Every time you go to the supermarket you come away with your purchases packed in plastic bags. But wouldn’t it be kinder to the environment if you asked for paper bags instead?
The answer is not as easy as it might seem. Environmentalists say there are drawbacks to using both plastic bags and paper bags.
80 percent of groceries in the US are packed in plastic bags and the numbers are becoming huge. Consumers use between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags per year worldwide.
Some experts believe that all these bags harm the environment. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and, as it does so, poisonous materials are released into the water and soil.
Further damage is caused if plastic bags enter the sea. For example, endangered sea turtles cannot tell the bags from jellyfish, their main source of food, and often choke on them.
However, this kind of bag does have its advantages.
Paper bags use more energy and create more waste than plastic bags. Plastic bags require 40 percent less energy to produce and cause 70 percent less air pollution. They also release as much as 94 percent less waste into the water than paper ones do.
But paper bags do break down more quickly than plastic bags. They don’t endanger wildlife, either.
So what should we do? One possible solution would be to use biodegradable plastic bags. “Biodegradable” means that the bags break down naturally just like a piece of banana peel when it is left outside.
But until biodegradable technology improves, it might be easier to pack things you buy in reusable cloth bags.Compared to paper bags, plastic bags ______.
| A．produce 6 percent more waste |
| B．can be made biodegradable more easily |
| C．can be used as a source of food |
| D．save 40 percent of the energy |
By saying “The answer is not as easy as it might seem,” (in paragraph 2) the writer means _____.
A. biodegradable plastic bags can compete with paper
B. paper bags seem to be kind to environment
C. it’s difficult to say whether plastic or paper bags are better for the environmentWhat does the author suggest people use at the present time?
| A．Paper bags | B．Plastic bags |
| C．Biodegradable plastic bags. | D．Cloth bags. |
Habits are a funny thing. We reach for them mindlessly, setting our brains on auto-pilot and relaxing into the unconscious comfort of familiar routine. “Not choice, but habit rules the unreflecting creatures,” William Wordsworth said in the 19th century. In the ever-changing 21st century, even the word “habit” carries a negative meaning.
So it seems contradictory to talk about habits in the same context as innovation (创新). But brain researchers have discovered that when we consciously develop
new habits, we create parallel paths, and even entirely new brain cells, that can jump our trains of thought onto new, innovative tracks.
Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try, the more creative we become.
But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the brain, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately press into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.
“The first thing needed for innovation is attraction to wonder,” says Dawna Markova, author of The Open Mind. “But we are taught instead to ‘decide’, just as our president calls himself ‘the Decider’．” She adds, however, that “to decide is to kill off all possibilities but one. A good innovational thinker is always exploring the many other possibilities.”
“All of us work through problems in ways of which we’re unaware,” she says. Researchers in the late 1960s discovered that humans are born with the ability to approach challenges in four primary ways: analytically, procedurally, collaboratively (合作地) and innovatively. At the end of adolescence, however, the brain shuts down half of that ability, preserving only those ways of thought that have seemed most valuable during the first decade or so of life.
The current emphasis on standardized testing highlights analysis and procedure, meaning that few of us use our innovative and collaborative ways of thought. “This breaks the major rule in the American belief system — that anyone can do anything,” explains M. J. Ryan, author of the 2006 book This Year I Will…and Ms. Markova’s business partner. “That’s a lie that we have preserved, and it fosters (促进，培养) commonness. Knowing what you’re good at and doing even more of it creates excellence.” This is where developing new habits comes in.Brain researchers have discovered that .
| A．the forming of new habits can be guided |
| B．the development of habits can be predicted |
| C．the regulation of old habits can be transformed |
| D．the track of new habits can be created unconsciously |
The underlined word “ruts” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
| A．zones | B．connections | C．situations | D．tracks |
Which of the following statements most probably agrees with Dawna Markova’s view?
| A．Decision makes no sense in choices. |
| B．Curiosity makes creative minds active. |
| C．Creative ideas are born of a relaxing mind. |
| D．Formation of innovation comes from fantastic ideas. |
The purpose of the author writing this article is to persuade us .
| A．to give up our traditional habits deliberately |
| B．to create and develop new habits consciously |
| C．to resist the application of standardized testing |
| D．to believe that old habits conflict with new habits |
At present, in many American cities especially, many teachers in the public schools say they are underpaid. They point to jobs such as secretary or truck driver, which often pay more to start than that of a teacher. In many other fields, such as law, medicine, computer science, a beginning worker may make more than a teacher who has taught for several years.
