Americans love their cars. There are more than eight cars for every 10 Americans, but most of the time, they sit idle(闲置的), parked in a driveway or on the street. Now, several companies on the U. S. West Coast are helping people rent their personal car to someone else when they don’t need it.
Eric Loebel is one of those people. For a small price, he wants to let his Oregon neighbors “borrow” his car. It’s a dark blue, model year 2000 Volvo car. The sales and marketing consultant says he doesn’t use it much. “My wife and I are huge bike commuters and almost don’t need a car,” he says.
Loebel is one of the first car owners in Portland to list his wheels for rent through a so-called
“peer-to-peer car sharing” service called Getaround. Com. “Cars are so expensive to own,” he says “This can definitely offset(弥补) some of the cost.” The website lets car owners decide for themselves how much to charge borrowers to rent by the hour, day or week.
Person-to-person rentals began in Germany a decade ago, and there are a handful of similar companies in Europe and Australia. The concept caught on quickly in California over the past year according to John Atcheson, vice president of Getaround, one of four carsharing startups in the San Francisco area.
“We have had amazing cars leaping into our system,” Atcheson says. “Not just 1995 pickup trucks but we have had late model Mercedes, Audis, any type of car you can imagine. We actually have a Tesla Roadster—a $150,000 sports car.”
Another service called JustShareIt plans to stand out by going beyond cars. Its founder says the company will offer person-to-person rentals of power boats, jet skis and snowmobeles(雪地机 动车) too.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．There are too many cars in America. |
| B．Most cars are rarely used in America. |
| C．Commuting by bike is popular in America. |
| D．Americans try renting their cars to strangers. |
Which of the following is true of Getaround.com?
| A．It gives tips on saving costs on cars. |
| B．It provides a platform for car sharers. |
| C．It provides advice on driving. |
| D．It answers drivers’ questions person-to-person. |
We learn form Atcheson’s words that .
| A．they offer international services |
| B．they first formed in San Francisco |
| C．they offer cars of different types |
| D．their customers prefer new cars |
JustShareIt wants to make itself more attractive by .
| A．providing lower rent |
| B．providing extra sports equipments |
| C．offering person-to-person service |
| D．offering other things for rent |
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的),” he said. “You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas.”
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.The main subject talked about in this passage is ________.
| A．science on learning a second language | B．man’s ability of learning a second language |
| C．that language can help brain power | D．language learning and maths study |
The underlined word “bilingual” probably means _______.
| A．a researcher on language learning | B．a second language learner |
| C．a person who can speak two languages | D．an active language learner |
We may know from the scientific findings that ________.
A. the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is
B there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn’t know a second language
C. the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people’s brain
D. the ability of learning a second language is changing all the timeIn the last two paragraphs, the author wants to tell us that _________.
A. learning a second language is the same as studying maths
B. early learning of a second language helps you a great deal in studying other subjects
CItalian is the best choice for you as a second language
D. you’d better choose the ages between 2 and 34 to learn a second language
World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is to be staged in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31, 2010. If you plan to visit the Shanghai Expo this summer, China Pavilion(馆)is a must - see area for you.
China Pavilion, which is called Oriental Crown, is located at the center of the Expo site. Standing 63 meters tall, the China Pavilion takes the shape of an emperor's crown, with the upper layers larger than the lower ones. Covering 160,000 square meters in floor space, the pavilion is made up of a national hall and a regional(宗教的 ) hall. Buildings on the China Pavilion began on Dec. 18, 2007. The design of the China Pavilion was picked from a total of 344 designs put forward by Chinese from around the world. The pavilion has both traditional and modern features, which helps develop the theme of the 2010 Expo; "Better City, Better Life. For example, it is red in appearance, which covers the traditional Chinese culture, and it is green indoors, with the use of energy - saving techniques. The Shanghai World Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors from across the globe. It is estimated that 400,000 people will visit the Expo and its 140 pavilions every day during the period, but the China Pavilion is only able to receive about one tenth of the total. How to hold so many people in the pavilion remains a tough task. Luckily, the China Pavilion is built as a permanent(长久的) landmark.
