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Have you ever seen a solar panel（太阳能电池板）in your neighborhood? Solar panels take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity. Over the past ten years, the price of solar panels has gone down greatly. In many parts of the world, solar energy is now the cheapest form of electricity. More and more people have started using solar energy to power（给……供电）their homes.
However, solar panels also have their problems. They stop working at night and on rainy days. Is it possible to make them produce electricity all of the time?
Scientists at Suzhou University, China, have invented a new solar panel now. It can produce electricity not only from solar energy but also from falling rain. When a raindrop falls on the solar panel and then rolls（滚动）down, it creates friction（摩擦力）on the surface of the panel, which can then be turned into electricity.
Sun Baoquan is one of the inventors. “Our new invention can produce electricity in any weather during the day,” he says. “It can even provide electricity at night if there is rain.”
The solar panel, however, does not make much electricity from falling rain. So Sun Baoquan is still working hard to improve it. The scientist also wants to make solar panels more flexible, which are as soft as clothing.
The field of solar energy is developing fast. Scientists around the world have been improving solar panels. Some have been working on ways to join solar panels and wind power together. Some have been trying to use sunlight to produce liquid and gas fuels（液体和气体燃料）.
1.Which energy is now the cheapest form of electricity in many parts of the world?
A.Solar energy. B.Water energy. C.Wind energy.
2.What is one of the problems of common solar panels?
A.The price of them is rising.
B.They can’t work all of the time.
C.They can hardly power people’s homes.
3.Why is the new solar panel more scientific and useful?
A.It has a larger size than a common one.
B.It produces more electricity from falling rain than solar energy.
C.It can produce electricity day and night and even in rainy conditions.
4.What does the underlined word “flexible” mean in Paragraph 5?
A.柔软的 B.光滑的 C.坚硬的
5.We can infer（推断）from this text that ________.
A.there is no room for developing solar energy
B.there is no end to the research in the field of solar energy
C.solar energy has completely taken the place of other kinds of energy
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A Nepalese teenager had made a £ 23 solar panel (太阳能电池板 ) using human hair.
Milan Karki, who is 18 years old and lives in a village, used human hair to replace (代替)silicon, which is a common but expensive part of solar panels. By using hair as a replacement, Karki says that solar panels can be produced for around £ 23.
Karki got the idea from a Stephen Hawking book, which explained how to create energy from hair. The device (设备) that Karki has showed can produce 18w of energy -- plenty to charge a mobile phone.
"Half a kilo of hair can be bought for only 16p in Nepal and last a few months; but a pack of batteries (电池) would cost 50p and last a few nights," according to The Daily Mail.
The solar panel is easy to service as the hair is easy to replace. Karki has now sent out several devices to other places near his home for testing. He said, "First I wanted to provide energy for my home, then my village. Now I am thinking for the whole world."
1. Karki wanted to use human hair because it is
A. beautiful B. long
C. cheap D. soft
2. What does the word charge mean in Chinese?
A.为……改变 B. 为……付款
C.为……充电 D.为……美容
3.From the passage we know Karki is
A. handsome and clever
B. clever and helpful
C. lazy but clever
D. handsome and helpful
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Making a mobile phone with human hair
B. Making a mobile phone with a new idea.
C. Making a solar panel with silicon.
D. Making a solar panel with human hair.
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For many years, a small percentage of homeowners have fixed solar panels (太阳能板) on their rooftops. Those panels collect some of the sun’s energy and either change it into electricity or use it to heat water. Until recently, the panels were too expensive for average homeowners, and their designs were not attractive. Thanks to new advances, however, solar panels for homes are becoming cheaper and less large and heavy. Now more homeowners are considering using them.
Stores begin to sell Solar panels
Last fall furniture retailer(零售商) IKEA began selling solar panels in its U.K. stores. IKEA has brought the DIY solar choice to the public. While shopping for furniture, shoppers could not add a box or two of solar panels to their shopping cart (购物车). IKEA is partnering with a company. The company deals with fixing and servcing of the solar panels on the roofs. So it is easy for customers to change from old energy system to solar system. If all goes well, IKEA plans to begin selling the panels in other countries soon.
Stylish solar panels
SolTech, a Swedish company, offers a really great solar-power solution. Instead of flat panels, SolTech covers the panels with a special glass tile. And the shape of the glass tile fits traditional tiled roof designs. SolTech recently offers solar systems that heat the home’s air or water. And it also offers one solar system that produces electricity.
______________
New technology has turned windows into solar panels. SolarWindow technology enables see-through windows to produce electricity after the glass surface is added with a special coating. Amazingly, SolarWindow can produce electricity in low-light conditons and can even turn indoor, man-made light into electricity! Since buildings are getting taller and about 60 percent of an office building’s surface is covered with windows, solar window could become a very popular way for people to produce energy and save money.
Turning your home –business-into a solar-powered one is a choice that’s becoming a lot more attractive these days!
1.This passage mainly talks about ______.
A.fashion shows B.life in the UK
C. a technology D.different opinions
2.The reason why only a few homeowners used solar panels is that they are __________.
A.cheap but heavy B.attractive but expensive
C.light and small D.dear and not attractive
3..The DIY solar choice has been brought to the public so that _______.
the IKEA stores can sell more furniture in the U.K.
it is possible to make more panels in other countries.
more people will choose to use a new energy system.
people can get solar panels for free after buying furniture.
4..The best title for the fourth paragraph is __________.
A.Making new kinds of windowns B.Turning windows into solar panels
C.Changing our homes into panels D.Adding electricity to the windows
5..The author’s attitude towards solar panels is _________.
