If you're looking for a reason to care about tree loss, this summer's record-breaking heat waves might be it. Trees can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit(华氏度), according to a recent study. But tree cover in US cities is shrinking. A study published last year by the US Forest Service found that we lost 36 million trees annually from urban and rural communities over a five-year period. If we continue on this path, "cities will become warmer, more polluted and generally more unhealthy for inhabitants," said David Nowak, a senior US Forest Service scientist and co-author of the study. Nowak says there are many reasons our tree cover is declining, including hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, insects and disease. But the one reason for tree loss that humans can control is sensible development.
"We see the tree cover being changed, which means when we look at the photographs, what was there is now replaced with a parking lot or a building," Nowak said. "Every time we put a road down, we put a building and we cut a tree or add a tree, it not only affects that site, it affects the region." The study placed a value on tree loss based on trees' role in air pollution removal and energy conservation.
Nowak says there's a downside to trees too, such as pollen allergies or large falling branches in storms, "and people don't like sweeping leaves." But, he says, there are ways cities and counties can manage trees to help communities thrive. Urban forests especially need our help to replace fallen trees. Unlike rural areas, it is very difficult for trees to repopulate themselves in a city environment with so much pavement and asphalt(沥青). "A lot of our native trees can't actually find a place to drop a seed so they can regenerate," explains Greg Levine, co-executive director for Trees Atlanta. "That's why the community has to go in and actually plant a tree because the areas just aren't natural anymore."
Nowak says the first step is caring for the trees on your own property. "We think we pay for our house, and so we must maintain it. But because we don't pay for nature, we don't need to. And that's not necessarily true."
1. Why does the author mention “trees can lower summer daytime temperatures” ?| A．To tell the temperatures in summer are high. |
| B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To tell trees are helpful. |
| D．To explain the reason of tree loss. |
| A．Improve climate to let trees grow. |
| B．Prevent fires form damaging trees. |
| C．Develop cities in reasonable ways. |
| D．Decrease insects in citites. |
| A．Because trees in urban areas can’t regenerate naturally. |
| B．Because native trees don’t drop seeds any more. |
| C．Because trees don’t grow in a city environment. |
| D．Because humans want to plant more trees. |
| A．Describe the importance of trees in cities. |
| B．Show the number of trees in the US is declining. |
| C．Ask people to plant trees with the author. |
| D．Appeal people to protect trees in their surroundings. |
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【推荐1】How does an ecosystem(生态系统)work？What makes the populations of different species the way they are？Why are there so many flies and so few wolves？To find an answer，scientists have built mathematical models of food webs，noting who eats whom and how much each one eats.
With such models，scientists have found out some key principles operating in food webs. Most food webs，for instance，consist of many weak links rather than a few strong ones. When a predator(掠食动物)always eats huge numbers of a single prey(猎物)，the two species are strongly linked；when a predator lives on various species，they are weakly linked. Food webs may be dominated by many weak links because that arrangement is more stable over the long term. If a predator can eat several species，it can survive the extinction(灭绝)of one of them. And if a predator can move on to another species that is easier to find when a prey species becomes rare，the switch allows the original prey to recover. The weak links may thus keep species from driving one another to extinction.
Mathematical models have also revealed that food webs may be unstable，where small changes of top predators can lead to big effects throughout entire ecosystems. In the 1960s，scientists proposed that predators at the top of a food web had a surprising amount of control over the size of populations of other species---including species they did not directly attack.
And unplanned human activities have proved the idea of top-down control by top predators to be true. In the ocean，we fished for top predators such as cod on an industrial scale，while on land，we killed off large predators such as wolves. These actions have greatly affected the ecological balance.
Scientists have built an early-warning system based on mathematical models. Ideally，the system would tell us when to adapt human activities that are pushing an ecosystem toward a breakdown or would even allow us to pull an ecosystem back from the borderline. Prevention is key，which scientists says because once ecosystems pass their tipping point(临界点)，it is remarkably difficult for them to return.
