A former starchitect (明星建筑师) who designed villas for Pakistan’s celebrities now rebuilds villages completely destroyed by natural disasters.
October 2005, a catastrophic earthquake claiming some 79, 000 people in Pakistan reduced the villages to ruins in mud. Yasmeen Lari, a then-65-year-old architect was there to help lead the reconstruction of settlements. Working with volunteer architects and engineers from Pakistan and abroad, she started drawing plans for earthquake-resistant homes.
Over the following decades, Lari designed various houses and devices inside. Lari’s shelters, inspired by traditional designs and made with sustainable materials such as bamboo, mud and lime (石灰) that are sourced locally first, can better withstand disasters. Bamboo homes on stilts (柱子) allow water to flow through, while cross-bracing (交叉支撑) provides strength and flexibility during earthquakes. Lari’s insistence on low-cost, zero-waste and zero-carbon buildings reflects her commitment to the planet.
This sustainable inspiration has fuelled many of Lari’s designs, which now include household innovations. For instance, more than 80, 000 of her well-received limecrete and smokeless cookstoves were built. The device, which won a UN World Habitat Prize in 2018, costs about E8 to make and is fuelled with agricultural waste. The stoves stand higher than flood levels, making them safer than smoky, open cooking fires on the ground.
Now at age 83, Lari is still fizzing with ideas about zero-carbon designs, skills building and self-sustaining villages.
1. Which can best describe Yasmeen Lari?| A．Insistent and conventional. | B．Productive and stubborn. |
| C．Innovative and committed. | D．Economical and academic. |
| A．They accommodate homeless villagers. | B．They are all made of local materials. |
| C．They follow traditional designs. | D．They are resistant to earthquakes. |
| A．It costs a lot. | B．It generates smoke. |
| C．It gains popularity. | D．It burns animal waste. |
| A．From architect to humanitarian | B．The greatest architect ever |
| C．Rebuilding destroyed villages | D．Designing household devices |
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【推荐1】TOKYO-International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams said the IOC wanted to send a signal of solidarity (团结) through updating the Olympic motto.
"The Olympic Movement's value is not just about individual excellence, but about a team around you. That is something that the IOC is eager to stress: the value of solidarity," Adams told a press conference here on July 20. "Solidarity is just not about having values. It's about putting values into action," he added. The IOC approved (同意) adding "together" into the Olympic motto. The new motto now reads "Faster, Higher, Stronger-Together" after it was approved at Tuesday's 138th IOC Session.
"The idea of the motto is that you are unable to go faster, go higher and be stronger without a team around you." If you really want to do something, you have to work with other people to achieve that. That's the reason behind the updated motto," explained Adams.
The addition of "together" was proposed by Thomas Bach after his re-election as the IOC president during the virtual 137th IOC Session in March, and the recommendation was approved by the IOC Executive Board in April.
With three days to go before the Tokyo Olympic Games begin, Adams attempted to give Japanese public confidence-boosting messages despite some Olympic-related positive COVID-19 cases over the past several days.
"We would like to reassure them again that everything is being done. The latest figure is nearly 30,000 tests at the airport over staff, athletes and stakeholders. Each of those nearly 30,000 people has been tested twice before they arrived. All these people had three tests, nearly 100,000 tests (in total)," he noted "We can give them a level of satisfaction that everything is being done by us to try and assure there will be a safe and secure Games."
Kirsty Coventry, Chair of the IOC Athletes Commission and a five-time Olympian, expressed her appreciation for quality infrastructures (基础设施) and efforts made by local organizers. "The (Olympic) Village is looking great. Athletes have been super excited. We have been hearing some very positive experiences from athletes. They are excited about the competitions starting" she said.
1. Why is "together" added into the Olympic motto?| A．The old Olympic motto needs updating. |
| B．It's about putting values into action. |
| C．It puts stress on the value of a team. |
| D．The new Olympic motto can improve public confidence. |
| A．Explained. | B．Created. |
| C．Announced. | D．Suggested. |
| A．They should have made more efforts. |
| B．They should be praised for their work. |
| C．They should have been more professional. |
| D．They should be blamed for the preparation. |
| A．There will be safe and secure Games |
| B．IOC displays value of solidarity through motto change. |
| C．Olympic athletes are excited about competitions starting |
| D．New Olympic motto reads. "Faster, Higher. Stronger-Together" |
【推荐2】After a dolphin was found swimming alone in a creek (浅湾) in Florida, marine biologists formed a human chain to rescue it.
Dolphins typically travel in groups called a “school” or a “pod”, although solitary (独自的) dolphins are becoming more common. This can be a cause for concern because dolphins are naturally sociable creatures, so if they are isolated(孤立) from other dolphins, they may turn their attention to human interaction. This in turn can be dangerous, both for dolphins and humans.
