For companies around the world and across industries, sustainability(可持续发展) has rapidly gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have. Some famous companies have announced ambitious plans to remove single-use plastics, reduce carbon release and otherwise shrink their environmental footprint in various ways.
Newlight Technologies hopes to speed up that process. The company has spent more than a decade developing a material called AirCarbon, which functions exactly like plastic but is completely biodegradable(可生物降解的). Newlight developed the material using microorganisms found in the ocean that feed on methane and carbon dioxide-two-greenhouse gases among the biggest contributors to climate change. The organisms turn those gases into a natural polymer(聚合物) that can be shaped just like plastic.
“We call that AirCarbon because it's air and carbon that can mix with and become part of water,” CEO Mark Herrema said. “We have this pure white powder that we can then melt and form in all kinds of parts and pieces.” The company's new production facility is filled with large saltwater tanks that recreate ocean conditions, allowing the organisms to make the polymer from which AirCarbon can be obtained.
Newlight recently began rolling out its first set of products made from the material, launching two-brands. Its foodware brand, Restore, sells biodegradable straws, knives, forks and spoons, while its fashion brand Covalent sells handbags, wallets and sunglasses. And because the process of developing AirCarbon uses gases from the atmosphere, the products are carbon negative, meaning they take out more pollutants than they produce. Newlight has received carbon negative certifications from several organizations for its products.
Newlight’s current products are costlier than some traditional products available on the market, since the company has just one facility, which makes it hard to keep prices down. At present, Newlight’s AirCarbon products can remove 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year. But Herrema's goal is to build more facilities as quickly as possible and eventually increase that number to 20 billion pounds, which he says is how much plastic ends up in the ocean each year.
1. What is the advantage of AirCarbon?| A．It is more flexible than plastic. |
| B．It can partially break down. |
| C．It helps reduce greenhouse gases. |
| D．It is an artificial polymer like plastic. |
| A．Its products are of good quality. |
| B．Its products are energy-saving. |
| C．It develops two sustainable brands. |
| D．It removes more carbon than it releases. |
| A．Limited production. | B．Low profits. |
| C．Few customers. | D．Poor marketing. |
| A．New technology that reduces carbon release. |
| B．Greenhouse gases that can be used for products. |
| C．Ocean microorganisms that feed on greenhouse gases. |
| D．A plastic alternative that might help solve climate change. |
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【推荐1】Ford has announced it has hired a pair of Boston Dynamics’ Spot robotic dogs. Ford is using the robotic dogs to help it 3D-map its Van Dyke Plant “By having the robots scan our plant, we can see what it actually looks like now and build a new engineering model. That digital model is then used when we need to change the equipment in the plant for new products,” said Mark Goderis, Ford’s digital engineering manager. The automaker named one of them Fluffy. The other is keeping its name Spot assigned to it by Boston Dynamics.
The dogs are used to capture 360-degree images of areas in the plant that are difficult to get to using a traditional 3D camera on a tripod. They’re equipped with five cameras and can climb stairs and kneel down to get into hard-to-reach places. Their four legs allow the robots to walk like a dog, around the plant at speeds of up to 3 mph — so they’re not exactly zippy. Besides, the battery lasts for only two hours.
Mark said that the old way of scanning with a camera on a tripod could take two weeks. Using the robotic dogs cuts that time in half. It also used to cost $300,000 to do it the old way. The robotic dogs are cheaper, but Ford didn’t say by how much.
At present, the metal dogs are followed by their handler, Paula Wiebelhaus, who manages the robotic dogs through a controller with a display that sees what the dogs see. But in the near future Ford wants to be able to program the dogs to go to different parts of the plant and report back what they see without being followed by a human. They can also ask for a ride on the back of a mobile robot that Ford has named Scouter. Like the dogs, it’s also capturing 3D scans of its environment.
1. What can we learn about Ford from Paragraph 1?| A．It uses robotic dogs to build plants. |
| B．It is the main producer of robotic dogs. |
| C．It has named one of the two robotic dogs. |
| D．It will replace its engineers with robotic dogs. |
| A．Go anywhere they want. | B．Shoot 360-degree photos. |
| C．Cary at least 5 cameras. | D．Keep working for two days. |
| A．Quick-moving. | B．Energy-saving. | C．Funny-looking. | D．Eye-catching. |
| A．The advantages of robotic dogs. | B．Ford’s new way of saving money. |
| C．Mark’s interest in high technology. | D．The functions of traditional cameras. |
| A．Paula operates robotic dogs through voice. | B．Scouter works well with the robotic dogs. |
| C．Ford will buy more robotic dogs soon. | D．The robotic dogs need to be improved. |
【推荐2】A Harvard research team’s first model of a portable exosuit (机械护甲) is made of cloth components worn on the waist and upper legs. A computer that’s built into the shorts can sense when the user shifts between walking and running.
