By signing the lease we made a ______ to pay a rent of $ 150 a week.

By signing the lease we made a ________ to pay a rent of $150 a week.

A．conception

B．commission

C．commitment

D．confinement

By signing the lease we made a ______ to pay a rent of $450 a month.

A、comment

B、communication

C、commitment

D、decision

By saying that Linda Krentz saw the light”（Line 4，Para． 1），the author means that she （ ）．

A．learned how to lose weight

B．realized what her problem was

C．came to see the importance of light

D．became light-hearted and cheerful

When night falls in remote parts of Africa and the Indian subcontinent, hundreds of millions of people without access to electricity turn to candles or flammable and polluting kerosene lamps for illumination.

Slowly through small loans for solar powered devices, microfinance is bringing light to these rural regions where a lack of electricity has stymied economic development, literacy rates and health. A woman sews clothes on a sewing machine driven by solar energy in Ahmedabad/ Photo credit: Amit Dave/ Reuters

“Earlier, they could not do much once the sun set. Now, the sun is used differently. They have increased their productivity, improved their health and socio-economic status,” said Pinal Shah from SEWA Bank, a micro -lending institution.

Vegetable seller Ramiben Waghri took out a loan to buy a solar lantern which she uses to light up her stall at night. The lantern costs between $66-$112, about a week? s income for Waghri.

“The vegetables look better by this light, and it? s cheaper than kerosene and doesn? t smell,” said Waghri, who estimates she makes about 300 rupees ($6) more each evening with her lantern.

“If we can use the sun to save some money, why not?”

In India, solar power projects, often funded by micro credit institutions, are helping the country reduce carbon emissions and achieve its goal to double the contribution of renewable energy to 6%, or 25,000 megawatts, within the next four years.

Off-grid applications such as solar cookers and lanterns, which can provide several hours of light at night after being charged by the sun during the day, will help cut dependence on fossil fuels and reduce the fourth biggest emitter? s carbon footprint, said Pradeep Dadhich, a senior fellow at energy research institute TERI.

“They are reaching people who otherwise have limited or no access to electricity, and depend on kerosene, diesel or firewood for their energy needs,” he said.“The applications not only satisfy these needs, they also improve the quality of life and reduce the carbon footprint.”

SEWA or Self Employed Women? s Association, is among a growing number of microfinance institutions in India focused on providing affordable renewable energy sources to poor people, who otherwise would have had to stand for hours to buy kerosene for lamps, or trudge miles to collect firewood for cooking.

SKS Microfinance, India? s largest MFI, offers solar lamps to its 5 million customers, while Grameen Surya Bijlee (Rural Solar Electricity) Foundation helps fund lamps and home and street lighting systems for villagers in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

In each British North American colony, the first printing office was established by the Governor and legislative apparatus, Its chief purpose was to publish materials supporting the government's official public communications arena. Aside from these specialized ventures, most subsequent print centers commenced printing and publishing with a weekly newspaper. This had become a regular practice by the mid-1760s, earlier in colonies with the longest tradition of printing.

America's first continuously published newspaper, the Boston News-Letter published its first issue on April 24, 1704. John Campbell, a bookseller and postmaster of Boston, was its first editor, printing the newspaper on what was then refereed to as a half-sheet. It originally appeared on a single page, printed on both sides and issued weekly. In the early years of its publication the News-Letter was filled mostly with news from London journals detailing the intrigues of English politics, and a variety of events concerning the European wars. The rest of the newspaper was filled with items listing ship arrivals, deaths, sermons, political appointments, rims, accidents and the like.

One of the most sensational stories published when the News-Letter was the only newspaper in the colonies was the account of how Blackbeard the pirate was killed in hand-to-hand combat on the deck of a sloop that had engaged his ship in battle. Campbell relinquished his stewardship of the paper in 1722 to Bartholomew Green, its printer. As editor, Green devoted less space to overseas events and more to domestic news.

When Green died after a decade as its editor, the News-Letter was inherited by his son John Draper, also a printer. Draper proved to be a better editor and publisher than his predecessors. He enlarged the paper to four good-sized pages, filling it with news from Boston, other towns throughout the colonies and from abroad.

What is the main subject of the passage?

A．The early history of newspapers in America.

B．The Boston News-Letter.

C．Contents of the Boston News-Letter.

D．Editors of the Boston News-Letter.

If you want to lose weight, but are not a fan of the gym, the results of a new study could offer a welcome alternative. People who wake up and go to bed at the same time every day are【C1】______than those with irregular sleep patterns, the study found. Researchers studied more than 300 women and found that those with the best—or most consistent—sleeping【C2】______had less body fat. The volunteers were【C3】______for body composition, and then were given an activity tracker to【C4】______their movements during the day, and their sleep patterns at night. The. study found that getting【C5】______than 6.5 hours, or more than 8.5 hours, sleep a night is【C6】______higher levels of body fat. Women with more than 90 minutes of variation in sleep and wake time during the week had higher body fat levels than those with less than 60 minutes of variation. Exercise science professor Bruce Bailey said【C7】______sleep quality can result in higher body fat【C8】______affecting the hormones levels【C9】______to appetite. He said: "We have these【C10】______clocks and throwing them off and not【C11】______them to get into a pattern does have a(an) 【C12】______on our physiology." He says there are ways to【C13】______sleep quality, such as【C14】______exercise, keeping your bedroom quiet and dark, and using beds only for sleeping. "Sleep is often a casualty of trying to do more and be better and it is often【C15】______," Professor Bailey said. Previous research from Temple University revealed that when people get a good nights sleep they dont feel so【C16】______They found that when children slept more, they【C17】______134 fewer calories a day and lost weight. These findings were supported by research from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota which also revealed that sleep【C18】______people eat more calories. The researchers studied 17 healthy young people and found that when they slept less they ate more. They believe this is【C19】______when the volunteers were tired, they had higher levels of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, both of which are【C20】______appetite.

【C1】

A．happier

B．slimmer

C．healthier

D．fatter

听力原文： Jane Addams came from a well-to-do and cultured family. She was so distressed about the misery of poor people that she left her fine home to spend her life in the slums of Chicago. In 1889 she established a settlement house where she initiated many projects such as hot -lunch service for factory workers, day-care centres for little children, free classes for young people and adults, a gymnasium, and an art gallery, Immigrants and other poor people came to her settlement house for advice and help, as well as for fun. Jane Addams was also active in fighting against the use of child labour and against war. She worked for women's right to vote and for improving the situation of the blacks, she initiated country vacation programs for poor city children.

Jane Addams had great influence on the development of social work in the United States and in other parts of the world. She promoted the idea of responsibility for the welfare of the poor. Settlement houses of a similar kind were founded in many poor neighbourhoods to make the lives of the poor more meaningful.

In 1931, Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Prize for what she had done for society.

(26)

A．In day-care centers where little children were taken care of.

B．In areas in Chicago where poor people lived.

C．In places where hot lunch was provided for factory workers.

D．In schools where free classes were organized for young people.