During the Expo, the main structure(结构 ) will be used for an exhibition based on the theme of “ Chinese wisdom in urban （城市）development” by explaining the values of harmony（和谐 ）, nature and spirit. The three - story pavilion has three sections. The top floor's “Footprint of the East” will show some of the changes in Chinese cities. There, you can see a film which shows how Chinese cities have changed, especially in the past 30 years. According to Lu Chuan, director of the film, the scenery is like something from Lord of the Rings. On the second floor, “Journey of Wisdom” will explain China's four great inventions. And the ground's “ Blossoming” City will display scenes from cities of the future. Which of the following words can be used to describe the China Pavilion?
| A．Tiny. | B．Imagination | C．Foreign | D． Environment - friendly. |
The China Pavilion can receive________visitors at most per day.
| A．20,000 | B．40,000 | C． 100,000 | D．400,000 |
We can infer(推断 )that________.
| A．Some foreign friends took part in the designs of the China Pavilion |
| B．You can continue to visit the Japanese Pavilion after the Expo is over |
| C．China Pavilion will be pulled down after the World Expo 2010 is over |
| D．China Pavilion will continue to be open to visitors after the Expo is over |
On the second floor, you can________.
| A．enjoy a film about the changes of cities in China |
| B．learn what Shanghai looked like in the 1920's |
| C．find out how paper was invented |
| D．see how Chinese cities will look like in the future |
“Birds are not as loyal to their partners as you might think, with divorce, child abandonment and remarriage a common part of birds’ life,” a new book has shown. Author and biology professor Bridge Stutchbury, dispels the love-bird belief that birds pair up for life. “In terms of the top 10 beliefs about birds, the lasting pair bonds that we think about, do occur in some birds, but in most of the little songbirds that we studied, no,” the professor from York University in Toronto said. The divorce rate among greater flamingos is 99 percent.
Stutchbury’s book, The Private Lives of Birds, based on 20 years of research from radio filming and DNA testing shows male Acadian flycatchers fertilize(使受孕) females far away from their home nests, “ The main discovery is that so many birds do divorce for what humans would describe as selfish reasons,” Professor Stutchbury said. She noted that females may seek out males that are more colorful and better singers, or look to “step up in the world” and move to areas that are safer and have more food. “Females are looking for the highest quality male so that their children will be of high quality,” she added.
Professor Stutchbury said shorter summers may drive females to leave their nests before their young are fully grown up so they can quickly find new mates（配偶） and lay more eggs, leaving the males to feed the hungry chicks on their own.
Males can double their success in producing children by fertilizing neighboring females, but only “mates” care for the young, and some are none the wiser. “ They can’t tell when the egg comes out and whether it’s theirs or not,” She said. “They have no way to know.”
Divorce is surprisingly common among birds, and most live with one partner for only a few months or years. Divorce rates range from 99 percent in the greater flamingo to zero in the wandering albatross(信天翁).What does the underline word “dispels” mean?
| A．States | B．Doubts | C．Confirms | D．Removes |
The book The Private Lives of Birds_____.
| A．shows the kind of male birds females seek out. |
| B．indicates the wandering albatross is the most faithful. |
| C．is based on Professor Stutchbury’s 20 years’ research. |
| D．suggests that female birds select males near their home. |
According to the passage, we can infer that________.
| A．young birds’ quality depends on their feather. |
| B．some male birds care for others’ young as their own. |
| C．female birds go to find males as soon as autumn comes. |
| D．female birds are responsible for feeding the hungry babies. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A book about love-birds. |
| B．Birds’ living habits and love life |
| C．The fact that birds don’t love their mates forever. |
| D．The factors that influence birds to look for another mate. |
A new report says sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected. American scientists say the ice is melting even faster than computer programs had estimated.
