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

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

   80 percent of groceries in the US are packed in plastic bags and the numbers are becoming huge. 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, their main source of food, and often choke on them.

   However, this kind of bag does have its advantages.

   Paper bags use more energy and create more waste than plastic bags. Plastic bags require 40 percent less energy to produce and cause 70 percent less air pollution. They also release as much as 94 percent less waste into the water than paper ones do.

   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 plastic bags. “Biodegradable” means that the bags break down naturally just like a piece of banana peel when it is left outside.

   But until biodegradable technology improves, it might be easier to pack things you buy in reusable cloth bags.

1.Compared to paper bags, plastic bags ______.

A. produce 6 percent more waste

B. can be made biodegradable more easily

C. can be used as a source of food

D. save 40 percent of the energy

2.By saying “The answer is not as easy as it might seem,” (in paragraph 2) the writer means _____.

A. biodegradable plastic bags can compete with paper

B. paper bags seem to be kind to environment

C. it’s difficult to say whether plastic or paper bags are better for the environment

3.What does the author suggest people use at the present time?

A. Paper bags          B. Plastic bags

C. Biodegradable plastic bags.   D. Cloth bags.

Even when you’re extremely busy, you aren’t using your time with 100% efficiency. There are gaps in everyone’s schedule where they aren’t doing anything important. Even if your schedule has no gaps, there is probably lots of time when you aren’t working as fast or as effectively as you possibly could.

Why aren’t you completely efficient? It’s because time isn’t the limiting factor. If it were the limiting factor, people could work non-stop without breaks or any unproductive distractions (消遣). Instead, people, even those who are highly productive, need to take breaks, occasionally procrastinate (拖延) and slow down on tasks throughout the day.

The real and most important limiting factor for productivity is your energy levels to pay attention. Energy levels limit your productivity because when you’re tired, you can have enough time and still not get everything done. Your attention ability is also limited, because even if there are a million things that need to be done, you can only focus on one or two at a time.

You might not be able to insert another 4-5 hours into your schedule without making some sacrifices. But even extremely busy people can add an hour or two into their schedule without cancelling anything. The reason why it’s hard to “find time” isn’t a lack of time. It’s because you don’t have enough energy left to focus on something else that needs to fit into your day.

I first suspected time wasn’t the real problem during an extremely busy period in my life over a year ago. I was extremely busy, but at that time I still exercised regularly. I had daily to-do lists with over twenty items, and I still found time to exercise. However, after a few weeks off, due to illness, I stopped exercising. I was not busy by any standards, in fact, my schedule was incredibly light. Despite this free time, I found it hard to find time to exercise. It seemed to get pushed later and later into my schedule until it was gone. How can I explain this odd experience? I believe you have known it.

1.If someone can’t work with 100% efficiency, the most important limiting factor is ________.

A. a schedule without gaps                  B. breaks and distractions

C. the limited time                D. the limited energy

2.According to Paragraph 4, everyone, including the extremely busy people, can ________.

A. work without any rest

B. focus on many things at a time

C. find some more time in a day

D. do some exercise regularly

3.The writer gives the example of himself in the last paragraph in order to ________.

A. prove what the real limiting factor is

B. show us how busily he needs to work

C. explain how important a healthy body is

D. tell us what an odd experience he has

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Do You Really Lack Time?

B. How Can You Work Efficiently?

C. What Makes Your Energy Limited?

D. When Should You Do Exercise?

E
The earth is getting warmer. The planet is suffering. But what can you do about it? Reduce the amount of waste you generate. Use cleaner energy sources and go greener today, starting with these steps:
1. Get a reusable water bottle
Americans buy about 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles each year. That's an average of 83 bottles per person per year. Plastic bottles take plenty of resources to produce, including fuel for transportation and petroleum to make the plastic. Even recycling bottles uses energy.
2. Eat less meat
You don't need to become a vegetarian to help save the planet. Eating meat just one day less a week can reduce your negative impact on the environment. More water, energy and land are required to produce meat than to produce grain.
3. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
Most households use standard incandescent (白炽的) bulbs. But compact fluorescent (荧光的) light bulbs, or CFLs, use 66 percent less energy than standard bulbs, produce just as much light, last up to 10 times longer and don't need to be replaced as often. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would equal removing one million cars from the road.
4. Buy organic and local food
Did you know that only 1 percent of pesticides (杀虫剂) applied to crops reach the pests they target? The rest enter the environment. Organic food is grown without the use of pesticides. Organic farming can use 50 percent less energy than traditional farming methods. Buying local food saves on the fuel used to transport food grown elsewhere, thousands of miles across the country or around the world.
5. Recycle your electronics
Everyone knows the importance of recycling glass and plastic, but what about cell phones, computers, CDs and batteries? Electronics are responsible for about 40 percent of toxic (有毒的) heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Check with your city's recycling facilities to see if they take electronics.
72. The readers of this passage are called on to ______.
A. help reduce global warming               B. use water in a wise way              
C. donate money for charity                 D. keep a balanced diet
73. What is an advantage of CFLs according to the passage?
A. They use more energy but produce more light.                                  
B. They can last longer so don't need to be replaced often.
C. They cost less than standard incandescent bulbs.                                      
D. They are as energy-efficient as incandescent bulbs.
74. Which of the following figures is correct according to the passage?
A. Every year an American buys 63 plastic water bottles on average.                  
B. Eating meat one day less a week helps cut environment costs.                                  
C. 99 of the pesticides used on crops is effective in practice.                                        
D. Electronics account for half of poisonous heavy metals on the earth.
75. Which can be the best title for this passage?
A. Why is the earth getting warmer?           B. What can we do about pollution?              C. How can you lead a greener life?              D. Who is to blame for global warming?

