A small town in southwest Britain is banning(禁止) plastic bags in an attempt to help the environment and cut waste—a step that environmentalists believe is a first for Europe.

Shopkeepers in Modbury population 1500,agreed to stop handing out disposable plastic bags to customers on Saturday.They said paper sacks and cloth carrier bags would be offered instead.

Last month,San Franciso became the first U.S. city to ban plastic grocery bags.Internationally,laws to discourage the use of plastic bags have been passed in parts of South Africa and Ireland,where governments either tax shoppers who use them or fine companies that hand them out.Bangladesh already bans them,and so do at least 30 remote Alaskan villages.

Modbury,about 225 miles southwest of London,has also declared a bag amnesty(宽限期),allowing local people to hand in plastic bags that have piled up at home.They will be sent for traveling.

The Modbury ban was the idea of Rebecca Hosking,who saw the effect of bags on marine life while working in the Pacific as a wildlife camerawoman.She said response(反应) in the town so far had been “really positive”.

“Modbury is quite an old-fashioned town and a lot of people have wicker baskets to go out shopping anyway,”Hosking told Sky News Television.

The Worldwatch Institute,an environmental research agency,states that 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away each year in the United States alone.More than 500 billion are used yearly around the world.

What was Rebecca Hosking?

A.A lawyer.                                                     B.An environmentalist.

C.A sailor.                                                       D.A photographer.

The underlined word “disposable” in the passage probably means _______.

A.acceptable                                                    B.valuable

C.throw-away                                                  D.long-lasting

It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A.most of the people in Modbury continue to use plastic bags

B.fewer and fewer plastic bags will be used in the world

C.San Francisco is the first city to ban plastic bags in the world

D.most countries in the world have passed laws to ban plastic bags

Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A.Environmental Protection

B.Big Cities Banning Plastic Bags

C.Effect of Plastic Bags on Sea Animals

D.British Town Banning Plastic Bags

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and the largest city in the European Union. It is the world’s largest finacial center and one of the most important cultural centers and its influence on politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, and the arts contributes to its status as a major global city. Central London is the headquarters of more than half of the UK’s top 100 listed companies(the FTSE 100 ) and more than 100 of Europe’s 500 largest companies. The city is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors. London hosted the 1908 and 1948 Summer Olympic Games and will host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London, the historic settlement of Greenwich ;the Royal Botanic Garden, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St.Margaret ‘s Church.
 London currently has a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and more than 300 languages are spoken within the city. On July 2007, it had an official population of 7,556, 900 within the boundaries of Greater London making it the most populous municipality in the European Union. Since the 2001 the Greater London Urban Area has been the second largest in the EU after Paris with a population of 8,278,251, and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 million and 13 million, the largest population area in the EU. The public transport network, administered by Transport for London, is the most intensive in the world. Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic and the air space is the busiest of any city in the world.
【小题1】Which statement is True ?

A．Central London has 50 of the UK’s top 100 listed companies.

B．By the year of 2015, London will host the Summer Olympic Games.

C．Three are 300 languages spoken within the city.

D．The metropolitan area of Paris is the largest one in the EU.

【小题2】What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 want to express?

A．London is a multicultural city.	B．London has a large population.
C．London has a lot of religions.	D．London has many languages.

【小题3】What does the underlined word“it “in the second sentence of Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The population

B．Urban area

C．Paris

D．London

In Europe, many people make friends between their countries through town twinning. Town or city twinning means two towns in different countries agree and decide to become “twins” with a sister city relationship.

The people find pen friends in the twin town. They exchange newspapers and stamps. The school teachers discuss teaching methods with the teachers in the twin town. Officials visit the twin town for celebrations. Ordinary people travel to the twin town, too, but not very often if it is far away.

Sometimes, schools even exchange their classes for two or three weeks! For example, German middle school students study for a while at the school in their twin town in Britain, staying with British families. A few months later, their British friends come to study in Germany.

Many British towns are so pleased with the results of the twinning that they set out to find more than one twin town!

Tonbridge, a small town in Kent, for example, has twin town in both Germany and France. Richmond near London has relationships with Germany, France and even a town in a Balkan(巴尔干半岛的) country!

Town twinning can help make friends. It helps students improve their language skills, and also helps people to understand the differences between nations.

1.Twin towns develop ______.

A．between European countries and China

B．in the English-speaking countries only

C．in the same country

D．between different countries

2.How many countries are mentioned in the passage?

A．4                B．5                C．6                D．7

3.One of the advantages of town twinning is _____.

