Each one of us shares this planet with seven billion other individuals. And we all need transportation. The majority of cars, motorcycles, boats and planes cause pollution. They are also noisy. This is a serious problem in many cities. So inventors are coming up with innovative ideas to try to reduce the pollution and noise.
By Land
In many cities around the world, motorcycles are becoming increasingly popular. Currently, Vietnam has around 33 million motorcycles. China has almost 120 million. The convenience of these motorcycles comes at a cost. Air pollution is a growing problem. In large cities, people often complain it is difficult to breathe. They also complain about the noise.
To solve these problems, a U.S. company designed an environmentally friendly motorcycle. It uses electricity as fuel. You can drive it for 40 miles (64 kilometers) before recharging the battery.
It is also quiet and fast-60 miles (96 kilometers) per hour. This makes it a good choice for getting around a city.
By Water
The Italian city of Venice is a city with only a few roads. There are no cars in the city center. Instead of cars, water taxis and buses carry people along the city’s canals. The engines of these boats are simple and cheap. However, they cause pollution, particularly to the water. This causes damage to the city’s buildings.
English mechanics Dick Strawbridge and Jem Stans designed a solar-powered water taxi. The solar panels charge three electric batteries. These, in turn, provide power to the engine. The water taxi can carry six passengers. It can run for a day. In the future, solar taxis could be an alternative to Venice’s current taxis.
By Air
Designing an environmentally friendly airplane is a real challenge. Planes use an enormous amount of jet fuel. This means they cause significant air pollution, and they are very noisy. Some major airplane manufacturers have started to address the problems. They are using cleaner fuels, for example. However, Swiss engineers have gone one step further. They developed a solar airplane — the Solar Impulse. Solar panels cover its wings. These panels provide power to four electric motors and batteries. The batteries allow the plane to fly at night. This plane holds the world record for the longest solar-powered flight — 985 miles (1541 kilometers) from Arizona to Texas in the United States.
1. What do the three innovative ideas proposed have in common?| A．They aim to solve traffic problems in big cities. |
| B．They use cleaner energy and cause less pollution. |
| C．They aim to change traditional way of transporting goods. |
| D．They are good will of developed countries to help developing countries. |
| A．China owns the largest number of motorcycles. |
| B．There are no cars in the center of Venice city. |
| C．Solar-powered water taxi can run for a day with one battery at work. |
| D．The newly designed motorcycle can drive 60 miles after being charged. |
| A．lighter wings | B．less noise |
| C．powerful batteries | D．longest solar panels |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Three paralysed (瘫痪的) men, who were told they would spend the rest of their lives in a wheelchair, are able to walk again, thanks to an electrical device, which was placed around the men’s spines (脊柱) and boosted signals from their brains to their legs.
The first patient to be treated was 30-year-old Swiss man David M’zee, who suffered a severe spinal injury several years ago in a sporting accident. David’s doctor said he would never walk again. However, thanks to the electrical device developed by a team at a public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland, he agreed to take part in a trial led by Dr. Courtine at the university.
“I came with my daughter, Charlotte, who was one month old at the time. As we approached David, he looked her in the eye and said, ‘I will walk before you,’” Dr Courtine recalls. “When Charlotte took her first step she was 14 months old, by which time David was walking by Lake Geneva. He said to her, ‘I have beaten you.’”
David can now walk up to eight paces when the device is switched off and this is the first time that this has been recorded in a chronic (慢性的) spinal injury. However, out of the lab, in the real world, it is hard for David to walk more than a few paces. The signals from the device soon become uncomfortable and so can’t be used all the time. The system is also expensive and not reliable enough to be used out of the laboratory for day-to-day use, so it’s far from a cure.
David is the first of three patients who have benefited from the first wave of the treatment. Two other men have also managed to walk again, to various degrees.
The researchers plan to begin larger trials in Europe and the US in the next few years. If these go well, the researchers are confident the system could become more widely available.
