If California were not already so famous for Sillicon Valley(硅谷) and Hollywood,

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If California were not already so famous for Sillicon Valley(硅谷) and Hollywood, it might be well－known for the groups of water－technology firms in its San Diego County. The reverse－osmosis (RO) spiral module, the technique that supports turning seawater and waste－water into drinkable stuff, began in San Diego in 1964. Today dozens of firms in the area supply many of the world"s approximately 13，000 RO plants in places from the Persian Gulf and Israel to Australia and China.
Southern California itself, however, has not so far been a big user of its own technology. This is surprising, given that the whole American south－west faces a water problem. But now as the climate gets warmer and the population increases, there is more agreement that the existing infrastructure, consisting of vast pipes that carry water from the Sacramento Delta in the north and the Colorado River in the east, will not be enough. In places such as San Diego, which has inadequate and salty groundwater and currently imports 90% or its water, the answers must be greater conservation, reusing as much water as possible, and getting most of the rest from the sea.
The first part, conservation, has been widely accepted by the public. San Diego today uses less water with a larger population than it did in 1989, the year water consumption peaked. The second part, water recycling has been a hard sell, because of an unpleasant factor. Americans still use the term “toilet－to－tap” for recycling, even though properly treated waste－water is nowadays completely clean. Singapore made its programme acceptable in part by renaming it as NEWater.
This is where desalination comes in, which means taking the salt out of salt water. A firm called Poseidon Resources is now close to building the biggest desalination plant in America behind a power station by the beach in Carlsbad. The power plant sucks in 304m gallons of seawater a day for cooling, so Poseidon plans to change 104m gallons a day by using the RO spiral module.
Lots of people like the idea. Once fully running in 2015, the plant could produce 10% of the region"s water. And there are plans for more desalination plants. Many places would need to take much less water from the endangered Colorado River. But a few people hate it a lot. Joe Geever, an expert in biology, says desalination uses too much energy and that Poseidon plant would kill too much sea life. He understands that there is a role for desalination, he says, but would rather not have it right there, right now, and on this scale.
小题1:Which of the following is WRONG about the RO spiral module according to the passage?

A．This technology is not widely used in its birthplace.

B．Today there are about 13，000 RO plants in the Persian Gulf, Israel, Australia and China.

C．This technology can be used in desalination plants to make sea water drinkable.

D．It is a promising water treatment technology welcomed by a lot of people.

小题2:How many solutions to the water problem in San Diego are mentioned in the article?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

D．5.

小题3:What can we infer from the article?

A．The Colorado River is the main water source for California.

B．Americans still use the term “toilet－to－tap” for recycling water.

C．NEWater serves as a brand for recycled clean water in Singapore.

D．Poseidon Resources stands for the power station by the beach in Carlsbad.

小题4:What is Joe Geever"s attitude toward building a large desalination plant at present?

A．Supportive.

B．Negative.

C．Optimistic.

D．Vague.

答案

小题1:B
小题2:B
小题3:A
小题4:B

解析

文章讲述的是一种新的有关水的技术的运用。
小题1:事实细节题，根据第一段Today dozens of firms in the area supply many of the world"s approximately 13，000 RO plants in places from the Persian Gulf and Israel to Australia and China可知，B错在把from to看成了in
小题2:事实细节题，根据第二段the answers must be greater conservation, reusing as much water as possible, and getting most of the rest from the sea可知，共三个方法。
小题3:推理判断题，根据最后一段可知。
小题4:推理判断题，根据最后一段He understands that there is a role for desalination, he says, but would rather not have it right there, right now, and on this scale可知，他认为现在，这里，这个范围都不要，所以是否定态度。

