This morning, a Virgin Atantin 747 Jumbo Jet became the first commercial airplane to fly on biofuel. The short flight from London to Amsterdam used a blend of 20% babassu(棕榈) oil mixed with 80% conventional jet fuel.
What was really exciting about the flight was the fact that the engine did not have to be altered in any way for the biofuel to work While this is a great initial step in trying to reduce CO2(carbon-dioxide)emissions(排放)from airplanes. there are a lot of hurdles (障碍)that still need to be overcome.
First and foremost, unlike the normal fuel used to run airplanes (known as Jet A),biofuel freezes at high altitudes. Also, Jet‘A’fuel burns consistently (at the same pace),which means it provides a safe and reliable fuel for long flights--engineers are not sure if biofuel will be able to do the same.
The biggest hurdle to a full biofuel switch is our ability to be able to grow enough crops that can be converted to biofuel. There are two concerns that scientists have in this matter – the first is that the land to grow the extra crops will come from clearing more of our forests and the second is that since it competes with what we eat, the price of food will go up.
However, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines, envisions that if biofuel starts to replace oil on a greater basis, it will be manufactured from algae（藻类）produced in sewage treatment plants, not from food sources.
Birgin Airlines is not the only one trying to look for alternative fuel sources. Earlier this year, an Airbus A380 used another alternative fuel－a man-made mix of gas-to-liquid, in one of its four engines. The flight was tested by Rolls Royce (manufacturer of jet engines), in partnership with Shell (an oil company). Rolls Royce is also working with Air New Zealand on a similar project.
While a complete switch to alternative fuel may take years, it is very encouraging to see airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers all coming together to try to make it happen!．Why does Virgin Airlines try to replace normal fuel with biofuel?
| A．To cut down the flight cost of the company. |
| B．To remove some hurdles for the biofuel to work. |
| C．To reduce CO2 emissions from airplanes. |
| D．To test plane engines on biofuel. |
．Which is NOT true for a full biofuel switch of airplanes?
A Biofuel cannot run for long flights.
B．Biofuel cannot work at high altitudes.
C．Man has not enough land to grow extra crops for biofuel.
D．It’s not easy for sewage treatment plants to manufacture biofuel.．One of the hurdles to be overcome for a full biofuel switch is to .
| A．alter the engine for airplanes |
| B．make biofuel burn consistently |
| C．open more land to grow more crops |
| D．develop sewage treatment plants |
．We can infer from the last paragraph that .
| A．there is a long way to go for a complete switch to alternative fuel |
| B．it won’t be long before alternative fuel comes into use |
| C．airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers are reliable |
| D．alternative fuel has a bright future |
．Which of the following can best serves as the title of this passage?
| A．Biofuel-Alternative Fuel Sources. |
| B．The First Commercial Flight Powered by Biofuel. |
| C．How to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Airplanes. |
| D．Vigin Airlines Trying to Alter Fuel Sources. |
In one way of thinking, failure is a part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The “spider story” is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider spinning a web. The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times without success. On the seventh time he made it and went on to spin his web. Bruce is said to have taken heart and to have gone on to defeat the English. Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one.
So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top from yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?
Second, is the goal you’re trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about this question, “If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway.
The third thing to bear in mind about failure is that it’s a part of life. Learn to “live with yourself” even though you may have failed. Remember, “You can’t win them all.”This passage deals with two sides of failure. In paragraph 1, the author talks mainly about ___ .
| A．the value of failure | B．how people would fail |
| C．famous failures | D．the cause of failure |
The underlined phrase“made it” means .
| A．failed | B．succeeded | C．gave | D．got |
The lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce seems .
| A．interesting | B．difficult | C．deep | D．sorrowful |
The author tells you to do all the things EXCEPT ___.
| A．to think about the cause of your failure |
| B．to check out whether your goals are right for you |
| C．to consider failure as a part of life |
| D．to bear in mind that you will never fail in your life |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Bruce and Edison were successful examples. |
| B．Failure may be regarded as a way toward success. |
| C．Edison learned a lot from the lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce. |
| D．One may often raise a question whether his goals are worth attempting. |
Planning a visit to the UK? Here we help with ways to cut your costs.
AVOID BIG EVENTS Big sporting events, concerts and exhibitions can increase the cost of accommodation and make it harder to find a room. A standard double room at the Thistle Brighton on the final Friday of the Brighton Comedy Festival (19 Oct.) cost £169.15 at Booking.com. A week later, the same room cost £118.15.
If you can be flexible and want to know dates to avoid—or you’re looking for a big event to pass your time—check out sites such as Whatsonwhen.com, which allow you to search for events in the UK by city, date and category.
STAYAWAY FROM THE STATION If traveling to your destination by train, you may want to find a good base close to the station, but you could end up paying more for the sake of convenience at the start of your holiday.
