Unknown to most of us laymen (门外汉), there is quite a lot of interest in developing edible tags for our food. These could perform the same role as today’s food labels but would also form a tasty snack after use — which would also do away with the information contained on the label.
Now, Japanese researchers have developed an approach to produce one such kind of unobtrusive (不阻塞的), edible tag, which can be safely embedded (嵌入) inside edible products. So far, the team has been experimenting with tags that are baked into cookies. Known as “interiQR”, such tags can be read using a device without altering the food or its packaging and don’t have any impact on the taste of the product.
One enormous drawback of our labels as they are today is that, cumulatively (渐增地), they lead to mounds and mounds of extra material used for packaging—which translates to increased waste and pollution. Using a QR cookie as a tag would help cut down on packaging waste while not altering the items in any way.
The information is contained in 3D-printed “infills”, around which the cookies are baked. Such a “label” would also allow producers, retailers, or customers to read the information using a QR code reader or a backlight at any point in a product’s life.
“Our 3D printing method is a great example of the digital transformation of foods, which we hope will improve food traceability and safety,” says senior author of the study, Kosuke Sato. “This technology can also be used to provide novel food experiences through augmented (提高的) reality, which is an exciting new field in the food industry.”
The team is confident that their cookie tags could prove to be a great help in reducing packaging waste worldwide once they’re adopted on a wide scale. Needless to say, suddenly having a cookie available to munch on with every purchase is incentive (刺激) enough to adopt the use of these interiQR cookies.
1. What can be inferred about the edible tag after it is read?| A．It must be removed from the snack. | B．It’ll damage the packaging of the snack. |
| C．It’ll become part of the snack. | D．It’ll update the information on the snack. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By describing the process. |
| C．By giving definitions. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．It sets a good example of tasty food. |
| B．It is expected to be used to locate food sources. |
| C．It enables customers to read a novel while eating. |
| D．It makes information accessible to customers anytime. |
| A．Novel Food Experiences from QR Cookie |
| B．Future Food Label in a QR Cookie |
| C．3D Printing and Environment |
| D．Edible Tags Making Cookies Tastier |
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【推荐1】Who would have thought that potato fries could unite an entire country? Well，that seems to be the case in Belgium where there is currently a movement to have Belgian potato fries officially recognized as cultural heritage.
The fries are served in a paper cone(圆锥体) from a “fritkot”，which is a shack(小屋) or a food truck. Across Belgium，there are at least 5，000 fritkots which is 10 times more common than McDonald's restaurants in the United States.
The movement for the fries to be declared official cultural heritage was started by UNAFRI，also known as the national association of fritkot owners. They claim that their establishments represent Belgium very well. “A cone of potato chips is Belgium in miniature(微模型). What's amazing is that this way of thinking is the same，in spite of differences among communities and regions，” added spokesman Bernard Lefevre.
Tourists can even be seen to line up with locals in Brussels to buy a cone of fries from well－known fritkots such as Frit Flagey and Maison Antoine. “Before I came here，the only thing I knew about Belgium was that they liked their fries，” said Rachael Webb，a tourist from Ottowa，Canada.
In order to be recognized by UNESCO，it has to be formally supported by the Belgian government of culture.
As of right now，UNESCO has a list of 314 items of “cultural heritage” that they say is worthy enough to be preserved. Items on the list include Turkish coffee and the old native singing of the Central African Republic.
Potatoes reached Belgium in the 16th century，but it wasn't until the 19th century that they were cut up into fries and sold as a meal.
1. It is considered that potato fries could unite Belgium because they________．| A．represent Belgian history | B．are enjoyed by many Belgians |
| C．make a huge profit each year | D．are recognized by foreigners |
| A．the Belgian government | B．many Belgian communities |
| C．a Belgian industry | D．a Belgian cultural association |
| A．is a popular Belgian tourist destination | B．is very welcome among Canadians |
| C．is a famous restaurant in Belgium | D．is a big international company |
| A．are thought to be a symbol of national achievement |
| B．are regarded as a culture by many people |
| C．express ideas of a particular period |
| D．record the traditions of a region |
【推荐2】Here’s the deal: you’re as hungry as a horse and you want a delicious meal from a fine restaurant, but you’re a little low on funds.
