Dye (染料) call bring a little colour to life. Most clothing is coloured with dyes. Modern，manufactured dyes can be costly. Natural dyes from plant and animal products have been used since ancient times. Here we describe a natural way to dye wool.

        There are several methods to put dye onto material. The vat（缸）method，for example，can be used to dye wool with onionskins. For this example，use one hundred grams of natural woo1. The wool must be clean. Leave it overnight in water and liquid soap. Then wash it with clean water that is a little warm. Gently squeeze out the extra water.   

       A solution called a mordant (媒染) is used in the dying process. A mordant helps fix the dye to the material. Traditionally, mordants were found in nature. Wood ash is one example. But chemical mordants such as alum（矾）are popular today. Alum is sold in many stores. It is often mixed with cream of tartar, a fine powder commonly used in cooking.

       Mix eight grams of alum with seven grams of cream of tartar in a small amount of hot water. Add the solution to a metal pan of cool water. Next, add the wool and place the mixture over heat. Slowly bring the liquid to eighty-two degrees Celsius. Heat the mixture for forty five minutes. After it cools, remove the wool and wash it.

       To prepare the dye solution, cover thirty grams of onionskins with water. Use only the dry，brown outer skins. Boil the liquid until the onionskins lose their colour, about forty—five minutes. Remove the skins after the dye cools.

    Now it is time to dye the wool. Place the wool into the dye and heat the mixture. Bring it to a boil，then immediately reduce the heat to eighty-two degrees. Now heat the dye for about forty-five minutes or until the wool is the desired colour. Keep in mind that wet wool looks darker than it is.

       Once the dye cools, remove the wool and wash it. Now the wool is orange or yellow. Or at least it should be.

1. According to the passage, mordants are ___________.

       A. dyes used in the dying process   B. materials which will be put dye to

       C. wood ashes used in the dying process       D. not dyes but play an important role in the dying process

2. Which of the following statements about “natural dyes” is TRUE?

       A. They might be cheaper than chemical dyes.            B. They are more expensive than chemical dyes.

       C. They have been used for only recent years.   D. They are all made from animal products.

3. As for the vat method，which of the following things is NOT necessarily needed?

       A. Ash.        B. Water.             C. Mordant.    D. Temperature.

4. Choose the proper order of dying wool：

  a. boil the liquid with onionskins

  b. add mordants to a metal pan of cool water ,put the wool into it and heat the mixture

  c. wash the wool with clean water after it is left overnight in water and liquid soap

  d. put the wool into the dye and heat it

       A. c, b, a, d            B. d, c, d, a       C. b, a, d, c         D. a, b, c, d

Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.

Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.

There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.

The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often.

The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.

Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil.

1.We can learn from this passage that Americans ______.

A．spend a lot of money traveling by car        B．travel a lot in their cars

C．seldom travel by plane                   D．use public traffic often

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．In the United States even the poor own cars.

B．In the United States all the poor have no cars.

C．When an American has a car, he will never be poor.

D．An American will feel poor unless he has a car.

3.In the writer’s opinion, cars are popular in the United States mainly because ___.

A．Americans like to plan their own time

B．The United States does not have enough public transportation

C．Americans will not feel poor when they travel in their cars

D．Americans cannot move around without their own cars

4.“A nation on wheels” in the second paragraph means that _______.

A．everyone in the United States owns a car

B．the United States produces most of the cars in the world

C．cars play an important part in American’ life

D．the United States depend on car industry for its development

 A California family drives a car that could help protect the environment. When Jon and Sandy go to the store or to their daughters’ soccer games, they drive in high-tech style. They drive a $1 million, fuel-cell-powered car. It may be the world’s most expensive car and one of the most environmentally friendly cars. The FCX is the first fuel-cell-powered car to be used by a family anywhere in the world. The FCX uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel. Car makers have been working to develop vehicles that are better for the environment. They are developing cars that use fuel other than gasoline. And then what is fuel cell technology? Fuel cell technology works by changing the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water. This process produces electricity, and water vapor which comes out of the exhaust pipe. Most cars release dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Many scientists say these gases are major contributors to global warming. “The FCX is driven just like any other vehicle on the road, but without the gases which pollute the environment,” scientists say. Fuel cell technology has been around since the 1800s, but scientists have yet been to perfect it. They say it may take years before the technology is ready for widespread use. Another earth-friendly car is already on the market. Hybrid cars use both gasoline and an electric motor. They are becoming more popular with customers because they cut pollution and improve fuel efficiency.

1.Which of the following about the FCX is not true?

2.According to the passage, what is the major cause for global warming?

3.From the passage, we know that fuel cell technology ______.

4.We can infer from the passage that ______.

5.Hybrid cars are popular because ______.

On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea (跳蚤) markets. These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded. They hunt and search for something they can reuse. Americans love secondhand merchandise (商品) which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use. In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated.

For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards. They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again. Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price. Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck. The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value. One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay.

Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture. These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good. Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale. More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully. The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell. Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis. If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth.

1. What do you usually do before holding a garage sale?

A. Put on an advertisement in a local newspaper.  

B. Display your goods in front of the garage.

C. Find rare items and fix their prices.         

D. Clear your garage and front lawn.

2. The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 probably means ____.

A. distributed                B. rejected               C. discovered          D. stored

3. When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?

A. They can bargain on a price acceptable to both. B. They can question their value.

C. They can expect a 50% discount.             D. They can compare with the other sellers.

4. What do we know about the garage sale?

A. It is only held in the spring of the year.

B. The goods on display are totally useless.

C. Garage sales are popular with Americans.  

D. All the goods are selling far below their real value.

Popular music is very popular with American students. Almost every student carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play music loudly as they drive on the street. Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, and the life of American people. Most of the radio programmes are music.

Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make CDs or tapes which radio stations in many places broadcast (广播) . Once the popular singer is heard all over the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, all the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a pop star.

There are other kinds of music that are popular among Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.

1. _____ kinds of music are mentioned in this passage.

2.When pop singers ______, they are regarded as pop stars.

3.From the passage we know that country music is about the______.

4.Which of the following is true?