All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything．In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine(涡轮机) , which supplies 5% of the store's electricity．It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant．
The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods．It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing．"One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees," says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott．"If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference．"
Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too．He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions （排放） over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient．He wants Wal-Mart's fleet (车队) of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015．Factories that show Wal-Mart they're cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it's working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so．
Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart's controversial labor and health-insurance practices．But it's not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits in going green．Scott says, "This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy．We don't go where we don't think there's a great interest in change．"
Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart's image at a time when his company's reputation is declining．He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield （保护，庇护） Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming．" By doing what we're doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything," he says．"At some point businesses will be held responsible for the actions they take．" Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed at shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit．We can infer from the passage that ______．
| A．Lee Scott is Wal-Mart's CEO |
| B．there are 5, 200 stores in the world |
| C．Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market |
| D．Wal-Mart has more than 7, 000 trucks all over the world |
What does the underlined sentence "This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy．" mean in the fourth paragraph?
| A．Wal-Mart predicts huge profits in its green activity． |
| B．Wal-Mart's green activity is just window dressing． |
| C．Wal-Mart aims to solve its health-insurance practices． |
| D．Wal-Mart doesn't have any social responsibility at all． |
What will Wal-Mart probably do in the future?
| A．Reduce air pollution in its present stores． |
| B．Give favorable treatment to its consumers． |
| C．Ask the factories to reduce their packaging． |
| D．Demand the fleet of trucks to use more fuel than before． |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Provide the background of the green plan． |
| B．Stress the purpose of Wal-Mart's green plan． |
| C．Present the risk that Wal-Mart is facing nowadays． |
| D．Analyze the similarity between Bill Gates and Scott. |
European Day of Languages falls on 26 September. BBC News Online reported the attitudes across several European Union countries to languages.
Tamsin Smith, Rome, Italy
Italians place very high importance on learning languages, particularly English. Twenty years ago it was quite difficult to find an English speaker here but today it is quite easy. The strong influence of American and English culture helps young people to learn the English language. They often become familiar with it through “Harry Potter” books or Disney movies. English schools, where Italian children are taught all their lessons in English, are also becoming popular among rich Italians.
Lucien Libert, Paris, France
Languages are very important in France. A good knowledge of the English language is necessary for many Frenchmen to get a good job and the more languages you can learn, the better. English is the first language you learn in school and you start very young. Most people have at least eight years of learning English at school. Learning German or Spanish comes next and Latin is also taught in most schools. While French people learn languages, there is also a movement to protect the French language.
James Helm, Dublin, Ireland
The English language predominates(占优势) in Ireland, but the ancient Irish language is a lasting source of pride and interest, and it remains a living tongue that is used in several areas. School are required to teach ancient Irish, and most students learn it as part of the subjects. There is a continuing discussion about how to protect the language best. In recent years some primary schools have introduced foreign language classes for younger students, and the Irish government has tried to encourage schools to offer more languages such as French, Spanish, German and Italian.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Tamsin Smith?
| A．English learning in Italy has been popular for more than a century. |
| B．Some popular books and movies help young Italian people with their English a lot. |
| C．Only children from rich families like to learn English in Italy. |
| D．More and more Italian children have given up learning their mother tongue. |
What can help you get a better job in France?
| A．Studying abroad for at least one year. |
| B．Learning English at younger ages. |
| C．Knowing another language but French. |
| D．Learning several languages well. |
In Ireland most students ______.
| A．like learning English instead of the ancient Irish |
| B．are asked to learn many other foreign languages |
| C．have to spend time learning the ancient Irish |
| D．have no idea how to protect the English language |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．European Language Day. |
| B．BBC News Online. |
| C．Attitudes to Languages in Europe. |
| D．Three Foreigners in Europe. |
Modern life is comfortable. Meanwhile, it is costly. As price and building costs keep rising, the do-it-yourself (DIY) trend (趋势) in the U.S. continues to grow.
“We need furniture for our living-room,” says John Ross, “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decide to try making a few tables and chairs.” John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself.”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living.
