One of Prague’s most famous sights, the Orloj, the third oldest clock in the world, has been stopped. It is set to undergo months of restoration (修复)that will see the return of several, but not all, of its original parts.
Perhaps no other clock better proves the genius of the early pioneers of time keeping than the Orloj. Marking the minutes and hours is only one of the many measurements it provides.
The 607-year-old astronomical clock tracks Old Bohemian time, when the new day begins with sunset; Babylon time, which tracks the day from sunrise to sunset; Central European time, which is marked with a hand in the shape of the sun; and Star time, measured by the way the stars appear to move because of the earth’s movement.
A calendar dial (刻度盘)notes the days of the week, month and year, and a zodiacal ring (黄道环)shows the path of the sun and the moon through the sky. But, it is the astrolabe (星盘)that is the heart of the clock’s mechanical (机械的) operation. It tracks the position of the sun, the moon and stars, and has been a necessary tool for astronomers.
Over the centuries, the clock has been damaged and repaired, but, always returned to fully working order. Its longevity has inspired a number of sayings. One is that when the clock stops running, the Czech land will be thrown into war and privation (贫困). Another holds that who ever tries to affect the machine will die or go crazy.
Skala, who has been a clock master for 25 years, said he was honored when asked to take care of the Orloj eight years ago. Asked whether he believed the sayings, Skala smiled. “I didn’t believe the stories,” he said, “or else I would never be able to work on the clock.”
1. What is the heart mechanical operation of the Orloj?| A．A calendar dial. | B．A zodiacal ring. |
| C．The astrolabe. | D．The hands. |
| A．Because of the old clock’s longevity. |
| B．Because of the war in Czech. |
| C．Because of the deaths of menders. |
| D．Because of many unbelievable facts. |
| A．To show the Orloj’s long history. |
| B．To praise the Orloj makers’ wisdom. |
| C．To prove Skala didn’t beleve the sayings. |
| D．To encourage people to make better clocks. |
| A．Skala will restore the old Orloj. |
| B．A legend about the old Orloj. |
| C．The old Orloj measures time accurately. |
| D．The Orloj stopped to be restored. |
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【推荐1】In recent years, researchers from diverse fields have agreed that short-termism is now a significant problem in industrialised societies. The inability to engage with longer-term causes and consequences leads to some of the world’s most serious problems: climate change, biodiversity collapse, and more. The historian Francis Cole argues that the West has entered a period where “only the present exists, a present characterised at once by the cruelty of the instant and by the boredom of an unending now”.
It has been proved that people have a bias (偏向) towards the present, focusing on loud attractions in the moment at the expense of the health, well-being and financial stability of their future selves or community. In business, this bias surfaces as short-sighted decisions. And on slow-burning problems like climate change, it translates into the unwillingness to make small sacrifices (牺牲) today that could make a major difference tomorrow. Instead, all that matters is next quarter’s profit, or satisfying some other near-term desires.
These biased perspectives cannot be blamed on one single cause. It is fair to say, though, that our psychological biases play a major role. People’s hesitancy to delay satisfaction is the most obvious example, but there are others. One of them is about how the most accessible information in the present affects decisions about the future. For instance, you might hear someone say: “It’s cold this winter, so I needn’t worry about global warming.”Another is that loud and urgent matters are given too much importance, making people ignore longer-term trends that arguably matter more. This is when a pop star draws far more attention than, say, gradual biodiversity decline.
As a psychologist once joked, if aliens (外星人) wanted to weaken humanity, they wouldn’t send ships; they would invent climate change. Indeed, when it comes to environmental transformations, we can develop a form of collective “poor memory”, and each new generation can believe the state of affairs they encounter is nothing out of the ordinary. Older people today, for example, can remember a time with insect-covered car windscreens after long drives. Children, on the other hand, have no idea that insect population has dropped dramatically.
1. The author quotes Francis Cole mainly to ________.| A．draw a comparison | B．introduce a topic |
| C．evaluate a statement | D．highlight a problem |
| A．Far-sighted thinking matters to humans. |
| B．Humans tend to make long-term sacrifices. |
| C．Current policies facilitate future decision-making. |
| D．Bias towards the present helps reduce near-term desires. |
【推荐2】Internet dating has become one of the biggest and most successful business ventures on the Internet.Basically，Internet dating is a way to meet people for either friendship or dating without actually having to meet them in person first.
