Plastic is everywhere because plastic is an extremely useful material．It is cheap, strong and lightweight．What’s more, it can take on nearly any form or shape, from soft and stretchy （有弹性的） to hard and glasslike.
Plastic, however, is far from perfect．It may even be bad for us．Studies now suggest that poisonous chemicals can get out of some types of plastic, get into our bodies, and cause a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder （注意缺陷障碍）.
Two types of chemicals in particular have raised special concern lately．They are called phthalates （邻苯二甲酸盐） and Bisphenol-A （二酚基丙烷）, BPA for short． Not all plastic products contain them．But the ones that do are surrounded by controversy （争议）．That’s because experts disagree on how dangerous these chemicals are.
Plastic is a single word, but plastic isn’t just one thing．What all plastics share in common are plasticizers -- special chemicals that allow the material to be changed into nearly any shape or texture．Plasticizers （塑化剂） are added to plastic during the manufacturing process.
Phthalates and BPA are two types of plasticizers that work in different ways．Phthalates add softness to things like shampoo bottles, raincoats and rubber．They are also used in perfumes and makeup．BPA, on the other hand, gives a hard, clear, almost glasslike feel to products such as infant bottles．BPA also appears in food and soda cans, DVDs and other unexpected places.
How do these chemicals get into us? When plastic is heated in the microwave or dishwasher, chewed on or scratched, the chemicals can seep （渗透） out of the plastic．Even though we can’t see them, we eat them, drink them and breathe them in.
Scientists and parents are especially worried about young children, who tend to chew on everything, including plastic．Dozens of countries, including the European Union, Japan, Canada and Mexico have already banned phthalates from products made for children younger than three．California and Washington have done the same．And a number of other states are considering similar rules．As for BPA, Canada became the first country to ban the chemical from baby bottles．A dozen states are considering it.What can we know about the plastic from the first paragraph?
| A．Its characters and effects． |
| B．Its wide use and bad points. |
| C．Its importance and chemicals． |
| D．Its popularity and advantages. |
Which of the following products contains BPA?
| A．A soft plastic cup． | B．A pencil eraser. |
| C．A baby milk bottle． | D．A new perfume. |
Phthalates and BPA can get into us __________．
| A．through mouth or nose |
| B．through blood transfusion |
| C．by feeling plastic products |
| D．by heating in the microwave |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A new ban on plastic products． |
| B．Problems caused by the plastic． |
| C．Good points of the plastic． |
| D．The use of plasticizers. |
Alexis De Tocqueville，the French political scientist，，historian，philosopher and politician．Is most famous for a four-volume book he wrote called Democracy in America．He came to America in 1831 to study the American form of democracy’and what it might mean to the rest of the world．After a visit of only nine months,，he wrote a remarkable book which is regarded as a classic．De Tocqueville had unusual powers of observation．He described not only the democratic system of government and how it operated，but also its effect on how Americans think, feel, and act, Many scholars believe he had a deeper understanding of traditional American beliefs and values than anyone else who has written about。the United States．What is so remarkable is that
many of these characteristics which he observed nearly 200years ago are still visible and
meaningful today．His observations are also important because the timing of his visit，the 1830s，was before America was industrialized．This was the era of the small farmer，the small businessman，and the settling of the western frontier．It was the period of history when the traditional values of the new country were newly established．In just a generation，some 40 years since the adoption of the U．S：Constitution．the new form of government had—already produced a society of people with unique values．He was，however，a fair observer and saw both the good and bad sides of these qualities．
The first part of Democracy m America was written in 1831—32 and published in 1835．A highly positive and optimistic account of American government and society，the book was very well received．He attempted to get a glimpse of the core of American society．all the while promoting his own philosophy：the equaling of the classes and the unavoidable depth of aristocratic（贵族的）privilege The rest of the book he labored on for four years．and in 1840 the second part was published．This was substantially more pessimistic than the first，warning of the dangers despotism （暴政）and governmental centralization，and applying his ideas and criticisms more directly to France．As a result, it was not received as well as the first part，except in England where it was highly thought of．What is the passage primarily about?
| A．Alexis De Tocqueville |
| B．Democracy in America |
| C．The progress achieved in America within about 40 years after adoption of the U．S．Constitution． |
| D．The influence of the book Democracy in America |
What in the passage is mentioned as being truly remarkable?
