Sugar cane（甘蔗）contains around 10% sugar. But that means it contains around 90% non-sugar—the material known as bagasse （甘蔗渣）which remains once the sugar-bearing juice is squeezed out. World production of cane sugar was 185 million tonnes in 2017 , which results in a lot of bagasse.
At the moment, most of it is burned. But Zhu Hongli, a mechanical engineer at Northeastern University, in Boston, thinks it can be put into better use. As she, and her colleagues describe, in Matter this week, with a bit of improving bagasse makes an excellent and biodegradable （可生 物降解的）replacement for the plastic used for disposable food containers such as coffee cups.
Dr. Zhu is not the first person to have this idea. But previous attempts tended not to survive contact with liquids. She knew from previous research that the main reason why past efforts fell to pieces when wet is that bagasse is composed of short fibres which are unable to hold the finished product. She therefore sought' to insert a suitably long-fibred substance.
Bamboo seemed to be the best choice. It grows quickly /degrades readily and has appropriately long fibres. And it worked. When the researchers blended bamboo remaining into bagasse, they found that the result had a strong crossing of short and long fibres.
To put their new material through its paces, Dr. Zhu and her colleagues first poured hot oil onto it and found that, rather than passing through the material, as it would have with previous, bagasse products, the oil was resisted by their invention.
They also found that when they made a cup out of the stuff and filled it with water heated almost to boiling point, the cup remained unbroken for more than two hours. Though this is not as long as a plastic cup would Hast, it-is long enough for all practical purposes.
1. What do we know about bagasse?| A．It is widely used. | B．It is usually wasted. |
| C．It can not be degraded. | D．It takes up 10% of sugar cane. |
| A．The cups are not disposable. | B．The fibres of bagasse are short. |
| C．The plastic can not be replaced. | D．The material is not biodegradable. |
| A．It can let oil pass through. | B．It can be boiled in the water. |
| C．It can hold liquid and resist heat. | D．It can reduce the use of bamboo. |
| A．New Bamboo Containers | B．A New Application of Fibres |
| C．Young and Promising Materials | D．A Perfect Mix of Cane and Bamboo |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Ultra haulers are the world’s biggest trucks. They deal with rocks and dirt at places called surface mines （露天矿山). Workers use mining tools to dig up dirt and rocks, and then pour them into the ultra haulers. The haulers drive away to unload. Then they come back to get filled up again.
An ultra hauler is heavy! It would sink into the road if it were driven to the mines where it would work. So after it is built, it has to be taken apart again. The pieces are loaded onto trains or tractor-trailer trucks, and then delivered to the mine. When the pieces arrive, workers put the truck together again.
Today’s biggest haulers can carry 400 tons. That is the weight of about 243 cars. Even without a load, they weigh between 250 and 400 tons—the weight of about 40 elephants. If two of those elephants stood on top of each other, they would just reach the top of one truck. Hauler drivers have to climb stairs up to the truck’s cabs, nearly 20 feet off the ground.
Larry Conner test-drives （试驾） ultra haulers for a company building giant mining equipment. “Driving an ultra hauler is like driving a two-storey house,” Larry says. “You sit in your upstairs window, take the steering wheel, and start driving. It’s really great. ”
A few years ago, people in Sparwood, British Columbia, got together to save a special ultra hauler. It was the Terex Titan, the longest ultra hauler in the world. The truck had been used at a local mine for 12 years. Its huge engine cost so much to run that it had to be put out of use.
The coal company and the people of Sparwood did not want the Terex Titan to go to the scrap（废料)pile. They collected donations and volunteered their time to make the truck ready for display. Many visitors see the giant truck every year.
1. What’s the function of ultra haulers?| A．Digging in mines. |
| B．Unloading coal from trains. |
| C．Carrying rocks and dirt for mines. |
| D．Helping workers to operate trucks. |
| A．Its weight. | B．Its design. | C．Its pieces. | D．Its height. |
| A．Enjoyable. | B．Demanding. | C．Adventurous. | D．Scaring. |
| A．It was too old to use. | B．It was donated to a company. |
| C．It will be on show for some time. | D．It will end up as waste very soon. |
【推荐2】So far, the use of underwater cameras has been limited. Some must be stuck to power wires. Others rely on batteries, which don’t tend to last long. Such limits have kept scientists from exploring most of the ocean world. But now researchers have found a way around these problems — underwater cameras can get a new power source from sound.
