Snow-melting Agent

A heavy snow can kill pests and this means a good harvest next year.This will bring as well as trouble to urbanites.

On Nov.16,2003,a cold air current brought a heavy snow to Beijing.To prevent traffic jams,related government departments mobilized people to clear off snow on streets.

One of the most effective ways to clear off snow on roads is to scatter snow-melting agent on the roads.The major component of the snow-melting agent is salt.The snow-melting agent can make snow stop from freezing,make it easier to clear off the road,and allow traffic to flow smoothly.But it also brings about some hidden dangers.In the spring of 2003,over 300 000 trees in Beijing urban districts died.After analyzing soil around these trees,experts discovered that the salt content of these soils was 392 times higher than normal.Where did the excessive salt come from?After investigating,forestry experts found that when clearing snow in the winter,people usually heap snow containing snow-melting agent at trees’ roots,and that when the snow melts,this agent penetrates the soil and increases its salt content.The snow-melting agent indirectly killed the trees.

Statistics show that during a heavy snow in 2002,over 1000 tons of snow-melting agent was scatterred on streets in Beijing.Snow water containing a large amount of snow-melting agent got into the soil through sewers.

In addition,salt in the snow-melting agent can expedite the corrosion of steel bars in concrete buildings and cause the concrete to crack and peel,shortening the life of roads.

Scientists and government officials are required to solve traffic problems caused by heavy snows as soon as possible and at the same time try to reduce the negative effects of the snow-melting agent.This is a difficult problem placed before them.Related authorities have framed some local criteria to regulate the production and use of snow-melting agents.

Now,more harmless snow-melting agents are being developed.Now that even snow-melting agents that meet today’s criteria must still be used carefully,we have to rely more on our manpower and machines to clear off snow.

This year,in addition to using snow-melting agents,Beijing will use a large number of snow vehicles to clear snow on roads.In more places,citizens are mobilized to clear snow with their hands.This may be a test of a city’s civilization level.

Salt is a snow-melting agent while _________ is a cleaning agent.

A.water                 B.soap     C.a washing-machine     D.a housewife

The third paragraph of the text is mainly about _______.

A.the side effect of snow-melting agent

B.a case of damage to trees caused by snow-melting agent

C.the results of using snow-melting agent

D.the uses of snow-melting agent

According to the text,the most practical way to clear off snow is to _________.

A.use snow-melting agent as much as possible

B.only use more harmless snow-melting agent

C.encourage people to clear snow with their hands

D.use more snow vehicles

This text most probably appears in_________.

A.a newspaper                                                        B.a magazine on latest findings

C.a book on salt                                               D.a magazine on environmental protection

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

When you look at your food，some ingredients are easy to see．But your meals are also filled with ingredients you can't see．

Salt is a perfect example of an ingredient that you might not notice，even when you eat a lot of it．But doctors have warned patients that too much salt can be bad for their hearts．Still，most people continue to eat too much salt．____1_____．Often，you can't even taste that the salt is there．

____2_____，and parents haven't worried too much about the salt their kids eat．Like most kids，you probably don't spend much time worrying about heart disease．After all，it tends to become more common as people reach middle age and older．But doctors say it's never too early to start thinking about your heart--or about your salt．

Salt is made up of two elements：sodium and chlorine．The chlorine part of salt isn't so important．It's the sodium that can bring trouble．____3_____．But the amount of sodium we actually need is tiny：about 500 mg or less than a quarter teaspoon of salt．

But the average American eats about twice the recommended daily amount．This worries doctors because too much sodium can cause the body to produce more blood．

____4_____．This leads to a rise in blood pressure．High blood pressure often leads to heart disease．About ninety percent of adult Americans develop heart disease in their lifetimes and it's a big problem．

Salt isn't the only cause of heart disease．Eating lots of junk thud，weighing too much and exercising too little also contribute to high blood pressure，but a large number of studies suggests that salt is a major player．And in a 2007 study，scientists turned up the first direct link between salt and heart disease．____5_____．Blood pressure has been going up over the past decade in children and teenagers in the US and many European countries．

