Why is the Thai elephant “out of work”, according to the author？A.Because the elephants ar

Thailand was once called “Land of the White Elephant” because_______.

A.white elephant is rarely seen and thus very special

B.white elephant was a national symbol until the 1920s

C.white elephant has helped kings to gain the ruling authority

D.this name was so romantic that it was popular among visitors

ate part of the culture, economy and religion, and nowhere more so than in Thailand Unlike its African cousin, the Asian elephant is easily domesticated (驯化). The rare so-called white elephants have actually lent the authority of kingship to its rulers and until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background.To the early Western visitors the country’s romantic name was “Land of the White Elephant”.

Today, however, the story is very different. Out of work and out of land, the Thai elephant struggles for survival in a nation that no longer needs it. The elephant has found itself more or less abandoned by previous owners who have moved on to a different economic world and a westernized society. And while the elephant’s problems began many years ago, now it rates a very low national priority.

How this reversal from national icon (圣像) to neglected animal came about is a tale of worsening environmental and the changing lives of the Thais themselves. According to Richard Lair, Thailand’s experts on the Asian elephant and author of the report Gone Astray, at the turn of the century there may well have beenas many as 100,000 domestic elephants in the country. In the north of Thailand alone it was estimated that more than 20,000 elephants were employed in transport, 1,000 of them alone on the road between the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen. This was at a time when 90 per cent of Thailand was still forest—a habitat (栖息地) that not only supported the animals but also made them necessary to carry goods and people. Nothing ploughs through dense forest better than a massive but sure-footed elephant.

By 1950 the elephant population had dropped to a still substantial 13,397, but today there are probably nomore than 3,800, with another 1,350 roaming free in the national parks. But now, Thailand’s forest coversonly 20 per cent of the land This deforestation (采伐森林) is the central point of the elephant’s difficult situation, for it has effectively put the animals out of work. This century, as the road network grew, so the elephant’s role as a beast of burden declined.

Choose correct answers to the question:

What can we know about African elephants from the passage?

A.It is easy to tame them.

B.It is hard to tame them.

C.They are living a better life than Asian elephants.

D.Their fate is quite similar to that of Asian elephants.

The author writes this passage in order to_____.

A.inform

B.instruct

C.predict

D.persuade

In the passage, it is implied but NOT stated that_____.

A.disposing the plastics is one of NEC Corp’s businesses

B.magnesium is an ideal material for the case of TV

C.21-inch TV with magnesium case isn’t very popular so far

D.magnesium must be better than the plastics

According to the passage, the term “plastic sandwich” refers to_____.

A.a kind of sandwich-shaped toy made of plastics

B.a kind of plastics with different integration in each layer

C.a kind of plastics with maximum strength and flexibility

D.a kind of plastics made of 100% recycled materials

Which of the following is NOT the character of plastics?

A.Most electronic products contain plastics.

B.It retains its original strength through reprocessing.

C.Recycled plastics can be integrated into new products.

D.Plastics will lose flexibility after a certain period of time.

tly, the country requires that all electronic goods—TVs, VCRs, stereos, and more—be recycled But recycling will not beleft to consumers, instead, the devices will be sent to the original manufacturer for proper disposal.

The new law poses a few challenges to manufacturers who are now rushing to set up collection networks and perfecting techniques to disassemble and recycle older products.With an eye toward the future, they are also integrating easily recycled materials into new products. Plastics, a major component of most electronicproducts,pose a particular obstacle because their quality becomes worse and worse with age,losing strengthand flexibility even if reprocessed.NEC Corp. overcomes this problem by creating a plastics sandwich, in which the filling is 100 percent recycled plastic and the outer layers a mixture of 14 percent recycled material.The resulting plastic has sufficient strength and toughness for use as a case for desktop PCs. The company, in cooperation with plastic maker Sumitomo Dow, has also developed a new plastic, which engineers claim retains its mechanical properties through repeated recycling. NEC uses the plastic, which is also flame-retardant (阻燃的) in battery cases for notebook PCs.

Meanwhile, Matsushita Electric, maker of the Panasonic brand, is avoiding plastic in favor of magnesium (镁). Magnesium, says the company, is ideal for re cycling because it retains its original strength throughrepeated reprocessing. Matsushita has developed molding techniques to form. magnesium into the case for a 21-inch TV. Unfortunately, the magnesium case and energy-saving features make the TV about twice as expensive as an ordinary model.The company hopes, however, that increased use of magnesium will eventually bring prices down.