1. What have scientists discovered with the help of mathematical models of food webs？| A．The living habits of species in food webs. |
| B．The rules governing food webs of the ecosystems. |
| C．The approaches to studying the species in the ecosystems. |
| D．The differences between weak and strong links in food webs. |
| A．has a wide food choice | B．can easily find new prey |
| C．sticks to one prey species | D．can quickly move to another place |
| A．Uncontrolled human activities greatly upset ecosystems. |
| B．Rapid economic development threatens animal habitats. |
| C．Species of commercial value dominate other species. |
| D．Industrial activities help keep food webs stable. |
| A．By getting illegal practices under control. |
| B．By stopping us from killing large predators. |
| C．By bringing the broken-down ecosystems back to normal. |
| D．By signaling the urgent need for taking preventive action. |
【推荐2】Every summer, the Serengeti plains (平原) of Africa are worth visiting. Millions of wild animals begin their 1,800-mile journey northwards on their annual migratory (迁移的) route.
In the month of November, polar bears in their thousands cross the Canadian Arctic, as they head towards the ice sheets of Hudson Bay. The sea ice that forms every winter is the key to the bear’s managing to exist, for here they hunt for seals (海豹).
The Great Bustard, one of the heaviest flying birds, migrates each year across Europe and Asia to its wintering grounds. Unluckily, these and other migratory animals are in danger from human activity.
We have written several articles on climate change and the effect of rising ocean temperatures. Since 1979, ice sheets in the Arctic have gone down by 30 percent. What does this mean for polar bears? They are forced to stay on land for longer periods of time, which delays their search for food. As a result, bears today are 60 pounds lighter than what they were. Besides, smaller bears also produce weaker babies, and their chances of survival are at risk. In the plains of Africa, migratory animals like gazelles are traveling long distances for food, just to avoid falling prey (牺牲品) to humans who hunt them.
In an unusual step, experts from 120 countries have agreed to protect 31 migratory mammals, fish and birds. The United Nation’s 11th annual Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was held in Quito, Ecuador. For the first time, 900 experts attended the conference, and the enthusiastic support shows the world is united in conservation (保护) efforts.
What does getting on a protected list mean? Countries that have signed the agreement will be required to pass laws locally and work with other countries that fall within the animal’s migratory path. Only one animal did not make the list. The African lion was rejected (拒绝) for lack of information of the countries where it lives.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．The Great Bustard is one of the largest flying birds. |
| B．The weight of polar bears today is lighter than what it was. |
| C．In the 1970s, ice sheets went down by 30 percent. |
| D．120 experts have agreed to protect 21 migratory animals. |
| A．We don’t know which countries it lives in. |
| B．It isn’t a migratory animal. |
| C．Experts were not interested in this animal. |
| D．It was not traveling long distances for food. |
| A．let us know about the animals |
| B．prevent the rare animals from dying out |
| C．inform us of the effects of climate change |
| D．draw our attention to helping the migratory animals |
| A．some human activity | B．the enthusiastic support from experts |
| C．rising ocean temperatures | D．climate change |
【推荐3】In mid-January, Cape Town officials announced that the world-class South African city of four million residents would run out of water on April 12. The date, nicknamed “Day Zero,” has since been postponed multiple times, thanks to the intense conservation efforts by locals, a sharp reduction in agricultural water usage, and a 10 billion-liter donation from the private reservoirs(水库) of the Groenland Farmers Association.
The city now has enough water to sustain the current level of usage until July 9, giving residents hope that the rainy season, which begins in June, will be more regular than has been the case lately.
Four years ago, Cape Town’s water disaster would have seemed impossible given that the city’s six dam, which can hold 230 billion liters of water, were filled to the brim. However, three years of low rainfall – a third of normal levels – and the ever-increasing population, have reduced the dams to puddles.
In an attempt to avoid Day Zero, the government has imposed a strict 50-liter daily limit for all households. Residents are being urged to reduce their water usage by making small changes like taking shorter showers and reusing bathing water to flush toilets. Those that use more have to pay heavy fines.
When Day Zero strikes, a million homes or about 75 percent of the city will lose access to running water. Residents will instead have to wait in line at the over 200 water distribution centers established around the city to obtain 25 liters a day.
Though conservation measures will help in the short run, only nature can solve the problem. If the city gets enough rainfall during its winter season from June to August, it will provide much-needed relief. However, the local officials are not sure it will happen.
