When the Audet family turns on the lights at Blue Farm, they are using electricity that comes from cows—cow manure (粪肥), to be specific.
Cows produce a lot of wastes. One cow can create 30 gallons of wastes each day. Now imagine the output of over 1,000 cows at Blue Farm. That’s really a big amount.
When farmers clean their barns, they put the wastes in a big heap, and spread some of them on their fields for fertilizer(肥料). But now places like Blue Spruce Farm have a new way of using cow wastes. They use them to produce electricity.
Here’s how it works: A big machine moves back and forth cleaning the barn floor. “The cows aren’t bothered,” says Marie Audet. “They are animals of habit; they get used to it, and just lift one foot and then another to let it go by.”
The machine pushes the manure into a big 600-gallon tank like a small swimming pool. The tank is called a digester (化粪池) because what happens there is just like what happens inside a cow: Bacteria(细菌) get to work and continue to digest the manure.
Methane gas (甲烷、沼气)in the atmosphere is known as a “greenhouse” gas because it keeps heat just like a greenhouse does, causing our planet to warm up. That’s an environmental concern. But the digester has a good result. Its gas is kept and used to power electric generators (发电机).
At Blue Farm, the generators make enough electricity to power 400 homes. The Audet family sells the extra electricity they can’t use themselves.
【小题1】We learn from the text that the Audet family is using cow wastes to ______.
| A．make electricity | B．produce fertilizer | C．build their farm | D．feed the cows |
| A．Marie Audet does the work | B．The job is done by machine |
| C．The cows lift the cow wastes | D．Bacteria get to work on them |
| A．The power of moving water. | B．The heat of burning coal. |
| C．The power of sunlight. | D．The heat of the methane gas |
| A．reducing | B．saving | C．recycling | D．changing |
| A．To introduce a new way of making electricity | B．To explain how a new energy works better |
| C．To show a new rebuilding plan for a big farm | D．To explain the reasons for green house effect |
科目：初中英语 来源：2011届北京市初三上学期中考真题英语卷 题型：阅读理解
Scientists are very interested in the Universe，and they always want to know more about it. Years ago they knew many things about the moon. They knew how big it is and how far away it is from the earth. But they wanted to know more about it. They thought the best way was to send men to the moon. The moon is about 384,000 kilometers away from the earth. A plane cannot fly to the moon because the air reaches only 240 kilometers away from the earth. But something can fly even when there is no air. That is a rocket(火箭)
How does a rocket fly? There is gas（气体） in the rocket. When the gas is made very hot inside the rocket, it will rush out of the end of the rocket, so it can make the rocket fly up into the sky. Rockets can fly out into space. Rockets with men in them have been to the moon. Several rockets without men in them have flown to another planet(行星) much farther away than the moon. One day, rockets may be able to go to any place in space.
【小题1】Scientists knew ____________ the moon is.
A: how far B: how big C: how old D: both A and B
【小题2】The earth is about 384,000 kilometers away from the _____.
A: space B: universe C: sun D: moon
【小题3】A plane cannot fly to the moon because ___________
A: there is no air above 240 kilometers away from the earth.
B: there is no gas in the plane
C: the plane is not strong enough
D: the plane can not fly a long way
【小题4】The hot gas in the rocket is used for___________
A: keeping the air in the rocket fresh(新鲜的)
B: Keeping the men in the rocket warm
C: making the rocket fly up.
D: cooking food for the men
【小题5】What is the writer’s attitude(态度) to the universe’s future.
A: Realistic(现实的) B: Imaginative(幻想的)
C: Confident(有信心的) D: Sad
查看答案和解析>>
科目：初中英语 来源：2013届北京市门头沟区中考二模英语卷（带解析） 题型：完型填空
Have you ever heard someone use the phrase” once in a blue moon”? People use this expression to describe something that they do not do very often. For example, someone might say that he tries to avoid eating sweets because they are unhealthy, but will eat chocolate” once in a blue moon”. Or someone who does not usually like to go to the beach might say “I visit the shore once in a blue moon.”While many people use this phrase, not everyone knows the meaning behind it.
The first thing to know is that the moon itself is never really blue. This is just an expression. In fact, the phrase” blue moon” has to do with the shape of the moon, not the color.
As the moon travels around the earth, it appears to change shape. We associate certain names with certain shapes of the moon. For example, when we can see a small part of the moon it is called a crescent moon. A crescent is a shape that looks like the tip of a fingernail when we cannot see the moon at all; it is called a new moon.
When we can see the whole moon is called a full moon. Usually, there is only one full moon every month. Sometimes, however there will be two full moons in one month. When this happens, the second full moon is called a blue moon”.
Over the next 20 years, there will only be 15 blue moons. As you can see, a blue moon is a very rare (稀有的)event. This fact has led people to use the expression” once in a blue moon” to describe other very rare events in their lives.
【小题1】Which of the following would be a good example of using the phrase” once in a blue moon”.
| A．Simon often tells jokes. Simon tells jokes once in a blue moon. |
| B．Tom rarely remembers to do exercise. Tom does exercise once in a blue moon. |
| C．Mary likes to go shopping every weekend. Mary goes shopping once in a blue moon. |
| D．Cindy hates to stay up, but she stays up every day. Cindy stays up once in a blue moon. |
| A．When the moon has a blue moon. |
| B．When we cannot see the moon at all. |
| C．When there are two full moons in one month. |
| D．When we can only see a small part of the color. |
| A．Once a year. | B．Less than once a year. |
| C．More than once a year. | D．At least twice a year. |
| A．A blue moon is a very rare event. |
| B．The moon appears to change shape. |
| C．The moon itself is never really bluee. |
| D．A blue moon has to do with the shape of the moon. |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：初中英语 来源：2011－2012学年江苏省苏州新区二中初三10月月考英语卷 题型：阅读理解
These simple ways can increase(增加)your popularity and win you more friends，so why not try them?
