Every time you go to the supermarket, you come away with your purchases in plastic bags. But wouldn’t it be kinder to the environment if you asked for paper bags instead?

The answer is not the easy as it might seem. Environmentalists say there are drawbacks to using both plastic bags and paper bags.

According to the American Plastics Council 80 percent of groceries in the US are packed in plastic bags.

“The numbers are becoming huge,” said Vincent Cobb, a businessman from Chicago who set up “reusable bags. com” on the Internet. He notes that consumers use between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags per year worldwide.

Some experts believe that all these bags harm the environment. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and, as it does so, poisonous materials are released into the water and soil.

Further damage is caused if plastic bags enter the sea. For example, endangered sea turtles cannot tell the bags from jellyfish(水母), their main source of food, and often choke on them.

Floating plastic bags have been spotted as far north as the Arctic Ocean and as far south as the southern end of South America. One expert predicts that, within ten years, plastic bags will wash up in Antarctica!

However, this kind of bag does have its advantages.

“Plastic grocery bags are some of the most reused things around the house,” explained Laurie Kusek of the American Plastics Council.

According to the Film and Bag Federation, a trade group in the US plastics industry, paper bags use more energy and create more waste than plastic bags. Plastic bags require 40 per cent less energy to produce and cause 70 per cent less air pollution, the group explained. They also release as much as 94 percent less waste into the water than paper ones.

But paper bags do break down more quickly than plastic bags. They don’t endanger wildlife, either.

So what should we do? One possible solution would be to use biodegradable(能被生物分解的)plastic bags. But until biodegradable technology improves, it might be easier to pack things you buy in reusable cloth bags.

64. The best title of the passage is _____.

   A.  Paper Causes Less Pollution          B. Plastic Causes Less Pollution

   C.  Paper and Plastics Cause Pollution     D. Paper Bags Break Down More Quickly

65. The underlined word “drawbacks” might mean “_____”.

A. Advantages    B. disadvantages    C. air pollution   D. waste

66. According to the passage, which of the following in NOT true?

A. Plastic takes longer to break down than paper.

B. Sea turtles usually mistake the plastic bags for jellyfish.

C. Paper bags require less energy than plastic bags.

D.You’d better pack things in reusable cloth bags.

67. Which of the following shows that paper bags are better than plastic ones?

A. Paper bags take less time to rot.    B. Paper bags cause less air pollution.

C. Paper bags are more reusable.      D. Paper bags cause less water pollution.

What’s on stage

An acrobatic(杂技)show: To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the China Acrobatic Troupe(剧团)will present “ The Soul of China”, where the seemingly impossible is made real. Chills(寒意)will run down your spine(脊柱) as you watch breathlessly as performers take their art and their bodies to the edge.

Time: 7:30 p.m. , September 13-19

Place: Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District

Exhibitions

Joint show: A group ink painting exhibition is running at the Huangshicheng Art Gallery in Beijing. About 50 works by 25 young artists including Ge Yun and Yu Yang are on display.

Time: 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. until September10

Place: Huangshicheng Art Gallery, 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District

Oil paintings: The Wangfung Art Gallery will host a joint show of oil painting by 10 young and middle-aged artists. On display are more than 30 of their latest works, which capture the wondrous variety of life in unique styles.

Time: 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. until September15

Place:136 Nanchizi Street, Dongcheng District

Literature museum: The National Museum of Modern Chinese Literature offers an in-depth study of the evolution of Chinese contemporary literature from 1919 to 1949.

Time: 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m. , daily

Place: 45 Anyuan Donglu, Chaoyang District (shaoyaoju area)

Concerts

Beijing rocks: “The Fashion Night of Chinese Rock” is set to bring rock fans out by the thousands next month. Nine Chinese rock bands will perform at the concert, including older generation bands, middle generation and some recent arrivals. The audience will be given a chance to decide what songs they want to hear, which is sure to bring a storm.

Time: September 16

Place: The Olympic Center

Belgium Orchestra(管弦乐队): La Petite Bande, the Baroque Orchestra of Belgium, will perform in Beijing at the Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities as part of activities across the world to commemorate(纪念) the 250th anniversary of Bach’s death.

Time: 7:30 p.m. September 11-14

Place: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities

60. What do you think of the acrobatic show mentioned here?

A. When you watch it, you will certainly feel cold.

B. Something strange will puzzle everyone, including scientists.

C. Unexpected things will make you excited and surprised.

D. Even the bravest ones will be too frightened to go on watching.

61. The most characteristic thing about the Fashion Night of Chinese Rock is that____.

A.        it will let the audience choose the performers and the music

B.        it is to bring thousands of rock fans out of their homes

C.        it will certainly cause a rock storm throughout China

D.       it is to be held in memory of one of the greatest musicians

62. Suppose it is September 14th today, how many activities can people choose to attend?

A. 2.   B. 3.    C. 4.    D. 5.

63. On the whole, we can conclude____.

A. people in Beijing prefer modern culture to something traditional

B. there are usually more culture actives in September than in any other month

C. most of the cultural activities in Beijing are for foreign visitors only

D. we can enjoy a large variety of cultural activities in Beijing

   Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.