1. What does the underlined word “brim” in the second paragraph probably mean?| A．bottom | B．top edge |
| C．extended part | D．central part |
| A．Limiting the daily usage of water to 25 liters. |
| B．Establishing 200 water distribution centers in the city. |
| C．Reducing the city population as much as possible |
| D．Restricting water usage in agriculture significantly |
| A．Tomorrow is still unknown. | B．Current efforts will pay off. |
| C．Man is at the mercy of nature. | D．It’s time to make joint efforts. |
| A．To inform us of the severe situation of water shortage in Cape Town. |
| B．To appeal to the world to come together to help people Cape Town. |
| C．To explain the cause of the severe water shortage in Cape Town. |
| D．To applaud the efforts by people in Cape Town to address water shortage. |
【推荐1】Something’s happening at the lowest point on our planet, some 1,388 feet below the sea level.
The Dead Sea, a salt lake close to Israel, Jordan and the West Bank, is shrinking at an alarming rate — about 3.3 feet per year, according to the environmentalist group EcoPeace Middle East. And human actions are largely to blame.
“It’s not just like one country is punishing the Dead Sea; it's more like the whole region，” said photographer Moritz Küstner, who visited the area in February to work on his series “The Dying Dead Sea”.
The Dead Sea needs water from the other natural sources surrounding it, such as the Jordan River basin. But around the 1960s, some of the water sources it relied upon were diverted.
Mineral extraction industries are another main reason why the water levels are declining, experts say. The Dead Sea’s minerals have been popular for their medical power and can often be found in cosmetics (化妆品) and other consumer products.
And then, of course, there’s the Middle East’s hot, dry climate, which makes it difficult for the lake to refill itself.
Israel and Jordan have signed a $900 million deal in an effort to stabilize the Dead Sea’s water levels.
It involves building a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea so that both countries would be able to not only supply water to Israel and Jordan but also to pump much needed water — some 300 million cubic meters annually — into the Dead Sea.
“This is the most important and significant agreement since the peace treaty with Jordan (in 1994),” said Silvan Shalom, Israel’s energy and water resources minister at the time.
Whether the canal — estimated to take three years to complete — will work out positively and as planned remains to be seen.
1. Moritz Küstner visited the Dead Sea to ________.| A．shoot TV series about people's action there |
| B．make a survey about the sea level |
| C．do his photographic series work |
| D．research into environmental problems |
| A．The other natural sources the Dead Sea relied on were switched. |
| B．The Dead Sea's minerals have been dug and used in some products. |
| C．The Middle East's climate makes the lake itself difficult to store water. |
| D．Israel and Jordan are the two countries to destroy the Dead Sea. |
| A．Bringing in water from the Red Sea. |
| B．Introducing water from Israel and Jordan. |
| C．Taking Israel's energy and water resources. |
| D．Struggling for international support. |
| A．Why the Dead Sea is dying and the measures taken to save it. |
| B．How important the Dead Sea is in Israel, Jordan and the West Bank. |
| C．How to solve the problem that the Dead Sea is being destroyed. |
| D．Protecting the environment is in no hurry all over the world. |
【推荐2】Hikers, soldiers and school children all know the burden of a heavy backpack. But now, researchers from three Chinese institutes have developed a prototype(雏形) that not only makes loads feel about 20% lighter, but also harvests energy from human movements to power small electronics.
The new backpack, reported in ACS Nano, could be especially useful for athletes, explorers and disaster rescuers who work in remote areas without electricity, the researchers say.
Backpacks are widely used in everyday life for the hands-free carrying of loads. Over time, however, walking or running with a heavy bag can cause back and neck pain. Also, backpackers in wilderness areas or even those in cities who don’t have ready access to a charger might wish for a bag that could harvest the mechanical energy of walking to power portable electronics or health-monitoring sensors.
Previously, researchers have used triboelectric nanogenerators(TENG) –– small devices that convert mechanical energy into electricity –– to make energy-harvesting backpacks, but those bags had relatively low power outputs and they didn’t provide added benefits, such as load lightening or shock absorption. Zhong Lin Wang, Jia Cheng and their colleagues wanted to design a prototype that overcame these limitations.
