题干

   In the modern world,there is an unfortunate tendency to value profit over intelligence. People may know a practice is harmful,but continue to do it anyway because it produces an in-demand product. Fortunately,there are inventors who work tirelessly to develop more responsible solutions. Sally Fox is one such individual.

Before Fox's invention of Foxfibre cotton,naturally colored cotton could only be spun(纺线)by hand,which was such a long and laborious process that businesses chose to take white cotton,bleach(漂白)it,dye it and spin it on a machine. This produced the colored fabrics people wanted,but also created a lot of pollution through the bleaching and dying processes. Sadly,there weren't really any practical choices available until Sally Fox came along in the late 1980s and revolutionized the industry.

While working as a pollinator(传花粉者)for a cotton breeder looking to develop more pest-resistant plants,Fox began breeding brown and green cotton,picking out the best seeds that produced the longest fibres and replanting them year after year. Finally,she created two kinds of colored cotton that could be spun on a machine,and she purchased a small lot of land to grow them. Sally even received Plant Variety Protection Certificates for the new cotton.

By the early 1990s,Sally Fox had had a 10-million-dollar business that produced naturally colored cotton for major companies like Levi's,Esprit,Land's End and L. L. Bean. It was a more environmentally friendly product that was also turning a profit. After globalization forced most of the spinning mills(工厂)to South America and Southeast Asia,Fox's business took a hit,but she continues to make new naturally colored cotton to this day. Each new color takes about 10 years to produce—but,for Sally Fox,the patience is worth the payoff.

【小题1】Sally Fox was famous because she invented __________.
A.colored cotton that can fight against the attack of pests
B.colored cotton that can be spun by machine
C.how to dye white cotton into colorful cotton
D.naturally colored cotton that can grow for 10 years
【小题2】According to the passage,at first Sally Fox was __________.
A.an inventorB.a breeder
C.a farmerD.a pollinator
【小题3】One advantage of Foxfibre colored cotton is that __________.
A.it has the longest fibre
B.it can protect itself against pests
C.it is environmentally friendly
D.it can grow into various colors
【小题4】The underlined phrase“took a hit”may mean“__________”.
A.survivedB.benefited
C.sufferedD.expanded
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同类题1

   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.

同类题4

Safety is a huge concern whenever I run with my earphones in. But I need music to run. Otherwise all I hear is the sound of my own breathing. So I’ve found a compromise: I run with only one earphone in. The music sounds off. It’s an imperfect solution.
An updated pair of headphones, called AfterShokz, aim to do better. AfterShokz bills itself as using bone conducting technology to conduct music from the front of the ear, delivering sound through your cheekbone and inner ear. This keeps your eardrum (鼓膜) free to hear everything else.
“Earbuds (耳塞式耳机) are typically designed to block out all sound, which is fine when you’re inside. But when you’re outside, you need all your senses. It would be like sending you out cycling with a blindfold on,” says Rod Annet, managing director of AfterShokz.
Here’s where AfterShokz comes in. The headphones hook over the back of your head with the main “bud” resting high up against your cheek. This keeps your ear free to delight in other sounds.
So do they work? In a word, yes. During a 45-minute jog, they didn’t bounce or shift. I heard far more of my environment than I normally do: a nearby bike there; a runner passing me again to my left; and so forth.
What about the downsides? If you’re a huge fan of high-quality sound, you might find the headphones a bit tinny. One friend expressed concerns about missing the ability to get lost in the music as you might be distracted by other noises, although I personally didn’t find that an issue.
Yet those are all minor details. For me, probably the biggest problem is the price. Ranging between £ 49.96 to £ 83.29, AfterShokz headphones aren’t exactly cheap.
With all that considered, would I recommend them? Yes. AfterShokz headphones are quite useful. While out jogging, they were light, painless, and easy to use. They made me feel safer.
【小题1】What is special about AfterShokz headphones?
A.They are a good choice for inside use.
B.They allow users to hear other sounds.
C.They can make music sound more beautiful.
D.They can deliver sound through your eardrum.
【小题2】What does the author’s friend think of AfterShokz headphones?
A.They prevent users getting lost.
B.They deliver high—quality sound.
C.They often move while users are running.
D.They fail to allow users to enjoy the music.
【小题3】The author thinks AfterShokz headphones .
A.are too expensiveB.seem quite useless
C.make users feel painD.are too complex to use
【小题4】What is the main purpose of the text?
A.To express worries.B.To introduce a product.
C.To share a personal story.D.To complain about a product.