We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions(排放) of carbon dioxide(CO2) and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.
We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO2. We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household(家庭) produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?
For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers:How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting(融化) of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent, ”he said.
Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?
| A．To take special kinds of food. |
| B．To respond to climate change. |
| C．To lose weight. |
| D．To improve their health. |
The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to “ ”.
| A．freezing points | B．burning points |
| C．melting points | D．boiling points |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time |
| B．it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO2 |
| C．the average US household produces about 3, 000 pounds of CO2 a month |
| D．the average European household produces about 1, 000 pounds of CO2 a month |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Saving Energy Starts at Home |
| B．Changing Our Habits Begins at Work |
| C．Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable |
| D．Reducing Emissions of CO2 Proves Difficult |
On Thursday afternoon Mrs. Clarke, dressed for going out, took her handbag with her money and her key in it, pulled the door behind her to lock it and went to the Over 60s Club. She always went there on Thursdays. It was a nice outing for an old woman who lived alone.
At six o’clock she came home, let herself in and at once smelt cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke in her house? How? Had someone got in? She checked the back door and the windows. All were locked or fastened, as usual. There was no sign of forced entry.
Over a cup of tea she wondered whether someone might have a key that fitted her front door—“a master key ”perhaps. So she stayed at home the following Thursday. Nothing happened. Was anyone watching her movements? On the Thursday after that she went out at her usual time, dressed as usual, but she didn’t go to the club. Instead she took a short cut home again, letting herself in through her garden and the back door. She settled down to wait.
It was just after four o’clock when the front door bell rang. Mrs. Clarke was making a cup of tea at the time. The bell rang again, and then she heard her letter box being pushed open. With the kettle of boiling water in her hand, she moved quietly toward the front door. A long piece of wire appeared through the letter box, and then a hand. The wire turned and caught around the knob on the door lock. Mrs. Clarke raised the kettle and poured the water over the hand. There was a shout outside, and the skin seemed to drop off the fingers like a glove. The wire fell to the floor, the hand was pulled back, and Mrs. Clarke heard the sound of running feet.Mrs. Clarke looked forward to Thursday because__________.
| A．she worked at a club on the day |
| B．she lived alone |
| C．she visited a club on Thursdays |
| D．a special visitor came on Thursday Clarke |
If someone had made a forced entry,________.
| A．Mrs. Clarke would have found a broken door or window |
| B．he or she was still in the house |
| C．things would have been thrown about |
| D．he or she would have needed a master key |
According to the passage, which of the following is right?
| A．She is about more than 50 years old. |
| B．The next day after she found something unusual in her house, she stayed at home. |
| C．The man who tried to enter her house wore a pair of gloves. |
| D．Mrs. Clarke was in an attempt to trick the thief when she noticed something unusual. |
The wire fell to the floor________.
| A．because Mrs. Clarke refused to open the door |
| B．when the man’s glove dropped off |
| C．because it was too hot to hold |
| D．because the man just wanted to get away |
Many children would start school hungry without breakfast clubs, teachers have claimed. A new survey suggests these clubs are the only way many students can get a meal before lessons.
About 54% of the 552 school staff questioned by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers(ATL)said their school provides a breakfast club for pupils. The biggest reason for them to attend these clubs is that their parents or carer goes to work early, cited by 76.8% of those questioned.
About 22.6% said children attended due to lack of money at home because parents or carers are unemployed and 15.2% said lack of money at home due to changes or cuts to benefits.
About 17.6% said pupils mainly attend breakfast clubs to socialize.
The survey found that teachers believe that offering breakfast to pupils often helps improve their concentration and ability to learn. One primary school teacher said: “Although there is a charge for our breakfast club, we have accessed funding for those pupils on free school meals and the breakfast club had an effect on their attendance, concentration and being in school for the start of lessons.
ATL general secretary Dr Roper said a nutritious meal at the start of the day has a huge impact on pupils’ ability to learn. “Many schools do everything they can to ensure children eat well during school term-time. But there are many children living in poverty, who we fear won’t be getting a decent meal a day in the holidays and this is something the government needs to address,” she said.
