One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. It is absolutely the case in Turkey where garbage collectors started collecting books that have been thrown away and ended up opening a library.
It started when garbage man Durson Ipek found a bag of abandoned books when he was working and then it snowballed from there. Ipek and other garbage men started gathering the books they found on the streets that were ready for landfills (垃圾填埋地) and as their collection started to grow, so did word of mouth. Soon, local residents started donating books directly. The library was initially available only to the garbage employees and their families to use but as the collection grew, so did public interest and the library was opened to the public in 2017.
“On the one hand, there were those who were leaving these books on the streets. On the other hand, others were looking for these books,” Ankaya mayor Alper Tasdelen told CNN. “We started to discuss the idea of creating a library from these books. When everyone supported it, this project happened.”
All the books that are found are sorted and checked for condition. If they pass, they go on the shelves. Today, the library has over 6,000 books that range from fiction to nonfiction and there’s a very popular children’s section that even has a collection of comic books. An entire section is devoted to scientific research and there are also books available in English and French. The collection has grown so large that the library loans books to schools and educational programs.
“Village school teachers from all over Turkey are requesting books,” Tasdelen told CNN. The government has to hire a full-time employee to manage the library.
This library is incredibly popular. It is frequently filled with the children of the city’s workers and students from nearby schools. There is a waiting room set up for readers and chess boards for the people who visit the library. You can even enjoy a cup of tea in the waiting room.
1. What does the underlined word “snowballed” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Grew slowly. | B．Developed rapidly. |
| C．Declined quickly. | D．Worsened gradually. |
| A．You can’t find novels in the library. |
| B．There are only books in Chinese and English. |
| C．All the books that are found will go on the shelves. |
| D．Schools and educational programs can borrow books from the library. |
| A．To raise people’s awareness of recycling. |
| B．To classify and check the donated books. |
| C．To meet the huge demand from rural teachers. |
| D．To expand the social influence of the library. |
| A．It provides a very considerate service. | B．It’s crowded with readers every day. |
| C．It needs to improve its management. | D．It’s an excellent place to enjoy tea. |
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By Poly Pullar,
Growing up in a remote region of the Scottish Highlands, Polly Pullar’s childhood was pleasant, simple, and peaceful. But the wild beauty formed a backdrop to a series of major family tragedies. This is the story of how she rebuilt her life from the ground up, supported by the natural world around her.
Wildlife WalksBy Charlotte Varela,
Bloomsbury, ￡16.99
Take a walk through the Wildlife Trusts’ nature reserves with this handy guide that showcases some of our nation’s best forests, moors, woodlands and coastal locations. Each walk includes a description of the site, instructions on how to get there, available facilities and the route’s walking time.
Where the Seals SingBy Susan Richardson,
William Collins, ￡20
Having long been fascinated by seals, Susan Richardson sets out to follow their pupping season (繁殖季). As she journeys from Cornwall to Norfolk, she learns more about these mystical creatures, while sharing personal stories about the comforting role they have played during times of grief or anxiety in her own life.
In the Name of PlantsBy Sandra Knapp,
University of Chicago Press, ￡20
Botanist Sandra Knapp digs into the stories behind plant names, exploring the people who have been immortalized (使永生), from Benjamin Franklin to Lady Gaga. The 30 plants inside are accompanied by botanical drawings from the Natural History Museum.
1. Which of the books does not involve a story?| A．The Horizontal Oak: A Life in Nature | B．Wildlife Walks |
| C．Where the Seals Sing | D．In the Name of Plants |
| A．There are probably plants named after Lady Gaga. |
| B．Susan Richardson introduces seals’ life in her book. |
| C．Polly Pullar offers readers a tourist guide of Scottish Highlands. |
| D．You can read Charlotte Varela’s book if you want to visit nature reserves by car. |
| A．A geographic textbook. | B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A magazine on wildlife. | D．A website about plants. |
【推荐2】Nowhere is the interconnection of the natural world more evident than in the delicate balance of its ecosystems. These books examine the secret to that balance, making complex concepts accessible to readers just beginning their scientific journeys.
The ElephantBy Jenni Desmond.Illustration: by the author. 2018.
The caring nature,intelligence,and incredible size of African and Asian elephants shine through in Desmond’s magnificent presentation of these mammals. Her illustrations are showstoppers, and the text includes general characteristics and habits. Desmond’s writing,precise and inviting, calls attention to the elephant’s role as a keystone species in the ecosystem and humans’ roles in elephants’ declining numbers.
BeaversBy Rachel Poliquin. Illustration: by Nicholas John Frith. 2018.
