"With the price of gasoline and with the problems with clean air, it's important we get electric vehicles out on the road."
On California roads there are about two thousand electric cars. By 2003, ten percent of all new cars may be required to have zero emissions. This is a mandate automakers say it is way ahead of its time.
Gloria Bergquist of the Alliance of Auto Manufacturers says, "The technology (for zero emissions) isn't here yet; it still needs advancement in driving range to make it more appealing to a wider consumer audience".
Automakers blame it on the batteries. Power runs out on most cars after about 70 miles. However, some cars can now go more than 100 miles on a charge. Batteries are expensive. Carmakers say there is nothing they can do about it.
Tim Carmichael of the Clean Air Coalition says, "The automakers have not built a vehicle unless required to do so, so it's very important for the state to stay committed to this program requiring automakers to build small amounts in beginning years and then the market will take off".
When did Michael Schwabe say goodbye to the gas pump?
A.Two days ago.
B.Two months ago.
C.Two years ago.
D.Ten years ago.
In response to Mrs. Dodd's idea that same year—1909, the state governor of Washington proclaimed (宣布) the third Sunday in June is Father's Day. The idea was officially approved by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended national observance of the occasion " to establish more intimate (亲密的) relations between fathers and their children, and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations. " The red or white rose is recognized as the official Father's Day flower.
Father's day took longer to establish on a national scale than Mother's Day, but as the idea gained popularity, tradesmen and manufacturers began to see the commercial possibilities. They encouraged sons and daughters to honor their fathers with small thank-you presents, such as a tie or a pair of socks, as well as by sending greeting cards.
During the Second World War, American servicemen stationed in Britain began to request Father's Day greeting cards to send home. This generated a response with British card publishers. Though at first the British public was slow to accept this rather artificial day, it's now well celebrated in Britain on the third Sunday in June in much the same way as in America.
Father's Day seems to be much less important an occasion than the Mother's Day. Not many of the children offer their fathers some presents. But the American fathers still think they are much better fated than the fathers of many other countries, who have not even a day for their sake in name only.
When did Father's Day officially begin to have national popularity?
A.1907.
B.1909.
C.1916
D.1924
Tim went to work on the farm last week, and__________.
A.his sister did so
B.so his sister did
C.did his sister so
D.so did his sister
Please keep an eye on my luggage, and I'll be back______.
A.in time
B.in no time
C.at one time
D.at a time
假设你要李华,写信给英国朋友Tim,问他是否愿意租房子给你的好友李明,并介绍他的情况,内容包括:
1.品学兼优,将去伦敦某大学学习计算机;
2.喜爱读书、看电影、听音乐,乐于助人,定能融洽相处;
3.愿意提供更多信息。
注意:
1.词数应为100左右;
2.生词:租房子rent a room。
Dear Tim,
Yours,
LiHua
A.introduced
B.witnessed
C.included
D.proposed
On this evening, however, she was standing at her living-room window, staring out at the SOLD notice in the small front garden. Her feelings were mixed. Naturally she was sad at the thought of leaving the house, as it was full of so many memories. But at the same time she was looking forward to spending her last years near the sea, back in the little seaside town where she had been born. With the money from the sale (出售) of the house, she had bought a little flat there.
She turned from the living room window, and looked round at the room. One or two pieces of furniture remained, covered with sheets (被单). The floor was bare boards, and all her pictures had been taken from the walls. There was a small fish-tank, with two goldfish circling in it. When asked why, her husband used to say, "It's nice to have something alive in the room." Since he had passed away, she had always kept some goldfish, had always had "something alive in the room".
Tim next morning, as her train was pulling out of the station, Mrs. Robson called to her daughter, "Kate, you won't forget to collect the goldfish, will you? The children will love them. It's...""I know," Kate interrupted (打断) gently. "It's nice to have something alive in the room."
But in the little house, the two goldfish had stopped their circling. They were floating (漂浮) on the water, in the room with its bare boards and silent walls.
Mrs. Robson ______.
A.was a very proud person
B.was helpless
C.did not like asking people for favors
D.wanted to live without her husband
The phrase “came up with” (Para. 2 is used to mean “_________ ”.
A. intended
B. restated
C. proposed
D. claimed
From the passage we know ______.
A.Roger liked his hairstyle. cut by the young man last time
B.the young man could cut hair in different styles
C.the young man was good at cutting hair
D.Roger wanted the young man to know how badly he did last time
Today, Americans are still fond of trying their hand at becoming small business people, even though only one out of two survives the first two years. Many of these people start their businesses for the wrong reasons: to get away from the paper work of their present jobs or to exchange the responsibility of their present jobs for freer life styles. But more, not less, paper work and responsibility come with ownership of a small business. John Shuttleworth, owner of the recently successful life-ecology news magazine Mother Earth, reports having had to work sixty hours straight in order to bring out the first issue.
John Shuttleworth waited years after conceiving the idea for Mother Earth before he attempted to put out the first issue. During that time, he collected as much information as he could about his proposed venture. He borrowed books about business from the library; he talked to people already established in the field; and he began planning in detail the amount of money and the kinds and numbers of supplies he would need. When he finally opened with a capital of $1,500, he set up his office in the kitchen of his home and his printing press in the garage. Due to his devotion to business his managerial skill, and his talent, Mother Earth now has a circulation of 300,000:
Not all small business succeed as well as Mother Earth has. Fifty percent of the 450,000 that start in the United States every year fail. Still, ninety-five percent businesses in the States can be described as small. Combined, these businesses account for forty percent of America's gross national product.
According to this passage, many people start their own businesses for the wrong reasons. The reasons are wrong because they do not realize that ______.
A.their own businesses will provide large income but less responsibility
B.their own businesses will not relieve them from paper work and responsibility
C.their own businesses will require longer working hours but less paper work
D.their own businesses could easily fail