Scanning an item at checkout is something we take for granted in this age of convenience. We can thank barcodes for that. It’s been 50 years since the beginning of this game-changing technology.
On March 31, 1971, a historic meeting took place in New York City and included executives from some of the top US companies at that time. The meeting agreed to create a system to uniquely identify every single product, calling it the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), the core of barcodes, according to El Mundo, a Spanish newspaper.
What information does a barcode contain? Where the product comes from, where it has been, its price, expiration (过期时间)... you name it. The first two numbers indicate where that product has been identified (the place), then there is the number that corresponds to the manufacturing company and the rest of the numbers uniquely identify each unit that the manufacturer makes.
Barcodes don’t only identify the category of goods but also manage the number of goods. For example, if there are 10 cartons of milk and a customer takes one, it will be registered when it is scanned at the cash counter, so the store owner knows there are nine cartons left and manages stock accurately.
“Its creation allowed the first digitization in the control of the stock,” José María Bonmatí, general director of AECOC, a Spanish commercial association, told El Mundo. “The unique identification of products at a global level was the key that opened the door to retail as we know it today.”
In the past five decades, barcodes have provided many conveniences for commerce. The next generation of barcodes, such as QR codes, can hold vastly more information. “Their use, for example, can tell consumers if a product contains allergens (过敏原), if it is organic and information on its carbon footprint. Ultimately, this provides consumers with a greater level of trust and loyalty relating to the products they buy,” according to GS 1, the organization that develops and maintains the global barcodes standard.
1. What does the article tell us about barcodes?| A．They were first introduced five decades ago. |
| B．They were developed by a Spanish executive. |
| C．The GTIN was the first version of a barcode. |
| D．They are used by some of the top companies worldwide. |
| A．A product’s carbon footprint. |
| B．A product’s marketing company. |
| C．The allergens contained in a product. |
| D．The remaining amount of a certain product in stock. |
| A．They help improve the quality of goods. |
| B．They furthered the development of retail. |
| C．They offer consumers a wider choice of products. |
| D．They save companies from having to stock products. |
| A．To inform readers of a new type of barcode. |
| B．To compare barcodes and QR codes. |
| C．To introduce how barcodes were put into use. |
| D．To describe the development and importance of barcodes. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】It’s undeniable that spending time outdoors and in nature lifts our spirits and makes us feel more centered and at peace. When we breathe in fresh air, and enjoy the beauty of trees, streams and oceans, we naturally tend to feel more connected to ourselves and others.
Over the past decade, scientists have been exploring why nature — and dirt specifically — is such a powerful tool in improving our mood. According to researchers, the secret may lie in the mi¬crobes （微生物）of the soil. One bacterium specifically----Mycobacterium Vaccae （M. Vaccae） —has been identified as having the power to affect our moods and cognitive function as well.
Experiments conducted at Sage Colleges in New York found that contact with M. Vaccae can increase serotonin levels in the brain — a chemical that is associated with higher levels of happi¬ness ,increased focus, and reduced anxiety. In order to explore how the bacteria can improve learn¬ing, researchers Dory Mathews and Susan Jenks experimented with mice in a maze. Mice that in¬gested the bacteria navigated the maze twice as fast as the control group and proved less anxious as well.
Humans can absorb M. Vaccae just by playing in the dirt. We take in it when we breathe, we consume it in organic vegetables, and it can also enter our bloodstream through skin contact, espe¬cially where we have open cuts. This may explain why children in school perform better after break.
Neuroscientist Christopher Lowry at the University of Bristol in England believes that he has i- dentified why this incredible bacterium works. "What we think happens is that the bacteria activate immune cells, which release chemicals called cytokines that then act on receptors on the sensory nerves to increase their activity. ”
Beyond the power of M. Vaceae, scientists have been proving for decades that exposure to dirt, and the huge number of microbes found in dirt, can strengthen our immune system. When our body comes into contact with bacteria, it stores die infonnation in a type of library and can then use that information to fight sickness and infection more effectively.
Happiness, focus, less anxiety......I’ll take a double dose of dirt; please!
1. What raises people’s spirits while spending time outdoors?| A．Air. | B．Trees. |
| C．Water | D．Dirt. |
| A．By working on sensory nerves. | B．By fighting sickness and infisction, |
| C．By strengthening the immune system. | D．By making immune cells active. |
| A．Provide some advice on reducing anxiety for readers, |
| B．Summarize the previous paragraphs about lifting one’s mood. |
| C．Explain how he or she will expose himself or herself to dirt. |
| D．Introduce a new topic related to dirt for discussion. |
| A．Fight Sickness and Infection More Effectively |
| B．How Getting Dirty Can Actually lift Your Mood |
| C．Let’s Take a Deep Breath of Fresh Air |
| D．Enjoy Beauty and Naturally Connect to Others |
【推荐2】Chocolate––there’s nothing quite like it, is there? Chocolate is simply delicious. What is chocolate? Where does it come from?