●PAYING ATTENTION TO OTHERS This will reduce any shyness you may have. You’ll be more relaxed and therefore more natural and fun. And you will get more good-people will love the fact that you’re paying attention to them while you don’t have to worry about what people think of you.
●LOOKING PEOPLE IN THE EYE Making eye contact is very important because it shows you’re interested in them. If you let your eyes wander(游移)or keep looking over their shoulders，people will feel slighted(轻视)，and they’ll like you less they would otherwise.
●ASKING QUESTIONS Doing this gives you two advantages，It shows other people that you are indeed paying attention to and that you consider what they are telling you important. Being sure to follow up when you’ve shared a conversation with someone about something important in his / her life，be sure to ask about it later. This shows that you listen and you care.
●MAKING AN EFFORT TO SMILE A smile means acceptance，and that makes people open up to you. Make a conscious(有意识的)effort(努力)one day to smile at the people you stay or work with and watch how well they respond (作出反应)to you；
●BEING RELIABLE(可靠的)People like those who help them，and they quickly begin to hate those who don’t.
【小题1】By fixing your attention on others，you will _______.
| A．be more worried and tired | B．feel more confident |
| C．be paid less attention to | D．feel less liked |
| A．be open up to them | B．fix your eyes on them |
| C．ask questions about them | D．look at them |
| A．Showing continuous care for others is highly valued. |
| B．Smiling at others can often be misunderstood. |
| C．Looking people in the eye will make them uncomfortable. |
| D．You don’t have to continue helping others if you don’t want to. |
| A．Ways to Make You More Natural | B．Trying to Be a Polite Person |
| C．Making as Many Friends as Possible | D．Ways to Make You More Popular |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：初中英语 来源：2013届浙江省乐清市盐盆一中九年级上第三次模拟考试英语试卷（带解析） 题型：阅读理解
For years I wanted a garden. I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.
But then we had Matthew, and Marvin, and the twins Alisa and Alan, and then Helen. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was not enough. Neither was time. Often when my children were little,one of them would want something that cost too much, and I’d have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know.”
Finally, all the children got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about a garden.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother’s Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I looked out of the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. There were things blowing around on it. Then I put my glasses on—and I couldn’t believe what I saw.
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills*, one hundred of them, hanging all over that tree. There was also a note among them, “Thank you for your time, Mom. We love you!”
Later, my children bought me tools, ornaments, a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books. A new page started in my life.
That was three years ago. My garden’s now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and take care of my flowers, I don’t seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they’re right there with me. Now every year when winter comes, I look out of my window and think of the flowers I’ll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes—every time.
I’m still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!
【小题1】How many children did the writer have?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
| A．She was too busy to plant a money tree at that time. |
| B．She had to save money so that she could have a garden. |
| C．It wasn’t easy for her to make money to raise all the children. |
| D．They didn’t have much money because the mother lost her job. |
| A．before her children were born |
| B．one spring morning when the children were little |
| C．after the children went to school |
| D．on a Mother’s Day after the children left her |
| A．their mother needed money badly |
| B．they wanted to show their love to their mother |
| C．it was time for them to give the money back to her |
| D．they wanted to live together with their mother forever |
查看答案和解析>>
科目：初中英语 来源：2011-2012学年江苏省苏州工业园区初一第二学期3月月考英语试卷 题型：阅读理解
American people like to say ‘Thank you ’or say something kind when others help them．People of many countries do so，too．It is a very good habit．
You should say‘Thank you’when someone passes you the salt on the table，when someone walking ahead of you keeps the door open for you and when someone says you always do your work well or you have a nice thing or your city is very beautiful．‘Thank you’is used not only between friends，but also between parents and children，brothers and sisters．
‘Excuse me’is another short sentence they use．When you hear someone says‘Excuse me’behind you，you know that someone wants to walk past you without touching you．It’s not polite to break(打断)others when they are talking．If you want to speak to one of them。say‘Excuse me’first，and then begin talking．You should also do so when you begin to cough or make any noise before others．
Let’s learn to say‘Thank you’and‘Excuse me’．
【小题1】You should say‘Thank you’when_______．
| A．you say something kind to others |
| B．you help others |
| C．someone helps you |
| D．you need others to help you |
| A．used in the world |
| B．used more often than ‘Excuse me’ |
| C．used only by Americans |
| D．used only between friends |
| A．cough | B．make some noise |
| C．go first | D．A，B and C |
| A．Thank you | B．That’s very kind of you |
| C．Excuse me | D．I’m sorry |
| A．to be happy | B．to be polite |
| C．to help others | D．to learn from Americans |
查看答案和解析>>
湖北省互联网违法和不良信息举报平台 | 网上有害信息举报专区 | 电信诈骗举报专区 | 涉历史虚无主义有害信息举报专区 | 涉企侵权举报专区
违法和不良信息举报电话：027-86699610 举报邮箱：58377363@163.com