Dolphins can become dependent on humans for food, and become less inclined to feed on their own. Additionally, dolphins that are used to human contact spend more time in shallow waters, which can lead to standings or boat crashes. Meanwhile, humans who get too close to dolphins can find themselves with injuries such as broken bones.
Therefore, after seeing that the dolphin had been alone in for a few days, and was near a residential area with potential for human disturbance, NOAA Fisheries Service decided to take action. Twenty-eight biologists from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, NOAA and FWC came together to form a human chain, creating a barrier that would guide the dolphin out of the creek.
Rescue biologist Brittany Baldrica said, “The goal was to just be a barrier that was novel to the animal, so we wanted to create a physical barrier as well as an auditory (听觉的) barrier. We had somebody behind us that was banging on a boat, setting off their engine and then we were splashing water and moving forward towards the animal, so we were giving the animal the option to swim through the bridge on its own.”
The rescue was successful, with the dolphin making its way out of the creek.
1. Which of the following situations can make people worried?| A．More dolphins are becoming solitary. |
| B．Dolphins always live in groups. |
| C．Dolphins are becoming independent from humans. |
| D．Dolphins have no interaction with humans. |
| A．Being hunted by humans. | B．Becoming less cruel. |
| C．Relying on humans for food. | D．Staying in deep waters longer. |
| A．Offering human interaction to the dolphin. |
| B．Preventing the dolphin from running into boats. |
| C．Making the dolphin desire to move around. |
| D．Guiding the dolphin out of the shallow water. |
| A．The trouble the dolphin was in. | B．The people who rescued the dolphin. |
| C．The way the dolphin was rescued. | D．The meaning of rescuing the dolphin. |
【推荐3】A flight attendant’s kindness towards a passenger with Parkinson’s disease is appreciated on the Internet after a woman shared his story on social media.
Sharon Radcliffe was on a Delta Airlines flight from Detroit to Nashville last week when the flight attendant, Jeffrey Jones, discovered that an older woman in coach class struggled with the neurodegenerative disease. To Radcliffe’s surprise, Jones immediately took the senior by the hand and brought her to an empty seat in first class; “For the entire flight, I could see him checking in on her, patting her back, helping her get up, walking her (holding hands) up and down the aisle and generally ‘mother hen-ing’ her,” Radcliffe wrote on Facebook.
When Radcliffe asked if he needed any help caring for the woman, Jones simply said, got this.“He told me his grandmother had Parkinson’s and that he was all good, but that he very much appreciated my offer for help.” said Radcliffe. “As I sat in my seat, I literally had tears in my eyes.” Radcliffe, who works at a hospital in Marquette, Michigan, praised Jones for his kindness before she left the plane. Then, she posted the photos of Jones on Facebook where they have been shared thousands of times.
As news agencies continue to pick up the story of Jones’s sympathy, the flight attendant also turned to social media to express his thankfulness for the experience. All of the positive comments, shares, feedback, etc. have been an amazing and humbling experience for me,“ wrote Jones. ”And thank you to Delta for showcasing my story, which happens to be one of thousands upon thousands of the good deeds and hearts we as flight attendants perform and share every day in and out of the air.“
1. How did Jones deal with the older woman?| A．He followed Radcliffe’s instructions. |
| B．He took care of her skillfully and attentively. |
| C．He turned to doctors on the flight for help. |
| D．He provided her with professional treatment. |
| A．She assisted Jones in the caring. |
| B．Her grandmother was a Parkinson’s sufferer. |
| C．She has appreciable eyes for kindness. |
| D．She contributed the story to the newspaper. |
| A．A Post Is Widely Shared on Facebook. |
| B．Flight Attendant Takes the Senior to First Class. |
| C．Medical Treatment Is Performed in the Air. |
| D．Flight Attendant Gives a Hand to a Parkinson Senior. |
【推荐1】Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium in 1929. She liked to spend time with her father. Perhaps he was not a warm father, but he was joyous and joked a lot. He had his horses, spoke 13 languages, and would take her gliding. And then everything changed. When she was six, Audrey’s father walked out.
It was the first major blow in her life. From then on, Audrey’s childhood was unsettled. Her mother decided that it might be a good idea for her to learn English, so she sent her to a boarding school. But it was difficult for Audrey to fit in. She felt like an outsider, but she learned English.
Very soon the war broke out. Audrey’s mother sent for Audrey to join her in Holland. They were taken in by Audrey’s wealthy grandfather. Then there was no heating, no school and no food. Yet, Audrey’s spirit shone through. She showed remarkable resilience during the war.
