【推荐1】Oily pizza boxes, takeaway coffee cups, plastic jam pots—are they trash or recycling? Sorting out waste for recycling can be very confusing. One US waste processing company has reported that 25% of all recycling it receives is so dirty it must be sent straight to landfills. Meanwhile, the amount of household waste rejected for recycling in England increased by 84% last year. And it’s about to get worse.

Nowadays, most sorting is still done by hand. It’s dirty and dangerous work. So Lillian Chin and her colleagues at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a robot arm that picks up objects and identifies what they are made from.

The robot, called RoCycle, uses sensors to sense the materials it handles. This allows it to distinguish between different metal, plastic, and paper objects. In an experiment, RoCycle correctly classified 27 objects with 85% accuracy.

Others are developing robots that sort materials by sight. But the team believes that using touch is more accurate. “The idea is neat,” says Harri Holopainen at ZenRobotics, a company based in Helsinki, Finland, which makes vision-based robotic waste sorters.

The drawback is that picking up items one by one takes time. This makes RoCycle too slow for industrial recycling plants, which are expensive to run and need to process waste quickly to cover costs. Some ZenRobotics robots can sort 4,000 objects an hour, for example. Holopainen thinks RoCycle would need to work around 10 times faster to compete. The team is working on combining its touch-based robot with a visual system to speed things up. This robot would scan objects passing by and pick up only those it wasn't sure about.

Still, there’s more to be done when it comes to recycling. “The next generation of recycling robots will need to pull any object to pieces to get at the good bits. Every object that has been manufactured (生产) needs to be recycled eventually,” says Holopainen.

1. What do the statistics in paragraph 1 suggest?

A．We need to adjust our eating habits.

B．The way we sort out waste needs to be improved.

C．We failed to raise public awareness about recycling.

D．Recycling has caused serious pollution.

2. How does RoCycle identify different objects?

A．By scanning them.

B．By touching them.

C．By smelling them.

D．By photographing them.

3. What does Holopainen think of RoCycle?

A．It should be more eco-friendly.

B．It needs to be more accurate.

C．It should be cheaper.

D．It needs to work faster.

4. Why does Holopainen say the words in the last paragraph?

A．To advise people to use fewer manufactured goods

B．To share his company’s business growth plan.

C．To predict the future of recycling robots.

D．To comment on present recycling efforts.

【推荐2】Astronauts drink their own pee (尿)—after it's been cleaned.     1     Many experts, though, argue that recycling pee and other waste is an excellent and safe solution when there isn't enough fresh water to go around.

    2     All of the water that astronauts use to drink, brush their teeth, or make coffee comes out of one limited container that has to be resupplied—from Earth. To help conserve water, the waste from sinks, toilets, and even the pee from lab animals on board flows into a recycling system. First, the water goes through a series of filters(过滤器) to get rid of large particles(微粒) and impurities. Then, chemical reactions remove poisonous chemicals and kill any bacteria or viruses.     3    

Chris Hadfield, who lived on the space station for five months, says, "Before you feel uncomfortable with the thought of drinking your leftover wash water and your leftover pee, keep in mind that the water that we end up with is purer than most of the water that you drink on a daily basis at home."

Astronauts, however, tend to be more adventurous than the average person. On Earth, cities in very dry parts of the world have attempted to introduce wastewater purification systems.     4     Citizens recoiled(退缩) in disgust. Despite scientific evidence that the water is clean, many people just can't get over the fact that it once flowed through a toilet. In the 1990s, activists in San Diego and Los Angeles campaigned against "toilet to tap" water.     5     In a survey of 2,000 Americans, 26 percent agreed with the statement: "It is impossible for recycled water to be treated to a high enough quality that I would want to use it."

A．And you wouldn't be alone.

B．And the disapproval remained strong.

C．what comes out is clean enough to drink.

D．On the International Space Station, water is a precious resource.

E．Lots of people feel sick at the thought of drinking recycled wastewater.

F．Though some of these programs have succeeded, others failed miserably.

G．Would you pick up a glass of water that's been through a wastewater cleaning system?

【推荐1】In Central America, scientists have made some recent discoveries about the ancient Maya people. These findings show that the Maya developed their civilization centuries earlier than experts thought. While Europe was still in the midst of the Dark Ages, these Maya had charted the heavens, evolved the only true writing system native to the Americas and were masters of mathematics and calendar. Without advantage of metal tools, beasts of burden or even the wheel, they were able to construct vast cities. Their legacy in stone, which has survived in an impressive fashion at places, lives on as do the seven million descendants (后嗣) of the classic Maya civilization.

