It doesn’t look like the heart of a green revolution. The huge chimneys stick up above the line of pine trees and don’t make for the most scenic view as you wander around the clear blue waters of the nearby lake.
But it is this power plant that has helped the small Swedish city of Vaxjo become arguably the greenest place in Europe. On closer observation, the only thing emerging from the chimneys is the faintest mists of steam. And inside it smells more like a sauna(桑拿) than a furnace(炉子). That’s because it is not oil fuelling the plant, but woodchip and other wood waste from the area’s sawmills. And as well as generating electricity, it also supplies 90 per cent of this southern Swedish town with heating and hot water.
The gases produced as the wood burns are changed into liquid form, and are purified before they reach the chimney. And instead of wasting this liquid, the power plant pumps it around town. Some runs out of the town’s public taps; the rest is directed through pipes that run through individual heaters, warming homes and offices.
The pile of wood chippings in the yard towers above head height and takes almost five minutes to walk around. That’s enough to keep Vaxjo warm on the snowiest day in winter, or supply it with hot water for a fortnight in summer, and it’s good way of using the paper industry’s waste. As well as the centuries-- old Swedish policy of planting a new tree for every one felled, the ashes swept out of the furnace each day find their way back to the forest as fertilizer(肥料).
It was this green plant that netted Vaxjo the European Union’s award for sustainable(可持续的)development, making it the greenest city on the continent.
However, it is not just the citizen’s consciences and moral histories to which the town’s current day authorities are appealing. They know how to talk to their wallets too. Oil-generated electricity costs about 16,000 kronor a year(￡1,170) per person, while the new power plant’s electricity comes in at two thirds of the price.
They’ve been planning for over ten years to become a “Fossil Fuel Free City”. But according to Anders Franzen, the head of planning and development department at the city council: “The battle in the energy sector has been won, yes, but the next battleground is transport.”What’s the main reason for “inside it smells more like a sauna than a furnace”?
| A．It is surrounded by pine trees. |
| B．It produces lots of hot water. |
| C．It is fuelled by woodchip and wood waste . |
| D．It sends out the smoke from the chimneys. |
It can be concluded from the passage that the power plant .
| A．promotes tree planting |
| B．makes full use of waste |
| C．relies heavily on paper industry |
| D．mainly supplies hot water and heating |
What impresses the town’s current-- day authorities most?
| A．The citizens’ consciences. |
| B．The town’s moral histories. |
| C．The lower cost of electricity |
| D．The award for sustainable development |
What Anders Franzen said in the last paragraph indicates that .
| A．they will continue their effort in green plan |
| B．they have great difficulty in transport |
| C．they have no room for further development |
| D．they are perfectly content with the achievement |
When Ben Franklin was very only a boy, he always wanted to know about things. He was always asking his father and brothers “What?” and “How?” and “Why?”
They couldn’t always tell him what he wanted to know.
When they couldn’t tell him, Ben tried to find out for himself.
Many times Ben did find out things that no one knew before. The other boys would say, “That’s Ben Franklin! He’s always finding out something new! ”
Ben lived close to the water. He liked to go there to see the boats. He saw how the wind blew them across the water.
One day Ben said to himself, “Why can’t the wind help me float across the water? And I’m going to try.” Ben got his big kite. He took hold of the kite string and ran with it. The wind took the kite up into the air. Then Ben jumped into the water.
The wind blew the kite high into the air. Ben began to float across the water. Soon he was on the other side, and he had not worked at all.
One boy shouted, “Look at Ben floating across the water! His kite takes him to the other side without any work!”
