Money might not grow on trees, but scientists have confirmed that gold is found in the leaves of some plants. Researchers from Australia say that the presence of the particles (颗粒) in a eucalyptus (桉树) tree’s leaves shows that deposits (矿藏) are buried many meters below. They believe that the discovery offers a new way to find the valuable metal in difficult-to-reach areas.
Dr Mel Lintern said: “We have found a lot of the easy particles in Australia in this way. Now we are trying to find the more difficult ones that are buried tens of meters below. And the trees are providing us with a method to be able to do this.”
Using a vast machine that uses X-rays to explore matter in detail—they found gold in the leaves and small thin branches.
“We need 500 eucalyptus trees growing over a gold deposit to have enough gold in the tress themselves to make a gold ring,” said Dr Lintern. However the presence of the particles pointed to richer deposits buried more than 30m below. He added, “We believe that the trees are acting like a pump(水泵). They are bringing life-giving water from their roots, and in doing so, they are taking smaller gold particles up into the leaves.”
The scientists said that research on plants could offer a better and simpler method to discover gold deposits. Dr Lintern said: “Not only do we believe it is a way of saving the exploration cost, because exploring for these deposits can be quite expensive, it also reduces the damage to the environment because we are taking a very small amount from the trees themselves, as well as the leaves and branches on the ground. The plant-analyzing(分析) method is certain to work!”
1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．A New Way to Protect Metal Deposits. |
| B．Newly-discovered Gold Deposits. |
| C．Gold in Trees leading to Hidden Deposits. |
| D．Gold Found in Eucalyptus Trees in Australia. |
| A．the amount of the valuable metal in a eucalyptus tree’s leaves was very small |
| B．a pump takes smaller gold particles up into the leaves |
| C．a tree growing over a gold deposit have enough gold to make a gold ring |
| D．the roots can take water and deposits up into the leaves |
| A．useless | B．cheap | C．environmentally-friendly | D．simple |
| A．is doubtful about the plant-analyzing method |
| B．is confident of the plant-analyzing method |
| C．is very satisfied with what he has achieved in mining |
| D．is tired of discovering gold deposits in the wild |
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【推荐1】The modern garden has history going back many thousands of years. Early humans were hunters and gatherers, and didn’t usually stay in one place for a long time.
What plants did people grow?
Evidence of early agriculture in Europe includes not only eatable plants such as wheat, but also plants for decorative purposes. Plants for medicine were grown, as were plants for flavouring (调味) or preserving food.
Why did people plant gardens?
Gardens today are places to go and relax, but have had many purposes over the years. In the past they were planted to honour the gods, or used in religious ceremonies such as funerals and weddings. They were also a way to show that their owners were rich or powerful.
What does paradise mean?
Are gardens artistic?
As gardens have developed over the years, design and beauty have become more and more important.
| A．Many cultures believed gardens were sacred. |
| B．Certain plants also had religious or spiritual value. |
| C．Pleasure and happiness are ideas linked with gardens. |
| D．Ancient rulers created huge gardens to show their wealth. |
| E．Instead, they travelled from place to place following the food. |
| F．Humans have learned to control nature and to design gardens carefully. |
| G．Carefully planned or not, gardens are still beautiful and relaxing places to visit. |
West German astronaut Ulf Merbold disproved the theory during tests aboard the spaceship yesterday. His discovery is connected with the workings of the inner ear, the body’s balance mechanism(机制).
In l914 Professor Robert Barany won the Nobel prize for Physiology(生理学) and Medicine when he announced that temperature differences affected the inner ear and caused the eyes to blink(眨眼). His theory was accepted by scientists.
But Merbold carried out tests to find if the theory was correct and shocked himself and space officials when he proved it wrong.
According to Barany’s theory the eyes would blink when cold air was blown into one ear and hot air blown into the other.
But if this theory was correct such a movement would be impossible in zero gravity(重力）.
Both Merbold’s eyes continually blinked when the test was carried out.
1. Tests were carried out in outer space in order to _______.
| A．find what causes the eyes to blink |
| B．shock the world |
| C．win the prize |
| D．prove the theory |
| A．how our hearing mechanism works |
| B．why we constantly move our eyes |
| C．that eye movement is affected by temperature |
| D．how hearing reacts(反应) |
| A．having no weight | B．having no air |
| C．the pull of gravity | D．hot and cold air streams |
【推荐3】College helps students dream of more than a salary
From the earliest days of our country, education has been seen as the foundation for our future.
College is a passport to different places, different times, and different ways of thinking - - from learning new languages to considering the are of human history to diving deep into the building blocks of matter. It gives students a chance to understand themselves differently.
