For years, scientists and others concerned about climate change have been talking about the need for carbon capture and storage (CCS).

That is the term for removing carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) from, say, a coal-burning power plant’s smokestack and pumping it deep underground to keep it out of the atmosphere, where it would otherwise contribute to global warming.

However, currently, only one power plant in Canada captures and stores carbon on a commercial scale (and it has been having problems). Among the concerns about storage is that carbon dioxide in gaseous or liquid form that is pumped underground might escape back to the atmosphere. So storage sites would have to be monitored, potentially for decades or centuries.

But scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and other institutions have come up with a different way to store CO2 that might eliminate that problem. Their approach involves dissolving the gas with water and pumping the resulting mixture — soda water, essentially — down into certain kinds of rocks, where the CO2 reacts with the rock to form a mineral called calcite(方解石). By turning the gas into stone, scientists can lock it away permanently. Volcanic rocks called basalts(玄武岩) are excellent for this process, because they are rich in calcium, magnesium and iron, which react with CO2.

The project called CarbFix started in Iceland, 2012, when the scientists pumped about 250 tons of carbon dioxide, mixed with water, about 1,500 feet down into porous basalt. Early signs were encouraging: The scientists found that about 95 percent of the carbon dioxide was changed into calcite. And even more importantly, they wrote, the change happened relatively quickly — in less than two years.

“It’s beyond all our expectations,” said Edda Aradottir, who manages the project. Rapid change of the CO2 means that a project would probably have to be monitored for a far shorter time than a more conventional storage site.

There are still concerns about whether the technology will prove useful in the fight against global warming. For one thing, it would have to be scaled up enormously. For another, a lot of water is needed — 25 tons of it for every ton of CO2 — along with the right kind of rock.

But the researchers say that there is enough porous basaltic rock in Iceland, including in the ocean floors and along the margins of continents. And sitting a storage project in or near the ocean could potentially solve the water problem at the same time, as the researchers say seawater would work just fine.

1.What can we learn about CCS in Paragraphs 2 and 3?

A. Scientists believe global warming will be avoided if CO2 is pumped underground.

B. It’s been a common practice in many plants to capture and store CO2 underground.

C. There is no guarantee that CO2 will not escape even if pumped underground.

D. It requires decades to turn CO2 into liquid form and be locked underground.

2.What materials should be involved in the project CarbFix?

A. Water, CO2, soda water and basalts.

B. Water, CO2, a pump and basalts.

C. CO2, basalts, a pump and calcite.

D. Water, soda water, a pump and calcite.

3.According to Edda Aradottir, the result of the project was beyond the researchers’ expectations, because ________.

A. it’s disappointing to discover new problems caused by rapid change

B. it’s exciting to sense the problem of storing CO2 likely to be solved

C. it’s puzzling to find the encouraging but unexpected result of the project

D. it’s amazing to see 95% of the carbon dioxide turn into calcite that fast

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

A. To show the different ways to fight against CO2.

B. To praise the efforts of scientists in storing CO2.

C. To inform us of a breakthrough in storing CO2.

D. To urge people to produce the least possible CO2.

While the other kids seemed excited about celebrating the end-of-term party by playing games and sharing treats, Jeremy hated the very idea of the gathering.

Afraid to raise the pressure too high, I decided to contribute something that was easy to purchase on the walk to school.

Off we went the day of the party, approaching his school as if nothing was planned. I reminded him of our need to make a purchase, entered his favorite shop, and asked him to select the ripest bunch of grapes. He shot me an anxious look and insisted none of his classmates ever be able to notice he had something to bring to the party. My vision of a successful parenting method, resulting in delivering a sociable child to his school, diverted(转移) sharply from reality.

Back on route, I did my best to hide the sinking feeling of fear. How could I possibly drop him off and then walk into my own classroom to teach a successful class?

My next move was born in the heat of the moment. I said a quick goodbye at the front gate and rushed to his classroom through the emergency exit. I managed to inform his teacher about the grapes in the backpack and be out of the classroom before I could be spied by my son.