Scientists have made some recent discoveries about the ancient Maya people. Experts call the time between the year 250 and the year 1900 the Classic Maya Period. It was a period of great civilization. Until now, scientists think that earlier Maya people were simple farmers. The discoveries show that they used writing, drew pictures and built complex structures. Three separate teams made the discoveries in the rainforest of Guatemala (危地马拉).

Scientists have found some things they say are more than 2000 years old. For example, a team found two masks inside the main pyramid in a city. These masks are three meters tall. They are cut in the image of a sun god. The Maya used the pyramid as a temple. The masks may have been a part of ceremonies led by a king.

At Waka, scientists found the burial place of a woman they think was a Maya queen. They believe she ruled more than 1,200 years ago. Her bones were lying on a stone table. Many jewels surrounded her remains. The team also found pieces of green stone that appeared to be the remains of the kind of war helmet worn by rulers. Scientists say the discovery will help them understand how Maya women shared power with men. Not many burial places of important royal women have been found. Also in northern Guatemala, scientists found a stone showing an 8th-century king playing a game of ball with visiting rulers. It is the third such stone found at the city of Cancuen. They also found large pieces of stone with writing and pictures of leaders. A Guatemalan expert called it one of the greatest masterpieces of Maya art ever discovered in Guatemala.

1. How is the text organized?

A．Supporting examples—Argument—Explanation.

B．Opinion—Discussion—Important description

C．Main idea—Conclusion—Supporting examples

D．Introduction—Supporting examples—Comparison

2. The scientists’ findings show that ________.

A．Maya people lived a simple life in Guatemala in the midst of the Dark Ages

B．The Maya developed their civilization centuries earlier than experts thought

C．Maya people succeeded in their legacy from generation to generation

D．The classic Maya civilization that their ancestors created is attractive

3. Which of the following is the most valuable according to the passage?’

A．Two masks inside the main pyramid in a city

B．A burial place of a woman

C．A stone showing an 8th-century king

D．Large pieces of stone with writing and pictures of leaders

4. What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A．Earlier Development of Maya	B．The Greatest Discovery
C．A Research on Maya	D．A Scientific Adventure

【推荐3】At a restaurant in Singapore, a server is busy swerving between tables and bringing dishes to hungry customers. However, the server is not a human but a delivery robot developed by Shanghai-based unicorn Keenon Robotics. The restaurant’s cute cartoon-like employee adds a sense of warmth to help personalize the dining experience.

In recent years, delivery robots have been popular in foreign countries. According to Li Tong, founder and CEO of Keenon Robotics, sales revenue of Keenon almost doubled last year and more than half of the company’s robots were shipped to foreign markets in 2022.

Founded in 2010, Keenon Robotics leverages its fully autonomous positioning and navigation technology to offer robots both at home and abroad, including server, disinfection, delivery and logistics robots.

“In the field of industrial robots, which is known as ‘the crown jewel of manufacturing’, Chinese companies have already turned from followers to leaders. Core components used to rely heavily on imports, but in recent years we have achieved breakthroughs in crucial technologies and are quickly catching up.” Li said.

China is the world’s largest market for the industrial robot industry. Sales of industrial robots in China reached over 300,000 units last year, accounting for more than half of global sales. A research report said the world’s service robotics market is projected to grow from $36.2 billion in 2021 to $103.3 billion by 2026 and high returns on investment is the key factor driving the service robotics market.

With such advantages as relatively low manufacturing cost and a sound domestic supply and industrial chain, Chinese robotics companies are expected to further knock on the doors of rising markets globally. However, Zhang Weijiong, a professor from the China Europe International Business School, pointed out that there are still problems. They must abide by the laws and regulations overseas and follow various industrial and technical standards. Therefore, they need to establish corresponding channels and teams to facilitate robotics products to enter the international market.

1. What contributes to the arising of the Chinese service robots overseas?

A．Lowered prices.	B．Enhanced purchasing power.
C．Mastering core technology.	D．Enough human resources.

2. What does the underlined word “leverages” mean in paragraph three?

A．Applies.

B．Imports.

C．Changes.

D．Evaluates.

3. What does Professor Zhang Weijiong emphasize?

A．The advantages of Chinese robotic companies.

B．The golden opportunity to expand robot export.

C．Comparisons of domestic and overseas markets.

D．A few challenges facing Chinese robotics firms.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A．Boosting of overseas market	B．Popularity of delivery robots
C．Crown jewel of manufacturing	D．Rising of Chinese industrial robots