Electricity, like clean water, is a resource that’s often taken for granted. But last summer, when blackouts struck much of the northeastern US, Ontario and Rome, consumers on two continents were given a painful reminder of just how easily broken electricity supplies can be. The massive disorder stranded (使陷入困境)commuters, stopped freezers, shut down businesses and refocused attention on where most of the planet’s power comes from：oil-and-gas-fired generators and nuclear plants, These sources not only pollute the environment but also make many consumers feel unacceptable health risks.

Companies are trying to offer an alternative, clean energy from renewable resources that’s plentiful and portable. Lifton’s Medis Technologies, as well as companies like Hydrogenics and Nanosys, is tapping into fuel cells and dolor panels to give people power whenever and wherever they want it, free from dependence on local grids(电网).

The search for alternative energy is nothing new, but the current trend of innovators is focusing on the goal of making clean and sustainable power a mainstream commodity. For example, the fuel cell, which produces electricity from the chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen, has been around for about 150 years, though its commercial development did not begin until the 1960s and then only as part of NASA spacecraft. Today this technology is coming down to Earth in places like Tokyo; in nine European cities, from Stockholm to Porto, each operating three hydrogen-fuel-cell buses; and in Iceland, which is trying to create the first fuel free hydrogen economy by 2030.

When hydrogen and oxygen molecules(分子)combine, the reaction produces heat and water. Fuel cells use this reaction to generate electricity. With the cell phone and gadget(小机件)market in mind, Medis has developed a fuel cell with cheap components that produces little heat and effortlessly reduces waste water without turning to energy consuming pumps.

What is the passage mainly about?

A．The future of alternative energy

B．How the fuel cells works

C．People’s search for alternative energy

D．The damage done by the blackout last summer.

What can we know about the fuel cell?

A．Its commercial use began in the 1960s.

B．Today it’s being used in almost every corner of the world.

C．It has been in widespread used for about 150 years.

D．It supplies electricity to make the combination of oxygen and hydrogen possible.

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Lifton’s Medis Technologies is tapping into fuel cells and solar panels.

B．The fuel cell has been around for about 150 years.

C．The fuel cell’s commercial development did not begin until the 1960s.

D．When hydrogen and oxygen molecules combine, the reaction produces o2 and H2O.

The underlined word “blackouts” in the 1 st paragraph means_____.

A．power failure                 B．the delivering of electricity

C．the power of electricity         D．power station

An energy watchdog is alarmed about the threat to the environment from the increasing electricity needs of gadgets（小装置）like MP3 players, mobile phones and flat screen TVs.

In a report today, the Paris-based International Energy Agency says new electronic gadgets will be three times their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours（千瓦时）, which is equal to today's home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined.

The world would have to build around 200 new nuclear power plants just to power all the TVs, iPods, PCs and other home electronics expected to be plugged in by 2030,when the global electric bill to power them will rise to $200 billion a year, the agency said.

“Consumer electronics is the fastest growing area and the area with the least amount of policies in place to control energy efficiency, ” said Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst at the agency.

Electronic gadgets already account for about 15 percent of household electric consumption, a share that is rising rapidly as the number of these gadgets multiplies. Last year, the world spent  $80 billion on electricity to power all these household electronics, the energy agency said.

“ Most of the increase in consumer electronics will be in developing countries, where economic growth is the fastest and ownership rates of gadgets are the lowest , ” Waide said.

“This will jeopardize efforts to increase energy security and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.” the agency said. Existing technologies’ could cut down gadgets’ energy consumption by more than 30 percent at no cost or by more than 50 percent at a small cost, the agency estimates, meaning total greenhouse gas emissions（排放） from households’ electronic gadgets could be held stable（稳定的） at around 500 million tons of CO2 per year.

55. How many terawatt hours did the energy consumption of new electronic gadgets reach?

A. Nearly l, 700.           B. Nearly 600.                C. About 200.        D. About 60.      

56. What is the condition in the area of consumer electronics?

A. There are a lot of rules to control the market.

B. There are few policies to control energy efficiency.

C. There are few choices for the customers.

D. There are lots of regulations to protect consumers' rights.

57. The underlined word “jeopardize” in the last paragraph probably means “         ”.

   A. harm                              B. inspire                      C. strengthen                D. encourage

58. We can know from the last paragraph that existing technologies ___________.

A. are able to control gadgets’ energy consumption

   B. could do nothing about gadgets’ energy consumption

   C. could only cut down gadgets’ energy consumption by 30 percent

D. cut down gadgets’ energy consumption at great cost

Electricity, like clean water, is a resource that’s often taken for granted. But last summer, when blackouts struck much of the northeastern US, Ontario and Rome, consumers on two continents were given a painful reminder of just how easily broken electricity supplies can be. The massive disorder stranded (使陷入困境)commuters, stopped freezers, shut down businesses and refocused attention on where most of the planet’s power comes from：oil-and-gas-fired generators and nuclear plants, These sources not only pollute the environment but also make many consumers feel unacceptable health risks.
Companies are trying to offer an alternative, clean energy from renewable resources that’s plentiful and portable. Lifton’s Medis Technologies, as well as companies like Hydrogenics and Nanosys, is tapping into fuel cells and dolor panels to give people power whenever and wherever they want it, free from dependence on local grids(电网).
The search for alternative energy is nothing new, but the current trend of innovators is focusing on the goal of making clean and sustainable power a mainstream commodity. For example, the fuel cell, which produces electricity from the chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen, has been around for about 150 years, though its commercial development did not begin until the 1960s and then only as part of NASA spacecraft. Today this technology is coming down to Earth in places like Tokyo; in nine European cities, from Stockholm to Porto, each operating three hydrogen-fuel-cell buses; and in Iceland, which is trying to create the first fuel free hydrogen economy by 2030.
When hydrogen and oxygen molecules(分子)combine, the reaction produces heat and water. Fuel cells use this reaction to generate electricity. With the cell phone and gadget(小机件)market in mind, Medis has developed a fuel cell with cheap components that produces little heat and effortlessly reduces waste water without turning to energy consuming pumps.

