Two women going on a journey to green their city is the best way to describe the founders of Utility, Portland's low-waste and reuse company. It started in January 2019 and opened its first retail shop in April. Its founders, Rebecca Rottman and Nadine Appenbrink, are deeply committed to sustainability and supporters of zero waste.
They started Utility as a second job for both and as a personal journey, looking for clean products that didn't come in plastic. Their goal is to reduce the amount of single-use plastics by allowing people to bring their own reusable containers when they buy environmental friendly home and personal care items.
Every week the women teamed up with local stores to sell their goods and to refill products for returning customers. Now they are operating only online for pickup or local delivery in the Portland area. It is really easy, the company said. Just shop online and choose a container. Then select pickup or delivery. The products include all-natural dish bar soap and a wide variety of plastic-free kitchen tools.
While not completely zero waste, Utility is striving to get extremely close. Appenbrink said, “We are all on a journey. And we want to be as approachable as possible. Utility is to raise awareness about this lifestyle.” They are focused on careful growth because Utility will never ship products because of the carbon footprint involved in shipping.
There are zero waste stores in other communities, like Clean Kilo in Birmingham UK, but they are real brick and mortar (实体的) buildings. Utility's concept is so simple that it can be followed almost anywhere. Zero waste markets are the way to the circular economy that is needed to stop plastic waste, reduce our carbon footprint and have a sustainable future.
1. Why did Rebecca and Nadine found Utility?| A．To satisfy people's basic needs. | B．To offer job chances to local people. |
| C．To raise money for a personal journey. | D．To promote the use of reusable containers. |
| A．Reducing their carbon footprint. | B．Offering more home-made products. |
| C．Providing low-price shipping service. | D．Expanding their market internationally. |
| A．It is a hard job to stop plastic waste. | B．It is easy to copy Utility's practice. |
| C．Zero waste stores should run offline. | D．Traditional shops produce more waste. |
| A．Two women are going on an eco-travel |
| B．Single-use plastics are replaced in Portland |
| C．A community online shop helps Portland go zero waste |
| D．A Portland company is changing plastic into green products |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Japan has started releasing wastewater into the ocean. But this isn’t the kind of wastewater that flows from city streets into stormwater drains. It’s treated nuclear wastewater used to cool damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, stricken by an earthquake over a decade ago.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has approved the plan by Japan to release more than a million tons of treated nuclear waste water from the destroyed Fukushima power plant into the ocean, believing Japan’s claims that the wastewater would be safe. However, Neighboring countries and other experts say it remains environmentally harmful that will last generations and may affect ecosystems all the way to North America.
Local fishermen, who heavily depend on the ocean’s resources, fear a huge decrease in their marketability. “Japan’s self-interest should not harm the well-being of humanity in the long run.” They said.
The release of the wastewater into the sea is a threat to the ocean environment and will damage Japan’s international image. The amount of money Japan would need to spend in restoring (恢复) its international image will far exceed that required to solve the problem in an eco-friendly way.
1. What kind of water has Japan released into the ocean?| A．Treated nuclear wastewater. | B．Water used to cool Fukushima. |
| C．Water flowing into stormwater drains. | D．Water polluted by an early earthquake. |
| A．Japanese fishermen. | B．The IAEA. |
| C．North America. | D．Neighboring countries |
| A．be similar to | B．be more than | C．be smaller than | D．be better than |
| A．Environmental Problem in Japan | B．Fukushima’s Treated Radioactive Water |
| C．Concerns on Japan’s Wastewater Release | D．Experts’ Response to Japan’s Wastewater Release |
【推荐2】After nearly 20 years of efforts, China has built a monitoring network for endangered Siberian tigers and Amur leopards, covering more than 12,000 square kilometers in the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang, an expert said on Sunday.
With cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, more than 4,000 infrared (红外线的) camera video clips of tigers and more than 600 clips of leopards were recorded by a team led by Jiang Guangshun, deputy director of the Feline Research Center of the Natural Forestry and Grassland Administration.
“By comparing the data of tigers and leopards of China and Russia from 2013 to 2015, we have confirmed that 17 tigers and 42 leopards are shared populations of both China and Russia,”Jiang said at the International Forum on Tiger and Leopard Transboundary Conservation which kicked off on Sunday in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. “The ecology has greatly improved since the natural forest protection project started in 1998, and all commercial logging has been stopped, which helped to protect tigers and leopards,”he said.