1. How does the electrical device help the paralysed walk again?| A．By straightening the spines. | B．By making the brains recover. |
| C．By signaling the legs to move. | D．By making use of a wheelchair. |
| A．To point out David’s weakness. | B．To explain David’s failure to walk. |
| C．To show the speed of David’s recovery. | D．To prove his daughter’s athletic ability. |
| A．It is hard for typical patients to operate. | B．It is unreliable when used out of the lab. |
| C．It always makes patients uncomfortable. | D．It sometimes sends wrong signals to legs. |
| A．The device can cure paralysis. | B．The device has been widely used. |
| C．The device will be tested globally. | D．The device has a potential market. |
【推荐2】When most people think of drones (无人机), they think of technology and fun. Safe to say, few people would think about farming. However, a group of students from York College of Pennsylvania have been building a drone that will not only help local farmers but the environment, as well.
Samantha Gotwalt and Blayde Reich, two senior Mechanical Engineering majors at York College in the group, both found the work to be quite fascinating. According to Samantha, the idea came from a York College professor, who has worked with drones, and wanted to get students involved with a project beneficial to the community. “We really want to help farming and agriculture. It’s super-important to America and our economy,” Blayde says. “We want to help the smaller farmers, and one of the perks is not having to spend their money on fertilizer and pesticides (杀虫剂).”
The idea is to design and build a drone that will take video imagery of the fields to determine what is needed to produce the best crop, while saving money and sparing the environment by reducing pollutants in the water runoff. Ideally, that data gained will help the farmers better determine what chemicals they need — and what they don’t.
However, finding the right equipment for the project was a challenge, starting with what drone the team would design for this particular usage. Samantha says she researched durability and control of drones to help make the proper determination.
“We are flying over the field and we want to have enough efficiency and go relatively slow enough that our pictures turn out well - and fly low enough that it is not using up all of its power,” she says. “The fields are a couple hundred acres(英亩), so you need your drone to be able to fly the length of that field.”
Blayde says the team continues to learn a great deal of information that will help the farmers and the environment.
1. What does the underlined word “perks” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Challenges. | B．Features. | C．Benefits. | D．Solutions. |
| A．Spreading proper quantities of pesticides. |
| B．Helping to determine the chemicals needed. |
| C．Assisting to monitor the state of crops. |
| D．Measuring the areas of the fields. |
| A．Its camera capacity. | B．Its data collection ability. |
| C．Its durability and control. | D．Its material and efficiency. |
| A．Disciplined and realistic. | B．Experienced and reliable. |
| C．Humble and reserved. | D．Responsible and creative. |
【推荐3】Louis Braille was born in France in 1809. Sadly when he was a little boy, he had an accident. By the time he was four years old, he was completely blind. However, at the age of ten, Louis was lucky enough to go to one of the first schools for blind children in Paris. At this particular school they had special books. They were written in ordinary French but the letters raised up off the page, so that the students could feel the shape of the words and read them. But there were two problems with this system. First, the letters were huge and difficult to read. Second, the books were very expensive so the school library only had fourteen altogether.
In 1821, when Louis was twelve years old, a soldier came to his school. This man had invented a system for soldiers to send and receive messages in the dark. Although this idea had not worked very well, Louis became very excited and began experiments with it. By the time he was fifteen, he had invented a perfect system which used only six dots. And by 1827 the first book using his system was published.
It still took a long time before people realized what a wonderful invention Braille’s system was. In fact, Louis died in 1852 and did not live to see the success of his system, which has been adapted to almost every language in the world. Thanks to him, blind or weak-sighted people are able to read or write as well as any sighted person.
1. What did books for the blind look like when Louis was a boy?| A．No books designed for the blind. |
| B．Books with raised dots on each page. |
| C．Books with letters raised up off each page. |
| D．The same books as those for the able-bodied. |
| A．The letters were huge and difficult to read. |
| B．Books designed for the blind were too costly. |
| C．The number of books for the blind was very small. |
| D．A messaging system for soldiers to use in the dark. |
| A．In 1821 | B．In 1824 | C．In 1827 | D．In 1852 |
| A．It helps make the blind independent to learn. |
| B．It is easy and convenient for the blind to live. |
| C．It has been adapted to every language in the world. |
| D．It contributes to producing more books for the blind. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 （A 、B 、C 和 D ）中，选出最佳选项，并在题卡上将该项涂黑。
The pillage (掠夺) and destruction of ancient shipwrecks and sunken archaeological sites by treasure hunters seeking gold and other valuables may be illegal under the terms of an international treaty under discussion by UNESCO’s 188 Member States.