A.positive B.negative
D.uncertain D.questioning
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--Have you ever seen Peter recently ?
---Yes . He _____ me to ask you how you _____ along with your new job these days .
A. has asked ； have been getting B. asked ； were getting
C. often asks ； are getting D. asked ； are getting
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Have you ever seen the advertisement: Learn a foreign language in six weeks, ________ give your money back? Of course, it__________happens quite like that. The only language _________ to learn is the mother language. And think ______ practice is needed for that. Before the Second World War people usually learned a foreign language ______ the literature(文学) of the country. Now most people want to_________ a foreign language. Every year millions of people start learning ________ .
How do they do it? Some people try at home _________ books and tapes, others go to evening classes or watch TV programs. ________ they use the language only 2 or 3 times a week, learning it will _________ a long time, like language learning at school. A few people try to learn a language fast by studying for 6 or__________ hours a day. It's much easier to learn the language in the country where it_________. But most people are__________ to do this, and many people don't have to do so. Machines and good books will be very __________, but they can not do the students' work.___________the language is learned quickly or slowly, it is hard work.
1.A. so B. or C. and D. but
2.A. can＇t B. impossible C. never D. often
3.A. easily B. difficult C. able D. easy
4.A. how much B. how long C. how fast D. how many
5.A. studied B. to study C. studying D. study
6.A. talk B. tell C. speak D. say
7.A. them B. this C. that D. it
8.A. without B. with C. in D. by
9.A. If B. When C. Since D. Until
10.A. spend B. use C. take D. cost
11.A. some B. more C. other D. less
12.A. speaks B. is speaking C. spoke D. is spoken
13.A. able B. possible C. unable D. not possible
14.A. careful B. forgetful C. wonderful D. helpful
15.A. either B. whether C. what D. how
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When Claire Vlases of Montana was in Grade 7, she learned about plans to modernize her middle school. Claire asked the school board（董事会）to add solar panels to the project because, she explained, clean energy would be helpful to a really modern school.
The board liked the idea but said it could offer just $ 25,000-one-fifth of the cost. So Claire organized a group of kids and grown-ups who set to work raising the rest. They sold their second-hand books, put on talent shows and asked for donations（捐赠）, even going door-to-door for them. One donated more than half the cost!
After two years of hard work, the group paid for the solar panels, which now provide one-fourth of the school’s electricity needs-saving the neighborhood thousands of dollars. “My favorite part about this project was that one person could start something small and then the project could grow and have a big influence on the community,” Claire said. “There are always going to be hard parts. When there’s a challenge（挑战）presented to you, you can learn from it and use it as chance to overcome it.”
1.After knowing the project was still in need of money, Claire ________.
A.raised $ 25,000 B.asked for more help
C.sold old newspapers D.donated half the cost
2.What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph2 refer to（指代）?
A.Solar panels. B.Second-hand books.
C.Shows. D.Donations.
3.Which picture shows the change of the electricity cost after the use of solar panels?
A.
B.
C.
D.
4.From Claire’s words in the last paragraph, we learn that ________.
A.hard work was her favorite B.the project went smoothly
C.a small thing makes a big difference D.solar panels cost a lot
5.What would be the best title for the text?
A.A Dependent Girl B.A Modern School
C.Don’t Waste Energy D.Never Give Up
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You may have seen foreigners climb the Great Wall,but have you ever seen foreigners pick up garbage in the Great Wall? And he has done this thing for more than 20 years! He’s an Englishman, William Lindesay. Since 1998,William has organized volunteers from all over the world to pick up garbage from the Great Wall every year.
Today,William has been in China for more than 30 years,during which he founded an organization to pick up garbage.He wanted to make people pay more attention to the environment of the Great Wall.
Why does William love the Great Wall so much?
When William was a student, he saw a map of China at one night. He was interested in a special wall in the north of China. "I fell in love with it immediately," he said in an interview with China Daily. "I thought it would be a great journey if one day I could travel along it."
During his travel, he noticed some parts of the wall were badly damaged and covered with garbage. Modernization and development were making the situation even worse. So William decided to protect the Great Wall. He said, "Every person can make a difference. China will be a green and beautiful country to live in."
William was the winner of the 1998 Friendship Award and 2008 Beijing Great Wall Friendship Award.He also received the Order of the British Empire from the Queen in 2006 for his contribution to cultural exchanges between China and Britain.
1.Where does William Lindesay come from?
A.America.
B.Canada.
C.Britain.
D.Australia.
2.Why did William found an organization about picking up garbage?
A.Because he wanted to earn money.
B.Because he wanted to become famous.
C.Because he needed volunteers from different countries.
D.Because he wanted people to care about the environment of the Great Wall.
3.When did William Lindesay start to like the Great Wall of China?
A.When he worked in China.
B.When he was a student.
C.When he was a volunteer
D.When he founded an organization.
4.Which paragraph shows us the reason why the environment of the Great Wall becomes worse?
A.Paragraph 3.
B.Paragraph 4.
C.Paragraph 5.
D.Paragraph 6.
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—Have you ever seen Tom and Jerry?
—Sure. It’s one of _______________ cartoons I have ever seen.
A. wonderful B. the most wonderful
C. more wonderful D. the more wonderful
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— Have you seen the movie Zootopia?
— Yes, I have seen it twice. Of all the movies I’ve ever seen, it’s the ________ one.
A. interesting B. more interesting C. most interesting
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——Have you ever seen the film?
——Yes, I____it last month.
A. see B. saw C. have seen