As the railroads and the highways shaped the American West in the past centuries, a new electrical generating(发电)and transmission (输送) system for the 21st century will leave a lasting mark on the West, for better or worse. Much of the real significance of railroads and highways is not in their direct physical effect on the scenery, but in the ways that they affect the surrounding community. The same is true of big solar plants and the power lines that will be laid down to move electricity around.
The 19 th century saw land grants(政府拨地) offered to railroad companies to build the transcontinental railroads, leaving public land in between privately owned land. In much of the West, some of the railroad sections were developed while others remained undeveloped, and in both cases the landownership has presented unique challenges to land management. With the completion of the interstate highway system, many of the small towns, which sprang up as railway stops and developed well, have lost their lifeblood and died.
Big solar plants and their power lines will also have effects far beyond their direct footprint in the West. This is not an argument against building them. We need alternative energy badly, and to really take advantage of it we need to be able to move electricity around far more readily than we can now.
So trade-offs will have to be made. Some scenic spots will be sacrificed. Some species(物种) will be forced to move, or will be carefully moved to special accommodations. Deals will be struck to reduce the immediate effects.
The lasting effects of these trade-offs are another matter. The 21st century development of the American West as an ideal place for alternative energy is going to throw off a lot of power and money in the region. There are chances for that power and money to do a lot of good. But it is just as likely that they will be spent wastefully and will leave new problems behind, just like the railroads and the highways.
The money set aside in negotiated trade-offs and the institutions that control it will shape the West far beyond the immediate footprint of power plants and transmission lines. So let’s remember the effects of the railroads and the highways as we construct these new power plants in the West.
【小题1】What was the problem caused by the construction of the railways?

A．Small towns along the railways became abandoned.

B．Land in the West was hard to manage.

C．Some railroad stops remained underused.

D．Land grants went into private hands.

【小题2】What is the major concern in the development of alternative energy according to the last two paragraphs?

A．The use of money and power.

B．The transmission of power.

C．The conservation of solar energy.

D．The selection of an ideal place.

【小题3】What is the author’s attitude towards building solar plants?

A．Disapproving.

B．Approving.

C．Doubtful.

D．Cautious.

【小题4】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．How the Railways Have Affected the West

B．How the Effects of Power Plants Can Be Reduced

C．How Solar Energy Could Reshape the West

D．How the Problems of the Highways Have Been Settled

If you walk slowly through downtown Helsinki during the day, taking in the splendid 19 th century buildings, white boats and noise of passing trams (有轨电车), you will start to understand why it is called a city of two colors: white and blue.

The sea is always present in Helsinki. When you take a walk over the great open space of the central square, you will hear seabirds screaming. When you take the tram, suddenly and unexpectedly, you are faced with a calm, shining blue sea. You may notice that people in Helsinki do not rush about as in other cities. Instead, they walk along the roads, politely letting other people by.

A usual way to see Helsinki for the first time is to start out by the boats. You will walk by the elderly women selling fish and vegetables in the market square and find yourself in front of a beautiful park. You may enjoy a pleasant walk in the park for a few hours and then take the tram. Trams are the perfect way to get around in Helsinki. Watching the old houses, parks, theatres, churches, shops, restaurants and people in the streets, you may have a slightly sad film feeling to it.

The pale summer nights are another wonder in the city. Following the waterfront（滨水区）of the city after sunset, you couldn’t help stopping and listening to the sweet silence, interrupted only by the screaming seabirds and leaving fishing boats.

However, in some way. Helsinki is also the most modern city in northern Europe. You will surely want to visit the white Glass Palace, the modern art museum, and all those extremely popular cafes and design stores.

Helsinki is called a city of two colors mainly because of the colors of its ________.

      A．19th century white buildings and boats

       B．19th century buildings and passing trams

      C．white roads and blue trams

      D．old buildings, boats and the sea

The best way to see most of Helsinki is to go ________.

      A．by boat    B．by bus     C．by tram    D．on foot

The 19th century buildings, the white Glass Palace and all those popular cafes and design shops show that Helsinki is _________.

      A．both western and eastern        B．both quiet and noisy

      C．both historical and modern     D．both old and new

This passage is most likely to be found in _________.

      A．a story-book          B．a geography textbook

      C．a research report    D．a travel magazine

Diary of a Do-It-Yourself Book

       This book based on Greg Hefley's own "diary" lets kids express themselves in an exciting way．In the book, kids will be asked: What was the best dream you have ever had? The worst thing you have ever eaten? The best secret you have ever heard? This Do-It-Yourself Book is unique and special because it has blank pages for readers to write their own stories and keep their own diaries．

       Author:       Jeff Kinney

       List Price:     $10．95

       Price:         $6．57      Buy it on Amazon．com．

       You save:      $4．38（40%）

       Train to Somewhere

       Marianne, heading west with fourteen other children on a train, is sure her mother will show up at one of the stations along the way. Stop after stop goes by, and there is no sign of her mother in the crowds that come to look over the children. No one shows any interest in adopting shy Marianne, either. But th at is all right. She has to he free for her mother to claim her. Then the train stopped at its final stop, a town called Somewhere…

       Author:        Eve Bunting

       List Price:      $6．95

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       Chinese Children's Favorite Stories

       This volume of beloved Chinese stories contains a delightful selection from the store of Chinese legend. Discover many delightful animal characters as well as Change and Guan Yin. Retold for an international audience, the stories with beautiful pictures will give children aged ix to ten in other countries a chance to learn about both the tradition and culture of China.

