Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is clean and cool. Fox Point is a very new47-unit living building in South Bronx, one of the city's poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly (以前) homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families. The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions(碳排放)while also cutting costs.
Fox Point is operated by Palladia, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy, people. Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers.
ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally (环境方面) clever and affordable homes which are called, the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy.
Michael. Bloomberg, New York's mayor, plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for500,000 New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City's greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40% of those are caused, by housing. . So he recently announced that the city's Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD) , whose duty is to develop and keep the city's supply of affordable housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP's green standards.
Similar measures have been taken by other cities such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York's DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph?
| A． To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people. |
| B． To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas. |
| C． To show how the environment-friendly building works. |
| D． To compare old and new boiler rooms. |
What is an advantage of the buildings meeting the Green Communities Standards?
| A． Lower running costs. |
| B． Costing less in construction. |
| C． Less air to be lost in hot days. |
| D． Better prices for homeless people. |
It can be learned from the text that,
| A．New York City is seriously polluted |
| B．people's daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City |
| C．a great number of people in New York City don't have houses to live in |
| D．some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City |
What is the main purpose of this text?
| A．To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems. |
| B．To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing. |
| C．To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families. |
| D．To introduce healthy, environmentally clever-and affordable housing. |
For travellers who want to experience some of the history and mystery of the ancient world, here is a list of cool destinations for your next holiday.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Built in the 12th century, Angkor Wat (meaning “capital monastery”) was a temple in the ancient Khmer capital city of Angkor. It is Cambodia’s best-known tourist attraction and is famed for its beautiful architecture and reliefs. You’ll need at least three days to fully discover the delights of this magnificent site.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu was built high in the Andes Mountains of South America by the Inca in the 15th century. Although well preserved its exact purpose is unknown. It is famous throughout the world not only for its incredible design but also for the natural beauty that surrounds it. Give yourself a week to explore this magnificent site.
Stonehenge, England
The entire Stonehenge site was constructed over thousands of years. But why and how it was built remains a mystery. As the weather can be pretty bleak in winter and the crowds huge in summer, we suggest autumn should be the best time to visit these monster rocks.
Pompeii, Italy
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., Pompeii was buried under many layers of ash, preserving the city exactly as it was when the volcano erupted. Because so many objects were preserved, scientists and visitors are able to better understand daily life in the ancient Roman Empire.Why may people want to visit Machu Picchu?
| A．To climb the Andes Mountains. | B．To discover how it was built. |
| C．To explore both history and nature. | D．To learn to speak Spanish. |
When is the best time to visit Stonehenge according to the passage?
| A．Summer. | B．Spring. | C．Winter. | D．Autumn. |
Which location offers the most direct view into daily life in the ancient world?
| A．Pompeii. | B．Stonehenge. | C．Ankor Wat. | D．Machu Picchu. |
Where would you probably read such an article?
| A．In a travel magazine. | B．In a scientific journal. |
| C．In a history textbook. | D．In an adventure novel. |
“I had a test and didn’t want to do it, so I pretended to be ill”, says 13-year-old Mary. But Mary did not enjoy her day off. “It was boring. I wished I had gone to school.”
Mary’s story is not unusual in Britain. According to the latest government figures, pupil absences are rising, despite schools taking a hard line on truancy (逃学).
Dr Philip James from Cardiff University thinks she knows why: “As schools make more efforts to find and punish missing students, students find better ways to avoid being caught.”
For several years, James has researched teenager truancy and discovered that most truancy was “a response to factors within the school”. Students that skip school are not necessarily less advanced or less intelligent. They complained of teachers who failed to engage them, and of “boring” lessons. “Many of them really enjoy school and believe in education, but drop out when aspects of it are ineffective.” James says.
The views of students like Adam, who believes that skipping lessons has little impact on his schooling, are common. “I only take off for a lesson, or a couple of days. It doesn’t affect my education,” he told James.
James believes that schools need to address the question of why pupils want to leave in the first place. “Pupils need help from the start.” she says. “Schools need to look at the reasons for truancy rather than the number, so that instead of walking away from school, students have the skills and chances to talk through problems and make a change.”What is one of the reasons that many students skip school according to James’ study?
| A．They feel they have fallen behind in their studies. |
| B．They have no interest in school education. |
| C．They now have more interesting things to do. |
| D．They find some lessons and teachers uninteresting. |
The underlined phrase “taking a hard line” (Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to “________”.
| A．experiencing a problem with | B．having a strict attitude towards |
| C．finding it difficult to deal with | D．having little success with |
The writer used Adam’s comments (Paragraph 5) to show that ________.
| A．school education needs improvement |
| B．good students also need a break from school |
| C．schools need to pay more attention to truancy |
| D．many students believe occasional truancy isn’t serious |
What does Dr James suggest schools do about truancy?
| A．Fire all their unqualified teachers. |
| B．Improve communication with students. |
| C．Develop better ways to discover truancy. |
| D．Introduce more serious punishments. |
With only fish and birds for company, Eric Erden has been rowing across the Pacific Ocean to Australia in his 23-foot-long boat since he left California on July 10, 2009.