If you want to become a “do-it-yourselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take the course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself.We can learn from the second paragraph that ______.
| A．many young people have difficulty building a house |
| B．many newly married people take DIY courses for fun |
| C．John and his wife make or repair things to save money |
| D．John and his wife build their furniture to improve the quality of life |
When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ______.
| A．keeps house and looks after his children |
| B．does extra work at night |
| C．does his own car and home repairs |
| D．makes shoes in his home |
Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when ______.
| A．he had to raise the children all by himself |
| B．his car repairs cost too much |
| C．he could not possibly do two jobs |
| D．The car repair class wasn’t helpful |
In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decade has seen more and more forests disappearing and globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a popular trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decade. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油), which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of a growing population within the limits of this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that ______.
| A．It makes the world warmer |
| B．it consumes natural resources |
| C．it brings severe damage to forests |
| D．it makes growth hard to continue |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To introduce a new business model. |
| B．To advocate sustainable development. |
| C．To predict a change of the global market. |
| D．To compare two business models. |
To fully develop the low-carbon markets, government can ______.
| A．cut public expenses |
| B．forbid carbon emissions |
| C．develop public resources |
| D．encourage energy preservation |
We can learn from the last paragraph that businesses have many chances to ______.
| A．develop sustainable products |
| B．explore new natural resources |
| C．make full use of natural resources |
| D．deal with the major challenge |
Can dogs and cats live in perfect harmony（和谐） in the same home? People who are thinking about adopting a dog as a friend for their cats are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found a new recipe of success. According to the study, if the cat is adopted before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. Two-thirds of the homes interviewed reported a positive relationship between their cat and dog.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression and fighting were observed in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body signals were just opposite. For example, when a cat turns its head away it signals aggression, while a dog doing the same signals submission.
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers observed a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk ‘Dog’, and dogs can learn how to talk ‘Cat’.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to develop their intelligence. They can learn to read each other’s body signals, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was previously suspected. Once familiar with each other’s presence and body language, cats and dogs can play together, greet each other nose to nose, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa. They can easily share the same water bowl and in some cases groom (梳理) each other.
The significance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets --- to people who don’t get along, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even world superpowers. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.The underlined word “swimmingly” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．early | B．sweetly | C．quickly | D．smoothly |
Some cats and dogs may fight when ______.
| A．they are cold to each other |
| B．they look away from each other |
| C．they misunderstand each other’s signals |
| D．they are introduced at an early age |
It is suggested in Paragraph 4 that cats and dogs ______.
| A．have common interests |
| B．are less different than was thought |
| C．have a common body language |
| D．are less intelligent than was expected |
What can we human beings learn from cats and dogs?
| A．We should learn to live in harmony. |
| B．We should know more about animals. |
| C．We should live in peace with animals. |
| D．We should learn more body languages. |
CLASSIFIED ADS
JOB WANTED
I’m Black, a 25 young man living in Shanghai and looking for a job in a variety of fields, web designer, teaching Spanish or English or working as a waiter or bar tender. I have a friendly and hard-working personality. If you have any job that you think I could do, please do not hesitate about contacting me. Backer1896@126. com
JOB OFFERED
EL house is a well-known English learning center for primary and high school students. We are looking for native English teachers who can teach the following subject(s) to our students who are planning to study abroad. The incumbent should meet the following requirements：
—Experienced in exam preparations （TOEFL, IELTS, SAT）
—Degree holder
—Experienced in teaching either mathematics, physics or business
—Excellent command of English in both oral and written
—Experienced in teaching higher academic level English
—Native English teachers or Bilingual teachers with native command of English JGHTR@gmail. com
SHARE
I’m Margaret, looking for a person with a positive outlook on life to share the bedroom in a
wonderfully-located luxury apartment. That’s near everything and has everything, hard-wood floors, international TV, washer/dryer. Other two rooms already occupied by a French and a Kiwi woman, both professional.
Please contact me. MLCT@sina. com
FOR RENT
CNY 12, 000 / lovely apartment near West Nanjing Road
Layout：3 bedrooms，2 bathrooms
Size：120 sqm
Monthly rental：RMB 12, 000
Compound：First Block
Facilities：gym, tennis court, indoor swimming pool，children’s playground
LYG2560@sohu. comMargaret is now looking for _________.
| A．her lost cat | B．an apartment |
| C．a job | D．a roommate |
Which of the following is NOT the requirement of EL house?
| A．Experienced in exam preparations. |
| B．Experienced in teaching Chinese. |
| C．Excellent command of English. |
| D．Degree holder. |
To look for a person to work in your restaurant，you can contact ________.
| A．LYG2560@sohu. com | B．MLCT@sina. com |
| C．Backer1896@126. com | D．JGHTR@gmail. Com |
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