The camera has two sensors on the bottom. Each is made of multiple layers of a piezoelectric material. When sound travels through the water, it creates waves of pressure, which cause the material to vibrate (振动). And the material changes these vibrations into electrical energy and stores it in a capacitor. Once the capacitor has enough energy, it turns on the camera and takes a picture. Then, it lets the second sensor tap into more sound energy to send the picture. In this way, the sensors not only power the camera, but broadcast the data carrying its images.
Any sound can power it — from swimming fish to a passing ship. One of the sensors can focus on collecting energy for the camera while the other focuses on communication. How quickly the system takes to recharge depends on how loud and close the sound is. In a quiet setting, the camera will take about 10 to 12 seconds. With improved sensors, the camera will charge in less than a second by using sounds from more than 100 meters away.
To record an image, the camera flashes a series of red, blue and green lights. The system then combines what it sees into a single color photo. To communicate, the camera has an internal switch, which controls whether a sensor uses incoming sound for broadcasting. That switch is like a mirror being moved into and out of position. When that switch is in position, the system will use some sound to carry the photo’s digital data to a receiver. That receiver picks up the camera’s broadcast and assembles the data into an image. And then the undersea photo shoot is done.
1. Where is the electrical energy kept?| A．In a sensor. | B．In a capacitor. | C．In a switch. | D．In a receiver. |
| A．The quiet setting of a sound. |
| B．The flexibility of the sensors. |
| C．The quality and source of a sound. |
| D．The loudness and location of a sound. |
| A．How sensors communicate through images. |
| B．How different colors are combined. |
| C．How the undersea camera works. |
| D．How the new system uses sounds. |
| A．Collecting Power from Various Creatures |
| B．Developing a New Camera through Sounds |
| C．Powering a New Camera with Ocean Sounds |
| D．Providing New Functions for a New Camera |
【推荐3】While most of us are never without our smartphones robots may also soon become essential companions. It certainly seems so based on the recent experiments conducted by researchers in Japan, who developed a wearable soft robot for patients to use during treatments, such as injections(注射) and other unpleasant therapies in an attempt to ease their pain and defend people against anxiety.On being subjected to a moderate heat stimulus(刺激), the study participants who wore the robot experienced less pain than in the tests in which they did not wear the robot.
During the campaign to encourage vaccination against COVID-19, public health officials recognized that some people are simply afraid of needles,which contributed to reduced vaccination rates. While the problems of patient anxiety and pain during medical procedures have been well studied there remains a need to test and implement solutions to help patients.
The soft fur-covered robot the scientists called Reliebo was designed to be attached to the participant’s hand. The researchers tested its effectiveness under various conditions based on the clenching of the participant’s hand, while applying the painful thermal stimulus to the other arm that was not being used to hold the robot.The researchers found that holding the robot helped relieve the experience for patients regardless of the experimental conditions used, and concluded that the feelings of well -being that can be created by human touch may have also been activated by the robot. “It is well known that interpersonal touch can reduce pain and fear, and we believe that this effect can be achieved even with nonliving soft robots,”states Professor Tanaka.
This may be useful when actual human contact is not feasible, such as during pandemics. Future versions of the robot might use a controlled gaze or even AR (augmented reality) technologies to help build a connection with the patient or distract them from pain perception in various situations.
1. What is the purpose of the robot?| A．To assist doctors in injecting accurately. |
| B．To help relieve people’s pain from injections. |
| C．To evaluate patients’ physical and mental health. |
| D．To assess the effects of getting vaccinated against COVID-19. |
| A．The robot is designed to be attached to the patients’ hand. |
| B．The robot’s soft fur gives the patients a feelings of well- being. |
| C．The robot’s“interpersonal touch ” creates a feelings of well -being. |
| D．The robot instructs the researchers to relieve the experience for patients. |
| A．Develop other devices for medical treatment. |
| B．Carry out more and more tests on the robot. |
| C．Evaluate the possible risk of using the robot. |
| D．Promote the application of the robot worldwide |
| A．How to Reduce People’s Fear of Injections. |
| B．Advanced Technology Helps to Cure Patients |
| C．Being Afraid of Needles Reduced Vaccination Rates |
| D．Wearable Soft Robot Helps People Scare of injections. |
The United States does have one explicit family policy， the Family and Medical Leave Act， passed in 1993．It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem． Despite the modesty of the benefit， the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly， describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent（先例）．” In fact， every step of the way， as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law， business groups have been strongly opposed．
As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues， justifying parental support depends on defining （定义） the family as a social good that， in some sense， society must pay for． Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children． Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care． And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years， or longer if needed．
1. What do we learn about paid family leave according to Paragraph 1？
| A．It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy． |
| B．Setting up this policy made Australia less influential． |
| C．It has now become a hot topic in the United States． |
| D．No such policy is applied in the United States． |
| A．The incompetence of the Democrats． |
| B．The opposition from business circles． |
| C．The lack of a precedent in American history． |
| D．The existing Family and Medical Leave Act． |
| A．Children need continuous care． |
| B．Good parenting benefits society． |
| C．The cost of raising children has been growing． |
| D．The U．S．should keep up with other developed countries． |
| A．Parenting is regarded as a moral duty． |
| B．Parenting relies largely on social support． |
| C．Parenting produces huge moral benefits． |
| D．Parenting is basically a social responsibility． |
【推荐2】We all know that turning off lights and buying energy-efficient appliances（电器）affects our financial bottom line. Now, according to a new study by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, we know that saving energy also saves lives and even more money for consumers as a consequence of cost benefits of improved health outcomes due to reduced energy consumption.
