A 19-year-old teenager from Guangdong nicknamed Niko demanded an apology from Youku, which he believed violated their copyrights as it used his team's photos without ______.

A. commitment B. approval

C. recognition D. reservation

The young man ______with honesty and won the judges in the interview, as a result, he was admitted to the foreign company.

A. got away B. took up

C. held on D. stood out

Loud music like hip hop can make a driver drive far more ______, braking harder and accelerating faster.

A. aggressively B. deliberately

C. tentatively D. definitely

B

The Sieferts are the kind of environmentally conscious family who has solar panels atop their home. They use timers on their kids' showers and have planted drought-tolerant landscaping. But they feel kind of guilt. “I haven’t thought about the pool as much as I probably should,” said Annette Siefert.

As California's drought worsens, swimming pools have become a target for those who think the classic backyard greens waste water. Some water districts have banned new pools from being filled and have limited how much water existing pools can use.

But some of those agencies are walking back the rules as they make a surprising discovery: Pools aren't the water wasters some have made them out to be. Analyses by various water districts, along with scientific studies, conclude that pools and their surrounding landscapes use about the same amount of water as a lawn(草坪) of the same size. Over time, pools might even use less water. With pool covers, experts say water evaporation(蒸发)can be cut by almost half, making pools significantly less wasteful than grass and about as efficient as drought-tolerant landscaping.

Facing complaints over a recent ban on filling pools, the Santa Margarita Water District conducted its own water-use analysis. It found that pools require thousands of gallons of water to fill initially, but they use about 8,000 gallons less water than a traditional landscape after that. By the third year, the analysis found, the savings add up, and a pool's cumulative water use falls below that of a lawn.

Water agencies such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have come to similar conclusions. Armed with new information, Santa Margarita Water District officials will reconsider their ban next week.

“We want to respect the people's rights to use their property. There are many families we know that have saved for pools,” said Jonathan Volzke, spokesman for the 155,000-customer district. “But at the same time, the reality around us is that we're in the third year of a serious drought, and we don't know if we're in the third year of a three-year drought or the third year of a 10-year drought.”

1.Annette Siefert feels guilty mainly because of ______.

A. being a typical water waster

B. the water-use of their swimming pool

C. her control over her kids' showers at home

D. the construction of the drought-tolerant landscaping

2.According to analyses and scientific studies, a swimming pool ______.

A. had belter be filled up in the beginning

B. becomes more efficient against drought

C. isn't what people think to be wasteful of water

D. consumes more water than a lawn of the same size

3.What does Jonathan Volzke try to express in the last paragraph?

A. He expects the serious drought to come to an end.

B. He thinks highly of those who have saved for pools.

C. He appeals for reasonable use of the swimming pools.

D. He tries to maintain the right to use the swimming pools.

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

A. Water Crisis In California

B. Strict Ban On Filling Pools

C. The Sieferts—Real Environmentalists?

D. Pools—A Big Factor During Drought?

E

Before we start a voyage, we usually try to find out more or less definitely where we are bound and how we are supposed to get there.

I happen to have the “Concise Oxford dictionary” on my desk and that will do as well as any other. The word I am looking for appears at the bottom of Page 344. edition 1912.

“Geography: the science of the earth's surface, form, physical features, natural and political divisions, climate, productions and population.”

I could not possibly hope to do better, but I still stress some of the aspects of the case at the expenses of others, because I intend to place man in the centre of the stage. This book of mine will not merely discuss the surface of the earth and its physical features, together with its political and natural boundaries. I would rather call it a study of man in search of food and shelter and leisure for himself and for his family and an attempt to his background or has reshaped his physical surroundings in order to be comfortable and well nourished and happy with his limited strength.

Among the two million human beings in the world, there is of course the widest possible range for all sorts of experiments of an economic and social and cultural nature. It seems me that those experiments deserve our attention before anything else. For a mountain is after all merely a mountain until it has been seen by human eyes and has been walked on by human feet and until its and slopes and valleys have been occupied and fought over and planted by a dozen generation of hungry settlers.

The Atlantic Ocean was just as wide and deep and as wet and salty before the beginning of the 13th century as after, but it took the human touch to make it what it is today—a bridge between the New World and the Old, the highway for the commerce between East and West.

