A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane(生物甲烷)gas

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A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane(生物甲烷)gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking．
Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas，Martin Orrill，said customers wouldn’t notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell．The gas is produced at a sewage(污物) treatment works in Didcot．
The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks．The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria(厌氧菌)digest the sewage，with the aid of enzymes(酶)to speed up the process．The digestion process produces methane，which can be burned to drive machines(甲烷)to prod

uce electricity，or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.
Partners in the Didcot project，British Gas，Scotia Gas Network，and Thames Water，all hope to expand the process to other towns，and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned．One of these projects in Manchester could be supplying 500 homes with biometh

ane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery(啤酒厂)waste to around 235 families．
The Didcot project cost￡25 million and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies．An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020．
The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually．If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology，they could supply gas for up to 350, 000 families.
小题1:. Which of the following is TRUE of the biomethane gas?

A．it’s mainly made from rotting plants	B．It’s an environmentally friendly gas
C．Its production process is too long	D．It’s easily recognized by customers

小题2:. What is the function of the enzymes?

A．To digest the solid waste material	B．To help get rid of anaerobic bacteria
C．To help purify the biomethane．	D．To speed up the digestion process．

小题3:. According to the passage，the biomethane gas had better be used .

A．as the power for vehicles	B．for heating and cooking
C．to produce electricity	D．to drive a variety of machines

小题4:. The last three paragraphs mainly show that .

A．the UK government supports the biomethane projects

B．the biomethane projects are very costly

C．the biomethane projects still face many barriers

D．the biomethane project

s are promising

小题5:. . What should the text belong to?

A．Computer science

B．Engineering

C．Energy

D．Business

答案

小题1:.B
小题1:.D
小题1:.B
小题1:.D
小题1:.C

解析

略

举一反三

Standardized exam in American public education are being reformed. Over the next four years, hundreds of university professors and testing experts will work together to design new assessment system.
The new tests will be computer-based and will measure higher-order skills ignored by the multiple-choice exams used in all states，including students’ ability to read complex texts, synthesize(合成)information and do research projects．
Because the new tests will be computerized and will be administered several times throughout the school year, they can provide faster feedback(反馈)to teachers．If these plans work out, It’ll turn the current testing system upside down．
One group，led by Florida，will be made up of 25 states and the District of Columbia．The group was awarded $170 million．The other group, whose membership over-laps the first，has31 states and is led by Washington．The group was given $160 million．Twelve of the 44 states are
participating in both groups but are expected eventually to choose one set of tests．
The two groups are supposed to work in a friendly competition，though their plans are very similar．Both groups will produce tests that rely heavily on technology and both groups’ tests will include so-called performance-based tasks，designed to mirror complex，real-world situations．
In performance-based tasks，students are given a problem－they could be told, for example, to suppose they are a mayor who needs to reduce a city’s pollution—and must write about how they would solve the problem．
The new tests could be useful to teachers by giving them information on what their students are le

arning, but it might also require some mid-course adjustments.
Over the past decade, the federal No Child Left Behind law has emphasized helping low-achieving students improve their basic reading and math by encouraging states to produce tests that measure relatively low-1evel skills. Although the Bush-era law is still on the books, two
years of Obama administration policy have been leading schools in new directions．
小题1:. . What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Obama’s education policy takes the lead.

B．A computer-based testing system is adopted.

C．American education system has been changed.

D．Experts are reinventing the student testing system.

小题2:. Why are multiple-choice exams to be given up?

A．Because they are not computer-based.

B．Because they can’t test students’ higher-order skills.

C．Because they can’t provide proper feedback for teachers.

D．Because they can’t test students’ general reading ability.

小题3:. The underlined part in Para. 4 probably means________.

A．the two groups have some shared members

B．the other group is more demanding than the first

C．the groups have different tasks of their own

D．the other group does better than the first group in the task

小题4:. According to the passage, performance-based tasks may refer to tasks that______.

A．are related to real-world problems

B．have to be performed in an imaginary world

C．teach us theories through complex problems

D．can only be completed by relying heavily on technology

小题5:. . From the last paragraph, we can infer that_________.