College teaches students the virtue of slowing down. No one denies the value of speed, connectivity and the virtual world in an economy that thrives (繁荣) on all three. But “thinking" is a word that is too often forgotten. College teaches students to slow down, to change information into insight and knowing into understanding.
To conclude, investing in a college or university education is well worth it.
| A．College introduces students to a new world |
| B．Yet its value is being increasingly questioned |
| C．It remains the same nowadays |
| D．It develops critical thinking |
| E．They had a heated discussion |
| F．Not everyone agreed |
| G．College education financially pays off |
【推荐1】Some 70 countries, mostly in the Americas and Europe, apply Daylight Saving Time during the summer months. Europe’s clocks will move forward once again this weekend. Yet last week the European Union voted to end this long-established practice from 2022.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea of moving the clocks forward in the summer. But the practice really took hold during World War I and since then it has brought several benefits. It might increase consumer spending, as shoppers are encouraged to stay out later into the evening. It might even reduce crime. As the saying goes, “The longer the daylight, the less I do wrong.”
In spite of all that, clock-changing is unpopular. When the European Union ran a poll（民意调查）among its citizens, it got nearly 5 million responses. Over 80% want to scrap clock-changing, and for good reasons. Although it has not been proven eventually, many scientists think that changing the clocks messes up humans’ biological clock, which may increase the chances of heart attacks and strokes. It could cause car accidents to increase, as drivers who are used to going to work in the daylight, for example, suddenly have to do so in the dark. In addition, many businesses find it extremely inconvenient that countries change their clocks at different times.
So, will Europeans choose to stick with winter or summer time? This has not been decided. It could be that each country will choose for itself, though each is likely to take careful note of neighbors’ decisions. The benefit, it seems, is not so much in deciding how long the evening is, or how dark the morning. It is in keeping it consistent throughout the year.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．Clock-changing has more benefits than expected. |
| B．People adopted clock-changing after World War I. |
| C．Clock-changing makes people sleepy in the day time. |
| D．People might spend more money after clock-changing. |
| A．Favor. | B．Stop. |
| C．Obey. | D．Delay. |
| A．People will continue to use it. |
| B．More changes will be added to it. |
| C．It remains to be seen whether to use it. |
| D．The countries will change their clocks at same times. |
| A．To recall the history of clock-changing. |
| B．To stress the benefits of clock-changing. |
| C．To show people’s opinions on clock-changing. |
| D．To introduce the bad effects of clock-changing. |
【推荐2】Country music is one of the most popular kinds of music in the United States today because it is about simple but strong human feelings and events — love, sadness, good times, and bad times. It tells real-life, stories and sounds the way people really talk. As life becomes more complicated (复杂), it is good to hear music about ordinary people.
Country music, sometimes called country-western, comes from two kinds of music. One is the traditional music of the people in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States. The other is traditional cowboy music from the west. The singers usually play guitars, and in the 1920s they started using electric guitars. At first city people said country music was low class. It was popular mostly in the South.
But during World War II, thousands of Southerners went to the Northeast and Midwest to work in the factories. They took their music with them. Soldiers from the rest of the country went to army camps (军营) in the South. They learned country music. Slowly it became popular all over the country.
Today country music is also popular everywhere in the United States and Canada — in small towns and in New York City, among black and white, and among educated and uneducated people. About 1, 200 radio stations broadcast country music twenty-four hours a day. English stars sing it in British English, and people in other countries sing it in their own languages. The music that started with cowboys and poor southerners is now popular all over the world.
1. It can be learned from the passage that country music comes from ________.| A．the Northeast and Midwest | B．real-life stories in small towns |
| C．factories and army camps in the South | D．the Appalachian Mountains and the West |
| A．the Northeast | B．the north | C．the Midwest | D．the south |
| A．they wanted to take music with them | B．they wanted to work in the factories there |
| C．they wanted to make country music popular | D．they wanted to make other people like country music |
【推荐3】You may have celebrated the new year on January 1st, but the next day cats get to celebrate the new year. Well, actually, cats don't celebrate the new year, they celebrate the mew year.
Any cat owner will tell you that cats consider themselves to be far, far better than us. They most certainly feel they deserve all that life has to offer, so why not have a Happy Mew Year Day For Cats Day just for them? Like the human version of New Year's Day, it is on this special day that our feline（猫科的）companions can paw and consider the “mewness” of the brand new season and all of the possibilities it holds. Perhaps this will be the year their people start feeding them tinned food instead of dry? Will the useless dog realize that the cat is king in this house? All these questions and more can be considered by our kitties today while they go about their normal business, looking distant and disinterested.