The first thing to do if you decide to try Internet dating is to build your profile(简介) which can include your hobbies，hopes for the future，and so on.A photograph is optional，but many sites claim that a photograph increases the number of people who look at your profile.Many Internet dating sites will charge a one-time registration fee to use their services.
Internet dating makes it possible to meet people from all over the world.You can even narrow the search down to your area by zip code.Another advantage is that you can communicate by email before you meet in person.Thousands of people have met，fallen in love，and married through Internet dating.It is an excellent way for shy people to meet.It is also a way for people with busy lives to connect with others，and an easy way to meet people who share your interests.
Just as in conventional dating and love，there are some pitfalls to be aware of in Internet dating.The person you have been talking to on the net may not be who they say they are.Be very aware that there are some people who misrepresent their appearance or private details，such as marital status，income，and so on，for their own reasons.It would not be the first time that someone has been taken in，and talk shows are full of cheating partners who have been caught dating over the Internet in their spare time.Nevertheless，taking a few simple precautions should help ensure that your Internet dating experience is fun.
1. Which of the following is a must to make an Internet dating possible?| A．A photo. |
| B．A profile. |
| C．Registration fee. |
| D．Business experience. |
| A．you can avoid a face-to-face meeting in the beginning |
| B．you’re sure to find a partner with the same interests |
| C．you’ll find absolutely reliable information of others |
| D．you’ll gain fame and money overnight |
| A．rules | B．trends |
| C．problems | D．skills |
【推荐3】Everyone gets anxious when the world takes an uncertain turn. And often, we treat that anxiety with a little panic buying.
A study published last year in the Journal of Consumer Research found that people buy things in troubled times as a means of keeping control over their lives. The researchers noted that utility items — specifically, cleaning products — tend to move most quickly from store shelves. The hoarding （囤积） of toilet paper, as perhaps the most fundamental cleaning product, may represent our most fundamental fears. An invisible enemy moves slowly and quietly towards us. We need to hold on to something in uncertain times. Maybe a hoard of toilet paper brings promises.
The thing is, it’s not actually going anywhere. For all the sharp words and even sharper elbows thrown around by the crazy toilet paper shoppers, they seem to be missing one essential fact: There is no toilet paper shortage.
As The New York Times points out, shop owners that see their shelves emptied often fill up the shelves again in a day, often in just a few hours.
“You are not using more of it. You are just filling up your closet with it,” Jeff Anderson, president of paper product manufacturer Precision Paper Converters, tells the Times.
The thing is, the toilet paper-obsessed shoppers have been infected with something many times more contagious （感染性的） than any coronavirus: fear.
“People are social creatures. We look to each other for cues for what is safe and what is dangerous,” Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist at the University of British Columbia, tells Fox News. “And when you see someone in the store panic-buying, that can cause a fear contagion effect. People become anxious ahead of the actual infection. They haven’t thought about the bigger picture, like what are the consequences of hoarding toilet paper.”
1. Why do shoppers have a panic toilet paper buying?| A．The world is on the turning point. |
| B．It guarantees their victory over coronavirus. |
| C．There is no adequate supply in the store at all. |
| D．It comes as a way of anxiety relief. |
| A．explain the reasons for a panic toilet paper buying. |
| B．warn us of the danger of an enemy. |
| C．remind us of the threat of any coronavirus. |
| D．teach us the method of handling a problem. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Curious. |
【推荐1】Do you ever feel sick of your life? Then why not sell it? This is exactly what one man is attempting to do following the breakdown of his marriage.
Ian Usher, a 44-year-old British man living in Australia, is using the online auction site eBay to sell not only his belongings, but his entire life. Up for grabs (供选购的) are his house and everything that’s in it: his car, his jetski (水上摩托车 ), his parachuting gear, even his pots and pans. But what makes the auction unique is that the package also includes a two-week trial run(试验)at his job as an assistant in a drug store, and even an introduction to his friends in the local area.
