Too cold for recess?  School policies vary as much as temps

When is it too cold for schoolchildren to go outside for recess（课间休息）? The answer varies widely based on where a school is located and what the kids are used to.

Consider:  One northern Minnesota school says it has to be 15 below zero before kids are kept inside. But in areas along the East Coast, temperatures below 35 to 40 degrees could keep kids inside. Canceling recess because of the cold is no small issue considering that much of the USA is trembling through what may be its coldest winter in a generation, according to AccuWeather.

There is no national temperature standard for when to keep kids inside during the winter months, the U.S. Department of Education says. Decisions are made at the local level, either by principals or school districts.

Consequently, policies are all over the map:

• In International Falls, Minn., the self-described "Icebox of the Nation," where the average high temperature in January is 13 degrees, Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer says, "if it's 15 below (or warmer), they go out, no matter what." "At 20 below, it gets iffy," he adds.

• In Wicomico County, Md., principals typically keep children indoors when temperatures drop below freezing, or if it's raining or snowing, says Susan Jones, the school system's director of elementary education.

"That's the bottom line," says Curtis Twilley, principal of Pemberton Elementary School in Salisbury, Md. Twilley says students get little exercise when recess stays indoors. At Pemberton Elementary, the students will typically play board games or computer games in a classroom because the school's gym is occupied with other classes, he says.

• For schools in Marquette, Mich., which averages about 12 feet of snow per season, school officials acknowledge students are probably a little more prepared than those in some more mild climates.

1.Which of the following is not true according to the passage_________.

A. No national temperature standard is made for when to keep kids inside during the winter months

B. Susan Jones insists students get little exercise when recess stays indoors.

C. In Wicomico County, children are kept indoors when temperatures dip below freezing.

D. Mich has about 12 feet of snow per season on average.

2.Which place calls itself Box of Ice?

A. Wicomico County    B. Marquette    C.Salisbury       D. Minn

3. Considering_______, canceling recess In USA because of the cold is a big issue.

A. different schools have different principles.              B. much of the USA has very cold winter.

C. physical activity can boost student performance.  D. decisions are made at the local level,

4.The underlined word iffy means _______.

A. uncertain                  B. surprising           C.  serious  D. worse

5.What will be talked about next?

A. More school policies                                           B. The reasons why school policies vary.

C. Measures to improve the situation.                 D. Necessities to improve the situation.

OPEC Decides not to Increase Production 
Vienna－In spite of Iraq’s decision to stop oil deliveries ,the 11-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC) will not increase production to make up the shortfall , ministers decided Tuesday in Vienna .
The 11 oil ministers decided to meet again on July 3 to discuss the effects of the Iraq temporary stop .The organization’s president ,Chakib Khelil of Algeria ,said after the meeting that stocks were high and prices were stable ,so quota（配额） increases were not necessary .
The E.U. Commission has expressed concern about Iraq’s output stop .A speaker said OPEC had to take all possible measures to keep or lower the oil price .
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Minister Ali Al-Nuaimi had earlier said there would not be any shortage of oil in the market .The organization had already taken steps to fill the gap .he said .OPEC Secretary General Ali Rodriguez added that the period of the Iraq stopping exports was not known ,so other exporters were not going to lift quotas yet .If the market was destabilized （动摇的）,a suitable response could be made .
Iraq on Monday stopped shipments of crude oil to protest against the U.N. Security Council’s decision to extend the oil-for–food program by only a month , instead of the normal six-month renewal（延期）.
Just before the Vienna meeting , oil prices had gone up ,with a barrel of OPEC crude selling for 27.05 dollars ,up from 26.81 dollars last Friday .North sea oil was at 29.26 dollars Monday evening .
OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars and achieved that with cuts in January and March that reduced 2.5 million barrels per day off quotas .
(Reports from SOHU English News HOMEPAGE (CHINESE) June 6 ,2001)
【小题1】．Iraq made the decision to stop oil deliveries because ____ .
A  oil price is too low in the international market
B the U.N.Security Council has decided to shorten the time for the oil-for-food programme 
C many oil wells were destroyed during the war in the late 1980s
D it couldn’t get enough money to develop its economy
【小题2】．The attitude the E.U. Commission took towards Iraq’s output stop is ___ .
A  active      B concerned      C cold      D surprising
【小题3】“The organization ”here refers to _____ .
A OPEC       B  the E.U. Commission     C  the U.N. Security     D WHO
【小题4】．The main idea of the passage is ____ .
A the oil prices in the world were stable though Iraq had stopped oil deliveries  
B OPEC wants the oil price to stay within a margin of 22 to 28 dollars
C OPEC will not increase oil production to make up the shortfall that is caused by Iraq .
D  oil is connected with people’s daily life
【小题5】．The 11 oil ministers decided to meet on July 3 so that ____ .
A they can persuade Iraq to continue oil production 
B they can have a discussion about the effects of Iraq’s temporary oil stop
C  they can have a talk with the U.N. Security Council
D they can make up their minds to increase oil production 

