Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.

The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.

Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.

But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.

There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.

1.What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?

A. Using too much packaging.

B. Recycling too many wastes.

C. Making more products than necessary.

D. Having more material than is needed.

2.The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.

A. the tendency of cutting household waste

B. the increase of packaging recycling

C. the rapid growth of super markets

D. the fact of packaging overuse

3. According to the text, recycling ______.

A. helps control the greenhouse effect

B. means burning packaging for energy

C. is the solution to gas shortage

D. leads to a waste of land

4.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

 A. Unpackaged products are of bad quality.

B. Supermarkets care more about packaging.

 C. It is improper to judge quality by packaging.

D. Other products are better packaged than food.

5. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

 A. Fighting wastefulness is difficult.

B. Needless material is mostly recycled.

C. People like collecting recyclable waste.

D. The author is proud of their consumer culture.

第三部分阅读（共两节，满分40分）

第一节：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

In 2008, the main candidates（候选人）for President each used this expression: “You can put lipstick（口红）on a pig, but it is still a pig.” This means that it is a waste of time to change something from ugly or unpleasant–looking to beautiful.

There are other expressions about improving a pig’s appearance, like this one: “A hog in a silk waistcoat is still a hog.” Hogs are similar to pigs, only bigger. Americans use many other expressions about pigs, hogs and female hogs called sows, like this one, “You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” This means you cannot create something valuable from something that has no value. Then there is the expression “Cast pearls before swine（猪）.” That means wasting something valuable on someone who will not be thankful or care about it.

Hogs, which are very large animals, take up a lot of space but people should not take up more than their share. If one of your children is taking up too much space sitting in front of the television, other children might say: “Do not hog the couch.” And a road hog is a driver who uses more than his share of the road. Such a driver increases dangers for other drivers.

Pig terms are also used in American politics. Farmers mark their pig’s ears to identify them. In politics, earmarks are money set aside for projects in a congressman’s home state.

In many areas, pigs provide ham, bacon and other pork products to eat. All Americans want to be able to bring home the bacon because they want to earn enough money to provide the necessities of life. Experts say this term was first used in the 1920s. But it is believed to come from the much older game of catching a greased（涂了油的）pig. This was a popular event at country fairs in which the winner was awarded the pig.

41. The author writes this passage mainly to _________.

A. express his support for the Presidential Election

B. introduce some expressions used in Americans’ daily life

C. criticize the bad influence caused by expressions about pigs

D. discuss some problems caused by expressions about pigs

42. If you give a good book to a person who can’t read, which of the following is the most suitable to describe it?

A. Cast pearls before swine.

B. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.

C. A hog in a silk waistcoat is still a hog.

D. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

43. A driver who takes up too much space on the road is often referred to as _________.

A. a greased pig                                         B. a couch hog

C. a road hog                                             D. a road earmark

44. How many words which refer to the same animal are mentioned in this passage?

A. Three                    B. Four                     C. Five                      D. Six

45. Which of the following expressions are similar to “You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”?

A. When pigs fly!                                            B. To eat like a pig

C. To sell a pig in a pork.                                 D. To sweat like a pig.

Without proper planning, tourism can cause problems. For example, too many tourists can crowd public places that are also enjoyed by the inhabitants of a country. If tourists create too much traffic, the inhabitants become annoyed and unhappy. They begin to dislike tourists and to treat them impolitely. They forget how much tourism can help the country’s economy. It is important to think about the people and a destination country and how tourism affects them. Tourism should help a country keep the customs and beauty that attracts the tourists. Tourism should also advance the wealth and happiness of local inhabitants.

   Too much tourism can be a problem. If tourism grows too quickly, people must have other jobs to work in the tourism industry. This means that other parts of the country’s economy can suffer.