A Department for Education spokesman said: “We know how important it is for children to
have a good breakfast. We want schools and local authorities to use their budgets to best meet the needs of their children. Many provide breakfast clubs which offer a free meal to children from poorer families. The Pupil Premium, which will double to ￡ 2.5 billion in 2014-2015, targets extra money to help schools to provide support such as this to the most disadvantaged children. The free school meal scheme also ensures that these children have access to a nutritious lunch every day.How many factors are mentioned which can account for the popularity of breakfast clubs?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
By getting breakfast offered by breakfast clubs, pupils can______.
| A．perform better in their study |
| B．know how they can save money |
| C．eat better for their lunch and supper |
| D．make more friends with their classmates |
The pupil Premium and the free school meal scheme are mentioned in order to show_____.
| A．every child should get access to a nutritious meal |
| B．breakfast clubs play a key role in children’s growth |
| C．many efforts are made to provide a good and free meal |
| D．many schools can’t offer a good and free meal to children |
In which part of a magazine can we probably read this passage?
| A．Entertainment. | B．Education. | C．Culture. | D．Health. |
A woman was walking her dog along a beach in New Zealand in late June when she saw something that looked like a white ball in the sand. It turned out to be a young Emperor penguin that was lost. At his age, he should have been close to Antarctic, swimming for fish and playing on the ice floes(冰川). But this penguin started swimming north and just kept going.
The penguin attracted a lot of attention in New Zealand. It has been 40 years since an Emperor penguin was last seen there. Researchers at the Department of Conservation were called in. They decided to watch the penguin closely, but not to disturb it in any way. Many New Zealanders came to Peka Peka Beach to look at the elegant penguin. They were careful to keep their dogs away from it so it wouldn’t be frightened.
The public nicknamed the animal Happy Feet. Researchers started to notice that Happy Feet didn’t seem well. It turns out that he had been eating the sand from the beach, likely thinking it was snow.
The public raised more than 11,000 pounds for an operation to get the sand out of his stomach. The operation was a success, and Happy Feet was taken to a zoo in Wellington, NZ. A group of experts met to decide how to help Happy Feet return to the wild.
Last Sunday, they put him on a boat called the Tangaroa, in a specially built ice-filled box and took him out into the Southern Ocean, southeast of New Zealand. There, they released him into the ocean, which is his natural habitat. He took one last look at his human helpers and then dived into the ocean.
“Emperor penguins spend their first five years at sea,” said Peter Simpson of New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. “ What happens now is up to the penguin.”
Happy Feet was fitted with a satellite transmitter(发射机)so they can monitor his progress using the Internet. So far, the trackers shows that he swam northeast for a little while before getting his bearings and heading south.Where is the young penguin supposed to appear?
| A．On the sunny beach. | B．Near the Antarctic. |
| C．Inside the hole in the ice. | D．In the depths of the ocean. |
The public collected some money to______.
| A．build a home for the penguin |
| B．get the sand out of the penguin’s belly |
| C．do some research on the penguin |
| D．return the penguin to his habitat |
What does Peter Simpson mean by saying “ What happens now is up to the penguin.”?
| A．The penguin needs no protection from human. |
| B．Human beings can do noting to help penguins. |
| C．No one knows what will happen to the penguins. |
| D．Whether the penguin can survive depends on himself. |
The holidays are a time to give. These charities---and many more—are looking for volunteers and donations.
World Wildlife Fund
The World Wildlife Fund is helping to protect endangered species through the Symbolic Species Adoption program. Those who “adopt” an animal will receive an adoption certificate and a photo of their species. Anyone can support endangered species year round by buying WWF apparel(服装). worldwildlife. Org/giving
DoSomething. org
This month, Dosomething. org launched their holiday campaign, “Grandparents Gone Wired”. The goal of the campaign is to make it easier for senior citizens to keep in touch with their loved ones using the Internet. Teens can volunteer to help seniors in their community. Volunteers are able to win prizes and scholarships. dosomething. org/grandparents
Coins for Change
Disney’s Club Penguin, a virtual gaming site for kids, launched its annual Coins for Change campaign this month. From Dec. 15 to Dec. 27, Club Penguin players can donate virtual coins to real-world causes. If players reach the donation goal, Club Penguin will donate $2 million to charity projects. clubpenguin.com.
