67. The word “fracture” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.

　　　 A. create　　　　　　 B. break　　　　　　 C. change　　　　　 D. decrease

66. We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.

　　　 A. natural gas releases methane and carbon dioxide

　　　 B. natural gas is considered as the cleanest energy

　　　 C. natural gas is more environmentally friendly than other fossil fuels

D. natural gas is a renewable source of energy

65. What attitude does the writer hold towards “Question Box” according to the passage?

A. Indefinite.　　 B. Negative.　　 C. Supportive.　　 D. Indifferent.

C

Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable resources like sun, wind and water. But it also leads to a fossil fuel. Natural gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the fuel created by plant and animal remains over millions of years. Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal. The gas is mainly methane (甲烷). It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels. So it may help cut the production of carbon gases linked to climate change.

Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas. The United States is sixth. Over the years, big oil and gas companies recovered much of the easily reached supplies of gas in America. They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects. As these supplies were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries.

But now the industry is taking a new look. Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in shale (页岩) rock two to three thousand meters underground. They drill down to the shale, then go sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock. This causes the rock to fracture, releasing the gas. Huge fields of gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states. Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by small to medium sized companies. Eric Potter, a program director, says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these new reserves.

But hydraulic(液压的) fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the risk of groundwater pollution. This method of drilling is not federally supervised under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Some in Congress want to end that exemption (豁免) from the law.

Natural gas provides Americans with about one fourth of their energy. And, unlike oil, most of it is produced in America. Gas producers invested heavily in reaching new supplies when prices were high. But prices are down sharply now because the depression cut demand for energy. So energy expert Eric Potter says it is too early to know how the changing market prices will affect the market for gas shale exploration.

64. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

　　　 A. All the questions asked by people are pretty funny.

　　　 B. Workers of Question Box know the answer for any question.

　　　 C. Question Box always tries to answer the question, no matter how strange.

　　　 D. Those who asked questions wanted to make progress in their studies.

63. We can learn from the passage that in Uganda ______.

　　　 A. forty call center operators helped make Question Box known to villagers

　　　 B. it was very convenient for villagers to have access to Internet service

　　　 C. users are very interested in current events

　　　 D. a local technology company cooperate with Question Box

62. Which of the following is TRUE about Question Box according to the passage?

　　　 A. Uganda is the original place where the service started.

　　　 B. Some modern technologies have been used for improving the service.

　　　 C. Question Box won’t be able to work if there is no electrical power.

　　　 D. It was impossible for a grandma to use Question Box.

61. According to the passage, “Question Box” is a service intended to________.

　　　 A. help improve the living standard of the people in poor areas

　　　 B. promote the computer technology

　　　 C. provide answers raised by the people who have no access to the Internet

　　　 D. enrich the local people’s life

60. Which can be the best title of the passage?

　　　 A. Grandfather’s life　　　　　　　　　 　　　 B. The Helpful Donation

　　　 C. The Perfect Mistake　　　　　　　　 　　　 D. An Impressive Speech

B

When you have a question about something, where do you go? For many people the answer is simple. They go online to a search engine like Google or Yahoo. But what about people in rural or underdeveloped areas who may have no way to get on the Internet? Luckily, Rose Shuman, a business and international development consultant in California, has found a way for them. Her amazing solution is “Question Box”.

Question Box is a service that provides answers -- free of charge -- for people who cannot search the Internet directly. They might not be able to read, or they simply have no access.

Question Box began two years ago in India. People use a metal call box with a push-to-talk button to connect to a live operator, as Rose Shuman explains, “You just push a button, a big green button, and that will connect you directly to our operators who are sitting in front of computers, and speak your language. And you can ask them any sort of question you want, and they'll look it up in English or in Hindi, or whatever the main language is, and translate the answer right back for you.”

The service is currently offered in two villages. The latest version of the box uses mobile phone technology and solar panels in case the electrical power fails. Rose Shuman says the aim was to make the box as easy as possible for users.

“Rather than try to bring a lot of infrastructure to them and expect them to learn how to use the Internet, the idea was to make a technology that even Grandma could use, figuring that Grandma could probably walk up to a box and push a button,” added Shuman.

In April, Question Box expanded to Uganda. Forty community workers with mobile phones connect villagers to call center operators in Kampala. The community workers go around telling people about the service. They wear T-shirts that say “Ask Me.”

But Internet service in Uganda proved slow and undependable. So Question Box teamed up with a local technology company to store information on a local server. That way, the researchers in Kampala can quickly search the database for answers when users ask about current events and many other subjects.

Rose Shuman continued, “When was Mahatma Gandhi born and how long is the Nile River? What's the tallest mountain? The funniest one I think we got was, 'Did the pyramids ever move to another place?', which we found pretty funny. But we did look it up, and they haven't moved.”

59. Who does “the Master Carpenter” in the last paragraph probably refer to?

　　 A. Grandpa’s master.　　　　　　　　 　 B. One of Grandpa’s friends.　

　 C. God.　　　　　 　　　　　　 D. Grandpa’s co-worker.

58. The people in the church but Grandpa felt confused at what the director said because ________.

A. Grandpa didn’t tell the director that he was the owner of the glasses

B. the director wanted to return the glasses even though he liked it

　　　 C. the director could not get such glasses in their own country

　　　 D. the glasses were not included in the donation list