| A．Many of his observations are still visible and meaningful today． |
| B．The book was so detailed and thorough after only such a comparatively short visit． |
| C．That the second volume should be so pessimistic in comparison with the first． |
| D．De Tocqueville’s powers of observation． |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage？
| A．The English don’t like the French |
| B．The book was most important because it was the first time that American values had been clearly documented． |
| C．De Tocqueville was a slow writer． |
| D．De Tocqueville was primarily motivated by an interest in his own country． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The visit lasted only five months． |
| B．The visit coincided with American industrialization． |
| C．The first part was published in 1835；the second part in 1840． |
| D．The second part was more optimistic than the first． |
International Weather Forecast（January 18 th，2008）
Paris Weather
·Today：Plentiful sunshine High 59F．Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph．
·Tonight：Generally clear．Low near 35F．Winds light and variable．
·Tomorrow：A mainly sunny sky．High 59F．Winds ENE at 5 to l0mph．
·Tomorrow night：A mostly clear sky．Low 36F，Winds light and variable．
New York Weather
·Today：Cloudy with rain and snow showers Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s．Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph．Chance of precip 40％．
·Tonight：Rain and snow showers this evening changing to rain showers overnight Low 34F．Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph Chance of precip 60％．
·Tomorrow：Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day．High around 45F．Winds WNW at l0 to 20mph．
·Tomorrow night：Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight Low 29F．Winds W at 5 to10 mph．
London Weather
·Today：Cloudy and windy．High 56F． Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tonight：Partly cloudy and windy．Low 43F．Winds W at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tomorrow：Windy with occasional light rain．High 58F．Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph．Chance of rain 70％．
·Tomorrow night：Cloudy and windy．Periods of light rain early．Low 54F．Winds WSW
at 20 to 30 mph，Chance of rain 60％．
Sydney Weather
·Today：Cloudy with periods of rain．High 73F．Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall around a quarter of an inch．
·Tonight：Rain．Low near 70F．Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall near a quarter of an inch．
·Tomorrow：Showers in the morning with isolated thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon．High 78FWindsNNE at 5 to10 mph．Chance of rain 40％．
·Tomorrow night：An isolated thunderstorm possible during the evening．then occasional showers overnight．Low near 70F．Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph．．Chance of rain 40％．
65．Which city has the strongest wind on January 19th?
A．Paris． B．New York． C．London． D．Sydney．
66．There will be thunderstorms in Sydney oil ．
A．the evening of January 18th B．the afternoon of January 18th
C．the morning of January 19th D．the afternoon of January 19th
67．If you go on a tour on January l8th，which of the following places of interest is the most favorable according to the weather report?
A．The Eiffel Tower． B．Statue of Liberty．
C．Big Ben． D．The Sydney Opera House．
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life，one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have．Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment．
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧）with the friends，relatives and acquaintances we already have．
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately。is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have gotten too busy，take a good look at how you spend your time．Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life．Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends，why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over．committed because you never say“No”to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so，why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities．Make sure that you schedule enough time for the things that are truly most important to you．
If you really want to keep friends in your lire，make a space in your schedule，and a space in your heart for them．In this passage the author mainly discusses ．
| A．how to balance friendship and work |
| B．how to spend our spare time |
| C．whether we should keep friendship |
| D．whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
| A．You have someone to count on when you are in trouble． |
| B．You have someone to have close talks with． |
| C．You feel depressed with others in life |
| D．You have fun when you are with someone |
The underlined word“delegated”probably means“ ”．
| A．appointed | B．replaced | C．declined | D．handled |
You hear this，“No wonder you are fat．All you ever d0 is eat．”You feel sad．“I skip my breakfast and supper．I run every morning and evening．What else can I do?”
