In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were not many people on earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.
Today, things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue like this, human life on earth will not survive.
Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on the land. Yet, we continue to use bigger and more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.
We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to stop this.
We know, too, that if the population of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years, there will not be enough food.
What can we do to solve these problems?
If we eat more vegetables and less meat, we will easily get more food. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.
The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.
Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and cleaner living place in the future.

The importance of protecting the environment
Problems	◆ More fish being caught. ◆ More 【小题1】     being cut down. ◆ More waste products being put into rivers. ◆ More【小题2】     being born.
Causes	◆ The world is becoming too 【小题3】     . ◆ Modern methods make the situation worse .
Result	We human beings will not survive on the earth.
Solutions	◆ Eat more vegetables and less meat so that more food will be available  for everyone. ◆ Use modern methods of 【小题4】     control so that the population will not grow too fast. ◆ Educate people so that the 【小题5】    will be better and cleaner.

   

The high school diploma (文凭) is losing its value quickly, as a growing number of students graduate (毕业) from school without the math and reading skills that colleges and companies require, according to a new report.

The high school graduation exams that most states (州) require students to pass before they graduate remain far too easy. Most of the exams generally test eighth-or ninth-grade level work.

Today, even high school graduates who are going to have blue-collar (蓝领) jobs need to study the math, research and writing courses. But in high school, only students who are going to college are now required to take these courses.

“If you want a good job with a good pay, it’s a high-skill job,” said Michael Cohen, a leading member of the America Diploma Project.

The project suggests that all graduates master a wide range (范围) of skills. “A high school diploma should mean something to a company and university,” said Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, who is Achieve’s co-chairman.

In Taft’s state, about 30% students who go directly to college from high school have to take remedial classes of English or math, he said. It’s easy to see that the present high-school graduating standards are not preparing students for college education.

And with high-skilled jobs increasingly headed overseas to places like India and Ireland, states need to act, he said.

To prove why math and reading skills matter, the report includes real-life examples of problems students meet in college and that workers must solve each day on the job. ?

Some states are taking actions to upgrade the high school diploma. In Texas, all high school students, starting with the 2008 graduating class, will have to take the college-prep curriculum (大学预备课程) - unless a parent agrees to an easier course load. Other states are planning similar moves.

The report includes examples of reading and math skills that high-school students should have. Project leaders say they hope parents will use those examples to judge (评定) the coursework at their kids’ high schools.

1.Why is the high school diploma losing its value quickly?

A．Because the number of high school students is growing fast.

B．Because high school students fail to reach the standards.

C．Because the graduation tests are easier than it should be.

D．Because difficult courses are not required in high schools.

2.Remedial classes in Paragraph 6 mean classes____.

A．for good learners to study quickly and better

B．for slower learners weak in the subject

C．for learners to be taught one by one

D．for learners to reach a higher standard

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A．Colleges require higher math and reading skills than companies.

B．It is easier for companies to find high-skilled workers in India.

C．Math and reading skills help little for workers to solve daily problems.

D．Parents ask high schools to offer college-prep curriculum in Texas.

4.What can be the best title for the passage?

A．High School Diploma Means Little

B．Give Students More High-skill Jobs

C．Math and Reading Skills Really Matter

D．Judge Coursework at High Schools

 

C

It was at least tow months before Christmas, when nine-year-old Almie Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bike. Her Barbi bike was just too old, and it needed repairing as well.

As Christmas came nearer, her dream for a bike seemed to disappear, so we thought, for she didn’t mention it again. We were busy buying some beautiful storybooks, a doll house, a holiday dress and toys. Then much to our surprise, on December 24, she said she really wanted a bike more than anything else.

Now we didn’t know what to do. It was just toot late. We were busy with Christmas dinner and packing children’s presents, parents’ presents, a brother’s present and friends’ presents till midnight.So there was no time to take to buy the “right bike” for our little girl. Thinking that we were parents who would make their children unhappy, we felt guilty and sad.

Suddenly my husband came up with an idea. “What if I make a little bike out of clay(泥土) and write a note(便条) that she could trade in(交换) the model bike for a real one?” So he spent the next five hours carefully working with the clay to make a small bike.

On Christmas morning, we were so excited for Almie Rose to open the little box with the beautiful red and white clay bike and the note. She opened and read the note loudly.

She looked at me and Ron and said, ”So does this mean I can trade in this bike for a real one?” Smiling, I said, “Yes.”

Almie Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied, “I would never trade in this beautiful bike that Daddy made me. I prefer to keep it rather than get a real bike.” At that moment, we would have moved the God to buy her every bike on the Earth.

1.Rose’s wish was to____ on Christmas Day.

