A new power plant in Nakoso, Japan, might someday change everything for coal plants．Since the new power plant fired up in September, the designer, Mistubishi, is expecting to prove it's possible to burn coal without polluting．This technology is known as integrated gasification combined cycle （IGCC）．Proving IGCC works should give Mitsubishi's US partner, NRG Energy, the jump other hurdles to building new clean plants．
The project promised to solve the problem of the ages for power plants: how to produce cheap, clean, reliable electricity．No existing technology can do all three perfectly．
The problem is IGCC isn't there yet．It costs about 20 percent more than traditional plants．And even though it's easier to collect the resulting carbon dioxide from an IGCC plant than a traditional plant, there's no proven way to get rid of the greenhouse gas．One plan is to drill a shaft（通道） to pump the carbon dioxide underground, into saltwater formations．But there's no guarantee it will remain underground forever．
NRG administrators think solving the IGCC riddles is worth the trouble because they expect the U．S．will soon limit the amount of carbon dioxide that power generators may give out ．
"With the additional cost of IGCC, to just voluntarily build something that's 20 percent more expensive, that’s commercial suicide," NRG chief administrator, David Crane said．
NRG administrators expect the cost to decline after six or seven plants are built．But other industry experts think it will take about a dozen plants for the price to be competitive with traditional coal plants．
Takaya Watanabe, a vice general manager of Mitsubishi, admits that the cost challenges are difficult．“It’s good for a company to say we want to be green, but unless someone is willing to pay, it's a dream．It won't keep our family eating rice," he said．What is expected of the new technology?
| A．To make electricity without polluting the air． |
| B．To produce energy without burning coal． |
| C．To keep the use of electricity cheaper． |
| D．To pump carbon dioxide more easily ． |
What's the biggest problem the companies are faced with?
| A．How to pump greenhouse gases． |
| B．How to deal with the high cost． |
| C．How to get along with other partners． |
| D．How to improve the new technology． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．New technologies are unacceptable to people． |
| B．It's unlikely to build more new power plants． |
| C．The companies are run on a tight budget． |
| D．Going green is easier said than done． |
When people ask me what Down Syndrome(唐氏综合症) is, I tell them it’s an extra chromosome(染色体). A doctor would tell you the extra chromosome causes an intellectual disability that makes it harder for me to learn things.
Even though I have Down Syndrome, my life is a lot like yours. I read books and watch TV. I listen to music with my friends. I’m on the swim team and in chorus at school. I think about the future, and I like the one who I’ll marry. And I get along with my sisters---except when they take CDs without asking! I’m a hard worker, a good person, and I care about my friends.
Some of my classes are with typical kids, and some are with kids with learning disabilities. I have an aid who goes with me to my harder classes, like math and biology. She helps me take notes and gives me tips on how I should study for tests. It really helps, but I also challenge myself to do well. For instance, my goal was to be in a typical English class by 12th grade. That’s exactly what happened this year!
It’s true that I don’t learn some things as fast as other people do. But that won’t stop me from trying. I just know that if I work really hard and by myself I can do almost anything.
I can’t change the fact that I have Down Syndrome, but one thing I would change is what people think of me. I’d tell them, “Judge me as a whole person, not just the person you see. Treat me with respect, and accept me for who I am. The most important---just be my friend.”A person with Down Syndrome ____________according to the passage.
| A．can learn things almost as fast as normal people do |
| B．has one more chromosome than normal people |
| C．is hard to get along with |
| D．is easy to get along with |
The writer tries to picture himself as a __________teenager.
| A．normal | B．perfect | C．lovely | D．special |
The writer feels ________about his life.
| A．confused | B．hopeful | C．unhappy | D．curious |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To prove people with Down Syndrome are a lot like healthy ones |
| B．To show the writer’s honesty and optimism |
| C．To change people’s attitude towards people with Down Syndrome |
| D．To describe the life of a student with learning disabilities |
Health & Social Care Teacher
Our client, an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school in Ealing, West London, is currently seeking a teacher for Health & Social Care. The position will be a full-time post until July 2014. We require an energetic teacher to develop the learning potential of students. We are seeking someone with excellent subject knowledge who can combine academic strictness and achievement with enjoyment of teaching Health & Social Care.
Receptionist Administration
Full Time
A receptionist is required from 1st June 2014 at Dartford Science & Technology College. The position is only from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Friday, with an hour’s break for lunch every day. The successful applicant must have a good telephone manner, good interpersonal skills and proficient IT skills.
Cleaner
Part Time, Term Time
We are seeking to appoint a hardworking person to join our cleaning team. Previous experience would be an advantage but it is not essential. 10 hours per week are required during term time and the extra 3 weeks are added in the summer holidays or as directed by the Business Manager to ensure the needs of the school are met.
Closing date: 12th May 2014, 12 noon. Please return the completed application forms to the school.
Science Technician
Term time plus 10 days, 37 hours per week
We are looking for a technician to provide a technical support service for science teaching staff. Applications are to be received no later than midnight on 10thJune 2014.