"Protecting our underwater heritage is extremely important and increasingly urgent as no site or shipwreck is now out of bounds for treasure hunters. New technologies have made deep-water wrecks easily accessible and these technologies are getting cheaper," warns Lyndel Prott.
According to estimates by commercial salvors (寻宝者), there are some three million undiscovered shipwrecks scattered across the world’s oceans. Even the figures for the known wrecks are impressive. The Northern Shipwrecks Database for example contains 65,000 ship loss records for North America alone from 1500 AD to the present. The Dictionary of Disasters at Sea by Charles Hocking (1969) lists 12,542 sailing ships and war vessels lost between 1824 and 1962.
Then there are sunken cities such as the trading town and pirate stronghold(海盗堡垒) of Port Royal in Jamaica, which disappeared beneath the waves after an earthquake in 1692. Or the remnants of ancient civilisations, such as the Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt, and the Neolithic villages being discovered under the Black Sea, which some believe could help explain Noah’s great flood.
These treasures of cultural heritage are under serious threat. Technology now allows extraordinary access to the ocean depths for determined and well-financed treasure hunters. And the potential rewards are huge. In 1985, American salvor Mel Fisher discovered the wreck of the Señora de Atocha, a Spanish ship that sank off the Florida Keys in 1622 with her cargo of gold, silver and jewellery worth an estimated US $400 million.
An archaeologist can spend ten years or more studying a ship, conserving its objects and publishing its findings. We gain an enormous amount of information and knowledge from this work. With treasure hunters, all of this is lost. This is tragic, for humanity as a whole.
1. Why is it important and urgent to protect our underwater heritage?
| A．Underwater heritage is easily accessible to treasure hunters. |
| B．Underwater heritage is out of reach of archaeologists. |
| C．New technology makes protection of underwater heritage easier. |
| D．There is no law to protect underwater heritage. |
| A．Shipwrecks discovered by commercial salvors. |
| B．The main cause of shipwrecks. |
| C．The history of sunken ships. |
| D．The figures of shipwrecks around the world. |
| A．It was washed away by flood. |
| B．It was beneath the waves after an earthquake. |
| C．It was discovered under the Black Sea. |
| D．It was rebuilt by Noah. |
| A．He risked his life in treasure hunting. |
| B．He was one of the most successful commercial salvors. |
| C．He made a great discovery of shipwrecks. |
| D．He had no trouble in finding a shipwreck. |
【推荐2】Penguins in South Africa are being driven from their native environment because of noise from shipping activities.
The African penguins live on St. Croix island off the east coast of South Africa. The animals are already endangered. But a new study has found that African penguins are leaving their natural environment to escape noisy ship refueling operations. The island once held the world’s largest reproducing group of the animals. But the population has dropped sharply since South Africa started permitting ships in the area to refuel at sea six years ago.
Lorien Pichegru is acting director of the Coastal and Marine Research Institute at Nelson Mandela University, which led the study. She said that noise levels in the area had doubled since the refueling activities began. Scientists say high noise levels affect the ability of ocean animals to find and catch other animals for food. Noise also makes it more difficult for the animals to communicate with each other and map travel paths.
In 2016, South Africa’s Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) offered the country’s first offshore refueling operator’s license to Aegean Marine. Later, it gave two licenses to SA Marine Fuels and Heron Marine. An order to grant no new licenses has been in place since August 2019. It will only be lifted after an environmental study is completed by port officials. The study is expected next year. Oil-covered penguins were found in 2019 in Algoa Bay after an oil spill from ship-to-ship refueling. Environmental groups have called for the activities to be banned in the bay.
Pichegru said penguins in the area were already struggling to reproduce because of a series of issues, including industrial fishing operations. She added that the refueling activities did not kill all the penguins. “It was just the thing that made the whole ecosystem out of place and then the penguins couldn’t adapt to that,” she said.