So, what happened on that June day? His teacher, a caring educator, worked wonders. My son and I still laugh about the way Mr. B started the day with an unusual question, “Does anyone have any grapes?” While Jeremy admits feeling a bit uncomfortable, the words encouraged him to takeout the fruit. Because of the support he received, he remembers that day with pride for his courage.

1.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “vision” in Paragraph 3?

A. Use.B. Research.C. Understanding.D. Imagination.

2.How did the author feel when she left the shop?

A. Worried.B. Satisfied.C. Grateful.D. Regretful.

3.Why did the author hurry to her son’s classroom?

A. She went to ask the teacher for help.

B. She went there to give her lesson.

C. She was afraid of her son being punished.

D. She was invited to take part in the celebration.

4.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. The teacher inspired Jeremy to share grapes.

B. Jeremy prepared for the coming party.

C. The author helped Jeremy to become sociable.

D. The author taught Jeremy to select goods

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Tips to Increase Your Productivity

Want to get more done in your day? Of course you do. 1. The good news is that everyone can increase the amount of tasks they accomplish in a day. Here are some tips to help you have a more productive day.

Make a plan for your day. Make sure you know how you want your day to go in advance, even before you start. 2. To work best, create the next day’s plan the night before so that every morning you spend time performing, not planning.

Break large tasks down into bits accomplished easily. Do you have a large project that’s just so big that you keep putting it off? Or maybe you’re just unsure of where to begin, so you put it off. 3. Therefore, you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you check the items of your list.

Always set your priorities (优先事项). 4. Figure out what must be done, do that first and rank the rest of your work according to importance. If you don’t get to the items at the end of your list, it won’t be a big problem, and you can do them another time.

5. If you are the most productive in the morning, that’s when you should hit it hard and do as much as you can. If you work better in the afternoon, take care of some things like emails in the morning and then accomplish the important projects in the afternoon. Keep on top of your work habits, and you’ll be more productive.

A. A good way is to break the project down into more manageable ones.

B. It’s important to accomplish the most important tasks first.

C. This can provide you a roadmap for the day.

D. To stay competitive in any industry, you need to improve your productivity.

E. Be aware of when you are the most productive.

F. Reward yourself if you are productive.

G. It’s tough to meet depressed people who are productive.

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填人空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

When my son Gene was about 12 years old, I started helping him learn to . I bought twenty chickens and asked him to them. I told him that they would be his own chickens and we would the eggs from him. However, he would have to buy chicken with the money he made from the eggs. Whatever money was would be his to keep. Gene was , thinking he would make his first .

After several weeks’ successful work, I began to that egg production was going down. I nothing about it. Then one night, Gene told me he didn’t have money to buy the feed. He said the chickens had never a meal and he could not figure out why some of them had stopped eggs.

Then I asked him if he had the amount of feed he had given the chickens, he was . It was like he did not think anyone would ever what he had done. After a long , he said yes. He thought he would make more money if he gave them food. I asked him, “Did you fool the chickens?”

I was just astonished at the question in my own . I was dumbfounded (惊呆) at the of it. Yes, you can fool everyone else, but you cannot “fool the chickens,” because , you will find out, as the saying goes, “What goes around comes around.”

1.A. work B. shareC. countD. cook

2.A. play B. observeC. trainD. raise

3.A. saveB. borrowC. buyD. keep

4.A. nestB. soupC. meatD. feed

5.A. given backB. left over C. picked upD. brought in

6.A. satisfiedB. worriedC. excited D. cautious

7.A. fortune B. contributionC. deal D. choice

8.A. hearB. noticeC. predictD. spot

9.A. saidB. criticizedC. thoughtD. reminded

10.A. privateB. muchC. pocketD. enough

11.A. missedB. wastedC. enjoyedD. finished

12.A. hatchingB. layingC. gatheringD. bearing

13.A. balancedB. increasedC. reducedD. measured

14.A. delightedB. disappointedC. confusedD. shocked

15.A. forgiveB. knowC. researchD. accept

16.A. silenceB. absenceC. negotiationD. discussion

17.A. fewerB. fresherC. moreD. less

18.A. lifeB. jobC. mind D. case

19.A. explanationB. trickC. significance D. example

20.A. actuallyB. finallyC. ratherD. instead

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

This is a true story which happened in the States. 1. man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was 2. (happy) hammering dents(凹痕) into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp(果浆汁) as 3. (punish). When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.

Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to cut the fingers from both the boy's hands. When the boy 4. (wake) up from the operation and saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, “Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck, 5. when are my fingers going to grow back?”

The father went home and committed suicide.

Think about this story the next time someone steps on your 6. (foot) or you wish to take revenge(报复). Think first 7. you lose your patience with someone you love. Trucks can be repaired, but 8. (break) bones and hurt feelings often can't. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is 9. (great) than revenge.

People make mistakes. We 10. (allow) to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will impress us forever.

假定英语课上英语老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（﹨）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词。

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

I was in the college when my father passed away. One evening, a man visited me and after a while, he asked of my studies. I told him I could not go to college so I did not want to study anymore. He reminded how my father had sent me to the best college in our city. Did I want to fulfill his father's dream or did I want to be calling a failure? I wept and said I do want to do my best and I just couldn't concentrate. He gave me all the encouragements I needed to be able to carry on. His calming, gently voice did wonders and I decided to study harder and complete my graduation early.

假定你是李华。在校报英语专栏看到了学校“英语文化节”的一则招募启事，请阅读启事，并根据写作要点写一封应征邮件。

Volunteers Wanted

Our annual English Festival, which will be held on June 15-17, 2015, is now looking for 20 student volunteers to provide service for Talent Show, Speech Contest, and English Debate. If you are interested, please send an application email at your earliest convenience to Ms. Chen at www. chenlaoshi@163.com.

要点：1. 陈述应征目的；

2. 说明应征条件（性格、能力等）。

注意： 1. 字数100词左右；

2. 可根据情况增加细节，使行文连贯。

Dear Ms. Chen,

I’m Li Hua, a student from Grade 3. ____________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Looking forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

Although Americans are well known for getting down to business, Indians working in overseas teams, MNCs, and BPOs should know the importance of small talk. While Indians have a true interest in talking to Americans and getting to know them, they also hesitate to do so for some reasons. Americans engage in less personal small talk than Indians. And the topics and questions used in English vary widely based on language differences and cultural differences. Here are three things to keep in mind while you are trying to make small talk with your American clients and colleagues.

Amencans love to ask about, and then complain about the weather. They may talk about how the weather prevented them from having fun or how the weather supported their outdoor events. You can talk about the weather with them to begin a conversation. While talking, they always try to follow up on their answer by asking another open-ended question or make a statement, such as "Wow, that sounds like fun ! " or "You went to St. Louis. In which state is that?" Be creative in your questions. Feel free to ask one or two, but not very personal ones about relations. Stick to the facts or events that were already referred to.

Sometimes, some words used in India will totally confuse an American. For example, Americans use the word "weekend" instead of "holiday" for Saturdays and Sundays ( non-working days) , and use the word " vacation" or " days off" instead of " out-of-station" .

Always be interested, optimistic and happy. Talk with a smile! Vary the sound of your voice. Do not sound like a computer. If you are unsure how you sound, a good tip is to record yourself and listen to it later. Doing this helps you know how your voice sounds, and if you don't sound as you want to be heard, it may be time to work on enhancing your voice.

1.For Indians, having small talk with American colleagues is .

A. boring B. useless C. important D. interesting

2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A. What Americans like talking about in their daily life.

B. How Americans usually start a conversation with others.

C. Why talking about the weather is good to begin a conversation.

D. What people can say when having small talk with Amencans.

3.What does the underlined word "enhancing" in the last paragraph mean?

A. Lowering. B. Replacing. C. Improving. D. Examining.

4.What’s the writer's purpose in writing the passage?

A. To prove that having small talk is not very hard.

B. To explain why Indians hesitate to talk with Americans.

C. To show the differences between Americans and Indians.

D. To tell how to make small talk with American clients and colleagues.

Consider yourself warned. Sunday is April Fools' Day, a day when you are encouraged to play tricks on loved ones and even the people you meet at the bus stop. It's a strange tradition, but how did it get started?

