Imagine a mass of floating waste is two times the size of the state of Texas. Texas has a land area of more than 678 000 square kilometers. So it might be difficult to imagine anything twice as big.

    All together, this mass of waste flowing in the North Pacific Ocean is known as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch. It weighs about 3 500 000 tons. The waste includes bags，bottles and containers—plastic products of all kinds.

    The eastern part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is about l 600 kilometers west of California. The western part is west of the Hawaiian Islands and east of Japan. The area has been described as a kind of oceanic desert，with light winds and slow moving water currents. The water moves so slow that garbage from all over the world collects there.

    In recent years，there have been growing concerns about the floating garbage and its effect on sea creatures and human health. Scientists say thousands of animals get trapped in the floating waste，resulting in death or injury. Even more die from a lack of food or water after swallowing pieces of plastic. The trash can also make animals feel full，lessening their desire to eat or drink.

    The floating garbage also can have harmful effects on people. There is an increased threat of infection of disease from polluted waste，and from eating fish that swallowed waste. Divers can also get trapped in the plastic.

    Its existence first gained public attention in l997. That was when racing boat captain and oceanographer Charles Moore and his crew sailed into the garbage while returning from a racing event. Five years earlier，another oceanographer learned of the trash after a shipment of rubber duckies got lost at sea. Many of those toys are now part of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch.

    In August，2009，a team from the University of California，San Diego became the latest group to travel to it. They were shocked by the amount of waste they saw. They gathered hundreds of sea creatures and water samples to measure the garbage patch’s effect on ocean environment.

1. How did the writer introduce the topic of the passage?

A. By giving an example.

B. By listing the facts.

C. By telling a story.

D. By giving a comparison.

2.What do we know about the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. It is made up of various kinds of plastic products.

B. It is a solid mass of floating waste materials.

C. It lies l60 000 kilometers east of California.

D. It is described as a kind of oceanic desert.

3.Why do people pay attention to the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch?

A. Because it may prevent the flow of ocean water.

B. Because the polluted plastic articles will move up the food chain.

C. Because it may be from an island in the pacific.

D. Because ships may be trapped in the floating waste.

4. The purpose of writing this passage is to____________.

A. warn people of the danger to travel in the pacific

B. analyze what caused the waste patch in the pacific

C. give advice on how to recycle waste in the ocean

D. introduce the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch

 

33 Chilean miners were trapped nearly a half-mile underground after the mine accident. They had no real hope that they’d ever be found. Luckily, though, the men had Luis Urzua. They were rescued to safety on October 13, 2010.Urzua, 54, was the shift leader at the time of the disaster, and used all his wisdoms and his leadership talents to help his men stay calm and in control for the 17 terrible days it took for rescuers to make their first contact with them.

It was no surprise that Urzua was the last of the 33 miners to leave the mine.

Urzua --- after shaking hands with rescue workers ---- climbed into a capsule barely wider than a man’s shoulders at 9:46 and was hauled up (拖上来) from a narrow hole drilled through 2,000 feet of rock. He arrived at the top 11 minutes later.

“We have done what the entire world was waiting for,” he told Chilean President Sebastian Pinera immediately after his rescue. “The 69 days that we fought so hard were not in vain.” Pinera greeted Urzua, saying “You have been rescued, coming out last like a good leader… You have no idea how all Chileans share with

you your hardships, your hope, and your joy. You are an inspiration.” With Urzua by his side, the president led the crowd in singing the national anthem.Robinson Marquez once worked with Urzua in a nearby mine. He described Urzua as a calm, professional person and a born leader. “He is very protective of his men and obviously loves them. He wouldn’t have left until all of his men were safely above ground,” Marquez said.

Under Urzua’s leadership, the men stretched an emergency food supply meant to last just 48 hours over two and a half weeks, taking tiny sips of milk and bites of fish every other day.He described the difficulties of the first days, saying that it took about three hours for the dust to settle before the men could inspect where tons of collapsed rock sealed off (堵住) the main way out. When the rescuers first made contact by drilling a narrow hole into their refuge (避难处), the miners were so excited that everyone wanted to hug the drill hammer.After the collapse, Urzua was the first to speak to Pinera and to urge him not to let him and his men down. “Don’t leave us alone,” he asked the president, who assured the workers that they would not be abandoned, telling them he would do everything he could to get them back to the surface.

1.The mine collapsed on ____.

A．March 2

B．June 3

C．August 5

D．October 13

2.Which word can’t be used to describe Urzua?

A．Selfish

B．Calm

C．Optimistic

D．Talented

3.What do you know about the capsule?

A．It is very spacious.	B．It is very narrow.
C．It is made by Urzua.	D．It is used in space.

4.The emergency food supply was designed to last ____.