A．to earn more money

B．to set up schools

C．to improve students’ language skills

D．to develop industry and agriculture

 

阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项（A、B、C、D、E和F）中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项，并将答案写在答题纸相应位置。选项中有一项是多余选项。

The people below are all looking for a college course. After the description of these people, there is information about six colleges and the courses A--F. Decide which college would be the most suitable for each person mentioned in questions 61-65 and then mark the correct letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. There is one extra paragraph about one college and the course which you do not need to use.

______ 1.. Anna is 18 and she wants to do computer studies so that she can work in an office. She would like to study in London but is worried about finding accommodation(住处).

______ 2. Peter is 19 and wants to be a sports teacher. He is very good at sport, especially running. He wants to go to a college outside London.

______ 3. Maria used to teach in a secondary school but now wants to teach at primary level. She wants to do a part-time course in London.

______ 4. Stephen works in the computer industry and wants to go back to college for a year to do a diploma(文凭)in advanced computer studies. He lives in London and wants to study there.

______ 5. Ali wants to do computer studies in London. He would like to do a full-time course which includes some time working in industry. In his spare time he plays football.

    COURSES TO CHOOSE FROM

    A．Hillman College is a London college with up-to-date facilities. We offer both primary and secondary full-time teacher training courses. This year there will be special two-year courses available on maths and computers in the primary classroom. All students are expected to spend two terms working in local schools.

    B．Kirby College has over fifty years’ experience of teacher training. We offer both full-time and part-time courses for all levels of teaching. Large college in lovely countryside, with excellent sports facilities, especially for football and athletics. There is a new course this year called “Computers in the Classroom”.

    C．MacKintosh College offers a range of courses from modern languages to computer studies, in a quiet and pleasant part of London. All students are offered accommodation in college flats and we have excellent sports facilities. Full-time and part-time courses of either three or four years are available.

    D．Pemberley College in central London offers full-time courses in science and computer studies. Our four-year courses allow you to spend a term every year getting work experience in different firms. There are good social and sports facilities. No college accommodation is available at present.

    E．Dene College was built in 1990 in an attractive part of north London. Spaces are still available on our popular part-time course in primary teaching for teachers who want to retrain. Beginning in October we will also have new four-year courses in law, economics, mathematics and sports science.

    F．Westgate College in south London has a range of courses, from maths and physics to computer studies and sports science. We offer both lower and advanced diplomas. All our courses are from one to three years in length and are particularly suitable for people with some work experience.

 

For the past two years, 8－year－old Harli Jordean from Stoke Newington, London, has been selling marbles(弹珠)．His successful marble company, Marble King, sells all things marble-related—from affordable tubs of the glass playthings to significantly expensive items like Duke of York solitaire（独粒宝石）tables—sourced, purchased and processed by the mini－CEO himself.
“I like having my own company. I like being the boss,” Harli told The Mirror.
With profits now in the thousands, “the world's youngest CEO” has had to get his mother and older brothers to help him meet the growing demand.
Harli launched Marble King after swapping（交换）marbles at school led to schoolchildren depleting(削减) his marble collection. Yes, he literally（确切地）“lost his marbles.” Harli and his mother, Tina, turned to the Internet to find replacements.
Harli saw an empty space online: the marbles he wanted were hard to find. Within months, Harli had his own marble－selling website and orders started pouring in.
Tina says her son's obsession(迷恋) with marbles started when he was just 6.
“His obsession became so big we started calling him the Marble King, so when he wanted to set up a website it was the natural name for it，” she told The Sun.
“I never thought it would become so popular—we are struggling to cope with the number of orders at times.”
The 8－year－old boy has his sights set on expanding his business and launching his own brand of marbles.
“Sometimes his ideas are so grand we have to scale them back a bit. But his dream is still to own Britain's biggest marble shop and open stores around the world.” Tina told The Daily Mail.
“At the minute he is annoying me by asking about creating his won Marble King marbles, so that could well be the next step for him.”
【小题1】Why did Harli's marble company become popular as soon as he launched it?

A．Because it was run by “the world's youngest CEO”．

B．Because it filled the gaps of marble business.

C．Because Harli was fascinated with marble collection.

D．Because his mother and brothers helped him a lot.

【小题2】How many mass media are mentioned in the passage?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

【小题3】Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined expression “scale back”？

A．make smaller

B．carry out

C．turn down

D．frighten away

【小题4】What message do the last two paragraphs carry?

A．Conflicts often occur between Harli Jordean and his family.

B．Harli's mother and brothers are worried about Marble King's future.

C．Marble King marbles will be more popular with marble fans around the world.

D．The “Marble King” has great ambitions for his Marble King Company.