The hottest“green”toy in Germany isn't made of organic or recycled materials.This one has a solar panel and only runs if kids remember to insert bright red “energy stones”that power the space station.Germany，a pioneer in many renewable energy initiatives，is also at the forefront of creating environment­friendly toys aimed at making kids think about where energy comes from and how much of it they can use，raising awareness through play.A number of high­tech green toys are on display at this year's Nuremberg toy fair，which runs through Sunday.
Among them，there are hydroelectric­powered(水电动力的)toy cars，and doll houses with wind turbines and rainwater catchers.The bright green “Future Planet”space station features an inner atrium(中庭)with a fan that is powered by a functioning solar cell.Its aim is to get kids to use their imagination about how energy will be created in the future.
Makers and retailers believe such toys will play an increasingly important role in their future—and that of our kids.“Energy is the question of the future and we are definitely thinking about this as we move ahead，”said Judith Schweinitz，a spokeswoman for Playmobil，maker of the solar panel­fitted space station.“It is increasingly being brought into our play concept.”Green toys—which range from those made of sustainable materials to ones like the space station that just raise environmental awareness—make up only a sliver of the $ 84 billion international toy market，but their share is growing，studies indicate.Environmental research firm Earthsense，based in Syracuse，New York，predicts that green toys will account for about $ 1 billion，or 5 percent of U．S.toy sales in the next five years.Parents are smart and they want information about what's in the product.That's what's really driving the market.
【小题1】The hottest “green”toy in Germany is ________.

A．made of rubbish

B．made of organic or recycled materials

C．equipped with a solar panel

D．driven by an advanced motor

【小题2】The purpose of making the green toys is to ________.

A．raise kids' awareness about energy and environment

B．improve kids' imagination

C．give kids the knowledge of technology

D．improve the safety of toys

【小题3】We can infer from the last paragraph that the green toys ________.

A．can help save little energy

B．are not accepted by parents

C．will sell well in the future

D．have not been produced

【小题4】Which of the following BEST describes the opinion of Earthsense about green toys?

A．Doubtful.	B．Optimistic.
C．Disappointed.	D．Proud.

   There was a time when a trip to the supermarket in the United States often ended with a seemingly simple question from the cashier, "Paper or plastic？"Well, which type of bag would you choose？

While both types of bags have some influence on the environment, it has long been supposed that paper bags are kinder. They are made from a renewable source, are broken down easily, burn without giving off thick smoke and can be recycled. However, the producing process behind paper bags uses more energy than that of plastic ones. How can this be true？

Studies show that paper bag production requires four times as much energy as plastic bag production.

And the amount of water used to make them is twenty times higher. Besides, the influence on forests is very serious. It takes about fourteen million trees to produce ten billion paper bags, which happen to be the number of bags used in the United States yearly. In terms of recycling, the idea that paper bags are more environment friendly than plastic ones can be quickly discarded. Research shows it requires about 98% less energy to recycle plastic than it does to recycle paper.

Even though paper bags might be more harmful than plastic ones, plastic still seems to be considered as the more harmful of the two by governments. In Ireland, for example, a tax has been introduced to discourage the use of plastic bags. People have to pay 22 cents for every plastic bag, and as a result, their use has dropped quickly.

There’s no doubt that it makes more sense to reuse these bags. However, we don’t seem to be doing that at present. That may be because they fall apart quickly. If so, cloth bags are a better choice, but still, their production also has a bad influence on the environment. So what to do? How should we answer the question of “Paper or plastic?” It seems that we first need to ask ourselves one more general question: “What can I do to help the environment?”

【小题1】The question at the end of Paragraph 1 is used to ________.

A．introduce points for discussion

B．tell readers how to save money

C．express the author's doubts

D．show the kindness of the cashier

【小题2】Compared with plastic bags, paper bags ________.

A．take more time to break down

B．require less energy to recycle

C．need more water to produce

D．have less influence on forests

【小题3】The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 3 probably means "________".

A．share	B．put forward
C．discuss	D．give up

【小题4】Which question does the author probably hope the cashier ask?

A．Paper or cloth?

B．A new bag or your own one?

C．A small bag or big one?