1. Why are African penguins leaving their native habitat?| A．To get out of oil pollution. |
| B．To hunt for more food. |
| C．To get away from shipping noise. |
| D．To escape the hot weather. |
| A．The refueling activities. |
| B．The loss of their reproducing ability. |
| C．The reduction of their habitats. |
| D．The continuously rising sea levels. |
| A．Ban. | B．Cancel. | C．Limit. | D．Issue. |
| A．Measures of saving the penguins. |
| B．The penguins’ promising future. |
| C．The penguins’ present situation. |
| D．Reasons for the penguins’ extinction. |
【推荐3】From July to October every year, about a quarter of the world’s blue whales feed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. But the whales currently face a major threat in their favorite feeding area. Ships carrying cargo (货物) sail in the same area at the same time. All too often, the whales’ paths and the ships’ travel lines overlap (部分重叠), and a ship will hit a whale.
According to a new study, these ship strikes have become a serious threat to the overall population of the world’s blue whales. Only about 10,000 of the creatures still exist worldwide. Blue whales are the largest known animals ever to live on Earth. Even so, if hit by a container ship, a blue whale will likely die from its injuries.
In 2007 alone, large ships killed five blue whales in the waters of San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that because there are so few whales already, losing three to five from the California whale population every year is a significant loss. “The estimated population of blue whales in this part of the Pacific is 2,500,” says Sean Hastings, an analyst of NOAA. “So every whale counts toward this species moving off the endangered-species list.”
Now, marine scientists must figure out how to protect the whales from the giant container ships. One very simple program is already underway in the Santa Barbara Channel, a waterway that separates mainland California from the nearby Channel Islands.
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has asked large container ships passing through the area to voluntarily slow down. Sailing slower will allow the ships’ crew (船员) more time to change course before hitting a whale.
Several of the world’s largest shipping lines are set to participate in the new program. For every ship that passes through the Santa Barbara Channel at or below the reduced speed of 12 knots, the company that owns the ship will be paid $2,500.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．People intend to illegally hunt blue whales for money. |
| B．Large ships often carrying goods may pollute the sea. |
| C．The container ships may hit the blue whales frequently. |
| D．There is fewer fish in blue whales’ favorite feeding area. |
| A．Because the number of the blue whales is so small. |
| B．Because other blue whales will be scared away. |
| C．Because blue whales are the largest animals in the world. |
| D．Because many blue whales get killed throughout the year. |
| A．the number of the blue whales is decreasing sharply |
| B．the blue whales are still on the endangered species list |
| C．most of the world’s blue whales live in the Pacific Ocean |
| D．blue whales are often disturbed by other endangered creatures |
| A．The basic responsibility of a sailor. | B．Measures to protect the blue whales. |
| C．The world’s largest shipping lines. | D．Ways to slow down the speed of the ships. |
【推荐1】Online Event: How to be a human
Venue
Online event | Thursday, 8 September 2024 | 18.00-19.00 BST
Humans are strange creatures. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of eight, Camilla created her own handbook for understanding humans.
Camilla Pang, biologist and author
Camilla Pang is the author of the book Explaining Humans, a memoir (自传) that uses scientific principles to understand human behaviour through the lens (视角) of someone who has autism and ADHD. Her latest book Perfectly Weird, Perfectly You is a scientific guide to growing up for children, published in March 2022.
What’s included in your ticket:
※Live lecture lasting 60 minutes including Q&A with Camilla Pang
※On-demand access to a recording of the lecture and Q&. A for 12 months
※Extra content from New Scientist
Being Human (Series tickets available)
About the series: What makes us human? What skills and concepts do humans have that separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom? And how did they arise? The “Being human” series from New Scientist will explore the beginnings of all the things that make us human, over the course of four virtual events. The series will feature the following talks:
※Origin of love: Anna Machin | 5th May 2024 (now available on-demand)
※The dawn of language: Sverker Johansson | 9th June 2024
※The evolution of childhood: Brenna Hassett | 7th July 2024
※How to be a human: Dr Camilla Pang|8th September 2024
Save 20% off the standard ticket price by purchasing all 4 live online “Being Human” lectures (also available on-demand) or purchase single tickets for £25 per lecture(early booking rate), to hear from the finest minds in science in 2024.
