({B)} Sustainable Communities({/B)} According to the World Wildlife Fund, people are currently using resources 25 percent faster than they can be replaced. If we continue down this course, we will need a second planet by the year 2050. Sustainable communities attempt to change that course by drastically altering how citizens interact with the environment. Alternatively known as green communities or ecovillages (生态村), sustainable communities vary in their approaches to sustainable living, or a way of life that meets the population’s basic needs in ways that can be continued indefinitely for future generations. Some communities focus solely on enriching the environment, while others also aim to improve social and economic conditions as well.({B)}Characteristics of Sustainable Living Communities({/B)} Sustainable communities generally strive to minimize waste, reduce consumption and preserve open space. Ideally, they don’t use resources faster than they can be replenished, and they don’t produce waste faster than it can be assimilated back into the environment. Granted, some communities are more radical than others--living entirely off the grid and eschewing the use of government:--printed money--but the basic principles are similar. Designing the neighborhood to encourage walking or bicycling is one way sustainable communities put these first two principles into practice. Less driving means less gas and emissions. Many ecovillages also incorporate work space into homes or encourage telecommuting. They also might zone part of the development for commercial use, essentially making the community a serf-contained environment where residents don’t even have to leave for shopping or entertainment. This design sometimes is called a live- work-play lifestyle. Using green building techniques is another staple of sustainable communities. Here are a few examples: ・ Architects design buildings to take advantage of the sun’s lighting and heating capabilities. ・ They install energy-efficient appliances. ・ They try to use local sources of materials as much as possible to cut back on the environmental costs of transport. ・ They build with durable, non-toxic materials that have either been recycled or sustainably harvested. You might see straw bale (草捆) houses, which essentially use bales of straw as the structural building blocks; cob houses, which are a mix of straw, clay and sand or earthbag homes, which are exactly what they sound like, homes made out of bags of dirt. Along with green building techniques, sustainable communities rely on green gardening methods. They landscape with native, drought-tolerant plants and raise them organically to reduce water and keep pesticides and herbicides out of the environment. Many communities also set aside a significant portion of their land as open space. Serenbe, for example, reserves 80 percent of its 900 acres for green space, that is, 720 acres of rolling hills, woods and streams free of development, quite a contrast to the concrete-laden urban sprawl of Atlanta just 32 miles away. Another way sustainable communities reduce their ecological footprint is by capturing and recycling their wastes, often creating their own contained natural cycles. Instead of treating normally perceived waste products such as rainwater and sewage as pollution to be gotten rid of, residents mm them into resources. Sewage, for example, is turned into compost that fertilizes plants and increases soil productivity, while captured rainwater is cleansed through innovative filtering systems and reused for watering plants. ({B)}Examples of Sustainable Communities({/B)} More than 400 ecovillages exist in the world, according to the Global Ecovillage Network database. The following examples outline life in just two of these communities. Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, Missouri. Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is a developing 280-acre community in northeastern Missouri with far-reaching goals. It aims to be an entirely self-reliant town that practices "radical environmental sustainability’, according to the community’s website. The town’s founders hope to attract between 500 and 1 000 residents to create a diverse community more capable of providing for all of its own needs. Dancing Rabbit even has its own local currency to encourage local trading and sourcing of jobs. The ecovillage has established a set of six guidelines that may seem extreme to the lazy environ- mentalists among us, but should set the town well on its way towards achieving sustainability. 1. No vehicles are to be used or stored in the village. 2. Fossil fuels for cars, refrigeration, heating and cooling homes, as well heating domestic water aren’t allowed. 3. All gardening must be organic. 4. All power must come from renewable resources. 5. No lumber from outside the local area is allowed unless it is recycled or salvaged. 6. Organic waste and recyclable materials are to be reincorporated into usable products through composting methods. Long term, Dancing Rabbit citizens are trying to achieve negative population growth. If they want the current 50 or so residents to become 500 or I 000, they may want to rethink that last guideline. Los Angeles Ecovillage, California. You might think sustainable communities have to be set in the country, but that’s not true. Located just three miles west of downtown Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Ecovillage (LAEV) is a community of 500 residents seeking to have minimal impact on the environment while also providing a fulfilling way of life. The urban location near public transit, schools, churches, commercial services and industry helps residents drive less, while the dozens of gardens and fruit trees provide a local source of food. LAEV takes a whole-systems approach to sustainability, meaning that residents strive to balance’ the social, economic and environmental needs of the community. Here, clean water and air rank up there with close-knit relationships, ethnic diversity and affordable housing. Citizens have saved 20 tons of brick from the landfill