This first in the Superpower Field Guide series, about the natural world’s resident superheroes, offers effervescent examinations of a beaver’s super characteristics. Poliquin explains in simple but exact language how these “wet land warriors” chew down trees,build dams and lodges,and most awesome of all, function as a keystone species to create entire new ecosystems.
The Wolves Are BackBy Jean Craighead George. Illustration: by Wendell Minor. 2008.
As George follows one wolf s growth from pup to adult, the emphasis is not as much on the wolves and their habits but on how their presence has changed the ecosystem of Yellowstone and returned its natural balance. Minor’s finely detailed illustrations feature spectacularly rendered animals in the foreground of the bold, western landscapes. Together the words and pictures make for a highly effective and enjoyable explanation of how the presence of one animal can profoundly affect an ecosystem.
1. Who illustrates the book The Elephant?| A．Jenni Desmond |
| B．Nicholas John Frith. |
| C．Rachel Poliquin. |
| D．Wendell Minor. |
| A．Poliquin describes beavers using complex language. |
| B．George does the research mainly on the wolves and their habits. |
| C．Desmond’s writing focuses on humans’ active roles in elephant conservation. |
| D．The species mentioned above are likely to influence the ecosystem. |
| A．A zoo guidebook. |
| B．An academic article: |
| C．A nature magazine. |
| D．A research report. |
| ●Social Justice Book Club The purpose of our club is to build community by reading a variety of literary types such as poetry, fiction and nonfiction that reflect social justice. Our mission is to highlight literature and authors that promote overall social justice. The book selected for our next meeting, 11:00 a. m.—12:00 p. m. on May 17, is Asian Dreams by Helen Zia. Zoom links will be emailed to registered participants prior to time. ●PenumbraOnline's Book Club We are excited to announce that PenumbraOnline will be hosting a summer book club. We will be reading a book that spotlights PcnumbraOnline's summer theme of self-love. Join us as we spend the summer reading and rediscovering the love we have for ourselves. We will be discussing our first book, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, by Crystal Maldonado via Zoom on August 10th at 6 p.m. Grab a snack or a drink, and join us as we explore this fun summer read! ●UndocuBook Club The purpose of our UndocuBook Club is to expand our community's personal literature experience by reading and discussing works that reflect themes such as personal and professional growth. The mission is to bring accessibility to literature to our community and promote acceptance. The specific book will be Born a Crime by Trevor Noah on our next meeting date, Thursday, September 16th. If the time conflicts with your schedule, you can still be part of our club by sharing your thoughts via Zoom chat. |
| A．Selecting a book. | B．Signing up first. | C．Sharing thoughts. | D．Sending an email. |
| A．Self-love. | B．Social justice. | C．Personal growth. | D．Literature experience. |
| A．They offer summer activities. | B．Their meetings are held online. |
| C．Their members are all students. | D．They focus on the same theme. |
【推荐1】Artificial intelligence (Al) has the potential to develop more efficient methods of farming in order to fight global warming.
Global warming threatens every aspect of our everyday lives, including crop production. It will reduce the soil moisture (水分) in areas close to the equator according to a study. We are already seeing the negative impact of these changed growing conditions on our crop production. Climate change harms poorer countries that do not have the money to import food. The result is growing food insecurity. However, agriculture is not just affected by global warming — agriculture is part of a vicious (恶性的) cycle in which farming leads to global warming, which in turn destroys agricultural production. The process of clearing land for agriculture results in widespread deforestation (毁林) and contributes to 40 percent of global methane production. Therefore, to deal with climate change, it is necessary to ensure reforestation — but how? What is the path to efficient, environmentally-conscious farming?
This is where AI enters the scene. Farmers use AI for methods such as precision agriculture; they can monitor crop moisture, soil composition, and temperature in growing areas, enabling farmers to increase production by learning how to take care of their crops and determine the ideal amount of water to use. Furthermore, this technology may help reduce deforestation by allowing humans to grow food in urban areas. It could be especially beneficial for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, where much of the population lives in cities.
However, AI is far from a silver bullet — it could actually contribute to global warming as well. Due to the large amount of data that AI needs to process, training a single AI releases five times the emissions that an average car would give off during its lifetime. Further, securing access to AI on a global scale may pose some challenges. Countries will need experts in the field who can successfully use the technology and Internet connection, neither of which are always readily available. Therefore, there is still a long way for developing countries to take advantage of the benefits of AI.
Given these concerns, global leaders must consider the potential costs, and the environmental consequences of data processing before developing AI for use in agriculture.