“By saving electricity, we can also save lives,” says Abel, director of the new study. “There is a range of health benefits. It’s a bonus. We find there are extra health reasons to turn off a light.”
Air pollution caused by emissions（排放物）from power plants is known to cause respiratory（呼吸道）diseases.
Abel and his colleagues used a suite of three widely used models to calculate power plant emissions, air quality and human deaths over three summer months, when energy use is high. Their findings show that a 12 percent increase in summertime energy efficiency（效率）would reduce exposure to air pollution. In short, cleaner air would save 475 human lives each year in the United States, worth an estimated $ 4 billion.
That savings translates to almost 5 cents per kilowatt hour of energy used. That is particularly significant, the UW team notes, given that electricity costs about 10 cents per kilowatt hour on average.
“We’re trying to clarify how changes in energy systems have benefits for public health,” explains Abel. “For the most part, the energy community is not focused on the human health effects of air pollution.”
“The new study helps build bridges between researchers and policymakers,” says Abel. By showing the savings and how to accurately calculate the value of lives saved and associated reduced health care costs, the UW team hopes to provide policymakers and the energy industry with a road map for assessing the human health benefits of reducing energy use. Ideally, putting a price tag on positive health outcomes related to reduced energy has a powerful influence on the existing strategies used by government and the energy industry to help consumers save energy.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 indicate?| A．Less energy is consumed. |
| B．Health care costs are reduced. |
| C．The cost of electricity has fallen. |
| D．The living conditions are improved. |
| A．It saves money. | B．It makes air cleaner. |
| C．Lights may cause accidents. | D．Lights are harmful to health. |
| A．By checking the number of lights. |
| B．By working together with policymakers. |
| C．By calculating health benefits of saving energy. |
| D．By analyzing energy efficiency in summertime. |
| A．To find out how to reduce summertime energy consumption. |
| B．To develop a relationship with government and the energy industry. |
| C．To make consumers aware of the danger of air pollution. |
| D．To provide suggestions for government and the energy industry. |
【推荐3】In a grey office building of Helsinki a social worker is meeting six elderly people from around town for lunch- via tablets on heir kitchen table. For the next half-hour she talks to them about their day and reminds them to have something to drink, because dehydration is particularly dangerous for older people.
The virtual lunch group is part of Helsinki's remote-care program for its elderly. While many counties with large elderly populations are building new care homes. Finland is not planning to do so and, instead, is looking after people in their own homes for longer. The guiding principle in Finland is that for anyone, no matter what their age. “home is best”.
In Helsinki's home -care program about 4, 000 old people are equipped with various safety devices. These include wristbands with GPS, a fall detector and a phone line linked to care workers who monitor the wearer' s location on their computer screens. Most of the old people are too weak to walk about much, so they rarely leave their homes. But if they venture out in the middle of the night, care workers are to find them. Local tech companies have developed systems that use a network of motion sensors to gather data on things like how much a person moves about, visits the bathroom or opens the fridge. Not opening the fridge as much, for example, is a sign that memory problems may be getting worse.
Technology sometimes misfires. Wristbands give out the wrong location, setting off false alarms. A sensor may fail because Grandpa covers a towel over it. Some elderly people forget to charge their tablets. Such problems can be fixed. The biggest gain from technology may be that it makes it easier to keep old people fit enough to remain in their own homes for longer. This is much cheaper than an institution, and usually nicer, too.
