The oldest and most common source (来源) of renewable energy known to man, biomass is one of the most important forms energy production in the United States and elsewhere. Since such a wide variety of biomass materials is everywhere —- from trees and grasses to agricultural and city —- life wastes —-biomass promises to play a continuing role in providing power and heat for millions of people around the world.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS), biomass is a kind of renewable energy source that produces no carbon dioxide, because the energy it contains comes from the sun. When plant matter is burned, it gives off the sun’s energy. In this way, biomass serves as a sort of natural battery(电池) for storing the sun’s energy. As long as biomass is produced continuously —-with only as much grown as is used— the “battery” lasts forever.
According to the Energy Information Administration, biomass has been one of the leading renewable energy sources in the United States for several years running through 2007, making up between 0.5 and 0.9 percent of the nation’s total electricity supply. In 2008—-although the numbers aren’t all in yet—-wind power probably took over first place because of the rapid development of wind farms across the country.
Producing power from biomass helps reduce some 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Some homeowners also try to make their own heat by using biomass materials. Such practice may save homeowner’s money, but it also produces a lot of pollution. So, the best way is to encourage power plants to use it.Why is biomass considered as “a sort of natural battery”?
| A．It burns simply plant matter. |
| B．It stores the energy from the sun. |
| C．It keeps producing electricity. |
| D．It produces zero carbon dioxide. |
We learn from the text that in 2008 ______.
| A．0.5~0.9 of power supply came from biomass |
| B．biomass might become the main energy source |
| C．there was a rapid growth of electricity production |
| D．Wind power would be the leader of renewable energy. |
Why does the author encourage power plants to use biomass?
| A．To save money. |
| B．To prevent the waste of energy. |
| C．To reduce pollution. |
| D．To increase production safety. |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A book review. | B．A business report. |
| C．A research plan. | D．A science magazine |
“Choo, Choo!” Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation.
The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French, it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.
Did you know that the British and the French had a race whi1e they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994.
The completed Chunnel cost about $ 21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular.
There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other.
There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels, and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains.
Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off, this is the last stop.The Channel Tunnel links ______ with _______.
| A．Dover; Kent | B．London; Paris |
| C．Lille; Brussels | D．Cheriton; Sangatte |
Which of the following shows the structure of the tunnels in the Chunnel?
The Eurotunnel shuttle is intended to carry _________.
| A．passengers | B．drivers and their vehicles |
| C．goods | D．staff members of the Chunnel |
The text can most probably be __________.
| A．found in a textbook | B．read in a magazine |
| C．broadcast on a train | D．heard in a railway station |
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature．However，whether you are on the mountains，in the waves，or on the grassland，you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment．
Some sports are resource-hungry．Golf，as you may know，eats up not only large areas of countryside，but also tons of water．Besides，all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场)in good condition．This causes major environmental effects．For example，in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain，golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas．
There are many environment-friendly sports．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today．You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes；and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse．Simple and free，power walking can also keep you fit．If you walk regularly，it will be good for your heart and bones．Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious，sleep well and have better weight control．
Whatever sport you take up，you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials．But the final goal should be“green gyms”．They RYe better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors，in the countryside or other open spaces．There is no special requirement for you to start your membership．And best of all，it’s free.Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?
| A．Cycling around a lake． |
| B．Motor racing in the desert． |
| C．Playing basketball in a gym． |
| D．Swimming in a sports center. |
What do we know about golf from the passage?
| A．It produces chemicals and wastes． |
| B．It is popular in Portugal and Spain． |
| C．It causes water shortages around the world． |
| D．It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green． |
The author uses power walking as an example mainly because ______________.
| A．it is an outdoor sport |
| B．it improves our health |
| C．it uses fewer resources |
| D．it is recommended by experts |
The author writes the passage to _____________．
| A．show us the function of major sports |
| B．encourage us to go in for green sports |
| C．discuss the major influence of popular sports |
| D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
Food，football and fashion—Milan has it a11．The city is perhaps most famous for its annual Milan Fashion Week and its world-class soccer teams AC Milan and Inter Milan．And May will see it host the six-month Milan Expo，the theme of which is food and nutrition．
Milan may not the first place tourists think of when they think of Italy．Rome is the most famous city in Italian history，Venice draws visitors who want to travel along its canals and Florence is popular with art lovers．Yet Milan can often be left off tourists’lists．But although some see Milan as the“ugly sister”of these cities，according to Lonely Planet，in 2015 the city is“suddenly back in fashion in a big way”．
The Milan Expo will look at the future of food，trying to answer the question of how Earth’s fast-growing population can be fed in the future．According to Lonely Planet website．“144 countries will set up shop northwest of central Milan，forming a mini city-within-a-city”．
Milan’s famous opera house，La Scala，normally closed in the summer，will also host daily performances during the expo，reported Fox News．
Not interested in opera?Don’t worry．Visitors who prefer sports may want to visit the San Siro stadium，home of the soccer teams AC Milan and Inter Milan．Tile stadium is one of the most famous in Europe and has seen many important games over the years，both in Serie A and the European Champions League．
So even if all of its fashion and beautiful people can make Milan seem“soulless”，as Lonely Planet said．it still has“a serious sense of history and place”．Many people will be discovering it this year，and eating great food from all over the world to help solve world problems．Will you?Which of the following statements is True about Milan?
