[单选题]The two oil companies（ ）to cut costs.
A.mixed
B.mingled
C.merged
D.messed

[单选题]Text 4 Turning oil rigs into reefs saves money and marine life.Yet many greens oppose it.When an offshore well stops producing oil,what should be done with the rig?One option is to haul it ashore,break it up and recycle it.This is expensive.For a big,deep-water oil or gas platform,it can cost S200m.Just hiring a derrick barge massive enough to do the job can cost$700,000 a day.But there is an altemative:simply leave most of the structure where it is.That is what you would expect a greedy oil firm to do:despoil the ocean just to save a lousy few million dollars.The surprise is,the cheap option may actually be greener.More than 490 platforms in American waters have become reefs in the past three decades.The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement urges states to issue reefing permits.State coffers gain:oil firms typically hand over half the money they save by reefing.Those savings vary greatly.Small platforms in shallow waters can often be removed for$lOm,but sometimes for as little as$lm,according to DecomWorld,a consultancy.But for states with lots of offshore oil rigs,the windfalls soon add up.Mississippi pocketed an average of$625,000 for each of the 12 permits it has issued,according to Melissa Scallan of the state's Department of Marine Resources.Louisiana's take has averaged$270,000 per reefing-and the state has seen 336 0f them,says Mike McDonough of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.Far bigger savings arc possible in the deep waters off California.Four years ago the Golden State passed a law allowing reefing.Operators are Ioth to estimate costs publicly,but the Tulane University Energy Institute reckons that reefing the state's 27 platforms could save$2 billion.A platform or two could be retired as early as next year,though rising oil prices may mean they keep pumping longer.The debate is likely to intensify.In the Gulf of Mexico some 400 platforms are now being decommissioned each year.Divers and many fishermen want more to be reefed;shrimpers complain that reefs prevent them from dragging nets across parts of the ocean floor.In Califomia operators must decide quickly if they wish to turn redundant rigs into reefs.Until 2017 firms can keep 45%of the savings.After that the figure falls t0 35%until 2023;then it drops to just 20%.For now,the evidence suggests that reefing is a rare policy.It is both eco-friendly and pays for itself. It is noted in Paragraph 2 that cheap option would be better if_____
A.the rig can be broken up and recycle
B.a ship can be rent to carry up the rig
C.let the structure of the rigs as usual
D.the rig can be used environment friendly

[单选题]Train companies in Tokyo are taking action to reduce the number of people jumping in front of trains．They are fitting blue lights on station platforms to try and create a more calming atmosphere．The East Japan Railway Company has invested almost$170,000 to install the lights in all of the 29 stations on the capital's busy Yamanote Line．There has been an alarming rise in the number of people committing suicide at train stations．A total of 68 people threw themselves under trains in the year up to March．This compares with 42 suicides in the same period a year earlier．In 2008,Japan had nearly 2,000 suicides by jumping in front of a train;around six percent of all suicides nationwide．Suicides have risen sharply in the past decade due to poor economic conditions. No one knows if the blue lights will work．There is no evidence to show that blue light reduces suicidal feelings．Keihan Railway spokesman Osamu Okawa stated:"We thought we had to do something to save lives．We know there is no scientific proof that blue lights deter suicides,but if blue has a soothing effect on the mind,we want to try it to save lives."The Associated Press news agency reports on a Japanese therapist called Mizuki　Takahashi．She explained her reasons why the blue lights might be a good idea:"We associate the color with the sky and the sea．It has a calming effect on agitated people,or people obsessed with one particular thing,which in this case is committing suicide,"she said．Other companies are watching this experiment with interest. What is the writer's attitude toward the experiment?He is__.
A.interested
B.denying
C.objective
D.indifferent

[单选题]Passage Two Generationsof Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essentialto one′s life.Eating breakfast at the start of the day,we have been told,and told again,is as necessary asputting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip.But for many people,the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure Sodespite all the efforts,they still take no breakfast. Between 1977 and 1983,the latest year for which figures could beobtained,the number of people who didn′t have breakfast increased by 33%from8.8 million to 11.7 million--according to the Chicago-based Market ResearchCorporation of America.For those who dislike eating breakfast,however,thereis some good news. Several studies in the last few years have shown that,for adults especially,there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast."Going without breakfast does not affect work,"said Arnold E.Bender,former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London,"nor does giving people breakfast improve work."Scientific evidence linkingbreakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate(不充分),and most of the recent work involves children,not adults."The literature,"says one researcher,Dr.Earnest Polite at theUniversity of Texas,"is poor." Which of these is mentioned inthe second paragraph?
A.The number of the people who skip breakfast has increased.
B.Many people fill their cars withgasoline in the?morning.
C.8.8 million people got involved in astudy on?eating habits.
D.A company carried out a research in1983.