Audrey made her performance debut by dancing in wartime Holland. She didn’t know how long the war was going to last, so she went to a ballet school and learned to dance. About a year before the end of the war, she became quite an excellent performer. After the war ended, Audrey carried on with her ballet training. In 1951, a famous French writer was looking for a leading lady for her best-loved novel. When she saw Audrey, she famously said, “I’ve found my Gigi!” Audrey was to take America by storm.
Audrey gained immediate prominence in the US with her role in Roman Holiday in 1953. This film turned out to be a splendid success as she won an Oscar as Best Actress. This gained her enormous popularity and more plum roles. One of the reasons for her popularity was the fact that she was self-like, unlike the sex-goddesses of the time. Roman Holiday was followed by another similarly wonderful performance in the 1957 classic Funny Face.
1. What was Audrey’s first major blow in her life?| A．She was born in Belgium in 1929. | B．Her father walked out when she’s six. |
| C．She was sent to a boarding school. | D．The war broke out and she left for Holland. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By time order. | D．By listing figures. |
| A．Audrey’s early life and learning. | B．Audrey’s father and mother. |
| C．Audrey’s learning English and ballet. | D．Audrey’s family and a French writer. |
| A．Audrey’s father didn’t love her at all. | B．Audrey’s mother was good at speaking English. |
| C．Audrey had a strong ability to adapt. | D．Attending ballet school made Audrey’s career start. |
While other teenagers might be busy taking care of their personal pages online or playing games for hours, 14-year-old Jackson Oswalt from Memphis has been busy doing something different. He has spent his free time building his own nuclear reactor (核反应堆) in his home. Now, the boy is praised by city leaders for his achievement as he is the youngest person to have achieved nuclear fusion (核聚变).
At just 12 years old, Jackson chose to spend his time exploring his interest in nuclear physics. After scouring the Internet, the student learned of the story of Taylor Wilson, an Arkansas boy who won recognition in the field of science as the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion in 2008 at the age of 14. Jackson was greatly inspired by him.
The process of the nuclear experiment is not easy at all. But Jackson thought if Wilson could do it, then he could, too. Maybe he could even break Wilson’s record in the process. The boy started his project by turning his playroom into a laboratory. Then he bought different kinds of things to build own nuclear fusion reactor.
“The beginning of the scientific research was just learning about what other people had done with their fusion reactors,” Jackson said. His parents spent nearly $8,000 to $10,000 supporting his nuclear experiment. “With the money, I searched for and bought the parts that I needed. Often the parts I found were not exactly what I wanted, so I had to make improvements to them.”
Jackson’s hard work finally paid off. Hours before his 13th birthday, he made history as the youngest person to achieve nuclear fusion in January last year. Months after the project, Jackson continued to test his fusion reactor to further prove his project. On Tuesday, Memphis City leaders officially praised Jackson’s achievements with a resolution.
1. What has Jackson Oswalt spent his free time doing? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word in Para.2 probably mean? (1 word)
3. How did Jackson Oswalt start his project?(no more than 10 words)
4. Why did Jackson have to make improvements to the parts?(no more than 15 words)
5. What do you think of Jackson Oswalt ? Please explain.(no more than 20 words)
【推荐3】Allan Pease has been known internationally as “Mr. Body Language” since his book on the subject became a multi-million best-seller all over the world.
Allan started his sales career at age10 selling rubber sponges(橡胶海绵) door to door after school to earn pocket money. He began writing and developing his own techniques of selling at age 18. By 21, he was the youngest person ever to sell over $1,000,000 of life insurance(保险) in his first sales year and at 24 achieved membership in “International Top 20” for multi-million dollar sales- the youngest ever to do it. At 29 he was a manager and partner in Australia’s largest Life Insurance Brokerage and was responsible for $103,000,000 of insurance sales in one year before becoming a full-time speaker.
For over 30 years Allan has taught others how to succeed. He teaches skills and techniques in a humorous way that people never forget. His addresses, books and videos are sought by business managers, Prime Ministers, TN presenters and stars. He has written six best-selling books and has appeared on TV and radio throughout the world including a TV and video series on body language which has been seen by over 100 million people.
In his classes, he teaches others to read between the lines of what others say and develop an understanding through “Body Language” signals. Dr. Blair Stone, from Macquarie University, said “Allan Pease is hilarious. He makes his class very humorous. Plus I never realized that I can laugh so much while learning so much, and his address was consistent (符合的) with the high standards as a university expects.”
1. According to the passage, Allan .| A．was an early success | B．became famous late in life |
| C．earned his living at the age of ten | D．had a sudden rise in his sales career |
| A．influence on famous people | B．great achievements |
| C．best-selling books | D．teaching methods |
| A．brave | B．strange |
| C．noisy | D．funny |
