Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge （大杂烩） of environmental claims made by household products, according to a “green labeling” study published by Consumers International Friday．
Among the report’s more outrageous （令人无法容忍的） findings, a German fertilizer described itself as “earthworm friendly”, a brand of flour said it was “non-polluting” and a British toilet paper claimed to be “environmentally friendlier”．
The study was written and researched by Britain’s National Consumer Council （NCC） for lobby group Consumer International．It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission．
“While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impact of products they buy,” said Consumers International director Anna Fielder．
The 10-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain．Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States．It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average．
The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent （洗涤剂）, insect sprays and by some garden products．It did not test the claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization （ISO） in September, 1999．
Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too unclear or too misleading to meet ISO standards．
“Many products had specially-designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing,”said report researcher Philip Page．
“Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158．Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73．The high numbers show how confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading．” he said．
The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as “environmentally friendly” and “non-polluting” cannot be tested．“What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO．” said Page．
1．According to the passage, the NCC found it outrageous that ____．
A．all the products surveyed claim to meet ISO standards
B．the claims made by products are often unclear or misleading
C．consumers would believe many of the manufactures’claim
D．few products actually prove to be environmentally friendly
2．A study was carried out by Britain’s NCC to ____．
A．find out how many claims made by products fail to meet environmental standards
B．inform the consumers of the environmental impact of the products they buy
C．examine claims made by products against ISO standards
D．test the guidelines set by the International Standards Organization
3．What is one of the consequences caused by the many claims of household products?
A．They are likely to lead to serious environmental problems
B．Consumers find it difficult to tell the true from the false
C．They could arouse widespread anger among consumer
D．Consumers will tend to buy products they don’t need
4．It can be inferred from the passage that the lobby group Consumer International wants to ____．
A．make product labeling satisfy ISO requirements
B．see all household products meet environmental standards
C．warn consumers of the danger of so-called green products
D．prove the efforts of non-polluting products

Count Me Out
Call me old-fashioned. Call me old. Call me what you want, but I refuse to become part of this new Internet world.
I do not possess a computer at home or at the office. Actually, I stopped going to an office 35 years ago, when all communications were done with a pen, a typewriter, or, if the matter was of world-shaking importance, over the telephone. Likewise, if you like something advertised in a newspaper or magazine, you visited the shop selling it at the given address, or you phoned the number shown. Then you spoke to the fellow and asked for further details.
Tell me what you think of the following ad that appeared the other day in the newspaper. It was for a cure for cancer and this is what it said: “Awareness is the key. Visit spfulford. com at the awareness site.” There was no address or telephone number for the site. So what do unfortunate people without a computer do if they are seeking a cure for their illness?
There are, I am told, certain advantages in having access to the Internet. You can, for example, send love messages across the world or even get married to someone that you meet online. This bit doesn’t interest me; I have been happily married for 60 years. There are, of course, other activities for Internet users besides finding love. They can pay bills, order groceries, or discuss with their doctors.
And this is by no means all. More amazing things are yet to come in the near future. I read a newspaper report recently that quoted Stephen Hawking, an important British scientist. “The complexity of a computer as it exists today is probably less than the brain of an earthworm,” he said. “But, as technology advances, computers will become more complex, and a time may come when the Internet may develop ‘consciousness.’ In other words, the Internet will be able to think, have feelings, and may well be able to act on its own.”
If Professor Hawking is right, I may change my attitude to computers. As I grow older each day, I would like one of those that not only thinks for me but also accepts responsibilities for all my mistakes.
【小题1】
What’s the meaning of the title “Count Me Out”?

第Ⅱ卷(非选择题 共35分)

第四部分写作(共二节，满分35分)

第一节对话填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

阅读下面对话，掌握其大意，并根据所给的字母的提示，在标有题号的横线上写出一个英语单词的完整、正确形式，使对话通顺

Here is a conversation between a baby snail and his mother, which 76.t______ me deeply.

Baby snail: “Why was I born with a 77.s______ that grew so hard and so heavy?”

Mother snail: “Because we do not have bones to 78.s______ us. We can only crawl and move 79.s______, so we get a shell to protect us.”

Baby snail: “The caterpillar（毛虫）has no bones either, nor can she move quickly. Why can she go without a shell?”

Mother snail: “That’s because a caterpillar will become a 80.b_______. She can fly high to sky, and the sky can protect her.”

Baby snail: “But the earthworm（蚯蚓）81.c______ like us. He has no bones, nor can he turn into a butterfly. Why does he not 82.c______ a hard and heavy shell?”

