TheUnitedStateshasaround475,000schoolbuses.Eachdaytheycarrymorethan25million children,halfofalltheschoolchildreninthecountry.
Thesebuses,onaverage,use4litersofdiesel(柴油)fueltotravellessthan16kilometers. When theschoolyearbeganlastfall,dieselaveraged55centsaliternationally.Thepricenearlydoubledby theendofschool inJune.
BobRileyisthespokesmanfortheAmericanSchoolBusCouncil.Hesaysfuelpricesnegotiated(商议) for schools arenot lower thanothers have to pay. Asaresult,schoolsarelookingfor waystoreducetransportationcosts.Busroutesarebeing redrawnor,insomecases,canceled.Someareas arebuyingbusesthatuse naturalgas orother alternativefuels.
Otherstepsincludefewerfieldtrips andlesstravel bysports teams.Someschool districtsmayend any busservicenotrequiredby law.
Studiesshowthatschoolbusesarethesafestform oftransportationtoandfrom school.
The AmericanSchoolBus Councilsayscutsinbus serviceare badfor childrenandpossiblythe environment.Itsaysremovingbusesfromtheroadwillmeananincreaseinothervehiclestransporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley saysanotherconcern is thatreducing busservicemightreduce attendance.
It couldalso getmorechildren to walkor bicycle to school.That wouldsurely makepeople happy attheNationalCenterforSafeRoutestoSchool.Morekidswalkingorbikingsafelytoschoolisthe aimofa3-year-oldfederal program,partofaninternationalmovement.Thegoalis toincreasephysical activity and reduce air pollution.Inthesecondparagraph,theauthorwantsto provethat .
| A．toomany schoolchildren takebuses every day |
| B．thecost offuelhasincreased |
| C．theschoolbusesconsumemorefuelthanaverage |
| D．the school busesusuallygoon long routes |
Inthe thirdparagraph,what doesBobRiley mean'?
| A．Thefuel pricesforschool busesneed to be negotiated again. |
| B．High fuelprices are also affecting the efficiency of their services. |
| C．The fuelprices for school are much higher thanothers pay. |
| D．TheAmericanSchool BusCouncilshould workforstudents’benefit. |
Whatistheadvantage ofreducingschoolbusserviceaccordingto thepassage?
| A．Morefuelwillbesaved. |
| B．Studentscangotoschool inasaferway. |
| C．Studentscanexercisebywalkingorriding toschool. |
| D．Trafficjams willbereducedduringrushhour. |
Whatisthesixth paragraphmainly about?
| A．Bob Riley's concern about the resultsof reducing school buses. |
| B．Theconvenience brought by school buses. |
| C．Thebad effectsofreducingschool buses. |
| D．Thestudiesabout students'choicescarried out by theAmericanSchool BusCouncil. |
We've all experienced a "good cry"． Shedding （流） some tears can often make us feel better and help us put things in perspective． But why is crying beneficial? And is there such a thing as a "bad cry"?
The researchers analyzed the detailed accounts of more than 3,000 recent crying experiences and found that the benefits of crying depend entirely on the what, where and when of a particular crying episode （一段经历）． The majority of persons reported improvements in their mood following a short period of crying． However, one third reported no improvement in mood and a tenth felt worse after crying． Criers who received social support during their crying episode were the most likely to report improvements in mood．
Research to date has not always produced a clear picture of the benefits of crying, in part b
ecause the results often seem to depend on how crying is studied． The researchers note s
everal challenges in accurately studying crying behavior in a laboratory setting． Volunteers who cry in a laboratory setting often do not describe their experiences as making them feel better． Rather, crying in a laboratory setting often results in the study participants feeling worse; this may be due to the stressful conditions of the study itself, such as being videotaped or watched by researchers． This may produce negative emotions, which neutralize （使无效） the positive benefits usually connected with crying．
However, these laboratory studies have provided interesting findings about the physical effects of crying． Criers do show calming effects such as slower breathing, but they also experience a lot of unpleasant stress, including increased heart rate and sweating． What is interesting is that bodily calming usually lasts longer than the unpleasant． The calming effects may occur later and overcome the stress reaction, which would account for why people tend to remember mostly the pleasant side of crying．
Research has shown that the effects of crying also depend on who is shedding the tears． For example, individuals with anxiety or mood disorders are least likely to experience the positive effects of crying． In addition, the researchers report that people who lack insight into their emotional lives actually feel worse after crying． We can infer from the passage that __________________．
| A．people don't like being seen crying |
| B．crying in public makes people feel better |
| C．a bad cry is as common as a good cry |
| D．a good cry can sometimes help us face problems rightly |
The beneficial effects of crying can be shown when _________．
| A．your breath becomes slow | B．you sweat a lot． |
| C．your face turns pale | D．you are being watched |
Who will be least likely to feel
worse after crying?