The truth is that many animal related holidays can also help raise awareness about the millions of unwanted, unloved and abused pets that end up in animal shelters and are eventually put to sleep for lack of funds to keep them alive. So if you haven't got your own perfect feline ruler yet, it's time to take action on January 2. As you're welcoming in the New Year into your life, won't you consider opening your heart and your home to a new four legged friend as well?
Cats can serve many purposes around the home- they are natural, greedy hunters; they're the perfect mix of both fun and silly. Nothing beats the thankfulness of a cat, for sure! You may have all sorts of New Year's resolutions that may or may not work out, but adopting a cat is something you will never regret, and the cat will never forget.
1. What may the cat owners agree with?| A．Cats should have holidays. |
| B．Cats are the best pets ever. |
| C．Cats are proud animals. |
| D．Cats enjoy dry food. |
| A．show love for cats |
| B．set up a new business |
| C．celebrate the new year |
| D．draw attention to festivals |
| A．Badly treated. | B．Deeply loved. |
| C．Newly born. | D．Well fed. |
| A．Advertise. | B．Persuade. |
| C．Summarize. | D．Evaluate. |
【推荐1】Chemical engineers at UNSW Sydney have found a way to make "green" ammonia (氨) from air, water and renewable electricity. In a paper published in Energy and Environmental Science, the authors say that ammonia synthesis (合成法) was one of the critical achievements of the 20th century. When used in fusiliers that significantly increase the output of food crops, it enabled agriculture to sustain an ever-expanding global population.
But since the beginning of the 1900s when it was first employed, production of ammonia has been energy intensive- requiring temperatures higher than 400℃ and pressures greater than 200 atm-and all powered by fossil fuels. Dr. Emma Lovell, a co author on the paper from UNSW, says the traditional way to make ammonia- known as the Haber- Bosch process- is only cost-effective when it is produced on a massive scale due to the huge amounts of energy and expensive materials required and it produces more CO2 than any other chemical-making reaction.
“In addition to the big carbon footprint left by the Haber Bosch process, having to produce millions of tons of ammonia in centralised locations means even more energy is required to transport it around the world, not to mention the risks that go with storing large amounts of it in the one place,” says Dr. Lovell. “And we saw tragically in Beirut recently how potentially dangerous storing ammonium nitrate (硝酸盐) can be. ”
Dr. Lovell and her colleagues therefore looked at how to produce it cheaply, on a smaller scale and using renewable energy. Their new production method does not rely on fossil fuel resources, nor give of CO2.
“And once it becomes available commercially, the technology could be used to produce ammonia directly on site and on demand- farmers could even do this on location using our technology to make fertilisers- which means we negate the need for storage and transport There's a huge benefit to society as well as the health of the planet,”Dr. Lovell says.
1. What do we know about the Haver-Bosch process?| A．It does harm to the earth. |
| B．It requires green materials. |
| C．It uses less energy and is cheap. |
| D．It transforms fossil fuels into ammonia. |
| A．To remind people to protect the environment. |
| B．To give an example of the risk in ammonia storage. |
| C．To convince farmers to transport ammonia elsewhere. |
| D．To stress the choice of a proper centralised location. |
| A．Inspect. | B．Avoid. | C．Suit. | D．Accept. |
| A．To solve a problem. | B．To explain a process. |
| C．To advocate a theory. | D．To introduce a method. |
【推荐2】On August 25, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Southern Texas. The storm lasted for days, pouring almost 52 inches of rain. The downpour has caused widespread flooding, forcing more than 32,000 people into shelters and damaging the city’s water supply system.
The only silver lining is that disasters like these seemed to unite people. While the number of organizations and individuals that have gone all out to assist the victims is too many to list, here are some highlights of the outpouring of support that has made headlines this past week.
A week ago, NFI player JJ Watt set up a website with a goal to raise $200,000. Soon he has collected over $18 million, and the donations keep pouring in. The thrilled football star wants to ensure the money is used where needed, saying, “We’re trying to make sure it goesdirectly to the people. So our first wave of operation is we'll have nine semi-trucks going out there and I will go straight into the communities and hand stuff out there.”
Ordinary individuals are not shying away from helping either. Jim McIngvale, the owner of a furniture store, turned his two 100,000-square-foot warehouse into shelters. When asked if he was concerned about the furniture that was being used by those living there, he responded, “These people are nice. They’re taking care of the furniture. Furniture’s made to be sat on, slept on or laid on. It’s just a product.”
There are also many unsung heroes that are putting their lives at risk to help others. After discovering an elderly man trapped inside his truck, local people made a human chain through the dangerous water to drag him to safety.
