When I decided to get married, my father decided to share some wisdom. “Lori, it is just as easy to love a rich man as it is to love a poor man, “ he said. My boyfriend didn’t have much money, but I loved him. “What?” I cried. “ How can you say that? I want to marry for love, NOT for money.” “ But why not marry someone you love who has money?” he asked. “Rich men are materialistic（物质主义的）. I’d rather marry a poor man who loves me,” I said and he gave in.
And as we went on, with my family growing, I learned why my father put such importance on money. We had to cover the rent, car, electricity, food, and medical bills. We were under lot of pressure. The worries over whether we would be asked to move out or if we had the money to wash our clothes at the Laundromat this week made me question if I did the right thing by marrying a “poor” man.
I realized that I had entered the ranks of the poor. Not that I’d ever been rich. Most of my life, I considered us in the lower middle-class rank. We had a house of our own, food on the table, cars, clothes, and money for college. But now, as I listened to an apartment neighbour talk about her monthly “Mother’s Day” gift, I realized she was talking about her welfare check（政府发放的救济金）. And another young mother tried to “help” me out by connecting me with a friend who stole baby clothes from a department store. “ For a small cut,” she said, “ I could return my ‘purchase’(购买的东西）for cash.” It made me sick. How poor was I?
I had a college education but wasn’t using it. I insisted on not missing a minute of our children’s childhood and it came at a price. My husband was working as hard as he could and it wasn’t enough. But somehow we made it.
The kids grew. Today, we look back and see the great values gained by going through those hard years. My children are not materialistic. They never thought they were poor growing up because we always managed to give a little bit of food, money, or clothes to the “poor”. They were satisfied with the simple things in life that come free such as a beach day or a horse back ride from their dad.
We had our worries, but we still treasured our very favorite part of the day when we’d nest (栖息地）under the covers and talked about our future, the kids and how much we loved each other. Sure our financial(财政的) troubles caused a lot of fights, but we didn’t leave each other. We began to live a better life. We moved to a better community(社区）with good schools for the kids. And soon, we’ll face a new challenge with wealth. But we’ll never give up.
My father died three years ago. Before he died, he knew I made the right choice. I’m proud of my decision.
【小题1】.The writer argued with her father because _________________.

 How to be Prepared

Electricity, water, gas and telephone may not be working after an earthquake. The police and fire department are likely to be tied up. You should be prepared to take care of yourself for at least three days, preferably for a week.

   This list can also be applied to other disasters, such as floods or wildfires.

   1. food and water (a gallon a day per person)

   2. a first aid kit

   3. a fire extinguisher suitable for all types of fires

   4. flashlights, a portable radio extra batteries

   5. blankets, clothes, shoes and money (ATMs may not work)

   6. baby and pet food

   It’s also a good idea to decide beforehand how and where your family will reunite if separated during a quake and to conduct in-home practice drills.

                      During an Earthquake

   If you are indoors, stay there. Get under and hold onto a desk or table, or stand against an interior wall. Stay away from exterior walls, glass, heavy furniture, and stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator.

   If you are outside, get into the open, stay into the open, stay away from buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you.

   If you are driving, move the car out of traffic and stop, avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses, Try to get clear of trees, light posts, signs and power lines.

   If you are in a crowded public place, avoid panicking and do not rush for the exit. Stay low and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms.

                    After an Earthquake

   If the phone is working, only use it in case of emergency. Likewise, avoid driving if possible to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles.

   Be aware that items may fall out of cupboards or closets when the door is opened, and also that chimneys can be weakened and fall with touch. Check for cracks and damage to the roof and foundation of your home.

   Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that aftershocks, sometimes large enough to cause damage in their own right, generally follow large quakes.

   If you leave home, leave a message telling friends and family your location.

1.Which of the following items is unnecessary to prepare before an earthquake？

A. Batteries  　B. Cash    C. Medicine    D. Credit card 

2.When an earthquake comes，you should ______. 

A. hide yourself in the kitchen

B. rush for the exit immediately

C. stay away from heavy objects

D. call the police right away 

3.When an earthquake is over，you should______. 