1. What can we learn about today’s agriculture from paragraph 2?| A．It is the main challenge of reforestation. |
| B．Poorer countries rely on it more than before. |
| C．It is still dependent on deforestation for more land. |
| D．It is both a victim and a cause of global warming. |
| A．Building farming communities in cities. |
| B．Abandoning traditional farming methods. |
| C．Making the most of agricultural resources. |
| D．Balancing farming with farmers’ everyday lives. |
| A．There are technical barriers in developing countries. |
| B．The relevant technology is still under development. |
| C．The process of developing Al is difficult. |
| D．There is no one-size-fits-all AI technology. |
| A．The benefits of agricultural AI |
| B．The future of farming: AI and agriculture |
| C．A block to environmentally-conscious agriculture |
| D．Global warming and agriculture: a vicious cycle |
【推荐2】 The church in the 1600s decided that it was about time to honor our real mothers. Mothering Day was created. This actually became a holiday of relief and pity for all people, including the poor. This was because Mothering Day was a day of rest for servants and working people: they were allowed a day of vacation to visit their mothers. Unfortunately, Mothering Day was not allowed to continue in the Puritan New World. But the desire and need to have a day to visit their mothers continued.
The birth of the modern Mother’s Day came about when in 1870 Julia Ward Howe published a poem,coming up with the idea of an international Mother’s Day celebrating peace and motherhood. It is ironic that the woman who brought us Battle Hymn of the Republic because of her love of the Union and hate for slavery became one of the main supporters of pacifism(反战主义)after the Civil War. She became disgusted by recognizing how many people had been killed during the war.
Julia Ward Howe is credited with bringing about Mother’s Day,and helping us recognize the contributions women make. Mother’s Day became an official holiday during the work of Anna M. Jarvis. She made it her personal project to bring about the adoption of Mother’s Day as a national holiday. She continued with Julia Ward Howe’s focus on peace, and by 1908 there was an official Mother’s Day in the US.
1. The author’s attitude toward Mothering Day is ________.| A．dissatisfied | B．favorable |
| C．distrustful | D．hopeful |
| A．Julia might have misunderstood slavery |
| B．the Civil War changed Julia’s attitude to war |
| C．pacifism was to blame for the Civil War |
| D．Julia was responsible for the killed during the war |
| A．It was made a national holiday by Julia. |
| B．It was first celebrated in the 1870s. |
| C．Its formation was a long and hard process. |
| D．It has nothing to do with Mothering Day. |
| A．The origin of the modern Mother’s Day. |
| B．Julia Ward Howe, a great woman. |
| C．The difference between Mothering Day and Mother’s Day. |
| D．The two women who brought about Mother’s Day. |
【推荐3】The Earth set unofficial record high temperatures last week. Scientists said they were a clear sign of how pollutants released by humans are warming the environment. “Heat sets the pace of our climate in so many ways... it’s never just the heat,” said Kim Cobb. a climate scientist at Brown University.
Ocean warming, wildfire smoke and early arrived EI Nino that much of North America experienced this summer are other signs of climate troubles. Other recent natural events also show that climate change has entered new territory.
Most of the planet is covered by oceans, which have taken in 90 percent of the recent warming caused by planet-warming gases. In April, worldwide ocean temperature rose to 21, 1°C, which scientists believe was caused by a combination of planet-warming gases and the early EI Nino formation. EI Nino is a period of warning Pacific Ocean waters. Newly published data documented exceptionally warm ocean temperatures in the North Atlantic and also extreme sea heat waves near Ireland, Britain, and in the Baltic Sea.
High levels of wildfire smoke were more common on the US West Coast recently. Several rounds of smoke from wildfires in northern Canada brought dangerous air quality levels to eastern North America. Scientists say that climate change will make wildfires and smoke more intense and that the East Coast will see more of it.
The current EI Nino formed a month or two earlier than usual. It replaced La Nina that, with its cooling of Pacific waters, kept worldwide temperatures down. That means that it will have more time than usual to strengthen. It is predicted that there is a 98 percent chance that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record. One of these years would beat temperatures from 2016 when an exceptionally strong EI Nino was present.
1. What did Kim Cobb want to say in the first paragraph?| A．Cold wave might arrive soon. | B．The heat may come to an end. |
| C．The Earth would suffer more. | D．It’s easy to forecast the weather. |
| A．Ireland. | B．Britain. | C．The South Atlantic. | D．The US West Coast. |
| A．More earthquakes. | B．Fewer accidents. | C．Record heat. | D．Extreme cold. |
| A．Weather patterns. | B．Climate troubles. | C．Polluted waters. | D．Green practices. |
【推荐1】It all started with a simple question: “Can I paint your portrait?”