To save labor and absorb shock, the researchers installed two elastomers(弹性体) into the backpack that stretched and shrank, keeping the bag steady as the wearer walked. This resulted in about a 20% reduced force on the wearer. Meanwhile, the movement between the frame of the backpack and its load during walking drove a TENG to convert mechanical energy into electricity, with 14% efficiency.
“The researchers showed that the bag could power LEDs, an electric watch and fluorescent tubes. Once some challenges, such as improving the energy conversion efficiency, are overcome, the backpack has promising potential as a power source for small-scale wearable and portable electronics, GPSs and health care sensors,” the researchers say.
1. Who will be the most probable users of the new backpack?| A．Doctors in the hospital. | B．Workers in the factory. |
| C．Researchers in the science lab. | D．People traveling to unknown places. |
| A．Provide some background information. |
| B．Make comments about the new invention. |
| C．List the disadvantages of the new backpack. |
| D．Compare TENG and the new backpack. |
| A．TENG. | B．Two elastomers. |
| C．Fluorescent tubes. | D．Health care sensors. |
| A．The new backpack could hit the market soon. |
| B．The new backpack needs further improvement. |
| C．Consumers are in need of chargeable backpacks. |
| D．The researchers have difficulty meeting challenges. |
【推荐3】Does it make sense for countries to invest billions of dollars in space programs when millions of people in their country are living below the poverty line? Many people ask this question and I almost tire of answering it.
Let's talk about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) first. This is a terrible disease in which the victims progressively lose the ability to control their body. It affects almost only boys and shows itself when the boys are around age 5. They're wheelchair-bound by age 12, and will be dead before their 30th birthday. There is no cure. However, there are treatments. They're based on crystalline (晶体) protein structures, whose formation is adversely (不利地) affected by the presence of Earth's constant unidirectional (单一方向的) gravitational field. However, according to a study conducted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on the International Space Station (ISS), crystalline protein structures form regularly in microgravity conditions, which allows for targeted drugs designed to "double these boys' life spans (寿命)".
And you want to talk about feeding the hungry? We have space lettuce (生菜).And it's structurally and nutritionally equivalent to Earth lettuce. Space is pretty much everything there is, which means you can make a lot of lettuce in space. In fact, one of the potential growth markets in lunar colonization (月球殖民) is food trade. Food can be mass produced and sent to Earth to feed the hungry. By the way, as far as I am concerned, as for feeding the hungry, food distribution is the issue rather than food supply.
Space exploration is one of the best things that humanity has ever done.
1. What do people want to know by asking the question in Paragraph 1?| A．Whether there is a cure for DMD. |
| B．How many people live below the poverty line. |
| C．How much money is spent on space programs. |
| D．Whether space programs benefit people on Earth. |
| A．It seems to spare girls. |
| B．Its cure lies in the ISS. |
| C．It gets serious in microgravity conditions. |
| D．Its patients need wheelchairs their entire life. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．website to buy and sell the newest space products |
| B．website to ask questions and get quality answers |
| C．legal document |
| D．science fiction |
【推荐1】Whether it's Chinese social media like Sina Weibo, or Western media like Instagram an Facebook, videos can go viral in mere hours.
The wide range of viral videos suggests that popular concepts are largely random. After all, what links the recent broom challenge to funny internet cat videos?
According to scientists from Stanford University, US, the popularity of a video can be predicted by looking at how certain areas of a person's brain react within the first few seconds of a video. This method has been called neuroforecasting（神经预测）.
The team made the finding by recruiting（招募）36 volunteers to watch a range of videos while being scanned with an FMRI—a machine that can monitor the changes in blood oxygen and flow.
Participants were shown 32 different videos and were monitored according to their brain responses in four different areas. The results showed that specific brain activity during the first four seconds of a video could effectively predict a person's thoughts on a video and whether they would keep watching.
Using the FMRI results, the Stanford team consistently saw increased activity in the nucleus accumbens（伏核）and decreased activity in the anterior insula（前脑岛）parts of the brain while the participants were watching the most popular of the 32-vidco selection.
