One of the world's richest men has taken a close interest in one of man's most basic functions: visiting the toilet．Bill Gates's charitable organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking for inventors to design the loo of the future, which, they hope, would improve sanitation for millions of people around the world.
So, what's wrong with the traditional flush toilet? Firstly, it wastes a huge amount, of potential drinking water．Secondly, they are more likely to cause pollution．This is a real problem in many areas of the developing world, where, according to United Nations estimates, unsafe sanitation causes half of all hospitalizations．Younger people are particularly at risk．Illnesses which cause diarrhea are responsible for the deaths of about 1．5 million children a year．Finally, standard lavatories simply aren't practical in remote areas．
The challenge set by Bill Gates was to come up with a latrine which works without running water, electricity or aseptic tank．It also needed to operate for less than 5 cents．28 designs were displayed at the recent Reinvent the Toilet Fair．in Seattle, USA．Among them was one which turned human waste into electricity using microwaves, another which converted human waste into charcoal, and yet another which used urine for flushing．
But the winner was a solar-powered design which generated hydrogen gas and electricity．The team from the California Institute of Technology（CIT）picked up a prize of $ 100,000.
But clearly Bill Gates doesn't feel he's flushing money down the toilet．After the Seattle event he said, "We, couldn't be happier with the response we've gotten," Gates has even pledged $370 million more to the future toilet project．They hope to field test more, prototypes over the next three years．Why is Bill Gates paying people to invent new toilets?
| A．Because he wants to test people's sense of creativity． |
| B．Because he thinks the traditional ones are out of fashion |
| C．Because he wants to improve sanitation for many people． |
| D．Because he can't design this kind of things himself． |
Which of the following is NOT a problem with the traditional flush toilet?
| A．They are too complicated to use. | B．They waste too much water |
| C．They might cause diseases． | D．They are not always practical. |
The underlined word "latrine" in the third paragraph might have similar meanings to the word "__ " in the text．
| A．sanitation | B．loo | C．diarrhea | D．prototype |
The team from CIT won the prize because their design .
| A．can change human waste into electricity |
| B．can turn human waste into charcoal |
| C．can use urine for flushing |
| D．can produce power with solar energy |
If someone "flush money down the toilet", they are .
| A．wasting money for nothing |
| B．being angry with their work conditions |
| C．showing—off their wealth |
| D．expressing their great determination |
If you had been in my classes in the early McKee days , you would have seen a skinny young man in his late twenties with messy black hair , eyes that looked with a sign of infection , bad teeth and the hangdog look you see on immigrants in Ellis Island photographs or on pickpockets being arrested .
There were reasons for the hangdog look .
I was born in New York and taken to Ireland before I was four . I had three brothers . My father , an alcoholic , wild man , great patriot , always ready to die for Ireland , abandoned us when I was ten . A baby sister died , twin boys died , two boys were born . My mother begged for food , clothing , and coal to boil water for the tea . Neighbors told her to place us in an orphanage , a place for homeless kids . No , no , never . The shame of it . She hung on . We grew . My brothers and I left school at fourteen , worked , dreamed of America and , one by one , sailed away . my mother followed with the youngest , expecting to live happily ever after . That’s what you are supposed to do in America , but she never had a moment of happy-ever-after .
In New York I worked at laboring jobs till I was put into the United States Army . After two years in Germany I went to college on the GI Bill program to become a teacher . In college there were courses on literature and composition . There were courses on how to teach by professors who did not know how to teach . After college I went to McKee , where I put what I had learnt to trial and embarrassed myself when the students considered me a fool .. What is a hangdog look ?
| A．happy | B．disappointed | C．discouraged | D．angry |
. It can be inferred from this passage that __________ .
| A．before the author went to Ireland , he lived in New York . |
| B．the mother is living a joyful life in America with her little son |
| C．there are four sons in this Irish family living in America |
| D．the author is now a young teacher in his twenties teaching in a high school |
. Which of the following statements is TRUE ?
| A．Someone recommended the mother give the children away to kind people . |
| B．The author’s father sacrificed himself for his beloved homeland . |
| C．The author got into college because he was hard-working . |
| D．The author didn’t know much about how to teach when he first started . |
. In what way is the passage mainly developed ?
| A．Presenting effects and analyzing the causes . |
| B．Giving typical examples . |
| C．Describing things in space order . |
| D．Presenting an idea and arguing in favor of it . |
Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be. Places of business that used to keep daytime “business hours” are now open late into the night. And on the Internet, the hour of the day and the day of the week have become irrelevant. A half century ago in the United States, most people experienced strong and precise dividing lines between days of rest and days of work, school time and summer time. Today the boundaries still exist, but they seem not clear.