Choose correct answers to the question:

According to the present regulations of Japan, the recycling of paper and plastic will be the responsibility of______.

A.the government

B.the manufacturers

C.the consumers

D.the sellers

Phones. You should write at least 150 words and based on the following gragh and the outline given below in Chinese:

1.描述所示的手机用户变化情况(据统计，2007年上半年手机用户量超过5亿)

2. 出现这种情况的原因

3. 对此现象做出评价

side air, they pose many potential health hazards. Much research has looked at how the movement of air inside a closed environment---such as an office building---can spread disease or expose people in the building to harmful chemicals.

One of the more widely publicized dangers is that of Legionnaire’s disease, which was first recognized inthe 1970s. This was found to have affected people in buildings with air-conditioning systems in which warmair pumped out of the system’ cooling towers was somehow sucked back into the air intake (通风口),in mostcases due to poor design. The warm air, filled with bacteria,was combined with cooled, conditioned air andwas then circulated around various parts of the building. Studies showed that even people outside such buildings were at risk if they walked past air exhaust pipes.

Large air-conditioning systems add water to the air they circulate by means of humidifiers (湿度调节器).Inolder systems, the water used for this process is kept in special reservoirs, the bottoms of which providebreeding grounds for bacteria which can find their way into the ventilation (通风)system. The risk to human health from this situation has been highlighted by the fact that the immune systems (免疫系统)of approximately half of workers in air-conditioned office buildings have developed the ability to fight off the organisms found at the bottom of system reservoirs. But chemicals called “biocides”are added to reservoirs to make them germ-free, and they are dangerous in their own right in sufficient quantities, as they often contain compounds strongly linked to cancers.

Finally, it should be pointed out that the artificial climatic environment created by air-conditioners canalso affect us. In a natural environment, whether indoor or outdoor, there are small variations in temperature and humidity. Indeed, the human body has long been accustomed to these normal changes. In an air-conditioned living or working environment, however, body temperatures remain well under37℃, our normal temperature. This leads to a weakened immune system and thus greater exposure to diseases such as colds and flu.

Choose correct answers to the question:

What do we know about Legionnaire’s disease from the passage?

A.It was the most widely concerned office hazard.

B.It can affect people both inside and outside the building.

C.It happens only in air-conditioned office buildings.

D.It does not develop in well-designed buildings.

In the old air-conditioned systems, bacteria first develop______.A.in the reservoirs

B.in the ventilation system

C.in the humidifiers

D.in the air intake

The fact that about half of workers developed the ability to fight off the bacteria may__.A.relieve people’s worry about the danger caused by the bacteria

B.help people find an effective way to get rid of the bacteria

C.reflect the serious danger brought by the bacteria

D.cause serious disease such as cancers to people

The author most probably wants the readers to treat biocides with an attitude of_.A.caution

B.trust

C.enthusiasm

D.criticism

The last paragraph implies that our immune system can be weakened when _A.we live in an artificial climatic environment

B.there are variations in temperature and humidity

C.our body temperatures often remain not high enough

D.we are often exposed to diseases such as colds and flu

请帮忙给出每个问题的正确答案和分析，谢谢！

ecome smaller, safer,and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.

Regardless of its power source, the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion (拥挤). One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system.

When the auto enters the highway system, a retractable (可伸缩的) arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail, which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically. Once attached to the rail,the car will become electrically powered from the system, and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all of the car&39;s movements.

The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system. The computer will calculate the best route, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer (蜂鸣器) that will warn him of his coming exit. It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.

Choose correct answers to the question:

One significant improvement in the future car will probably be ________.

A.its power source

B.its driving system

C.its monitoring system

D.its seating capacity

What is the author’s main concern?A.How to render automobiles pollution-free.

B.How to make smaller and safer automobiles.

C.How to solve the problem of traffic jams.

D.How to develop an automated subway system.

What provides autos with electric power in an automated highway system?A.A rail.

B.An engine.

C.A retractable arm.

D.A computer controller.

In an automated highway system, all the driver needs to do is ________.A.keep in the right lane

B.wait to arrive at his destination

C.keep in constant touch with the computer center

D.inform the system of his destination by phone

What is the author’s attitude toward the future of autos?A.Enthusiastic.

B.Pessimistic.

C.Optimistic.

D.Cautious.

请帮忙给出每个问题的正确答案和分析，谢谢！