Say the word "exosuit" and super heroes come to mind — somebody like Tony Stark from Marvel Comics, whose fancy suit enables him to become Iron Man. But scientists at Harvard University have been developing an actual exosuit, a wearable machine that can improve an average man’s strength and toughness. This model improves a wearer’s performance while he is walking or running.
The lead researcher Conor Walsh says when you put on his team’s suit, you definitely notice that it’s pulling across your joints, so you feel the drive from the suit. But after a while, you don’t really notice it anymore. The suit helps to extend the hip joint, saving the user’s energy. Though you might not notice it, when you shut the suit off after a few minutes of having it turned on, Walsh says, “You really quickly notice that your legs feel a little bit heavier.”
Walsh says, “This suit could be helpful for a soldier carrying heavy weights over long distances.” Research on the suit was supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is part of the United States Department of Defense and develops military technology. “ Other future models might help people with medical problems like Parkinson’s disease to move more easily,” he says. “My lab cooperates with a company on a suit to help stroke survivors that is now commercially available.”
Karl Zelik, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, calls the team’s effort “promising work”. Zelik says it will enhance human abilities during various aspects of daily life. However, he notes that the exosuit field is changing fast. In the future, he says, the best assist devices may not be exosuits at all, but rather technology put inside a person’s body. He predicts that future wearables will also be able to figure out the wearer’s movement intention, and influence it when necessary to improve human performance.
1. What may the exosuit do?| A．Cover a person’s whole body. | B．Analyze a man’s health when he runs. |
| C．Make a person move faster and longer. | D．Enable a person to become a superhero. |
| A．Their legs may feel a little heavier. | B．Their body may not feel anything strange. |
| C．Their joints will feel pulled by some strength. | D．Their body may feel the driving force from it. |
| A．He works for American military force. | B．The suit can protect soldiers in the distance. |
| C．People with Parkinson’s disease will be cured. | D．A certain model of a suit can be bought now. |
| A．Objective. | B．Optimistic. | C．Indifferent. | D．Hopeless. |
【推荐3】Most of us have something about us that we’re not 100% in love with, such as an impulsive streak or a short temper. What if those personality traits (个性特征) could be improved with daily use of a smartphone app? That was the focus of a new study from an international research team led by the University of Zurich.
“Personality traits predict several important aspects of life such as success at work, health and even a long.” says first author Mirjam Stieger. PhD. of Brandeis University in Waltham. Massachusetts. “So we wanted to test whether people can actively shape their personality traits with the help of a digital intervention (干预) within a relatively short period of time.”
Around 1.500 participants were provided with a specially developed smartphone app called PEACH for three months. On the app, a virtual companion communicated with the participants daily and provided support to help them make the changes they desired. And participants were divided into two groups — an intervention group and a waitlist control group. Participants in the waitlist control group selected and indicated their change goals before a one-month waiting period, and then they received the same three-month intervention as the intervention group.
The researchers found that participants in the waitlist control group didn't change their personality traits during the one-month waiting period. but participants who received the intervention reported changes in the desired direction. “We also found that friends and family members were able to detect personality changes,” Stieger says. “Another surprising finding was that most participants were able to maintain (维持) their personality trait changes until three months after the end of the intervention.”
While apps could be used to promote personality change, mental health expert Karen Peters warns, it's important to remember they are there for support and not as a substitute for an individual's change. “The use of an app itself isn't going to influence change — change is influenced by internal motivation.” she says. “The new study demonstrates this point by determining that change outcomes were in agreement with the individual's desire to change.”
1. Why does the author ask the question in paragraph 1?| A．To put forward a problem. | B．To recommend a method. |
| C．To lead in the recent study. | D．To come up with a new concept. |
| A．Set their change goals. | B．Detect others' changes. |
| C．Help their companions. | D．Get rid of daily apps. |
| A．Most of the participants' personalities were unstable. |
| B．Digital intervention made no difference to personalities. |
| C．The use of an app alone could shape personality traits. |
| D．The participants, personality changes were noticeable. |
| A．Are Your Personality Traits Out of Control? |
| B．Are You in Love With Your Personality Traits? |
| C．Can a Smartphone App Change Your Personality? |
| D．Can Digital Intervention Determine Personal Desire? |
【推荐1】Last May, “eco-mermaid (生态美人鱼)” Merle Liivand broke her own world record for swimming with a single fin (鳍). She swam the distance of a full marathon in the rough waters of Biscayne Bay, Florida. She even picked trash out of the water as she swam.