The lovelorn Mr Usher said he no longer wanted to be reminded of the life he shared with his ex-wife, and hopes the sale will raise money for a life-changing adventure. He said that once the sale has gone through, he plans to “walk out of his front door with his wallet in one pocket and his passport in the other,” and see where the next plane takes him.
Bidding(竞标)opened on Sunday, and by Monday morning had already reached the staggering figure (高额数字) of 13 million yuan (2 million Australian dollars). Unfortunately for Mr Usher most of the high bids turned out to be fake, as he had not activated a registration system (登记系统) that would have only let genuine (真的) bids through. After removing the bogus bids the value of his “life” stood at 2 million yuan, though he hopes the final figure will be over 3 million yuan.
Whatever the final price he receives, he is by no means the first person to try to sell something unusual online. A fighter jet, a piece of Britney Spears’ chewing gum, and even some toenail clippings have all been sold on eBay.
1. What caused Ian Usher to sell his belongings and his life online?| A．His running out of money. |
| B．His intention of exploring something unusual. |
| C．His intention of making more friends. |
| D．His breaking up with his wife. |
| A．Fake. | B．Useful. | C．Genuine. | D．High. |
| A．attract more people to sell things on eBay |
| B．convince readers that people do sell something unusual online |
| C．help Ian Usher get higher bids online |
| D．help Ian Usher raise more money |
| A．Ian Usher and His Belongings |
| B．Online Auction |
| C．Sold on eBay |
| D．For Sale: One Life |
【推荐2】There are 225 students in Common Ground’s campus, who attend class on 20 acres (英亩) of land surrounded by West Rock Ridge State Park. Students take classes outside, learn how to tend to the land and grow food for local communities where access to fresh produce is insufficient.
Teachers at Common Ground say their students seem to be more engaged in the classroom when compared to most students at traditional public high schools. They say this is due in part to the autonomy that students are given over their education. “In class, students aren’t just being lectured; they’re experiencing their lessons,” O’connor, a senior at Common Ground said. “We’re very hands on. We’ve had science classes where we go outside and do experiments within nature. We’ll go into the wetlands and do experiments where we interact with the fish or the frogs out there.”
Samantha Townsend, an English teacher at Common Ground said the school encourages students to be active participants in their learning process. “There’s more cooperative learning here where they work in groups and have the opportunity to make a choice about what works best for them in their learning,” Townsend said. “If a student would prefer to write a poem rather than write an essay, then we allow them to tap into their unique passion, skill, or interest.”
“They’re looking at the world in a very different way. They’re thinking about climate change. They’re thinking about the types of food we eat and the impact it has on our bodies and on their communities,” Cherry Pacquette-Emmanuel, High School Director said. She said she wanted students to take their experience at Common Ground and understand their future careers could be anything they want it to be. To not just have a career to have a career, but make sure their life’s work is making a difference. “The fact that the concept for Common Ground came about because there’s some educators that wanted to do things differently and have created this really unique space,” she said.
1. What do the students of Common Ground do outside?| A．Grow produce. | B．Plant trees. | C．Do research. | D．Hunt for jobs. |
| A．Because they hate traditional learning. | B．Because they are autonomous students. |
| C．Because they study in a closed campus. | D．Because they get experiential education. |
| A．It was unique to Common Ground. | B．It was unfriendly to differences. |
| C．It was devoted to local communities. | D．It was attentive to individuation. |
| A．To be a poet or a writer. | B．To pursue their dreams. |
| C．To understand educators. | D．To have a well-paid job. |
【推荐3】Austrian-based food-tech startup Revo Foods announced this week that its 3D-printed vegan fish filet (素食鱼片) was heading to European grocery store shelves — a first for 3D-printed food. According to the company’s September 12 press release, the arrival of the “Filet” represents a key moment in sustainable food, with 3D-printed consumables ready for industrial mass production. Revo Foods Filet is likely to be just the first of many other such 3D-printed edible (可食用的) products to soon hit the market.