A．the No child Left Behind policy is not helpful

B．the Obama administration’s policy is highly praised

C．the two policies both emphasize math and reading abilities

D．the two policies both emphasize the development of practical skills

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The most common complaint about cellphones is that people talk on them to the annoyance of people around them. But more damaging may be the cellphone’s interruption of our thoughts.
We have already entered a golden age of little white lies about our cellphones, and this is in generally a healthy, protective development. “I didn’t hear it ring” or “I didn’t realize my phone had shut off” are among the lies we tell to give ourselves space where we’re beyond reach.
The concept of being unreachable is not new – we have “Do Not Disturb” signs on the doors of hotel rooms. So why must we feel guilty when it comes to cellphones? Why must we apologize if we decide to shut off the phone for a while?
The problem is that we come from a long-established tradition of difficulty with distance communication. Until the recent mass use of cellphones, it was easy to communicate with someone next to us or a few feet away, but difficult with someone across town, the country or the globe. We came to take it for granted.
But cellphones make long-distance communication common, and endanger our time by ourselves. Now time alone, or a conversation with someone next to us which cannot be interrupted by a phone, is something to be cherished. Even cellphone devotees, myself usually included, can’t help at times wanting to throw their phones away, or curse this invention.
But we don’t and won’t, and there really is no need. That we have the right to take back our private time is a general social recognition.
In other words, we don’t have to pay too much attention to the rings of our own phones. Given the ease of making and receiving cellphone calls, if we don’t talk to the caller right now, we surely will shortly later.
A cellphone call deserves no more importance than a word from the person next to us. Though the call on my cellphone may be the one-in-a-million from Steven Spielberg–who has finally read my novel and wants to make it his next movie. But most likely it is not, and I’m better off, thinking about the idea I just had for a new story, or the slice of pizza I’ll eat for lunch.

小题1:.
What does the writer think about people telling “white lies” about their cellphones?

A．It is a way to show that you don’t like the caller.

B．It is natural to tell lies about small things.

C．It is basically a good way to protect one’s privacy.

D．We should feel guilty when we can’t tell the truth.

小题2:.
What is the meaning of the underlined word “devotees” in Paragraph 5?

A．people who enjoy something.	B．people who are bothered.
C．people who hate something.	D．people who are interrupted.

小题3:.
. According to the author, what is the most annoying problem caused by cellphones?

A．People are always thinking of the cellphone rings so that they fail to notice anything else.

B．Cellphones interrupt people’s private time.

C．People feel guilty when they are not able to answer their cellphones.

D．With cellphones it is no longer possible to be unreachable.

小题4:.
. What does the last paragraph suggest?

A．A person who calls us from afar deserves more of our attention.

B．Steven Spielberg once called the author to talk about the author’s novel.

C．You should always finish your lunch before you answer a call on the cellphone.

D．Never let cellphones disturb your life too much.

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This year Canada’s navy is one hundred years old. To mark the occasion, military ships from six different countries around the Pacific Ocean came to Canada for a four-day celebration. There were parades, parties and demonstrations of navy search and rescue aircraft and a show put on by the Snowbirds.
The Snowbirds, Canada’s aerobatic team, fly Tudor jet aircraft that are not particularly fast or particularly new but with amazing and sometimes hair-raising precision. They put a formation of nine aircraft into a space that would normally hold only one and they change the information in flight, roll it, loop it, break it and reform it in a dizzying ballet in the sky. The Snowbirds are one of the best aerobatic flying teams in the world and they are a readily recognized symbol of Canada just as the Great Wall is a recognized symbol of China. For a Canadian, watching the Snowbirds fly can bring tears. They make us very proud.
The Snowbirds have been flying since 1971. All of the pilots are serving members of the Canadian Air Force. They are all very young, all are highly-skilled and each is attached to the Snowbirds for two or three years. Each winter they practice in the cold, clear skies and each summer they put on more than fifty air-shows across the country and sometimes abroad. What they do is highly specialized. They often fly less than two meters from each other at speeds of about seven hundred and fifty kilometers an hour.
Flying is, by its nature, inherently risky and what the Snowbirds do increases that risk. While the pilots are all highly trained professionals, eight Snowbird pilots have been killed over the years. I have been fortunate enough to watch the Snowbirds fly probably fifteen or twenty times and if I know they are going to be flying I will go to see them again and again. This is not because I want to see someone do something dangerous, it is because I want to see something done so well—it is almost unbelievably precise and beautiful. I want to watch nine aircraft in an incredibly tight formation, each one painted in the red and white of my country’s flag, soaring through the cloudless blue sky. I want to feel that pride and that tear just behind my eyelids that comes from watching something uniquely and wonderfully Canadian.
小题1:.
Which of the following is TRUE about the Snowbirds?