In the summer of 2015, Brian Peterson and his wife, Vanessa, had just moved to Santa Ana, California. Outside the couple’s fourth-floor apartment, a messy homeless man was often shouting on the street corner, sometimes keeping them awake at night. Peterson, 28, would pass the guy on his way to his job as a car designer at Kia Motors. but they never spoke.
One day, Peterson was relaxing in his living room, reading the book Love Does, about the power of love in action, when his quiet was disturbed by the homeless man. Inspired by the book’s sympathetic message. Peterson made an unexpected decision: He was going to go outside and introduce himself.
In that first conversation, Peterson learned that the man’s name was Matt Faris. He’d moved to Southern California from Kentucky to pursue a career in music, but he soon fell on hard times and ended up living on the street for more than a decade.
“It was the weirdest thing to me,” Peterson recalled later on the podcast (播客) Top Artist. “I saw beauty on the face of a man who hadn’t shaved in probably a year, had overgrown fingernails, and probably hadn’t had a shower in close to a year. But his story, the life inside of him, inspired me.” And even though Peterson, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art, hadn’t picked up a paintbrush in about eight years, be found himself asking if he could paint Faris’s portrait. Faris said yes.
Peterson’s connection with Faris led to the creation of Faces of Santa Ana, a nonprofit organization that befriends and paints portraits of unhoused community members. Using a black-and-white photo taken with his phone, Peterson selects colors based on the subject’s personality and story, resulting in powerful portraits. He sells the large paintings, signed by both the subject and artist, for a few thousand dollars. Half of the profits go into a “love account” for the models. helping them start again. Faris used his portrait funds to fulfill his musical dreams by recording an album.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To explain the portrait. | B．To express a request. |
| C．To ask a question. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．Messy. | B．Bothered. | C．Delighted. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．Strangest. | B．Hardest. | C．Well known. | D．Most beautiful. |
| A．Peterson’s relation to Faris. | B．Profits from selling paintings. |
| C．Colors based on the personality. | D．Peterson’s powerful portraits. |
【推荐2】It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries (食品杂货), saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity (人性) as a whole. And it has influenced us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
1. Why was the bike so important to the couple?| A．They used it for work and daily life. |
| B．It was their only possession. |
| C．It was a nice Kona 18 speed. |
| D．The man’s job was bike racing. |
| A．Strangers are usually of little help. |
| B．One should take care of their bike. |
| C．News reports make people famous. |
| D．An act of kindness can mean a lot. |
| A．From a stranger. |
| B．From a newspaper. |
| C．From TV news. |
| D．From radio broadcasts. |
| A．commercial | B．evil | C．kind | D．notorious |
【推荐3】Recently, whenever I turned on my computer or my mobile phone, news about the great effect of Hurricane Harvey on thousands of people caught my eye. We saw many unfortunate events. However, there was also the bright news that confirmed the goodness of mankind. As a journalist, I wrote many human interesting stories during my career. That's why the story about the guys in the bakery caught my eye.
When the staff at a Mexican bakery chain in Houston were trapped inside the building for two days, they didn't sit there feeling sorry for themselves. They used their time wisely after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. While they were waiting for the eventual rescue that came on Monday morning, four decided to make as many loaves of bread as possible for their community.
The flood water rose in the street outside. They took advantage of their emergency power supply to bake bread. They used more than 4,200 pounds of flour to create hundreds of loaves and sheets of sweet bread. Although the water kept rising, they continued baking to help more people. By the time the owner managed to get to them, they had made so much bread that we took the loaves to loads of emergency centers across the city for people affected by the floods.
The store manager, Brian Alvarado, told The Independent, “Whenever a disaster occurs, nobody should just feel despondent. Instead, we should take positive action to save ourselves and help others. Our acts of kindness will make a big difference.”
1. What did the bakery store workers do after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey?| A．They ate nothing but to wait for their community to rescue them. |
| B．They managed to live by selling more bread in the store. |
| C．They felt sorry that they couldn't escape from the store. |
| D．They volunteered to make bread for their community. |
| A．Fortunate. | B．Upset | C．Shallow. | D．Hopeful. |
| A．Alvarado organized his workers to bake much bread. |
| B．The staff in the bakery sent enough flour to emergency centers. |
| C．Hurricane Harvey caused a power failure in Houston. |
| D．The author preferred to write stories about people facing disasters. |
| A．A Popular Mexican Bakery Chain in Houston |
| B．Waiting for the Eventual Rescue in a Big Disaster |
| C．All Kinds of Disasters Caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston |
| D．Baking Bread to Make a Difference in Face of Hurricane Harvey |