So what do you do? If you happen to live in Europe, the answer is as easy as pie: you pull out your smart phone or tablet, and tap Too Good To Go, Europe’s most popular app. Approximately 23,000 restaurants and food sellers post their leftover offerings on the app for half their usual cost.
Why all this incredible generosity? Unbelievably, one-third of the world’s food is thrown away, and nearly one billion people don’t have enough to eat. Besides, burning wasted food releases harmful carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change. That’s why environment-minded companies around the world are creating apps for phones, tablets, and other smart devices that connect uneaten food with people who want or need it.
After a long day at work, Anne, a 34-year-old student, pulls out her smart phone and chooses a noodle dish —pasta with mushrooms. Then she heads to a restaurant on the banks of the Spree River, where the owner packs her dinner and also offers her a spoon of free icecream, which is a reward for bringing her own container.
Indeed, there are many programmes serving the same mission around the world. In America, people are using an app called Food for All. One hour before a restaurant closes, its staff can post leftover meals to the app for up to 80 percent off menu prices. The app also allows customers to donate leftover meals to others.
In the Netherlands, 77,000 people have downloaded an app called No Food Wasted. This programme allows grocery store workers to share products that are approaching their expiration dates with customers who might need them.
Some countries are taking their commitment to reducing food waste a step further. France and the Czech Republic, for example, have laws that prohibit restaurants and grocery stores from throwing away food. Instead, workers are required to donate that food to charity.
So think about if there might be a better use for your uneaten vegetables. The planet will thank you.
1. Why are such apps as Too Good To Go created?| A．They are created to show the generosity of some eco-minded companies. |
| B．They are created to offer delicious meals to those who live on a tight budget. |
| C．They are created to call for people to not waste food and to reduce harmful emissions from burning wasted food. |
| D．They are created as a publicity tool for restaurants and companies. |
| A．Make laws and regulations to ban the waste of food. |
| B．Share products approaching their expiration dates with those who might need them. |
| C．Post leftover meals to the app for up to 80 percent discounts. |
| D．Offer consumers a free meal as the reward for bringing their own container. |
| A．Companies are designing environment-friendly apps for poor people. |
| B．Restaurants enable their staff to sell leftover meals at a low price on apps. |
| C．Apps are designed to provide leftover food for people in need to choose from. |
| D．Apps are designed to appeal to the public to treasure food and donate food to people in need. |
| A．more methods are needed to help solve the problem of leftover food |
| B．more applications should be created to help restaurants sell food |
| C．leftover food will pose a great danger to the environment |
| D．the applications already designed cannot ensure a good use of leftover food |
Food likes and dislikes do not always seem related to nutrition. For example, broccoli (花椰菜) is first on a list of the most nutritious common vegetables, but it is twenty-first on a list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat. Tomatoes are sixteenth on the list of most nutritious vegetables, but they are first on the list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat.
But dislikes is not the only reason why some cultures will not eat a certain food. In some cultures, certain foods are taboo. Taboo is a word from the language of the Fiji Islands that is used to describe something that is forbidden. We do not usually think about why certain things are taboo in our culture.
One example is that Americans do not eat dogs, although people from some other cultures regard them as good food. In the United States, dogs are very important to people as pets. They are usually regarded as part of the family, almost like a child in some cases. In addition, dogs have value as protection against criminals (罪犯). Actually, the dog’s place in society as a companion makes the dog taboo as food.
Scientists believe that most food likes and dislikes are a result of the ways of life of different people. People will not eat pets such as dogs. Americans eat a lot of beef because there is plenty of land for raising cattle and their meat can be shipped cheaply for long distances by railroads.
1. The writer uses the example of rat as food to show that ________.
| A．some cultures may seem rather strange |
| B．understanding between different cultures is easy |
| C．people may eat very different things |
| D．eating properly is very difficult |
| A．People don’t often consider nutrition as important. |
| B．Some vegetables are more nutritious than others. |
| C．Broccoli and tomatoes are common vegetables. |
| D．Americans like broccoli better than tomatoes. |
| A．It is a taboo from the Fiji Islands. |
| B．It is against American laws. |
| C．Dogs are needed by the police. |
| D．Dogs are close to human life. |
| A．Nutritions and Beliefs. |
| B．Food and Culture. |
| C．Taboo about Food. |
| D．Science in Eating. |
【推荐1】Researchers in Australia and the US are working on a project to bring the thylacine(袋狼)back from extinction, the last one of which died in the 1930s.