1. 1.

   What is the passage mainly about?

   1. A.
      The future of alternative energy
   2. B.
      How the fuel cells works
   3. C.
      People’s search for alternative energy
   4. D.
      The damage done by the blackout last summer.
2. 2.

   What can we know about the fuel cell?

   1. A.
      Its commercial use began in the 1960s.
   2. B.
      Today it’s being used in almost every corner of the world.
   3. C.
      It has been in widespread used for about 150 years.
   4. D.
      It supplies electricity to make the combination of oxygen and hydrogen possible.
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Lifton’s Medis Technologies is tapping into fuel cells and solar panels.
   2. B.
      The fuel cell has been around for about 150 years.
   3. C.
      The fuel cell’s commercial development did not begin until the 1960s.
   4. D.
      When hydrogen and oxygen molecules combine, the reaction produces o2 and H2O.
4. 4.

   The underlined word “blackouts” in the 1 st paragraph means_____.

   1. A.
      power failure
   2. B.
      the delivering of electricity
   3. C.
      the power of electricity
   4. D.
      power station

  Earlier this month, the Obama Administration called for increased protection of the world’s most southern continent, Antarctica. Scientists say climate change and human activity have increasingly led to the melting of massive pieces of Antarctic ice. The disappearance of ice will not only affect wildlife in the area such as seals and penguins. The melting will also cause oceans and seas around the world to rise.

   This represents a major threat, especially to coastal areas. For example, the ancient city of Venice, Italy has long been threatened by rising sea levels. The situation is made worse by the fact that its ancient buildings, built on a body of water called a lagoon( 淡水湖), are slowly sinking. When the city was founded about 1,600 years ago, the level of the Adriatic Sea was almost two meters lower than it is today.

Rising sea levels are not the only threat. The salty water is also destroying Venice’s famous buildings and artworks. The Italian government is trying to fix the problem with the construction of a seven-billion-dollar system of moving flood barriers.

Climate change is also leading to the melting of ice in other areas, such as Mount Kilimanjaro in northeastern Tanzania. It is the highest point in Africa, measuring almost 6,000 meters. The mountain supports five vegetation zones and many kinds of animals.

The ice glaciers on the mountain are disappearing very quickly. This will have a bad effect on the mountain’s ecosystems and on Tanzania’s travel industry. Also, a valuable record of thousands of years of weather history will also be lost if the ice melts. Scientists study pieces of glacier to understand weather patterns from thousands of years ago.

In the United States, the icy masses in Glacier National Park in Montana may soon completely disappear because of climate change. In 1850, there were an estimated 150 glaciers in the more than 400,000 hectare park.

There are 26 glaciers remaining today. Scientists estimate that the glaciers will be gone by 2030. Warming temperatures are also threatening the many kinds of plants and animals that live in this mountain ecosystem.

The writer developed the passage mainly by______.

   A. giving examples                   B. listing reasons

   C. making comparisons                    D. using quotations

How many glaciers disappeared since 1850 in Glacier National Park?

   A. 150.            B. 26.               C. 400,000.        D. About 124.

According to the passage, what has been affected in Italy by rising sea levels?

   A. Many kinds of plants and animals died out in Italy.

   B. Venice’s famous buildings and artworks are being destroyed completely.

   C. The ice glaciers on the mountain are disappearing very quickly.

   D. Its ancient buildings could be drowned.

What could be the best title for the passage?

   A. Climate Change

   B. The Melting of Massive Pieces of Antarctic Ice

   C. Visiting Endangered Places around the World

   D. The disappearing of the Ice Glaciers

In 2030, 42 percent of American adults will be obese, and about one-quarter of that group will be severely obese, a condition that shortens life and wastes large medical expenses, a new study predicts.
Obesity related ailments — diabetes, heart disease, kidney failure — consume at least 9 percent of health-care spending the United States. Some researchers believe the cost may be twice that estimate. Total health spending is about $2.6 trillion a year.
In 2030, 42 percent of people are projected to be obese, and 11 percent severely obese. Obesity is a body mass index , which suggests 85 kg for someone 1.67 meters tall. Severe obesity is 112 kg for someone that height.
Obesity is rising in higher-income men. Severe obesity is increasing in both sexes. It was 6.2 percent in women in 1999 and 8.1 percent in 2010. For men, it was 3.1 percent in 1999 and 4.4 percent in 2010.
It is believed that the obesity rate is closely related to the following factors: the price of gasoline, which discourages walking when it is low; access to the Internet (and other technologies), which encourages long periods of sitting still; and restaurants per 10,000 people, which increases eating out and weight gain when the number goes up.
Urgent measures must be taken to inspire people to exercise more and educate people about better eating habits before too many people will be suffering from being . obese.
【小题1】The word “ailments” in the second paragraph is equal to _______.