Scientists know that climate change has a major effect on the Arctic Ocean partly because sea ice is disappearing. They also know that areas of open seawater are expanding. Such areas are known to take in sunlight and increase temperatures. Scientists say this has helped to cause the loss of the Arctic’s ice cover.
For the study, the American scientists compared eighteen computer programs with observations made by satellites and other instruments. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change used the computer programs to prepare its 2007 estimates of climate change.
The computer programs gave estimates of the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean in the month of September. September is when the Arctic has the least ice, after the warm, summer months. The computer estimates suggested an ice loss of two and a half percent for every ten-year period between 1953 and 2006.
Newer studies of the Arctic have used information gathered by aircraft, satellites and ships. This information showed a loss of September ice cover of almost eight percent for every ten-year period between 1953 and last year. This means the ice is disappearing about thirty years faster than the computer programs estimated.
The scientists say the programs might not have recognized the full effect of increased carbon dioxide and other gases in Earth’s atmosphere. They say their study suggests the gases may have more of an effect than had been thought.It is reported that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected mainly because _________.
| A．climate change | B．sea ice’s disappearance |
| C．seawater’s expansion | D．the loss of the Arctic’s ice cover |
How did the scientists draw the conclusion that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected?
| A．The scientists have been observing the Arctic Ocean for many years. |
| B．The scientists have compared the computer programs with observation made by satellites and other instruments. |
| C．The scientists have figured out many numbers with the help of computer. |
| D．The scientists have found that the seawater take in sunlight and increase temperatures. |
If the ice melts at the present speed, by the end of this century the ice loss in the Arctic Ocean will be _________ according to newer studies.
| A．22.5% | B．35% | C．72% | D．100% |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The figures of the computer estimates are wrong. |
| B．Scientists study climate change through studying sea level. |
| C．Newer studies show gases may have more effect on sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. |
| D．The ice is melting even faster than satellites have estimated. |
This report mainly warns human to _________.
| A．prevent the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean from melting any more |
| B．pay more attention to the loss of the Arctic’s ice cover |
| C．take necessary steps to protect the environment of our earth |
| D．stop summer sea ice in the Arctic from disappearing so fast |
It is only during the last few years that man has generally realized that in the world of nature a balance exists between all forms of life. No living thing can exist by itself: it is a part of a system (体系) in which all forms of 
life are joined together. If we change one part of the natural order, this will in its turn almost certainly bring about changes in some other part.
The cutting down of forests reduces the supply of oxygen. The killing of weeds and insects by chemicals leads to the wide spread poisoning of animals and birds. The throwing of waste products into the ocean harm to life in the sea, while waste gases change the chemical balance of the atmosphere.
And so we could go on, adding more examples, until in despair (绝望) we might feel like giving up the struggle to control and keep within limits these harmful human activities. Man is very clever at changing the world around him to satisfy his immediate needs, but not so clever at looking far ahead, or at thinking about what the future results of
his action might be.The first paragraph mainly tells us that __________.
| A．everything in nature can’t exist without the help of human beings |
| B．no living thing can exist naturally |
| C．all living things in nature depend on each other |
| D．man has well known the importance of the balance for a long time |
The examples given in the second paragraph are used to prove that __________.
| A．it is very important to protect forests |
| B．there are some living things which can exist all by themselves without change |
| C．all forms of life belong to a system in which all the part can be changed for one another |
D．we cannot change one form of life or matter without disturbing (扰乱) the balance of nature |
In the second paragraph the underlined word “atmosphere” means __________.
| A．the production of chemical factories | B．the gas in the outer space |
| C．the mixture of gases that surrounds the earth | D．the health of the human body |
The third paragraph suggests that __________.
| A．man shouldn’t think only about his immediate needs without enough thought on the future results |
| B．man is very clever in planning his distant future |
| C．man often feels that he has to give up in despair |
| D．man is always anxious to control and keep his actives within limits |
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