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

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

44. 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

43. 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

C

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(噎死 )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(可降解的)plastic bags. But until biodegradable technology improves, it might be easier to pack things you buy in reusable cloth bags.

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

A. 2. 　　　　　　　　　 B. 3. 　　　　　　　　　　 C. 4. 　　　　　　　　　 D. 5.

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

A. it will let the audience choose 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

40. 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.

39. 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

B (activities in september)

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 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

38. 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.

37. 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.

36. 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.