If you are keen to work, visit our website via the button below.A school in Ealing, West London is looking for _________.
| A．a full-time science teacher |
| B．a teacher with the ability to get along with people |
| C．a technician who can provide a technical support service |
| D．a teacher with excellent knowledge about Health & Social Care |
The receptionist to be employed will work ______________.
| A．10 hours a week | B．34.5 hour a week |
| C．39.5 hours a week | D．37 hours a week |
To work as a cleaner, you must___________.
| A．work full-time |
| B．have previous working experience |
| C．work the whole summer holidays |
| D．hand in the application form before 12 noon on May 12th 2014 |
The text is most likely to appear _________.
| A．in a novel | B．in a magazine |
| C．on the Internet | D．in a newspaper |
When a tornado hit the small town of Otwell, Indiana years ago, Kathryn Martin, 32, who lived 60 miles away in Evansville, couldn’t get the news out of her mind. “I kept thinking, ‘Those poor people. Somebody’s got to help them,’” she says. She knew firsthand what they were going through.
Six months earlier, a tornado had struck her town, taking the lives of her 2-year-old son, C.J. and her mother-in-law. “It was the most terrible experience of my life,” she says. “That grief will never go away, and it broke my heart to think about what these families were going through in Otwell.”
So Kathryn loaded her car with juice boxes, snacks and toys and drove to Otwell. She gave the items to the Red Cross, and as she was leaving, she saw a couple sorting through the ruins of their home while their children were watching. So Kathryn stopped and gave a few toys to the kids and played with them for a while. “The parents couldn’t thank me enough for what I did for their children,” she says.
On the drive back to Evansville, Kathryn came up with an idea to help more kids. She talked her family, friends and neighbors into joining her and spent the next few months organizing fundraisers. Finally, in August 2007, she showed C.J.’s Bus, a 35-foot school bus that was turned into a mobile playroom.
In the following years, stocked with video games and DVDs, toys, crafts, books and more, the bus traveled to disaster-torn towns, giving the children there a safe place to play. So far, C.J.’s bus has traveled to three states affected by tornadoes or floods, cheering up more than 756 children, aged 3-13.When she heard that Otwell was hit by a tornado, Kathryn Martin__________.
| A．felt it was the most terrible experience of her life |
| B．wanted to do something for the people there |
| C．was afraid that a tornado would strike her home |
| D．was extremely worried about her family members |
What does the underlined word “grief” in paragraph 2 probably mean?
| A．Sadness | B．Worry | C．Disaster | D．Influence |
What do we know about C.J.’s Bus?
A. It is a school bus that can take children to travel.
B. It is a bus giving homeless children a safe place
C. It travels to a place to offer help when a disaster hits it.
D. It is aimed at raising money for places affected by disasters.
I was puzzled! Why was this old woman making such a complaint about our way to deal with an old bush which was of no use to anybody? She had written letters to the local paper, even to a national to protest about our projected by-pass to her village, and, looking at a map, the route was nowhere near where she lived and it wasn’t as if the area was attractive. I was more than puzzled, I was intrigued. I wanted to know what it was that motivated her. So it was that I found myself knocking on a cottage door, being received by Mary Smith and then being taken for a walk to the woods.
“I’ve always loved this place”, she said, “it has a lot of memories for me, and for others. We all used it. They called it ‘Lovers lane’. It’s not much of a lane, and it doesn’t go anywhere important, but that’s why we all came here. To be away from people, to be by ourselves.” She added.
It was indeed pleasant that day and the songs of many birds could be heard. Squirrels gazed from the branches, quite bold in their movements, obviously few people passed this way and they had nothing to fear. I could imagine the noise of vehicles passing through these peaceful woods when the by-pass was built, so I felt that she probably had something there but as I hold strong opinions about the needs of the community over-riding the opinions of private individuals, I said nothing. The village was quite a distant and dangerous place because of the traffic especially for old people and children, their safety was more important to me than an old woman’s whims (怪念头).
“Take this tree”, she said pausing after a short while. “To you it is just that, a tree. Not unlike many others here”. She gently touched the bark. “Look here, under this branch, what can you see?”
“It looks as if someone has done a bit of carving with a knife” I said after a cursory (草率的) inspection.
“Yes, that’s what it is!” she said softly. “There are letters and a lover’s heart”.
I looked again, this time more carefully. The heart was still there and there was an arrow through it. The letters on one side were indistinct, but on the other an ‘R’ was clearly visible with what looked like an ‘I’ after it. “Some budding romance?” I asked, “Did you know who they were?”
“Oh yes, I knew them”, said Mary Smith, “it says RH loves MS”.
After a pause, she went on … “He had a penknife and I helped him to carve my initials. We were very much in love, but he was going away, and could not tell me what he was involved in the army. I had guessed of course. It was the last evening we ever spent together, because he went away the next day, back to his Unit.”
Mary Smith was quiet for a while, then she sobbed, “His mother showed me the telegram. ‘Sergeant R Holmes ... Killed in action in the invasion of France.’”
