What if we could replace oil with a fuel which produced no pollution and which everybody had equal access to? The good news is that we can. In fact, we are swimming in it--- literally. Hydrogen is one of the building blocks of the universe. Our own sun is basically a big, dense cloud of the stuff. And hydrogen can be used to create electricity for power, heat and light. The problem is that hydrogen is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It does not exist as a material on its own, but is always part of something else. So it has to be separated before it can be used. Most commercial hydrogen in use now is created from natural gas. As oil will start to run out in around the year 2030, it makes sense to produce as much hydrogen as possible as soon as we can. But natural gas supplies will also begin to run out soon after. Another source is needed. Researchers are now using electricity to make water into hydrogen. Companies are working on the problem in their own areas. The first commercial hydrogen "fuel cells" for computers and mobile phones have already come on to the market. Auto companies have also invested over US $2 billion in the production of hydrogen fuelled cars. The nations of a hydrogen fuelled planet would not fight over energy recourses. There would be a great reduction in pollution. The only by-product of creating hydrogen is pure drinking water--- something that is very scarce in many parts of the world. But that is not where the good news ends. Once the costs of producing hydrogen have been brought down, it will possibly provide power for a third of the Earth's population that has no electricity. And electricity creates wealth. In South Africa over the last decade there has been a large programme of electrification. Thanks to the programme, people do not have to spend their days looking firewood to burn for heat. And with electric light, they can work long into the night. Some scientists see radical changes in the way the human race co-operates. Hydrogen creates electricity, and is also... What is the passage mainly about? A) war and energy B) the future of hydrogen as an energy resource C) the disadvantages of oil D) How to end war
B
One of China's most popular folk arts is paper cutting . Archaeological finds trace the tradition back to the 6thcentury; it is supposed that the beginnings of paper cutting were even a few centuries earlier. Paper cuttings are used for religious purposes, for decoration and as patterns . Today, paper cuttings are mainly used as decoration. They _ walls, windows, doors, columns mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes. They are also used for decoration on presents, and are given as presents themselves. They are of special importance at festivals. At the Spring Festival for example, entrances are decorated with paper cuttings which are supposed to bring good luck. Paper cuttings are not produced by machine, but by hand. There are two kinds of paper cuttings; scissor cuttings and knife cuttings. Scissor cuttings are fashioned with scissors. Several pieces of paper--- up to eight pieces---are fastened together. The motif is then cut with sharp, pointed scissors. Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several layers of paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of tallow and ashes. Following a pattern, the artist cuts the motif into the paper with a sharp knife which he usually holds vertically . The advantage of knife cuttings is that considerably more paper cuttings can be made in one operation than scissor cuttings. In the countryside, paper cuttings are usually made only by women and girls. This used to be one of the skills that every girl was to master and that were often used to judge brides . Professional paper cutting artists are, on the other hand, almost always men who have guaranteed incomes and work together in workshops. Which is the best title of this passage? A) The ways of paper cutting B) The reasons for paper cutting C) The purposes of paper cutting D) Paper cutting
D
Q: In 1932 the warning of the British politician, Stanley Baldwin, that "the bomber will always get through" made a deep impression in Britain, the only state to make serious plans to evacuate civilians from large towns before the war started. The British Government developed plans for evacuating 1 million children to the United States and Canada and other Commonwealth nations. It established the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) in May 1940. After the fall of France, many people thought the war was lost and some saw this as one way of ensuring that Britain could survive even if invaded. The Germans eventually began bombing British cities in September. Some children were evacuated by ship to British Dominions, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The CORB selections were not done on a first-come, first-served basis. CORB classified and prioritized the children. Charges soon appeared in the press that the well-to-do were being given priority. CORB arranged for the transportation. The Government paid the passages. Quite a number of children had already been evacuated. This tended to be children from rich families with money and overseas contacts. The British public eventually demanded the government pay so that less privileged children were also _ . World War II occurred before the beginning of trans-Atlantic air travel. Liners were used to transport the children and this proved to be dangerous because the U-boats quickly emerged as the greatest threat. And this put the evacuee children trying to cross the Atlantic to safety in danger. Two ships carrying child evacuees were torpedoed in 1940. One was the Dutch liner Volendam with 320 children on August 30. The crew managed to get the life boats off and saved the children. They were returned to Glasgow. The other was the City of Benares, an ocean liner with 200 British and foreign civilian passengers and 93 British children with a guard of nurses, teachers, and a clergyman. It was torpedoed on September 13. The crew attempted to... What can we learn about the British people according to the passage? A) They were concerned about their children. B) They were threatened by Stanley Baldwin. C) They were frightened by German invasion. D) They longed to go to commonwealth nations.
A: A
*Question*
One morning I was woken by my mother's angry voice. I opened my eyes and found it was seven forty, so I jumped out of bed and rushed to a nearby bus stop without breakfast. Fortunately the bus started going as soon as I got on it. I was sure I could reach the school before the bell rang. However, the bus suddenly stopped. There was something wrong with it and we had to get off and wait for another one. I felt I couldn't wait and the school was only fifteen minutes' walk, so I ran to the school as fast as possible. Just at this moment, it began to rain hard. I reached the classroom with all my clothes wet through. Mr. Smith, our physics teacher, had begun his class. I was always afraid of him. I hesitated for a moment, and then I opened the door. "It's you again, Jim," Mr. Smith said angrily. I've told you not to be late, but you ...". Then he suddenly stopped when he noticed my wet clothes. He quickly took off his own jacket and asked me to put it on. "I don't want you to catch a cold," he said kindly. I went to my seat with Mr. Smith's jacket on. It was a bit large for me but I felt very warm in it. I found, for the first time, Mr. Smith's physics class so interesting and I changed my mind, there and then, about being afraid of him. Jim found Mr. Smith physics lesson interesting that day because _ . A) he knew physics was very important B) he wanted to go to s famous university C) he didn't want to fall behind the others D) he was moved by his physics teacher
**Answer**
D