“Despite dramatic losses of coral reefs and increasing levels of poisons and micro plastic polluting fish, consumer demand for seafood has skyrocketed in recent decades,” the company announcement explains, “One promising solution to provide consumers with sustainable alternatives that do not contribute to overfishing is vegan seafood. The key to the success of these products lies in recreating a real taste that appeals to consumers.”
The composition of the Filet provides a meat-like texture (口感). 12 ingredients (成分) compose Revo’s Filet, such as pea proteins, plant oils and algae extracts. With its high protein and Ornega-3 contents, eating a Revo Filet is still very much like eating regular salmon. And thanks to its plant-based ingredients, the Filet has a three week shelf life, a significant improvement over regular salmon products.
“With the milestone of industrial-scale 3D food printing, we are entering a creative food revolution, an era where food is being made exactly according to the customers’ needs,” Revo Foods CEO Robin Simsa said via this week’s announcement.
While Revo’s products are currently only available for European markets, the company says it is actively working to expand its availability across the globe, with Simsa telling PopSci the company hopes to enter US markets around 2025.
1. What can we infer from the second paragraph?| A．Revo’s Filet will be eco-friendly. | B．Revo Foods is popular in Europe. |
| C．Edible fish have decreased sharply. | D．Most people refuse to accept seafood. |
| A．It is a kind of seafood. | B．It has a longer shelf life. |
| C．It has the same taste as salmon. | D．It has no food quality problems. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Disappointed. | C．Optimistic. | D．Worried. |
| A．A short story. | B．A research paper. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A news report. |
【推荐1】Ho Khanh is a middle-aged farmer, living in a village on the edge of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam. What is special about him is that he has discovered Son Doong, the largest cave in the world.
"I first found the cave about thirty years ago, in 1991," he says. "I was out collecting firewood near the national park. My family were very poor, so I decided to go deeper into the forest to find some aloe, which is very valuable. Not many people went that far into the forest because they were afraid of the wild animals."
Soon Khanh lost his way. "I sat down with my back to a huge round rock," he says. "Then I heard the sound of a strong wind and running water coming from behind me." He found the entrance to a huge cave, with a wide river coming out of it. Khanh thought he was walking into a great cave. With no ropes or lights, he did not go further into it.
Khanh's story spread like wildfire, but not everyone believed him. "I wanted to prove that I was telling the truth, but I couldn't remember the way to the cave." Then one morning early in the winter of 2006, a group of cavers from Britain came to ask Khanh for help, as they had heard about his discovery fifteen years before.
Khanh agreed to help the team to find the cave, but after three days in the jungle, they lost their way. "I just couldn't remember where it was," he says. The team came back twice, but each time they were beaten by the thick jungle. Finally the cavers left.
In 2009, Khanh headed to the jungle one cold winter's morning. "I stopped by a big round rock," he says. "There was the same strong wind, the sound of water running—I knew I'd found the cave at long last. "Soon the British cavers returned and followed Khanh on a six-hour trip deep into the jungle. On April 14 they found Son Doong.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．How Son Doong was discovered. | B．How Son Doong got its name. |
| C．A young farmer in Vietnam. | D．A national park in Vietnam. |
| A．looking for aloe | B．collecting firewood |
| C．catching some animals | D．cutting down trees in the forest |
| A．They doubted it. | B．They believed it. |
| C．They were uncertain of it. | D．They had little interest in it. |
| A．One year. | B．Three years. | C．Fifteen years. | D．Eighteen years. |
【推荐2】One billion people in the world are short of water. How can this problem be solved. Some suggestions have been to desalinate ocean water or to build enormous water pipelines from areas where water is abundant. (Suggestions such as these prove extremely expensive when they are actually used.) One possibility that scientists are considering is pulling icebergs from either the North Pole or the South Pole to parts of the world with a water shortage. Although many questions must be answered before such a project could be tried, moving icebergs seems a reasonable possibility in the future.
Engineers, mathematicians, and glaciologists from a dozen countries have been considering the iceberg as a future source of water. Saudi Arabia is particularly interested in this project because it has a great water shortage. Scientists estimate that it would take 128 days to transport a large iceberg (about 1/2 square mile) to Saudi Arabia. Yet the iceberg would be completely melted by the 104th day. Therefore, insulation would be essential, but how to insulate the iceberg remains an unsolved problem.