“Yes”, said another. “He’s always finding new ways to do things.”When he was only a child, Ben _____.
| A．liked to fly a kite by himself |
| B．always asked easy questions |
| C．always liked to play with water |
| D．always liked to find out how things worked |
His father and brothers _____.
| A．couldn’t answer all his questions |
| B．could answer all his questions |
| C．tried hard to find out something new for him |
| D．were too busy to answer his questions |
How did Ben Franklin float across the water?
| A．The other boy took him across it. |
| B．The water carried him across it. |
| C．The flying kite took him across it. |
| D．A boat took him across it. |
He found out many things that ____.
| A．children didn’t know |
| B．his father and brothers knew |
| C．people didn’t know |
| D．most people knew |
My bike was a three-speed English “racer”, purchased during my second year in college in November 1964 for $44. Most of the money was earned by myself in my spare time, but I had to get my mother to help me out a little. At that time, bikes were rare on a college campus. My reason for getting a bicycle was a little strange. A friend of mine convinced me to take a summer job selling door-to-door and suggested that I should use a bicycle to travel between houses. The job didn’t work out, but the idea was in my brain.
That fall, I borrowed another student’s bike and rode 45 miles on the first day, but his bike soon had a flat(瘪了的轮胎) which he didn’t like fixing. So I had to buy one. I immediately started using mine almost every day. Before getting the bike, I sometimes walked 28 miles to my parents’ house. Now the bike gave me a quicker method, but my first trip took four hours due to strong headwinds that had me fight for every foot. Once I made a trip of 100 miles in one day. I decided to use the bike to go camping in the Smokies. During the trip, I recognized the need for handlebars and more gears, so I bought a ten-speed after just one year though I loved this bike.
The first bike “hung around” for a couple of years, and then I gave it to my sister’s kids who let it become part of their lives. What can we learn from the passage?
| A．His mother gave him some money when he bought the first bike. |
| B．The first bike was a gift from his mother. |
| C．He bought the first bike for racing. |
| D．He wanted to buy a bike because all his classmates had one. |
We can infer that besides studying at college the writer ____.
| A．often helped his friend do business |
| B．also worked in a factory |
| C．had part-time jobs in his spare time |
| D．had to make money to pay for his tuition |
The underlined phrase “the idea” in the first paragraph refers to “____”.
| A．selling door-to-door |
| B．buying a bike of his own |
| C．borrowing a bike from others |
| D．earning money by working |
According to the passage, we can learn that the first bike was ____ for him.
| A．unnecessary | B．very useful |
| C．a lifelong tool | D．too troublesome |
Most people believe they don't have imagination. They are wrong. Everyone has imagination, but most of us，once we became adults, forget how to access it. Creativity isn't always connected with great works of art or ideas. People at work and in their free time routinely think of creative ways to solve problems. Maybe you have a goal to achieve，a tricky question to answer or you just want to expand your mind! Here are three techniques to help you.
This technique involves taking unrelated ideas and trying to find links between them. First，think about the problem you have to solve or the job you need to do. Then find an image，word，idea or object，for example，a candle. Write down all the ideas/words associated with candles：light，fire，matches, wax，night，silence，etc. Think of as many as you can. The next stage is to relate the ideas to the job you have to do. So imagine you want to buy a friend an original present; you could buy him tickets to a match or take him out for the night.
Imagine that normal limitations don't exist. You have as much time/space/money，etc. as you want. Think about your goal and the new possibilities. If，for example，your goal is to learn to ski, you can now practice skiing every day of your life (because you have the time and the money). Now adapt this to reality. Maybe you can practice skiing every day in December，or every Monday in January.
Look at the situation from a different point of view. Good negotiators use this technique in business，and so do writers. Fiction writers often imagine they are the characters in their books. They ask questions: what does this character want? Why can't she get it? What changes must she make to get what she wants? What does she dream about? If your goal involves other people, put yourself “in their shoes”. The best fishermen think like fish! According to the passage, when we become adults, _________ .
| A．most of us are no longer creative | B．we can still learn to be more creative |
| C．we are not as imaginative as children | D．we are unwilling to be creative |
The second technique suggests that you just imagine
| A．setting a goal is as simple as skiing |
| B．new possibilities will soon appear |
| C．December and January are the best months for skiing. |
| D．you have every resource to achieve your goal |
The phrase “put yourself in their shoes” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______ .
| A．dress yourself like them | B．think as they would |
| C．do as they ask you to | D．put on their shoes |
We learn from the third technique that a good salesman should ask himself “ _________ ?”.
| A．what do I usually do | B．what did my boss tell me to do |
| C．what are my customers' needs | D．how should I sell my products |
The name of our restaurant is Mediterranean Seafood Restaurant. When you hear the name you will immediately think of the sea and Europe. European countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy and France are all famous for their special cuisine(菜肴) and most of the best sea recipes come from these countries. These countries also produce the best wines and champagnes(香槟酒) in the world.