       Author:         Mingmei Yip

       List Price:      $18．95

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       You save:      $6．06（32%）

       The Way Science Works

       The perfect introduction to show how science explains the world around us! Eye-opening experiments and extraordinary photography bring science to life．Discover science in action from the principles that explain everyday facts to the theories behind the technology in today's fast-moving world. Full of facts about famous scientists, technology news and more．                                   

       Author:        Robin Kerrod

       List Price:      $24．99

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       You save:      $8．50（34%）

Diary of a Do – It – Yourself Book is different from other books because you can      .

       A．ask the author questions        B．write your own stories in the book

       C．have a chance to see beautiful photos     D．read many interesting stories about the author

Amazon．com gives no discount on               .

       A．Diary of a Do-It-Yourself Book     B．Train to Somewhere

       C．Chinese Children’s Favorite Stories       D．The Way Science Works

Based on Train to Somewhere, how many children head west on the train．

       A．15.    B．14.    C．13.    D．16.

Chinese Children's Favorite Stories is written for____

       A．Chinese children aged 6 to 10      B．teenagers in other countries

       C．junior students in other countries    D．foreign children aged 6 to 10

Whose book would you like to read if you are interested in science and technology?

       A．Jeff Kinney’s．   B．Eve Bunting's．     

       C．Mingmei Yip’s．        D．Robin Kerrod’s．

Obama Still Smokes in Secret

US President Barack Obama has just made life more difficult for cigarette makers．He has just signed a law that will set tough new rules for the tobacco industry．The new law gives the US Food and Drug Administration the power to strictly limit the making and marketing of tobacco products．

At a White House signing ceremony Monday, Obama said that he was among the nearly 90% of smokers who took up the habit before their 18 th birthday．

Obama, who has publicly struggled to give up smoking, said he still hadn’t completely kicked the habit．Every now and then he still smokes in secret．

“As a former smoker I struggle with it all the time．Do I still smoke sometimes? Yes．Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No．” Obama said at a news conference．

“I don' t do it in front of my lads．I don 't do it in front of my family．I would say that I am 95% cured, but there are times when I mess up, " he said．

"Once you go down this path, it' s something you continually struggle with, which is exactly why the law is so important．The new law is not about me, it' s about the next generation of kids coming up．What we don ' t want is kids going down that path," he said．

Nearly 20% of Americans smoke and tobacco use kills about 440,000 people a year in the United States due to cancer, heart disease, and other serious diseases．

1.The new law makes life difficult for             ．

A．Obama	B．tobacco industry
C．White House	D．US Food and Drug Administration

2.What do we know about Obama?

A．He no longer smokes．

B．He still smokes as usual．

C．He began to smoke at eighteen．

D．He is trying hard to give up smoking．

3.According to the passage, Obama is most concerned about           ．

A．children

B．officials

C．his family

D．businessmen

 

    International Weather Forecast（January 18 th，2008）   

    Paris Weather

    ·Today：Plentiful sunshine High 59F．Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph．

    ·Tonight：Generally clear．Low near 35F．Winds light and variable．

    ·Tomorrow：A mainly sunny sky．High 59F．Winds ENE at 5 to l0mph．

    ·Tomorrow night：A mostly clear sky．Low 36F，Winds light and variable．

    New York Weather   

    ·Today：Cloudy with rain and snow showers Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s．Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph．Chance of precip 40％．

    ·Tonight：Rain and snow showers this evening changing to rain showers overnight Low 34F．Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph Chance of precip 60％．

    ·Tomorrow：Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day．High around 45F．Winds WNW at l0 to 20mph．

    ·Tomorrow night：Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight Low 29F．Winds W at 5 to10 mph．

    London Weather

    ·Today：Cloudy and windy．High 56F． Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph．

    ·Tonight：Partly cloudy and windy．Low 43F．Winds W at 20 to 30 mph．

    ·Tomorrow：Windy with occasional light rain．High 58F．Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph．Chance of rain 70％．

    ·Tomorrow night：Cloudy and windy．Periods of light rain early．Low 54F．Winds WSW

at 20 to 30 mph，Chance of rain 60％．

    Sydney Weather

    ·Today：Cloudy with periods of rain．High 73F．Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall around a quarter of an inch．   

    ·Tonight：Rain．Low near 70F．Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall near a quarter of an inch．

    ·Tomorrow：Showers in the morning with isolated thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon．High 78FWindsNNE at 5 to10 mph．Chance of rain 40％．

    ·Tomorrow night：An isolated thunderstorm possible during the evening．then occasional showers overnight．Low near 70F．Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph．．Chance of rain 40％．

65．Which city has the strongest wind on January 19th?

    A．Paris．                B．New York．         C．London．           D．Sydney．

66．There will be thunderstorms in Sydney oil       ．

    A．the evening of January 18th                           B．the afternoon of January 18th

    C．the morning of January 19th                          D．the afternoon of January 19th

67．If you go on a tour on January l8th，which of the following places of interest is the most favorable according to the weather report?

A．The Eiffel Tower．                                  B．Statue of Liberty．

C．Big Ben．                                                 D．The Sydney Opera House．