Snow falls in the Earth's extreme North and South throughout the year. However, the heaviest snowfalls have been reported in the mountains of other areas during winter. Snow is even known to fall near the Equator (赤道), but only on the highest mountains.

    Snow contains much less water than rain, but much of the water the world uses comes from snow. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} In the western United States, mountain snow provides up to seventy-five percent of all surface water supplies.

    Snowfall helps to protect plants and some wild animals from winter weather. Fresh snow is made largely of air trapped among the snow crystals (晶体). Because the air has trouble moving, the movement of heat is limited. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The surface of the snow takes in, or absorbs, sound waves. As snow grows older or if there have been strong winds, it can become hard and flat. Then, the snow's surface will help to send back sound waves.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people. Many people die in traffic accidents on roads covered with snow and ice or from being seriously stuck in the winter storm. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}.

    People may not be able to avoid living in areas where it snows often. However, they can avoid becoming victims of snowstorms. People should stop driving and stay at home until the storm has passed. People living in these areas should carry emergency supplies in their vehicle. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. These include food, emergency medical supplies, and extra clothing to stay warm and dry.

B. Snow also influences the movement of sound waves.

C. Melting snow provides water for rivers, electric power stations and agricultural crops.

D. Mountain snowfall is heavier than that in the South and the North Poles.

E. In many places, streets were blocked; houses fell down and supplies were short.

F. Others die from heart attacks caused by too much physical activity out in the cold.

G. Snow may be beautiful, but it can be deadly.

    {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But still there is a danger that grows every year．Airliners get larger. Some airplanes can hold over 300 passengers. And the air itself becomes more and more crowded. If one giant airliner crashed into another in mid-air 600 lives could be lost. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Air traffic controllers tell the pilot exactly when to turn when to climb and when to come down．The air traffic controllers around a busy airport like London-Heathrow may handle 2500 planes a day．Not all of them actually land at the airport．Many plane that flies near the airport comes under the orders of the controllers there. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Recently such a disaster almost happened. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} One with 69 passengers had come from Toronto and the other with 176 passengers from Chicago, an air traffic controller noticed on his radar screen that the two planes were too close to each other. He ordered one to turn to the right and to climb. But he made a mistake. He ordered the wrong plane to do this. Fifteen seconds later it flew directly in front of the second plane. They avoided each other by the smallest part of a second. The distance between them was less than that of a large swimming pool. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Even a small mistake on their part could cause a disaster.

B. Two large jets were flying towards the airport.

C. Nowadays people like traveling more by air than by car.

D. Today air travel is far safer than driving a car on a bus motor-way.

E. This is an example of the danger that grows every year.

F. In a word air travel is more dangerous we should choose others.

G. From the moment an airliner takes off to the moment it lands, every movement is watched on radar screen.

    The first time I played basketball, I was 8 years old. I played in my community where I grew up, and there were never referees（裁判）. I didn't know the rules. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I always wanted to stay after the game and continue to play basketball.

    I grew up in a single-parent home with no father around, no brothers or sisters. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Sports gave me an opportunity to forget all that I had gone through during my childhood.

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} One was the trust of the guys who were playing. It was passing the ball to friends and seeing their joy after making a basket. The other was competition, which is different from opposition. When I was in fifth grade, I wanted to be in the NBA.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    When I was 14, my coach would tell others that I was the best kid he had ever seen, and that I had NBA potential（潜力）. From then on, I got bigger and bigger. I loved the game more and more. I had the greatest time of my life playing basketball in high school.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} There are no shortcuts（捷径）. My teammates and I come from different walks of life and in different shapes and sizes, but we all put in the time. We do that for the joy of being out on the basketball court. And we've achieved a lot in the field.

A. It's a natural habit.

B. But I knew I loved it.

C. We always had difficulty paying our bills.

D. I thought, I guess I'm doing the right thing.

E. You have to dream something to make it a reality.

F. I fell in love with basketball mainly for two reasons.

G. In basketball, you get back what you give to the game.

    For the rest of March, a disease will sweep across the US. It will keep kids home from school.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}Employees will suddenly lose their ability to concentrate.