Teaching has never been a profession that attracted people interested in high salaries. It is by history a profession that has provided rewards in addition to money—the satisfaction of sharing knowledge, of influencing others, of guiding young people. But in the past several years, there are more difficulties in teaching, for many, than there are rewards.
Unruly students, especially in big cities, large classes and a lack of support from the public in terms of money and understanding have led many public school teachers to leave the profession.
As a result, many of the best students, who would have chosen teaching as their life career in the past, are going into other fields.
Another reason for this change in teacher candidates is the changing status of women in the United States. Until the late 1960s and 1970s, one of the most popular choices for women was teaching. But as other professions, such as law and medicine opened up to women, women stopped pouring into teacher training programs. Thus, a major pool of excellent candidates for the teaching profession dwindled.
Bit by bit government officials and others realized that the status of the teacher had suffered. They talked about change. But the change in a vast society like the United States is not easy. People’s attitudes have formed over many years, and sometimes change takes many years.The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refers to “ ”.
| A．money | B．job | C．secretary | D．truck driver |
What is the present situation of the teaching?
| A．Teachers work harder and get underpaid. |
| B．Teachers have no opportunities to work in other fields. |
| C．Teaching can attract best students to work as a teacher. |
| D．Teaching can provide rewards as well as high salaries. |
Many public school teachers turn to other professions because .
A．the government doesn’t financially support them
B．they have to work longer hours than a lawyer
C．their students refuse to listen to themThe author believes that change in teachers’ status in the United States .
| A．is not great | B．is impossible |
| C．influences people’s attitude | D．needs time |
The Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is a palatial park on the central California coast and a National Historic Landmark．It was designed by architect Julia Morgan for William Randolph Hearst from 1919 until 1947．In 1957 , the Hearst Corporation donated the fortune to the state of California．Since that time it has been maintained as a state historic park where the estate and its considerable collection of art and antiques are open for public tours．Despite its location far from any urban center, the site attracts roughly one million visitors per year．
Guided Tours
There are several tours which highlight various parts of the castle and gardens．
●Tour One is recommended for first time visitors．It now includes the movie, Hearst Castle Building the Dream．
●Tour Two gives visitors a closer look at the main house's upper floors, Mr.Hearst's private suite, the libraries, and the kitchen．
●Tour Three looks at the Castle's North Wing, guest rooms and guest house Casa Del Monte．
●Tour Four features the impressive gardens and grounds, the largest guesthouse, the wine basement, and the Hidden Terrace．
●The evening tour is a special tour that allows visitors to experience the Castle at night as one of the Hearst's own visitors might have．
Ticket Prices
Hearst 
Castle accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover．Free day use parking is available for automobiles, motorcycles, tour buses and recreational vehicles．
| TOURS |
ADULT |
Ages 6 – 17 |
| Experience Tour |
$24 |
$12 |
| Tours 2, 3 or 4 |
$24 |
$12 |
| Evening tour |
$30 |
$15 |
* Children under 6 are free when accompanied by a paying adult．
Reservation Information
While tickets may be purchased at the Visitor Center upon arrival, tour reservations are strongly recommended and may be reserved online now or by calling 1 - 800 - 444 - 4445, see below for times．
| Reservation Call Center Hours |
||
| Dates |
Monday-Friday |
Saturday-Sunday |
| March-September |
8AM to 6PM |
8AM to 6PM |
| October-February |
9AM to 5PM |
9AM to 3PM |
Visit www．hearstcastle．org for more information．Who does the Hearst Castle belong to at present?
| A．William Randolph Hearst． | B．Julia Morgan． |
| C．The state of California． | D．The Hearst Corporation． |
If you are quite interested in wine, which tou
r will you choose?
| A．Tour One． | B．Tour Two． | C．Tour Three． | D．Tour Four． |
If a young couple take Tour One with their 5-year-old son, how much will they pay for the tickets?
| A．36． | B．60． | C．48． | D．75． |
Which of the following is the available time to book tickets by phone?
| A．At 8 AM on Monday in February． | B．At 9 AM on Sunday in March． |
| C．At 7 PM on Friday in September． | D．At 6 PM on Saturday in October． |
Everyone makes mistakes in life, but for whales and dolphins, the “mistake” of landing on the shore costs the highest price---their lives.
People living along the coast of Australia and New Zealand have been shocked and saddened by the number of whales and dolphins that they have found on their beaches recently. Since November 28th, 96 whales and dolphins have died in Australia and 53 whales died in New Zealand. Although 20 whales were saved, some of these were not expected to live, as they were too weak to swim with the others back to sea.