“However, we still face great challenges,”he said. “The distribution pattern of the two species suggests that the protection of the tiger and leopard requires the establishment of a network of protected sites, the construction of international and domestic corridors and the formation of a permeable landscape. It needs attention and support from all over the world. ”
“Military fences, transportation facilities and farmland in habitats have a strong impact on tigers’ free migration in different areas in China and cross-border areas between China and Russia. Living in small and isolated areas may cause more inbreeding, which can be a factor in their decline in immunity,” Jiang added.
Focusing on big cats around the world, especially tiger and leopard populations, the two-day event attracted more than 300 representatives from 19 countries. Representatives discussed monitoring technology, restoration of populations and habitat areas, landscape resource allocation in protected areas, conflict resolution and other related technical and policy issues.
1. Which of the following may influence tigers’ free migration?| A．Infrared cameras fixed on tigers. |
| B．Transportation facilities in tigers’ habitats. |
| C．The monitoring network built by China. |
| D．Amur leopards living in Russia. |
| A．There are 17 tigers and 42 leopards in China. |
| B．Inbreeding is beneficial to animals’ health. |
| C．The construction of an ecological corridor has been completed. |
| D．Joint efforts are still necessary to protect tigers and leopards. |
| A．Cooperation Improves the Number of Big Cats |
| B．Protection of Big Cats Enhances Cooperation |
| C．Network Helps Monitor Population of Big Cats |
| D．Big Cats Came to China from Russia |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a science fiction. |
| C．In a book review. | D．In a business magazine. |
【推荐3】From the loss of wildlife to rising sea levels, we’re all well aware of the problems that climate change could cause. But while it may seem like such issues won’t affect most of us directly, it looks like future generations could grow up without something that many of us now take for granted: chocolate.
According to an essay published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, changes of the climate in the areas that produce cacao—the plant from which chocolate is produced—may mean that it will soon become extinct.
Most of the world’s cacao grows in countries close to the equator (赤道), with over half of it growing in the African nations of Ghana and Ivory Coast. It’s predicted that by 2050, climate change will have sped up the rate at which temperatures in these countries rise, making it extremely difficult for cacao to grow there. The problem doesn’t lie in increasing heat, but in lower humidity (湿度), as it’s believed that rainfall will stay at the same level if the temperature rises.
“In other words, as higher temperatures squeeze more water out of soil and plants, it’s unlikely that rainfall will increase enough to offset the moisture loss,” wrote Michon Scott, the essay’s author.
To help fight this problem, researchers from Berkeley University in the US are working on changing the DNA of cacao plants to allow them to survive in dryer conditons by using gene (基因) editing technology, according to US News. In the meantime, Mars, one of the world’s biggest companies of chocolate products, announced that it would spend 1 billion dollars helping reduce the effects of climate change.
“This is a world issue, and it requires everyone to work together,” Mars spokesperson Barry Parkin told Business Insider.
The message here is that if we all do our part, we may be able to prevent some of the worst influences of climate change. Or if we’re unlucky, chocolate will become a thing of the past.
1. What will make it hard for cacao to survive around the equator in the future?| A．The increasing heat. | B．The higher humidity. |
| C．The moisture loss in the soil. | D．The decrease of rainfall. |
| A．Make up. | B．Add up. | C．Dry up. | D．Use up. |
| A．It will work hard to plant cacao in greenhouses. |
| B．It will use the gene editing technology to plant cacao. |
| C．It will develop cacao that can survive in dryer conditions. |
| D．It will give financial support to help fight climate change. |
| A．Some new research and findings about growing cacao. |
| B．The influence that cacao plants have on climate change. |
| C．Problems cacao plants could face and the possible solutions. |
| D．The significance of working together to fight climate change. |
【推荐1】For students, college is a series of disconnected experiences: the classroom, the dorm, the athletic field, and the internship（实习岗位）. Yet the employers tell me what gets college students hired is the ability to translate what they learned in one place (the classroom, for example) to another that is far different from where they originally learned a concept (a project on an internship).
Educators call this “ transfer learning”—the ability to summarize key principles and apply them in many different places, which becomes more important as the skills needed to keep up in any job and occupation continue to change in the future. Our ability to drive almost any car on the market without reading its manual（手册）is an example of knowledge transfer.
The concept sounds simple enough. But today’s students, faced with the constant pressure to prepare for standardized tests, rarely have the chance to learn through problem-solving or to be involved in projects that improve skills that can be used in various settings.
In response to demands from students, parents and employers, colleges and universities are adding hands-on experiences to the undergraduate curriculum.