According to the study, these two brain regions are related to the feeling of expectation we get when we're not certain of something's outcome.
Stanford neuroscientist（神经学家）and the study's author Brian Knutson said: "If we examine our subjects' choices to watch the video or even their reported responses to the videos, they don't tell us about the general response online ... Only brain activity seems to forecast a video's popularity on the internet.”
He added, “Future research might also systematically analyze the video content, so content creators can use these findings to make their videos more popular.”
In the future, the team aims to use this type of FMRI experiment to understand "whether processes that generate individual choice can tell us something about choices made by large groups of people”. According to Knutson, this could apply to shopping trends, charity support and general money-spending.
1. What did scientists from Stanford University find?| A．There are differences between viral videos in different cultures. |
| B．People's reported response can predict the popularity of a video. |
| C．There are links between viral videos under different subjects. |
| D．Viewers' initial brain activity can forecast the popularity of a video. |
| A．All four areas monitored displayed increased activity. |
| B．One area got more active while another became less active. |
| C．Areas related to the feeling of uncertainty got more active. |
| D．The activity of areas related to the feeling of expectation increased. |
| A．The participants' choices to watch the videos help them make the finding. |
| B．How long the subjects watched the videos also mattered to their conclusion. |
| C．Our brain activity can show something we ourselves don't realize. |
| D．When the video was beyond the viewers‘ expectation, it is generally popular. |
| A．Exploring the link between individual and general choices. |
| B．Interviewing content creators how they make videos. |
| C．Discouraging more charity organizations. |
| D．Applying their findings to arresting criminals. |
【推荐2】As far back as the age of dinosaurs millions of years ago, turtles(海龟) wandered around the Earth. Even nowadays, it is generally assumed that turtles are the world's steadiest creature.
However, a new research shows 61 percent of the 356 species of turtles are already threatened or no longer exist. The destruction of their homes, disease, climate change and other reasons have caused their population to drop sharply. In a new study published in the journal BioScience, a team of scientists from various institutions claims that turtles are one of the most threatened among the major vertebrate(脊椎动物) groups.
This could, the authors say, have serious consequences for the ecology. Turtles contribute to the health of many environments, including desert, wetland, freshwater and marine ecosystems, and the decline may lead to bad effects on other species, including humans, they explain. Whit Gibbons, seruor author and professor at the Utuversity of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, says in a statement that the intention of the study is to inform people about the vital ecological roles of turtles.
One of the important qualities of turtles is how diverse they are when it comes to food. This allows them to have a major impact on food webs of their homes all over the world. In some areas, the density(密度) of the turtle population makes them an important part of the ecosystem. With their gathering, other species that feed on them and their eggs are sure to have a large pool of food.
For plants, turtles are also extremely important as they distribute the seeds of many plant species. When they eat some seeds are not destroyed by the digestive process and instead make their way out of the animals' body. Some turtles are the main dispersal(传播 ) agents of certain plants and their seeds.
These are only a few yet very vital roles that turtles play in the ecological landscape. Unfortunately, many species are in serious decline and in danger of disappearing completely.
1. What does the new study aim to do?| A．To save the grand vertebrate groups on earth. . |
| B．To warn people of turtles' terrible situation. |
| C．To make the importance of turtles' roles known. |
| D．To claim turtles may be related to dinosaurs. |
| A．Speed up these plants' disappearing. |
| B．Put an end to these plants' seeds spreading. |
| C．Allow more. seeds to grow into plants. |
| D．Give these plants no chance of survival. . |
I:Introduction P:Point Sp: Sub-point(次要点 ) C:Conclusion
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Turtles Are Sure to Stop Existing. |
| B．The Ecology Will Change with Turtles. |
| C．Decline of Turtles Threatens the World. |
| D．Turtles' Dying Out Worldwide Matters a Lot. |
【推荐3】As we all know, it isn’t healthy to stay up late and poor sleep quality can leave us feeling low. However, many people still cannot get enough sleep, especially the young.
Over 60% Chinese youths aged 6 to 17 sleep less than eight hours a day, according to a report released by the Chinese Sleep Research Society (CSRS). Among 13-to 17-year-olds, the figure is more than 81%.
