The Green Microgym in Portland，Oregon has all the usual stuff you'd expect-sweaty people，loud music，smooth exercise equipment-but it has some extras as well. Everywhere you look，there are power wires. And these aren't the typical kind that let you surf the Web while you ride a spin cycle-although. you can do that too．The gym uses special exercise equipment that captures（捕获）the energy you create while riding, converts（转换）it into electricity and channels it into the power outlets（插座）．

The idea of using exercise equipment to produce electricity is not new. A gym in Hong Kong has been doing this since 2007. But clean (and healthy）energy is just now starting to catch on in U. S. gyms·"We have seen a significant increase in interest in the past six months，which is a good sign that fitness centers are ready to spend money on green technologies，” says Mike Curnyn，co-founder of the Green Revolution，a Connecticut-based firm that wires bikes into a central battery that can store energy.

The Green Microgym，first opened in 2008，has more than 200 members and is doing so well that owner Adam Boesel opened another one five miles from the original．Although membership costs about the same as ordinary gyms，customers can earn gift certificates from local businesses for watts produced while exercising．An average workout creates 37. 5 watt hours，which is enough to power a phone for a week．

Boesel uses spin bikes made by Resource Fitness，a Seattle company he co-owns，that captures energy produced from the flywheel. Wires send the converted AC current（交流电流） into any standard wall outlet-for this reason，the product line's name is Plug Out-and the energy created is used before the building draws power from the grid（电网）．Unlike the Green Revolution equipment，Plug Out machines cannot store extra energy. A third company，the Florida-based ReRev，is adding converters to a specific brand of spin bikes. But since the converters add＄1，000 to the price of the equipment，the ReRev and Green Revolution machines are at a disadvantage．

Resource Fitness，by contrast，sells its equipment for the same＄1，200 price as non- electricity-producing machines，removing the question of how long it will be until the energy savings pay for the cost of the unit．The company can afford to do this because its designs don’t call for the extra wiring needed for battery packs and large converters．It is also trying to price competitively with standard equipment so more gyms-and gym goers-will make the switch．

1.Members of the Green Microgym earn gift certificates for_______．

A .using the man-powered exercise equipment

B. saving electricity for local businesses

C. producing green electricity to power their phones

D. paying higher membership fees

2.The spin bikes made by Resource Fitness are different from those by Green Revolution in that_______.

A. they are easier to ride

B. they are more expensive

C. they don't have wires connected

D. they can not store extra electricity

3.What might prevent the green exercise equipment from getting more popular？

A .People's unwillingness to go green．

B. The high cost of making it.

C. Safety problems concerning electricity.

D. Lack of certificates．

4.The underlined words“make the switch”in the last paragraph most probably mean_____.

A. change to a different gym

B. use green exercise equipment

C. switch on the spin bikes

D. add a battery to the machine

The Green Microgym in Portland，Oregon has all the usual stuff you'd expect-sweaty people，loud music，smooth exercise equipment-but it has some extras as well. Everywhere you look，there are power wires. And these aren't the typical kind that let you surf the Web while you ride a spin cycle-although. you can do that too．The gym uses special exercise equipment that captures（捕获）the energy you create while riding, converts（转换）it into electricity and channels it into the power outlets（插座）．
The idea of using exercise equipment to produce electricity is not new. A gym in Hong Kong has been doing this since 2007. But clean (and healthy）energy is just now starting to catch on in U. S. gyms·"We have seen a significant increase in interest in the past six months，which is a good sign that fitness centers are ready to spend money on green technologies，” says Mike Curnyn，co-founder of the Green Revolution，a Connecticut-based firm that wires bikes into a central battery that can store energy.
The Green Microgym，first opened in 2008，has more than 200 members and is doing so well that owner Adam Boesel opened another one five miles from the original．Although membership costs about the same as ordinary gyms，customers can earn gift certificates from local businesses for watts produced while exercising．An average workout creates 37. 5 watt hours，which is enough to power a phone for a week．
Boesel uses spin bikes made by Resource Fitness，a Seattle company he co-owns，that captures energy produced from the flywheel. Wires send the converted AC current（交流电流）into any standard wall outlet-for this reason，the product line's name is Plug Out-and the energy created is used before the building draws power from the grid（电网）．Unlike the Green Revolution equipment，Plug Out machines cannot store extra energy. A third company，the Florida-based ReRev，is adding converters to a specific brand of spin bikes. But since the converters add＄1，000 to the price of the equipment，the ReRev and Green Revolution machines are at a disadvantage．
Resource Fitness，by contrast，sells its equipment for the same＄1，200 price as non- electricity-producing machines，removing the question of how long it will be until the energy savings pay for the cost of the unit．The company can afford to do this because its designs don’t call for the extra wiring needed for battery packs and large converters．It is also trying to price competitively with standard equipment so more gyms-and gym goers-will make the switch．