A. drive a car to take your family to the safe place

B. check the security of your home

C. call your relatives to tell them you are safe

D. clear up the mess as soon as possible.

4.Which of the following sentences is true according to the passage？ 

A. You’d better make it clear how and where your family will reunite if separated during a quake after the quake happens. 

B. If you are indoors, get into the open. 

C. If you are in a crowded public place, avoid panicking and do rush for the exit. 

D. If the phone still works, only use it when necessary. 

5.What does the underlined word “aftershock ” mean? 

A. A less serious quake following a large earthquake in the same area.

B. A further reaction following the shock of a deeply disturbing thing.

C. A mess one has to deal with after a terrible thing.

D. An instruction the government gives to solve problems. 

Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy, but this one is clean and cool. Fox Point is a very new 47-unit living building in South Bronx, one of the city’s poorest areas. Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly (以前) homeless people, whose rent is paid by the government. The rest are low-income families. The boiler room has special equipment, which produces energy for electricity and heat. It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air, reducing carbon emissions(碳排放)while also cutting costs.
Fox Point is operated by Palladia, a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy people. Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners (ECP), which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers.
ECP has created national standards for healthy, environmentally (环境方面) clever and affordable homes which are called, the Green Communities Standards. These standards include water keeping, energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials. Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%, which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs. Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy.
Michael. Bloomberg, New York's mayor plans to create 165,000 affordable housing units for 500,000 New Yorkers. Almost 80% of New York City’s greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings, and 40% of those are caused by housing. So he recently announced that the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation and Development (DHPD) , whose duty is to develop and keep the city’s supply of affordable housing, will require all its new projects to follow ECP’s green standards.
Similar measures have been taken by other cities such as Cleveland and Denver, but New York’s DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country.
【小题1】What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph?

A． To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people.

B． To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas.

C． To show how the environment-friendly building works.

D． To compare old and new boiler rooms.

Bicycle Safety
Operation  Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention  Always safely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register(登记) your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes  Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet  A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights  Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus  As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking  Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35
【小题1】Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.

Europe’s deadly outbreak of a rare form of E. coli bacteria (大肠杆菌) has brought new attention to food safety issues. One of the problems when people get sick from food is that the simplest question is often difficult or even impossible to answer. Just what did the people eat that made them sick?
Of course, one way to avoid these medical mysteries is to keep dangerous organisms out of the food supply. This is easier said than done, but scientists keep looking for new ways.
Scientists in the United States have developed an experimental system that uses a high-tech optical scanner. The system is designed to identify the presence of contaminants(致污物) like soil or animal waste on fresh produce. These can be sources of E. coli. E. coli bacteria naturally live in the intestines(肠) of humans and many animals. Most kinds of E. coli are harmless but some can make people sick.
The new scanner can also show damage and imperfections that might make the produce unappealing to shoppers.
Scientists designed the system at a Department of Agriculture research center in Beltsville, Maryland. Moon Kim of the Agricultural Research Service led the team.
MOON KIM: “We were requested, we were asked, to develop a method to detect contamination in produce. So we started with the apple as the model sample.”
The scanner uses a high-speed camera placed over the conveyer belt that moves the produce along. As the apples move along the belt, the scanner captures images of each piece of fruit.
Moon Kim says the team hopes the system will be available before long.
MOON KIM: “We are targeting for development in commercial plants for the next several years.”
The scanner can direct a sorting machine to separate the bad apples from the good ones. The system is currently able to show the surface of only half the apple as it speeds by. The inventers hope to improve the process so it can show the whole surface.
1.What is the main topic of the text?

A．Bacteria.?? B．A high-tech scanner.

C．A camera??? D．Food safety.

2.E. coli bacteria ______.

A．broke out all over the world????????????? B．comes from soil or animal waste

C．is extremely harmful to health????????????? D．does not cause illness

3.The high-tech scanner ______.

A．can help to sort out different fruits

B．make the produce appeal to shoppers

C．can only capture images of the whole apple

D．can identify the presence of contaminants

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A．The scanner needs to be improved.

B．The scanner will be available in the next several years.

C．Moon Kim is unwilling to develop the scanner.

D．The scanner is connected to a sorting machine.