A．The aircraft they fly are particularly fast and new.

B．They are the best aerobatic flying team in the world.

C．They are regarded as a symbol of Canada.

D．Every year they put on more than fifty air-shows across the country.

小题2:.
. The underlined word “inherently” in the last paragraph refers to .

A．naturally

B．truly

C．entirely

D．nearly

小题3:.
Why does the author like to watch the Snowbirds fly?

A．Because he w

ants to see someone do something dangerous.

B．Because the flying is unbelievably precise and beautiful.

C．Because his country’s flag is painted on each one.

D．Because watching them fly can make people cry.

小题4:.
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．Air-shows of the Snowbirds

B．A Four-day Celebration of Canada

C．The Training of Highly-skilled Pilots

D．A National Symbol -- the Snowbirds

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In their book Time to Eat the Dog : The Real Guide to Sustainable Living, Robort and Breanda Vale say keeping a medium-sized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,0

00 km a year in a 4.6 liter Land Cruiser.
“We ‘re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog .We are just saying that we need to think about and know the ecological impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted.”
Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41hectares of land ,while growing and manufacturing a dog’s food takes about 0.84 hectares or 1.1hectares in the case of a large dog such as a German shepherd.
Convincing flesh-eating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the sake of the planet is a non-starter,
The Vales say .Instead they recommend keeping greener, smaller, and more sustainable pets ,such as goldfish, chickens or rabbits.
The book ‘s playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully recycled, by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die ,may not appeal to animal fans .
Annoying as the idea may be, the question is valid given the planet’s growing population and limited resources, Robert vale said.
“Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog . It’s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket,” he said
It about much more challenging and difficult issues, he added . Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things , you might decide to have the cat but not also to have two cars and three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself.
小题1:. The authors gave their book the playful title to    .
A make it amusing       B create a vivid image
C show writing skills     D arouse people’s concern
小题2:. In Paragraph 3 the writer mainly wants to tell us      .
A the amou

nt of consumed land     B the neglected ecological impact
C some familiar examples          D   some actual figures
小题3:. What does “sustainability” mean according to the passage?
A Going vegetarian    B Raising cats and dogs
C Using a cloth bag    D Keeping a greener life
小题4:. Who may not the idea of “recycling” pet animal?
A Manufactures   B Drivers C Animal fans D The authorities
小题5:. Wha

t do the authors thing of living a sustainable life?
A Challenging B Inspiring C Inviting D Touching

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Since the gene , called DAF-16 in worms, was found in many animals and in humans, the finding could open up new ways to affect aging ,immunity and resistance in humans the scientists said.
“We wanted to find out how normal aging is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have on other traits such as immunity,”said Robin May , who led the study.
Populations across the world are aging at a surprising pace , bring potentially big challenges for health and social care systems . A study by Danish scientists last year found that half of babies born in rich world today will live to celebrate their 100^th birthday . Scientists are eager to find out how people age to try to develop drugs to help them stay healthier lives extend.
“What we have found is that things like resistance and aging tend go hand in hang “ May said in an interview
May’s team compared longevity ,stress resistance and immunity in four related species of worm. They also looked for differences in the activity of DAV-16 in each of the four species and found that they were all quite distinct.
May said DAF-16 was active in most cells in the body and was very similar to a group of human genes called FOXO genes , which scientists believe play a role in the aging process. “The fact that subtle differences in DAF-16 between species seem to have such an impact on aging and health is very interesting and many explain how differences in lifespan and related traits have arisen during evolution，”May said
小题1:In which section may the text appear in a newspaper?
A Education   B Science   C Entertainment    D Culture
小题2: According to May ,
A resistance has a lot of to do with aging    B FOXO genes can be found in worms
C genes play the same role in difference species   D new drugs will change the genes in older people
小题3:From the text we know that DAF-16
A is a gene that is only found in worms     B can make people live longer
C has an effect on aging and immunity     D has been quite familiar to scientists

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