What does “its” in the 3rd paragraph mean________.

阅读理解：阅读下面的短文，根据文章内容从A、B、C三个选项中选出一个最佳选项。

An annual report provides {A. usefulB、B. uselessB、C. usefulness} information about an organization. People read annual reports in different ways. Some even {A. preferB、B. willB、C. have} to start at the back and work their way to the beginning. It makes {A. bigB、B. eachB、C. no} difference how you read them as long as you get the essential points of the business and its financial condition.

However, there is a good way to solve these reports that is {A. atB、B. bothB、C. either} most efficient and most effective. You can’t possibly go any further in your research {A. withB、B. withoutB、C. in order to} knowing what the company does! How can you insure that you have understood the report？ Just ask yourself if you understand what the company does and who its customers are.

阅读理解“Energy independence” and its rhetorical （修辞的) companion “energy security”

are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely thought through. What is it we want independence from, exactly？

Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that off from elsewhere.

The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle (涓涓细流) of biofuel (生物燃料) available, and more may become available, but most biofueis cause economic waste and environmental destruction.

Second, Americans have basically decided that they don’t really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve, over their off imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to off exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports？

Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don’t read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of off products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.

There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices. At the same time, we derive massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.

61. What does the author say about energy independence for America？

A. It sounds very attractive.

B. It ensures national security.

C. It will bring oil prices down.

D. It has long been everyone’s dream.

62. What does the author think of biofuels？

A. They keep America’s economy running healthily.

B. They prove to be a good alternative to petroleum.

C. They do not provide a sustainable energy supply.

D. They cause serious damage to the environment.

63. Why does America rely heavily on off imports？

A. It wants to expand its storage of crude oil.

B. Its own oil reserves are quickly running out.

C. It wants to keep its own environment intact.

D. Its own oil production falls short of demand.

64. What does the author say about oil trade？

A. It proves profitable to both sides.

B. It improves economic efficiency.

C. It makes for economic prosperity.

D. It saves the cost of oil exploration.

65. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage？

A. To justify America’s dependence on oil imports.

B. To arouse Americans’ awareness of the energy crisis.

C. To stress the importance of energy conservation.

D. To explain the increase of international oil trade.

What does the coin in vasilopita signify for its receiver in the New Year？

A.Trust.

B.Success.

C.Health.

D.Togetherness.

Could youreproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it？

It wouldn’t besurprising if it were hard to reproduce in other countries, because youcouldn’t reproduce it in most of the US either. What does it take to make aSilicon Valley？

It’s the rightpeople. If you could get the right ten thousand people to move from SiliconValley to Buffalo, Buffalo would become Silicon Valley.

You only needtwo kinds of people to create a technology hub （中心）:rich people and nerds （痴迷科研的人）.

Observationbears this out. Within the US, towns have become startup hubs if and only ifthey have both rich people and nerds. Few startups happen in Miami, forexample, because although it’s full of rich people, it has few nerds. It’s notthe kind of place nerds like.

WhereasPittsburg has the opposite problem: plenty of nerds, but no rich people. Thetop US Computer Science departments are said to be MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, andCarnegie-Mellon. MIT yielded Route 128. 　　Stanford and Berkeley yielded SiliconValley. But what did Carnegie-Mellon yield in Pittsburgh？ And whathappened in Ithaca, home of Cornell University, which is also high on the list.

I grew up inPittsburgh and went to college at Cornell, so I can answer for both. Theweather is terrible, particularly in winter, and there’s no interesting oldcity to make up for it, as there is in Boston. Rich people don’t want to livein Pittsburgh or Ithaca. So while there are plenty of hackers （电脑迷）who could start startups, there’s no one to invest in them.

Do you reallyneed the rich people？ Wouldn’t it work to have the government invest the nerds？No, it would not. Startup investors are a distinct type of rich people. Theytend to have a lot of experience themselves in the technology business. Thishelps them pick the right startups, and means they can supply advice andconnections as well as money. And the fact that they have a personal stake inthe outcome makes them really pay attention.

56. What do welearn about Silicon Valley from the passage？

A) Its success is hard to copy any where else.

B) It is the biggest technology hub in the US.

C) Its fame in high technology is incomparable.

D) It leads the world in information technology.

57. What makesMiami unfit to produce a Silicon Valley？

A) Lack of incentive for investments.