   It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her ailing in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke and she went steadily downhill after that.

   Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her limp body back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.

   After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.

   “Whirr,” she said weakly.

   “Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.

   Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could muster said, “Not was, say were!”

   It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”

   Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe of a remarkable teacher.

56.When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?

A.        She wanted to tell her sons her will.

B.        She wanted to have something to eat before she died.

C.        She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking.

D.       She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying.

57.  Which of the following statements is NOT right?

A.        Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching.

B.        Mom was always making her teaching fun.

C.        Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died.

D.       Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home.

58.  What does the writer think of his mother?

A.        He loved her but was tired of his mother’s teaching at home.

B.        His mother should forget her teaching and enjoyed the rest of her life.

C.        His mother was great because she devoted herself to teaching.

D.       His mother was an excellent teacher before she was retired.

59. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A. Once a teacher, always…  B. Mom’s will C. A teacher’s life D. A teacher’s devotion

I remember one Thanksgiving when our family had no money and no food, and someone came knocking on our door. A man was ___36____ there with a huge box of food, a giant turkey and even some ___37____ to cook it in. I couldn’t ___38___ it. My dad demanded, “Who are you? Where are you from?”

The stranger announced, “I’m here because a friend of yours knows you’re in need and that you wouldn’t accept __39__ help, so I’ve brought this for you. Have a great Thanksgiving.”

My father said, “No, no, we ___40___ accept this.” The stranger replied “You don’t have __41____.”, closed the door and left.

Obviously that experience had a profound impact (深刻影响) on my life. I ___42___ myself that someday I would do well enough financially _43__ I could do the same thing for other people. By the time I was eighteen I had created my Thanksgiving ritual (习惯). I would go out ____44___ and buy enough food for one or two ___45____. Then I would dress like a delivery boy, go to the __46____ neighbourhood and just knock on a ___47____. I always __48____ a note that explained my Thanksgiving experience __49____ a kid. The note said, “All that I ask ___50___ is that you take good enough care of ___51____ so that someday you can do the same thing for someone else.” I have received more from this annual ritual than I have from any amount of __52____ I’ve ever earned.

Years ago I was in New York City with my new wife during Thanksgiving. She was sad because we were not with our family. ___53____ she would be home decorating the house for Christmas, but we were __54_____ in a hotel room. When I told her what I always do on Thanksgiving, she got excited.

We packed enough food for seven families for thirty days and went to buildings where half a dozen people lived in one room with no electricity and no heat in winter surrounded by rats, cockroaches(蟑螂) and the smell of urine(尿). It was both an ___55____ realization that people lived this way and a truly fulfilling experience to make even a small difference.

36. A. speaking     B. standing         C. looking             D. shouting

37. A. meat        B. vegetables      C. pans                 D. firewood

38. A. believe      B. accept          C. help                 D. refuse

39. A. direct       B. some           C. our                  D. any

40. A. may not     B. needn’t         C. can’t                 D. daren’t

41. A. any money   B. a choice        C. food                 D. a turkey

42. A. permitted    B. promised       C. asked                D. said

43. A. when       B. so that          C. even if               D. as if

44. A. driving      B. playing        C. offering               D. shopping

45. A. people      B. children        C. families               D. days

46. A. nearest      B. farthest        C. largest                D. poorest

47. A. house       B. door          C. window               D. gate

48. A. concluded    B. included      C. wrote                 D. took

49. A. like         B. with          C. as                    D. to

50. A. in return      B. later         C. in future               D. for

51. A. others       B. yourself       C. your family            D. the presents

52. A. warmth      B. thanks        C. money                D. encouragement

53. A. Unfortunately   B. Obviously     C. Normally            D. Gradually

54. A. stuck         B. excited        C. free                 D. delighted

55. A. exciting       B. astonishing     C. encouraging          D. outstanding

 The teacher went up to the sleeping student and patted him on the head, _______.

A. waking him up      B to wake him away    C. woke him up   D. waken him away

 ________ a mobile phone can you ring ______ you want to talk with anyway.

A. Using; whoever      B. Only on; whomever    C. By; whatever     D. With; anyone

 Pop music is such an important part of society______ it has even influenced our language.

A. as              B. that              C. which        D. where

 What he has told us about the situation in Iraq simply doesn’t make any________.

A. use              B.  reason         C value          D sense

 He suggested the problem worth paying attention ______ at the meeting.

A. to be discussed    B. to being discussed    C. to discuss    D. to discussing

 The careless driver is _______ for the traffic accident_______ yesterday.

A. to blame; happened    B. to blame; happening     C. to be blamed; happened

D. to be blamed; happening