The law in almost all states used to require stores to close on Sunday; in most, it no longer does. It used to keep the schools open in all seasons except summer; in most, it still does. And whether the work week should strengthen its legal limits, or whether it should become more “flexible,” is often debated. How should we, as a society, organize our time? Should we go even further in relaxing the boundaries of time until we live in a world in which every minute is much like every other?
These are not easy questions even to ask. Part of the difficulty is that we rarely recognize the “law of time” even when we meet it face to face. We know as children that we have to attend school a certain number of hours, a certain number of days, a certain number of years — but unless we meet the truant officer （学监）, we may well think that we should go to school due to social custom and parents’ demand rather than to the law. As adults we are familiar with “extra pay for overtime working,” but less familiar with the fact that what constitutes （构成） “overtime” is a matter of legal definition. When we turn the clock forward to start daylight-saving time, have we ever thought to ourselves: “Here is the law in action”? As we shall see, there is a lot of law that has great influence on how we organize and use time: compulsory education law, overtime law, and daylight-saving law — as well as law about Sunday closing, holidays, being late to work, time zones, and so on. Once we begin to look for it, we will have no trouble finding a law of time to examine and assess.
. By saying “Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be”, the writer means that .
| A．work time is equal to rest time |
| B．many people have a day off on Monday |
| C．it is hard for people to decide when to rest |
| D．the line between work time and rest time is unclear |
The author raises the questions in Paragraph 2 to introduce the fact that people ________ .
| A．fail to make full use of their time | B．enjoy working overtime for extra pay |
| C．are unaware of the law of time | D．welcome flexible working hours |
According to the passage, most children tend to believe that they go to school because they ______.
| A．need to acquire knowledge | B．have to obey their parents |
C．need to find companions | D．have to observe the law |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph probably refers to ___
_____ .
| A．influence |
| B．overtime |
| C．a law of time |
| D．being late to work |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Our life is governed by the law of time. | |
| B．How to organize time is not worth debating. |
C．New ways of using time change our society. |
| D．Our time schedule is decided by social customs. |
Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies, such as the Oscars. But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm—the first mobile film festival.
The first MoFilm competition received 250 entries from more than 100 countries. Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length—ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones. An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers. The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones.
New Platforms
The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry. Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films. They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works.
It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression be seen by a wide audience. Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the w
orld!
New Technology Advances
MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood. The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size. However this could be overcome as technology advances.
In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone. And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality.
Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the quality of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere
At the first MoFilm, .
| A．movies in the theater got their recognition |
| B．more than 100 countries took part in the competition |
| C．ideal films were five minutes or less in length |
| D．the winner was chosen by experts' voting |
They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. The underlined word means “ ”.
| A．disappointed | B．surprised | C．frightened | D．encouraged |
Nowadays the majority of films made for mobiles are short in length because of .
| A．online services | B．the mobile phone | C．technology advances | D．the screen size |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Putting Movies on Mobiles |
| B．Introduction of Latest Mobile Phones |
| C．Mobile Phones’ Ceremonies |
| D．Film Awards Broadcast on Mobile Phones |
Which statement is NOT true?
| A．MoFilm is not a part of Hollywood. |
| B．Mobile phones are considered to be a new platform for short films. |
| C．MoFilm get their recognition through Oscars. |
| D．Films made for mobiles will likely be cleaner. |
Like distance runners on a measured course, all of us will move through time in a roughly predictable pattern.
In the first stage of our lives, we develop and grow, reaching toward the top of physical vitality (活力,生气).
After we grow up, however, the body begins a process of gradually wearing out.
A new awareness of physical fitness may help lengthen our years of health and vitality, yet nothing we do will work to stop the unavoidable force of aging.
Most of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body. The lungs become less able to take in oxygen. Powerful muscles gradually lose their strength. The heart loses power and pumps less blood. Bones grow easier to break.