The history of chocolate goes back to the discovery of cacao beans (可可豆). About 4000 years ago, the Americans made cacao beans into a drink and they took it as a gift from nature.
In 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortex visited Mexico in America. He saw people drank cacao mixed with spices (香料). Cortex took some cacao home as a gift to the Spanish King Charles. Since then, people in Spain began to drink cacao. However, the natural taste of cacao was too bitter for most people. To sweeten it, Spanish added sugar and honey to it. As a sweet drink, it became popular in Europe. By the 17th century, rich people in Europe began drinking cacao drink as a fashion.
In 1828, a Dutch chemist, Conrad J. van Houten started using a new process to remove the fat from cacao beans. He made a machine that pressed the fat from the beans. The resulting powder (粉末) mixed better with water than cacao did. People called van Houten’s cacao powder “Dutch chocolate”—it is the beginning of modern chocolate.
After that, chocolate makers started trying new recipes (配方) with Dutch chocolate. First it was mixed with sugar. Then butter was added to the sweetened chocolate to make chocolate bars. In 1849, an English chocolate maker successfully made the first chocolate bar. In the 19th century, the Swiss started making milk chocolate by mixing powdered milk. Milk chocolate has not changed much since this process was invented.
Today, the United States buys most of the chocolate in the world, but the Swiss eat the most chocolate per person. The most chocolate eaten today is sweet milk chocolate, but people also eat white chocolate and dark chocolate. Chocolate has become a worldwide snack and also a popular holiday gift.
1. What did the Americans think of cacao drink about 4000 years ago?| A．It was easy to make. | B．It was too bitter to drink. |
| C．It was treasure from nature. | D．It was a gift for the rich. |
| A．He mixed milk with chocolate. |
| B．He made the first chocolate bar. |
| C．He added sugar to chocolate powder. |
| D．He removed the fat from cacao beans. |
| A．White chocolate. | B．Dark chocolate. |
| C．Sweet milk chocolate. | D．Dutch chocolate. |
| A．The history of chocolate. | B．The tastes of chocolate. |
| C．The makers of chocolate. | D．The benefits of chocolate. |
【推荐3】Darwin noted that some human emotional expressions might have started as part of a physiological function: for example, exposing the teeth to bite food. The function, however, took on meaning and became a form of communication which signals anger.
The same may be true for the animals. Baby monkeys cry for attention. They also cry to signal to an adult that they want to be carried.
“Chimpanzees do make upset voice when they are being weaned (断奶) by their mothers or have lost their mothers or another individual,” says Anne Pusey, a professor at the University of Minnesota. “They whimper (呜咽) and cry and scream. When we hear these calls, the emotion involved seems obvious. However, they do not weep in the sense of producing tears. I have seen an adolescent male whimpering when he lost sight of his older brother with whom he had been traveling.”
Babies of many mammalian species, including rats, cry. Moreover, when a baby rat cries, often his mother brings the fallen pup back into the nest. This is probably a straightforward communication, as it is with humans. However, psychologists at the University of Iowa aren’t convinced.
The Iowan researchers can cause the same crying sounds by producing large decreases and then increases in blood flow. The blood flow also goes down when baby rats get cold. Thus, they conclude baby rats cry in the same way that we sneeze. Of course the rat baby could be crying because he’s cold and wants his mother to know.
“All young mammals make cries when separated from their mother,” says Jaak Panksepp, a psychologist at Bowling Green State University. “If you’re willing to call this crying, then certainly other animals show this emotional response.” he says, “Some of us take seriously that animals do have emotions.”
1. According to the first paragraph, what kind of emotion does “exposing the teeth” express?| A．Disappointment. | B．Excitement. |
| C．Anger. | D．Happiness. |
| A．They meet their brother. |
| B．They have nothing to eat. |
| C．They are being breast-fed. |
| D．They are parted from their mother. |
| A．Their blood flow is decreased. |
| B．They feel cold and long for affection. |
| C．Their blood flow is increased. |
| D．Their mother brings them back home. |
| A．An animal journal. | B．A physiology book. |
| C．A health magazine. | D．A cultural newspaper. |
【推荐1】In Belgium, a company called HydroVolta is improving ways to take salt water and turn it into fresh water under the Horizon-funded SonixED project.
The vast majority of the earth’s water is salt water. Only 3% is fresh water and less than one third of that is accessible, the rest being locked away in glaciers and groundwater. “We will need to treat salt water so people can drink it and industry can use it,” said George Brik, chief executive officer of Hydro Volta. “But with current technologies, desalination (脱盐) requires high operational costs. On top of that, existing technologies use high amounts of energy and chemicals.”