Our restaurant has the best seafood in the world. Enjoy the best sea recipes from the Mediterranean countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy and France. We only use fresh ingredients brought directly from the sea to our kitchen.
Among the beverages we serve, you will find the best brands of wines and champagnes on earth. We also have a large variety of colorful cocktails. If you drink one of those and eat our seafood, you’ll experience a feeling that you have never felt before. We also have excellent waiters and waitresses who wear typical mariner(水手) uniforms.
Mediterranean Seafood Restaurant is the best choice for seafood lovers because it has everything you need for the perfect meal. You can find every kind of seafood here. If you are tired of the typical restaurants, come here to discover the true taste of the sea.
Nowhere else has the wonderful environment that we have. Most of the other restaurants offer the same type of dishes without the real flavor of the sea. You’ll like the Mediterranean because the quality of our service is unique. Don’t waste your time trying to find another place to eat; we have everything that you are looking for — comfort, newness, and of course, delicious food.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Why the restaurant is named the Mediterranean. | B．Where the Mediterranean restaurant is. |
| C．A general introduction to the restaurant. | D．The entertainment in the Mediterranean. |
The underlined word “beverages” in the third paragraph probably means “______”.
| A．drinks | B．fruits | C．vegetables | D．dishes |
We can infer from the passage that the reason why waiters and waitresses wear mariner uniforms is that ______.
| A．they want to make people feel that they are at sea |
| B．they find it comfortable to wear uniforms |
| C．they want to remind people that they are on a ship |
| D．mariner uniforms can keep people safe at sea |
From the writing style of this passage we can see that it is ______.
| A．a news report | B．an advertisement | C．a pupil’s composition | D．a funny story |
We can stay young forever. That is the message Dr. Shen Ziyin wants to give the world. And the Chinese doctor claims that he has found an answer to the problems of aging.
His solution is a herbal medicine to slow the process of aging.
Dr. Shen Ziyin has been trained in Western medicine. At the same time he studied traditional Chinese medicine. And, he has been working for the past forty years to put together the best of both and find a cure for aging. He has taken a hint from the ancient Chinese medicine system called “shen”.
According to Shen, it is the kidney（肾脏）which adjusts the functioning of the body as well as its aging process. It is responsible for the level of activity that the human bodies go through. Studies conducted by Dr. Shen show that herbal medicine based on the shen system slow the aging process, says a report in The Telegraph newspaper.
We notice that when people grow old, they have reduced strength, loss of hair, backache, weakness in general, and wrinkles, among others. This happens because when people grow old, their bodies produce T-cells. These T-cells contain a particular substance called Fas. Fas makes the cells in the body destruct themselves.
So the only way to slow down aging is to slow the production of T-cells in the body. This can happen if people eat low calorie food. Then the body is not active enough to produce extra T-cells. But, is going hungry all the time a good price to pay for staying young?
This is where Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine comes in. But how effective it will be, only time can tell. How did Dr. Shen find the solution to the problem of aging?
| A．By studying Western medicine. |
| B．By learning traditional Chinese medicine. |
| C．By combining both Western and Chinese medicine. |
| D．By doing research on both Western and Chinese people. |
The reason why people become old is that _________.
| A．their bodies produce T-cells |
| B．their bodies are unable to fight diseases |
| C．they have reduced strength, loss of hair |
| D．they become weaker and weaker |
We can probably learn from the passage that _________.
| A．producing more low calorie food allows people to keep young |
| B．the more Chinese herbal medicine people drink, the better for health |
| C．people should try to quicken the production of T-cells in the body |
| D．it remains unknown how effective Dr. Shen’s herbal medicine is |
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