Arizona State University, where I’ m a professor of practice, is testing a curriculum across a dozen majors in which students learn nearly half of the subject matter through group projects. Engineering students might build a robot and learn the key principles of mechanics and electronics during the project. The hope is that students will be more involved if theories from the classroom are immediately applied in the outside world instead of years after students graduate.
What’s the problem with the hands-on learning experiences being added by colleges to the undergraduate curriculum? They’re often not accompanied by the guidance that students need to help them transfer what they learn. So students become adept skilled in job interviews at describing what they did during a project, but they have difficulty talking about what they learned and how they can apply that to where they want to work.
1. Why is the ability to drive mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．To show that everything is changing. |
| B．To prove that driving ability is important. |
| C．To stress the importance of practical skills. |
| D．To explain the meaning of transfer learning. |
| A．Various school projects. | B．Too much stress from tests. |
| C．Their lack of theory knowledge. | D．Their unwillingness to solve problems. |
| A．Seeing what they have learned is applied. |
| B．Teachers changing the way lectures are given. |
| C．Focusing on the key principles of every subject. |
| D．Teachers explaining theories in an interesting way. |
| A．They are effective. | B．They are unnecessary. |
| C．They should be improved. | D．They cost a lot of time. |
Lynn's interest in sustainable living has expanded over the years from simple recycling and wildlife gardening to encouraging others to appreciate nature and do what each can to protect the environment. The creation of Indiana Living Green comes from her belief that most individuals have an inner desire to do what is best for our environment and that each individual act truly does make a difference.
Lynn has been instrumental in bringing her green consciousness to Indiana by way of Indiana Living Green magazine over the past two years. Indiana Living Green is the only local publication solely focused on green living and sustainability. In addition, Lynn’s pioneering efforts also provide public educational forums via "Green Scenes" — a series of three hour events, each focusing on specific topics teaching Hoosiers how to lead greener lifestyles. She is a sought-after speaker, delivering topics such as "Greening Your Outdoor Space," "Updating Your Home to Green" and "Greening Your Lifestyle" to various businesses and organizations throughout Central Indiana. In addition, Lynn has appeared regularly on Indianapolis Fox 59 morning show’s "Living Green" segment, discussing various topics of interest ranging from grilling green and green baby buys to composting and recycling.
In addition to her role as publisher of Indiana Living Green magazine, Lynn is also a Habitat Steward Host for National Wildlife Federation, editor of Hoosier Organic Gardener, the newsletter of the Indiana Organic Gardeners Association, and a member of Garden Writers Association.
Lynn Jenkins deserves to be publicly recognized for all that she is and all that she has done and continues to do to educate and empower each of us to improve our individual lives, communities and our Earth.
1. Which of the following is NOT true of Lynn Jenkins?
| A．She is the publisher of the magazine Indiana Living Green. |
| B．She is a member of Garden Writers Association. |
| C．She won the award the Heart of Green Local Hero. |
| D．She encourages people to love and protect nature. |
| A．a book on modern life style | B．a magazine on fashion |
| C．a journal on travel | D．a magazine on green living |
| A．It is a scene set in a three-hour film. |
| B．It is a series of events focusing on green life. |
| C．It is a film set in Central Indiana. |
| D．It is a forum focusing on green lifestyle. |
| A．simply | B．mainly | C．earnestly | D．seriously |
| A．To call on readers to protect the environment and live green. |
| B．To nominate Lynn Jenkins for the Heart of Green Local Hero. |
| C．To introduce the readers to the Heart of Green Local Hero. |
| D．To advertise for Indiana Living Green and its publisher. |
【推荐3】Reading doesn’t come naturally to people, but most of us have learned how. Eighty-six percent of the world’s population is literate(有读写能力的)，and this rate has been increasing for centuries. Literacy makes it possible to navigate a world filled with books, websites, text messages, road signs and more.
Could a growing number of people participate in today’s world without reading or writing at all? Technology makes it possible. Most of our devices now talk to us and take spoken commands. Smart cars ask for a destination and then give directions.Smart virtual assistants listen for requests to report the weather, play a song, set a timer, order groceries, and much more. Software can also read text aloud or turn speech into text. These interactions aren’t perfect-the software still makes silly mistakes. But it’s getting better and better. It’s possible to imagine a future world where all of our communication with our devices and each other is spoken.