| A．People who receive help in course of crying． |
| B．People who fail to understand their emotions． |
| C．People who are anxious and nervous． |
| D．People whose mood is not in order． |
The passage is mainly about ___________．
| A．the types of crying | B．the way of crying |
| C．the psychology of crying | D．the causes of crying |
If you're into sports, you've seen it happen． You've probably even experienced it: basketball players shaking hands after four quarters of knocking each other around, tennis players leaping over the net to shake hands with their oppone
nts （对手） after a hard-fought match, soccer players exchanging sport shirts after an intense 90 minutes, even boxers touching gloves at the beginning of each round, then hugging each other after beating each other into a pulp for 12 rounds． It seems like competitors in every event, from spelling bees to hockey, behave this way． What's going on?
It's all part of sportsmanship, a great tradition in sports and competition that means playing clean and handling both vict
ory and defeat with grace, style, and dignity．
What is sportsmanship? Sportsmanship is defined as: playing fair, following the rules of the game, respecting the judgment of referees and officials, treating opponents with respect．
Some people define good sportsmanship as the "golden rule" of sports --- in other words, treating the people you play with and against as you'd like to be treated yourself． You demonstrate good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your teammates, and your opponents, for the coaches on both sides, and for the referees, judges, and other officials．
But sportsmanship isn't just reserved for the people on the field． Cheerleaders and fans also need to be aware of how they behave during competition． Sportsmanship is a style and an attitude; and it can have a positive influence on everyone around you．
Learning good sportsmanship mea
ns finding that the positive attitude learned on the field carries over into other areas of life． At school, for example, you're able to appreciate the contributions made by classmates and know how to work as part of a team to complete a project． You may enjoy more success at work as well, because a big part of learning good sportsmanship is learning to be respectful of others, including customers and co-workers．The author introduces the topic of the passage by___________．
| A．showing an interesting discussion |
| B．comparing several sport events |
| C．explaining some game rules |
| D．giving some specific examples |
When players play clean, ____________．
| A．they play in fresh air | B．they play in a skilled way |
| C．they play within the rules | D．they play without hurting each other |
The purpose of writing this passage is to ____________．
| A．advise readers to take some exercise | B．provide some basic sport knowledge |
| C．show the meaning of sportsmanship | D．expect players to compete actively |
Lawmakers in the United States have expanded an investigation into the use of location-tracking systems on mobile devices． The action follows recent reports about the storing of information on the Apple iPhone． Some people consider location tracking to be a threat to personal privacy and security．
Allan Friedman, the research director, says, “All wireless companies do some location tracking as part of their networks． This information is usually stored by the companies, not the devices, and there are laws to protect it． Law enforcement（执法） agencies, for example, have to have a fairly high standard before it can access that data． And the phone company is also prohibited from selling that information．
Now, two researchers report that location tracking information is being stored directly on Apple devices． They said Apple’s newest operating systems gather global positioning system and timestamp information． The information is stored on the device in a file that is also uploaded （上传） to any computer that the device is connected to． The researchers say the information is available to anyone who has access to the device or computer．
Allan Friedman says, “This raises additional concerns． There’s the idea tha
t because it’s on my phone and on my computer, rogue applications（恶意程序） that I pay for or that I’m tricked into downloading may be able to access this data and somehow misuse it．”
Apple says it is “not tracking the location of your iPhone”． It is simply keeping a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cellphone towers near the user’s location． This information is meant to help the iPhone quickly find its location when needed．
Letters have been sent to some of the leading mobile device developers, including Apple and Google． The letters asked for more information about their location tracking systems． Allan Friedman calls this an important start to strengthening privacy laws． He says, “There aren’t strong controls over things like location information, what they are doing with it, how long they are keeping it． And perhaps the most important question is, is my location data with other facts about me?”Why did American lawmakers investigate the use of location-tracking systems on cell-phones?
| A．Because the systems can store users’ information |
| B．Because many users have suffered loss after using them． |
| C．Because it is thought to threaten users’ privacy． |
| D．Because many reporters have shown the problem of the systems． |
Allan Friedman believes that ________．
A．wireless compa nies focus on personal privacy． |
| B．people are forbidden to get access to private data at will |
| C．phone companies may sell private information secretly |
| D．customers may ask wireless companies to locate their tracking |
What do we know from Paragraph 3?
