A new factory that turns used wine bottles into green sand could revolutionize the recycling industry and help to filter（过滤）the nation's drinking water.
For the last 100 years special high grade white sand quarried（开采）at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire has been used to filter tap water to remove bacteria and impurities—but this may no longer be necessary.
The green sand has already been successfully tested by water companies and is being used in 50 swimming pools in Scotland to keep the water clean.
Backed by one million pounds from the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defar),a company based in Scotland is building a factory to turn beverage bottles back into the sand from which they were made.
The idea is not only to avoid using up increasingly scarce sand in Scotland and avoid any further quarrying but also to solve a crisis in the recycles only 750 000 tones of it.
Howard Dryden, the scientist and managing director of the company has spent six years working on what he calls Active Filtration Meadia, or AFM, the recycled glass. He says he needs bottles that have already contained drinkable liquids to be sure that drinking water would not be polluted.
"The fact is that tests show that AFM does the job better than glass, it is easier to clean and reuse and has all sorts of properties that make it ideal for other applications, "he claimed. He also thinks the market will be able to take 250 000 tones of green sand a year. The plan is to build five or six factories in cites in UK where the bottles come from to cut down on transport.
The factory will be completed this month and is expected to go into full production on January 14 next year. Once it is providing a "regular" product, the government's drinking water inspectorate will be asked to perform tests and approve it for general use by water companies.

1. 1.

   It may no longer be necessary to use high-grade white sand to keep water clean because_____.

   1. A.
      there is no need to keep water clean
   2. B.
      A new factory has been set up
   3. C.
      The green sand has been used to keep the water clean
   4. D.
      White sand is being use up
2. 2.

   According to the passage ,the new idea can do the following except_____.

   1. A.
      avoiding using up increasingly scarce sand
   2. B.
      avoiding further quarrying of white sand
   3. C.
      solving the crisis in the recycling industry
   4. D.
      cutting down the cost on transport
3. 3.

   Tests show that ______ in keeping the water clean.

   1. A.
      AFM is more efficient than white sand
   2. B.
      AFM is more efficient than glass
   3. C.
      glass is more efficient than AFM
   4. D.
      white sand is more efficient than green sand
4. 4.

   The underlined word "Backed" in the third paragraph can best be replaced by"_____".

   1. A.
      Allowed
   2. B.
      Opposed
   3. C.
      Supported
   4. D.
      Forbidden
5. 5.

   What would be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Revolution in the Recycling for the Industry.
   2. B.
      Modern Technology an New Markets.
   3. C.
      Revolution in Environmental Protection.
   4. D.
      Unlocking the Benefits of Green Sand.

To build a safer car，Japanese automakers are trying to replace the driver．

Inspired by statistics blaming human error for most accidents，Toyota and its competitors are designing“intelligent’”cars that can almost drive themselves on the high way．

The systems are designed to reduce human tiredness and the mistakes that often result．This kind of support is what drivers need most in a country with some of the most crowded roads in the world．That is why it should not be surprising that Japan is leading the race to make cars smarter．

To provide a safer ride，Japanese automakers are turning to technologies like laser radar and machine vision to replace tired eyes and wandering minds．

An infrared（红外线的）radar unit fixed on the bumper is part of a new cruise（巡航）control method that Toyota introduced in August 1997．It’s now an optional（随意的）feature on its Celsior luxury car that costs 70000 yuan （$648）．

The“adaptive”system tracks（尾随）the car ahead，and slows down or speeds up the car automatically to keep a safer distance in highway traffic．The same technology has also been used by some cars made by Toyota’s competitors．

Subaru，a type of its Legacy wagon，made its first appearance last September with Active Driving Assist（ADA），which besides adjusting cruising speed，sounds an alarm if the car goes out of its lane or makes a turn too fast．In the latter case，it down shifts gear even before the driver starts to brake．

An even smarter system is coming from Honda．Called Honda Interlligent Driver Support（HIDS），it “sees”the road through a tiny camera on the windshield and helps steer（操纵）the car down the middle of lane（车道）．

A computer picks out line on the highway surface and touched the car’s steering wheel in the right direction．

Honda got approval in March to start testing HIDS on the highway and says 1t will arrive in showrooms in the near future．

1.Why are Japanese automakers developing cars that can almost drive themselves on．the highway'?