This is the first part of Eric’s trip around the world using only his own energy. He will row, bike, and walk without help from any motors at all. His plan includes climbing the tallest mountain on each of the six continents he visits, to honour the memory of a fellow climber.
He says he is doing this to show kids that they can achieve any goal, but he also hopes to have some great adventures along the way.
Storms and huge waves regularly force him in the wrong direction and even threaten to overturn his boat. “Sometimes I really feel scared,” says a somewhat embarrassed Eric. “But that’s part of the journey. I knew this wouldn’t be easy when I started.”
Protein bars give him energy, and he boils water to heat freeze-dried meals on a one-burner stove. A sun-powered machine removes salt from ocean water so he can drink it, but when that fails he sometimes tries to collect rainwater in a bucket.
He’s not bothered by any of the hardships. Eric sees the world as a laboratory where there is much to learn. And when his trip around the world takes him across land, he enjoys meeting people — especially children. He has already visited several schools and shared his story.Why is Eric making this trip?
| A．To encourage children to reach for their goal. |
| B．To learn to overcome various hardships. |
| C．To do experiments all over the world. |
| D．To honour the memory of a fellow climber. |
What does Eric plan to do on each of the six continents he will visit?
| A．Visit schools to share his story. |
| B．Study the culture of the local people. |
| C．Climb the tallest mountain. |
| D．Cycle from one end to the other. |
How does Eric mainly get drinking water?
| A．He boils the seawater on a stove. |
| B．He has brought fresh water with him. |
| C．He collects rain water in a bucket. |
| D．He uses a special machine to make seawater fresh. |
Which of the following words best describes Eric’s character?
| A．Determined. | B．Intelligent. | C．Fearless. | D．Lonely. |
Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent—child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue int0 adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”The underlined word gulf in Para.3 most probably means _________.
| A．interest | B．distance |
| C．difference | D．separation |
Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
| A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities. |
| B．Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities. |
| C．Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs. |
| D．Parents share more interests with their children. |
The change in today’s parent-child relationship is _________.
| A．more confusion among parents |
| B．new equality between parents and children |
| C．1ess respect for parents from children |
| D．more strictness and authority on the part of parents |
The purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A．describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with |
| B．discuss the development of the parent—child relationship |
| C．suggest the ways to handle the parent—child relationship |
| D．compare today’s parent—child relationship with that in the past |
For hundreds of years, Japan has been hit, from time to time, by tsunamis（海啸）, which are caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanoes. The story of the boy Yuuki is the story of such a disaster.
Yuuki lived with his family in a seaside village, below a small mountain. One day, as he played on top of the mountain, Yuuki felt a small earthquake but it was not strong enough to frighten anybody. Soon after, however, Yuuki noticed the sea darken and begin running away from the shore very fast, leaving behind wide areas of beach that had never been seen before.
Yuuki remembered reading that just before a terrible tsunami, the sea suddenly and quickly rolls backward. He ran to the beach, warning the villagers who had gathered to admire the new beach land.
But no one listened. They laughed at him and continued playing in the new sand.
Desperate, Yuuki could think of only one thing to do. He lit a tree branch, raced to the rice fields and began burning the harvested rice. Then he called out, “Fire! Fire! Everyone run to the mountain! Now!”
When everyone reached the mountain top, a villager cried out, “Yuuki is mad! I saw him set the fire.” Yuuki hung his head in shame, but said nothing as the villagers screamed at him.
Just then, someone shouted, “Look!”
In the distance a huge dark wave of water was speeding towards the shore. When it hit the shore, it destroyed everything.
On the mountain everyone stared at the village ruins in terror.
“I'm sorry I burned the fields,” said Yuuki, his voice trembling.
“Yuuki,” the village chief answered. “You saved us all.”
The villagers cheered and raised Yuuki into the air. “We were going to celebrate our rice harvest tonight,” said one, “but now we’ll celebrate that we’re all still alive!” Where was Yuuki when the earthquake struck?
| A．On the beach. | B．On the mountain. |
| C．In the rice fields. | D．At home. |
In what order did the following events take place?
a.Yuuki ran to the rice fields.
b.The villagers paid no attention to Yuuki’s word.
c.Yuuki went to warn the villagers.
d.The village was in ruins.
e.The people were screaming at Yuuki.
| A．c, b, d, a, e | B．a, c, d, b, e | C．c, b, a, e, d | D．a, c, d, e, b |
How did Yuuki save the villagers from the disaster?
| A．He told them about the earthquake. |
| B．He explained why the sea was flowing out. |
| C．He told the village chief to warn the people. |
| D．He set fire to the rice field. |
What were the people planning to do before the tsunami struck their village?
| A．Burn the rice crop. | B．Play on the beach. |
| C．Climb the mountain. | D．Celebrate the rice harvest. |
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