A．get a new bike                         B．make a clay bike

C．receive a doll house                     D．repair her old Barbi bike

2.Rose’s parents didn’t buy her a bike because she____.

A．didn’t want a bike any more

B．changed her idea to some story books

C．didn’t mention it in the last tow months

D．asked for it only on December 24

3.The word “guilty” in the third paragraph(段落) means____.

A．unhappy          B．worried           C．happy            D．sorry

4.Rose’s father got a good idea to____.

A．spend five hours finishing making a small bike with clay

B．make a small bike red and white

C．make her old bike red and white

D．put the present in the box

5.From Rose’s words in the last passage , we know that she____

A．still wanted to get a real bike

B．didn’t know the meaning of the note

C．preferred a real bike to a model bike

D．was greatly moved by what her father had done

 

London is a good place for kids! The museums listed here will welcome children and make their visit fun.

Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood It's famous for its collection of toys, dolls and children's costumes. It also offers a lively program of activities on weekends and during holidays. Address: Cambridge, Heath Road, E2 Phone: 020 8983 5200 Price: Free	Theater Museum It tills the history of the performing arts in the UK. The collection includes displays on theater, dance, opera, musicals, rock and pop. Address: Russell Street, WC2E Phone: 020 7943 4700 Price: Free Nearest Station: Covent Garden Tube
London's Transport Museum Travel through time and discover the colorful story of London's famous transportation system, from 1800 to the present day. Through exciting displays of buses, trams and trains. Address: London's Transport Museum, WCE2 Phone: 020 7379 6344 Nearest Station: Govent Garden Tube	Natural History Museum It has hundreds of exciting exhibits. It also allows visitors to meet museum researchers and find out about their work, and learn about recent scientific discoveries and the museum's collections. Address: Cromwell Road, SW7 Phone: 020 7942 5000 Price: Free Nearest Station: South Kensington Tube

1.The museums are mostly for ________.    

A．parents

B．children

C．teachers

D．scientists

2.If you want to visit Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, you can _______.    

A．call 020 7943 4700

B．go to Cromwell Road

C．call 020 8983 5200

D．go to South Kensington Tube Station

3.If you want to know about operas, you should go to ________.

A．Natural History Museum

B．Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood

C．Theater Museum

D．London’s Transport Museum

4.You don't need to pay to visit any of the museums except for ________.    

A．Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood

B．London's Transport Museum

C．Natural History Museum

D．Theater Museum

5.You may find these ads at ________.    

A．www.friendship.com	B．www.inventors.com
C．www.londontown.com	D．www.jokesfind.com

 

Traveling by train is usually not easy in China. It can be hard to get a ticket. When you’re traveling to the railway station you look at your watch, afraid you will miss your train.

But there is good news for people traveling between Beijing and Shanghai. Construction (建设) on the express railway (高速铁路) between the two cities started just before the Spring Festival of 2008. When it is finished by 2013, taking a train will be as easy as taking a bus.

“There will be trains every several minutes. Buying a ticket, getting through the checkpoint (检查站) and taking your seat, will take just 10 minutes,” said an engineer.

There may be high-speed trains running at 350 kilometers an hour. The travel time between the two cities will decease from 10 to about 5 hours. The trains will carry twice the present number of passengers.

The new line will be 1,318 kilometers long and go across specially built bridges. It will run along side the present line. There will be 21 stations in Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Anhui and Jiangsu.

“The cost of traveling by the express railway may be around 800 yuan. That will be more expensive than an ordinary train, but cheaper than by air.” Said Zhang Xiaoling, a Jiangsu government official.

According to Zhang, the higher price is caused by the large cost of the railway project. At about 200 billion yuan, the project may be even more expensive than the Three Gorges Project (三峡工程).

1.The express railway between Beijing and Shanghai will be finished _______.

    A. at the end of this year                  B. before the Spring Festival of 2008

    C. after 2013                           D. in about 5 years

2.Before taking your seat, you should _____ with your ticket.

    A. buy a ticket                         B. get through the checkpoint

    C. pack your things                     D. make some friends

3.The word “decrease” in the passage possibly means ______ in Chinese.

    A. 延长             B. 缩短         D. 提速             D. 限速

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

    A. Traveling by train is usually difficult in China because tickets are too expensive.

    B. The high-speed trains will have 21 stations in Hebei, Tianjin, Shandong, Hunan and Jiangsu.

    C. Tickets for the high-speed trains will be cheaper than those for planes.

    D. The cost of the express railway project is as high as that of the Three Gorges Project.

5.What can be the best title of the passage?

    A. An enormous project.                 B. Train tickets will get more expensive

    C. Specially built bridges              D. Beijing—Shanghai express railway