But reading and writing are powerful tools.For one, most people read faster than they speak. A podcaster or audio book narrator speaks at around150to 160 words per minute, while a strong reader can cruise through a text at 300 to 400 words per minute. That’s twice as fast! Research has also found that people remember more information and stay more interested when they read as opposed to listen. Learning to read also creates new connections in the brain. In her book Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, Maryanne Wolf writes that with the invention of reading, human beings “rearranged the very organization of our brain, which in turn expanded the ways we were able to think, which changed the intellectual evolution of our species.” Would we really choose to give up that progress?What do you think? Do you hope people keep on reading and writing, or will technology make literacy obsolete(淘汰的)?
1. What does the 2nd paragraph focus on?| A．Technology makes up for illiteracy. | B．Many people have problems with literacy. |
| C．Technology is a double-edged sword. | D．Technology is changing fast. |
| A．Gather more information. | B．Remember less clearly. |
| C．Show less interest. | D．Learn more words. |
| A．To give an example of a book on reading. |
| B．To show the evolution of human beings. |
| C．To prove that reading is related with brain. |
| D．To illustrate the need for reading and writing. |
| A．A textbook. | B．A blog post. |
| C．A book review. | D．An academic article. |
【推荐1】May’s Midi Festival
As a rock festival the Midi Festival 2017 in Beijing presented a musical carnival for fans. It was the 13th year of the outdoor music feast. This year, about 100 rock bands from home and abroad performed on five stages. It was held at a suburban park known for its mountains and grasslands. With beautiful scenery and exciting music it was a good opportunity to enjoy rock with friends and family.
2:00—10:30 p.m., from April 29 to May 1. China Music Valley Grassland Park, Pinggu District. 400-610-3721.
Fans of Painting
Ancient Chinese calligraphers (书法家) and painters were fond of painting on the folds of fans. Their excellence has left a wealth of outstanding works. A fan painting show exhibited 990 Ming and Qing (1368-1911) Dynasty calligraphy and painting works on folding fans. They were selected from the collection of the National Museum of China. The themes of these fan paintings fell into four categories: natural landscapes, flowers and birds, figures and calligraphy.
10:00 a.m.—2:30 p.m., from April 29 to May 29. National Museum of China,16 East Chang an Avenue. 010-651-6400.
Poetic Portraits
Two artists held a joint exhibition with paintings featuring portraits of Chinese women in poetic poses. Wang Xiaojin, who is from Shandong Province, has been exhibiting since 1993. The other artist, Xu Zhigang, is originally from Liaoning Province, but is now in Beijing.
10: 00 a.m.—8. 00 p. m. from April 28 to June 20. Rong Gallery, Sheraton Pudong Hotel, 38 Pujian Road. Pudong New Area. 0137-6408-7294.
Group Show
The artist group, “island6”, worked in new media and held a show titled Body-City-Mechanism. Through interactive video, photography, oil on canvas and sculpture, the artists explore themes of man and cyberspace.
10:00 a.m.—6:00 p.m., from April 30 to June 28. Studio Rouge,50 Moganshan Road, Putuo District. 021-5252-7856.
1. What can we learn from this passage?| A．Besides music, people can enjoy beautiful scenery at China Music Valley Grassland Park. |
| B．The show held by “island6”would last more than two months. |
| C．Wang Xiaojin held an exhibition with paintings featuring Chinese women on his own. |
| D．The themes of these fan paintings are mainly about natural landscapes, flowers and birds. |
| A．Watch a music show at Rong Gallery. | B．Enjoy the performance of rock bands. |
| C．Visit an exhibition of portrait paintings. | D．Appreciate painting works from the Qing Dynasty. |
| A．Musicians | B．Young women | C．Businessmen | D．Art lovers |
【推荐2】Young Adult Groups
●Around the World in 80 Books — 9,186 members
If you love exploring the world through books, you have come to the right place! It all started as a challenge on TNBBC in 2009, and now we have our own group! Challenge participation is not a requirement of joining. Anyone who loves reading books is welcome.
Website: http: //www.worldinbooks.com
Rules: Respect each other’s opinions and have fun!
●Readers That Love Giveaways — 734 members
This group is for readers that enjoy entering give-aways and finding freebies（免费物）! Follow us for the newestbargain, discounted, and free e-books, as well as new releases and book recommendations. Website: http: //www.fireandicebooktours.com
Rules: Please share your items in the appropriate folders!
●Book Loving Kiwis — 706 members
A group for New Zealand book lovers（and authors）and lovers of New Zealand books（and books in general）. Aplace to share what we’re reading, introduce books we have written, and discuss and recommend books. Please recommend us to your friends.