1. 1.

   Members of the Green Microgym earn gift certificates for_______．

   1. A.
      using the man-powered exercise equipment
   2. B.
      saving electricity for local businesses
   3. C.
      producing green electricity to power their phones
   4. D.
      paying higher membership fees
2. 2.

   The spin bikes made by Resource Fitness are different from those by Green Revolution in that_______

   1. A.
      they are easier to ride
   2. B.
      they are more expensive
   3. C.
      they don't have wires connected
   4. D.
      they can not store extra electricity
3. 3.

   What might prevent the green exercise equipment from getting more popular？

   1. A.
      People's unwillingness to go green．
   2. B.
      The high cost of making it
   3. C.
      Safety problems concerning electricity
   4. D.
      Lack of certificates．
4. 4.

   The underlined words“make the switch”in the last paragraph most probably mean_____

   1. A.
      change to a different gym
   2. B.
      use green exercise equipment
   3. C.
      switch on the spin bikes
   4. D.
      add a battery to the machine

        The Green Microgym in Portland，Oregon has all the usual

      stuff you'd expect-sweaty people，loud music，smooth exercise

      equipment-but it has some extras as well. Everywhere you

      look，there are power wires. And these aren't the typical kind

    that let you surf the Web while you ride a spin cycle-although

      you can do that too．The gym uses special exercise equipment

    that captures（捕获）the energy you create while riding,

    converts（转换）it into electricity and channels it into the power

    outlets（插座）．

        The idea of using exercise equipment to produce electricity is

    not new. A gym in Hong Kong has been doing this since 2007. But clean (and healthy）energy is

    just now starting to catch on in U. S. gyms·"We have seen a significant increase in interest in the

    past six months，which is a good sign that fitness centers are ready to spend money on green

    technologies，” says Mike Curnyn，co-founder of the Green Revolution，a Connecticut-based firm

    that wires bikes into a central battery that can store energy.

        The Green Microgym，first opened in 2008，has more than 200 members and is doing so well

that owner Adam Boesel opened another one five miles from the original．Although membership

costs about the same as ordinary gyms，customers can earn gift certificates from local businesses

for watts produced while exercising．An average workout creates 37. 5 watt hours，which is

enough to power a phone for a week．

        Boesel uses spin bikes made by Resource Fitness，a Seattle company he co-owns，that

captures energy produced from the flywheel. Wires send the converted AC current（交流电流）

into any standard wall outlet-for this reason，the product line's name is Plug Out-and the

energy created is used before the building draws power from the grid（电网）．Unlike the Green

Revolution equipment，Plug Out machines cannot store extra energy. A third company，the

Florida-based ReRev，is adding converters to a specific brand of spin bikes. But since the

converters add＄1，000 to the price of the equipment，the ReRev and Green Revolution machines

are at a disadvantage．

        Resource Fitness，by contrast，sells its equipment for the same＄1，200 price as non-

electricity-producing machines，removing the question of how long it will be until the energy

savings pay for the cost of the unit．The company can afford to do this because its designs don’t

call for the extra wiring needed for battery packs and large converters．It is also trying to price

competitively with standard equipment so more gyms-and gym Boers-will make the switch．

