Ancient people made clay pottery because they needed it for their survival. They used the pots they make for cooking, storing food, and carrying things from place to place .Pottery was so important to early cultures that scientists now study it to learn more about ancient civilizations. The more advanced the pottery in terms of decoration, materials, glazes ,and manufacture,the more advanced the culture itself.

The artisan who makes pottery in North America today utilizes his or her skill and imagination to create items that are beautiful as well as functional, transforming something ordinary into something special and unique.

The potter uses one of the Earth’s most basic materials, clay. Clay can be found almost anywhere. Good pottery clay must be free from all small stones and other hard materials that would make the potting process difficult. Most North American artisan potters now purchase commercially processed clay, but some find the clay they need right in the earth, close to where they work.

The most important tools potters use are their own hands; however, they also use wire loop tools, wooden modeling tools, plain wire, and sponges. Plain wire is used to cut away the finished pot from its vase on the potter’s wheel.

After a finished pot is dried of all its moisture in the open air, it placed in a kiln and fired. The first firing hardens the pottery, and it is then ready to be glazed and fired again.

For areas where they do not want any glaze, such as the bottom of the pot, artisans paint on melted wax that will later burn off in the kiln. They then pour on the liquid glaze and let it run over the clay surface, making any kind of decorative pattern that they want.

1.What does the passage mainly discuss?

A. Different kinds of clay.

B. The training of an artisan.

C. The making of pottery.

D. Crafts of ancient civilizations.

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as a way that ancient people used pottery?

A. To hold food.　 　　　　　　　　　 B. To wash clothes.

C. To cook.　 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. To transport objects.

3.According to the passage, how do most North American potters today get the clay they need?

A. They buy it.

B. They make it.

C. They dig it from the earth.

D. They barter for it.

4.According to the author, what do potters use to remove the pot from the wheel?

A. Melted wax.　 　　　　　　　　　　　 B.A wire loop.

C.A sponge.　 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Plain wire.

5.The word “pattern” in the last sentence is closest in meaning to which of the following?

A. Model.　 　　　 B. Color.　　　　　 C. Puzzle.　 　 D. Design.

New studies show how food and its production affect the globe and its climate. The process of making a hamburger, for example, requires loss of energy. A cow has to be fed and raised on farmland. And cow waste is a major source of methane（沼气）— 1　 especially powerful greenhouse gas. The cow has to be killed. The meat has to be processed and shipped, 　2　 takes fuel. Most of the cow won’t even be used for meat people eat. By the time a hamburger finally lands o a dinner plate, 　3 has made bad effect on the environment.

We can reduce the production of global warming gases by eating less beef. Other kinds of meat like pork and chicken do 　4　 harm to the environment ―at least 　5　 terms of the amount of greenhouse gases released. 　6　 , all kinds of meat are harder on the planet that vegetables. 　7　 changing our diet to less meat and more vegetables, as it turns 　8　 , may do the world some good.

Who would you rather ______ the watch?

A. have to repair　 B. have repaired　 C. get repaired　 D. get to repair

____the problem of land erosion getting more serious, the government is searching for a way to deal with it.

　 A. As　　　　　　 B. With　　　　　　 C. When　　　 D. If

I don’t know which doctor is ___ her.

　　A. waiting B. looking C. attending D. caring

Although Tim and Mike come from ________（完全地）different backgrounds, they　

　 became close friends.

In my father’s eyes, the movie you talked about _____________________ (不值得一看).(worth)

The office ordered his soldiers ________.

A. to stand still　　　　　　　　　　　 B. to not stand still

C. not stand still　　　　　　　　　　　 D. stand still

________ Mr. Morgan appears extremely cheerful in public, he is in fact leading a very unhappy life.

A．While　　　　　 B．When 　　　C．As　　　　　　　 D．Since