Bob Brown, leader of Australia’s Green party, said the mass beaching was caused by the recent “sound bombing” of the ocean floor between the two countries. This is a method of testing for oil and gas reserves (储藏量).
But mass beaching of whales has long puzzled scientists. Typically most members of the stranded (搁浅) group will appear to be perfectly healthy. “Some researchers believe that close relationship within the group causes the problem, if one gets into trouble, the others will not leave” said Shery Gibney, a leading biologist in New Zealand. “Some will come in and try and assist it; if they get trapped on the beach, then more will come.”
Another common theory is that the whales’ navigation (导航) system are thought to break down in some way. It has been said that whales follow electromagnetic (电磁的) patterns in the sea-bed. The whales can get confused because these patterns sometimes change. That would be a bit like a new roundabout (环状交叉路) being built on a road you were used to driving on. You might be confused for a minute when you come to it for the first time, and you might even take a wrong turning before getting back on your route.
A different idea is that when whales chase fish for food they end up in shallow waters because they are not paying attention to where they are going.
And yet, from time to time a group will swim on purpose into shallow waters and end up on the beach, where they die. If returned to the sea, some whales often show great determination in restraining themselves.________ whales and dolphins would probably die in this mass beaching along the coast of Australia and New Zealand.
| A．Less than 100 | B．Less than 150 | C．More than 150 | D．149 |
Which of the following can be used to explain the term “sound bombing”?
| A．The terrible sound that is caused in the war between two countries. |
| B．Human activities that aim to explore the ocean floor. |
| C．The loud sound that whales and dolphins make. |
| D．The earthquakes that happen on the ocean floor. |
Which of the following couldn’t probably lead to the mass beaching of whales?
| A．A change in the electromagnetic patterns that whales follow. |
| B．New roundabout being built on a road. |
| C．Their full attention to the search for food. |
| D．Exploiting natural resources in oceans. |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．that whales and dolphins may make mistakes as well as human beings |
| B．how scientists have found the reasons for the mass beaching of whales |
| C．how human beings make use of the ocean resources |
| D．why the mass beaching of whales happens |
Suppose you work in a big firm and find English very important for your job because you often deal with foreign businessmen. Now you’re looking for a place where you can improve your English, especially spoken English.
Here are some ads about English language training from newspapers. You may find the information you need.
Global English Center
﹡General English in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
﹡3-month (700yuan), 6-month (1,200yuan) and one year (2,000yuan) courses.
﹡Choice of morning or evening classes, 3 hours per day, Mon.---Fri.
﹡Experienced college English teachers.
﹡close to city center and bus stop.
Tel: 67605272 Add: 105 Zhongshan Road, 100082
Modern Language School
﹡Special courses in English for business, travel, banking, hotel management and office skills.
﹡Small classes (12-16 students) on Sat. & Sun. from 2:00p.m.---5:00p.m.
﹡Native English teachers from Canada and USA.
﹡Language lab and computer supplies.
﹡3-month course: 1,050 yuan.
﹡6-month course: 1,850 yuan.
Write or phone: Modern Language School, 675 Park Road, 100056
Tel: 67353019
The 21st Century English Training Center
﹡We specialize (专门研究) in effective teaching at all levels.
﹡We offer morning or afternoon classes, both of which last three months and a half at a cost of 800 yuan.
﹡We also have a six-week TOEFL preparation class during winter and summer holiday.
﹡Entrance exams: June 1 and December 1.
﹡Only 15-minute walk from city center.
Call 67801642 for more information.
The International House of English
﹡Three/ Six-month English courses for students of all levels at a very low cost: 60 yuan for 12 hours per week; convenient class hours: 9:00a.m. –12:00a.m. and 2:00p.m.—5:00p.m.
﹡A four-month evening programme for developing speaking skills (same cost as day classes).
﹡Well-trained Chinese and foreign teachers experienced in teaching English as a second/ foreign language.
﹡Free sightseeing and social activities.
For further information call 57432308.You work from 9:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. every day. Which school will you choose?
| A．Global English Center and Modern Languange School. |
| B．Global English Center and the International House. |
| C．Modern Languange School and the 21st Century. |
| D．The 21st Century and the International House. |
The 21st Century’s difference from the other three schools is that ________ .
| A．its teaching quality is better |
| B．it is nearest to the city center |
| C．its courses are more advanced |
| D．it requires an entrance examination |
You will probably prefer to go to the International House because it ________ .
| A．offers sightseeing and social activities |
| B．has a special course in spoken English |
| C．costs less than the other schools |
| D．has native English teachers |
Modern Language School runs only _______ .
| A．big classes | B．special classes | C．normal classes | D．small classes |
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