Mother snail: “He can drill a hole into the ground to protect himself.”

Baby snail: (Bursting into tears) “What a 83.p______! We have no 84.p______ from either the sky or the ground.”

Mother snail: “That’s why we are 85.g______ with a shell. We don’t need to depend on the sky or the ground for protection. We depend on ourselves.”

Count Me Out

Call me old-fashioned. Call me old. Call me what you want, but refuse to become part of this new Internet world.

I do not possess a computer at home or at the office. Actually, I stopped going to an office 35 years ago, when all communications were done with a pen, a typewriter, or, if the matter was of world-shaking importance, over the telephone. Likewise, if you like something advertised in a newspaper or magazine, you visited the shop selling it at the given address, or you phoned, the number shown. Then you spoke to the fellow and asked for further details.

Tell me what you think of the following ad that appeared the other day in the newspaper. It was for a cure for cancer and this is what it said: “Awareness is the key. Visit spfulford. com at the awareness site.” There was no address or telephone number for the site. So what do unfortunate people without a computer do it they are seeking a cure for their illness?

There are, I am told, certain advantages in having access to the Internet. You can, for example, send love messages across the world or even get married to someone that you meet online. This bit doesn’t interest me; I have been happily married for 60 years. There are, of course, other activities for Internet users besides finding love. They can pay bills, order groceries, or discuss with their doctors.

And this is by no means all. More amazing things are yet to come in the near future. I read a newspaper report recently that quoted Stephen Hawking, an important British scientist. “The complexity of a computer as it exists today is probably less than the brain of an earthworm,” he said. “But, as technology advances, computers will become more complex, and a time may come when the Internet may develop ‘consciousness.’ In other words, the Internet will be able to think, have feelings, and may well be able to act on its own.”

If Professor Hawking is right, I may change my attitude about conjurers. As I grow older each day, I would like one of those that not only thinks for me but also accepts responsibilities for all my mistakes.

1.What’s the meaning of the title “Count Me Out”?

    A．Get me out of the Internet world.

    B．Computers are trying to take control of life.

    C．Modern technology pushes old people away.

    D．Do not expect me to be a supporter of the Internet.

2.According to Paragraph 2, the author thinks computers are          .

    A．unnecessary      B．convenient       C．expensive        D．advanced

3.What might the author like about the future computer?

    A．Taking blames.                       B．Curing illnesses.

    C．Delivering messages.                 D．Responding to emotions.

         Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge （大杂烩） of environmental claims made by household products, according to a “green labeling” study published by Consumers International Friday．

         Among the report’s more outrageous （令人无法容忍的） findings, a German fertilizer described itself as “earthworm friendly”, a brand of flour said it was “non-polluting” and a British toilet paper claimed to be “environmentally friendlier”．

         The study was written and researched by Britain’s National Consumer Council （NCC） for lobby group Consumer International．It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission．

         “While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impact of products they buy,” said Consumers International director Anna Fielder．

         The 10-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain．Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States．It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average．

         The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent （洗涤剂）, insect sprays and by some garden products．It did not test the claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization （ISO） in September, 1999．

         Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too unclear or too misleading to meet ISO standards．

         “Many products had specially-designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing,”said report researcher Philip Page．

         “Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158．Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73．The high numbers show how confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading．” he said．

         The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as “environmentally friendly” and “non-polluting” cannot be tested．“What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO．” said Page．

1．According to the passage, the NCC found it outrageous that ____．

         A．all the products surveyed claim to meet ISO standards

         B．the claims made by products are often unclear or misleading

         C．consumers would believe many of the manufactures’claim

         D．few products actually prove to be environmentally friendly

2．A study was carried out by Britain’s NCC to ____．

         A．find out how many claims made by products fail to meet environmental standards

         B．inform the consumers of the environmental impact of the products they buy

         C．examine claims made by products against ISO standards

         D．test the guidelines set by the International Standards Organization

3．What is one of the consequences caused by the many claims of household products?

         A．They are likely to lead to serious environmental problems

         B．Consumers find it difficult to tell the true from the false

         C．They could arouse widespread anger among consumer

         D．Consumers will tend to buy products they don’t need

4．It can be inferred from the passage that the lobby group Consumer International wants to ____．

         A．make product labeling satisfy ISO requirements

         B．see all household products meet environmental standards

         C．warn consumers of the danger of so-called green products

         D．prove the efforts of non-polluting products