举一反三

Why texting harms your IQ
The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana (大麻). That is the statement of researchers who have found that tapping away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to 10 points off the user’s IQ. This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the four-point drop in IQ associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have described the phenomenon of improved stupidity as “infomania”. The research conducted by Hewlett Packard, the technology company, has concluded that it is mainly a problem for adult workers, especially men.
It is concluded that too much use of modern technology can damage a person’s mind. It can cause a constant distraction of “always on” technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the task in hand. The report also added that, in a long term, the brain will be considerably shaped by what we do to it and by the experience of daily life. At a microcellular level, the complex networks of nerve cells that make up parts of the brain actually change in response to certain experiences.
Too much use of modern technology can be damaging not only to a person’s mind, but to their social relationship. 1100 adults were interviewed during the research. More than 62 per cent of them admitted that they were addicted to checking their e-mails and text messages so often that they scrutinized work-related ones even when at home or on holiday. Half said that they always responded immediately to an email and will even interrupt a meeting to do so. It is concluded that infomania is increasing stress and anxiety and affecting one’s characteristics. Nine out of ten thought that colleagues who answered e-mails or messages during a face-to-face meeting were extremely rude.
The effects on IQ were studied by Dr Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at University of London. “This is a very real and widespread phenomenon,” he said. “We have found that infomania will damage a worker’s performance by reducing their mental sharpness and changing their social life. Companies should encourage a more balanced and appropriate way of working.”
小题1:We can learn from the passage that “infomania” ______.

A．has a positive influence on one’s IQ

B．results in the change of part of the brain

C．lies in the problem of lack of concentration

D．is caused by too much use of modern technology

小题2:The research mentioned in the passage is most probably about ______.

A．the important function of advanced technology

B．the damage to one’s brain done by unhealthy habits

C．the relevance between IQ and use of modern technology

D．the relationship between intelligence and working effectiveness

小题3:The underlined word “scrutinized” probably means “______”.

A．examined carefully	B．copied patiently
C．corrected quickly	D．admitted freely

小题4:Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion

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A good way to pass an examination is to work hard every day in the year. You may fail in the examination if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the examination. A few days before the examination you should start going to bed early. Do not stay up late at night learning things. Before you start the examination, read carefully over the question paper. Try to understand the exact meaning of each question before you pick up your pen to write. When you have at last finished your examinations, read over your answers. Correct any mistake which you see and make sure that you have not missed anything out.
小题1:“Stay up late at night” here means .

A．sleeping in bed

B．just sitting up without doing anything

C．walking about in the room

D．working far into the night

小题2:The first thing to do after you get the question paper is to .

A．start to answer questions

B．work the difficult problems

C．have a look at the titles

D．read it very carefully

小题3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？

A．You must not hand in the examination paper before you check your answers.

B．You must wait till others point out mistakes in your paper.

C．You must first hand in your paper then correct the mistakes.

D．You must be the last to hand in your paper.

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Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant (无关的) and where the climate is always right. The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with controlled light, temperature，humidity，air quality and nutrition. It could be in a New York high- rise or a complex （建筑群） in the Saudi desert. It may be an answer to the world’s food problems.
The world already is having trouble feeding itself. Half the people on Earth live in cities, and nearly half of those – about 3 billion – are hungry or ill–fed. Food prices, currently increasing, are badly affected by dryness, floods and the cost of energy required to plant, harvest and transport it. And prices will only get more unstable. Climate change makes long-term crop planning uncertain. Farmers in many parts of the world already are using water available to the last drop. And the world is getting more crowded: by mid-century, the global population will grow from 6.8 billion to 9 billion.
To feed so many people may require expanding farmland at the expense of forests and wilderness, or finding ways to greatly increase crop output.
Gertjan Meeuws and three other Dutch bioengineers grow vegetables and house plants in closed and regulated environments. In their research station, water flows into the pans when needed, and the temperature is kept constant. Lights go on and off, creating “day” and “night”, but according to the rhythm of the plant.
Meeuws says a building of 100 square meters and layers of plants could provide a daily diet of 200 grams of fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire population of Ken Bosch, about 140,000 people. Their idea isn’t to grow foods that require much space, like corn or potatoes.
Sunlight is not only unnecessary but can be harmful. Plants need only specific wavelengths of light to grow. Their growth rate is three times faster than under greenhouse conditions. They use about 90 percent less water than outdoor agriculture. And city farming means producing food near the consumer, so there’s on need to transport it long distances.
小题1:According to the text, Gertjan Meeuws’ farming _______.