For thousands of years the endless Russian plains lay ready to offer their abundant harvest to whoever should take the trouble to sow the first grain. But the aspect of that country today would he a very different one if the hand of a German or a Frank, rather than that of a Slav, had guided the iron-pointed stick that plowed the first furrows (犁沟).

The island of Nippon would shake and quake just as continually, whether they happened to be settled by Japanese or by the Tasmanian race, but in the latter case they would hardly be able to feed 60,000,000 people.

Generally speaking, I have paid more attention to the purely “human” side of geography than to the commercial problems which are so important in a day and age devoted to mass production.

1.In the first four paragraphs, the author wants to share with the readers ______.

A. his approach to planning a voyage

B. his emphasis on using a dictionary

C. his definition of the word “geography”

D. his altitude to the earth's physical features

2.Which of the following will the author NOT consider to be on experiment according to Paragraph 5?

A. Exploring a mountain.

B. Climbing a mountain.

C. Planting on slopes and valleys.

D. Becoming hungry.

3.Which of the following is implied about the Atlantic Ocean?

A. It is wide, deep, wet and salty.

B. Human touch makes it important.

C. There is a bridge over it.

D. The highway is busy there.

4.The author mentioned the Russian plains and the island of Nippon to show that _____.

A. they both feed a lot of people

B. they enjoy very good natural conditions

C. different people may make the same place different

D. their natural conditions haven't changed for many years

Many education experts stressed in the meeting that scores should not be viewed as the only ____ of success in one's study．

A． instruction B．criterion

C．proportion D． trick

The driver stopped his car so _____ that he was hit by the cab right behind him．

A． impolitely B． violently

C． abruptly D． cautiously

B

On behalf of the Obama family，I want to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving．

Like many of you． we'll spend the day with family and friends，catching up，eating some good food and watching a little football．Before we lift a fork，we lend a hand by going out in the community to serve some of our neighbors in need．And we give thanks for each other， and for all of God's blessings．We all share this day，united by the gratitude for the bounty（慷慨） of this nation．

And we welcome the contributions of all people-no matter their origin or color or beliefs-who call America home， and who enrich the life of our nation． It is a belief as old as our founding：“Epluribus unum” -- that out of many，we are one． We are reminded that this creed， and America itself was never an inevitability， but the result of ordinary people in every generation doing their part to uphold our founding ideals-by taking the blessings of freedom， and multiplying them for those who would follow．

As President Kennedy once wrote， even as we give thanks for all that we've inherited from those who came before us-“the decency（庄重，正派） of purpose， steadfastness（坚定）of resolve and strength of will， for the courage and the humility， which they possessed．” we must also remember that “the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them．”

Today，we are grateful to all Americans who do their part to live by those ideals， including our brave men and women in uniform overseas and their families， who sacrifice so much to keep America safe．We are grateful to the countless Americans who serve their communities in soup kitchens and shelters，looking out for those who are less fortunate，and lifting up those who have fallen on hard times．

This generosity， this compassion， this belief that we are each other's keepers， is essential to who we are， not just on this day，but every day．It's easy to focus on what separates us．But as we gather with loved ones on this Thanksgiving， let's remember and be grateful for what ties us together．

Our love of country．Our commitment to justice and equality．Our belief that America's best days are ahead，and that her destiny is ours to shape-and that our inherited ideals must be the birthright of all of our children．

That's what today is all about： that out of many，we are one． Thank you， God bless you．

1.What makes America as it is today？

A．The blessings of God．

B．The persistent efforts of all Americans．

C．The contributions of people from different origin．

D．The bonus of World War II．

2.As is mentioned several times in the passage， the sentence “out of many， we are one” implies

A．although we come from different places， now we share the same culture．

B．onjy if we unite as one can we make a better world．

C．we are unique ones picked out by God．

D．among the many countries in the world， America is the best one to live in．

3.What's the purpose by referring to President Kennedy's saying？

A．To testify what we have today is inherited from our ancestors．

B．To emphasis the importance of giving thanks to our forefathers and fellows．

C．To remind people to share happiness with others．

D．To encourage every American to do their own part in building the country．

4.President Obama's speech is made to ．

①call on Americans to unite together and help each other

② raise money to help the people in need

③clarify how the Thanksgiving comes into being

④express thanks to those who serve people at home or abroad

A．①② B．③④ C．②③ D．①④

E

Energy independence． It has a nice ring to it． Doesn't it？ If you think so， you're not alone，because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades， and never more so than in the past few years， when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession（经济衰退）．