Since the beginning of the year, smog has covered parts of North China. In January, Beijing saw only five days without smog. The rising PM 2.5 readings terrified many people, and some health experts said that whenever the smog gets serious, hospitals receive more patients suffering acute respiratory（呼吸系统）and heart diseases.

Later, news of polluted underground water in some provinces scared people who wondered whether the water they drink is safe.

So the need to emphasize environmental protection while developing the economy is heard everywhere.

Smog especially is a common concern. Like a popular online post said, air may be the only thing that is equal for everyone, despite your income or vocation. People with higher incomes are able to drink only bottled spring water and eat only organic food by paying higher prices, but they breathe the same air as everyone else.

At a meeting on Monday, many Representatives have expressed their concerns about the air quality, too. One talked about his experience in Beijing. “After taking a taxi from the capital airport to my hotel, which took about an hour, I washed my nose and found the inside of my nose was black. We should ask ourselves this question: Why do we want to develop? It's for living a better life. Dirty air is definitely not a better life," he said.

China needs to develop its economy and invest(投资) in high-tech. Every Chinese wants a strong country. But without blue sky, clean water and safe food, the achievements in the economy will become meaningless. Space technologies are not to be developed for building a base on Mars so that one day all human beings can migrate to the red planet because they have destroyed Earth.

What the public wants is a strong and beautiful China. Former president Hu Jintao spoke at the 18th Party Congress last November saying that great efforts must be made to promote ecological progress and build a beautiful China. The words have shown the central government's resolution to address the environment issue.

1.The effect of smog doesn’t include.

A．the rising of PM 2.5 readings

B．more people suffering diseases

C．the increase of people’s income

D．patients increased in hospital

2.Why smog has become a common concern?

A．Because people have to pay higher prices.

B．Because nobody can avoid it.

C．Because we have to develop industry.

D．Because a popular online-post discussed it.

3.The underlined word “they” in paragraph 6 refers to.

A．human beings             B．other plants

C．space technologies    D．industrial development

4.From the last two paragraphs we can infer that.

A．high-tech can completely solve the problem of pollution

B．space technologies should be developed in a large scale

C．we can move to the Mars after the earth has been destroyed

D．we must protect the environment while developing economy

第二节：信息匹配（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

请阅读下列应用文及相关信息，并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

请阅读下列餐馆的信息：

Paulaner Brauhaus at Kempinski Hotel in Beijing has a live band performing over authentic German beer and dinner for New Year's Eve, and a countdown at midnight. On New Year's Day the hotel has beach games, with a Bavarian brunch.(0898) 3889-8888

E. Italian restaurant Da Giorgio

Italian restaurant Da Giorgio at the Grand Hyatt Beijing has a five-course set dinner for New Year Eve, with a complimentary glass of champagne. At the same time Grand Caf offers a dinner buffet with unlimited soft drinks, juices and imported red and white wines.8518-1234 ext 3738

F. Ken de Rouge

To mark its first anniversary, Ken de Rouge, located by the beautiful west bank of Houhai Lake, introduces two promotional feasts, at 988 yuan and 1,288 yuan, each comprising 14 courses, plus soup and dessert. The 988 yuan banquet has braised sea cucumber, tea-flavored prawn, and red carp in lotus leaf. The 1,288 yuan banquet has Buddha jumps over the wall soup, venison tendon and kong pao prawn. Offer valid until January 20th.6402-6665

请阅读下列就餐者的信息，并匹配适合他们的餐馆：

56. Niu Xiang is planning to study abroad and he would like to spend his New Year’s Eve in a western style restaurant, where he can join some foreign friends in welcoming the coming of the New Year.