Website: http: //www.kiwisbook.com
Rules: Enjoy reading! Respect all group members and their opinions.
●A Book and a Cappucino — 77 members
This group is for anyone who likes to read and likes to read at their own pace. It does not matter how much or how little you read. It’s just a friendly place to discuss what you’re reading and to get ideas for your next read. You can participate as much or as little as you like.
Website: http: //www.bookandcappucino.com
Rules: Be respectful to all. Everyone has a right to share opinions.
1. Which of the four groups is the most popular?
| A．Book Loving Kiwis. | B．A Book and a Cappucino. |
| C．Around the World in 80 Books. | D．Readers That Love Giveaways. |
| A．http: //www.fireandicebooktours.com. | B．http: //www.bookandcappucino.com. |
| C．http: //www.worldinbooks.com. | D．http: //www.kiwisbook.com. |
| A．New authors. | B．Young adults. |
| C．Book dealers. | D．Book lovers. |
【推荐3】2020's biggest fashion trends reflect a world in crisis
Functionality
Face masks became the unrivaled(无对手的) accessory of the year. People made their own brands，produced unique designs and, almost overnight, they became the finishing touch to many outfits.
Comfort
Fashion platform Lyst looked at search data from over 100 million online shoppers and, in its annual report, found that Birkenstock clogs, Crocs, UGG slippers and Nike joggers were among the year's most sought-after items of clothing.
Statements
Statement-wear took on an entirely new meaning in 2020. From protest T-shirts in support of the Black Lives Matter movement to political merchandise in the lead up to the US election, people dressed not to impress, but to convey powerful messages.
Conscious
Growing demand for local, handmade, sustainable clothing isn't a new trend. But the pandemic saw a rise in values-driven shopping, reflecting a shift in mindset among more cautious spenders, who, perhaps, also had more time to think about the brands they lent their loyalty to.
Digital
From Shanghai to London, fashion weeks throughout the year went digital to present new collections safely. During London Fashion Week in September, Burberry streamed its show— filmed live in the woods — on Twitch, a social media platform more popular with gamers than fashionistas.
The future
Fashion's recovery from the pandemic is set to be slow, with experts predicting a difficult year ahead for businesses. Trends seen during a year defined by crisis will not be left at 2021's door, and they may permanently change the shape of the industry.
1. What became the biggest fashion in 2020?| A．Digital products. | B．Face masks. | C．Statement-wear. | D．The loyal brands. |
| A．To convey political statements. | B．To state an advertisement. |
| C．To impress people deeply. | D．To comfort online shoppers |
| A．In a huge stadium. |
| B．In a big shopping mall. |
| C．On media platform. |
| D．By setting up a platform. |
【推荐1】Nowadays, learning Braille (盲文) is something of a dying art. With thousands of computer programs and other media now available, fewer kids are learning to read Braille and most of them are learning to read by listening. In the United States, less than 10% of the 1.3 million people who are legally blind are Braille readers. However, learning Braille offers students much more than just a way to get information. Listening to information does not teach students how to spell or write well. These skills are better taught by actually reading. This is particularly true when we know that Braille users often are more independent, have a higher level of education and better employment opportunities. Learning to read and write Braille requires lots of practice, which can become dull. This is what the company Lego, which is making Braille Bricks to help blind students learn to read and write, is dealing with. We strongly believe the Bricks can help increase the level of interest in learning Braille.
Instead of the grid (网格) of raised dots normally found on top of Legos, Braille Bricks use the dot groups of the Braille alphabet. This allows the bricks to be “read”, but they still click together like normal Legos. Braille is often written with a special machine called a Brailler. If a student makes the wrong letter using the Brailler, it can’t really be fixed, since the letter is punched (打孔) into paper. Legos, on the other hand, are lots of fun to play with. If a student makes a mistake, fixing it is as easy as moving or changing a brick.
The company is trying the Bricks out with teachers and blind students in schools. Teachers report that students enjoy the Bricks and quickly invent games and fun ways to use them. On Lego’s new Braille Bricks, which are planned to hit commercial stores in the near future, Braille is also translated into numbers and letters allowing parents and educators to follow along.
1. What has made Braille used less in recent years?| A．The lack of its actual use. |
| B．The hard learning process. |
| C．The application of digital technology. |
| D．The decline in the number of the blind. |
| A．Its replacements. | B．Its improvement. |
| C．Its shortcomings. | D．Its importance. |
| A．They are new reading systems. |
| B．They help the blind in a fun way. |
| C．They work like a special machine. |
| D．They come from the Braille alphabet. |
| A．They’ll reach the consumers soon. |
| B．They’ll teach blind students new games. |
| C．They’ll lighten the burden on teachers. |
| D．They’ll be translated into other languages. |
【推荐2】A new study found evidence that dogs developed in physical ways to present “puppy dog eyes” as a way to help connect with humans.
