In the United States alone, over 100 million cell-phones are thrown away each year. Cell-phones are part of a growing mountain of electronic waste like computers and personal digital assistants. The electronic waste stream is increasing three times faster than traditional garbage as a whole.
Electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold and silver. A Swiss study reported that while the weight of electronic goods represented by precious metals was relatively small in comparison to total waste, the concentration (含量) of gold and other precious metals was higher in so-called e-waste than in naturally occurring minerals.
Electronic wastes also contain many poisonous metals. Even when the machines are recycled and the harmful metals removed, the recycling process is often carried out in poor countries which allow many poisonous substances to escape into the environment, or in practically uncontrolled ways which make more wastes generated.
Creating products out of raw materials creates much more waste material, up to 100 times more, than the material contained in the finished products. Consider again the cell-phone, and imagine the mines that produced those metals, the factories needed to make the box and packaging it came in. Many wastes produced in the producing process are harmful as well.
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that most waste is dangerous in that “the production, distribution, and use of products -as well as management of the resulting waste-all result in greenhouse gas release.” Individuals can reduce their contribution by creating less waste at the start -for instance, buying reusable products and recycling.
In many countries the concept of extended producer responsibility is being considered or has been put in place as an incentive(动机)for reducing waste. If producers are required to take back packaging they use to sell their products, would they reduce the packaging in the first place?
Governments’ incentive to require producers to take responsibility for the packaging they produce is usually based on money. Why, they ask, should cities or towns be responsible for paying to deal with the bubble wrap(气泡垫)that encased your television?
From the governments’ point of view, a primary goal of laws requiring extended producer responsibility is to transfer both the costs and the physical responsibility of waste management from the government and tax-payers back to the producers.
1. What do we know from the Swiss study?| A．Natural minerals contain more gold. |
| B．The weight of electronic goods was by no means small. |
| C．Precious metals account for a great proportion in e-waste. |
| D．The percentage of precious metals is small in electronic goods. |
| A．Recycling machines without control. |
| B．Making as few purchases as possible. |
| C．Creating products out of finished products. |
| D．Simplifying the process of manufacturing products. |
| A．from individuals to distributors |
| B．from producers to governments |
| C．from governments to producers |
| D．from distributors to governments |
| A．The creation of e-waste. |
| B．The increase in e-waste. |
| C．The seriousness of e-waste. |
| D．The management of e-waste. |
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【推荐1】Water makes up 71% of the Earth’s surface, but no one knows how or when such massive quantities of water arrived on the Earth. A new study published in the journal Nature brings scientists one step closer to answering that question.
Led by University of Maryland Assistant Professor of Geology Megan Newcombe, researchers analyzed melted meteorites (熔化的陨石) that had been floating around in space since the solar system’s formation 4.5 billion years ago. They found that these meteorites had extremely low water content — in fact, they were among the driest materials ever measured outside the Earth.
These results, which let researchers rule them out as the primary source of the Earth’s water, could have important information for the search for water — and life — on other planets. It also helps researchers understand the unlikely conditions making the Earth a livable planet.
Researchers wanted to understand how our planet managed to get water because it’s not completely obvious. Getting water and having surface oceans on a planet that is small and relatively near the sun is a challenge.
“We knew that plenty of outer solar system objects were differentiated, but it was sort of secretively assumed that because they were from the outer solar system, they must also contain a lot of water,” said Sune Nielsen, a study co-author and geologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “Our paper shows this is definitely not the case. As soon as meteorites melt, there is no remaining water.”
The findings have applications beyond geology. Scientists of many fields — and especially exoplanet (系外行星) researchers — are interested in the origin of the Earth’s water because of its deep connections with life.
“Water is considered to be a must for life to be able to exist, so as we’re looking out into the universe and finding all of these exoplanets, we’re starting to work out which of those planetary systems could be potential hosts for life,” said Newcombe. “In order to be able to understand these other solar systems, we want to understand our own.”
1. What did the new study focus on?| A．The history of the Earth. | B．The origin of the Earth’s water. |
| C．The source of meteorites. | D．The structure of solar system. |
| A．The driest materials coming from other planets. |
| B．An impossible source of the Earth’s water. |
| C．The challenge of getting water near the sun. |
| D．The likely conditions making the Earth habitable. |
| A．Because it is closely related to life. |
| B．Because it can make them famous. |
| C．Because it concerns many disciplines. |
| D．Because it is deeply connected with outer space. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A geography textbook. |
| C．A book review. | D．A research report. |
【推荐2】A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that communication that included voice, like a phone call or video chat, created stronger social bonds than communication through typing, like text messaging or email.
In the study, researchers used various experiments to measure connectedness. In one, they asked 200 people to make predictions about what it would be like to reconnect with an old friend by email or by phone and then asked people at random (随机地) to do one or the other. Although people expected that a phone call would be more awkward, hearing someone’s voice actually made the experience better.
