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Unit 1 Living Green

Key to Exercises Opener

Suggested answers for reference

1. There are a lot of simple things we can do to decrease energy consumption. Here are just a few examples:

Use energy efficient light bulbs for our most-used lights. When we leave a room, turn off the light.

Turn off our computer/laptop when we are not using it.

Save water. Take quicker showers. When brushing teeth we should not leave faucet running.

Use reusable cloth shopping bags that are made from plant fibers. Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool, or use public transportation.

2. Old clothes and books: Other people can reuse our unwanted clothes and books if we donate them.

Old clothes can also be made into other items such as cushion covers.

Old electrical equipment: Donate old electrical equipment to schools or community centers so that others can reuse them.

Rechargeable batteries: Unlike regular batteries that create unnecessary waste, rechargeable batteries can be reused many times before they need to be thrown away.

Jars and pots: By cleaning glass jars and small pots, we can use them as small containers to store odds and ends（零星物品）.

3. Living green means reducing one’s carbon footprint, or, more generally, making as small an impact on the natural environment as possible.

Yes, I have thought about it. I can take some small steps to restrict energy consumption. For example, taking shorter, cooler showers. In that way I can save energy by minimizing hot water use.

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Reading & Interacting

I. Understanding the Text

1. Text Organization

Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas The writer and her family wanted to slow things Part One Paras. 1-4 down and decided to move to a property that was off the grid. Living off the grid, the writer’s family had to deal Part Two Paras. 5-10 with a lot of big challenges, and yet meanwhile gained many benefits. Part Three

2. Comprehension Check 2.1 Focusing on the main ideas

After living in the city of Las Vegas for years, Alison Zeuschel and her family decided to move to the countryside. Their home hunting ended up in a very small town in Arizona where they purchased a house on 40 acres that was not only off the grid, but without access to any (public) utilities. Just imagine the challenges facing them, such as generating their own power and hauling their own water. However, they worked hard and succeeded in making the adjustment in a few months. In addition, they benefited a lot from living off the grid there. Most important of all, they came to know the importance of conservation and learned how to conserve power and water and how to reuse things, etc. In other words they learned how to live green. 2.2 Digging into detail

1. Her daughter wanted a horse. Her husband wanted property. Her son wanted a

dirt bike. The writer herself wanted her family to be more self-sufficient. 2. The property was off the grid. It was actually not connected to any utilities —

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Para. 11 Conclusion: Going off the grid was a great experience for the writer’s family. . . . .

power, water or a sewer system.

3. They generated electricity by wind and solar power, and stored it in 16 golf cart batteries. Water had to be hauled in from a nearby town and stored in two tanks located on the property.

4. In her view, one of the greatest benefits was teaching her children the importance of conservation.

5. Other changes included reducing the amount of trash by recycling and composting, growing their own organic vegetables and reusing things that they would normally toss away. 2.3 Understanding difficult sentences 1. A 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. B

II. Focusing on Language in Context

1. Key Words & Expressions 1.1

1. Jack has no interest whatsoever in pursuing an acting career. He loves writing and directing.

2. The idea was to have users upload their medical records, so that they could be available at any time. 3. Traffic jams often build up when drivers slow down to see what happened in a crash.

4. A native New Yorker, Ben is familiar with the city, its neighborhoods, and all he has connections with.

5. You may have already seen your dream house. Before you put in an offer, you can do a few more things to ensure you purchase the right property for the right price.

6. Buying organic fruit and vegetables costs more, and for many shoppers, the benefits hardly seem worth the extra expense.

7. Self-sufficient living is the practice of providing for your own needs without

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outside aid or resources.

8. In the interview, the writer was asked how he set about writing a novel based on a dream he once had.

9. Are you thinking of becoming an insurance sales agent? Take this quiz to find out if this is the right career choice for you.

10. The rent for the apartment is reasonable; besides, the utilities are included, which means you don’t have to pay anything for gas, electricity and water. 11. A central heating and cooling system produces warm or cool air in one central area and distributes it throughout the building.

12. We were deeply shocked and saddened when we learned of the sudden death of our newly retired professor.

13. If you know the ins and outs of something, you know all the details about it and understand how it works.

14. It’s long been proven that we can accomplish any project if we break it up into small pieces and do the project one piece at a time. 1.2

1. consist of 2. tossed 3. overall 4. hauling 1.3

1. If you’re in business long enough, it’s inevitable you will meet with/face/encounter setbacks. 2. Hydroelectric power plants generate electricity in a much cleaner way than coal-fired ones.

3. Knowing the proper way to do laundry will help you avoid shrinking your sweaters and dyeing your white socks pink.

4. We really appreciate the invitation to your party, but my elderly mother lives with us and we don’t like to leave her alone in the evenings.

5. The hotel is OK but could make some adjustments to live up to its 5-star rating. 6. Most of us take electricity for granted. But do you know that about 1.5 billion people in this world have no access to electrical power?

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5. went out 6. in use

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2. Usage

1. He spoke to her looking away, as though to avoid meeting her eyes. 2. I hope to arrive in Hangzhou at 2:20 pm to catch the 3:10 train to Ningbo. 3. Maria refused to attend a party to which Lucia was also invited. 4. You may want to consider going on strike if you think you are paid unfair wages.

5. I remember feeling really happy when I was told they had found a house that could meet our needs.

6. If I fail to pass the exam on the first attempt, can I take the exam again? 7. The hotel and its staff are great. We really enjoyed staying there during our trip to Nanjing.

8. It is not only your health that will improve if you give up smoking, but also the health of your family.

9. Few of my friends could resist playing this computer game. 10. Please remember to pay back the money to Mary the moment you receive your salary next month.

3. Sentence Patterns 3.1

1. It was the day before yesterday that they set out. / It was they that set out the

day before yesterday.

2. It was by the roadside that I found the lost wallet. / It was I that/who found the lost wallet by the roadside. /It was the lost wallet that I found by the roadside. 3. It was not until he got everything ready for the experiment that Xiao Wang left the lab. 3.2

1. It took my parents half an hour to finally find their way back to the hotel. / It

took half an hour for my parents to finally find their way back to the hotel. 2. It took us almost two hours to work out this difficult math problem. / It took

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