-
Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now the website BookCrossing.com turns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.
Members go on the site and register the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an identification number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.
Bruce Pederson, the managing director of BookCrossing, says, “The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. BookCrossing combines both.”
Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.
People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E-mails are then sent to the BookCrossers to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce Peterson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.
BookCrossing is part of a trend among people who want to get back to the “real” and not the virtual(虚拟). The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty-five countries.
1.Why does the author mention book groups in the first paragraph?
A. To explain what they are.
B. To introduce BookCrossing.
C. To stress the importance of reading.
D. To encourage readers to share their ideas.
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A. The book. B. An adventure.
C. A public place. D. The identification number.
3.What will a BookCrosser do with a book after reading it?
A. Meet other readers to discuss it. B. Keep it safe in his bookcase.
C. Pass it on to another reader. D. Mail it back to its owner.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Online Reading: A Virtual Tour
B. Electronic Books: A new Trend
C. A Book Group Brings Tradition Back
D. A Website Links People through Books
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
Welcome to Arundel Castle which is situated in West Sussex, England. The castle has a history of nearly 1000 years and has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world. Arundel Castle also plays a starring role in many films.
The Gardens
The White Garden is planted with soft white Iceberg Roses, and Snow White Lilies.
The Rose Garden is newly planted with lovely old-fashioned English roses that are at their very best in June and July.
The Organic Kitchen Garden produces a wide range of seasonal fruit and vegetables, pears, cherries and apples.
The Castle Shop
In the Castle Shop, you will discover a wide and interesting range of gift ideas for everyone. It offers gifts and souvenirs designed to appeal to all tastes and pockets. Foods, china, books, and stationery (文具)are all available. Many are sold in this Castle Shop only.
At Arundel Castle we pride ourselves on supporting local suppliers and actively encourage environmentally friendly products.
The Arundel Festival 2014
Saturday 16th to Monday 25th August
The annual Arundel Festival gets bigger and better every year. It is one of the most amazing, diverse and easily accessible arts festivals in the UK, offering a mix of visual arts, music, theatre and street entertainment.
Parking
Coaches and mini-buses can drop off at the main Castle entrance in Mill Road and park in the main town car park that is opposite the Castle entrance. Please inform us when making your booking of how many parking permits are required.
1.When visiting the castle, you can____________.
A. get old-fashioned English roses as gifts
B. buy eco-friendly products in the Castle Shop
C. get seasonal fruit and vegetables for free
D. see how the local gifts are being made2.How long does the Arundel Festival last this year?
A. 10 days B. One week C. 16 days D. One month
3.Where can you park the coach?
A. In Mill Road B. Inside the Castle
C. In the main town car park D. At the main Castle entrance
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
“We haven’t found anything that we can’t recycle!”
Cigarette ends are everywhere—littering our streets and beaches—and for decades they’ve been thought of as “unrecyclable”. But a New Jerseybased company, called TerraCycle, has taken on the challenge, and has come up with a way to recycle millions of cigarette ends and turn them into industrial plastic products. Its aim is to recycle things that people normally consider impossible to reuse.
Obviously it would be even better for the environment if everyone just stopped smoking, but the statistics show that although there has been an increase in anti-smoking ads and messaging, between 2000 and 2014, global sales of cigarettes increased by 8 percent, and a whole lot of those cigarette ends are ending up as trash. Since most of our litter eventually ends up in waterways, cigarette ends can surely pollute the surrounding environment. “It only takes a single cigarette end to pollute a liter of water,” TerraCycle founder, Tom Szaky, said. “Animals can also mistake littered cigarette ends for food.”
So how do you go about turning all those poisonous ends into something useful? TerraCycle does this by first breaking them down into separate parts. They mix the remaining materials, such as the tobacco and the paper, with other kinds of rubbish, and use it on non-agricultural land, such as golf courses. The filters (过滤嘴) are a little harder. To recycle these, TerraCycle first makes them clean and cuts them into small pieces, and then combines them with other recycled materials, making them into liquid for industrial plastic products.
They’re now also expanding their recycling offerings to the rest of the 80 percent of household waste that currently can’t be recycled, such as chocolate packaging, pens, and mobile phones. The goal is to use the latest research to find a way to stop so much waste ending up in landfill (垃圾填埋), and then get companies to provide money for the process. And so far, it’s working.
“We haven’t found anything that we can’t recycle,” communications director of Terra Cycle, Albe Zakes, said. “But with the amount and variety of packaging and litter in the world, we are always looking for new waste streams to address.”
1.What does Terra Cycle intend to do?
A. Search for recyclable materials for use.
B. Deal with as many cigarette ends as possible.
C. Produce new kinds of industrial plastic products.
D. Recycle what used to be considered unrecyclable.
2.The underlined word “trash” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
A. rubbish B. poison
C. disaster D. ruin
3.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A. The effective use of cigarette ends.
B. The process of recycling cigarette ends.
C. The difficulty in recycling cigarette ends.
D. The reason for breaking down cigarette ends.
4.What Albe said in the last paragraph implies that ______.
A. there is more and more waste to be recycled
B. it is difficult for TerraCycle to recycle everything
C. TerraCycle is trying to meet the challenge of new waste
D. TerraCycle has successfully recycled a large amount of waste
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
Sometimes the toughest thing about feelings is sharing them with others．Sharing your feelings helps you whether your feelings are wonderful or terrible．Sharing also helps you to get closer to people you care about and who care about you．But how?
You can’t tell your friends what’s inside your backpack if you don’t know what’s in there yourself．Feelings are the same way．Before you can share them with anyone，you have to figure out what feelings you have．
Making a list of your feelings can help．You can do this in your mind or by writing it out or even by drawing pictures．Is something bothering you? Does it make you frustrated or terrified? Do you feel this emotion only once in a while or much of the time?
The way a person feels inside is important．If you keep feelings locked inside，it can even make you feel sick! But if you talk with someone who cares for you，you will almost always start to feel better．It doesn’t mean your problems and worries magically disappear，but at least someone else knows what’s bothering you and can help you find solutions．
Your mom and dad want to know if you have problems and what’s happening in your life．But what if a kid doesn’t want to talk with parents? Then find another trusted adult，like a relative or a teacher at schoo1．Maybe this person can help you talk with your parents about your problem or concern．
Once you know who you can talk with，you'll want to pick a time and place to talk．You can talk publicly in your family．But some kids are more private than others and they will feel shy about sharing their feelings．Then find a quiet place or write it down on a piece of paper．A kid doesn’t have to share every feeling he or she has．
1.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A. The importance of feelings． B. How to figure out your feelings．
C. How to share your feelings． D. The people sharing your feelings．
2.What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
A. Kids can’t tell their friends about their backpack．
B. Kids should know about themselves first before sharing．
C. Kids need to find out what others think of them first．
D. Kids’feelings are the same in a way．
3.What might happen after sharing your feelings with others?
A. You’11 recover from your illness． B. Your worries will magically disappear．
C. You’11 like more private talks． D. You will feel relieved．
4.Where is this passage probably taken from?
A. A science fiction． B. A parents’brochure．
C. A children’s magazine． D. A notice board．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
I realized that as a family we are really lucky ________ school isn’t the only place where they think of him as “our Matthew”. It ________ to other parts of our lives as well — our friends, our family, our neighborhood, and our church.