B) Lack of the right kind of talents.

C) Lack of government support.

D) Lack of famous universities.

58. In that wayis Carnegie-Mellon different from Stanford, Berkeley and MIT？

A) Its location is not as attractive to rich people

B) Its science department are not nearly as good

C) It does not produce computer hackers and nerds

D) It does not pay much attention to business startups

59. What doesthe author imply about Boston？

A) It has pleasant weather all year round.

B) It produces wealth as well as high-tech

C) It is not likely to attract lots of investor and nerds.

D) It is an old city with many sites of historical interest.

60. What doesthe author say about startup investors？

A) They are especially wise in making investments.

B) They have good connections in the government.

C) They can do more than providing money.

D) They are enough to invest in nerds.

are found in lakes, other fish live in the sea. Most fish never【12】water. There are about 21,000 kinds of fish. One kind might not look like another. Some fish are very small. The smallest one is no bigger than a fly. Others are very big. The biggest fish can【13】to 60 feet. One kind of fish looks【14】it has a little horse's head. It is called a sea horse. It doesn't swim very well. A sea horse is mostly pushed along by the【15】water. What does it do when it wants to stay in one place？ It takes hold of plants with its little tail.

Energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn't it？ If you think so, you're not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.

“Energy independence” and its rhetorical (修辞的) companion “energy security” are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely though through. What is it we want independence from, exactly？

Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere.

The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle(涓涓细流)of biofuel(生物燃料)available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.

Second, Americans have basically decided that they don't really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports？

Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don't read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.

There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices, At the same time, we derive massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.

61. What does the author say about energy independence for America？()

A.It sounds very attractive.

B.It ensures national security.

C.It will bring oil prices down.

D.t has long been everyone's dream.

62. What does the author think of biofuels？()

A.They keep America's economy running healthily.

B.They prove to be a good alternative to petroleum.

C.They do not provide a sustainable energy supply.

D.They cause serious damage to the environment.

63. Why does America rely heavily on oil imports？()

A.It wants to expand its storage of crude oil.

B.Its own oil reserves are quickly running out.

C.It wants to keep its own environment intact.

D.Its own oil production falls short of demand.

64. What does the author say about oil trade？()

A.It proves profitable to both sides.

B.It improves economic efficiency.

C.It makes for economic prosperity.

D.It saves the cost of oil exploration.

65. What is the author's purpose in writing the passage？()

A.To justify America's dependence on oil imports.

B.To arouse Americans' awareness of the energy crisis.

C.To stress the importance of energy conservation.

D.To explain the increase of international oil trade.

What purpose does this passage possibly serve？

A．A company introduction to its employees.

B．A market analysis for a specific industry to inform. a client.

C．An annual report of a company to direct its future decision.

D．A marketing strategy proposal for discussion.

What does the word "absorbed" (in Paragraph 5, "... which has absorbed more than half of its average annual investment. .. ") mean？

A．taken in

B．consumed

C．drawn the attention of

D．interested in

ave much more to offer: Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The buildings of Horton look dirty and unloved. For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain shops, a bakery which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad­looking flowers. Even so, Horton has several advantages over its neighboring towns.

Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. There are no historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views over the countryside. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or flying kites.

There aren’t many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren’t really fast, but there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than an hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the evenings with their families. Houses in Horton aren’t pretty, but they’re functional and cheap. The streets are quiet and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three primary schools and a secondary school, St.Mark’s. It is friendly and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities and backgrounds. The town also has a swimming and a sports centre, and the community halls hold regular clubs and events for people of all ages.

C-21. What is the writer’s main purpose？

A、To explain what tourists can do in Horton.

B、To explain why Horton is a good place to live in.

C、To explain why Horton is not as pleasant as other towns.

D、To describe the history of Horton.

C-22.Which part of Horton does the writer find disappointing？

A、The shops.

B、Country park.

C、 Transport links.

D、The schools.

C-23. Which of the following is NOT the advantage of Horton？

A、Plenty of parks and playgrounds.

B、Historical buildings.

C、The quiet and safe streets.

D、Functional and cheap houses.

C-24. What advantages does Horton bring to workers？

A、There are plenty of jobs available in the town.

B、You can drive to nearby cities in a short time.

C、You can get to several cities quickly by train.

D、Working conditions are better here than in other towns.