While there is not much anyone could have done to prevent the loss, people across the US are doing everything they can to help its people recover.
1. Which can best replace the underlined words “silver lining” in paragraph 2?| A．problem | B．opportunity |
| C．solution | D．comfort |
| A．Disappointed | B．Confused. |
| C．Unexpected. | D．Dissatisfied. |
| A．He helped to save them from drowning. |
| B．He offered them a place to live in. |
| C．He provided work for them in his store. |
| D．He rented furniture to them cheaply. |
| A．Determination. | B．Selflessness. |
| C．Honesty. | D．Bravery. |
【推荐3】How is it that siblings (兄弟姐妹) can turn out so differently? One answer is that in fact each sibling grows up in a different family. The firstborn is, for a while, an only child, and therefore has a completely different experience of the parents than those born later. The next child is, for a while, the youngest, until the situation is changed by a new arrival. The mother and father themselves are changing and growing up too. One sibling might live in a stable and close family in the first few years; another might be raised in a family crisis, with a disappointed mother or an angry father.
Sibling competition was identified as an important shaping force as early as in 1918. But more recently, researchers have found many ways in which brothers and sisters are a lasting force in each others’ lives. Dr. Annette Henderson says firstborn children pick up vocabulary more quickly than their siblings. The reason for this might be that the later children aren’t getting the same one-on-one time with parents. But that doesn’t mean that the younger children have problems with language development. Later-borns don’t enjoy that much talking time with parents, but instead they harvest lessons from bigger brothers and sisters, learning entire phrases and getting an understanding of social concepts such as the difference between “I” and “me”.
A Cambridge University study of 140 children found that siblings created a rich world of play that helped them grow socially. Love-hate relationships were common among the children. Even those siblings who fought the most had just as much positive communication as the other sibling pairs.
One way children seek more attention from parents is by making themselves different from their siblings, particularly if they are close in age. Researchers have found that the first two children in a family are typically more different from each other than the second and third. Girls with brothers show their differences to a maximum degree by being more feminine than girls with sisters. A 2003 research paper studied adolescents from 185 families over two years, finding that those who changed to make themselves different from their siblings were successful in increasing the amount of warmth they gained from their parents.
1. In terms of language development, later-borns ________.| A．get their parents’ individual guidance | B．learn a lot from their elder siblings |
| C．experience a lot of difficulties | D．pick up words more quickly |
| A．Siblings hated fighting and loved playing. | B．Siblings in some families fought frequently. |
| C．Sibling fights led to bad sibling relationships. | D．Siblings learned to get on together from fights. |
| A．having qualities of parents | B．having qualities of women |
| C．having defensive qualities | D．having extraordinary qualities |
【推荐1】If you’ve ever been annoyed by the sound of someone eating, especially as they noisily slurp(出声地吃) noodles, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
A company has recently designed a fork that connects to an app on your smart phone, which will then play noise cancelling sounds if you happen to slurp your noodles too loudly.
The fork was designed with a microphone in its handle that is trained to recognize the sound of slurping. The microphone will then send a signal to the phone app, setting off the noise cancelling sounds.
The company that designed the fork, called Otohiko fork, was inspired by what is called “ noodle harassment” by social media users, which is running wild in Japan.
“The Japanese, who generally dislike noisy eating, consider it proper and even preferable to suck up one’s noodles with a loud slurping sound.”
Unfortunately for visitors, however, such enthusiastic slurping tends to grate on their nerves, which is what lead to the creation of the phrase “noodle harassment” in the first place.
The company behind the fork, Nissin, is the very same company that invented Cup Noodles, who brought instant noodles to the world nearly 70 years ago, so they are definitely worried about whether or not foreigners are put off by the sound of slurping noodles.
The fork is being sold for a good $ 130, but those bothered enough by noodles slurpers will likely find it well worth the money.
Nissin is only planning a limited run of 5,000 forks for the time being, which can now be pre-ordered only through their website.
The company is planning to begin releasing them just in time for the holidays. Of course, it still remains to be seen if the fork can be programmed to drown out the sound of loud chewers, which is probably of greater concern to sensitive western friends.