The basic technique now to turn salt water into fresh water is electrodialysis (电渗析), where a kind of membrane (隔膜) is used to separate salt from water. But the method has a weak point: the membrane gets dirty easily and requires chemicals and high pressure to clean. That in turn involves large amounts of energy. Under SonixED, HydroVolta has developed ultrasound technology that keeps the membrane clean in a much more efficient way.
Energy use in this field depends on pressure, which is measured in a metric unit known as bar. Existing technologies to desalinate seawater take around 50 to 80 bar, while the new desalination technology uses just one to three bar. What’s even better is that a greater amount of fresh water can now be generated. “Existing technologies waste around 60% to 65% of the seawater that’s taken in,” said Brik. “Our new technology improves the situation. If we take in 100 litres of seawater, we can produce 65 litres of drinkable water.”
HydroVolta thinks this technology will be beneficial to larger companies that generate drinkable water as well as to industrial businesses that need water to fuel their operations. Meanwhile, Brik says the new desalination technology may need a push from governments to encourage a bigger demand. “They can be the first customers,” he added.
1. What do George Brik’s words in Paragraph 2 imply?| A．Treating salt water is of great importance. |
| B．The world is facing a serious water shortage. |
| C．Better desalination technologies are needed. |
| D．Current desalination technologies are no longer useful. |
| A．It consumes too much energy. |
| B．The membrane is rare to find. |
| C．The water it produces is a little salty. |
| D．It requires complex ultrasound technology. |
| A．It takes more energy than existing technologies. |
| B．It produces clean water more efficiently. |
| C．It gives up the use of membrane to function. |
| D．It needs more seawater to produce fresh water. |
| A．HydroVolta can solve the water crisis worldwide. |
| B．The new desalination technology needs official support. |
| C．HydroVolta has great difficulty in finding its first customers. |
| D．The new desalination technology is unsuited to small companies. |
【推荐2】Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, and Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found, and the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “ status ” users, owners are throwing many microwaves after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwave which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.
A study by the University of Manchester worked out the emissions of carbon dioxide — the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change — at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. “ It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment, ” say the authors, who also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from using a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour. For example, consumers should use appliances in a more efficient way by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.
However, David Reay, professor of carbon management argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of CO2 in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the whole of the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of coking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.
1. What is the finding of the new study?| A．Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular. |
| B．CO2 emissions are considered to be a major threat to the environment. |
| C．The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health. |
| D．The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think. |
| A．They are getting much easier to operate. | B．They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances. |
| C．They are becoming more affordable. | D．They take less time to cook than other appliances. |
| A．Eating less to cut energy consumption. | B．Using microwave ovens less frequently. |
| C．Improving microwave users’ habits. | D．Cooking food of different varieties. |
| A．It rarely plays a negative role in the environmental protection. |
| B．It makes everyday cooking much more convenient. |
| C．It will become less popular in the coming decades. |
| D．It consumes more power than conventional cooking. |
【推荐3】In the past generations, our ancestors (祖先) lived with the simplest way. When science and technology materialize, there are various developments in the world that change and improve the way of living of people. As years go by, more and more innovations (创新) were created by applying the ideas of science and technologies. Most of these have positive effects on the society but some of these are harmful in certain ways. However, the importance of science and technology can’t be denied.
Science and innovation have mainly affected society, and their effect is developing. It makes life simpler and makes people more gainful. This change has positive and negative effects. The benefit is making life simpler while the other side is that it makes individuals needy and lazier. By making life simpler, science has allowed man to seek for cultural concerns to improve human conditions.
Science and technology can shape the general public we live in very well and can make us feel simpler, safer and increasingly gainful. However, it also can be used wrongly, which can harm many blameless lives. We must think for our own progress as well as for the improvement of each person of this planet that we call our own home.
In short, science and innovation have made a great contribution to our lives. They may also be related to us greatly. In this way, their effects will depend on how we follow up on them. In addition, if we see the more brilliant side of innovation, it is the foundation of national construction.
1. What does the underlined word “materialize” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Return. | B．Appear. | C．Stay. | D．go. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
| A．A better living condition. | B．People becoming less adaptive. |
| C．People becoming determined. | D．A colorful history. |
| A．Improve studying standard. | B．Help the disabled. |
| C．Think for other people. | D．Treat wildlife equally. |
【推荐1】The COVID-19 has led to a great demand for bikes and biking.Bike stores are struggling hard to keep up with the demand.In the United States,bike sales have seen their biggest jump since the 1970s.Sales of adult bikes in April of 2020 were three times as high as last year.The situation is similar in Asia and Europe.Around 90%of the bikes sold in the US are made in China.But because of the COVID-19,even the normal supply of bicycles wasn’t being created.That demand began to go up in mid-March,as people began looking for ways of getting around that didn’t involve crowded public transportation.Because biking happens in the open air,and the chance of catching the disease while riding is very low.