to use in construction projects, composted over 100 cubic yards of yard waste and held countless weekly potluck dinners to establish and strengthen relationships. Who knew that sustainability could be possible even in one of the largest, most polluted cities in the United States ({B)}Other Eco-Friendly Communities({/B)} Residents of the two sustainable communities we just discussed deliberately placed sustainability at the top of their agenda. But communities spring up for lots of reasons not related to the environment, and sometimes the Earth benefits. Before "green" was the new buzzword and sustainability was cool, Old Order Amish communities were quietly co-existing with the planet since the early 18th century. While members of this religious group didn’t consciously develop their way of life to help the environment, their simple farm-based living doesn’t hurt it. The Amish use horses to power their farm equipment and to get around. Their homes have no electricity; instead, they use lanterns (灯笼) for light. In stark contrast to the rampant consumerism visible in many countries, the Amish do not own things they don’t need. They wear simple clothes, and their houses are sparsely furnished. Amish communities didn’t have to "return to the earth" to achieve their brand of sustainability. They were there all along. Cohousing developments offer another example of a living arrangement that unwittingly(未觉察地) practices sustainability. These developments typically are designed to encourage and strengthen social relationships, rather than to tread lightly on the environment, but, as it turns out, the two often go hand in hand. Although residents in a cohousing development enjoy the privacy of their own homes, they share a common building and other resources. Sharing major appliances like washing machines, power tools and heavy exercise equipment forces you to interact with your neighbors while reducing resource use. In addition, it allows individual houses to be smaller, which, along with the clustered arrangement of homes, preserves land. People who own cars (some people share cars) park them on the sides of the neighborhood to create a pedestrian friendly environment safe for children. Several times a week, residents may also eat a shared meal in the common building to strengthen ties. Cooking for many on one stove is much more energy efficient than cooking for 20 on separate stoves.What will happen in the middle of the 21st century, if we consume resources much faster than their replacement A．We can have another planet called the Earth.B．We will use up resources on Earth.C．We will work out replaceable resources.D．We will migrate to another planet to live.

Anti-war protesters ________ the debate.A. disruptB. distractC. disorderD. disarm

一、阅读下列短文,用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。-|||-Passage 1 (人教B3U1)-|||-I'm finally back home now, 1. __ (feel)really tired, but celebrating Naadam with m-|||-friend was totally worth it.He invited me back for the winter 2. __ (stay)in a traditional-|||-Mongolian tent and eat hot pot.I can't wait!-|||-Passage 2 (人教XB4U5)-|||-The prospect of 1. __ (welcome)exchange students to our country is very exciting, and I-|||-am keen to use my skills 2. __ (give) them a warm welcome and an experience they will-|||-always remember.-|||-Passage 3(外研XB1U4)-|||-Hofman's inspiration for Floating Fish came from Chinese folk tales 1. __ (pass)down-|||-through the generations.He was particularly interested in the old story about a fish 2. __一、阅读下列短文,用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。-|||-Passage 1 (人教B3U1)-|||-I'm finally back home now, 1. __ (feel)really tired, but celebrating Naadam with m-|||-friend was totally worth it.He invited me back for the winter 2. __ (stay)in a traditional-|||-Mongolian tent and eat hot pot.I can't wait!-|||-Passage 2 (人教XB4U5)-|||-The prospect of 1. __ (welcome)exchange students to our country is very exciting, and I-|||-am keen to use my skills 2. __ (give) them a warm welcome and an experience they will-|||-always remember.-|||-Passage 3(外研XB1U4)-|||-Hofman's inspiration for Floating Fish came from Chinese folk tales 1. __ (pass)down-|||-through the generations.He was particularly interested in the old story about a fish 2. __一、阅读下列短文,用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。-|||-Passage 1 (人教B3U1)-|||-I'm finally back home now, 1. __ (feel)really tired, but celebrating Naadam with m-|||-friend was totally worth it.He invited me back for the winter 2. __ (stay)in a traditional-|||-Mongolian tent and eat hot pot.I can't wait!-|||-Passage 2 (人教XB4U5)-|||-The prospect of 1. __ (welcome)exchange students to our country is very exciting, and I-|||-am keen to use my skills 2. __ (give) them a warm welcome and an experience they will-|||-always remember.-|||-Passage 3(外研XB1U4)-|||-Hofman's inspiration for Floating Fish came from Chinese folk tales 1. __ (pass)down-|||-through the generations.He was particularly interested in the old story about a fish 2. __一、阅读下列短文,用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。-|||-Passage 1 (人教B3U1)-|||-I'm finally back home now, 1. __ (feel)really tired, but celebrating Naadam with m-|||-friend was totally worth it.He invited me back for the winter 2. __ (stay)in a traditional-|||-Mongolian tent and eat hot pot.I can't wait!-|||-Passage 2 (人教XB4U5)-|||-The prospect of 1. __ (welcome)exchange students to our country is very exciting, and I-|||-am keen to use my skills 2. __ (give) them a warm welcome and an experience they will-|||-always remember.-|||-Passage 3(外研XB1U4)-|||-Hofman's inspiration for Floating Fish came from Chinese folk tales 1. __ (pass)down-|||-through the generations.He was particularly interested in the old story about a fish 2. __一、阅读下列短文,用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。-|||-Passage 1 (人教B3U1)-|||-I'm finally back home now, 1. __ (feel)really tired, but celebrating Naadam with m-|||-friend was totally worth it.He invited me back for the winter 2. __ (stay)in a traditional-|||-Mongolian tent and eat hot pot.I can't wait!-|||-Passage 2 (人教XB4U5)-|||-The prospect of 1. __ (welcome)exchange students to our country is very exciting, and I-|||-am keen to use my skills 2. __ (give) them a warm welcome and an experience they will-|||-always remember.-|||-Passage 3(外研XB1U4)-|||-Hofman's inspiration for Floating Fish came from Chinese folk tales 1. __ (pass)down-|||-through the generations.He was particularly interested in the old story about a fish 2. __

