Ques: Across the United States, universities and colleges have been looking to become more sustainable   and more than 600 schools have already planned to become eco-friendly. The EcoDorm, home to 36 students at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, was designed to be sustainable from top to bottom, or in this case, from its rainwater-collection system to its garden. The dormitory is bringing new meaning to the concept of living "green" at college. At Warren Wilson College, a biological science school with fewer than 1,000 students, the sustainability drive came from the student body. The EcoDorm concept was presented ten years ago by two students; a planning committee firstly suggested using building materials like corncob. Although the architects disagreed with the idea, they came up with other creative solutions: Wood siding was taken from the trees grown in the school yard that were suffering from a disease, and rainwater was collected in an old railway car and pumped back into the house to clean the toilets. All in all, the dorm uses nearly two-thirds less electricity than a similar-sized traditional building world. But even the most sustainable homes need continued efforts from its livers. And in the case of EcoDorm, students live by their words. Most also take advantage of the dorm's bio-garden, planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables. "I didn't have to worry about paper towels being wasted or feel bad about drying my clothes outside," Jeremy Lekich, the dorm's gardener, said. "Basically, it has made my life easier." We can learn from the text that the EcoDorm in the US  _  . A) offers students the chances to have a natural living at college B) was firstly built by two college students C) was designed for saving building materials D) is only applicable in few schools
Ans: A

Ques: Doubt usually comes along when companies talk very proudly how socially responsible they are, but Nike's decision to publish its entire list of contract suppliers on the Internet is harder to ignore. Nike's move opens a new front in companies' efforts to face their critics. As Nike states in its latest corporate responsibility report, it is often hard to confirm exactly what is happening at about 800 factories that make its footwear and clothing under contract, many of which are remote. Nike is hoping other companies will publish their factory lists, too. Hannah Jones, Nike's vice - president for corporate responsibility, says Nike would like to see the best - run contract factories using their social position as suppliers to the big brands to try to get more work. Nike's approach moves corporate responsibility into its third age. The first age was corporate philanthropy - companies donating money to various community projects. The $170,   000,000 that Wal - Mart gave in charitable donations last year is a good example. Of course, some critics oppose even this form of corporate generosity , arguing that companies should concentrate on making profits, leaving it to shareholders to decide what charitable donations to make. Corporate responsibility's second age was reputation management and risk avoidance. Second - age corporate responsibility supporters believe agreement with the wider community can warn a company of future risks in advance. Nike is now trying to go a stage further. The company says it sees corporate responsibility as a way of improving its performance rather than just protecting its reputation. Factories which ensure that workers are registered  for social - security benefits often become more productive as a result. Attention to one aspect of staff management often leads to improvement in others. If other companies publish supplier lists, they can together work out common standards, Nike says. At present, different companies have different standards, which make life difficult for the many... What is the best title of the passage? A) A New Age of Corporate Responsibility. B) Nike's Staff Management. C) Big Brands Working out Common Standards. D) Lists of Contract Suppliers.
Ans: D

Ques: For a long time, people who fish have had to rely on luck to catch fish. Even big fishing ships, fitted out with radar and modern equipment, have their share of bad days. Wouldn't it be nice if fish could be trained to come at the call of a whistle the way some days are trained?   Well, the days of "fish whistle" may be just  _ . Japanese companies are working on methods that will train fish to return to harvest areas at the sound of an underwater whistle.   The method works like this: First, fish eggs are hatched in a laboratory. Whenever feeding time arrives, a whistle sounds. The young fish learn to return to their feeding areas at the sound of the whistle.    Later, the fish are set free at sea, near special-made under water "barns". There, the whistle-plus-feeding program continues. Being well fed and sheltered, the fish continue to live around the barn. So when fishing time arrives, all the harvesters need to do is to sound the whistle, drop their nets, and draw in a lot of fish.   Many countries have closed their offshore fishing waters to ships from other countries. With fish whistle and barns, Japan hopes to become less dependent on importing fish from other countries. From the passage we learn that   _  . A) bad days have no effect on big fishing ships B) Japan hopes to supply more fish to other countries C) the harvesters can catch as many fish as possible now D) many countries have taken measures to protect their fishing waters from foreign ships
Ans: D

Ques: Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials   thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good Wet Root Beer." "Fill up with Pacific Gas. "Only when you have fallen asleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, can you get separated from the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!" As for the ride itself, the beginning of it is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before. Usually some things are keeping changing out of the windows -- various houses, crop fields, attractive bridges, ... and sometimes even a small accident. Your bus driver may have a unique style of driving and it's fun trying experience it the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless   or daring, the ride can be as thrilling   as an adventurous story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you've got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops. The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know the riding will soon be over and there's a kind of expectation and excitement with that. The seat, of course, has become harder for the hours having passed. By now you may sit with your legs crossed, or with your hands in your lap, or with your hands on the arms, or even with your hands crossed behind your head. That is to say that the end comes just at no more ways to sit. The writer of this passage would probably prefer   _  . A) those reckless bus drivers B) driving with no one around C) a television set on the bus D) no billboards along the road
Ans:
D