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社会时事包括经济、政治、文化、科学等各种题材，其中含有“文化交流”的材料是高考英语阅读理解的热点题材。如2007年高考天津卷考了罗马政府一条保护动物的法令及相关背景，上海卷考了美国政府邮票改革的相关信息。下面就是上海卷的高考题，请你认真做一遍。
Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.
The bad news∶Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news∶With the introduction of a“forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or 3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.
Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies,“forever stamps”will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.
The new “forever stamp”is the United States Postal Service’（USPS） answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increase will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation(通货膨胀)，competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a Spokesman for USPS.
The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or 3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”
Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.
Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps,” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich-the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.
The USPS board of governors has yet not accepted the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.
72． The main purpose of introducing a“forever stamp” is___________.
A． to reduce the cost of printing 2-or 3-cent stamps
B． to help save the consumer’s cost on first-class mailing
C． to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates
D． to compete with online bill paying
73． By saying“It could be your great-grand children’s stamp”, Mr Saunders means that forevers tamps___________.
A． could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren
B． might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands
C． might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers
D． could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later
74． Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A． The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.
B． America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.
C． The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.
D． 2-or 3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.
75． What can be concluded from the passage?
A． With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.
B． Postal workers will benefit most form the sales of forever stamps.
C． The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.
D． New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.
本文介绍了美国邮票的变革，美国邮政部门打算增加一种“永久性邮票(forever stamp)”，这一种邮票避免每次由于通货膨胀以及竞争而导致的邮资上涨给普通老百姓购买邮票带来的不便，同时也避免浪费资源来印发其他面额邮票。
72． C 细节理解题。由第四段首句The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’ (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases可以得知答案。
73． D 细节理解题。由“forever stamp”这个名称中的forever可知，子孙后代都可以使用这种邮票。也可结合第3段最后一句和第5段最后一句来理解，得出答案。
74． C 细节理解题。由末段的最后一句 “No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.”可知这种邮票还没有设计出来。这种邮票还只能expects some financial gain， 而不是adequate reward，故排除A；因Canada, England, and Finland都已经在使用这种邮票了，故B错；由第五段“not printing as many 2-or 3-cent stamps”可知2-or 3-cent stamps的邮票不是不再印刷，只是数量不会那么大，故D错。
75． A 推理判断题。由第3段未句和第4段首句可推知答案。此题与72题有关联。
即时练习
Not long ago, we argued in this space that because America has some of the best tap water available, it is time to start thinking twice about drinking commercially bottled water. One big reason is that a lot of petroleum is required to manufacture and transport the plastic bottles, thus adding to global warming and other environmental problems. Of course, in certain circumstances bottled water is necessary. It is essential during emergencies — think Katrina — and it is certainly a better alternative when the only other drinks come loaded with calories.
What the rising use of bottled water leaves us with, however, is a huge recycling problem. Of the mountain of individual plastic water bottles created by Americans each year —enough to hold more than seven billion gallons of water — less than one-fourth are sent to the recycling industry for a second round. That makes absolutely no sense for the environment or for the economy.
The recycling industry sees plastic water bottles as a prime commodity because they can be turned into anything from fleece jackets to a very durable set of luggage. One reason so few water bottles are recycled is that except in a very few states, they cannot be redeemed at the local grocery store.
But recycling rates are significantly higher in the 11 states that pay customers a nickel (and in some cases a dime) if they return their bottle. But only three of these states — California, Hawaii and Maine — include water bottles. Passing new bottle laws or expanding old laws to include plastic bottles should be an easy call for most Legislatures. But the grocery and drink industry have been able to use their power and campaign funds, to keep that from happening. That needs to change.
There are other ways to encourage recycling. At many public places — ballgames or city parks, for example — it is often much easier to buy a bottle of water than to find a recycling bin to throw it away. And in some areas, like parts of Philadelphia, officials are experimenting with ways to pay homeowners by the pound for recycled garbage, a trend definitely worth watching.
Of course, for most people, the simplest recycling solution of all might be to wash a plastic bottle out and refill it with fresh water from the tap.