1. What can you do when you attend the online lecture?| A．Take exams to test your knowledge. | B．Communicate with the speaker. |
| C．Make friends with other students. | D．Ask for a book written by the speaker. |
| A．Anna Machin. | B．Brenna Hassett. |
| C．Dr Camilla Pang. | D．Sverker Johansson. |
| A．￡20. | B．£50. | C．￡80. | D．￡100. |
【推荐2】Picnic Shelter Reservations
Vancouver Parks and Recreation maintains four covered picnic shelters that are available for reservation at the following parks:
●Fisher Basin Community Park
●Leroy Haagen Memorial Park
●Marine Community Park
●Marshall Community Park
Picnic shelters are available to reserve between May 1 and September 30 each year. Reservations are for the entire day with a reservation fee of $100. When not reserved, shelters are available for free. Reserve a picnic shelter by calling 360-487-7100.
Shelter Reservation Cancellation Policy
If canceled one month or more before the rental date, 100% of the fee will be refunded. If canceled 1-4 weeks before the rental date, 75% of the fee will be refunded. No refunds will be granted if the reservation is canceled less than one week prior to the rental date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a way to find out if an event is already scheduled at a park?
Yes. Contact Marshall Community Center at 360-487-7100 to find out about events taking place in our parks.
Q：What amenities (设施) are included with a picnic shelter reservation?
Reservations include use of all picnic tables located within the shelter and electricity (there is no electricity at Marine Park). Playground amenities and restrooms will be shared with the public.
Park Use Permits
Depending on the type of event you’re hosting, you will need to get a Park Use Permit from Vancouver Parks and Recreation. A Park Use Permit gives you permission to bring special items and equipment into the park.
1. If you cancel 3 weeks before the rental date, how much money will you get back?| A．$100. | B．$75. | C．$25. | D．$0. |
| A．don’t allow visitors to host events |
| B．don’t offer picnic tables or electricity |
| C．are available to reserve all year round |
| D．can be used for free when not reserved |
| A．To explain the rules of park management. |
| B．To recommend shelters of different parks. |
| C．To introduce the functions of picnic shelters. |
| D．To provide information of shelter reservations. |
| A．A book review. | B．A news report. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．A science journal. |
【推荐3】Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition & Tour is a unique international resource to explore Shakespeare’s work. Open all year round, it gives you an opportunity to learn more about the world’s most famous playwright, and helps you seek to further the experience and international understanding of him.
Opening Hours
Theater Tours: Monday - Sunday 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Exhibition: Monday - Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Groups of 15 people or more are required to pre-book their visit, and each group will have its own tour guide for free. To make a reservation, please fill in a Group Request Form and email it to us.
Last admission is 30 minutes prior to closing time.
Exhibition and Tour Prices
Adult: ￡15.00 Senior (60 ): ￡13.50
Student (with valid ID): ￡11.50 Children (5-15): ￡8.00 Complimentary: every 16th person free
Getting here
Shakespeare’s Globe 21 New Globe Walk, London SE1 9DT, U.K.
We have currently improved security, with all bags being checked. Please arrive in good time, and do not bring any large bags.
Visitors are advised to arrive by public transport or by taxi. There is a car park on Thames Exchange on the north side of Southwark Bridge. Black cabs may be found all year round on Southwark Bridge. It may also be possible to pick one up from outside the entrance hall on New Globe Walk.
Where to eat
Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe serves modern British seasonal food for dinner, afternoon tea or drinks in our beautiful bar and restaurant set over two floors.
Swan Restaurant
Monday-Friday: 12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. & 6 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Saturday: 12 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. & 6 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.
1. Visitors can attend the exhibition at _______.| A．8:35 a.m. on Monday |
| B．2:35 p.m. on Friday |
| C．5:35 p.m. on Saturday |
| D．4:35 p.m. on Sunday |
| A．Visitors are required to deposit their bags before entering the theater. |
| B．Visitors can park on the south side of Southwark Bridge. |
| C．Taxi services are accessible near Southwark Bridge. |
| D．It’s more convenient to drive there than taking public transport. |
| A．It has a lunch break of four hours on weekdays. |
| B．Afternoon tea is not served on weekends. |
| C．It serves light meals and drinks every day. |
| D．It mainly serves local food varying with the seasons. |
