Businesses are witnessing a difficult time,which has in turn produced influence on consumers' desire to go green.However,shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns. Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations _ their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago,while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy. This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves.And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly.Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies,with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company's environmental reputation was not good enough. Harry Morrison,chief executive of the Carbon Trust,sympathizes:"I understand this situation where survival is very important now.But from environmental considerations,the clock is ticking--we don't have much time.In addition,cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a mediumterm benefit for the brand." Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint,as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions .Those that have taken early action will have a head start.More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible.This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers. The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing."When companies are granted the standard,they can use a logo in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions," Mr.Morrison said. (2010*,C) We can learn from the passage that businesses will _ . A) have a strong desire to reduce costs B) use the same logo in their marketing C) gain advantages by taking early action D) attract more shoppers by storing goods
C
(Question)
Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone. Place friendship in the first place. Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the lawn go unmowed or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can't get together, use the phone to keep in touch. Open up to close friends. Keeping a deep friendship requires a level of "heartfelt" intimacy .Don't be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems,but offer advice only when it's wanted. Help raise friends' selfesteem when they are sad about a job loss, or other such events. Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies,singing in a choir,and joining in a bowling league. Don't wait for a friend to ask for helps. When a friend has the flu,offer to go to the store or drive his or her children to their afterschool activities. Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage,friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests. Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms,or bookstores can lead to firm friendship. _ in an adulteducation course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests. People with close friends have a _ ability to fight disease than people who are alone. A) less B) greater C) poorer D) little
(Answer)
B
Ques: Something that has always interested me about Abraham Lincoln is, not surprisingly, his sense of humor. As far as I can tell, he's the first American President to have one. That's because the term"sense of humor" really wasn't in common usage until the eighteen-sixties and seventies. In the eighteen-forties and fifties, it was called"the sense of the ridiculous," and didn't have the positive connotations that"sense of humor" has today. Back then, what was ridiculous was what invited ridicule . Funniness and cruelty went hand in hand. Of course, they still do a lot of arm-in-arm walking in our day as well. Lincoln's humor was very different because, for one thing, it was actually "humor"as what the word meant in his time. We don't make the distinction between "wit "and "humor"anymore; but in the nineteenth century people did. Wit was unpleasant and offensive while humor was pleasant and sympathetic. It's the difference we note now when we distinguish between "laughing with" and "laughing at". Lincoln was much more about "laughing with" than "laughing at". And when "laughing at, " it was often himself he was teasing. In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, when Douglas accused Lincoln of being two-faced, Lincoln replied, referencing his plain looking, "Honestly, if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one?"And, in a way, Lincoln's face itself tells us much about his sense of humor. You can comb through thousands of photographs of politicians, soldiers, and the like from Lincoln's time and not find a single smile. True, the long exposures required for photographs of that time made smiling difficult. Yet Lincoln alone, as far as I can tell, overcame that difficulty. Interestingly, while having a sense of humor, or at least the appearance of one provided by comedy writers has become a necessary characteristic for an American President in our time, in the nineteenth century, too much humor was considered problem. And that was the case for Lincoln. A journalist covering the Lincoln-Douglas debates... We rarely see people from Lincoln's time wear smile in their photos because _ . A) being humorous was considered inappropriate B) they found it quite funny to smile before camera C) not smiling for photographs was the fashion D) photography technology then was not advanced
Ans: D
Ques:I spent my childhood walking a fine line between being an energetic young boy and avoiding contact sports to protect my eyesight. I had lost the sight in one eye at the age of five, so instead of football, I put my energy into rowing and sailing. By the time I was 22, I was working towards rowing for my country. Then, during a training session, I noticed my vision was unclear in my remaining eye. I had an operation and spent two weeks with bandages over my eyes. Sadly, it didn't work, and the second operation two months later was also a failure. My world came crashing down. I had been flying high---- as well as my shining rowing career, I had been about to take my finals and get a job in the city. Now, as my fellow graduates celebrated their results, I lay in my childhood bedroom, angry. I would wake up in the morning and convince myself I could see a shadow, but I felt bitterly angry when I realized I couldn't. Previously, I had lots of assumptions about blind people, but now I joined their ranks. I had no choice but to change my attitude. I started to realize that my challenge was not about seeing but about creating a new life for myself. The simple pleasure of just sitting in a cafe and watching the world go by or even making eye contact with anyone is no longer possible. I had to rethink how to engage with the world. As much as I disliked the things of blindness---- white sticks, talking computers and guide dogs---- I welcomed these as the tools that would enable me to regain my independence. I moved out of my mum's house and got a job in entertainment. I also started seeking out projects that would help me get out and mix with people. A big part of my identity has always been about the thrill of competing---- success and failure. I am excited when I am giving it my all, so I started to compete again, first in rowing and then in extreme physical challenges such as completing six marathons in seven days in Gobi desert. Filling my life with experiences helped to sweep the blindness to one side. It took me... Having fallen out of a second-floor window, the writer felt despaired because _ . A) his fiancee broke away from him B) he didn't know how it took place C) he might be unable to walk forever D) he had to put metalwork in his back

Ans:
C