The study compared the facial muscles(肌肉) of dogs and wolves, which share ancestral history. Dogs broke off from wolves after being domesticated (驯化) about 33, 000 years ago. During that time dogs changed physically and behaviorally to adapt to life with humans.
The researchers examined the heads of six dogs and two wolves for comparison. They found the facial structures of both animals were mostly very similar. But one major difference was found above the eyes. The dogs were found to have two well-formed muscles around the eye that were not present in the wolves. These small muscles permit dogs to raise their inner eyebrows, the study found.
Juliane Kaminski, a comparative psychologist from the research suggests this eyebrow-rising movement causes “a warm” feelings in humans because it makes the dogs’ eyes appear larger. This expression also makes the dog look more like a human baby. The eye movement is similar to that which humans make when they are sad.
“The evidence is very obvious that dogs developed a muscle to raise the inner eyebrows after they were domesticated from wolves, ” Kaminski said.
In a separate part of the study, the researchers observed how 27 dogs and nine wolves interacted with a human. “We also studied dogs’ and wolves’ behavior. And when exposed to a human for two minutes, dogs raised their inner eyebrows more and higher than wolves,” Kaminski said.
The researchers suggest that the eye movements developed over time as a way for dogs to get humans to do things for them, such as giving them food, care or attention.
The only dog species in the study that did not have the muscles was the Siberian husky, which is an ancient kind of dog. The husky could be the best living example of what the link between dogs, and wolves looked like.
1. What is the difference found between dogs and wolves?| A．Dogs have nice eyebrows. |
| B．They have different ancestors. |
| C．They have easily distinguishable faces. |
| D．Dogs have additional muscles around the eyes. |
| A．Dogs have developed in order to get along with humans. |
| B．Dogs have learned facial expressions from human babies. |
| C．Dogs are intentionally raising their eyebrows to please humans. |
| D．Dogs have changed their behaviors to get food from humans. |
| A．It has lovelier eyes than the other dogs. |
| B．It seems much more like a wolf than a dog. |
| C．It can raise its eyebrows higher than most dogs do. |
| D．It is better at linking with humans than an ordinary dog. |
| A．The evolution of the wolves. |
| B．Dogs’ ability to connect with humans. |
| C．The similarities between dogs and wolves. |
| D．Changes in dogs caused by domestication. |
【推荐3】Pale Horse, Pale Rider
Katherine Anne Porter was a celebrated American journalist, essayist, short story writer and novelist. Her works deal with dark themes including justice and the unforgiving nature of the human race. Pale Horse, Pale Rider（ 1939）is her short novel set during the influenza pandemic（流感大流行）of 1918, which killed five times as many Americans as did World War I. Its main character, Miranda, is a young reporter who falls in love with a soldier； the book's fever-dream style captures the experience of the disease.
The Andromeda Strain
Michael Crichton was one of the most successful novelists of his generation. The Andromeda Strain（ 1969 ）is his best-selling techno-thriller that begins when a military satellite crashes to the earth and releases an organism that kills almost everyone in a nearby small town. Then things get bad.
Love in the Time of Cholera
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a major Latin-American author of novels and short stories, a central figure in the so-called magical realism movement in Latin American literature. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1982. Love in the Time of Cholera ( 1985 ) is his great Colombian authors attractive tale of a 50-year courtship, in which lovesickness is as stubborn as disease. u My best, " he said of it. " The novel was written from my soul."
The Road
Cormac McCarthy is an American novelist and playwright. The Road (2006) is his beautifully written, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set after an unspecified extinction event has wiped out most of humanity. An unnamed man and a boy travel on foot toward a southern sea, having to avoid cannibals(食人者)and despair. The Road is a specially moving story1 of a journey.
1. What can be inferred from the first two books mentioned in the text?| A．They're the bestsellers. | B．They're fairly tales. |
| C．They're about disasters. | D．They're non-fiction. |
| A．Pale Horse, Pale Rider | B．The Andromeda Strain |
| C．Love in the Time of Cholera | D．The Road |
| A．Katherine Anne Porter. | B．Michael Crichto. |
| C．Gabriel Garcia Marquez. | D．Cormac McCarthy. |
