its service department is operating |
| B．how its different engineers came for the repair |
| C．that all of the engineers didn’t give him any help |
| D．that he refuses to pay the company for their mistakes |
The first of Robert’s complaints is that________.
| A．it took him three weeks to have the machine repaired |
| B．it took him nearly sixty days to get his machine repaired |
| C．it had been almost two months before the first engineer came |
| D．it took the engineer 3 weeks to find out something wrong with the machine. |
The second and third engineers brought the wrong parts because________.
| A．the company didn’t tell them exactly what they should do |
| B．the company didn't tell them where the correct parts were |
| C．they were not sure about whether the machine worked or not |
| D．they hadn’t been told where the right parts should be fitted. |
It can be inferred from the letter that Robert promises to pay for________.
| A．three hours’ work | B．half an hour’s work |
| C．an hour’s work | D．four hours’ work |
A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon the beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy’s explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn’t have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
“Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something,” said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. “As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill.”
The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.
“Well,” asked the wise man, “Did you see the Persian tapestries（挂毯）in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?” The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
“Then go back and observe the wonders
of my world,” said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
“But where are the drops of oil?” asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
“Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you,” said the wise man. “The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.”
When the boy arrived at the castle, he .
| A．received a warm welcome from the wise man |
| B．had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man |
| C．didn’t expect to see so many people around |
| D．was shown around the palace by the local people |
The wise man gave the boy two tasks in order to .
| A．teach him the secret of happiness |
| B．show him how to observe the wonders in the world |
| C．make him learn from his mistakes |
| D．let the boy enjoy his palace and garden |
We can infer from the article that “the drops of oil on the spoon” probably refer to ______
| A．the beauty of nature |
| B．the fortune a person owns |
| C．the responsibilities of a person |
| D．the great opportunities in life |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．The wise man was satisfied with the way the boy performed the second task |
| B．It took the wise man about 10 years to finish his garden. |
| C．The wise man wasn’t paying much attention to the boy at first. |
| D．The boy took no notice of the surroundings during his first task. |
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