According to the study, too much school homework is a major cause for sleep loss among young people. For example, from Monday to Thursday, 8.4% of them would still be busy with their homework after 11 pm. Another major cause of young people’s inadequate sleep is the frequent use of electronic devices (电子设备). More than 41% children and teenagers who sleep too little use electronic devices such as computer tablets and mobile phones, the survey found.
Lack of sleep among children and teenagers has raised concern. “Sleep loss can lead to weakened immunity (免疫力) and memory, and can also prevent physical growth,” Wang Zan, a member of the CSRS, told People’s Daily.
To reduce students’ academic burden, the Ministry of Education and eight other departments released a guideline (指南) on Dec 28. For example, it says that junior high students should spend no more than 90 minutes on homework and senior high students must do their homework in a proper time limit. Local education authorities across China should also take more steps to help students get more sleep, including delaying the start of morning classes by half an hour.
1. What does the CSRS report find?| A．About 81% children sleep less than eight hours. |
| B．About 41% youths have serious sleep problems. |
| C．More than 60% young people suffer lack of sleep. |
| D．Only 8.4% students finish homework before 10:30 pm. |
| A．They start to do their homework very late. | B．They often watch TV for hours after work. |
| C．They take too many after-school courses. | D．They have too much homework to finish. |
| A．Weight gain. | B．Poor memory. | C．Mental problems. | D．Bad mood. |
| A．By limiting the amount of homework. | B．By getting homework done at school. |
| C．By shortening the time a certain class. | D．By allowing a half-an-hour early leave. |
【推荐1】Where do you find beauty? Fashion Magazines? Music Videos? One American photographer is finding beauty in unexpected places. And a new documentary about his work might help change the traditional standards of "who" is beautiful.
Rick Guidotti put aside his career as a fashion Photographer to turn his lens (镜头)to people living with genetic, physical and behavioral differences. He says what changed his perception of beauty was a chance encounter with an albino(白化病) girl.
"I was just tired of people telling me who was beautiful. Every season that face would change but1 was always told who was beautiful. As an artist, I don't see beauty just on covers of magazines. I see it everywhere. So that was my initial intention that opened my eyes a little wider and wider." Said Guidotti.
Guidotti has created Positive Exposure, a not-for-profit organization that uses photography and video to transform public perceptions and promote a world where differences are celebrated. Guidotti and Positive Exposure are featured in a new documentary called On Beauty.
The cast and crew recently hosted a screening at Georgetown University in Washington. One of the women featured in the film is Jayne Waithera. “I never thought I was beautiful because nobody said that to me, but meeting him was my profound moment. I remember that particular day he took my picture and I felt so good like I felt there's somebody who, really loves me and sees me for who I am and who sees me more than my condition.” said Waithera.
The documentary is the brainchild of producer Joanna Rudnick. After seeing Rick's photos, she decided to tell his story. Joanna and Rick are traveling from city to city to promote On Beauty. They say their tour is not about money, it's about the message: “As I travel from community to community, I'm taking photographs and I'm empowering individuals with a positive sense of who they are. They're seeing beauty in their reflection but I'm also empowering their families and they in turn are empowering their communities as well. All is based on the philosophy of change how you see, see how you change."
1. Why did Rick change his career?| A．Because he couldn't earn enough money from his former career. |
| B．Because the beauty on covers of magazines are not beautiful. |
| C．Because he wanted to create his own company. |
| D．Because his comprehension of beauty changed owing to an albino girl. |
| A．It brings a lot of money for Rick. | B．It makes the public more beautiful. |
| C．It welcomes differences in the world. | D．It makes photography more popular. |
| A．Jayne was beautiful indeed. |
| B．Photographs gave Jayne a positive sense of who she was. |
| C．It was unfair that nobody discovered Jayne's beauty. |
| D．Jayne's picture was more beautiful than herself. |
| A．We should travel frequently. |
| B．Community has a great influence on everyone. |
| C．We should make contributions to our community. |
| D．Your attitude to seeing the world decides your behavior. |
| A．He's a talented photographer with a firmly established reputation. |
| B．He's a social worker devoting himself to helping the disadvantaged. |
| C．He conveys a new concept of beauty by means of a documentary. |
| D．He promotes people' s taste of beauty through his fashion photographs. |
【推荐2】At 12, my father decided to take me on a trip to France. I had never been out of the country before, so I was very excited. My aunt, my father and I went around with my father showing us all the unbelievable sites in Paris. None of us spoke much French but we loved the city.