1. From the passage we can know that _______.| A．a microphone in the Otohiko fork’s handle is designed to cancel the slurping sound. |
| B．all the Japanese will be encouraged to use the the Otohiko fork. |
| C．the Otohiko fork is not available now in real shops. |
| D．the Otohiko fork will definitely silence the sound of loud chewers. |
| A．disturbance | B．preference |
| C．cancellation | D．division |
| A．Nissin wants to advertise a new kind of Cup Noodles by inventing the new fork. |
| B．Nissin has already produced 5,000 forks for the holidays. |
| C．Nissin was inspired to design the Otohiko fork by the crazy social media users. |
| D．Nissin is concerned western friends will lose interest in its Cup Noodles. |
| A．It tells good news to western visitors. |
| B．It introduces a noise cancelling fork. |
| C．It describes a famous Japanese noodle company. |
| D．It explains a phrase “noodle harassment”. |
【推荐2】Coolest Hotels in the World
Ariau Amazon Towers
The Ariau Amazon Towers hotel lets you sleep in a tree house. Eight towers make up this hotel that offers over 300 rooms. If you really want to get into the spirit, book the Tarzan Suite which is large enough for a big family. You'll be thirty feet up in the air and can travel between the towers through their wooden walkways.
Prices: starting at $300 one night for each person for a regular room and going all the way up to $3000 for the Tarzan Suite.
For more information, visit the website: http: //www. ariautowers. com.
The Ice Hotel
Every winter in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, a special kind of hotel called the Ice Hotel is built. Each year, world-famous artists are invited to design and produce works of art from the ice, many of which can be found in the rooms. You'll have your choice between hot or cold rooms but you will be well advised to stay at least one night in a cold room for a true experience.
Prices: starting at $318 one night for each person for either a cold room or a warm one.
For more information, visit the website: http: //www. icehotel, com.
Propeller Island
Propeller Island City Lodge is a very special hotel that was designed by a German artist. Each room provides you with the possibility of living in a work of art. Every single piece of furniture in the thirty rooms of the hotel has been hand-made and each room is completely different. You'll be able to choose a room based on your own personal tastes.
Prices: starting at just $91 a night, and an additional (另外)person for only 20 extra dollars. For more information, visit the website: http: //www. propeller-island, com.
For information about other cool hotels in the world, visit the website：
http: //www. bahamabeachclub. com.
For a full list of events, please see our website.
1. What is special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?| A．Every room has a walkway | B．You can choose any of the towers |
| C．It is designed for big families | D．You can sleep in the tree house |
| A．$91 | B．$162 | C．$111 | D．$182 |
| A．http: //www. bahamabeachclub. com | B．http: //www. ariantowers. com |
| C．http: //www. Icehotel. com | D．http: //www. propeller-island. com |
【推荐3】“What are you?” they ask. “Guess,” I say. Some suggest I have Japanese eyes. Others think I’m Filipino, maybe Indian. Few guess the truth: I am Mexican American. But it’s not like I’ve ever worn that name alone. I’m part of a younger generation of Americans whose identity is shaped neither by where we came from nor where we ended up.
My parents know the California immigrant experience first-hand. They grew up picking fruit in the San Joaquin Valley, knowing what it was to be poor, but also knowing what it was to be Mexican. Wanting a better life for their children, they went to college and got professional jobs. By the time I was born, they were fully accepted into the middle class. I grew up in the racially mixed zones of Sacramento, and when my parents talked of their years in the fields it was hard to connect those stories to where we found ourselves now.
By the time I reached my teens, difference had announced itself. We were all struggling for a sense of individuality, looking everywhere but where we came from. Identity became goods. Wearing certain clothes and liking certain kinds of music created social categories.
I became a junkman, sorting through the ruins of pop culture past looking for the pieces of myself. In love with the Beatles, I linked myself to England. Fascinated by Japanese cartoon, I took language classes at the local Buddhist temple.
I grew up American to a fault, rarely considering my own people’s culture and humanity. I left Sacramento and moved to San Francisco’s Mission District to put myself together again. There I first saw my people living in a separate community that had its own language, one I’d never learned. My brown face led people to ask me for directions in Spanish. I could only respond with a universally understood shrug.
“This is what I am,” I said to myself, looking at a street full of newly arrived immigrants. No, that wasn’t quite it. I corrected myself: “This is where I come from.”
Is it tragic that I grew up far from my mother culture, discovering it so late in life? I prefer to think that my American upbringing has taught me to apply insights from many different cultures to my everyday life. I am a product not just of Mexico or the U.S. but of the world as a whole.
1. Where does the writer grow up?| A．In Sacramento. | B．In a Mexico town. |
| C．In the San Joaquin Valley. | D．In San Francisco’s Mission District. |
| A．To promote mother culture. | B．To adapt to new surroundings. |
| C．To clearly express individuality. | D．To learn from different cultures. |
| A．liked to play sports | B．wanted to learn Spanish |
| C．was interested in different cultures | D．did not like living in San Francisco |
| A．the growing pains of immigrants | B．the culture differences in America |
| C．the author’s exploration of his identity | D．the problems of immigrants in America |