1. What does the underlined word “dehydration” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Talking less. | B．Eating alone. |
| C．Watching their tablets. | D．Losing too much water. |
| A．To build more lunch groups. | B．To make the old stay at home. |
| C．To guide elderly people to care homes. | D．To care for the old in their own homes. |
| A．To find the missing old people. | B．To monitor the wearer’s location. |
| C．To collect the wearers' activity data. | D．To check people's memory problems. |
| A．Grandpa uses a towel. | B．The tablets are out of power. |
| C．Wristbands send out an alarm. | D．The elderly forget their location. |
【推荐1】It was during a school trip to the Art Gallery of NSW that I realized I was not white.
Aged eight, rough and noisy like any child travelling to an exciting place miles away from their own home, I was seriously reminded by a supervising teacher to stay in one place. To ensure this happened, and that I did not escape to a closed-off exhibition area the minute her eyes turned elsewhere, she forced me to hold the hand of a quiet, modest girl in my class, the typical teacher’s pet.
Already feeling incredibly self-conscious, the moment took a turn for the worse when a fellow classmate eyed our interlocked hands. With a finger pointing accusingly towards us, he said, “God, I can see her hand turning black already.”
That night I came home and cried in the shower. My own secret purchase of a Dove beauty bar failed to wash off the thick layer of dark grime (污点) onto my skin. For the first time I was forced to confront the vast valley between who I thought I was and who I actually was.
Race proceeded to become something I struggled with all throughout adolescence. In stories like these, the climax (高潮) usually comes during university. To an extent, that was true.
In your hands today is an edition that celebrates stories like mine, of lives and experiences informed by race.
While race is the source of many of our struggles, it is also the location of our characteristics, dearest stories, and most loved people. We have come to understand life better from our race. As people coming from an ethno-cultural (种族文化的) minority, our race informs, but does not single-handedly define, who we are.
1. Why did the teacher ensure the author stayed in one place?| A．She punished the author because the author was not white. |
| B．She was happy to see the author and the girl hand in hand. |
| C．She was afraid the author would be laughed at by her classmates. |
| D．She was afraid the author would run to a forbidden exhibition area. |
| A．The moment the boy said her hands were black. |
| B．The minute the teacher required her to stay still. |
| C．The moment she bought a Dove beauty bar secretly. |
| D．The night the bar couldn’t wash off the dirt from her skin. |
| A．she struggled hardest during her college years |
| B．she fought for those who were treated in an unfair way |
| C．she realized who she actually was during her adolescence |
| D．she struggled against the prejudice all her life |
| A．Race Is Everywhere | B．Race Taught Me a Lot |
| C．Minorities Are the Best | D．Race Defines Who We Are |
【推荐2】Whistler Olympic Park, having hosted ski jumping, cross-country skiing and biathlon (冬季两项) for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, remains an active centre for competitors, the local community and visitors. Located a short drive south of Whistler, the park offers activities and programs all year-round.
Winter at Whistler Olympic Park
Discover Whistler Olympic Park through cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, biathlon and more.
Find yourself in the park’s fantastic landscape and discover its Olympic history.
Take a lesson such as ski jumping in the youth program.
Gather around the outdoor open fire or in the warm Day Lodge restaurant after a day out in the snow.
Summer at Whistler Olympic Park
Open daily for tours, self-guided activities and sightseeing from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
There is a small park access fee ($15/vehicle). This fee is for the benefit of local, national and international Nordic athletes for summer and winter training. Free park entry for 2020/2021 season pass holders and non-motorized vehicles.
Tours
Olympic Biathlon Tour
Feel like an Olympian with this hands-on introduction to biathlon! On your walk to the shooting range, learn about the park’s sports and history. It also provides the best angle for taking photos of the Olympic monuments.
Take aim and shoot a real gun! In a mini race, including walking and running, get your heart rate up, stay focused and take aim to hit the targets!
Tour Dates: Daily from June 28 – September 1, 2020
Ages: 8 and up (under 19 with an accompanying adult)
Pricing: Adult $55, Youth $45
E-Bike & Biathlon Adventure Tour
The comfortable electric assist mountain bikes have wide wheels for a smooth ride, and an electric motor to help you climb hills with ease.
Visit the Olympic monuments and enjoy breathtaking viewpoints, such as the Top of the World lookout with views of Black Tusk and surrounding mountain ranges.
Test your skills at the biathlon range, shooting at Olympic targets.
Tour Dates: Daily from June 28 – September 1, 2020
Ages: 10 and up (under 19 with an accompanying adult)
Pricing: $95 per person
For more information, please log in from our homepage.