The team say it can be recreated using stem cells and gene—editing technology, and the first thylacine could be reintroduced to the wild in 10 years’ time. The group of Australian and US scientists plan to take stem cells from a living marsupial(有袋动物)species with similar DNA, and then use gene—editing technology to “bring back” the extinct species or an extremely similar one. It would represent a remarkable achievement for the researchers attempting it, and require a number of scientific breakthroughs. “I now believe that in 10 years’ time we could have our first living baby thylacine since they were hunted to extinction close to a century ago,” said Professor Andrew Pask, who is leading the research from the University of Melbourne.
The population of thylacine declined when humans arrived in Australia tens of thousands of years ago, and again when dingoes, a species of wild dog, appeared. Eventually, the thylacine could only be found on the island of Tasmania, and was ultimately hunted to extinction.
The idea of bringing back the thylacine has been around for more than 20 years. In 1999, the Australian Museum started to pursue a project to clone the animal; and various attempts have been made ever since to gain or rebuild DNA from samples, which is capable of surviving and developing.
This latest project is a partnership between University of Melbourne and Texas—based company Colossal, which made headlines last year with its plans to use similar gene editing technology to bring mammoth(猛犸象)back to life technology yet to become reality.
Many outside experts are rather dubious about the science behind it, suggesting de—extinction(物种复活)is just science fiction. But if scientists were to succeed in bringing back the thylacine, it would mark the first “de—extinction” event in history.
1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?| A．The thylacine became extinct a decade ago. |
| B．Scientists will take stem cells from a thylacine. |
| C．Gene—editing technology is needed to recreate the thylacine. |
| D．The thylacine can be recreated with the existing technologies. |
| A．in Tasmania | B．in Texas |
| C．in Melbourne | D．in the Australian Museum |
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Confident. | D．Ambitious, |
【推荐2】Apps play tricks on you to turn an activity into a habit. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to encourage healthy behaviors such as exercising or playing word games.
Do a cost-benefit analysis.
Build in “cheat days”. They are like days off from a strict diet.
| A．Use digital timers. |
| B．Schedule a limited amount of time for your habit |
| C．It’s hard to be mindful of why we do what we do. |
| D．Limiting tech overuse can’t be only your responsibility. |
| E．But even a good habit can cross the line into unavoidable overuse. |
| F．Actually, doing your favorite activity without a goal can be relaxing. |
| G．However, don’t be so motivated by rewards that you ignore signs your body needs a rest. |
【推荐3】Ships are among the world’s biggest polluters. To replace them means finding alternatives to traditional diesel (柴油) engines. With climate change at the front of the industry’s mind, companies are testing the waters with game-changing solutions.
You might think a cargo (货物) sailboat is something out of a history book, but in fact, they are actually the result of years of cutting-edge research and development. French company Grain de Sail claims to have created the first modern sailboat that meets the merchant fleet (商船队) requirements.“Before steam engines and fuel engines existed, all transportation was by sail. But we used modern methods when designing this ship to make it much more efficient,” says Xavier Demeulenaere, regional director of Grain de Sail ahead of the crew’s transatlantic journey.
The company that makes chocolate and coffee from Latin American beans built its sailboats with the environment in mind — like its specially designed 50-tonne cargo hold with climate control powered by solar and wind energy. François Le Naourès, a sailor and crew member says: “We showed our methods to be economically workable, and we are ready to go even further into the future, with perhaps a much larger fleet of boats, we hope.”
Relying on the wind to reduce emissions is a growing trend in the shipping industry. Other projects for the shipping industry are in the pipeline. The transport company Alizés is building a ship equipped with mechanical wing sails to transport “Ariane 6” rocket parts from Europe to its launch site in French Guiana.Another developer, Airseas, has put forward an automated kite system aiming to reduce fuel consumption and emissions of the ship by 10% to 40%.
Passenger boats however need to go fast and can’t rely on wind energy alone. In Stavanger, Norway’s “capital of oil”, passenger boat services are saying goodbye to fossil fuels.