Don’t be too choosy about the part of town you stay in. Booking two months in advance, the cheapest room at Travelodge’s Central Euston hotel in London for Saturday 22 September was £95.95. A room just a tube journey away at its Covent Garden hotel was £75.75. And at Farringdon, a double room cost just £62.95.
LOOK AFTER YOURSELF Really central hotels in cities such as London, Edinburgh and Cardiff can cost a fortune, especially at weekends and during big events. As an alternative consider checking into a self-catering flat with its own kitchen. Often these flats are hidden away on the top floors of city centre buildings. A great example is the historic O’Neill Flat on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, available for £420 for five days in late September, with room for four adults.
GET ON A BIKE London’s ‘Boris bikes’ have attracted the most attention, but other cities also have similar programmes that let you rent a bicycle and explore at your own pace, saving you on public transport or car parking costs.
Among the smaller cities with their own programmes are Newcastle (casual members pay around £1.50 for two hours) and Cardiff (free for up to 30 minutes, or £5 per day). (358 words)
The Brighton Comedy Festival is mentioned mainly to show big events may __________.
| A．help travelers pass time |
| B．attract lots of travelers to the UK |
| C．allow travelers to make flexible plans |
| D．cause travelers to pay more for accommodation |
“Farringdon” in Paragraph 5 is most probably __________.
| A．a hotel away from the train station |
| B．the tube line to Covent Garden |
| C．an ideal holiday destination |
| D．the name of a travel agency |
The passage shows that the O’Neill Flat __________.
| A．lies on the ground floor |
| B．is located in central London |
| C．provides cooking facilities for tourists |
| D．costs over £100 on average per day in late September |
Cardiff’s program allows a free bike for a maximum period of __________.
| A．half an hour | B．one hour | C．one hour and a half | D．two hours |
The main purpose of the passage is __________.
| A．to tell visitors how to book in advance |
| B．to supply visitors with hotel information |
| C．to show visitors the importance of self-help |
| D．to offer visitors some money-saving tips |
Electrical devices(仪器)could soon use power made by human energy. Scientists say they have developed an experimental device that produces electricity from the physical movement of a person walking , British scientist Max Donelan and other scientists in Canada and the United States developed the device.
The device connects to a person’s knee. As the person walks ,the device captures energy each time the person slows down. To do this ,the device helps with the slowing sown movement of the leg, the movements of the walking person push parts of a small machine that produces electricity. Using the device, an adult walking quickly could produce thirteen watts of electricity in just a minute. Donelan says walking at that speed could produce enough power to operate a laptop computer for six minutes.
There are several possible uses for the device. Developers say it could help people who work in areas without electricity to operate small computers. The device could also he used in hospitals to operate heart pacemakers(起博器), it could even be used to assist in the movement of robotic arms and legs.
The experimental version of the device weighs about one and a half kilograms, but it is too costly for most people to buy, but the researchers hope to make a lighter, less costly version, An improved version should be ready in one year.
The developers hope the device will one day help developing countries; nearly twenty five percent of people around the world live without electric power.
A similar product was invented in 2005 by Larry Rome of the University of Pennsylvania, He created a bag carried on a person’s back that also produces power from walking. The knee device does not produce as much electricity as the bag, but the bag requires the walker to carry a load of twenty to thirty kilograms.. The second paragraph mainly talks about
| A．who developed the device | B．how the device works |
| C．several possible uses for the devices | D．how much electricity the device can produce |
. What is the disadvantage of the experimental version of the device?
| A．It is too heavy for the walker to bear | B．It is too complex for people to use |
| C．It is too expensive for most people to afford | D．It will slow down one’s walking speed |
. Compared with the device designed by Larry Rome, this new device
| A．produces power without adding more loads to the walker |
| B．can produce more power in a much shorter time |
| C．needs to be equipped with a battery |
| D．can help the walker walk faster |
. From the passage, we can learn that the electrical device can
| A．help housewives operate the washing machine |
| B．make it much easier for us to go online |
| C．produce more electricity than that invented by Larry Rome |
| D．be applied in medical fields to operate heart pacemakers |
. What would be the best title for the passage
A. First device powered by walking will soon be on the market
B. Advanced technology brings in a new way to operate heart pacemakers
C. Device gives new meaning to the idea of power walking
D Human energy will become a main source of electricity
Why are people interested in eating raw foods or whole foods? One reason is that eating these types of food reduces the risk of acid accumulation in your body.
Raw and whole foods are usually digested more efficiently than cooked and refined foods. When we cook foods, we destroy the natural enzymes(酶)that are part of the food in its raw form. These enzymes were intended by nature to help us digest the food. When we consume food without these natural enzymes, our bodies either digest the food improperly or allow too many nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. In both instances, the result is obesity. When too many nutrients are absorbed at once, the body grows fat. Improperly digested food moves slowly through the digestive tract, where it becomes increasingly acidic (酸性的). To protect its vital organs from this acidic waste, the body changes the acid into fat and stores it safely away from the organs.