1. If you want to learn ski jumping, you should probably go to _____.| A．Olympic Biathlon Tour | B．Winter at Whistler Olympic Park |
| C．Summer at Whistler Olympic Park | D．E-Bike & Biathlon Adventure Tour |
| A．Season pass holders. | B．Children under age 8. |
| C．Locals from the community. | D．Teenagers with parents. |
| A．Ride a bike around the lake. |
| B．Gather around the open fire. |
| C．Visit the Olympic monuments. |
| D．Photograph monuments at the best angle. |
| A．A sports and leisure centre. | B．Exciting sports adventures. |
| C．Year-round training programs. | D．History of an Olympic Park. |
【推荐3】When in space, astronauts typically eat dehydrated (脱水), nutrient-rich food, but when it comes to longer space missions, that can become a problem as they'll eventually lack nutrients from fresh vegetables. However, Ying Diao, a chemical and biomolecular engineering professor will be researching ways astronauts can grow their own fresh vegetables more efficiently during space missions.
Diao's goal for this research is to develop wearable sensors for plants so that their health and stress levels are detected autonomously, with no need for humans to do the testing. Then, a “smart” plant chamber will be developed that can identify the best conditions for a plant to grow in to reduce its stress. Diao also wants to develop another sensor that will continuously monitor a plant's growth over its lifetime. “We're helping the astronauts to be more healthy during space missions, by improving the health of the plants they grow,” Diao said. “So the bigger impact could also be that it helps future human colonization on Mars or on other possible habitats.”
Although the ultimate goal for this project and research is to help people in space, it could also be used back on Earth in addressing climate change.
“During climate change, a plant experiences a lot of stress, but we need a plant to be more productive without increasing the footprint of the agriculture land to feed the growing population of our planet,” Diao said. “To address this conflict, we could potentially help decipher(破译)how the climate change and the microenvironments are impacting the plant stress and then we are better equipped to help plants adapt to a changing environment.”
“Most of the technology in my field is developed for human health but we've been ignoring plants for too long,” Diao said. “I think it's a new frontier that I want to go into and it is just part of a smart agriculture movement.”
1. What troubles astronauts with longer missions?| A．The way to grow fresh vegetables. |
| B．A shortage of nutrients from fresh vegetables. |
| C．A decrease in dehydrated, nutrient-rich food. |
| D．The balance between work and growing vegetables. |
| A．To find possible habitats for people. |
| B．To deal with climate change on earth. |
| C．To decrease the footprint of agriculture. |
| D．To help people to stay healthy in space. |
| A．Technology for plants. |
| B．Sensors for space use. |
| C．A smart agriculture movement. |
| D．Research into human health. |
【推荐1】Themed "New Era Shared Future" the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) was held from Nov 5 to 10 in Shanghai. More than 2,600 enterprises gathered and presented their advanced products. And may innovative products have made their world premiere(首次亮相) Let’s have a look at three of them.
Portable kayak
Lightweight and durable(耐用的) equipment is what all sport lovers desire. At the CIIE, the French sporting goods company Decathlon Launched is portable kayak(便携式皮划艇) ITIWIT X500. According to the company, he kayak measures 380cm in length and 65cm in width when inflated(充气).When not in use, it can be folded up to the size of a backpack.
In addition to its portability, the kayak also has the high performance capability of a professional kayak. It consists of five independent air chambers(气囊). Even if two of them don't work, the kayak floats are enough for sports enthusiasts to return to the shore safely.
Myopia prevention glasses
Frequent exposure to electronic devices has led to poor eyesight among teenagers. To address this issue, French company Essilor released a myopia(近视) control lens.
With the help of advanced technology, the lens can create a beam in front of the retina(视网膜) to slow down the increase of the eye axis.
“After more than two years of clinical research, the results show that the lens has an obvious effect on slowing down myopia progression in children,” said La Fan, a professor at Eye Optical Hospital Affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University.
Mind-reading ping-pong robot
Like ping-pong but afraid of criticism from your coach? The sixth generation of the Forpheus ping-pong robot from Japanese tech company Omron may help you.
The robot has multi-axis robotic arm that can imitate human strategies. It can actually live up to the feeling of playing against a real opponent.
At the same time, it can use sensors on the paddle(拍子) and five cameras to work out where you are and how you're moving. After analyzing your abilities, it can adjust its own playing level to match yours. The robot “pursues harmony of humans and machines by patiently teaching us how to play ping-pong”, noted The Verge.
