When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows—cow manure (粪肥), to be specific.
Cows produce a lot of wastes. One cow can create 30 gallons of wastes each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That’s really a big amount.
When farmers clean their barns, they put the wastes in a big heap, and spread some of them on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Spruce Farm have a new way of using cow wastes. They use them to produce electricity.
Here’s how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. “The cows aren’t bothered,” says Marie Audet. “They are animals of habit; they get used to it, and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by.”
The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester (化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.
Methane gas (甲烷、沼气)in the atmosphere is known as a “greenhouse” gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That’s an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators (发电机).
At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can’t use themselves.
【小题1】We learn from the text that the Audet family is using cow wastes to ______.

A．make electricity

B．produce fertilizer

C．build their farm

D．feed the cows

【小题2】How are the cow wastes collected into the digester at Blue Farm?

A．Marie Audet does the work	B．The job is done by machine
C．The cows lift the cow wastes	D．Bacteria get to work on them

【小题3】 According to the passage, which of the following is changed into electricity?

A．The power of moving water.	B．The heat of burning coal.
C．The power of sunlight.	D．The heat of the methane gas

【小题4】The new way of using cow wastes at Blue Farm might be best described as ______.

A．reducing

B．saving

C．recycling

D．changing

【小题5】 What is the main purpose for writing the passage?

A．To introduce a new way of making electricity	B．To explain how a new energy works better
C．To show a new rebuilding plan for a big farm	D．To explain the reasons for green house effect

任务型阅读 (共l0空；每空l分，计l0分)

阅读下列短文，根据短文中的信息完成文后表格。（每空一词)

Small talk is pleasant conversation about common interests. The ability to make “small talk” is highly valued. But making small talk is difficult not only for English learners, but also for many native speakers of English. Most English learners may have difficulty discussing topics they are unfamiliar with because of lack of(缺少) suitable vocabulary.

Now that we understand the problem, the next step is to improve the situation. Here are some tips to improve small talk skills.

◆Do some research

Spend time on the Internet, books, magazines, TVs to special about the type of people you will meet, and this can make your conversations more interesting.

◆Use the Internet for specific vocabulary

This is a bit like doing research about other people. If you have a business conference, or are meeting people who share a common interest, make use of the Internet to learn specific vocabulary.

◆Ask yourself about your culture

Take time to make a list of common things that you will discuss when making small talk in your own culture. And then check to make sure that you have the English vocabulary to make small talk about those subjects.

◆Find common interests

Once you have a subject that interests both of you, keep to it! You can do this in many ways: discussing travel, discussing the school or friends, discussing the differences between your culture and the new culture.

◆Listen

Don’t get so worried about being able to communicate that you don’t listen. Listening carefully will help you understand and encourage those speaking to you. You might be nervous, but letting others express themselves will improve the quality of the discussion and give you time to think of an answer!

Title: To be a good small talker
The problem you may have when making small talk	__1__ have enough suitable vocabulary to cover most topics.
The __2__ useful tips of improving small talk skills	◆Doing some research	Find some special information about the type of people you’ll meet by __3__ time on the Internet, books, and so on.
◆__4__the Internet for specific vocabulary	Learn specific words you may use when having a business conference or __5__ people ahead of time.
◆Asking __6__ about your culture	List out some common things that will be __7__ about in your own culture.
Be sure to have the English words to discuss those subjects.
◆Finding common interests	Try to chat with each other about something you’re both __8__ in, such as travel, the school, the differences between different __9__.
◆Listening	Pay more attention to listening to others’ ideas in order to get __10__ understanding.

 

When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows—cow manure (粪肥), to be specific.
Cows produce a lot of wastes. One cow can create 30 gallons of wastes each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That’s really a big amount.
When farmers clean their barns, they put the wastes in a big heap, and spread some of them on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Spruce Farm have a new way of using cow wastes. They use them to produce electricity.
Here’s how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. “The cows aren’t bothered,” says Marie Audet. “They are animals of habit; they get used to it, and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by.”
The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester (化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.
Methane gas (甲烷、沼气)in the atmosphere is known as a “greenhouse” gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That’s an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators (发电机).
At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can’t use themselves.
【小题1】We learn from the text that the Audet family is using cow wastes to ______.

A．make electricity

B．produce fertilizer

C．build their farm

D．feed the cows

【小题2】How are the cow wastes collected into the digester at Blue Farm?

A．Marie Audet does the work	B．The job is done by machine
C．The cows lift the cow wastes	D．Bacteria get to work on them

【小题3】 According to the passage, which of the following is changed into electricity?

A．The power of moving water.	B．The heat of burning coal.
C．The power of sunlight.	D．The heat of the methane gas

【小题4】The new way of using cow wastes at Blue Farm might be best described as ______.

A．reducing

B．saving

C．recycling

D．changing

【小题5】 What is the main purpose for writing the passage?

A．To introduce a new way of making electricity	B．To explain how a new energy works better
C．To show a new rebuilding plan for a big farm	D．To explain the reasons for green house effect

When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows—cow manure (粪肥), to be specific.

Cows produce a lot of wastes. One cow can create 30 gallons of wastes each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That’s really a big amount.

When farmers clean their barns, they put the wastes in a big heap, and spread some of them on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Spruce Farm have a new way of using cow wastes. They use them to produce electricity.

Here’s how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. “The cows aren’t bothered,” says Marie Audet. “They are animals of habit; they get used to it, and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by.”

The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester (化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.

Methane gas (甲烷、沼气)in the atmosphere is known as a “greenhouse” gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That’s an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators (发电机).

At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can’t use themselves.

 

1. We learn from the text that the Audet family is using cow wastes to ______.

  A. make electricity           B. produce fertilizer       C. build their farm     D. feed the cows

2. How are the cow wastes collected into the digester at Blue Farm?

  A. Marie Audet does the work                          B. The job is done by machine  

C. The cows lift the cow wastes                         D. Bacteria get to work on them

3. According to the passage, which of the following is changed into electricity?

  A. The power of moving water.                         B. The heat of burning coal.       

C. The power of sunlight.                           D. The heat of the methane gas

4.The new way of using cow wastes at Blue Farm might be best described as ______.

  A. reducing                   B. saving                   C. recycling            D. changing

5. What is the main purpose for writing the passage?

  A. To introduce a new way of making electricity           B. To explain how a new energy works better

  C. To show a new rebuilding plan for a big farm           D. To explain the reasons for green house effect