Celebrated as the “Ship of the year”, the Medstraum is the world’s first 100% electric high-speed ship. The batteries are safely arranged on top, powering two electric motors. This technology is going to be really helpful for meeting Norway’s increasingly strict environmental regulations, which require all future ferries to be zero and / or low-emission.
1. What goal is Grain de Sail trying to reach?| A．To make multi-purpose sailboats. |
| B．To build sailboats based on history books. |
| C．To increase the speed of fuel-powered boats. |
| D．To reduce the pollution of merchant shipping. |
| A．It’s ambitious. | B．It’s conservative. |
| C．It’s highly profitable. | D．It’s commercially sensitive. |
| A．Kept secret. | B．Being developed. |
| C．Brought to a stop. | D．Being highly spoken of. |
| A．It’s a belated (迟来的) gift to people in Stavanger. |
| B．It’s bringing down the cost of ferry services. |
| C．It’s an active response to Norway’s regulations. |
| D．It’s changing the decisions of the Norwegian government. |
【推荐1】Things you need to know about your STRESS right now
After 60 years of research, scientists have determined what provokes stress. There's even a handy acronym: NUTS.
N is for Novelty: This is something new you've not experienced before, like the first day of school or a new job.
U is for Unpredictability: When you don't know how something is going to take shape, as is the case during a trip to the dentist.
T is for Threat to the Ego: When your competence is threatened, such as in front of colleagues. We're very sensitive to this.
S is for Sense of Control: When you feel you have little or no control over the situation, like being stuck in traffic.
It's helpful to identify your sources of stress, because a problem well-defined is a problem almost solved. The opposite of stress is not relaxation---it's resilience. If you tell your brain that you can deal with this, it will stop producing the stress hormone and you will calm down
Get on your bike!
As various bits of research have shown, cycling will lower your stress levels, whether you're doing a quick errand or committing to a lifetime on two wheels.
15 MINUTES LATER
A 2013 study out of Japan showed a marked drop in people's stress levels after they pedalled for just 15 minutes on a stationary bike.
AN HOUR LATER
Researchers found in 2015 that, compared to their cycling colleagues, those who drove or took the subway breathed more shallowly an hour later---a sure sign of stress.
18 YEARS LATER
After following 17,985 adult commuters for 18 years, U.K. researchers discovered in 2014 that those who walked or biked reported being happier, more confident and better able to face their problems.
①____________
In a 2015 study, researchers subjected 66 teen girls to a stress test. Some of them held their mothers' hands during the test; others had to go it alone. The girls who had contact with their moms were able to manage stress more effectively. It's what psychologists refer to as emotional load sharing.
②____________
In a 2007 UCLA study, some patients hospitalized for heart failure spent 12 minutes with a therapy dog, while another group interacted with a volunteer. The dog crowd experienced greater decreases in their anxiety level compared to those patients whose visitors could actually talk back.
1. __________---may suffer the most stress relatively.| A．Luna, 19--she has well prepared for her first internship with the help of her mother. |
| B．Tom, 29-his first day of work starts at 9: 00 am, but he's in a traffic jam at 8: 50 am. |
| C．Karol, 39-she finally had her decayed tooth pulled out last Thursday at the dentist's. |
| D．Jenny, 49-her colleagues are planning to give her a farewell party and she's in the dark. |
A． |
B． |
C． |
D． |
| A．①Raise your hand! ②Find a volunteer companion! |
| B．①Raise your hand! ②Get a furry companion! |
| C．① Hug your family! ② Get furry companion! |
| D．①Hug your family! ②Find a volunteer companion! |
【推荐2】Two days after eight e-sports games were officially announced to be included in the 19th Asian Games, China's Edward Gaming (EDG) team earned its first League of Legends World Championship title with a 3-2 win over South Korea in a tough battle on November 7th, immediately drawing cheers from people around the country. The topic "EDG wins" had been viewed more than 2.63 billion times as of press on Sina Weibo, ranking the top trending topic for a long time.
With the popularity of digital technology, new forms of cultural exchanges have been appearing, of which e-sports are the most popular. Unlike texts and videos, e-sports go beyond the barriers of language and are understandable around the world. E-sports mostly appeal to those in their early 20s, as shown by the carnival of college students. That in turn makes them a good bridge of communication between young Chinese people and their competitors around the world.