D．Paper or plastic？

   From Japan to Detroit, automobile manufacturers have been busy creating the green car, a vehicle that, in all its forms, promises to be one of the cleanest technologies on earth. To create the green car of the future, say designers, they will replace dangerous substances with safe ones, recycle car parts from antifreeze to old tires and develop alternative fuels.

To meet high environmental standards, automakers began renovating（翻新）their practices at the heart of the matter: the manufacturing process.

At General Motors（GM）a two-seat electric car named the Impact can travel 110 to 160 kilometers on a single charge, depending on driving habits and conditions. GM will begin the consumer test to the Impact in 12 U. S. cities this year. About a thousand people have been selected to drive the vehicle for two-and four-week periods.

Meanwhile, another alternative to standard gasoline-powered cars is Volkswagen’s Golf Ecomatic, recently introduced in Europe and powered by a diesel（柴油）engine that shuts down automatically whenever the car doesn’t require the force of push — while drivers are waiting at traffic lights, slowing to a standstill in heavy traffic or driving downhill. In city traffic alone, Volkswagen engineers expect 60 percent of the trip is spent either moving without its engine turned on or waiting, and overall the carbon dioxide emissions（排放物）produced by the Golf Ecomatic are 22 percent less than those of a standard diesel-powered automobile.

In the end, the green car will be good not only for the environment but also for business. In the long run environmental success is essential to business success, and many companies have recognized this reality, as a growing number of people want to purchase products from environmentally responsible firms.

【小题1】What is the main purpose of automakers worldwide designing the green car?

A．To increase the efficiency of fuels now in use.

B．To solve the problem of the ever-worsening fuel shortage.

C．To meet high environmental standards.

D．To clear the world of waste car parts.

【小题2】Which of the following is the chief advantage of Golf Ecomatic?

A．It shortens waiting time in the street.

B．It reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

C．It cuts down on the consumption of diesel.

D．It ensures the quality of being pollution-free.

【小题3】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Automakers have come to see the advantage of making green cars.

B．Environmental protection should not be achieved at the risk of business failure.

C．Automakers may lose much in the production of green cars.

D．The general public are all eager to use the green car.

【小题4】What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To educate people on environmental protection.

B．To list the advantages of green cars over traditional ones.

C．To explain the process of developing green cars.

D．To inform people of the development of green cars.

   Ryan Hickman is only seven years old, but he’s already been saving for his college fund with profits he’s making from his recycling business.

When Ryan was three-and-a-half, he went with his dad to the local recycling center and made money from a few bags of cans and bottles. When he learned money can be made from that, Ryan decided recycling was his future.

“We had gone to the center with a couple of bags, and he really loved the actual act of putting all the cans and bottles into the machine and getting the money from it, and that kind of act got him hooked, ” described Damion Hickman, Ryan’s father.

Ryan told his parents that he wanted to give empty plastic bags to all the neighbors and hoped they would save their recyclables for him. Not only did the neighbors save their cans and bottles for Ryan but so did their co-workers, families, and friends. Soon after, Ryan started his own business, Ryan’s Recycling, and has since recycled over 200,000 cans and bottles. Every week, he and his family sort through bags of recyclables and they take them to the local recycling center where they are sorted and weighed.

So far, Ryan has saved more than $ 10,000 for college from his profits and he also sells T-shirts on his website and donates the profits to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. “For the sea lions to get food and medicine,” he said.

Ryan has an important message for everyone, “If you already recycle, just keep on recycling. If you don’t recycle, start recycling.” Always a great businessman, Ryan added, “If you want to buy one of these T-shirts, it’s $ 13 on ryansreecycling.com.”

【小题1】When did Ryan think of recycling as his future?

A．When he was taken to the recycling center.

B．When he was 3 years old.

C．When he got some rewards for selling T-shirts on his website.

D．When he learned recycled cans and bottles could be sold for money.

【小题2】What did Ryan do when he planned to begin his career?

A．He went to ask his family and neighbors to sell him the used bottles and cans.

B．He gave empty plastic bags to all the neighbors to get their used cans and bottles.

C．He went to the local recycling center first and sold the cans and bottles.

D．He and his family sorted through bags of recyclables of their own.

【小题3】Which of the following words can best describe Ryan based on this passage?

A．Caring and determined.

B．Honest and generous.

C．Independent and energetic.

D．Rich and thoughtful.