1. What is the function of the five independent air chambers?| A．To make the kayak light. | B．To make the kayak easy to be folded up. |
| C．To make the kayak look cool. | D．To make the kayak safer. |
| A．The robot doesn't embarrass people when teaching. |
| B．The robot fails t figure out human strategies. |
| C．The robot can't create the feeling of a real ping-pong match. |
| D．The robot isn’t able to match people’s different skill levels. |
| A．To advertise some products sown at the CIIE. |
| B．To introduce some products shown at the CIIE. |
| C．To compare some products shown at the CIIE. |
| D．To explain how to use some products shown at the CIIE. |
【推荐2】Target Car Seat Trade-in Event
Recycle car seat & save 20% on new seat May 1 through May 13 Step 1: Bring your old car seat to Target. Step 2: Trade it in at Target Guest Service for a coupon(赠券). Step 3: Save 20% on a new car seat.  |
Frequently Asked Questions:
·What is the car seat trade-in program?
Guests who trade in their old car seats will receive a 20 percent off coupon toward a new car seat.
·What type of car seat qualifies for a trade-in?
Target will accept and recycle all types of car seats, including: baby car seats, car seat bases, as well as car seats that are damaged. Guests will receive a 20 percent off coupon for trading in any one of these items.
·Where do I bring my old car seat to trade in?
Car seats can be traded in at any of the Target stores. Target will have drop-off boxes for guests' unwanted car seats located near Guest Services.
·How do I redeem(兑现) the coupon offer?
Coupons can be applied to both in-store and online purchases and are valid(有效的) until May 31.
·What does Target do with the car seats that are traded in?
Materials from the old car seats will be recycled by Target's partner, Waste Management, to create new products such as plastic plates, plastic buckets and construction materials such as steel beams and carpet padding.
·Is this the first time Target has had car seat trade-in program?
Target introduced its first car seat trade-in program in April 2016. Since the program launched, more than 789, 000 car seats, or 11. 98 million pounds of car seats, have been recycled.
1. At Target Car Seat Trade-in Event, guests can________.| A．get free coupons | B．exchange old items |
| C．trade in old car seats | D．buy new cars cheaply |
| A．at online store | B．at Target Guest Service |
| C．in the drop-off boxes | D．from Waste Management |
| A．It is popular with drivers. |
| B．It is likely to be canceled. |
| C．It started tens of years ago. |
| D．It is environmental-friendly. |
【推荐3】This is what's known as a 'Buddy' or Friendship Bench'. They're needed because playgrounds can be lonely places sometimes. And these benches can help pupils feeling lonely to find a friend. Benches like this have been around for a while now in some schools. But in Ireland, they are trying to do something a bit different with them.
This school in Cork in the south of Ireland is the 47th to get one from a social enterprise called Buddy Bench Ireland that doesn't just provide schools with benches, it also runs special workshops with trained child psychiatrists. They use the bench as an opportunity to start conversations about mental well-being. They talk about the importance of being aware of your feelings and those of others. The children need to understand what the bench is about, what it symbolizes— friendship, listening to each other and the most important thing is to express feelings.
But do children actually use the bench? It's something an independent academic study has been looking at. We found that 40% of the children told us that they had actually used the benches at the time of the study. And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child was sitting on the bench. So, certainly there doesn't appear to be any issues around whether they are properly used. Children's mental health at school is increasingly a concern in many countries. Buddy Bench Ireland is hoping these benches will not only handle issues like social isolation and bullying but also give a future generation the confidence to open up about their feelings. Therefore, they are attempting to make the bench gain high popularity in Ireland schools in a larger scale.
1. Why the school in Cork in the south of Ireland uses the bench?| A．To help children with psychological problems fully recover. |
| B．To replace the old benches in school. |
| C．To cut the cost of school's facility. |
| D．To start conversations about mental well-being. |
| A．Teachers and parents encourage children to try it. |
| B．All the children understand what the bench is about. |
| C．Most children are willing to express feelings. |
| D．The bench helps children get rid of loneliness. |
| A．It will deal with social isolation and bullying completely. |
| B．It will motivate a future generation to bravely convey their feelings. |
| C．It will make children prefer the bench to old one. |
| D．It will appeal to more students to sit on it. |
| A．The reasons for the popularity of the bench. |
| B．The importance of being aware of students’ mental well-being. |
| C．The concrete approaches to promoting the use of the bench in more schools. |
| D．The ways to make the bench function effectively. |