A．Because they want to win the car competition．

B．Because many accidents resulted from the mistakes made by drivers．

C．Because drivers are always tired when driving the car．

D．Because people don’t want to drive the cars themselves．

2.What is the main purpose for the automakers to design the system of the new cars?

A．To make them run faster so that they can sell them at higher prices．

B．To make them keep to the lane without being controlled．

C．To help drivers make fewer mistakes so that accidents can be avoided．

D．To use some advanced devices like laser radar and machine vision．

3.We can infer from the passage that                ．

A．accidents always occur in the crowded streets

B．traffic accidents are likely to happen when drivers are tired and careless

C．accidents happen because traffic rules are not obeyed

D．many accidents occur because there are no advanced system

4.If you drive the car with HIDS，you will find           ．

A．your car 1s always keeping the right direction

B．your car is slowed down or speeded up automatically

C．your car is controlled by an Infrared radar

D．you are always keeping a safer distance on the high-way

Every electronic gadget (小玩意) needs good memory. A music player stores songs, albums and playlists. A computer holds schoolwork and programs and remembers how far a player has advanced in his or her favorite game. Mobile phones store names, numbers and hundreds of texts.

Now, scientists in California say they have come up with a way to turn a living cell into a memory device.

It can store only one tiny bit of information, but it’s a start. In the future, a cell-based gadget might travel through the body and record measurements. The benefit to human health could be big: the right tool, for example, might record the earliest signs of disease.

Doctors, scientists and other curious people want to know what is happening inside the body, even at levels that can’t be seen by the naked eye. So far, there is no device small enough to travel through the bloodstream.

If normal machines won’t do the trick, perhaps biology will. Scientists who work in the field of synthetic (合成的) biology are trying to find ways to turn living things into human tools. In the case of the new memory device, bioengineers from Stanford University used the genetic material inside living cells to record information.

This genetic material consists of DNA. Found in nearly every cell, DNA carries all of the information that keeps a living thing alive.

In the new experiment, the researchers turned DNA from bacteria(细菌) into a switch. They “flip (翻转)” a small section of DNA. Then, using the same procedure (过程) , the scientists flip the section again—returning it into its normal structure.

Using these DNA switches, “We can write and erase DNA in a living cell,” bioengineer, Jerome Bonnet, explained to Science News.

It might take years before his team or others identity whether a DNA-based memory device might be practical. Right now, it takes one hour to complete a flip. That is far too long to be useful. Plus, a flipped section has a very small little memory—less than what a computer uses to remember a single letter.

 “This was an important proof that it was doable,” Bonnet told Science News. “Now we want to build a more complex system, something that other people can use.”

1.What is the aim of listing the electronic things in the first paragraph?

A. To make the passage more fashionable.

B. To show how electronic things have memory.

C. To discuss things in detail.

D. To make the subject of the text more understandable.

2.What is possible future benefit of the cell-based gadget for people?

A. To detect disease at the earliest point.

B. To help improve the memory.

C. To help people build a body.

D. To replace many electronic gadgets.

3.What is the object being researched?

A. The cells of bacteria.               

B. The DNA of bacteria.

C. A section of bacteria.              

C. The nucleus of bacteria.

4.What do we know about a flipped section of DNA?

A. It has a very small memory.

B. It can function as a computer.

C. It has one letter in it.   

D. It takes a day to complete it.

The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.

Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid（电网）. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replace filters monthly or as needed.

For central air conditioning systems and room sir conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio（SEER）.

Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat（恒温器）and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave, turn off the ceiling fan.

Let a programmable ibermostat “remember for you”to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.

Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.

Cut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting leafy trees  around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.

Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid beat build-up.

Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs（荧光灯）, which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent Jess beat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs（白炽灯）.

Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 miles per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than $65 per year.

Carpool. The average U.S. commutes（乘车上班族）could save about $260 a year by sharing cars twice a Week with two other people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg—assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.

1.Acoording to the passage, the thermostat is used to         .

    A.make rooms quieter                        B.control room tempersture

    C.turn off the air conditioner                  D.reduce room air pollution

2.We can conclude from the passage that the author probalily discourages          .

    A.planting leafy trees around your home

    B.turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house

    C.keeping your south-facing windows open during the day

    D.using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs

3.This passage is mainly about            .

    A.energy-saving tips                        B.fuel-saving tips     

C.do it yourself tips                           D.environment-protecting