63．Members of the Green Microgym earn gift certificates for＿．

    A ．using the man-powered exercise equipment

    B. saving electricity for local businesses

  C. producing green electricity to power their phones

    D. paying higher membership fees

64．The spin bikes made by Resource Fitness are different from those by Green Revolution in that

    A. they are easier to ride B. they are more expensive

    C. they don't have wires connected D. they can not store extra electricity

65．What might prevent the green exercise equipment from getting more popular？

    A ．People's unwillingness to go green．

    B. The high cost of making it．

    C. Safety problems concerning electricity.

    D. Lack of certificates．

66. The underlined words“make the switch”in the last paragraph most probably mean

    A. change to a different gym B. use green exercise equipment

    C. switch on the spin bikes D. add a battery to the machine

The Green Microgym in Portland，Oregon has all the usual stuff you'd expect-sweaty people，loud music，smooth exercise equipment-but it has some extras as well. Everywhere you look，there are power wires. And these aren't the typical kind that let you surf the Web while you ride a spin cycle-although. you can do that too．The gym uses special exercise equipment that captures（捕获）the energy you create while riding, converts（转换）it into electricity and channels it into the power outlets（插座）．
The idea of using exercise equipment to produce electricity is not new. A gym in Hong Kong has been doing this since 2007. But clean (and healthy）energy is just now starting to catch on in U. S. gyms·"We have seen a significant increase in interest in the past six months，which is a good sign that fitness centers are ready to spend money on green technologies，” says Mike Curnyn，co-founder of the Green Revolution，a Connecticut-based firm that wires bikes into a central battery that can store energy.
The Green Microgym，first opened in 2008，has more than 200 members and is doing so well that owner Adam Boesel opened another one five miles from the original．Although membership costs about the same as ordinary gyms，customers can earn gift certificates from local businesses for watts produced while exercising．An average workout creates 37. 5 watt hours，which is enough to power a phone for a week．
Boesel uses spin bikes made by Resource Fitness，a Seattle company he co-owns，that captures energy produced from the flywheel. Wires send the converted AC current（交流电流）into any standard wall outlet-for this reason，the product line's name is Plug Out-and the energy created is used before the building draws power from the grid（电网）．Unlike the Green Revolution equipment，Plug Out machines cannot store extra energy. A third company，the Florida-based ReRev，is adding converters to a specific brand of spin bikes. But since the converters add＄1，000 to the price of the equipment，the ReRev and Green Revolution machines are at a disadvantage．
Resource Fitness，by contrast，sells its equipment for the same＄1，200 price as non- electricity-producing machines，removing the question of how long it will be until the energy savings pay for the cost of the unit．The company can afford to do this because its designs don’t call for the extra wiring needed for battery packs and large converters．It is also trying to price competitively with standard equipment so more gyms-and gym goers-will make the switch．
【小题1】Members of the Green Microgym earn gift certificates for_______．

                     Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the longest and most costly presidential campaign in American history. The election results were widely seen as a strong statement by voters on economy. A public opinion study reported by the Wall Street Journal found that about sixty percent of voters considered the economy as the top issue.

   Mr. Obama faces the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Dow Jones Industrial Average of leading stocks has lost nearly thirty of its value. The government seized the nation’s two largest home financing companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also took control of the huge insurance company, A. I. G.  The government is now a share holder in nine of the country’s largest banks. That will expand to small banks , too. The amount spent on these rescue plans has been close to one trillion dollars. That amount could increase.

    Another problem the new administration faces is the budget deficit(赤字). Some experts predict the deficit for next year’s budget could be close to one trillion dollars. Some observers predict that the deficit will limit speeding in economic programs.