We had taken the subway all over the city and were congratulating ourselves on our mastering what is honestly an excellent subway design that is pretty easy to follow. We decided visit Versailles by train. We chatted happily along the way until my father realized we were into the French countryside and no one around spoke English.
We reached the end of the line and felt afraid when everyone finally left the train. An old man and his grandchild noticed us and came to help. He spoke no English, so in broken French we tried to explain. When he finally understood, this great man settled his grandson and showed us to the correct train and then boarded with us.
Later we knew the truth that there was a train transfer (转乘) and he didn't want us to miss it.
This kind man rode a train for an hour and a half out of his way to make sure that three Americans got where they wanted to be. He refused to let us pay for his ticket. He did it all with a gentle smile and patted our hands gently at the stop. Then in his quiet way, he boarded the train to return the way he had come.
What impressed me most was the man and his kindness during the amazing trip. Some Americans think the French are rude for some reason, but I always try to persuade them to change their minds with this very story.
1. What happened to the author and his family on the train?| A．They missed their stop. |
| B．They lost their packages. |
| C．They couldn't find the right line. |
| D．They argued over the nest destination. |
| A．By paying for their train tickets. |
| B．By showing them the returning way. |
| C．By inviting them to travel together. |
| D．By leading them to their place. |
| A．Travelling enriches one's life. |
| B．Being kind is a good manner. |
| C．Seeing is believing. |
| D．Helping others brings great pleasure. |
【推荐3】When you think about coffee alternatives, garlic is probably one of the last things that comes to mind, but that is exactly the ingredient that one Japanese inventor used to create a drink that looks and tastes like coffee.
74-year-old Yokitomo Shimotai, a coffee shop owner in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, claims that his unique “garlic coffee” is the result of a cooking blunder he made over 30 years ago, when he burned a steak and garlic while waiting tables at the same time. Intrigued by the scorched garlic’s aroma, he mashed it up with a spoon and mixed it with hot water. The resulting drink looked and tasted a lot like coffee. Making a mental note of his discovery, Yokimoto carried on with his job, and only started researching garlic coffee again after he retired.
Committed to turning his weird drink into a commercial product, Yokitomo Shimotai spent years optimizing the formula, and about five years ago, he finally achieved a result he was satisfied with.
To make his dissolvable garlic grounds, he roasts the cloves in an electric oven, and, after they’ve cooled off, smashes them into fine particles and packs them in dripbags.
“My drink is probably the world’s first of its kind,” the garlic coffee inventor told Kyodo News.
“It contains no caffeine so it’s good for those who would like to drink coffee at night or pregnant women.”
“The bitterness of burned garlic apparently helps create the coffee-like flavor,” Shimotai adds.
He claims that, although his garlic coffee does give off an aroma of roasted garlic, it doesn’t cause bad breath, because the garlic is thoroughly cooked. And if you can get past the smell, the drink apparently does taste a lot like actual coffee.
If decaf isn’t good enough for you, and you’re in the mood for something new, you can try Yokitomo Shimotai’s garlic coffee at his shop, in the city of Ninohc, Iwate Prefecture, or buy your own dripbags for just 324 yen($2.8).
1. Which word is the closest in meaning to the underlined word“blunder”in the second paragraph?| A．mistake | B．show | C．mixture | D．brand |
| A．A woman bearing a baby. |
| B．A student having trouble with sleep. |
| C．A cleaner working on a day shift. |
| D．A young lady sick of garlic. |
| A．It is caffeine-free. |
| B．Garlic powder dissolves in water. |
| C．The burnt garlic creates bitterness. |
| D．It is an improvement on a garlic dish. |
| A．venturous and greedy | B．innovative and perseverant |
| C．hardworking and cautious | D．observant and helpful |
