When Christmas time is upon us, there won't be many families without some type of Christmas tree. Most will choose between a cut pine tree and an artificial plastic tree.

Artificial Christmas trees are usually made from steel and the plastic known as PVC. To produce one kilogram of raw PVC you need over a kilo of fossil fuels plus half a kilo of minerals and 10 L of water. The process also releases about two kilograms of CO₂ ― which contributes to climate change ― and eight grams of dangerous waste.

Most live Christmas trees come either from small plantations dedicated to growing trees just for Christmas or are the rejects from large pine plantations. In both cases, the growing trees provide some long-term soil protection and suck up climate-change-causing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, the use of fertilizers and pollution from machinery can have negative impacts on the local ecosystems.

Both types of trees require transportation to reach your home, which means fuels are burnt and air pollution generated. The greater the distance travelled, the larger the impact, and plastic trees certainly rack up the kilometres. The vast majority of Australia’s artificial trees are made in factories in Asia. If a family in Melbourne buys a plastic tree made in China, then it has travelled more than 8,000 km to arrive at its new home. Alternatively, someone living near Melbourne's CBD could get a real tree from a plantation less than 50 km away.

Despite the shorter life span, real trees are the way to go, because a natural tree can be reused in its afterlife. A plastic Christmas tree can’t be recycled and that means its final resting place will be the local dump. Here the PVC will stay in much the same form for thousands of years.

72. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

      A. Artificial Christmas trees are usually made from steel and plastic.

B. The process of producing PVC does great harm to the environment.

C. Real Christmas trees usually come from large or small plantations.

D. Real Christmas trees release much carbon dioxide while growing.

73. By saying “rack up the kilometres”, the author probably means that the transportation of plastic trees _______.

A. is more convenient                         B. produces more pollution

C. covers a shorter distance                D. can save more fuels

74. According to the passage, real Christmas trees _______ compared with fake ones.

A. use fewer resources                       B. are more difficult to recycle

C. last much longer                             D. are less expensive

75. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

A. Real Christmas Trees: A Wasteful luxury

B. Fake Christmas Trees: A Economical Choice

C. Real Christmas Trees: A Greener Decision

D. Fake Christmas Trees: A Popular Trend

69. Which is proper in online communication according to the passage?

A. Use strong words to highlight your point.       B. Check your message before sending it.

C. Type in all capital letters.                        D. Use as many emoticons as possible.

70. The underlined word “Acronyms” probably means __________.

       A. combinations of symbols to express meanings

B. words made up of initial letters or parts of words

       C. text messages to indicate the writer’s feelings

       D. wise sayings providing guidance for people

71. According to the passage, we may probably type _________ to end a conversation.

A. TTUL              B. ROTFL                    C.  :-@                D.  :-&

In 1993, I had my first opportunity to visit Russia as a representative of the University of California. I was there to provide some technical assistance in the area of agricultural labor management. “Russians are a very polite people,” I had been tutored before my arrival. One of my interpreters, once I was there, explained that a gentleman will pour the limonad (type of juice) for the ladies and show politeness.

Toward the end of my three week trip I was invited by my young Russian host and friend Nicolai Vasilevich and his lovely wife Yulya out to dinner. At the end of a wonderful meal, Yulya asked if I would like a banana. I politely declined and thanked her, and explained I was most satisfied with the meal. But the whole while my mind was racing: “What do I do? Do I offer her a banana even though they are as close to her as they are to me? What is the polite thing to do?”

“Would you like a banana?” I asked Yulya.

“Yes,” she smiled, but made no attempt to take any of the three bananas in the fruit basket. “What now?” I thought.

“Which one would you like?” I asked awkwardly.

“That one,” she pointed at one of the bananas. Thinking about Russian politeness, I picked the banana Yulya had pointed at and peeled(去皮) it half way and handed it to her. Smiles in Yulya’s and Nicolai’s faces told me I had done the right thing. After this experience I spent much time letting the world know that in Russia, the polite thing is to peel the bananas for the ladies.

Sometime during my third trip I was politely corrected by a Russian friend. “Oh, no, in Russia, when a man peels a banana for a lady it means he has a romantic interest in her.” How embarrassed I felt! And I had been proudly telling everyone about my findings.

Certain lessons have to be learned the hard way. Some well meaning articles and presentations on cultural differences have a potential to do more harm than good and may not be as amusing. They present, like my bananas, too many generalizations or quite an inaccurate view.