Across the board, American colleges and universities are not doing a very good job of preparing their students for the workplace or their post-graduation lives. This was made clear by the work of two sociologists, Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa. In 2011 they released a landmark study titled "Academically Adrift," which documented the lack of intellectual growth experienced by many people enrolled in college. In particular, Arum and Roksa found, college students were not developing the critical thinking, analytic reasoning and other higher-level skills that are necessary to thrive in today's knowledge-based economy and to lead our nation in a time of complex challenges and dynamic change.Arum and Roksa placed the blame for students' lack of learning on a watered-down college curriculum and lowered undergraduate work standards. Although going to college is supposed to be a full-time job, students spent, on average, only 12 to 14 hours a week studying and many were skating through their semesters without doing a significant amount of reading and writing. Students who take more challenging classes and spend more time studying do learn more. But the priorities of many undergraduates are with extracurricular activities, playing sports, and partying and socializing.Laura Hamilton, the author of a study on parents who pay for college, will argue in a forthcoming book that college administrations are overly concerned with the social and athletic activities of their students. In Paying for the Party, Hamilton describes what she calls the "arty pathway", which eases many students through college, helped along by various clubs that send students into the party scene and a host of easier majors. By sanctioning this watered-down version of college, universities are "catering to the social and educational needs of wealthy students at the expense of others" who won't enjoy the financial backing or social connections of richer students once they graduate.These students need to build skills and knowledge during college if they are to use their degrees as a stepping-stone to middle-class mobility. But more privileged students must not waste this opportunity either. As recent graduates can testify, the job market isn't kind to candidates who can't demonstrate genuine competence, along with a well-cultivated willingness to work hard. Nor is the global economy forgiving of an American workforce with increasingly weak literacy, math and science abilities. College graduates will still fare better than those with only a high school education, of course. But a university degree unaccompanied by a gain in knowledge or skills is an empty achievement indeed. For students who have been coasting through college, and for American universities that have been demanding less work, offering more attractions and charging higher tuition, the party may soon be over.(1)What is Arum and Roksa's finding about higher education in America? A.It aims at stimulating the intellectual curiosity of college students.B.It fails to prepare students to face the challenges of modern times.C.It has experienced dramatic changes in recent years.D.It has tried hard to satisfy students' various needs.(2)What is responsible for the students' lack of higher-level skills? A.The diluted college curriculum.B.The boring classroom activities.C.The absence of rigorous discipline.D.The outdated educational approach.(3)What does Laura Hamilton say about college administrations? A.They fail to give adequate help to the needy students.B.They tend to offer too many less challenging courses.C.They seem to be out of touch with society.D.They prioritize non-academic activities.(4)What can be learned about the socially and financially privileged students? A.They tend to have a sense of superiority over their peers.B.They can afford to choose easier majors in order to enjoy themselves.C.They spend a lot of time building strong connections with businesses.D.They can climb the social ladder even without a degree.(5)What does the author suggest in the last paragraph? A.American higher education has lost its global competitiveness.B.People should not expect too much from American higher education.C.The current situation in American higher education may not last long.D.It will take a long time to change the current trend in higher education.

23 Understanding difficult sentences Choose the answer that correctly interprets the sentence from the text. 1 Less well-known, however, was the fact that the "Aryan" girl it claimed to show was actually Jewish.(Para. 3)boxed(strut{ )} A) The "Aryan" girl was not very well-known because she was claimed to be Jewish.boxed(strut{ )} B) But few people were aware that the girl that was claimed to be "Aryan" was, in fact, Jewish.2 It was the time of surging anti-Semitism in Berlin.(Para. 5)boxed(strut{ )} A) Anti-Semitism spread quickly in Berlin at that time.boxed(strut{ )} B) Berlin was growing very fast during the time of anti-Semitism.3 I wanted to allow myself the pleasure of this joke.(Para. I6)boxed(strut{ )} A) I was very pleased when allowed to enjoy the joke.boxed(strut{ )} B) I hoped to have a lot of fun making this joke.4 Family stories are always prone to exaggeration.(Para. T7)boxed(strut{ )} A) Family stories are very likely a mixture of truth and imagination.boxed(strut{ )} B) It is natural for people to make up family stories to impress others.5 The parents were equally shocked and "amazed at the irony of it all."(Para. T8)boxed(strut{ )} A) The parents were horrified, but at the same time marveled at the irony in the incident.boxed(strut{ )} B) The parents found the entire story full of surprise and great fun.