We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets. 

Not long ago, my wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO₂）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.  21世纪We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO₂^. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO₂ a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce? For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO₂ emissions by 80 percent,” he said. 

Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary. 

1. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?

A. To take special kinds of food          B. To respond to climate change. 

C. To lose weight                      D. To improve their health

2.The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to  .

A. freezing points       B. burning points       C. melting points     D. boiling points

3.It can be inferred from the passage that 2___.   ..

A. it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time ..

B. it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO₂

C. the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO₂ a month.

D. the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO₂ a month.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

 A. Saving Energy Starts at Home         B. Changing Our Habits Begins at work

 C. Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable  D. Reducing Emissions of CO₂ Proves Difficult    

We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more―doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.   

Not long age. My wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet―not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change. Scientists have reported recently that the world is bending up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO₂）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.   

We decided to try an experiment. For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO₂^. . We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet. The average US household（家庭）produces about 150 pounds of CO₂ a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars. That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses. But how much should we try to reduce?  

For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the melting（融化）of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica. “To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO₂ emissions by 80 percent,” he said.   

Good advice, I thought. I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind. We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock. I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened. We should not let this happen again. It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.  

72. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?  

A. To take special kinds of food          B. To respond to climate change.   

C. To lose weight                      D. To improve their health  

73. The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to  

A. freezing points       B. burning points       C. melting points     D. boiling points

74. It can be inferred from the passage that  

A. it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time  

B. it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO₂  

C. the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO₂ a month  

D. the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO₂ a month  

Children like to imagine they are someone else in a game. As a
parent you might never guess all the way a good imagination benefits
your child. It helps a preschooler：
Develop social skills
As children play pretend games, they explore relationship  
between family members, friends and co-workers and learn more about how people communicate. Playing doctor, they imagine how physicians care for their patients.  Playing house, they learn more about how parents feel about their children. Imaginative play help develop sympathy for others. If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet, they are better able to help those in need. They become more willing to play fair, to share, and to cooperate.
Build self-confidence
Young children have very little control over their lives. Imagining oneself as builder of skyscrapers or a superhero defending the planet is inspiring to a child. It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential.
Boost intellectual growth
Using the imagination is the beginning of abstract thought. Children who can see a king’s castle in a pile of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically. This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numbers symbolize groups of objects, letters symbolize sounds, and so on.
Practice language skills
Kids who play pretend with their friends do a lot of talking. This helps increase their vocabulary, Kids who play pretend with their friends do a lot of talking.  This helps increase their vocabulary, improve sentence structures and develop communication skills.
Work out fears
Playing pretend can help children work Out their fears and worries. When children role-play about the big, bad monster under the bed, they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn’t seem quite so big or so bad. Imaginative play also helps kids vent（发泄）confusing feelings they might have, such as anger toward a parent or rivalry（较劲）with a new brother or sister.
68. Which of the following can help children develop social skills in a game?
A. Imagining being a superhero.                 B. Preparing a delicious dinner with mud.
C. Pretending to have a talk with friends.     D. Pretending to be a doctor.
69．Why can imagination build children’s self-confidence?
A．It makes them more willing to play fair.
B．It helps them gain control over themselves.
C．It helps them protect people and make much greater progress.
D．It makes them feel as if they were much more powerful than they really are.
70．Which of the following is NOT true according to the progress.
A．Playing pretend games only helps children psychologically.
B．Playing pretend games is good for children’s development.
C．While playing pretend games, children learn to get along with others.
D．Playing pretend games helps children to do well while they are in school.
71．The passage mainly tells us something about      .
A．advantages of playing outdoors
B．skills in playing pretend games
C．benefits of developing your child’s imagination
D．tips on how to improve our child’s imagination

Though__ __ came that he was completely defeated, he didn't lose ______.

A. the word; his heart   B. the word; heart    

C. word; his heart    D. word; heart

I was a freshman in college when I met the Whites. They were completely different from my own family, yet I felt at home with them immediately. Jane White and I became friends at school, and her family welcomed me like a long-lost cousin.

In my family, it was always important to place blame when anything had happened.

“Who did this?” my mother would scream about a dirty kitchen.

“This is your entire fault, Katherine,” my father would insist when the cat got out or the dishwasher broke.

From the time we were little, my sister, brothers and I told to each other. We set a place for blame at the dinner table.

But the Whites didn’t worry about who had done what. They picked up the pieces and moved on with their lives. The beauty of this was driven home to me the summer Jane died.

In July, the Whites sisters and I decided to take a car trip from their home in Florida to New York. The two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, were college students, and the youngest, Amy, had recently turned sixteen. Proud of having a new drivers license, Amy was excited about practicing her driving on the trip. She showed off her license to everyone she met.

The big sisters shared the driving of Sarah’s new car during the first part of the trip, but when they reached less crowded areas, they let Amy take over. Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat. After lunch, Amy got behind the wheel. She came to a crossroads with a stop sign. Whether she was nervous or just didn’t see the sign no one would ever know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping. The driver of a large truck, unable to stop in time, ran into our car.

Jane was killed immediately.

I was slightly injured. The most difficult thing that I had ever done was to call the Whites to tell them about the accident and that Jane had died. Painful as it was for me to lose a good friend, I knew that it was far worse for them to lose a child.

When Mr. and Mrs. White arrived at the hospital, they found their two daughters sharing a room. Sarah had a few cuts on the head; Amy’s leg was broken. They hugged us all and cried tears of sadness and of joy at seeing their daughters. They wiped away the girl’s tears and made a few jokes at Amy as she learned to use her crutches(拐杖).

To both of their daughters, and especially to Amy, over and over they simply said, “We are so glad that you are alive.”

I was astonished. No blame. No accusations.

Later, I asked the Whites why they never talked about the fact that Amy was driving and had run a stop sign.

Mrs. White said, “Jane is gone, and we miss her terribly. Nothing we say or do will bring her back. But Amy has her whole life ahead of her. How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister’s death?”

They were right. Amy graduated from the University of California and got married several years ago. She works as a teacher of learning-disabled students. She’s also a mother of two little girls of her own, the oldest named Jane.

How did the author’s parents differ from the Whites?

   A. The author’s parents were less caring.    B. The author’s parents were less loving.

   C. The author’s parents were less friendly   D. The author’s parents were less understanding

How did the accident happen?

   A. Amy didn’t stop at a crossroad and a truck hit their car.

   B. Amy didn’t know what to do when she saw the stop sign.

   C. Amy didn’t slow down so their car ran into a truck.

   D. Amy didn’t get off the highway at a crossroad.

The accident took place in _____.

   A. Florida     B. California       C. South Carolina       D. New York

The Whites did not blame Amy for Jane’s death because _____.

   A. they didn’t want Amy to feel ashamed and sorry for the rest of her life

   B. Amy was badly injured herself and they didn’t want to add to her pain

   C. They didn’t want to blame their children in front of others

   D. Amy was their youngest daughter and they loved her best

From the passage we can learn that _____.

   A. Amy has never recovered from the shock   B. Amy changed her job after the accident

   C. Amy lost her memory after the accident    D. Amy has lived quite a normal life