1. What is the writer’s attitude towards bottled water?
A. It is completely unnecessary.
B. It will cause obesity because it contains calories.
C. Producing bottled water will worsen global warming.
D. It is less tasty than tapping water.
2. What is a possible cause of low recycling rates of plastic water bottles?
A. Plastic water bottles have little recycling value.
B. In some public places, not enough dustbins are set up to collect bottles.
C. The recycling industry will cost much to recycle bottles.
D. Consumers of bottled water are not willing to have their bottles recycled.
3. The underlined word“redeemed”in the third Paragraph probably means _______.
A. returned
B. changed into an amount of money
C. collected D. recycled
4. We can infer from the passage that _______.
A. Americans will consume more than seven billion gallons of water each year
B. consumers of bottled water in California will get some money back if they return their plastic bottles to grocery store
C. new laws have been set up to encourage plastic bottle recycling
D. government should buy recycled garbage from people
5. We can conclude from the passage that the writer _____.
A. encourages people to wash plastic bottles to better recycle them
B. wants people to drink more tap water than bottled water
C. advocates all social class’s contribution to collecting and recycling garbage
D. criticizes grocery and drink industry for their irresponsibility to recycle plastic bottles
本文是讲美国人弃优质的自来水不喝，喝瓶装水，导致大量的塑料瓶的浪费，所以作者认为喝完瓶装水应把水瓶送回杂货店，使塑料瓶得到回收和利用。
理解本文需要有相应的文化背景知识，如要正确解答第3题，一定要知道nickel和dime是钱币的单位，而理解文章第一段的“It is essential during emergencies — think Katrina”，要联想到美国去年遭受的卡特里娜飓风。
1. C 推理判断题。由第一段“manufacture and transport the plastic bottles, thus adding to global warming and other environmental problems”可知答案。
2. B 细节理解题。由倒数第二段中的“it is often much easier to buy a bottle of water than to find a recycling bin to throw it away.” 可推知答案。
3. B 词义猜测题。联系下文“如果买了瓶装水，喝完水后把瓶子送回杂货店，杂货店是可以退瓶子钱给顾客的”可知答案。
4. B 推理判断题。第四段可知California, Hawaii and Maine这三个州, 如果人们送塑料瓶回去给杂货店，是可以退钱给顾客的。
5. B 推理判断题。最后一段作者希望人们用塑料瓶装自来水，鼓励多喝自来水，本文的主旨是促进塑料瓶的回收。
责任编校蒋小青
Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.
The bad news∶Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news∶With the introduction of a“forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or 3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.
Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies,“forever stamps”will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.
The new “forever stamp”is the United States Postal Service’（USPS） answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increase will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation(通货膨胀)，competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a Spokesman for USPS.
The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or 3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”
Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.
Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps,” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich-the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.
The USPS board of governors has yet not accepted the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.
72． The main purpose of introducing a“forever stamp” is___________.
A． to reduce the cost of printing 2-or 3-cent stamps
B． to help save the consumer’s cost on first-class mailing
C． to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates
D． to compete with online bill paying
73． By saying“It could be your great-grand children’s stamp”, Mr Saunders means that forevers tamps___________.
A． could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren
B． might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands
C． might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers
D． could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later
74． Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A． The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.
B． America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.
C． The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.
D． 2-or 3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.
75． What can be concluded from the passage?
A． With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.
B． Postal workers will benefit most form the sales of forever stamps.
C． The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.
D． New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.
本文介绍了美国邮票的变革，美国邮政部门打算增加一种“永久性邮票(forever stamp)”，这一种邮票避免每次由于通货膨胀以及竞争而导致的邮资上涨给普通老百姓购买邮票带来的不便，同时也避免浪费资源来印发其他面额邮票。
72． C 细节理解题。由第四段首句The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’ (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases可以得知答案。
73． D 细节理解题。由“forever stamp”这个名称中的forever可知，子孙后代都可以使用这种邮票。也可结合第3段最后一句和第5段最后一句来理解，得出答案。
74． C 细节理解题。由末段的最后一句 “No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.”可知这种邮票还没有设计出来。这种邮票还只能expects some financial gain， 而不是adequate reward，故排除A；因Canada, England, and Finland都已经在使用这种邮票了，故B错；由第五段“not printing as many 2-or 3-cent stamps”可知2-or 3-cent stamps的邮票不是不再印刷，只是数量不会那么大，故D错。
75． A 推理判断题。由第3段未句和第4段首句可推知答案。此题与72题有关联。
即时练习
Not long ago, we argued in this space that because America has some of the best tap water available, it is time to start thinking twice about drinking commercially bottled water. One big reason is that a lot of petroleum is required to manufacture and transport the plastic bottles, thus adding to global warming and other environmental problems. Of course, in certain circumstances bottled water is necessary. It is essential during emergencies — think Katrina — and it is certainly a better alternative when the only other drinks come loaded with calories.