Liivand was born in Estonia. As a child, she had health problems, and engaged in swimming to help her lungs get stronger. She was soon taking part in open water swimming contests, sometimes even in icy water.
Eleven years ago, Liivand moved to Miami, Florida, where she continued swimming in the ocean. In one training session, she nearly wound up swallowing some plastic that was floating in the sea. That experience made her think of all the sea animals that faced similar pollution every day. She decided to make people more aware of plastic pollution, which she calls a “plastic pandemic”.
Thinking about sea creatures gave Liivand the idea of swimming with a special single swimming fin attached to both of her feet. This rubbery “monofin” allows her to swim by kicking both of her legs together. “Swimming with the monofin without using my arms is similar to how dolphins and other marine animals swim,” says Liivand. She believes that swimming with a monofin sends a bigger message.
Liivand first set the world record for swimming with a monofin in 2019, when she swam 6.2 miles off the coast of California. In 2020, she broke the record again by swimming 12.8 miles in Miami, Florida. On 7 May last year, Liivand broke the record once more, this time swimming the length of a full marathon. It took her 11 hours and 54 seconds to swim 26.2 miles. The water was rough, and she ran into a few problems, but she didn’t stop. “I got stung (蛰) by jellyfish,” she said, “and kept telling myself that it was not the time to cry.”
Liivand picked up all the trash she found and put it in a kayak (皮划艇). By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of trash. “This isn’t just about a record. It’s about helping the community and the world,” she says.
1. Why did Liivand start swimming?| A．To protect sea creatures. | B．To get trash out of the sea. |
| C．To improve her physical condition. | D．To participate in swimming contests. |
| A．Her moving to Miami, Florida. | B．Her training accident in the sea. |
| C．Her experience of saving sea animals. | D．Her swimming with a rubbery monofin. |
| A．Self-confident and optimistic. | B．Hard-working and ambitious. |
| C．Well-educated and independent. | D．Strong-minded and determined. |
| A．“Eco-Mermaid” tries to break her own records |
| B．“Eco-Mermaid” loves swimming with a monofin |
| C．“Eco-Mermaid” develops a unique way of swimming |
| D．“Eco-Mermaid” swims a marathon to fight plastic pollution |
【推荐2】Dessi Sieburth’s love of birds started about six years ago. Now，he has his own group called Protecting Our Birds. Recently，Dessi，11 years old，chatted with TFK about his work and goals for the future.
TFK: What is Protecting Our Birds?
DESSI: Birds are citizens of the world，so they need protection. I basically try to do conservation (保护)work to help birds get protected throughout the world. I recently wrote an article about a bird called the bar-tailed godwit(斑尾薄)，I interviewed a biologist(生物学家)named Nils Warnock，who had studied the bar tailed godwit. He expressed the concern about the threat that the bar-tailed godwit is facing. I wrote an article about his answers to the questions，which is published on the American Birding Association Website.
TFK: What impelled you to start this project?
DESSI: When I was eight years old，our class had to do a wood-working project，so I chose a bird feeder(喂食盒)，I didn’t like birds at the time. I made the feeder，filled it up with seed，put it in my backyard and then the birds started coming. I got really interested in birds as more came. I later got involved in my local Audubon Society，which is an association devoted to preserving natural ecosystems(生态系统).It really got me into birds and I realized bird populations were decreasing，and many are becoming endangered quite rapidly. I wanted to help them，so I started the project.
TFK: What are some future projects you plan to work on?
DESSI: I live in L.A. where there are a lot of parrots. Most of the parrots’ native range is in Mexico，but they’re really declining there because of habitat loss. I want to study the parrots and help them in their native range in Mexico, so they can start increasing again.
TFK: How can people learn more about Protecting Our Birds and the work you’ re doing?
DESSI: I have a website, It’s pretectingourbirds. my-free. website. There people can learn about what I do and how to help birds.
1. What’s Nils Warnock ‘s attitude to the bar tailed godwit?| A．worried | B．Changing | C．Uncertain | D．Optimistic |
| A．Forbade | B．Requested | C．Encouraged | D．Challenged |
| A．After he prepared a feeder for birds. |
| B．After he interviewed Nils Warnock |
| C．After he studied parrots in Mexico.· |
| D．After he joined a local association. |
| A．Write articles about birds in danger. |
| B．Help parrots losing the natural home. |
| C．Set up a website to teach how to help birds. |
| D．Recreate his own conservation organization. |
【推荐3】Gordon Brown today announced that he will use the law to stop supermarkets giving away free plastic bags within the next 12 months.
