I once had a house guest from Cuba. During his visit, I happened to throw an old broken blender (攪拌機(jī)) in the trash. The next day it was sitting on my counter – in working order. In his world, people simply cannot afford to replace an item which doesn't work properly. They take the time and figure out how to fix it. In Cuba, they are still driving cars from the 1960’s, mainly because they do not have a choice. 
In contrast, the U.S. is a “throw-away society.” Statistics show that each American produces six pounds of trash per day. I believe a combination of factors has contributed to this phenomenon.
“Planned obsolescence(廢棄)” is not a secret. It is a manufacturing (制造業(yè)) philosophy developed in the 1920’s and 1930’s, when mass production became popular. The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. This pressures the consumer to buy again. 
Planned obsolescence does keep costs down. Instead of making an expensive product that will last a long time, businesses produce more affordable, disposable(一次性的) items. Some electronic items have become so inexpensive that it is cheaper to replace them than to repair them.[來源:學(xué)&科&網(wǎng)Z&X&X&K]
Busy people often value their time and convenience more than money. If a car starts to have mechanical problems, replacing it with a newer, more reliable model may be more appealing than tolerating it being in the garage for a week.
In addition, advertising trains consumers to want what is new and improved. It convinces them that the more they have, the happier they will be. 
Unlike people in many developing countries, we live in a world of abundance. A study by Dr. Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona also found that in the U.S., 40-50 percent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. Abundance and waste soon became closely associated in the American way of life.
【小題1】In Cuba, people usually fix a broken item instead of buying a new one because __________.

A．wasting is prohibited thereB．they are poor
C．they are interested in fixing thingsD．they live a low-carbon life
【小題2】According to the article, planned obsolescence ___________.
A．began before mass production became popular
B．is intended to encourage consumers to buy more things
C．results in higher prices of items
D．requires factories to produce high-quality products
【小題3】Which of the following is NOT true about the “throw-away society” in the U.S.?
A．People prefer to buy a new blender rather than repair the broken one.
B．A large quantity of food has been wasted.
C．People believe that the more they have, the happier they will be.
D．People all hold the belief that money comes first.
【小題4】What may be the writer’s attitude towards a throw-away society?
A．Supportive.B．Critical.C．Tolerant.D．Optimistic.


【小題1】B
【小題2】B
【小題3】D
【小題4】B

解析試題分析:一次作者在扔掉用壞的攪拌機(jī)時，碰巧家里有一位來自古巴的房客，房客第二天把作者扔掉的攪拌機(jī)給修理好，拿了回來。由此作者比較古巴和美國兩個社會的異同，認(rèn)識到了在貧窮的國家，人們過的非常節(jié)儉，而在美國這個物質(zhì)極大充足的社會，浪費(fèi)現(xiàn)象非常嚴(yán)重。
【小題1】B細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章首段 In his world, people simply cannot afford to replace an item which doesn't work properly.可知在古巴人們買不起東西，才會對用壞的東西進(jìn)行修理，所以選B。
【小題2】B推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第三段The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. This pressures the consumer to buy again.可以判斷選B。
【小題3】D 推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章第五段Busy people often value their time and convenience more than money.可知忙碌的人們把時間和便捷看的比金錢更重要，所以D選項內(nèi)容錯誤。
【小題4】B 推理判斷題。根據(jù)文章末段40-50 percent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. Abundance and waste soon became closely associated in the American way of life.可知作者認(rèn)為物質(zhì)的充足造成了浪費(fèi)現(xiàn)象，所以對于美國這個“a throw-away society”是持批判態(tài)度的。
考點：考查社會生活類短文閱讀。

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

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【小題2】What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
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【小題3】Why did Emma choose a major in the humanities?
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D．Because she wants further education.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

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D．people prefer the place names given by the government 
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【小題1】Which of the following statements is correct? 

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B．The new classes will begin on June 1.
C．People who want a complete fall catalogue should stop by the Allendale Public Library.
D．The cultural center’s annual concert is called Pulse.
【小題2】According to Leah Martin, what was the direct cause of Project Teen?
A．Tricia Cousins was available to teach courses in the fall.
B．Community organizations were ignoring local teenagers.
C．The McGee Arts Foundation wanted to be more involved in Allendale’s arts programming.
D．She wanted to make the cultural center a more important part of the Allendale community.
【小題3】Which of the following factors is implied as another reason for Project Teen?
A．The number of people visiting the cultural center has declined over the last several years.
B．The cultural center wanted a grant from The McGee Arts Foundation.
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Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

If you live in America in the 21st century you'll probably have to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they are doing: “Busy!” “Crazy busy!”. It is, pretty obviously, a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:“ That's a good problem to have, ”or“ Better than the opposite.”
Notice it isn't generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are. What those people are is not busy but tired. Exhausted! Dead on their feet. It's almost always people whose busyness is purely self-imposed work and obligations they've taken on voluntarily, classes and activities they've “encouraged” their kids to participate in. They're busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they're addicted to busyness and dread that they might have to face in its absence.
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【小題1】When many Americans say “Crazy busy”, they mean______.

