Since the first Earth Day started on April 22, 1970, people around the world have been encouraged to protect the environment and natural resources．Gaylord Nelson started this holiday．On the first Earth Day， 20 million people took part in Earth Day events．

Earth Day activities can include learning something about technology like cars that are more environmentally friendly and special houses that save energy and water．An organization called the Earth Day Network encourages people to use clean energy which doesn’t pollute the environment．Most of our energy comes from fossil fuels (化石燃料) that are found underground． Coal， oil and natural gas are examples of fossil fuels．Fossil fuels come from plants and animals that lived millions of years ago． Burning fossil fuels to create energy pollutes the air and water． Many scientists think that burning fossil fuels also increases the temperature of the earth． To reduce the use of fossil fuels． scientists are experimenting with hydrogen-powered (氢化发动的) cars． These cars don’t pollute the air like gas-powered cars．

Some scientists guess that by 2025, fossil fuels will run out．When people can no longer use gasoline， they may use fuel cells instead． Fuel cells use hydrogen to create energy． People do not need to worry about hydrogen running out， because it is renewable and replaceable．

In Washington， D.C.， a few people drive cars that run on fuel cells． When these cars need more energy, drivers can go to a hydrogen pump．The first hydrogen pump for the public opened in November 2004， marking an important step toward a cleaner environment．

1.what can we learn from the passage?

A．Fossil fuels don’t pollute the air．

B．Hydrogen-powered cars make less pollution．

C．Many drivers are driving hydrogen-powered cars．

D．We can find many hydrogen pumps in the USA．

2.How long may people still be able to use fossil fuels?

A．Twenty years． B．Over thirty-eight years．

C．More than ten years． D．About seventeen years．

3.Which of the following is not mentioned?

A．Scientists are producing more hydrogen-powered cars．

B．Some people drive fuel-cell cars in Washington．

C．Fossil fuels come from plants and animals．

D．We can learn about environmentally friendly technology from Earth Day activities．

4.When do fossil fuels pollute the air?

A．When we use them to create gasoline．

B．When people get them from the underground．

C．After being burned to get energy．

D．After getting them from a hydrogen pump．

5.Because hydrogen is renewable， we don’t need to worry that ________．

A．it will be used up B．it can be used for creating energy

C．it will pollute the environment D．it will be cleaner

Parking has been a problem for drivers for a long time in Taizhou. The Transportation Department(部门) is mapping out a new plan for the city’s parking system. There are about 100 thousand cars on the road inTaizhou but only enough parking space to provide room for 15 percent of these vehicles. It is no wonder that local drivers get so worried trying to find a place to park.
The number of the private(私人的) car owners is becoming lager and larger. In March, the city sent out 1,000 private car licenses, the highest number of licenses ever sent out in a month. And prices rose to over 200 yuan, 500 more than in February. Industry experts(专家) say this suggests that local people have a strong, active interest in buying cars.
By the year 2020, the number of cars in Taizhou will probably reach 200 thousand. If one parking lot is for each car, then a lot of parking space should be built for these vehicles. The center of Taizhou is most short of parking space. However, experts point out that simply building more parking lots in these areas is not practical and doesn’t solve the problem. The idea of “ Park & Ride” system has been suggested. This means that underground train and city train should be developed quickly. Drivers can leave their vehicles in car parks nearby subway(地铁) and bus stations and then they can ride public transport to go to the city center. Based on this idea, the city will cut down the number of parking lots in the city center and need higher parking fees(费用). But it will build more parking areas near main subway and bus stops.
【小题1】The underlined phrase “ mapping out ” in the first paragraph means _____.

Parking has been a problem for drivers for a long time in Taizhou. The Transportation Department(部门) is mapping out a new plan for the city’s parking system. There are about 100 thousand cars on the road inTaizhou but only enough parking space to provide room for 15 percent of these vehicles. It is no wonder that local drivers get so worried trying to find a place to park.

The number of the private(私人的) car owners is becoming lager and larger. In March, the city sent out 1,000 private car licenses, the highest number of licenses ever sent out in a month. And prices rose to over 200 yuan, 500 more than in February. Industry experts(专家) say this suggests that local people have a strong, active interest in buying cars.

By the year 2020, the number of cars in Taizhou will probably reach 200 thousand. If one parking lot is for each car, then a lot of parking space should be built for these vehicles. The center of Taizhou is most short of parking space. However, experts point out that simply building more parking lots in these areas is not practical and doesn’t solve the problem. The idea of “ Park & Ride” system has been suggested. This means that underground train and city train should be developed quickly. Drivers can leave their vehicles in car parks nearby subway(地铁) and bus stations and then they can ride public transport to go to the city center. Based on this idea, the city will cut down the number of parking lots in the city center and need higher parking fees(费用). But it will build more parking areas near main subway and bus stops.

1.The underlined phrase “ mapping out ” in the first paragraph means _____.

A. making        B. arguing          C. replying        D. comparing

2. About _____ drivers can find places to park their cars in Taizhou now.

A. 8,500         B. 10,000           C. 15,000          D. 20,000

3. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A. The city sent out more private licenses in February.

B. Less and less people bought cars in March.

C. The city sent out less private licenses in March.

D. More and more people are going to buy cars.

4. According to the idea of a “ Park & Ride ” system, the city will _____.

A. send out more private car licenses

B. build more parking lots near bus stops

C. encourage people to buy more cars

D. build more parking areas in the city center

5.This passage is mainly about_____.

A. parking problems                  

B. heavy traffic    

C. pollution in Taizhou              

D. building more parking lots in the city center