Supermarkets that do not voluntarily start charging customers for plastic bags are expected to be punished to pay an extra tax of at least 5p a bag.
Brown made his pledge (保证) as the Guardian revealed that government departments handed out nearly one million special-made plastic bags themselves, mostly in connection with publicity campaigns.
Writing in the Daily Mail, which this week launched a war to cut the use of plastic bags, the prime minister said that "over time we should aim to get rid of the single-use plastic bag altogether".
In a speech last November, Brown urged shopkeepers to cut the use of plastic bags. In his article he praised Ikea, which has cut its bag use by 95% recently, and Marks & Spencer, which this week announced that it would ask for a 5p charge on bags from May.
The prime minister said that he was now willing to use laws to ensure that other stores followed the Marks & Spencer's lead.
"I am convinced we need to act — and the time to act is now. And I want to make it clear that if government law is needed to make the change, we will take the necessary steps. We do not take such steps lightly — but the damage single-use plastic bags inflict (强加于) on the environment is such that strong action must be taken. The important thing is to come up with a scheme that will be of most benefit, most quickly — and ideally at the same time provide funds for organizations that help protect our environment."
Brown said he was reminded of the scale of the problem every week when he saw the number of bags supplied with his family shopping.
"Like many working families with children, Sarah and I often use supermarket deliveries for the weekly shopping. And as millions of others in Britain who do the same, we are left with a bin full of plastic bags in the end, with each bag sometimes just containing a handful of items. This cannot be right."
Brown revealed that the government had been looking at the way other countries were dealing with the problem.
"We are looking at all this international evidence to see what steps we in Britain should take," he said.
1. Where can readers most probably find this passage?| A．Shopping information magazines. | B．Business magazines. |
| C．Professional plastic industry papers. | D．Common daily newspapers. |
| A．Government officials in charge of the plastic industry. |
| B．Common people voluntarily avoiding using plastic bags. |
| C．Department stores supporting the action in this country. |
| D．Producers making plastic bags. |
| A．Marks & Spencer will charge for the plastic bag from this May. |
| B．Some stores have been punished for not charging for plastic bags. |
| C．Supermarkets will only charge 5p for each plastic bag. |
| D．Other countries have been carrying out the action successfully. |
| A．few bags | B．too many bags |
| C．a bin | D．a wrong bag |
【推荐1】Christmas in the United States is traditionally a time of gift-giving and family gatherings. But small towns across the country have their own traditions.
Middleburg, a small town in the state of Virginia, is known for its horses. For more than 50 years, Middleburg has organized a yearly Christmas parade(游行). Men and women ride horses through the woods and fields. They follow hunting dogs as they search for a wild fox. But first, these hunters ride in the yearly parade, wearing their bright red hunting clothes and hats.
John Hale, a citizen of Middleburg says many city people visit his town. “We have a lot of people from an urban area that come to visit, but it incorporates a lot of the o1d traditions.” The nighttime hay ride is one such tradition. Small groups gather under the moonlight on an open wagon filled with hay. The passengers sing as farm horses pull the wagon slowly across the fields.
There are some newer traditions, too. Trey Matheu works at the nearby Salamander Resort. He says a visit to Middleburg is a chance to slow down for a day. He says Middleburg can be a calming, peaceful place without tension.
“Middleburg is an opportunity to take a step back, to take a deep breath, and understand that even though life is moving on at a very fast pace, there’s really an opportunity where you’re allowed to step off for a little bit.”
Parade organizers say more than 13,000 people attend even in below-freezing weather. But if you ask, you will hear many different reasons why people come to watch the parade:
“I come here because I’m from a small town. I like how everybody comes together. ”“I live right down that street; right there. And that’s my dog.”
Middleburg looks its best at Christmastime. That may be why so many people return each year.
1. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?| A．Middleburg Christmas parade |
| B．A small town known for horses |
| C．Christmas traditions in Middleburg |
| D．Newer traditions at Christmastime |
| A．visit friends and families |
| B．feed farm horses with hay |
| C．hunt for dogs in the woods |
| D．ride in the yearly parade |
| A．To relax themselves. |
| B．To enjoy the fresh air. |
| C．To escape competition. |
| D．To challenge themselves. |
| A．It makes a large profit from tourism. |
| B．It attracts many people each year. |
| C．It is a good place for family gatherings. |
| D．It doesn’t respect Christmas traditions. |
第一节 阅读理解（共15小题；
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The idea about the phoenix goes back to Ancient Egypt, where we find the phoenix described as a handsome, eagle-like bird, with part-golden, part-red plumage, that spent most of its life in the Arabian deserts. It was rarely seen and according to one version of the story, only appeared in Egypt once every five hundred years, when it flew to Heliopolis, “city of the sun”, and deliberately burnt itself to ashes by settling on the altar(祭坛) flame there! However, it seems it did not really die because from those same ashes a young, fully formed phoenix was born and flew away, apparently back to Arabia.
It is pretty obvious that no one has ever seen or will see a living phoenix. The interesting thing is that we can find certain clues which may explain one aspect of the Egyptians’ idea. It may sound unbelievable, but some birds are apparently quite charmed by flames and small fires, especially members of the crow family. One zoologist actually proved this by setting fire to some straw near to a tame(驯养的)rook. Far from becoming nervous and backing away, the bird deliberately stood over the flames, with raised and vibrating wings. It didn’t get burnt, but the image it presented by its strange behavior was almost exactly like that shown in illustrations of the mythical phoenix!
Why birds should occasionally behave in this strange way is not clear. One idea is that they carefully use the heat of the flames to relieve the annoyance caused by their feather mites(虱) which all birds have. Whatever the reason, it is quite possible that the Ancient Egyptians saw birds behaving in this way, from time to time, and used it as the basis of their phoenix myth, adding fanciful details which closely linked it to their worship of the sun and their belief in resurrection.
Nowadays, the phoenix is much less important to us than it was to the Egyptians. But the logo of modern fire insurance companies, which employ the phoenix as one of their symbols, refers that in one sense the idea of it remains.
1. According to the passage, the phoenix ______________ .
| A．is a handsome and eagle-like bird living in Arab |
| B．used to be seen when the Egyptians held religious activities |
| C．has never really existed in the world |
| D．is the king of all kinds of birds |
| A．the phoenix used to do so |
| B．they may get rid of the mites |
| C．they want to burn their feather |
| D．they can heat themselves |
| A．The ancient Egyptians worshiped the phoenix. |
| B．The scientists have discovered why birds are attracted by fire. |
| C．The modern people still favor the idea of the phoenix. |
| D．The mythical tales about the phoenix were based on facts. |
| A．living forever | B．offering warmth | C．coming back to life | D．staying healthy |
| A．Our company can protect you from being harmed by fire. |
| B．If your property is destroyed by fire, we will help you build it up again. |
| C．Our company will always be energetic and wealthy. |
| D．If needed, we will save you at the risk of losing lives. |
【推荐3】Billions of insects are moving together over the sky like a black cloud. It’s a swarm of locusts. Many insects move in huge swarms. They form swarms for different reasons. Some move together to look for food or to find new homes. Sometimes insects swarm for protection. These enormous swarms can destroy food crops and harm other living things.
When something disturbs a red fire ants’ nest, out they will come. Not just one or two, but thousands of them. The fire ants swarm all over their victim. Their stings burn like fire. Each ant in the swarm can sting over and over again. The fire ants hold onto their victim with their mouth parts. Then they inject their prey with poison. Most small animals cannot survive the stings from a swarm of fire ants.
When army ants are on the move, anything in their path is prey. Even snakes can’t escape a swarm of these stinging ants. Army ants move together to look for food. They can’t see their prey, but they use smells and sounds to find their way. If they come to a river, they make a bridge with their bodies. They cling together with their legs. Then the rest of the ants can cross the bridge. There is not much that can stop these fierce and cruel ants from chasing their prey.
Insects are not the only animals that swarm. There are many others that do. Most are not harmful to people. Being close to a huge swarm of animals can be scary and dangerous. Some scientists have studied animal swarms. They have found that many swarms follow simple rules. They work together to solve problems. When they work together they are a very strong team.
1. What does the underlined word “swarm” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．To force a liquid into something. | B．To hold onto something tightly. |
| C．To move together in a large group. | D．To watch over something. |
| A．Their stings contain a kind of poison and are deadly to most small animals. |
| B．They can destroy food crops and are harmful to other living things. |
| C．When they move together, they are called “a swarm of locusts”. |
| D．They move in swarms to make new nests in different places. |
| A．Blind and smelly. | B．Angry and violent. |
| C．Scary and dangerous. | D．Strong and fast. |
| A．Moving Nests | B．Stinging Fire Ants |
| C．A Moving Army | D．Swarms of Animals |