Toys for Tots
Each year, the U.S. Marine Corps Toys Program collects new, unwrapped toys for the holidays. Communities across the nation host Toys for Tots drives around the holiday season. The toys collected are given as gifts to needy children so they can experience the joy of Christmas. toyfortots.org
American Red Cross
All you need is a pen and a piece of paper. The American Red Cross Holiday Mail Heroes Program is collecting handwritten card to send to members of the U.S. Armed Forces during the holidays. The charity has also set up a Holiday Giving Catalog where you can buy personal gifts, such as babysitting lessons. redcross.org
The Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive
The Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive is a non-profit organization sponsored by ABC’s Good Morning America and Burlington Coat Factory. During the holiday season Burlington stores collect gently worn coats. The donated coats are given to people in need to keep warm during the winter. onewarmcoat.orgDavid, 8, is fond of playing virtual games. Which charity should he attend?
| A．Coins for Change. | B．Toys for Tots. |
| C．DoSomething,org. | D．American Red Cross. |
Handwritten cards for members of the U.S. Armed Forces are collected by____.
| A．Disney’s Club Penguin |
| B．the Warm Coats& Warm Hearts Drive |
| C．the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program |
| D．the American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes Program |
From the passage we can learn that______.
| A．Club Penguin donates $2 million to charity projects yearly |
| B．old toys collected are given to needy children as gifts |
| C．teens can help seniors contact their family members online |
| D．whoever donates warm coats is likely to win scholarships |
New crime prediction software should reduce not only the murder rate, but the rate of other crimes. Developed by Richard Berk, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the software has already used in Baltimore and Philadelphia to predict which individuals on probation(缓刑) or parole(假释) are most likely to murder and to be murdered.
“When a person goes on probation or parole he is supervised(监督) by an officer. The question is ‘what level of supervision is appropriate?’” said Berk. It used to be that parole officers used the person’s criminal record, and their judgment to make decisions.
“This research replaces those seat-of-the –pants calculations,” he said.
Technology helps determine level of supervision. On average there is one murder for every 100,000 people. Even among high-risk groups the murder rate is one in 100. Predicting such a rare event is very difficult, but advances in computer technology works.
Years ago, the researchers made a dataset of more than 60,000 various crimes. Using the software they developed, they found some much more likely to commit murder when paroled or probated. They could identify eight future murderers out of 100.
Berk’s software examines roughly two dozen variables(可变因素), from criminal record to geographic location. The type of crimes, and more importantly, the age at which that crime was committed, were two of the most predictive variables.
“People assume that if someone murdered then they will murder in the future,” said Berk. “ What really matters is what that person did as a young individual. Predicting future crimes sounds well. But we aren’t anywhere near being able to do that.”
“Berk’s scientific answer leaves policymakers with difficult questions. By labeling one group of people as high risk, and supervise them closely, there should be fewer murders, which the potential victims should be happy about. It also means that those high-risk individuals will be supervised more aggressively. For human rights advocates, that means punishing people who, most likely, will not commit a crime in the future,” said Bushway. “It comes down to a question of whether you would rather make these errors or those errors.”The underlined words(in Para.3) probably mean___.
| A．calculations based on subjective opinions |
| B．calculations based on widespread voting |
| C．calculations made by advanced technology |
| D．calculations based on serious considering |
For 650 people with crime records, how many potential murderers would the software find?
| A．6.5. | B．13. | C．52. | D．65. |
From Para 7, we can infer that______.
| A．the technology developed by Richard Berk will soon be widely used in the US |
| B．the technology would not be widely accepted in the short term |
| C．whether a person murders or not largely decided by his upbringing while young |
| D．if a person murdered when he was fifty, he is sure to murder again while on probation |
Bushway’s attitude to the technology put forward by Richard Berk is ____.
| A．positive | B．negative | C．objective | D．indifferent |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Closely Supervise Potential Murders |
| B．Measures Taken to Prevent Criminal Behavior |
| C．Technology Revolutionizes Judges’ Way of Working |
| D．Software is Developed to Predict Criminal Behavior |
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