   Barack Obama has promised a tax cut for middle income Americans. He is seeking fifty billion dollars in aid for states and job creation programs. Mr. Obama has put forward a health care reform plan that costs fifty to sixty-five billion dollars. Obama is also seeking to spend one hundred and fifty billion dollars on new energy technologies over the next ten years.

   In addition, Mr. Obama has been discussing a program worth one hundred billion dollars. It includes spending in public works projects and aid to American states, cities and citizens.

41. According to the passage, the election results suggested ___________________.

   A. how fierce the presidential campaign was

   B. the significance of the election in American history

   C. Obama promised to devote himself to economic development

   D. how much money was spent during the presidential campaign

42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is mentioned to show _________________.

   A. how serious the economic crisis is

   B. the value of all America’s stocks

   C. the economy was considered as the top issue

   D. what percentage of shares Obama has in leading stocks

43. We know from the passage that _______________________.

   A. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are insurance companies

   B. the government will become a share holder in small banks

   C. money spent on the government’s rescue plan will be decreased

   D. the budget deficit will not affect the economic programs

44. Which of the following statements does NOT belong to Obama’s rescue plans?

   A. Cutting taxes for middle income Americans.

   B. Seeking money for job creation programs.

   C. Putting forward a health care reform plan.

   D. Stopping spending on new energy technologies.

45. The passage mainly tells us ____________________________.

   A. the deepest economic crisis in the 1930’s

   B. the result of the presidential election

   C. America tries to save the country’s economy

   D. how Americans think of the newly-elected president

B
Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the longest and most costly presidential campaign in American history. The election results were widely seen as a strong statement by voters on economy. A public opinion study reported by the Wall Street Journal found that about sixty percent of voters considered the economy as the top issue.
Mr. Obama faces the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Dow Jones Industrial Average of leading stocks has lost nearly thirty of its value. The government seized the nation’s two largest home financing companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also took control of the huge insurance company, A. I. G.  The government is now a share holder in nine of the country’s largest banks. That will expand to small banks , too. The amount spent on these rescue plans has been close to one trillion dollars. That amount could increase.
Another problem the new administration faces is the budget deficit(赤字). Some experts predict the deficit for next year’s budget could be close to one trillion dollars. Some observers predict that the deficit will limit speeding in economic programs.
Barack Obama has promised a tax cut for middle income Americans. He is seeking fifty billion dollars in aid for states and job creation programs. Mr. Obama has put forward a health care reform plan that costs fifty to sixty-five billion dollars. Obama is also seeking to spend one hundred and fifty billion dollars on new energy technologies over the next ten years.
In addition, Mr. Obama has been discussing a program worth one hundred billion dollars. It includes spending in public works projects and aid to American states, cities and citizens.
41. According to the passage, the election results suggested ___________________.
A. how fierce the presidential campaign was
B. the significance of the election in American history
C. Obama promised to devote himself to economic development
D. how much money was spent during the presidential campaign
42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is mentioned to show _________________.
A. how serious the economic crisis is
B. the value of all America’s stocks
C. the economy was considered as the top issue
D. what percentage of shares Obama has in leading stocks
43. We know from the passage that _______________________.
A. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are insurance companies
B. the government will become a share holder in small banks
C. money spent on the government’s rescue plan will be decreased
D. the budget deficit will not affect the economic programs
44. Which of the following statements does NOT belong to Obama’s rescue plans?
A. Cutting taxes for middle income Americans.
B. Seeking money for job creation programs.
C. Putting forward a health care reform plan.
D. Stopping spending on new energy technologies.
45. The passage mainly tells us ____________________________.
A. the deepest economic crisis in the 1930’s
B. the result of the presidential election
C. America tries to save the country’s economy
D. how Americans think of the newly-elected president

                                   B

   Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the longest and most costly presidential campaign in American history. The election results were widely seen as a strong statement by voters on economy. A public opinion study reported by the Wall Street Journal found that about sixty percent of voters considered the economy as the top issue.