More importantly, the e-sports industry is sustainable in spreading Chinese culture, as the large audiences mean huge commercial potential. In 2020 alone, the sales income of the domestic e-sports industry reached 278.69 billionyuan, and involved 280,000 enterprises, which in turn created over 10 million jobs. According to a media report, nearly 95 percent of graduates from e-sports majors at the Communication University of China in Nanjing, succeeded in finding a job after graduation this year, with 62 percent of them devoted to the e-sports industry, including video game clubs, game design companies and game competition operation companies.
The inclusion of e-sports in major sporting events has been a much-discussed topic in recent years. With more Chinese gaming clubs and teams appearing , the industry is expected to further prosper (繁荣) and continue spreading Chinese culture to the world.
1. What did people on Chinese social media cheer for?| A．Eight e-sports would be included in Asian Games. |
| B．EDG won the League of Legends World Championship. |
| C．China's e-sports industry was recognized by the world. |
| D．The 19th Asian Games were announced to be held in China. |
| A．E-sports games lead to the popularity of digital technology. |
| B．E-sports games help people of all ages to communicate better. |
| C．E-sports industry plays an important role in spread cultures. |
| D．E-sports industry gives young people better jobs. |
| A．The huge commercial potential of e-sports players. |
| B．The difficulties of developing e-sports. |
| C．The importance of digital technology. |
| D．The great contributions of e-sports industry. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Dissatisfied. | C．Doubtful. | D．Negative. |
【推荐3】Tropical rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate, and according to a new report by Rainforest Foundation Norway, humans are to blame. The world’s dependence on coal, farming, soy, palm oil and mining has resulted in two-thirds of Earth’s tropical rainforests being completely destroyed, and the remaining ecosystems being put closer to a tipping point (临界点).
Tropical rainforests once covered 14.5 million square kilometers of Earth’s surface, but now, just one-third of that remains undamaged. Of the original area tropical rainforests once occupied, 34% is completely gone and 30% is suffering from degradation. All that remains is roughly 9.5 million square kilometers, and 45% of that is in a degraded (恶化的) state, the report says.
Researchers blame human consumption for the loss. While agriculture has always been a driving factor of rainforest loss, the report said that energy consumption, international trade and the production of soy and palm oil, logging and mining have been the largest threats over the past century. A significant number of U. S. products rely on resources from tropical rainforests. The country heavily relies on palm oil, rubber and cocoa, all of which come from forests around the world. Oftentimes, these resources are harvested from illegally deforested lands.
Tropical rainforests are home to more than half of the Earth’s biodiversity and have more carbon in living organisms than any other ecosystem. Along with supporting significant animal life, tropical rainforests are also essential to slowing down global warming. “These highly specialized ecosystems are suffering from constant abuse, through our bottomless appetite for land and resources,” said Anders Krogh, who authored the report. “We expect that upcoming UN climate and biodiversity summits provide specific targets and measures to protect tropical rainforests.”
The researchers also believe that the loss of tropical rainforests puts the whole world at risk of future pandemics. “Massive deforestation (毁林) is violating nature’s natural virus protection systems.” Krogh said. “The consequences of COVID-19 should bring rainforest protection to the top of the agenda of all policy makers and world leaders concerned about preventing the outbreak of new pandemics.”
1. Why are the data listed in paragraph 2?| A．To show the serious loss of tropical rainforest. |
| B．To present the process of rainforest degradation. |
| C．To stress the role of rainforests in the ecosystem. |
| D．To explain the reason for the disappearance of rainforests. |
| A．The traditional method of fanning. |
| B．Global imbalance of international trade. |
| C．The world’s much dependence on clean energy. |
| D．Human unreasonable consumption of rainforest resources. |
| A．The loss of rainforests will destroy future generations. |
| B．Immediate action should be taken to protect rainforests. |
| C．The disappearance of rainforests was caused by global warming. |
| D．Politicians are concerned about preventing the outbreak of new pandemics. |
| A．Tropical Rainforests Are Declining |
| B．Rainforests Slow down Global Warming |
| C．Humans Are to Pay for the Loss of Rainforests |
| D．World Leaders Are Acting to Protect Rainforests |