65. The author went to Russia in 1993 to ________.

       A. visit a famous university                        B. work as an interpreter

       C. offer some professional help                   D. do some agricultural work

66. The author decided to offer Yulya a banana because ________.

       A. he sat closer to bananas                         B. he wanted to show politeness

       C. she gave him one first                                   D. he wanted to win her heart

67. How did the author probably feel after he saw the smiles in Yulya’s and Nicolai’s faces?

A. Awkward.         B. Embarrassed.            C. Surprised.         D. Relieved.

68. The author told this story mainly to express that _________.

       A. Russian politeness is rather difficult to understand

       B. man should never peel a banana for a lady in Russia

       C. what people say about other culture may not be true

       D. funny things may happen anywhere at any time

Everyone knows how the story of Cinderella ends, but did you ever really think about how she spent her days before she met the prince? Her daily ___(50)___ was not fascinating. She did everything from sweeping the floor to cooking the meals. If someone had asked Cinderella, “Are there any kinds of ___(51)___ work that you particularly hate?” she probably would have answered, “Why, none, of course. Housework is my duty!” In the real world, ___(52)___, most people have definite ___(53)___ for certain sorts of housework. Two of these tasks are ironing clothes and washing dishes.

       Ironing clothes is most hated ___(54)___ it is not a task that can be completed quickly or thoughtlessly. Each piece of clothing must be handled ___(55)___, so ironing a basket of laundry can take hours! After ironing a piece of clothing with great care, you need to place it on a hanger as soon as possible. If you do not follow these directions carefully, it might become ___(56)___ and you have to start over. Perhaps that is why ironing is not a ___(57)___ thing to do. It ___(58)___ extreme attention to detail from beginning to end.

       Another household job that many people dislike is washing dishes. ___(59)___, some people claim that this work is no longer a problem because we have dishwashers now! However, no one would ___(60)___ that dishes, silverware, and ___(61)___ pots and pans washed in a dishwasher don’t come out as clean as they do when washed by hand. For this reason, many of us ___(62)___ to wash our dishes by hand, but we are not necessarily happy doing it. Cleaning dishes is a job that not only takes a lot of energy but also ___(63)___ the patience to wash and dry them. ___(64)___, unlike ironing clothes, washing dishes is a thing that usually must be done every day. I don’t know how Cinderella felt about this particular task, but I believe that most people hate it as much as I do.

        If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris, remember that the French have their own way of doing things, and that even your finest manners may not be “correct” by French custom. For example, if you think showing up without delay at the time given on the invitation, armed with gifts of wine and roses, ___(41)___ your hostess on her cooking, laughing heartily at the host’s jokes and then ___(42)___  up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest, think again.

Here Madame Nora Chabal, the marketing director of The Ritz Hotel in Paris, explains how it works. The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours. If an invitation is for eight o’clock, the ___(43)___  guest arrives at 8:15. Guests who arrive ___(44)___  on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details. The “guest” arrives between 15 to 20 minutes after the hour because dinner will be served exactly 30 minutes past the time on the invitation.

Flowers sent in advance are the ___(45)___  gift. They may also be sent afterwards with a thank-you note. It is considered a very bad form to arrive with a gift of flowers in hand, thereby forcing the hostess to deal with finding a vase when she is too busy to do that. See, that’s the logic! The type of flowers sent has a ___(46)___ of its own, too. One must never send Chrysanthemums(菊花) because they are considered too ___(47)___ a flower for occasion. Carnations are considered bad luck. And though the French love wine, you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party. Why, it’s as if you ___(48)___  your hosts would not have enough wine on hand, and that’s an ___(49)___. You may, however, offer a box of chocolates that the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee.

The scientists are trying to find out what ______ caused the dolphins to strand themselves, a strange animal behavior hard to understand.

     A. was it that            B. that was that    C. was that which      D. it was that

The government has revised the budget, 5% of______ will be used to help develop the medium  and small sized enterprises.

     A. that                  B. whose        C. which            D. as

Hardly______ aware that the lion was approaching her before her dog began to bark.

     A. she was              B. would she     C. would she be        D. was she   

The newly concluded National People’s Congress has passed a package of economic policies _____ 8% of yearly economic growth.

     A. target                        B. to target         C. targeting             D. targeted

There is little doubt _____ you will be able to judge truth and error if you have confidence in yourself.

A. that                   B. who          C. when              D. if