   Mr. Obama faces the deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Dow Jones Industrial Average of leading stocks has lost nearly thirty of its value. The government seized the nation’s two largest home financing companies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also took control of the huge insurance company, A. I. G.  The government is now a share holder in nine of the country’s largest banks. That will expand to small banks , too. The amount spent on these rescue plans has been close to one trillion dollars. That amount could increase.

    Another problem the new administration faces is the budget deficit(赤字). Some experts predict the deficit for next year’s budget could be close to one trillion dollars. Some observers predict that the deficit will limit speeding in economic programs.

   Barack Obama has promised a tax cut for middle income Americans. He is seeking fifty billion dollars in aid for states and job creation programs. Mr. Obama has put forward a health care reform plan that costs fifty to sixty-five billion dollars. Obama is also seeking to spend one hundred and fifty billion dollars on new energy technologies over the next ten years.

   In addition, Mr. Obama has been discussing a program worth one hundred billion dollars. It includes spending in public works projects and aid to American states, cities and citizens.

41. According to the passage, the election results suggested ___________________.

   A. how fierce the presidential campaign was

   B. the significance of the election in American history

   C. Obama promised to devote himself to economic development

   D. how much money was spent during the presidential campaign

42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is mentioned to show _________________.

   A. how serious the economic crisis is

   B. the value of all America’s stocks

   C. the economy was considered as the top issue

   D. what percentage of shares Obama has in leading stocks

43. We know from the passage that _______________________.

   A. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are insurance companies

   B. the government will become a share holder in small banks

   C. money spent on the government’s rescue plan will be decreased

   D. the budget deficit will not affect the economic programs

44. Which of the following statements does NOT belong to Obama’s rescue plans?

   A. Cutting taxes for middle income Americans.

   B. Seeking money for job creation programs.

   C. Putting forward a health care reform plan.

   D. Stopping spending on new energy technologies.

45. The passage mainly tells us ____________________________.

   A. the deepest economic crisis in the 1930’s

   B. the result of the presidential election

   C. America tries to save the country’s economy

   D. how Americans think of the newly-elected president

As we know, it is not easy to build a satellite(卫星). Building a traditional satellite usually takes years. The costs can be as high as $250 million or more. Most members of the design teams have worked in the field for a long time. They hold advanced degrees(学历) in math, science, or engineering.

But things are changing. High costs, unusual educational needs and long start-up times are no longer an obstacle(障碍) to space exploration. The scientists have developed a new type of tiny, inexpensive earth-orbiting(轨道) satellite.

So far, college students have built and launched(发射) several cube-shaped satellites, or CubeSats. At least 15 more are ready to go. Those already in orbit take pictures, collect information and send it back to the earth, just as regular satellites do.

But you might not even have to wait until you get to college to start designing and building your own satellite. A new program called KatySat aims to get teenagers to take part in. When kids understand what satellites can do, the kinds of ideas they’ll come up with may be countless.

Education isn’t the only aim of CubeSats because these tiny, technology-filled boxes are inexpensive to build and can be put together quickly, they’re perfect for testing new technologies that might one day be used on major space tasks.

The biggest challenge now is to find ways to bring the satellites back to the earth after a year or two. Or space junk could gradually increase because CubeSats become more popular.

Nowadays, college and high school students are getting a chance to learn what it takes to explore in space. Someday—perhaps a lot sooner that you imaging—you might get to design, build and launch your own satellite. If you do, you’re sure to have fun. And you might also get crazy about science for life.

1.Building a traditional satellite __________.

A. costs $250,000

B. needs college students

C. takes quite a long time

2.Compared with the traditional ones, the new satellites __________.

A. need long start-up times

B. are cheap and small-sized

C. collect more junk in orbit

3.The underlined word “countless” in Paragraph 4 probably means “__________”.