What the rising use of bottled water leaves us with, however, is a huge recycling problem. Of the mountain of individual plastic water bottles created by Americans each year —enough to hold more than seven billion gallons of water — less than one-fourth are sent to the recycling industry for a second round. That makes absolutely no sense for the environment or for the economy.
The recycling industry sees plastic water bottles as a prime commodity because they can be turned into anything from fleece jackets to a very durable set of luggage. One reason so few water bottles are recycled is that except in a very few states, they cannot be redeemed at the local grocery store.
But recycling rates are significantly higher in the 11 states that pay customers a nickel (and in some cases a dime) if they return their bottle. But only three of these states — California, Hawaii and Maine — include water bottles. Passing new bottle laws or expanding old laws to include plastic bottles should be an easy call for most Legislatures. But the grocery and drink industry have been able to use their power and campaign funds, to keep that from happening. That needs to change.
There are other ways to encourage recycling. At many public places — ballgames or city parks, for example — it is often much easier to buy a bottle of water than to find a recycling bin to throw it away. And in some areas, like parts of Philadelphia, officials are experimenting with ways to pay homeowners by the pound for recycled garbage, a trend definitely worth watching.
Of course, for most people, the simplest recycling solution of all might be to wash a plastic bottle out and refill it with fresh water from the tap.
1. What is the writer’s attitude towards bottled water?
A. It is completely unnecessary.
B. It will cause obesity because it contains calories.
C. Producing bottled water will worsen global warming.
D. It is less tasty than tapping water.
2. What is a possible cause of low recycling rates of plastic water bottles?
A. Plastic water bottles have little recycling value.
B. In some public places, not enough dustbins are set up to collect bottles.
C. The recycling industry will cost much to recycle bottles.
D. Consumers of bottled water are not willing to have their bottles recycled.
3. The underlined word“redeemed”in the third Paragraph probably means _______.
A. returned
B. changed into an amount of money
C. collected D. recycled
4. We can infer from the passage that _______.
A. Americans will consume more than seven billion gallons of water each year
B. consumers of bottled water in California will get some money back if they return their plastic bottles to grocery store
C. new laws have been set up to encourage plastic bottle recycling
D. government should buy recycled garbage from people
5. We can conclude from the passage that the writer _____.
A. encourages people to wash plastic bottles to better recycle them
B. wants people to drink more tap water than bottled water
C. advocates all social class’s contribution to collecting and recycling garbage
D. criticizes grocery and drink industry for their irresponsibility to recycle plastic bottles
本文是讲美国人弃优质的自来水不喝，喝瓶装水，导致大量的塑料瓶的浪费，所以作者认为喝完瓶装水应把水瓶送回杂货店，使塑料瓶得到回收和利用。
理解本文需要有相应的文化背景知识，如要正确解答第3题，一定要知道nickel和dime是钱币的单位，而理解文章第一段的“It is essential during emergencies — think Katrina”，要联想到美国去年遭受的卡特里娜飓风。
1. C 推理判断题。由第一段“manufacture and transport the plastic bottles, thus adding to global warming and other environmental problems”可知答案。
2. B 细节理解题。由倒数第二段中的“it is often much easier to buy a bottle of water than to find a recycling bin to throw it away.” 可推知答案。
3. B 词义猜测题。联系下文“如果买了瓶装水，喝完水后把瓶子送回杂货店，杂货店是可以退瓶子钱给顾客的”可知答案。
4. B 推理判断题。第四段可知California, Hawaii and Maine这三个州, 如果人们送塑料瓶回去给杂货店，是可以退钱给顾客的。
5. B 推理判断题。最后一段作者希望人们用塑料瓶装自来水，鼓励多喝自来水，本文的主旨是促进塑料瓶的回收。
责任编校蒋小青