A．can be used for corn production

B．is much like greenhouse farming

C．is adaptable to any environment

D．uses more water than outdoor farming

小题2:What is the second paragraph mainly about ?

A．The effect of climate	B．The hungry people in cities.
C．The world’s food problem.	D．The world’s increasing population.

小题3:What is the purpose of the text ?

A．To compare traditional and indoor farming.

B．To discuss the influence of climate change.

C．To explain the world’s food problem.

D．To introduce a new model of farming.

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More Americans are Googling themselves ------ and many are checking out their friends, co-workers and romantic interests, too.
In a report Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said 47 percent of U.S. adult Internet users have looked for information about themselves through Google or another search engine.
That is more than twice the 22 percent of users who did in 2002, but Pew senior research specialist Mary Madden was surprised the growth wasn"t higher.
"Yes it"s doubled, but many Internet users have never done this simple act of plugging their name with search engines," she said.
Americans under 50 and those with more education and income were more likely to self-Google because their jobs demand a certain online persona.
Meanwhile, Pew found that 53 percent of adult Internet users admit looking up information about someone else, not including celebrities.
Often, it"s to find someone they have lost touch with. But looking up information about friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbors also was common.
Although men and women equally searched for online information about themselves, women were slightly more likely to look up information about someone they are dating.
In many cases, the search is done to find someone"s contact information. But a third of those who have conducted searches on others have looked for public records, such as bankruptcies(***) and divorce （离婚）proceedings. A similar number have searched for someone else"s photo.
Few Internet users say they Google themselves regularly —— about three-quarters of self-searchers say they have done so only once or twice. And most who have done so consider what they find accurate.
Pew also found that teens were more likely than adults to restrict who can see their information at an online hangout(常去之处) like Facebook or News Corp"s MySpace.
小题1:The number of American adult Internet users______ Mary Madden.

A．frightened

B．pleased

C．disappointed

D．annoyed

小题2:What does “ they” refer to in the seventh paragraph?

A．common people	B．scientists
C．adults	D．53 percent adult Internet users

小题3:How many people have checked others’ photos?

A．One- fifth

B．One-fourth

C．One- third

D．A half

小题4:What is the best title of the passage?

A．Learn to Google Yourself	B．Googling Oneself Is Popular
C．New Performance Online	D．Don’t Google Yourself Online

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The flying fox is not a fox at all. It is an extra large bat that has got a fox’s head, and that feeds on fruit. Like all bats, flying foxes hang themselves by their toes (趾) when at rest, and travel in great crowds when out flying. A group will live in one place for years. Sometimes several hundreds of them occupy a single tree. As they return to the tree towards sunrise, they quarrel among themselves and fight for the best places until long after daylight.
Flying foxes have babies once a year, giving birth to only one at a time. At first the mother has to carry the baby on her chest wherever she goes. Later she leaves it hanging up, and brings back food for it to eat. Sometimes a baby bat falls to the ground. Then the older ones fly down and try to pick it up. If they fail to do so, it will die. Often hundreds of baby bats can be found lying on the ground at the foot of the tree.
小题1:The passage tells us that there is no difference between the flying fox and the ordinary bat in ______.

A．their size	B．their appearance
C．the kind of food they eat	D．the way they rest

小题2:Flying foxes ______.

A．double their number every year

B．fight and kill a lot of themselves

C．move from place to place very often

D．lose a lot of their young

小题3:At daybreak every day flying foxes begin to ______.

A．fly out toward the sun

B．look for a new resting place

C．come back to their home

D．go out and look for food

小题4:Flying foxes have fights ______.

A．to occupy the best resting places

B．only when it is dark

C．to protect their homes from outsiders

D．when there is not enough food

小题5:How do flying foxes care for their young?

A．They only care for their own babies.

B．They share the feeding of their young.

C．They help when a baby bat is in danger.

D．They often leave home and forget their young.

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