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D．inspirations come from hard work
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ambition      B. anxiety         C. busyness        D. dread
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A．generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU tell you they are busy
B．“Dead on their feet” means “being tired out”
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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Kiss crisis, hug horrors and the UK's handshake headaches
Greeting someone, saying goodbye – these situations fill me with unease. You have a second to make a dangerous decision. One peck (輕吻)? Two pecks? Three? No kisses at all? Why, I think, as I crash into the other person’s face, why can’t it be as simple as a handshake?
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British people are known to be reserved (保守的) – unfriendly, some would say. Handshakes used to work for us because we didn’t have to get too close. But the super-British handshake is no longer fashionable. We want to be more like our easygoing Mediterranean neighbors who greet each other with kisses and hugs.
The trouble is, we still find it a bit awkward. What does a married man do when greeting a married female friend, for example? How should someone younger greet someone older?
Guys don’t tend to kiss one another; my male friends in Britain go for the “manly hug”, taking each other stiffly (不自然地) in one arm and giving a few thumps on the back with words like “Take it easy, yeah?”.
The biggest questions, if you do decide to kiss, are how many times and which cheek first. Unlike the French, who comfortably deliver three, our cheek-pecks usually end in embarrassed giggling (咯咯笑): “Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn’t mean to kiss you on the lips, I never know where to aim for first!”
But then it’s never been easy for us poor, uncomfortable Brits. Even the handshake had its problems: don’t shake too hard, but don’t hold the other person’s hand too limply (無力地) either, and definitely don’t go in with sweaty hands.
Maybe it’s better to leave it at a smile and a nod.  
【小題1】What is the article mainly about?

A．Origin of the traditional British way of greeting someone.
B．New trends and problems that Brits have with the way they greet people.
C．Why the author feels uneasy when greeting someone or saying goodbye.
D．Differences in greetings between Britain and other Western countries.
【小題2】What did the survey by the soap company Radox show?
A．It is now considered unfriendly to greet friends with a handshake in Britain.
B．A kiss on the cheek is becoming the most popular form of greeting in Britain.
C．Most Brits no longer offer to shake hands with those they meet.
D．More and more Brits prefer to be greeted with a hug or kiss.
【小題3】The underlined word “awkward” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ______.
A．not helpful B．too informal C．quite embarrassed D．very interesting
【小題4】Which does the author think might be the safest form of greeting for a British person?
A．A hug. B．A smile and a nod. C．A handshake. D．A kiss on the cheek.
【小題5】Who wrote the article?
A．A British writer. B．An American writer. C．A French writer. D．A Chinese writer.

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科目：高中英語 來源： 題型：閱讀理解

Last year college students in America spent an estimated $700 on textbooks on average. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials.
The association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now just make up 2%～3% of sales. But he says that is expected to reach 10%～15% by 2012.
Online versions(版本) are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. An e­textbook can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access to them after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device(設(shè)備)，so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of e­textbooks？Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find it out. Earlier this year they tested them with 500 students in 20 classes.
The university is unusual. It provides laptop computers for all 7,000 of its full­time students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to e­textbooks.
The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And 56% said they were better able to find information.
But most found that using e­textbooks did not change their study habits. And 60% felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all，almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better.
But the survey found that cost could be a big influence.55% said they would choose e­textbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase.
Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State University. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the e­textbooks now available because the majority are not interactive(交互式的)．
He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video，activities，games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now，most of the books are just words on a screen.
【小題1】E­textbooks are not better than paper books in that________.

A．they cost more money
B．they’re difficult to carry
C．they’re not convenient to share
D．they can’t be downloaded from the Internet
【小題2】How many surveyed students think paper books make better reading?
A．60%.B．56%.C．55%.D．50%.
【小題3】It can be inferred from the text that in the future________.
A．digital books will be more popular
B．the digital books available need improvement
C．free digital books are available online
D．digital books will replace print textbooks

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