A．And you might be surprised to learn just how much those hidden items affect your health．

B．That's because more than 75 percent of the salt we eat is bidden in restaurant meals or the fast food．

C．They found that curing down on salt now can lower a person's risk of heart disease 10 to 15 years in the future．

D．To pump the extra blood，the heart has to work extra hard．

E．We need a small amount of sodium to keep our muscles working and our nerves sending messages throughout the body．

F．Salt in proper amount can surely benefit people．

G．Heart trouble has long been considered to be a grown-up problem．

Are you having too much salt? You might not think so, but people in China eat on average (平均) about 12 grams of salt each day, that is much higher than the 6 grams suggested by the World Health Organization. You could be eating too much without realizing it, because about 75% of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, such as bread, sauces, soups and sausages.
What problems can eating too much salt cause? To answer that question, first let’s take a look at what salt is.
Salt is a chemical compound. It is made of sodium (钠) and chloride (氯化物). Salt is used to keep and flavor foods. A small amount of salt is important for good health because our bodies need sodium and chloride to work.
But past studies have found that people who eat more salt than they need tend to have high blood pressure. Eating too much salt has also been connected with other conditions, such as heart and kidney (肾) problems.
If you want to cut down on salt, the good news is, there are plenty of simple things to do. Here are some tips:
*Cut back on high salt foods.
Most foods contain some salt. But some foods such as cheese, bacon, pickles (泡菜), smoked fish and chips are almost always high in salt because of the way they are made. You can still enjoy them, but try to have these in smaller amounts, or eat them less often.
*Choose reduced salt bread and breakfast cereals.
Bread and breakfast cereals (谷物) are major source of salt in the diet, not that they’re necessarily high in salt but because we eat a lot of them. For these foods, there can be a really big difference between different types and brands. So next time you’re shopping, take the time to compare the salt levels on a few similar products. And always try to choose the ones lower in salt.
*Avoid adding salt to cooking and at table. Instead, you could use herbs and spices (香料) such as garlic (大蒜) and lemon juice to add flavor to meals

1. 1.

   Many people in China don’t realize they are eating too much salt because ______

   1. A.
      salty food tasted better than reduced salt food
   2. B.
      they do not calculate the amount of salt they eat
   3. C.
      about 3/4 of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy
   4. D.
      few people experience problems from eating too much salt
2. 2.

   For a healthier life, the author’s suggestion is to ________

   1. A.
      cut back on food with less salt
   2. B.
      eat less heavily salted food
   3. C.
      eat as much reduced salt bread as is wanted
   4. D.
      stop eating bread and breakfast cereals
3. 3.

   What is the purpose of the article?

   1. A.
      To warn people of food containing too much salt
   2. B.
      To inform people of the right amount of salt taken each day
   3. C.
      To advise people to be careful about the amount of salt they eat
   4. D.
      To promote (促进) the right way to make reduced salt food

Snow-melting Agent
A heavy snow can kill pests and this means a good harvest next year.This will bring as well as trouble to urbanites.
On Nov.16,2003,a cold air current brought a heavy snow to Beijing.To prevent traffic jams,related government departments mobilized people to clear off snow on streets.
One of the most effective ways to clear off snow on roads is to scatter snow-melting agent on the roads.The major component of the snow-melting agent is salt.The snow-melting agent can make snow stop from freezing,make it easier to clear off the road,and allow traffic to flow smoothly.But it also brings about some hidden dangers.In the spring of 2003,over 300 000 trees in Beijing urban districts died.After analyzing soil around these trees,experts discovered that the salt content of these soils was 392 times higher than normal.Where did the excessive salt come from?After investigating,forestry experts found that when clearing snow in the winter,people usually heap snow containing snow-melting agent at trees’ roots,and that when the snow melts,this agent penetrates the soil and increases its salt content.The snow-melting agent indirectly killed the trees.
Statistics show that during a heavy snow in 2002,over 1000 tons of snow-melting agent was scatterred on streets in Beijing.Snow water containing a large amount of snow-melting agent got into the soil through sewers.
In addition,salt in the snow-melting agent can expedite the corrosion of steel bars in concrete buildings and cause the concrete to crack and peel,shortening the life of roads.
Scientists and government officials are required to solve traffic problems caused by heavy snows as soon as possible and at the same time try to reduce the negative effects of the snow-melting agent.This is a difficult problem placed before them.Related authorities have framed some local criteria to regulate the production and use of snow-melting agents.
Now,more harmless snow-melting agents are being developed.Now that even snow-melting agents that meet today’s criteria must still be used carefully,we have to rely more on our manpower and machines to clear off snow.
This year,in addition to using snow-melting agents,Beijing will use a large number of snow vehicles to clear snow on roads.In more places,citizens are mobilized to clear snow with their hands.This may be a test of a city’s civilization level.