“People reported they did form a significantly stronger bond with their old friend on the phone than by email, and they did not feel more awkward,” study co-author Amit Kumar, an assistant professor of marketing at the McCombs School of Business, said in a statement.
In another experiment, the researchers had strangers connect by either texting, talking over video chat, or talking using only audio. They found that both forms of voice communication-whether video or audio only-made the strangers feel significantly more connected than when they communicated by texting.
Sabrina Romanoff, a Harvard trained clinical psychologist based in New York City, says people tend to text or email instead of calling because of convenience, as they see it as a controlled form of communication where they can “exchange information exactly in the way they intend without unexpected additions by the other person.”
Romanoff says that in reality, texting can make it hard to determine the true meaning behind a conversation. “A phone call is actually more convenient when considering the exact effects of the message，” she explains. “Each party is more present, and therefore, able to measure the meaning behind the content without reflecting on the endless possible meanings behind words.”
1. How was the study carried out?| A．By analyzing data. | B．By interviewing experts. |
| C．By doing experiments. | D．By doing online research. |
| A．Email would help them form a stronger bond. | B．Hearing someone’s voice would be awkward. |
| C．A stronger bond would be formed on the phone. | D．Hearing someone’s voice made the experience better. |
| A．Texting helps to exchange information exactly. | B．Calling makes it easier to get the exact message. |
| C．Romanoff doesn’t agree with the result of the study. | D．People can keep the message under control by texting. |
| A．Reasons for calling instead of texting. | B．Convenience of making a phone call. |
| C．Differences between calling and texting. | D．Introduction to the result of a new study. |
【推荐3】Marketers assume the more choice they offer, the more likely customers will be able to find just the right thing. For instance, offering fifty styles of jeans instead of two increases the chances that shoppers will find a pair they really like. Nevertheless, research now shows when there is too much choice, consumers are less likely to buy anything at all, and if they do buy, they are less satisfied with their selection.
It all began with jam. In 2000, psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper published a remarkable study. On one day, shoppers saw a display table with 24 varieties of jam. Those sampling the jam received a coupon for $1 off any jam. On another day, shoppers saw a similar table, but only six varieties of jam were on display. The large display attracted more interest than the small one. But when the time for purchase came, people seeing the large display were one-tenth as likely to buy as people seeing the small one.
Other studies have confirmed this result that more choice is not always better. As the variety of snacks, soft drinks and beers offered at convenience stores increases, for instance, sales volume and customer satisfaction decrease. These results challenge our opinions about human nature and the determinants of well-being.
Choice is good for us, but its relationship to satisfaction appears to be more complicated than we assumed. What’s more, psychologists and business academics have largely ignored another outcome of choice: More of it requires increased time and effort and can lead to anxiety, regret, excessively high expectations and self-blame if the choice doesn’t work out.
Without doubt, having more options enables us, most of the time, to achieve better objective outcomes. Again, having fifty styles of jeans rather than two increases the likelihood that customers will find a pair that fits. But the subjective outcome may be that shoppers will feel dissatisfied, which creates a significant challenge for retailers and marketers. Choice can no longer be used to justify a marketing strategy. More isn’t always better, either for the customer or for the retailer.
1. How does the author mainly support the topic?| A．By quoting sayings. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By stating arguments. | D．By making comments. |
| A．It always wastes customers’ time. | B．It’s difficult to accept the bad results. |
| C．It may result in some negative feelings. | D．It makes the business more complicated. |
| A．More choice leads to shopping themselves. |
| B．Choice plays an important role in marketing strategies. |
| C．Having fifty styles of jeans is extremely better than two. |
| D．More choice causes the decline in consumption to some degree. |
| A．Less choice does harm | B．More isn’t always better |
| C．More purchase is better | D．Less choice favors consumption |
【推荐1】Research finds out why some people are constantly under attack from the bloodsucking insects while others walk free.
For those unfortunate enough to feature highly on the mosquito hit list, summer nights can be synonymous with mosquito bites. Yet others hardly ever get bitten. So how do the bloodthirsty insects select their victims?
The insects’ tastes may seem arbitrary. However, research shows that when mosquitoes make their choices between potential victims, it all comes down to scent (气味).
“Mosquitoes are attracted by carbon dioxide and heat, which everyone gives off. But mosquitoes are also attracted by certain scents,” says Karl-Martin Vagn Jensen, the head of research at the Department of Agricultural Science at Arhus University.
According to Jensen, it has not yet been confirmed exactly what the scents in question are. But research does indicate that some scents are more attractive to mosquitoes than others.
“All the lab employees rubbed petri dishes (培养皿) against their stomachs. In that way, their scents were put on the dishes, which were then put in a container full of mosquitoes,” he says. “The mosquitoes repeatedly landed on some of the petri dishes, but didn’t go anywhere near the others.”
