One person can make a difference -- purchase your copy of For America and discover simple ways to improve your life, your country, even the world. But a simple and attractive way to cut energy costs, improve air quality, and ensure public health is to grow a garden in the sky. Each time a city building is set up, the grass in that spot and trees that once reached up to the sky are replaced by a layer of asphalt or a tar roof . The lost green space can have a very real effect on a city's air temperature, air quality, and energy costs. On a summer day in most American cities, a tar roof can feel like the inside of an oven . But what if we could replace the hot roof of each skyscraper or building in a city with grass or a garden? Whether it holds vegetable gardens, wildflowers, or grasses, a green roof can lower the temperature above a building by 60 degrees, which can reduce the building's energy costs and, if used more widely, could decrease a city's total energy costs, and improve air quality and public health. But that's not all -- green roofs are a great way to handle water management in urban areas by taking in much rainfall, provide shelters for urban wildlife, and actually extend the life of the roof itself. And green roofs also do something else: they beautify the city -- whether you're on the 3rd floor or the 30th. Now that's a brilliant achievement. The non-profit group Earth Pledge is promoting a Green Roofs Program. To learn more about a green roof, just click here: EarthPledge.com. What do you think the article will talk about if the passage continues? A) How to create a green roof. B) The duty of the Earth Pledge. C) The benefits of green roofs. D) What to do with city pollution.
A
(Question)
It is the so-called city of dreams that counts some of the greatest masters of music and art among its former inhabitants. And it seems Vienna still has plenty to feel proud of, as it has been named the best place to live in the world -- for the third year running. The Austrian capital, which was home to Mozart and Beethoven, and has a population of 1.7million, has the best living standards in the world, according to an annual quality of living survey. European cities represent more than half of the top 25 cities in the rankings, which are based on factors such as crime, food and climate. Zurich was ranked second, followed by Auckland, and Munich and Dusseldorf. But just one UK city makes it into the top fifty, with London coming in at 38th - one place up from last year and ahead of New York in 47th. Other UK cities, including Birmingham, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Belfast, crept into the top 100. This year, the survey included for the first time a list of the safest cities. Luxembourg topped the list, followed by Bern, Switzerland, Helsinki, Finland, and Zurich, Switzerland. London came 68th, joint with New York, highlighting the crime rates in the capital. www.ks5u.com At the bottom of the 221-strong list, for the second year in a row, was Baghdad, in Iraq, which had the lowest standard of living and was ranked the least safe city by the Mercer survey. Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer, said: "European cities in general continue to have high standards of living, because they enjoy advanced and modern city services combined with high-class facilities. But London, high levels of unemployment and lack of confidence in political institutions make their future positions hard to predict." What is the right order of cities in this year's quality of living list? A) Vienna, Zurich, New York, London B) Zurich, Munich, London, Birmingham C) London, Dusseldorf, New York, Glasgow D) Zurich, Birmingham, Belfast, London
(Answer)
B
Ques: Some say everyday miracles are predestined ----the right time for the appointed meeting. And it can happen anywhere. In 2001, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game. Swinging his bat back and forth, giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give. The boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest. His heart stopped. When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift at the hospital had been changed to see her son's performance. She was given the night off. Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions. And he _ in the end. After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time. Kevin, now 18, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table. He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat. She was choking. Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands. Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts. The food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed. The color1 began to return to her face. "The food was stuck. I couldn't breathe," she said. She thought she was dying. "I was very frightened." Who was the woman? Penny Brown. Which of the following statements is True of Kevin Stephan? A) He was hit on the face by a boy and almost lost his life B) He was a volunteer junior firefighter, teaching the players first-aid skills C) He worked part-time in a local restaurant to save money for college D) He saved Penny Brown though he didn't really know how to deal with food choke
Ans:
C