Finally, we meet a stress, a stress that is greater than our physical resistance. Often, it is only a minor accident or chance infection (a disease caused by virus), but this time, it brings life to an end.
In 1932, a classic experiment nearly doubled the lifetime of rats, simply by cutting back the calories in their diet. The reason for the effect was then unknown.
Today, at the University of California at Berkley, Dr. Paul Seagle has also greatly lengthened the normal lifetime of rats. The result was achieved through a special protein limited diet, which had a great effect on the chemistry of the brain. Seagle showed that within the brain, specific chemicals control many of the signals that influence aging. By changing that chemical balance, the clock of aging can be reset.
For the first time, the mystery of why we age is being seriously challenged. Scientists in ma
ny fields are now making striking and far-reaching discoveries.
An average lifetime lasts 75 years, yet in each of us lies a potential for a longer life. If we could keep the vitality and resistance to disease that we have at age twenty, we would live for 800 years. What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
| A．Physical vitality. | B．Stress. | C．Aging. | D．Physical resistance. |
Which of the following is not a change of aging?
| A．The lungs become unable to take in oxygen. |
| B．People gradually lose their muscle strength. |
| C．The heart loses power and pumps less blood. |
| D．Bones tend to break more easily. |
The author believes the following except that ________.
| A．human’s life pattern is predictable |
| B．physical fitness can’t stop the force of aging |
| C．human’s lifetime will last longer than 75 years |
| D．all of the changes of aging take place deep inside the body |
How did Dr. Paul Seagle lengthen the lifetime of rats in his experiment?
| A．By limiting the protein in their diet. | B．By cutting the calories in their diet. |
| C．By resetting their clock of aging. | D．By keeping their physical fitness. |
What is probably the best title for the article?
| A．Two Great Experiments | B．The Mystery of Human Life |
| C．Ways to lengthen Human Life | D．The Breakthrough in the Study of Aging |
After battling hard times and danger for over nine months, British teenager Mike Perham made history last month as the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
The 17-year-old made the record after he cleared the Panama Canal and then sailed through the Caribbean and got home across the Atlantic.
Mike is only three months younger than Zac Sunderland, the 17-year-old American boy who had taken the crown as the youngest solo around-the-world sailor in July.
The two youngsters met in Cape Town in South Africa as they crossed the globe in different directions. Mike insisted they were not rivals(竞争对手). “No. It's two teenagers going out there, living their dream and having the adventure of a lifetime,” he said.
Mike may be young, but he is no stranger to sailing adventures. He picked up the hobby at the age of 6 when his father took him out in a small boat on a local lake. Father and son sailed separate boats across the Atlantic when Mike was 14, making him the youngest person to cross that ocean solo. That record gave him the taste for this even greater challenge.
On the recent journey, the scariest moment for Mike came when his sailboat was hit by storms in the southern Indian Ocean.
“We were picked up by what felt like a 60-foot wave and threw down on our side at 90 degrees,” he said.
“It felt like I was going right over. Stuff was flying around and I just thought ‘Oh no’.”
At other times, he had to dive into the Pacific and fix problems. He tied himself to the boat, jumped into the water and went to work with a knife in 30-second dives underneath the boat to cut a rope away.
Mike said he felt proud that he made his dream come true. “You've got to have confidence in yourself that you will make it,” he said.. What's the main idea of the passage?
| A．A British teenager became the youngest person to sail solo around the world. |
| B．How a British teenager developed his sailing hobby. |
| C．A British teenager's brave experience. |
| D．A British teenager's confidence. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Mike Perham crossed the Panama Canal. |
| B．Mike and Zac took the crown as the youngest solo around-the-world sailor at the same age. |
| C．The two youngsters crossed the globe in different directions. |
| D．Mike was never frightened during the sailing. |
What does the underlined word “taste” in the fifth paragraph mean?
| A．Flavor. | B．Preference. | C．Experience. | D．Ability. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Both Mike and Zac had adventured spirits. |
| B．Mike is older than Zac. |
| C．They both are brave but they have different goals. |
| D．Mike took up the hobby of sailing adventures at 14. |
What did Mike believe in?
| A．Having confidence in yourself will make you successful. |
| B．Braveness is important in sailing. |
| C．One should pick up a hobby as a child. |
| D．Pride goes before a fall. |
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