    The disease, known as "March Madness", refers to the yearly 65 – team US men's college basketball tournament (锦标赛). {#blank#}2{#/blank#}Teams compete against each other in a single – elimination (单局淘汰) tournament that eventually crowns a national champion.

    Nearly 20 million Americans will find themselves prisoners of basketball festival madness. The fun comes partly from guessing the winners for every game. Friends compete against friends. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}Colleagues against bosses.

    Big – name schools are usually favored to advance into the tournament. But each year there are dark horses from little – known universities.

    This adds to the madness. Watching a team from a school with 3,000 students beat a team from a school with 30,000, for many Americans, is an exciting experience. Two years ago, the little – known George Mason University was one of the final four teams. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    College basketball players are not paid, so the game is more about making a name for their university and themselves.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}About $ 4 billion will be spent gambling (赌) on the event. According to Media Life magazine, the event will bring in $ 500 million in advertising income this year, topping the post – season income of every US professional league, including that of the NBA.

A. Husbands against wives.

B. The players will go all out for the games.

C. But that doesn't mean money isn't involved.

D. College students will ignore piles of homework.

E. People are willing to spend more money on watching it.

F. It begins on March 15 and lasts through the beginning of April.

G. Many people had never even heard of the university before the tournament.

    Nowadays people tend to digitalise everything from watches to fridges. It seems you can choose any item labeled as “smart”.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}However, there are plenty that can be used to reduce emissions and save money.

    If you're a part of the digitalisation movement, you might be interested in the concept of smart homes. It means that every element of your house can be controlled from a panel on the wall or your phone.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Use your mobile to power them on or off, and you may feel truly modern or truly lazy. Asides from the benefits of living a more comfortable life, this presents an opportunity to cut down on your electrical bills.

    Electricity generation today represents 31% of total global fossil fuel use and around 40% of all energy-related CO₂ emissions.{#blank#}3{#/blank#}It is considered as the first step to prevent global climate change. Connect a smart thermometer to the heating and cooling system and set a specific temperature at which the heating begins to work. Doing so, the room will be at a desired temperature when necessary and switches on a power-saving mode when not occupied. Similarly, by installing a CO₂ sensor, you can have an automated ventilation (通风) system.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    In a 150,000m₂ office complex near Munich, called Campeon, energy costs of up to 117,067 Euro were saved after the use of environmental control devices this year. In this way, they are contributing to a large decrease in CO₂ emissions. Clearly, smart homes are about much more than just living a comfortable life.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. It is actually about living a green life.

B. Smart devices have been installed worldwide nowadays.

C. It starts working only when CO₂ concentrations reach a certain limit.

D. There seem to be an ocean of such so-called “smart” inventions.

E. Bearing this in mind, measures should be taken to make buildings more energy-efficient.

F. Alternative energy must be discovered before the fossil fuel runs out in the future.

G. This includes basics such as heating and lighting and many other appliances.

    Do you ever feel like you've got a great idea, one that makes you feel unbelievably inspired and want to change the world? {#blank#}1{#/blank#} We've all been there. And we'll all be there again and again throughout life. So take a deep breath, and try these techniques:

    Start small.

    So often, we feel the need to take great leaps and bounds. Every day needs to be filled with productivity. But we reach a point where we get overwhelmed(不知所措的) by all the things we have to do. Break it down. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Take a baby step. Once you get going, it will be harder to stop.

    Do the thing you're afraid of.

    Often when we get overwhelmed, it's because the task ahead is daunting（吓人的）. There's no easy way around it. The more we think about it, the more frightened we feel. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Most of the time, things are never as bad as we imagined them in our minds.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The biggest misunderstanding is that we have to do everything on our own. But that's simply not true. Success never comes without support. So reach out. Call a friend. Ask for advice. Your community will be more than happy to help, and you'll feel better.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} The harder you work for something you believe in, the better you will feel about it. And once you learn how to handle hitting a brick wall, it will get easier to deal with the next time around.

A. Ask for help.

B. Don't give up.

C. No one wants to live with regrets.

D. No one can do everything all at once.

E. So stop thinking about it, and just do it.

F. But once you start working on your idea, you start doubting yourself.

G. Remember that if it's not easy, it probably means it's worth it.