Basically you can do nothing．Your genes，not your life habits，determine your weight and your body constantly tries to maintain it．
Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania found from experiments that“80 percent of the children of two fat parents become fat，as compared with no more than 14．percent of the children of two parents of normal weight．”
How can obese people become thinner through dieting? Well，dieting can be effective．but the health costs are great．
Jules Hirsch，a research physician at Rockefeller University，did a study of eight fat people．They were．given a liquid formula（配方）providing 600 calories a day．After more than 10 weeks，the subjects lost on average 45 kg．But after leaving the hospital，they all regained the weight．
The results were surprising：by metabolic（新陈代谢的）measurement，fat people who lost large amounts of weight seemed like they were starving．They had psychiatric problems．They dreamed of food or of breaking their diet They were anxious and depressed．Some wanted to kill themselves．They hid food in their rooms．
Researchers warn that it is possible that weight reduction doesn’t result in normal weight，but in an abnormal state lust like that of starved non．obese people．
Thin people, however，suffer from the opposite．They have to make a great effort to gain weight Ethan Sims of the University of Vermont got prisoners to volunteer to gain weight．In four to six months—they ate as much as they could．They succeeded in increasing their weight by 20 to 25 percent. But months after the study ended，they were back to normal weight and stayed there．
This did not mean that people are completely without hope in controlling their weight．It means that those who tend to be fat will have to constantly battle their genetic inheritance（遗传）if they want to significantly 1ower their weight．
The findings also provide evidence for something scientists thought was true—each person has a comfortable weight range．The range might be as much as 9kg．Someone might weigh 60--69kg without too much effort．But，going above or below the natural weight range is difficult.The body resists by feeling hungry or full and changing．the metabolism to push the weight back to the range it seeks．The story is mainly written to 。
| A．point out the relations between our body and mind |
| B．warn us it’s extremely harmful to reduce or gain our weight |
| C．tell us that it’s difficult to make a significant change in our weight |
| D．stress that dieting 1s a recommended way to help you reach your desired weight |
Jules Hirsch’s study’found that ．
| A．big weight loss could lead to mental problems |
| B．a person’s weight can be decided by their parents’ weight |
| C．only dieting cannot produce a desired result in weight reduction |
| D．big efforts to lose weight may result in a weight much heavier than one’s normal weight |
From the text，we know that the body can still feel comfortable
| A．when the weight goes up or down by 6 kg |
| B．when the weight goes up or down by l0 kg |
| C．when the weight is increased by 20 to 25 percent |
| D．when the weight is decreased by 20 to 25 percent |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．When it comes to weight，naturalness is the healthiest |
| B．Weight reduction could be both risky and painful． |
| C．Seek professional advice when reducing your weight． |
| D．There’s no hope and no point in controlling your weight． |
In a natural disaster—a hurricane,flood,tornado,volcanic eruption,or other calamity—minutes and even seconds of warning can be the difference between life and death.Because of this,scientists and government officials are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen.They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.The goal is to put technology to effective use in saving lives and property when nature unleashes its power with devastating results.
On September 29,1998,Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi,Mississippi,after devastating Haiti,the Dominican Republic,Puerto Rico,and several islands of the Caribbean with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km/h （100 mph）.Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States,although hundreds died in the Caribbean.
This was a very different outcome from 1900,when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston,Texas,killing at least 6 000 people.Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century—residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching,while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance of Georges’s approach,allowing for extensive safety precautions.
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning,some residents of New Orleans,Louisiana,120 km to the west,were less satisfied.A day before Georges made landfall,forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans.Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level,the city is at risk for flooding.In addition,because New Orleans has a large population in vulnerable locations,emergency management officials must begin evacuations well before a storm strikes.But evacuation costs money:Businesses close,tourists leave,and citizens take precautionary measures.The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million.After the full fury of Georges missed New Orleans,some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.
The differing views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges illustrate some of the complexities involved in predicting disasters.Disaster prediction is more than just forecasting the future with advanced technology—it is also a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.
In general,the process has three phases.First,there is the challenge of forecasting the event itself.In the case of Georges,scientists worked to predict the future direction and strength of the hurricane days in advance.
A second important challenge is communicating the forecast to decision－makers.Because forecasts are always uncertain,a central factor in disaster predictions is communicating this uncertainty.Uncertainty is usually described in terms of odds or probabilities,much like daily weather forecasts.The media plays an important role in communicating predictions and their uncertainty to the public.
The third part of the process is the use of predictive information by decision makers.Even the most accurate information is of little value if the decision maker does not use it appropriately,for example in deciding whether to order an evacuation.If there is a breakdown in any of these three phases of prediction,the result is increased danger and a higher risk of loss of life.The underlined word“calamity”refers to ______.
| A．nature | B．thunderstorms | C．disaster | D．dangers |
According the passage,the purpose of disaster prediction is to______.
| A．demonstrate the power of advanced technology |
| B．bring out the truth between life and death |
| C．prevent such natural disasters from happening |
| D．reduce human casualties and loss of property |
Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?
| A．Biloxi,Mississippi. | B．Gulf Coast of U. S. |
| C．Galveston,Texas. | D．New Orleans. |
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