| A．It is the largest city in Italy and has the longest history． |
| B．It is hosting the world’s largest Fashion Week in 2015． |
| C．Football，fashion and ancient canals are three features of the city． |
| D．The city’s La Scala opera house will offer additional performances in 2015． |
What’s the attitudes of the editors from Lonely Planet towards the city of Milan?
| A．uninterested． | B．modest． |
| C．favorable． | D．dissatisfied． |
In the 2015 Milan Expo，you can ___________．
| A．enjoy food from all over the world |
| B．Watch great football games |
| C．Travel along the canals |
| D．Enjoy great art works |
The author’s purpose in writing this article is to ____________．
| A．give an introduction to Milan as a tourist destination |
| B．inform readers of the theme of the 2015 Milan Expo |
| C．give an objective review of the food culture in Milan |
| D．explain why Milan will be holding the world Expo in 2015 |
When I set out to drop my dad of fat the airport，it was dark and dreary(沉闷的)．It started to rain on the way．When I left the airport，the visibility wasn’t clear because of the drops of rain．It was before 6 am．
Even though the road conditions were poor，I drove at my normal speed．I was angry with the more cautious drivers ahead of me that were delaying my drive．The exit ramp(坡道)to the highway was a tight spiral(急盘旋)．It is a dangerous spot in good weather and totally scary when the weather is miserable or it is dark．But I didn’t want to slow down and arrive home any later than necessary．I drove down the ramp too fast．The road was wet and my car slid，landing face down on the passenger side．
I didn’t like to drive by myself at the time and had debated taking my husband and son with me on the trip．Thankfully，I was alone in the car．My accident was slight．In fact, I was lucky enough not to have a single scratch．I shuddered to think the injuries my son would have suffered had he been in the backseat of that car with no seatbelt when it rolled．After the ear rolled three times，I found my mobile phone was lost in a pile of small things that were all lying in the bottom of the car．A lady was kind enough to let me borrow her mobile phone，but with-out the numbers preprogrammed who could I call? I was lucky enough to remember my father’s mobile phone number，and fortunate that he hadn’t yet got on his plane.
You never know when an accident will happen．As a driver，I will keep safety in mind by obeying all traffic laws and have safe-driving habits，especially in bad weather．Insist your children always wear their seatbehs．Life is a journey and everyone should value it and enjoy the ride．Why was the author angry with those drivers?
| A．She thought they drove too slowly． |
| B．They made much noise on the ramp． |
| C．They didn’t pay attention to the safety． |
| D．They tried to stop her car on the ramp． |
What does the underlined word“shuddered” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Ensured the safety． |
| B．Remembered clearly． |
| C．Trembled because of fear． |
| D．Took control of the bad situation． |
What is the main reason that resulted in the accident?
| A．The visibility was not clear． |
| B．The author drove rather fast． |
| C．It started to rain heavily then． |
| D．It was an unsafe spot for driving． |
We can learn from this passage that the author _____________．
| A．had just a single scratch |
| B．called her father for help |
| C．felt sorry because her son was injured |
| D．found her mobile phone with the help of a lady |
In order to help customers to find what they want quickly，it’s important to keep the thou- sands of titles in the Main Street Movies store organized properly．This section of the Employee Handbook will tell you how to organize videos．
Each Main Street Movies store has three main sections：
1．New Releases Wall．
2．Film library．
3．Video Games．
New Releases Wall．A1most 70 percent of movie rentals are new releases，and that is the first place where most customers go when they enter the store．The center section of shelves on this wall holds Hottest Hits．When new titles come into the store，place them on this wall in alphabetical order．The shelves beside Hottest Hits are called Recent Releases．The New Releases Wall，including the Hottest Hits and Recent Releases shelves，holds about 350 titles.
Film Library．The thousands of tides in the Film Library are organized into categories. The films within each category are displayed alphabetically．Here are the categories and their two-letter computer codes：
*Foreign Language tides include films that were originally made in a foreign language and films with foreign language subtitles．A sticker on the back of each box tells which type of film it is.
Video Game．All the video games in Main Street Movies are arranged in alphabetical order．Although video games represent only a small percentage of our inventory(库存)，they are stolen more often than any other type of goods in our store．Therefore，video games are never displayed on the shelves. Shelves in the Video Game section hold cardboard with pictures and information about each game．When a customer wants to rent a particular game，you can find the game from the locked case behind the counter．Whom do you think this passage is most probably written for?
| A．The readers in the store． |
| B．The manager of the store． |
| C．The customers in the store． |
| D．The salespersons of the store． |
How can a customer find a film with foreign language subtitles?
| A．Check the computer． |
| B．Cheek the center section． |
| C．Look at the back of the box． |
| D．Watch a few minutes of the film． |
Why can’t video games be seen on the shelves?
| A．Because they’ve been sold out． |
| B．Because they’re in the storehouse． |
| C．Because they’re in a locked case behind the counter． |
| D．Because they represent a small percentage of the inventory． |
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