A. 无用的B. 无价值的C. 无数的

4.According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. CubeSats could possibly cause pollution in space.

B. Scientists designed CubeSats for kids to play with.

C. Students can’t design satellites without college education.

5.The purpose of the author writing the passage is __________.

A. to tell us that satellite technology can also be learned by kids

B. to show that high technology brings a big change in kids’ life

C. to tell us that kids must study hard to learn satellite technology

What will higher education look like in 2050? That was the question addressed Tuesday night by Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University.

“We’re at the end of the fourth wave of change in higher education,” Crow began, arguing that research universities followed the initial establishment of higher education, public colleges, and land-grant schools in the timeline of America.

In less than a half-century, he said, global market competition will be at its fastest rates of change ever, with several multitrillion-dollar economies worldwide. According to a recent projection, the nation’s population could reach 435 million, with a large percentage of those residents economically disadvantaged. In addition, climate change will be “meaningfully uncontrollable” in many parts of the world.

The everyday trends seen today, such as declining performance of students at all levels, particularly in math and science, and declining wages and employment among the less educated, will only continue, Crow maintained, and are, to say the least, not contributing to fulfilling the dream of climbing the social ladder mobility, quality of life, sustainable environment, and longer life spans that most Americans share.

“How is it that we can have these great research universities and have negative-trending outcomes?” Crow said in a talk “I hold the universities accountable. … We are part of the problem.”

Among the “things that we do that make the things that we teach less learnable,” Crow said, are the strict separation of disciplines, academic rigidity, and conservatism, the desire of universities to imitate schools at the top of the social ranks, and the lack of the computer system ability that would allow a large number of students to be educated for a small amount of money.

Since 2002, when Crow started being in charge at Arizona State — which he calls the “new American university” — he has led more than three dozen initiatives that aim to make the school “inclusive, scalable, fast, adaptive, challenge-focused, and willing to take risks.”

Among those initiatives were a restructuring of the engineering and life sciences schools to create more linkages between disciplines; the launch of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and the School of Sustainability; the start of a Teachers College to address K-12 performance and increase the status of the Education Department at the university; and broadened access, increasing the freshman class size by 42 percent and the enrollment of students living below the poverty line by 500 percent.

Universities must start, Crow noted, “by becoming self-reflective architects, figuring out what we have and what we actually need instead of what legend tells us we have to be.” Research universities today have “run their course,” he added. “Now is the time for variety.”

During a discussion afterward, Crow clarified and expanded on some of his points. He discussed, for example, the school’s distance-learning program. “Nearly 40 percent of undergraduates are taking at least one course online,” he said, which helps the school to keep costs down while advancing interactive learning technologies.

He said that Arizona State is working to increase the transfer and completion rates of community-college students, of whom only about 15 percent, historically, complete their later degrees. “We’ve built a system that will allow them to track into universities,” particularly where “culturally complex barriers” beyond finances limit even the most gifted students.

1.The fourth wave of change in America’s higher education refers to _______.

A. public colleges

B. land-grant schools

C. research universities

D. initial higher education

2.Which is NOT part of the American dream most people share?

A. People enjoy a quality life.

B. People live longer and longer.

C. The freedom to move around.

D. An environment that is sustainable.

3.Which is an initiative adopted by Crow at Arizona State University?

A. Restructuring the teachers College.

B. Launching the School of Life Sciences.

C. Ignoring the linkages between disciplines.

D. Enrolling more students from poor families.

4.Which one is similar to the underlined word “architect” in meaning?

A. The author of the guidebook is an architect by profession.

B. If you want to refurnish the house, consult the architect.

C. Deng Xiaoping is one of the architects of the PRC.

D. Tom is considered one of the best landscape architect here.

5.With the distance-learning program, Arizona State University is able to ______.

A. enroll 40% of its students online

B. keep costs down without a loss of quality

C. provide an even greater number of courses

D. attract the most gifted students all over the world