The problems in transporting an iceberg are numerous. The first problem is choosing the iceberg to pull. The icebergs that form in the North Pole are quite difficult to handle because of their shape. Only a small portion extends above the water — most of the iceberg is below the surface, which would make it difficult to pull. South Pole icebergs, on the other hand, are flat and float like table tops. Thus they would be much easier to move.
How can a 200-million-ton iceberg be moved. No ship is strong enough to pull such enormous weight through the water. Perhaps several ships could be used. Attaching ropes to an iceberg this size is also an enormous problem. Engineers think that large nails or long metal rods could be driven into the ice. What would happen if the iceberg splits into several pieces during the pulling. Even if an iceberg with very few cracks were chosen, how could it be pulled through stormy waters. Furthermore, once the iceberg reached its destination, very few ports would be deep enough to store it.
All of these problems must be solved before icebergs can become a reasonable source of water. Yet scientists estimate that it will be possible to transport them in the near future. Each year, enough icebergs form to supply the whole world with fresh water for a full year. In addition, icebergs are free and nonpolluting. As a solution to the world’s water problems, icebergs may be a workable possibility.
1. What is a problem in transporting iceberg?| A．The size of the iceberg. |
| B．The colour of the iceberg. |
| C．The salt in the iceberg. |
| D．The movement of air and water. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Objective. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．It is hard to use iceberg. | B．Iceberg are a good choice. |
| C．There are problems with iceberg. | D．Man finds no other ways to solve water shortage. |
| A．Shortage of water. | B．Icebergs for water. |
| C．Scientists and icebergs. | D．Iceberg—scientists headache. |
【推荐3】Scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have finally solved the mystery of a huge fossil(化石）that has been unlabeled and unidentified sitting at a Chilean museum for almost a decade. The relic which looks like a flat football, is the largest known soft-shelled egg from a marine reptile（海生爬行动物）that lived on the earth over 66 million years ago. Measuring more than 11 by 7 inches» it is also the second-largest egg belonging to any known animal, only behind the now-extinct elephant bird.
The rare fossil named " The Thing" was discovered inside a rock formation in Seymour Island off the coast of Antarctica in 2011 by a team of researchers including David Rubilar-Rogers. Over the years, the paleontologist（古生物学者）at Chile's National Museum of Natural History has showed the strange fossil to every geologist that came to the museum. However, no one was able to identify “The Thing's" origin until Julia Clarke» a professor at UT-Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences, visited in 2018.
“I showed it to her, and, after a few minutes, Julia told me it could be an egg!" Rubilar-Rogers said.
To confirm Clarke's suspect, Lucas Legendre, a student at UT-Austin who led the study, examined the fossil under a microscope. Sure enough, he found several layers of membrane（薄膜），confirming that the fossil was indeed a soft-shelled egg, similar to the obvious, quick-hatching eggs laid by some modern-day snakes. “The shell is very thin,” said Clarke.
The fossil's identification led to an even bigger mystery—what animal could have laid an egg this size? After considering several potential parents, the researchers concluded that the egg was laid by an ancient marine reptile like a masseur（沧龙）. The fact that the rock formation where the egg had been found had fossil evidence of baby masseurs and the offspring of other marine animals further strengthened their theory.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?| A．“The Thing” is the largest egg laid by animals. |
| B．“The Thing" has been discovered for a century. |
| C．“The Thing” looks like a football not having enough gas. |
| D．“The Thing” belongs to an elephant bird. |
| A．It may be laid by a snake. |
| B．It could be an egg. |
| C．It has a very thick shell. |
| D．It has existed for 66 thousand years. |
| A．By comparing the fossil with the eggs of various animals. |
| B．By analyzing a lot of data collected by researchers. |
| C．By doing many experiments with his colleagues. |
| D．By using a microscope to examine "The thing"・ |
| A．The egg's potential parents are snakes・ |
| B．An ancient marine reptile laid the egg. |
| C．The size of the eggs lies in the weight of the animals. |
| D．The way of rock formation affects the egg. |