E
The earth is getting warmer. The planet is suffering. But what can you do about it? Reduce the amount of waste you generate. Use cleaner energy sources and go greener today, starting with these steps:
1. Get a reusable water bottle
Americans buy about 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles each year. That's an average of 83 bottles per person per year. Plastic bottles take plenty of resources to produce, including fuel for transportation and petroleum to make the plastic. Even recycling bottles uses energy.
2. Eat less meat
You don't need to become a vegetarian to help save the planet. Eating meat just one day less a week can reduce your negative impact on the environment. More water, energy and land are required to produce meat than to produce grain.
3. Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
Most households use standard incandescent (白炽的) bulbs. But compact fluorescent (荧光的) light bulbs, or CFLs, use 66 percent less energy than standard bulbs, produce just as much light, last up to 10 times longer and don't need to be replaced as often. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would equal removing one million cars from the road.
4. Buy organic and local food
Did you know that only 1 percent of pesticides (杀虫剂) applied to crops reach the pests they target? The rest enter the environment. Organic food is grown without the use of pesticides. Organic farming can use 50 percent less energy than traditional farming methods. Buying local food saves on the fuel used to transport food grown elsewhere, thousands of miles across the country or around the world.
5. Recycle your electronics
Everyone knows the importance of recycling glass and plastic, but what about cell phones, computers, CDs and batteries? Electronics are responsible for about 40 percent of toxic (有毒的) heavy metals such as lead and mercury. Check with your city's recycling facilities to see if they take electronics.
72. The readers of this passage are called on to ______.
A. help reduce global warming               B. use water in a wise way               C. donate money for charity                      D. keep a balanced diet
73. What is an advantage of CFLs according to the passage?
A. They use more energy but produce more light.                                   B. They can last longer so don't need to be replaced often.                                        C. They cost less than standard incandescent bulbs.                                         D. They are as energy-efficient as incandescent bulbs.
74. Which of the following figures is correct according to the passage?
A. Every year an American buys 63 plastic water bottles on average.                   B. Eating meat one day less a week helps cut environment costs.                                   C. 99 of the pesticides used on crops is effective in practice.                                         D. Electronics account for half of poisonous heavy metals on the earth.
75. Which can be the best title for this passage?
A. Why is the earth getting warmer?           B. What can we do about pollution?              C. How can you lead a greener life?          D. Who is to blame for global warming?

The forces that make Japan one of the world's most earthquake-prone（有地震倾向的） countries could become part of its long-term energy solution．

Water from deep below the ground at Japan's tens of thousands of hot springs could be used to produce electricity．

Although Japanese high-tech companies are leaders in geothermal（地热的） technology and export it, its use is limited in the nation．

"Japan should no doubt make use of its resources of geothermal energy," said Yoshiyasu Takefuji, a leading researcher of thermal-electric power production．

The disastrous earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused a reaction against atomic power, which previously made up 30 percent of Japan's energy needs, and increased interest in alternative energies, which account for only 8 percent．

Artist Yoko Ono has called on Japan to explore its natural energy, following the example of Iceland which uses renewable energy for more than 80 percent of its needs．

For now, geothermal energy makes up less than 1 percent of the energy needs in Japan, which has for decades relied heavily on fossil fuels and atomic power．

The biggest problem to geothermal energy is the high initial cost of the exploration and constructing the factories．Another problem is that Japan's potentially best sites are already being developed for tourism or are located within national parks where construction is forbidden．

"We can't even dig 10cm inside national parks．" said Shigeto Yamada of Fuji Electric, adding that regulations protecting nature would need to be relaxed for geothermal energy to grow．

Researcher Hideaki Matsui said, "Producing electricity using hot springs is a decades-long project．We also have to think about what to do for now as energy supplies will decline in the short term．"

The Earth Policy Institute in Washington, US, believed Japan could produce 80,000 megawatts（兆瓦）and meet more than half its electricity needs with geothermal technology．

Japanese giants such as Toshiba are already global leaders in geothermal technology, with a 70 percent market share．In 2010, Fuji Electric built the world's largest geothermal factory in New Zealand．

1.What would be the best title for the text?

A．Alternative energies in Japan

B．World's largest geothermal plant

C．Japan takes the lead in geothermal technology

D．Japan thinks of geothermal energy

2.What percentage of Japan's energy needs is geothermal energy?

A．About 8%．       B．Below 1%．        C．Around 30%．     D．Over 80%．

3.According to Shigeto Yamada, the growth of geothermal power in Japan needs ____．

A．a change of rules                       B．financial support

C．local people's help                      D．high technology

4.Geothermal energy is considered as a long-term program by _____．

A．Yoshiyasu Takefuji                       B．Hideaki Matsui

C．Shigeto Yamada                         D．Yoko Ono

5.It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that _____．

A．the world's biggest geothermal plant was built by America

B．Japan will not export its geothermal technology

C．the potential of Japan's geothermal energy is great

D．it is hard to find geothermal energy in Japan