Perhaps taking inspiration from popular fiction, there are also those who consider garlic as an excellent repellent (驱虫剂) against the winged bloodsuckers. According to the researcher, this strategy may not be entirely fruitless. “As far as I know, there is no scientific proof that eating garlic works. But there may be something to the theory that it’s possible to mask scent with garlic,” he says. The only reliable method of protection against mosquitoes is to use repellents that are sold over the counter. It contains some smells that can confuse the mosquitoes. When the mosquito comes closer, it uses smell, heat and carbon dioxide to decide whether to bite. But if it is confused by a repellent, it will never get that far.
1. Which of the following can best replace the phrase underlined in Paragraph 2?| A．Be equal to. | B．Be accessible to. | C．Be harmful to. | D．Be beneficial to. |
| A．Mosquitoes can be attracted by various scents. |
| B．Some kinds of scents appeal to mosquitoes in particular. |
| C．The lab employees use petri dishes to deposit their scents. |
| D．Mosquitoes are arbitrary when it comes to different scents. |
| A．A new strategy is used in researching repellents. |
| B．Garlic is considered to be an excellent repellent. |
| C．Using repellents is an effective way against mosquitoes. |
| D．The inspiration against mosquitoes is from popular fiction. |
| A．Science fiction. | B．A biography. | C．A medical report. | D．A research paper. |
【推荐2】Have you ever noticed that lessons tend to repeat themselves? Does it seem as if you married or dated the same person several times in different bodies with different names? Have you run into the same type of boss over and over again? If you don't deal well with authority figures at home, then you will have an opportunity to deal with them out in the world. You will continually draw into your life people who need to enforce authority, and you will struggle with them until you learn the lesson of obedience(服从).
You will continually attract the same lesson into your life. You will also draw to you teachers to teach you that lesson until you get it right. You may try to avoid the situation, but they will eventually catch up with you. The only way you can free yourself of difficult patterns and issues you tend to repeat is by shifting your perspective so that you can recognize the patterns and learn the lessons that they offer. To face these challenges means you need to accept the fact that something within you keeps drawing you to the same kind of person or issue, though that situation or relationship may be very painful.
The challenge, therefore, is to identify and release the patterns that you are repeating. This is no easy task, since it means you have to change, and change is not always easy. Staying just as you are may not help you advance spiritually, but it certainly is comfortable in its familiarity.
Rising to the challenge of identifying and releasing your patterns forces you to admit that the way you have been doing things isn’t working. The good news is that by identifying and releasing the pattern, you actually learn how to change. In order to facilitate your process of change, you will need to learn the lessons of willingness and patience. Once you master these, you will most likely find the challenge of identifying and releasing your patterns far less intimidating.
1. The words “lessons tend to repeat themselves” (Para. l) probably mean that ______.| A．you tend to marry and date the same person |
| B．there are the same authority figures home and abroad |
| C．you tend to run into the same problems in your life |
| D．there are many difficult patterns and issues in your life |
| A．try your best to avoid those situations |
| B．recognize the patterns and learn the lessons that they offer |
| C．get the courage to face those challenges |
| D．change your attitudes toward life |
| A．intimidating | B．disapproving | C．supportive | D．cautious |
| A．make your change become easier |
| B．help you to identify your old patterns |
| C．challenge you with difficult patterns |
| D．arouse your inner desire to change |
【推荐3】 Popularization has in some cases changed the original meaning of emotional (情感的) intelligence. Many people now misunderstand emotional intelligence as almost everything desirable in a person's makeup that cannot be measured by an IQ test, such as character, motivation, confidence, mental stability, optimism and “people skills.” Research has shown that emotional skills may contribute to some of these qualities, but most of them move far beyond skill-based emotional intelligence.
We prefer to describe emotional intelligence as a specific set of skills that can be used for either good or bad purposes. The ability to accurately understand how others are feeling may be used by a doctor to find how best to help her patients, while a cheater might use it to control potential victims. Being emotionally intelligent does not necessarily make one a moral person.
Although popular beliefs regarding emotional intelligence run far ahead of what research can reasonably support, the overall effects of the publicity have been more beneficial than harmful. The most positive aspect of this popularization is a new and much needed emphasis (重视) on emotion by employers, educators and others interested in promoting social well-being. The popularization of emotional intelligence has helped both the public and researchers re-evaluate the functionality of emotions and how they serve people adaptively in everyday life.
Although the continuing popular appeal of emotional intelligence is desirable, we hope that such attention will excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study of emotion. It is our hope that in coming decades, advances in science will offer new perspectives (视角) from which to study how people manage their lives. Emotional intelligence, with its focus on both head and heart, may serve to point us in the right direction.
1. What is a common misunderstanding of emotional intelligence?| A．It can be measured by an IQ test. | B．It helps to exercise a person’s mind. |
| C．It includes a set of emotional skills. | D．It refers to a person’s positive qualities. |
| A．To explain a rule. | B．To clarify a concept. |
| C．To present a fact. | D．To make a prediction. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Its appeal to the public. | B．Expectations for future studies. |
| C．Its practical application. | D．Scientists with new perspectives. |