[单选题]Text 2 While fossil fuels—coal，oil，gas—still generate roughly 85 percent of the world’s energy supply,it's clearer than ever that the future belongs to renewable sources such as wind and solar.The move to renewables is picking up momentum around the world：They now account for more than half of new power sources going on line.Some growth stems from a commitment by governments and farsighted businesses to fund cleaner energy sources.But increasingly the story is about the plummeting prices of renewables，especially wind and solar.The cost of solar panels has dropped by 80 percent and the cost of wind turbines by close to one-third in the past eight years.In many parts of the world renewable energy is already a principal energy source.In Scotland，for example，wind turbines provide enough electricity to power 95 percent of homes.While the rest of the world takes the lead，notably China and Europe，the United States is also seeing a remarkable shift.In March，for the first time，wind and solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of the power generated in the US，reported the US Energy Information Administration.President Trump has underlined fossil fuels—especially coal—as the path to economic growth.In a recent speech in Iowa，he dismissed wind power as an unreliable energy source.But that message did not play well with many in Iowa，where wind turbines dot the fields and provide 36 percent of the state’s electricity generation—and where tech giants like Microsoft are being attracted by the availability of clean energy to power their data centers.The question“what happens when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine?”has provided a quick put-down for skeptics.But a boost in the storage capacity of batteries is making their ability to keep power flowing around the clock more likely.The advance is driven in part by vehicle manufacturers，who are placing big bets on battery-powered electric vehicles.Although electric cars are still a rarity on roads now,this massive investment could change the picture rapidly in coming years.While there’s a long way to go，the trend lines for renewables are spiking.The pace of change in energy sources appears to be speeding up—perhaps just in time to have a meaningful effect in slowing climate change.What Washington does—or doesn’t do—to promote alternative energy may mean less and less at a time of a global shift in thought. Which of the following is true about clean energy according to Paragraphs 5&6?
A.Its application has boosted battery storage.
B.It is commonly used in car manufacturing.
C.Its continuous supply is becoming a reality.
D.Its sustainable exploitation will remain difficult.

[单选题]Text 3 Over the past decade,many companies had perfected the art of creating automatic behaviors—habits—among consumers.These habits have helped companies earn billions of dollars when customers eat snacks or wipe counters almost without thinking,often in response to a carefully designed set of daily cues.“There are fundamental public health problems,like dirty hands instead of a soap habit,that remain killers only because we can't figure out how to change people's habits，”said Dr.Curtis,the director of the Hygiene Center at the London School of Hygiene&Tropical Medicine.“We wanted to learn from private industry how to create new behaviors that happen automatically.”The companies that Dr.Curtis turned to—Procter&Gamble,ColgatePalmolive and Unilever—had invested hundreds of millions of dollars finding the subtle cues in consumers'lives that corporations could use to introduce new routines.If you look hard enough,you'll find that many of the products we use every day—chewing gums,skin moisturizers,disinfecting wipes,air fresheners,water purifiers,health snacks,teeth whiteners,fabric softeners,vitamins—are results of manufactured habits.A century ago,few people regularly brushed their teeth multiple times a day.Today,because of shrewed advertising and public health campaigns,many Americans habitually give their pearly whites a cavitypreventing scrub twice a day,often with Colgate,Crest or one of the other brands.A few decades ago,many people didn't drink water outside of a meal.Then beverage companies started bottling the production of faroff springs,and now office workers unthinkingly sip bottled water all day long.Chewing gum,once bought primarily by adolescent boys,is now featured in commercials as a breath freshener and teeth cleanser for use after a meal.Skin moisturizers are advertised as part of morning beauty rituals,slipped in between hair brushing and putting on makeup.“Our products succeed when they become part of daily or weekly patterns,”said Carol Berning,a consumer psychologist who recently retired from Procter&Gamble,the company that sold$76 billion of Tide,Crest and other products last year.“Creating positive habits is a huge part of improving our consumers'lives,and it's essential to making new products commercially viable.”Through experiments and observation,social scientists like Dr.Berning have learned that there is power in tying certain behaviors to habitual cues through relentless advertising.As this new science of habit has emerged,controversies have erupted when the tactics have been used to sell questionable beauty creams or unhealthy foods. According to Dr.Curtis,habits like hand washing with soap_____
A.should be further cultivated
B.should be changed gradually
C.are deeply rooted in history
D.are basically private concerns