1. 1.

   Salt is a snow-melting agent while _________ is a cleaning agent.

   1. A.
      water
   2. B.
      soap
   3. C.
      a washing-machine
   4. D.
      a housewife
2. 2.

   The third paragraph of the text is mainly about _______.

   1. A.
      the side effect of snow-melting agent
   2. B.
      a case of damage to trees caused by snow-melting agent
   3. C.
      the results of using snow-melting agent
   4. D.
      the uses of snow-melting agent
3. 3.

   According to the text,the most practical way to clear off snow is to _________.

   1. A.
      use snow-melting agent as much as possible
   2. B.
      only use more harmless snow-melting agent
   3. C.
      encourage people to clear snow with their hands
   4. D.
      use more snow vehicles
4. 4.

   This text most probably appears in_________.

   1. A.
      a newspaper
   2. B.
      a magazine on latest findings
   3. C.
      a book on salt
   4. D.
      a magazine on environmental protection

Section B (18 points)
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words and phrases marked A,B,C and D. Fill in each blank with a word or phrase that best fits the context.
Several years ago, while attending a communication course, I experienced a most unusual process. The instructor asked us to list ___36___ in our past that we felt ashamed of, regretted, or incomplete about and read our lists aloud.
This seemed like a very ___37___ process, but there’ s always some brave soul in the crowd who will volunteer. The instructor then ___38___ that we find ways to make an apology to people, or take some action to right any wrong doings. I was seriously wondering how this could ever ___39__ my communication.
Then the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story: “Making my ___40___, I remembered an incident from high school. I grew up in a small town. There was a Sheriff (郡长)__41__ of us kids liked. One night, my two buddies and I decided to play a trick on him.
After drinking a few beers, we climbed the tall water tank in the middle of the town, and wrote on the tank in bright red paint: Sheriff Brown is a s.o.b.(畜生). The next day, almost the whole town saw our glorious ___42__. Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had us in his office. My friends told the truth but I lied. No one ever found out.”
“Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown’s name appears  on my list. I didn’t even know if he was still ___43__. Last weekend, I dialed the information in my hometown and found there was a Roger Brown still listed. I tried his number. After a few ___44___, I heard, “Hello?” I said, “Sheriff Brown?” Paused. “Yes.” “Well, this is Jimmy Calkins.”
“And I want you to know that I did it？”Paused. “I knew it!” he yelled back. We had a good laugh and a lively discussion. His closing words were: “Jimmy, I always felt bad for you ___45___ your buddies got it off their chest, but you were carrying it around all these years. I want to thank you for calling me...for your sake.”
Jimmy inspired me to ___46___ all 101 items on my list within two years, and I always remember what I learned from the course: It’s never too late to ___47___the past wrongdoings.
36. A. something           B. anything        C. somebody           D. anybody
37. A. private             B. secret         C. interesting          D. funny
38. A. expected             B. suggested      C. ordered              D. demanded
39. A. improve                 B. continue        C. realize              D. keep
40. A. notes               B. list             C. plan                D. stories
41 A. any                      B. most           C. none               D. all        
42. A. view                B. sign           C. attention             D. remark
43. A. angry              B. happy         C. doubtful             D. alive
44. A. words              B. rings          C. repeats                   D. calls
45 A. in case              B. so long as      C. unless              D. because
46. A. build up                  B. make up        C. clear up              D. give up
47. A. regret              B. forgive          C. right               D. punish