【推荐2】A United Nations group of experts predicted that global warming would reach extreme levels by the early 2030s. The likely result: ever-worsening weather disasters and related events—hunger, extinction of some plant and wildlife species and the spread of infectious diseases.

There is still time to avoid these disasters, but the window for action is closing quickly. Yet the reality is, few countries are on track to meet their existing goals to address climate change. Luckily, there is one bright note in this otherwise black picture: individual innovators are stepping up to try to find solutions to fight climate crisis using technology in new and creative ways.

When Beth began working in the fashion industry, she was disappointed to find that many makers tended to largely guess what people would actually buy. As a result, companies overproduced clothes, creating needless waste and environmental pollution.

To reduce unsold products and material waste in the fashion industry, in 2015, Beth began her own company, Unspun, which seeks solutions by making on-demand custom clothing tailored to a buyer’s body using a 3D-body scan. “We will never make clothes before they have a home.” said Beth. Its self-developed 3D-weaving(编织) machine enables customisation using a body scanner.

Unspun launched its first 3D woven items using the innovative tech last year. Since then, the company has produced thousands of pairs of pants, hats, bags in a test run for a large European retailer(零售商).

Unspun doesn’t intend to keep its novel production technique to itself. The company is in the process of building microsites around the world to localize 3D weaving production. For example, the company has set up its office in Hong Kong with a focus on business development, marketing and customer services. “Our goal is to reduce the global human carbon footprint by 1 percent, and the only way to realistically get there is to become a platform, working with forward-thinking brands (品牌) to collectively cleanup the industry,” says Beth.

1. What does the underlined words “bright note” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Experts’ prediction.	B．Individual contribution.
C．The window for action.	D．A new technology.

2. The company “Unspun” was setup to________.

A．avoid blind production	B．promote the sales of clothing
C．produce 3D-weaving machines	D．take the lead in the fashion industry

3. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Hong Kong?

A．To test out3D-weaving machine.

B．To stress its commercial advantages.

C．To show an application of Beth’s idea.

D．To illustrate the significance of teamwork.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Beth: Rising to Fame Overnight

B．Unspun: Weaving Clothes With Zero Waste

C．Global Warming: Issuing a Warning to Earth

D．3D-weaving Machine: Hitting the Market Soon

【推荐3】Doing a bit of research before you sort your trash can make all the difference. Recycling rules differ from one city to another. Here are a few ways to help you do it better.

■Don’t put your recyclables in a plastic bag

It’s not that we don’t have the technology to recycle plastic bags, but it is risky to recycle them because the bags are so lightweight and flexible that they end up getting caught in the recycling equipment!

Your best option is to bring your plastic bags to a drop-off recycling center where it has the right equipment to recycle them.

■You can recycle plastic caps together with bottles

In the past, we were told to separate the cap from the bottle when recycling. Bottles are made from # 1plastic while their caps #5 plastic. They are at different melting temperatures and need to be processed separately. But now, advanced machines have made it easier to separate bottles and caps.

At present, what you need to do is leave the plastic bottle cap on the bottle and ensure the bottle is free of all liquids before throwing it into the bin.

■You can’t recycle a pizza box

Although cardboard itself is recyclable, pizza boxes are not. Why? It all comes down to the oil. When you place oily cardboard into a recycling bin, you run the risk of polluting clean, recyclable things. And an entire pack of polluted recyclables can cost more.

But if only a small part of your box is oily, pull that piece off the box and throw just that piece away while the rest of the box can then be recycled.

1. Why can’t we place recyclables in a plastic bag when sorting trash?

A．It will cause more pollution.

B．The equipment may fail to work.

C．Plastic bags are not tough enough.

D．No technology is available to recycle plastic bags.

2. What do we have to do to deal with the bottles with caps before recycling?

A．Collect them into a specific bin.	B．Put them into different machines.
C．Separate the caps from the bottles.	D．Empty the bottles and re-cap them.

3. What makes a pizza box non-recyclable?

A．The oil on it.	B．Lack of proper facilities.
C．Its harmful materials	D．Different melting temperatures.

【推荐1】A few years ago, I moved to a window office and sent an email letting everyone know. In the email, I jokingly invited everyone to come by for a “tour” of the new space.

I was in a meeting that morning and when I got back to my office, I saw a box on my desk. There was a note on it, saying, “Happy new office!” The person didn’t sign it. I was so happy with that. I didn’t feel like I should help anyone or that someone was trying to get something from me. In fact, I found myself thanking everyone in the office. It was completely different from what I did on the beach the other day.

The water was coming in. Two nice chairs were about to be taken out by the waves. The owners were nowhere to be seen, so I moved the chairs again and again as the waves rose. When the couple who owned the chairs showed up, I couldn’t help myself. I went over, pointed to the waves, and said, “A couple of hours ago, your chairs were out there.”

“Oh, thanks so much for pulling them in,” said the guy. “We just realized they were out here and thought they had probably gotten washed away.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, as I walked away. Then these words came to my mind, “You have your reward (回报).”

Then I realized when I went over to the couple, I was looking for something. If they hadn’t shown anything after I told what I had done, it would have upset me. In our life, people who show their good deeds (行为) are always looking for a reward and they resent those who don’t celebrate their generosity (慷慨).

However, when we experience the pleasure of giving without letting the other know, we do more than show kindness. We’re just giving to communicate an invaluable message, “You’re loved. You’re important to someone and it has nothing to do with what you can give in return.”

1. How did the author feel when she saw the box?

A．She wanted to find out who cared about her.

B．She thought someone asked for something.

C．She was thankful someone gave it secretly.

D．She was afraid it was sent to her by mistake.

2. What can we infer about the author when she was on the beach?

A．She got angry at keeping moving the chairs.

B．She didn’t think the couple liked the chairs.

C．She made what she did known to the couple.

D．She was lucky to meet with a kind couple.

3. What does the underlined word “resent” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．Hate.

B．Avoid.

C．Annoy.

D．Persuade.

4. What does the author advise us to do through the text?

A．Give without expecting anything in return.

B．Show love to someone important to you.

C．Show kindness to those who dislike you.

D．Do what we can to help more people

【推荐3】Leanne Carrasco ordered 95 pizzas (比萨饼). The high school senior and her friends filled up goody bags. But this was not your typical graduation party.     1     Instead, she decided to mark her high school graduation by giving back to the community. So she threw a pizza party at a homeless shelter for women and children in Houston, Texas. It took her a month to prepare.

Carrasco had volunteered before, with her family, at the Star of Hope Family Development Center. But this time was different.     2     In the month leading up to the party they collected toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap (肥皂). They packed them into 400 bags to hand out to residents (居民) of the shelter.

On Sunday, it was party time. The pizza was a hit, and so were the bags.     3     They had respect for these people. They made sure the residents knew that someone cared.

In all Carrasco and her friends served about 200 people. For the shelter residents, it was a magical day.     4    

Carrasco did a good job but she won’t let it go to her head anytime soon. The graduating senior plans to study nursing at Briar Cliff University in Iowa in the fall.     5     “I’d rather make a difference in the lives of the homeless residents at Star of Hope than have a big party,” she said.

A．Carrasco didn’t want that.

B．She was able to think of other people.

C．They lined up to give thanks to Carrasco.

D．She said she would continue giving back.

E．Carrasco decided to spend money on a party.

F．She invited a group of her friends and got to work.

G．But Carrasco and her friends gave the residents something more than just food and soap.