"Energy independence"and its rhetorical（修辞的） companion"energy security"are， however，slippery concepts that are rarely though through． What is it we want independence from， exactly？

Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil．But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere．

The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running． Yes， there is a trickle（涓涓细流）of biofuel（生物燃料）available， and more may become available， but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction．

Second， Americans have basically decided that they don't really want to produce all their own oil． They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad． Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection． To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports？

Third， there are benefits to trade． It allows for economic efficiency， and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do， we benefit． And although you don't read about this much， the United States is also a large exporter of oil products， selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries．

There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and， in fact， relies on that steady flow to maintain ite economy． When that flow is interrupted， we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices． At the same time， we derive massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world．

1.From the passage， we know that biofuels ．

A．keep America's economy running healthily

B．prove to be a good alternative to petroleum

C．do not provide a sustainable energy supply

D．cause serious damage to the environment

2.Why does America rely heavily on oil imports？

A．Its own oil production falls short of demand．

B．Its own oil reserves are quickly running out．

C．It wants to keep Its own environment undamaged．

D．It wants to expand its storage of crude oil．

3.What can we conclude from the last paragraph？

A．America doesn't have enough oil supplies．

B．People can benefit more from importing oil．

C．Energy independence is significant for Americans．

D．Short of energy may cause economic depression．

4.What is the author's purpose in writing the passage？

A．To justify America's dependence on oil imports．

B．To stress the importance of energy conservation．

C．To arouse Americans' awareness of the energy crisis．

D．To explain the increase of international oil trade．

Homestay UK/Great Britain

Here you will find a selection of homestay hosts and host families in the UK．If you want to learn more about the British host family of your choice, please click on information at www．Homestaybooking．Com．You will then see a personal introduction of the UK homestay host．If you don’t want to search yourself, just register for free and receive our matching recommendations．

Chika and Tara from London, the United Kingdom

Information about the homestay host

Chika is 28 years old．She is away from home most of the time．Tara is 18 years old．She is at home every day．They both speak English．

Chika and Tara’s guests can stay for at least 5 nights and up to a maximum of 365 nights．Chika and Tara have no children living at home．It is a non-smoking residence(住宅)．No pets live in this household．

Information about the homestay accommodation

The accommodation is in London．The name of the neighborhood is Greenwich．The distance to the city center is 1．6km．The next access point to public transport is at 15 m distance．

Three guests can stay in Tara and Chika’s house at the same time．The following accommodation is generally available:

Single room with shared use of the family bathroom

*Size: 12．0 ㎡

*Facilities: desk, Internet access, mirror, hairdryer and wardrobe(衣橱)

*Price per night per person: ￡20．00 per night(one single)

Twin room with shared use of the family bathroom

*Size: 15．0 ㎡

*Facilities: TV, desk, Internet access, mirror, hairdryer and wordrobe

*Price per night per person:

￡20．00 per night(one guest)

￡17．00 per night(two guests)

The room charge includes the following services: Internet access, regular room cleaning, breakfast, free use of the washing machine．

Additional available service at an extra charge: Pick-up service(￡60．00 one-way); Lunch(￡6．00 per person per day); Dinner(￡6．00 per person per night)

Vegetarian(素食的) meals are available．

1.Chika and Tara’s house would be a good choice for _______．

A．a pet lover

B．a heavy smoker

C．a person who eats no meat

D．one who needs a one-night stay

2.What do we know about Chika and Tara’s house?

A．It lies in the center of the city．

B．It is not far away from Greenwich．

C．Public transport is convenient there．

D．The distance from the house to London is 1．6 km．

3.If Mary chooses a twin room and pick-up service(two-way), how much should she pay per day?

A．￡140． B．￡137． C．￡80． D．￡77