Perhaps once you got free plastic bags when you shopped at the supermarket. But now things have changed already.

   Since June 1, 2008, China has banned(禁止) its shops and supermarkets providing free plastic bags. Shoppers have to pay for bags if they need them. “We hope it will encourage people to use cloth bags and baskets for their vegetables,” said a spokesman from the Chinese government. “Plastic bags have led to a big waste of energy and on the other hand, they pollute(污染) the air, rivers and soil. It takes around 1000 years for the bags to break down. They are also dangerous to wildlife, which eats them without knowing.”

  A large number of Chinese people have begun to make their own cloth bags. Li Linwei, a student in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, made a bag out of an old dress of her mother’s. “ I have given it to my grandmother as a Mother’s Day present. From now on, she will use it when she goes shopping.” said the girl.

根据短文内容，回答下列问题。（5分）

1. Since what time, supermarkets have been stopped from providing free plastic bags?

2. Without free plastic bags, what will people use when they go shopping according to the

  passage?

3. Do plastic bags pollute the environment?

4. How long will it take the plastic bags to break down?

5. What present did Li Linwei give her grandmother on Mother’s Day?

I won’t forget her advice

I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago. Her husband died of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insights（见解）with us.

The class was nearly over. She said, “Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you an important thought.”

“Each of us is put here on Earth to learn, share, love, enjoy and give all by ourselves. We must make the best of every single day.”

Her eyes were beginning to water and she went on, “So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn’t have to be something you see — it could be a nice smell — perhaps of freshly baked bread, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly blowing the leaves in the trees.”

“Please look for these things, and love them. For, although it may seem common, these things are the stuff（素材）of life. They are the little things we are put here on Earth to enjoy. They are the things we often take for granted. We must make it a point to notice them, for at any time it can all be taken away.”

The class was completely quiet. We picked up our books and went out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole term.

I usually think of that teacher and try to enjoy all of those things that we sometimes overlook (忽略).

Take notice of something special you see during your lunch hour today. Walk barefoot along the beach at sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we regret（后悔）, but the things we didn’t do.

1.What happened to the teacher’s husband?

2.The high school teacher shared her insights with her students ____________.

3.The underlined word “breeze” (in Paragraph 4) means ____________?

4.What is the teacher’s advice?

It is well known that everyone has his own dream as well as his own future. But do you know what future really is? I have to say that future is now. That is to say, we must treasure every minute now. If we want to have a bright future, we should know how important time is and use it well.
There is an old English saying, “Gain (得到) time, gain life.” Then what’s time? Time is something that we can’t see or touch, but we feel it passing by. Time is always with us. When we are at table, time passes; when we play, time goes by unnoticeable. We always say “Time is money”, but time is even more precious (珍贵的) than money, because when money is spent, we can make it back. But if time is gone away, it will never return. So, some of us even say time is priceless (无价的).
We should always remember: future is now. For us students, we should try our best to work hard in order to create a great future of our own. We should make the best use of every hour and be the master of today. We should do everything before us as well as possible. And never put off (推迟) what can be done today till tomorrow.
As we all know, “Time and tide wait for no man.” If you waste today, you will regret tomorrow. So from now on, work hard. Tomorrow will be better, and your future will be brighter. Remember: “No pains, no gains.” Today’s hard work is the cause of tomorrow’s harvest.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
【小题1】If we want to have a bright future, we should           .
A. know the value of time and make every minute useful
B. feel time passing by
C. understand that time is always with us and we can waste it
【小题2】The word “unnoticeable” means            in Chinese.
A. 随意的                        B. 不引人注意的                 C. 慢慢的
【小题3】Time is more valuable than money because           .
A. past time will return no more    
B. time can’t be seen or touched      
C. time is always with us
【小题4】From the passage, we know           .
A. when money is spent, we should make it back
B. we can put off what can be done today till tomorrow
C. today’s hard work leads to tomorrow’s harvest
【小题5】What is the best title for the passage?
A. A Bright Future               B. Time and Monday                 C. Future and Today