Processed foods contain chemical elements, which might confuse the appetite mechanism that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat; as a result, people often overeat . Processed foods also upset the digestive cycle. The body will either identify these foods as allergens and then store them safely away from the organs as fat, or the remains of undigested food will become acidic and enter the bloodstream as acid waste, which will stick to the blood vessel walls and block the passage of vital oxygen and nutrients heading for the body’s cells. The body’s metabolism(新陈代谢) becomes inactive, and then result is weight gain and obesity.
The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion increasingly inefficient. When that happens, even healthy foods can become acidic and the food allergies will become more common.
To stop this vicious(恶性的) circle in its tracks, people need to consume food and supplements that will neutralize （使…中和）the acid already accumulated in body. Eating the right types of raw and whole foods can help. it’s also important to restore your enzyme balance. You need to identify and avoid the foods that cause acid accumulation and consume the foods that increase enzyme production. If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself , you need to take an active approach... What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To advocate eating more raw and whole foods |
| B．To tell the differences between raw and processed foods |
| C．To inform people of the harm of processed foods |
| D．To warn people of the problem of obesity |
. It can be inferred from Para. 2 that
| A．it is essential for people to protect their vital organs |
| B．foods with natural enzymes help people keep fit |
| C．we’d better be cautious about raw and whole foods |
| D．giving up cooked and refined foods is a new lifestyle |
. Processed foods are unhealthy because they
| A．destroy body’s cells | B．are difficult to digest |
| C．may lead to obesity | D．stop body’s metabolism |
. What is likely to be talked about following the last paragraph?
| A．Active approaches to avoid acid . | B．Different causes of acid accumulation. |
| C．Correct ways to cook raw foods . | D．Suitable types of raw and whole foods. |
. What can we learn from the text?
| A．Processed foods are good for our appetite mechanism |
| B．Eating the right types of raw and whole foods does good to our body |
| C．The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion more effective |
| D．Processed foods also comfort the digestive tract |
Of the thousands of different kinds of animals that exist in the world man has learned to make friends with an enormous number. Some are pets, and offer him companionship, some give protection, and some do hard work which man can not do for himself. Dogs , which serve man in all three capacities(能力), are found in various species in all countries of the world. The Husky can live in the cold polar regions,and the Saluki is at home in the hottest parts of Central Africa.The inhabitants (居民)of certain countries are dependent for their very lives on the camel. In the West Indies the little donkey, strong and sure-footed, carrying heavy loads even in mountainous, places, is a familiar sight.
Trained and tamed for many generations, domestic animals are not accustomed to roaming in search of food and shelter. They look to their masters to provide for their needs, and as long as these are supplied, they are content to do what their masters require.
All domestic animals need proper food .It must be suitable for them, sufficient in quantity, fresh and clean. Some people feed a pet dog or cat on odds and ends of table scraps(剩饭), and then wonder why the animal seems tired and dull. The quantity of food depends on the size of the animal and the amount of exercise it takes. Overfeeding is as bad as underfeeding. Containers for food and water must be washed regularly if the animal is to maintain good health.
Even well-cared-for animals may sometimes fall ill. If this happens, the wise master seeks the best advice he can get. All sorts of medicines and treatments are available for sick animals, and in some countries organizations exist to provide them free of at a cheap price. Useful, friendly, hardworking animals deserve to have some time, money and attention spent on their health.What main idea does the author want to convey in the first paragraph?
| A．There exists thousands of species of animals in the world. |
| B．Man came to establish a close relationship with a number of animals. |
| C．In some regions a donkey seems to be a very useful beast. |
| D．An animal will be useless unless domesticated. |
When an animal doesn’t get enough food, it will probably
| A．refuse to obey its master | B．immediately fall ill |
| C．require its master to offer some food | D．seek for food on its own |
Which of the following is NOT true of dogs according to the passage?
| A．They can act as friends, guards ,and servants to man. |
| B．They have great adaptation for the environment. |
| C．There live a great variety of species of dogs on the globe. |
| D．The Husky and the Saluki are the strongest species ever known in the world |
To keep a domestic animal physically fit, its owner is advised
| A．not to hesitate to spend enormous amount of money on it |
| B．to pay attention to its proper feeding |
| C．not to allow it to take excessive amounts of exercise |
| D．to join some sort of pet-keeping organizations |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Domesticated Animals-Man’s Best Friends | B．Proper Diet- the Road to Health |
| C．The Advantages of Raising Domestic Animals | D．Some Tips on Pet- keeping |
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