Biking has also grown more popular because it’s one of the few forms of exercise allowed in many lockdowns.With gyms and fitness centers shut down,biking fills a need for many active people.Families appreciate biking,too.With schools closed,and kids unable to hang out with their friends,biking is a welcome activity.Bikes are also practical.Many cities are seeing this as an opportunity to make their streets safer and greener.Cities around the world are adding miles and miles of bike lanes(车道)to their streets to encourage biking,New York says it will close off up to 160 kilometers of roads so they can be used by bikers and walkers.Paris has set up over 650 kilometers of new bike lanes.The United Kingdom plans to double its number of bike lanes.In Milan,Italy,35 kilometers of roads have been metamorphosed.
Though many of these bike lane additions are temporary,and some people assume these additions seem to destroy the overall beauty of cities,if changes in biking habits become permanent because of additions,they could seriously cut down car traffic and help make cities a lot greener.
1. What can we conclude about the present bike situation?| A．It is more expensive. | B．It is safer than a car. |
| C．It is in short supply. | D．It is all made in China. |
| A．Repaired. | B．Transformed. | C．Protected. | D．Designed. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Cautious. | C．Skeptical. | D．Positive. |
| A．Increasing Interest in Biking |
| B．Ride Bikes,Clean the Earth |
| C．More Bikes,Fewer Traffic Jams |
| D．A Great Demand for Bike Exercise |
In 2009. Tod Bol built the first Little Free Library as a gift to his mother, who was a devoted reader. When he saw the people of his community gathering around it, exchanging conversation as well as books, he knew he wanted to take his simple idea further. "I think Little Free Libraries open the door to conversations we want to have with each other," Bol said. .
Since then, his idea has become a movement, spreading from state to state and country to country. According to Little FreeLibrary.org, there are now 18,000 0f the little structures around the world, located in each of the 50 US states and 70 countries in Europe, Africa and Asia.
The Internet has helped to spread Little Free Libraries. But an Atlantic article says the little, structures serve as a cure for a world of e-reader downloads . The little wooden boxes are refreshingly physical and human. For many people, the sense of discovery is Little Free Libraries' main appeal. "A girl walking home from school might pick up a graphic novel that gets her excited about reading; a man on his way to the bus stop might find a volume of poetry that changes his outlook on life," says the Atlantic article. "Every book is a potential source of inspiration "
1. How do Little Free Libraries get their books?
| A．Citizens shared them. |
| B．Tod Bol donated them. |
| C．US government provided them. |
| D．The communities bought them. |
| A．He wanted to promote his idea worldwide. |
| B．He was inspired by the sharing economy. |
| C．They can offer neighbors more chances to talk. |
| D．They are a gift to please his mother. |
| A．The Internet has helped to spread Little Free Libraries. |
| B．Little Free Libraries are physical and human. |
| C．E-reader downloads are undoubtedly beneficial. |
| D．Little Free Libraries are more popular than e-reader downloads. |
| A．they connect strangers together |
| B．they are located all over the world |
| C．they are in various shapes and sizes |
| D．they may give readers a sense of discovery |
【推荐3】It has been a hard year for the farmers in Michigan and more attention needs to be paid to their emotional well-being, according to a report written by Jim Zook, director of the Michigan Corn Growers Association.
“Nobody has seen a year that has dealt with so many challenges that we have seen with the weather, the markets, the trade and the politics. All of them together have become a storm,” said Zook.
The farmers have been struggling this year because of volatile (易变的) weather and markets. According to Zook, some corn growers will not be able to go on for another year. He said the Michigan Corn Growers Association was putting together programs to provide emotional support for the farmers. “The biggest thing is that we just want to make sure that the farmers in Michigan will work together through this difficult time,” said Zook.
Zook said planting was delayed in the spring because of the cold and wet weather. “We didn’t get as many acres (英亩) planted as what we had hoped,” said Zook. “And so there were a number of acres that kept idle this year.” Zook said he was hopeful that the snow would melt. If it did, he said the farmers would still be able to harvest the corn. But he said if the snow melted, they then would need low temperatures to freeze the ground so the ground could support the weight of heavy harvesting equipment for the corn.
“The challenge will appear in soybean (大豆) harvest because they are lower to the ground,” said Zook. “And if that snow is up on the bean, they won’t be able to get them.”
1. Which can best describe the situation of the farmers in Michigan?| A．Optimistic. | B．Familiar. | C．Embarrassing. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Help each other. | B．Buy more equipment. |
| C．Save their expenses. | D．Focus on the weather. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Developing. | C．Free of charge. | D．Not in use. |
| A．Interested. | B．Curious. | C．Worried. | D．Angry. |