I realized that I could be getting out of my depth, and longed to be in my office, away from here and this old lady, snug, and with a cup of tea in my hand.
There was a further pause. Mary Smith gently touched the wounded tree, just as she would have caressed him. “And now they want to take our tree away from me.” Another quiet sob, then she turned to me. “I was young and pretty then, I could have had anybody, I wasn’t always the old woman you see here now. I could have had everything I wanted in life, a lovely man, health and a future to look forwards to”.
She paused again and looked around. The breeze gently moved through the leaves with a sighing sound. “There were others, of course, but not a patch on my Robin!” she said strongly. “And now I have nothing except the memories this tree holds. If only I could get my hands on that awful man who writes in the paper about the value of the road they are going to build where we are standing now, I would tell him. Has he never loved, has he never lived, does he not know anything about memories? We were not the only ones, you know, I still meet some who came here as Robin and I did. Yes, I would tell him!”
I turned away, sick at heart.Why was the by-pass to Mary Smith’s village to be built through these woods?
| A．The community wanted to explore the beauty of the woods as a way of tourism. |
| B．Many people passed these woods causing heavy traffic jam. |
| C．The traffic was inconvenient making the village a dangerous place to live in. |
| D．The village was quite far away and its economy needed improving. |
The underlined sentence “I felt that she probably had something there” means ________.
| A．I thought there might be something hidden in the woods by Mary Smith |
| B．I guessed there might be a story related with Mary Smith |
| C．I thought there might be some reason for Mary Smith’s protest |
| D．I guessed there might be a secret purpose of Mary Smith. |
The main purpose of this passage is to ________.
| A．draw attention to the damage that wars cause |
| B．persuade people to give up private interest |
| C．arouse the awareness of being environmentally friendly |
| D．introduce a touching but sad love story |
The man with the bullhorn encouraged the runners as they made their way up the hill. “Two hours, fifteen minutes, forty seconds ...”His deep, loud voice boomed toward us.
It was mile 17 of the marathon.
“Hey, great stride!” a bearded viewer yelled to me. He clapped loudly. “You’re looking strong. Keep going—go, go, go!”
You bet I’m looking strong, I thought, as I followed my younger sister, Laura. I just got started. She had been diligently clocking eight-minute miles since the race had begun downtown. Initially in the middle of a pack, which was several thousand people, she had been steadily passing other runners for the past 10 miles or so. We were now on the relatively steep rise to the St. Cecelia Bridge. Once we crossed, we would begin heading back into town, running along the east side of the Rincon River. Laura had asked me to run the most difficult section of the marathon with her. Not having trained for anything more challenging than a quick walk, and with no experience running in organized events, I figured I might be good for two or three miles.
Up ahead, steel drums were playing. A group of drummers was beating their drums, chanting, and encouraging us with their music and smiles. Crossing the bridge, I recalled the advice in the Marathon Handbook. During my preview of the route, it had seemed like a babyish thing to do. But now it seemed like a fine idea, and I spat magnificently over the side of the bridge.
“I read the handbook, too!” said a woman behind me, who also let loose over the side of the bridge. We had now started a chain reaction of bridge spitters. It was quite a sight, but I had other things to occupy my attention, namely the back of Laura’s sweater.
Easing off the bridge, and heading south on Avila Boulevard, Laura and I found our pace together again. Here we could hang to the left of the group and enjoy some brief conversation. “You keeping up okay?” she asked. Being her older brother, and therefore unable to admit weakness, I nodded convincingly.
“Hey, Lee!” yelled a waving man on the sidewalk. Immediately pleased that my marathon efforts had been recognized by someone I knew, I waved back and reflected on the importance of wearing tie-dyed clothing to a road race of this size. It made it a lot easier to be spotted!
The town marathon is a “people’s” marathon in that it tends to be a family affair, with the runners and spectators creating a festival atmosphere. I managed to run six miles before bowing out, and Laura finished the entire race in under four hours. I now pride myself on telling people that I ran in a marathon. The distinction between having run a marathon and having run in a marathon seems unimportant. If pressed, however, I’ll admit that I only ran one-fourth of one.
Inspired by this year’s experience, I plan to walk the course--really fast--next year. It’s not because I’m jealous of my sister’s accomplishment. This is not some silly competition in which I must do whatever she does. Rather, Laura got free cookies at the finish line, and the promise of that will lead me to any goal.Why did the author write this story________?
| A．to explain how marathons are won |
| B．to tell about the history of marathons |
| C．to tell a story about a marathon experience |
| D．to show how difficult running in a marathon can be |
Why was Lee glad he wore a tie-dyed shirt?
| A．It helped people locate him easily. |
| B．The shirt brought him good luck. |
| C．It added to the festival atmosphere. |
| D．The shirt was a favorite of Laura’s. |
Which of the following words best describes Laura as she is presented in this passage?
| A．competitive | B．foolish | C．comical | D．carefree |
The tone of this passage is best described as _______.
| A．tense and anxious | B．light and friendly |
| C．matter-of-fact | D．uninterested and bored |
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