| A． Location tracking information is stored online． |
| B．Apple’s newest operating systems collect all kinds of information． |
| C．Location tracking information may be uploaded to any iPhone． |
| D．Apple’s newest operating systems may reveal the private information of users． |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Apple denies that it tracks the location of users． |
| B．The researchers may misunderstand the Apple’s systems． |
| C．The global positioning system is to blame for rogue applications． |
| D．The iPhone can quickly find its location by using its user’s information． |
It was a week before Christmas, but things were far from cheery． Our task was to deliver as many boxes of food as possible to those in need in Camden, New Jersey． There were no Christmas carolers （唱颂歌的人） walking these streets that were lined with boarded-up （用木板封住的） houses and broken windows． Mothers kept their children close as they hurried down the streets． It was mid-afternoon, but even the bright sun couldn't warm this place．
Red tickets in the windows marked which houses we were to visit． Our white truck stopped in front of one townhouse and our group knocked on the door． In our arms were boxes filled with ham, bread and other essentials to make the perfect Christmas dinner． Four small faces glanced through the curtains and one exhausted mom answered the door． She seemed embarrassed to be caught in her nightgown with undone hair． She was in her mid-20s, but her rough skin and tired eyes added years．
"Sacred Heart food delivery service," I smiled． "Where can we put this for you?"
She pointed and as we entered the house, I noticed the conditions they lived in． The children climbed around, wearing only diapers （尿布）． There were no carpets, only cold concrete beneath our feet． There was no Christmas tree or decorations． My heart sank． It was so cold, and I found it hard to believe that this was reality for this family． We set the boxes down and the mother grabbed my hand．
"You don't know how much of a blessing this is to me and my family," she said, crying． "We are just getting by．" I opened my arms and gave her a hug．
"Happy holidays!" I replied before I headed out the door． I realized how warm I felt inside．
This was 
unlike anything I had ever experienced． We cannot help what family we are born into, but we can help each other．From Paragraph 1, we can infer that Camden may be a place where ________．
| A．the living conditions were terrible | B．people had no belief |
C．there was no sign of  life |
D．little sunshine was received |
What impression did the woman leave on the author?
| A．She was shy and cold to visitors． | B．She was confident and energetic． |
| C．She wasn't good at dressing herself up． | D．She looked much older than her age． |
By saying "We are just getting by", the woman meant __________．
| A．they were waiting for help | B．they were looking for food and clothing |
| C．they were going to move away | D．they were living a very poor life |
The passage mainly tells us that _______________．
| A．the poor can also help others | B．assisting the poor needs actions |
| C．people should help each other | D．having more children causes poverty |
As the population of the planet increases, so does the number of homes, businesses, parking lots, schools, airports and roadways. All these structures use electricity and need to be lighted. Humans demand these lights. They want their homes more comfortable and they want their streets sage. The problem is that researchers are finding that all the light is having a negative effect on humans and wildlife as well.
Less than 10 years ago I drove to a thinly populated section of my town, lay down in the middle of the road and watched an attracted meteor shower(流星雨). The area was short of homes, street lights and traffic. If I did that today, I wouldn’t be able to see the meteor shower as well, and I would surely be run over by a car.
Nowadays scientists are finding light pollution can be almost as bad as carbon dioxide pollution. If you’ve ever taken a flight at night, the view is beautiful, but you must remember that all the light you see is wasted electricity. The crew of the space shuttles see an even bigger picture of ho
w extensive the wasted electricity is worldwide.
Additionally, electricity needs to be generated, and the generation of electricity creates pollution by giving off greenhouse gases. This affects the air we breathe and our quality of life.
Scientists are also studying the effects of light pollution on wildlife. Thousands of birds die each year when they crash into highly lighted buildings, as they become puzzled by the light. It has been long known that tiny sea turtle hatchlings become lost and follow lights on the shore instead of heading towards the sea.
Fortunately, light pollution is one of the easiest sources of pollution that can be corrected without a negative effect. Following some guidelines and a little searching on Google can give you many ideas on how to reduce your contribution to light pollution. The author tells the story in the second paragraph mainly to _________.
| A．remember the past beauty of the town. |
| B．stress the advantages of less pollution |
| C．show the great changes of the town |
D．prove the bad effects of li ght pollution |
In the passage the author advises people _________.
| A．to try to reduce unnecessary light. |
| B．not to ignore the beauty around. |
| C．to set proper light for animals |
| D．not to destroy the animal’s living conditions. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Light pollution is difficult to deal with. |
| B．Light pollution is a threat to some animals. |
| C．Light pollution has nothing to do with global warming |
| D．Astronauts can’t see clearly in space due to light pollution. |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph which follows the last par
agraph?
| A．The author’s contribution to light pollution |
| B．Other sources of light pollution |
| C．Ways of reducing light pollution |
| D．More bad effects of light pollution |
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