57. The Blacks newly arrived at Beijing from Italy. Mr. Black prefers to try some sea-food while Mrs. Black would like to feel the traditional Chinese environment.

58. The Johnson boys have very good appetite and are especially fond of different drinks and juice. Their mother wishes to bring them to a place where they need not pay extra money for the drinks.

59. Yao Mingming is tired of the Hakka food his mother cooks. He wants to take her to some nourishing delicacies from other regions, like some special flavored seafood.

60. Mr. Smith owns a very big company. He would like to treat some business friends to a luxurious dinner in a quiet and beautiful environment.

   It is midnight on September 22, 2012. The sky above Manhattan，New York is filled with a curtain of colorful light. New Yorkers are fascinated by the beautiful aurora (极光). However, their fascination is short-lived.
Within a few seconds, electric bulbs dim and flicker (闪烁), then become unusually bright for a few seconds. Then all the lights go out. Within 90 seconds, the entire eastern half of the US is without power.
Besides the US, Europe, Japan and China are also hit by the same terrible event. It is a violent solar flare (太阳耀斑) ,150 million kilometers away on the surface of the sun.
Science fiction? No. A report funded by NASA and issued by the US National Academy of Sciences in January this year says it could happen.
A massive solar flare is most likely on a spring or autumn night in 2012, according to the report.
Solar flares are huge explosions on the surface of the sun. In a matter of just a few minutes they heat material to many millions of degrees and release as much energy as a billion megatons (百万吨) of TNT explosives. Solar flares release a stream of charged high-energy particles (粒子). They are called “solar winds”.
If one solar “wind” should hit the Earth’s magnetic shield (磁场), the result could be terrible for humans.
But there’s no need to run for cover from solar winds. They do not harm life on Earth, they only affect the way we live, especially since we depend so much on modern technology. They can pump extra electricity into power lines and pipelines, causing blackouts and fuel leaks. Solar winds are also known to affect mobile phone operations and may disrupt wireless Internet services.
Moreover, solar winds can prevent normal satellite operations, and disrupt radio communications and navigation systems such as the Global Positioning System.
Auroras are powered by solar wind. This wind blows past the Earth at about 400-700 km per second and creates storms in the Earth’s magnetic environment. In the polar regions these explode into southern or northern polar lights.
The most serious solar storm that hit Earth in history happened in 1859. It caused the failure of telegraph systems in Europe and North America.
So, for humans, the sun is a double-edged sword. Without the sun, there would be no life on Earth. Without the sun, Earth would be a frozen dark ball floating in space. However, on the other hand, the sun can disorder our lives from time to time.
56. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. It introduces to readers the advantages and disadvantages of the sun.
B. It describes a science fiction set in Manhattan on 22 September 2012.
C. It shows readers the way in which solar winds form inside the sun.
D. It explains what solar flares are and their effects on human life.
57. The first two paragraphs are written ____.
A. to show a beautiful scene in a true story
B. to describe the beautiful scenery of Manhattan
C. to describe the power problem around the world
D. to introduce the topic of this passage
58. What can we conclude from the passage?
A. Solar flares will do great harm to those who are using the Internet.
B. Solar flares cannot reach as far as the polar regions.
C. Solar flares are huge explosions that happen inside the sun.
D. But for our reliance on technology, solar flares wouldn’t
affect us so much.
59. Solar winds will likely affect us in the following ways EXCEPT that ____.
A. normal satellite operations will be stopped
B. the lights in the areas affected will go out at the same time
C. people on the streets will be struck to death
D. some navigation systems will be out of order