A．over two and a half weeks	B．five days
C．one week	D．two days

 

How the iron of tomorrow
(the first Self Clean Iron)
can change your lifestyle today?
General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself. Inside where irons get dirty. Because it cleans itself each and every time you empty it.
How?  With a push of a magic blue button.
The magic blue button
The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked “Self Clean”. Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.
Less chance of brown spots
Sure, Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots. (Those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes.) Because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean each time you press that magic blue button.
Steams much longer
Common sense tells you that if you’ve an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long period of time. In other words, it steams much longer. That’s another joy of owning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.
What does it mean to you
Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids.
You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle. By giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better house maker, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from General Electric.
Lifestyle.
We’re with yours.
GENERAL ELECTRIC
【小题1】This passage is ______.

A．an introduction to General Electric

B．an operating instruction of Self Cleaning Iron

C．an advertisement of Self Cleaning Iron

D．a description of the change of lifestyle

【小题2】This iron can clean itself by ______.

A．empting itself	B．washing out mineral deposits
C．locking up mineral deposits	D．giving off more steam

【小题3】According to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?

A．It is made by General Electric.

B．The iron will not produce mineral deposits.

C．There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes.

D．Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time.

【小题4】Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because ______.

A．you can run your house better	B．you don’t have to run after the kids
C．you can use it while you are working	D．we want you to be a better house maker

Broken rubber bands and flat tires requiring replacement could soon be a thing of the past．

French researchers have developed a new kind of rubber that can repair itself when broken．The new rubber is made from widely available materials including vegetable oil and a common industrial chemical．All the materials are considered safe to the environment and can be easily reused．

The best part is that the new rubber can be repaired and used again and again without losing its strength or ability or stretch．When cut, the rubber can be made new again, simply by pressing the two broken ends back together．

The product can be repaired at room temperature, around twenty degrees Centigrade；other self-healing materials require higher temperatures for repair．

Traditionally, rubber substances are made from huge molecules（分子）connected by strong chemical links, or bonds．The new rubber is made of smaller molecules．The molecules are linked together using hydrogen bonds．When connected in this way, the molecules act like one long molecule, forming what is called supramolecular networks（超分子网）．When the rubber is cut, the molecules attempt to connect with whatever molecule is near them．When pressed together, the molecules are able to repair themselves at the molecular level, making the repaired rubber like new．

However, time is an important element in the process．If the broken ends are not brought together quickly, a repair is not possible．This is because molecules will form bonds with molecules on their own side．The inventors say the surfaces of the rubber can be repaired within a week of being separated．

The rubber is the creation of scientists at the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Education Institution in Paris．The organization is part of France's National Center for Scientific Research．The new material is described in greater detail in the research publication Nature．

1.According to the introduction, which of the following is NOT the advantage of the new rubber?

A．It can be made as easily as common rubber．

B．It is environmentally-friendly．

C．It can repair itself at room temperature．

D．It is made of smaller molecules．

2.What does the 5th paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Why the new rubber is unique．

B．Why the new rubber can repair itself．

C．The new rubber is made from huge molecules．

D．The new rubber is different from the common rubber．

3.If we want to know more about the technology of this kind of new rubber, where can we get the information?

A．In the researchers' diary．                B．In a guide book．

C．In a research magazine．                 D．In a newspaper．

 

"Time is a problem for children," states a news report for a new Swiss watch．Children in some countries "learn time slowly" because "they don't wear watches" and "parents don't really know how to teach them time．" The children grow up with this handicap and become adults-and then can't get to work on time．Is there an answer to this problem? Of course-it's the Flick Flak, made by a famous Swiss watch company．

       The Flick Flak is being marketed as something teaching watch for children aged 4 to 10．The watch itself does not teach children how to tell time, of course; it merely "takes their imagination" by presenting the "hour" hand as a beautiful red girl named Flak and the "minute" hand as a tall blue boy named Flick．Flick points to related "blue" minutes on the dial, while Flak points to "red" hour numbers．The characters and colors combined with parental help, are supposed to teach young children how to tell time．

       The watch comes equipped with a standard battery and a nylon band （尼龙表带）．Peter Lipkin, the United States sales manager for the Flick Flak, calls it "childproof: if it gets dirty you can throw the whole watch in the washing machine．" The product is being sold in select department stores in Europe, Asia and the United States for a suggested price of $25．Parents who buy the watch may discover that it is one thing to tell time; it's quite another for them to be on time．

1.From the news report we know that ____     .

       A．parents are patient when teaching children time

       B．parents have little idea of how to teach children time

       C．children are likely to learn time quickly    

       D．children enjoy wearing the Flick Flak watch

2.The author doesn't seem to believe____     .

       A．children will be on time if they have not learnt how to tell time

       B．a Flick Flak can help parents teach their children how to tell time

       C．the Flick Flak can take children's imagination

       D．children usually have trouble telling time if they don't wear watches

3.The underlined word handicap （Para．1） means ____     .

       A．displeasure                                    B．discouragement      

       C．disappointment                              D．disadvantage

4.The United State sales manager calls the new watch “childproof” because ___    .

       A．it is designed to teach children to be on time

       B．it proves to be effective in teaching children time

       C．it is made so as not to be easily damaged by children

       D．it is the children's favorite watch