   On the other hand, if there is not enough tourism, people can lose jobs. Business can also lose money. It costs a great deal of money to build large hotels, airports, air terminals, first-class roads, and other support facilities (配套设施) needed by tourist attractions. For example, a major international-class tourism hotel can cost as much as 50 thousand dollars per room to build. If this room is not used most of the time, the owners of the hotel lose money.

   Building a hotel is just a beginning. There must be many support facilities as well, including roads to get to the hotel, electricity, sewers to handle waste, and water. All of these support facilities cost money. If they are not used because there are not enough tourists, job and money are lost.

1.Which of the following do you think has been discussed in the part before this selection?

A. Planning is of great importance to tourism.      

B. It is very necessary to develop tourism.

C. Why is proper planning needed to develop tourism.  

D. How to develop successful tourism.

2. The underlined word “inhabitants” in Para.1 probably mean _____

  A. tourists      B. natives      C. foreigners    D. customers

3.It is certain that ______

 A. tourism industry is the most important industry in a country.

 B. tourism developing is do no good to the inhabitants.

 C. the inhabitants must benefit a lot from the tourism industry if it is properly planned.

 D. facilities building is a waste of money.

4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

 A. Too much tourism can cause a bad effect on other industries.

 B. Too much tourism can cause heavy pressure on traffic.

 C. Too much tourism can change the people’s value system in the destination country.

 D. Too much tourism can sometimes annoy the local people.

Liu Jiaoyang, 16, carefully winds a bobbin（绕线筒） with thread, places it on her sewing machine （缝纫机） and then presses her foot down to begin sewing．While she' s doing this, she pretends to guide fabric （布料）through the machine．Liu looks forward to the class when she can work on a piece of real cloth, and make a beautiful dress．

       Each Tuesday afternoon, after the bell rings for the fourth period, Liu becomes a fashion designer．At the same time, the rest of the students at the High School Attached to Yunnan Normal University in Kunming are also having classes a little bit different from the usual ones．Some students dance, others create robots, and still others review films．These are just a few of the other 27 elective （选修的） courses besides Liu's sewing class that the school began to offer last month．

       "The fashion design class has become the bright point of my week．I learn how to choose colors and fabrics （织物） as well as sewing and sketching （素描） skills．It's all helping me to realize the dream of becoming a fashion designer I' ve had since I was a little girl, " Liu said．

       Design is Liu' s favorite, but for other students the electives are interesting lessons which relieve （舒缓） the pressures of schoolwork．Some students, for example, are learning how to play bridge．Chen Xi,15, is one of them．She said, "Many people think that playing a card game like this in class is a waste of time．But in fact, bridge is a very challenging game that helps develop memory and math skills．"

1.How often do the students have elective classes?

       A．Once a week   B．Once a month   C．Once a term      D．Once a year

2.How many elective courses had the school offered by last month?

       A．27                                               B．28             C．26             D．25

3.Why did the students like to have elective classes?

       A．Because the elective classes are easier．

       B．Because they needn't do any homework in the elective classes．

       C．Because they can get an opportunity to relieve their pressures．

       D．Because they want to be fashion designers in the future．

4.According to the passage many people think____in class is a waste of time．

       A．dancing                                                B．creating robots 

       C．playing a card game                            D．reviewing films

What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work.. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic(认错的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.
67．What is the passage mainly about?
A．The importance of working hard at school.
B．Choosing a career according to one’s strengths.
C．How to face one’s weakness.     D．The value of school work.
68. The writer thinks that a student have a part-time job is probably ___.
A. a good way to find out his weak points   B. one of the best ways of earning extra money
C. of great use for his work in the future    D. a waste of time he could have spent on study
69．From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he _______.
A．should pay more attention to learning skills and developing abilities
B．will be regretful about his bad results
C．may also do well in his future work    D．should restart his study in school
70. The underlined phrase “be all thumbs” (in Para 3) probably means “_______”.
A. be clumsy at doing things               B. be skillful in doing things
C. be not interested in certain things        D. be easily bored in doing things