阅读理解

　　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．

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　　Each morning, I walked past a security guard(保安)．He 　　1　　 everyone that walked by him．I 　　2　　 how he knew so many people by their first name．The first few times I saw him, I didn't say hello back to him 　　2　　 he greeted me．I was lost in my own world．On Monday he asked, “How was your 　　3　　?” I told him about my visit to my sick, elderly mother．He told me how 　　4　　 he was for my mother's sickness．As I walked away, I realized I did not even know his 　　5　　．The following day, I asked, “What's your name?” He answered, “Gary．” I said, “I'm Deborah．” After that, we talked a couple of times a week．We 　　6　　 stories about our weekends, our dreams, and our families．Gary got a new job and moved

　　　　7　　．It has been years since I last spoke to him, yet the memory feels like yesterday．

　　I look back at what became a friendship of sharing stories from the heart．When you say 　　8　　 to a stranger you become a pebble(鹅卵石)thrown into a lake．With each ripple(涟漪)you create, you spread(传播)　　9　　 that continues to give．

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阅读理解

　　First it was an earthquake．Then came a terrible tsunami．These natural disasters killed thousands of people in Japan on Mar．11, 2011．Then a nuclear crisis(核危机)put the island in danger and shocked the world．

　　Damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant(福岛第一核电站)has put out dangerous radioactive(放射性的)materials．Experts from several countries are working to control the crisis．

　　Although the reports say the leak so far will not cause huge health problems, people are worrying about nuclear safety．Switzerland has stopped plans to build new nuclear plants．Germany raised questions about its nuclear future．

　　As for China, the government has suspended approving(暂停审批)new nuclear power stations and stepped up safety checks at existing plants, Xinhua reported．But it is reported that all nuclear power stations in China are safe．

　　A nuclear power plant creates electricity．It is a clean energy source．In 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant was built in Russia．From then on, nuclear power has been widely used．

　　But nuclear power plants have hidden problems．If radioactive materials get into the air or water, they can pollute soil and plants and harm humans and animals．Nuclear accidents, such as the Chernobyl(切尔诺贝利)disaster in 1986 in the Ukraine, have caused great damage to the nearby people and the environment．

　　Will there be another choice for energy that we can use in the future? In recent years, scientists have found ways to make electricity from sunshine, wind and garbage．

　　Some scientists say hydrogen(氢气)may be used to create power．Hydrogen is a clean resource to use, and will never disappear．Some car companies have already developed cars powered by hydrogen．But still, the technology for its production is only in early stages of development．

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阅读理解

　　Many students get a driver's permit at 15．In California, they are then allowed to drive for 50 hours under supervision．"Under supervision" means that a friend or relative who already has a license has to ride with them．But what happens when teenagers(persons between 13 and 19 years old)start driving on their own?Many are careful drivers and never have a problem．But many other are not, and they create(造成)Problems on the road．Fifteen-year-olds are too young to drive, and sixteen-year-olds are too immature(不成熟的)to start driving alone．

　　In the United States, more teenagers are killed in driving accidents than in any other way．While fewer than 7％ of drivers are teenagers, teenagers are involved(占，包括)in 14％ of the terrible car accidents in the country．Sixteen-year-olds involved in over 43 crashes in every million kilometers they drive．But seventeen-year-olds cause only about 30 accidents a million kilometers of driving．One year makes a difference．So the age limit(限制)should be increased．

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