Nobody is completely sure about the origin of this, the silliest of holidays. However, the urban legend experts at Snopes. com say that most experts owe it to Pope Gregory XⅢ, who, in the 1500s, gave the world the Gregorian calendar.

In 1562, the Gregorian calendar moved the first day of the year from April l to January l. Word did eventually get around, but some people were a bit slow to hear the news. These folks continued celebrating the new year on April l , unaware that they were now three months behind the times. These "April fools" were tricked by those who knew it. The tradition eventually made its way to the US.

And it's still going strong. Over the past week, Web searches on " April Fools' Day jokes" and " April Fools' Day tricks" have more than doubled, and related lookups for "easy April Fools' Day tricks" and "April Fools' Day jokes for work" have also increased greatly. Bottom line: Keep your guard up, especially if somebody offers you a word search puzzle. Lookups for "impossible April Fools' Day word searches" are up by 200%.

But really, there is no way to be certain you'll escape trickery because even companies are out to trick you on April l. In 1957, the BBC reported Swiss farmers were harvesting spaghetti(意大利面) from trees. And in 1996, Taco Bell took out ads in major newspapers announcing that the company had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell.

1.What is the author's purpose of writing the text?

A. To teach us how to avoid being tricked.

B. To point out the best way to trick others.

C. To introduce the history of April Fools' Day.

D. To stress the importance of April Fools' Day.

2.What can we know from Paragraph 3?

A. April lst was once the first day of the year.

B. April Fools' Day was set by Pope Gregory XⅢ.

C. April Fools' Day has been celebrated for thousands of years.

D. Started in the US, April Fools' Day is popular around the world.

3.From the 4th paragraph, we can learn that .

A. people enjoy being April Fools

B. April Fools' Day is still very popular

C. those tricks used on April 1 are much the same

D. people like to celebrate April Fools' Day online

4.The examples listed in the last paragraph are used to show .

A. a modern farming technology

B. what newspapers without ads are like

C. how the Taco Liberty Bell got its name

D. how some companies trick the public

Twelve years ago, Rachel Miller was lost when it came to her son John. The 7-year-old was seriously disabled because of his autism(自闭症). Unable to speak, he withdrew from people at school and, worse, from his family.

In March 2003, Miller was introduced to Jeff Hancock, a one-on-one therapist(治疗师) for people with autism. Hancock was hired to be John's companion. The two would go people-watching at the mall on the weekend. Hancock chatted throughout their trips, even though John couldn't talk back.

Their relationship developed when Hancock introduced John to the Special Olympics. Whenever John was running or being active, he was smiling.

When John turned 12, Hancock introduced him to track at the Special Olympics. For the first three years, the pair just observed the sport by watching practices and events. Hancock worked daily with John, showing him everything, including where to sit, stand and walk, so he would understand the flow of the events.

Eventually, the lessons clicked, and John was off doing 50-meter sprints. But as John got older, he got stronger and faster. At 16, he was jumping hurdles and doing 800-meter races. Miller started seeing her son as a serious athlete.

In May 2014, John's training brought him to the Special Olympics State Summer Games in Orlando. The 18-year-old was competing in the 800 meters and the 110-meter hurdles.

As the 800 was setting up, Miller remembered, she pressed her face against the fence, anxiously waiting for John to compete. But as soon as the race started, all Miller saw was an athlete, her athlete.

"I just wanted to see the best performance. It seemed much more significant than whether he would ever speak or respond to me," she said.

John ended up winning the gold medal for the 800. Sports completely changed John, and Miller said that is because of Hancock."A person with a disability can feel hopeless and isolated, and I think that can happen to parents, too. "

1. The first paragraph mainly tells us

A. how Rachel Miller felt 12 years ago

B. how serious John's autism was

C. John wasn't good at communication

D. when John became seriously disabled

2. Miller considered John to be a serious athlete .

A. in 2011 B. in 2012 C. in 2013 D. in 2014

3.When Miller saw John's performance in the 800, she felt .

A. curious B. amazed C. delighted D. upset

4.The passage is mainly carried out.

A. by giving examples

B. in a sad tone

C. in space order

D. in time order