The World Health Organization says air pollution kills seven million people around the world each year. Even if polluted air does not kill us, it can make us very sick.
However, breathing dirty air may do more than hurt your body. It can also affect (影响) your brain and your ability to think.
A new study shows that air pollution can cause a “huge” reduction in our intelligence (智商). The researchers reported that long-term exposure (暴露) to air pollution can affect a person’s mental (智力的) abilities in two areas: language and math. Xi Chen, the researcher of the Yale School of Public Health led the study. He and his team found that breathing polluted air can reduce a person’s education level by about one year.
Chen said that the effect generally is worse for those over 64 years of age, for men and for those with little or no education. “The older persons—they are more affected. And we find, quite interestingly men are more affected than women. And people working outdoors are more affected than people working indoors.”
The researchers noted that the influence of pollution on language ability is even more serious as people age, especially among men and the less educated. Why are a person’s language skills more affected than math? There’s an important part in our brain: white matter. White matter is more connected with a person’s language skills. Studies have shown that air pollution has a great influence on the white matter in the brain.
Chen said that air pollution did affect the math skills just not as much as their language skills.
1. How many people are killed by air pollution each year?2. In what areas can air pollution affect a person’s mental abilities?
3. How are a person’s language skills affected by air pollution?
4. What do you think of air pollution? What’s your advice on stopping air pollution?
相似题推荐
Nowadays, OpenAI company’s ChatGPT, Dall-E and Sora have been a hot topic all around the world. But perhaps most of us have never thought about what it takes to run such intelligent (智能的) products. One thing this technology depends on may get you surprised—plenty of water!
Why does a computer program need so much water? In fact, in order to have the ability to write like a human, an AI system must first study a large amount (数量) of text written by humans. In the process, it not only uses much electricity but also produces much heat. So, on hot days, computer engineers use water to keep the computers cool.
Microsoft has worked with OpenAI for years. In a recent report, Microsoft shared how much water was used from 2021 to 2022. The total amount of water used in cooling machines is enough to fill more than 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. It is believed the training of AI systems leads to the big rise.
Usually, AI super-computing centers lie in places that are cool for most of the year. These centers can just use outside air to cool the computers. But in summer, the temperature goes to 30℃. The computer engineers have to use a large amount of water to cool all the machines.
ChatGPT also “drinks” water while chatting. Scientists have worked out the environmental costs of using AI products. For a conversation of 20 to 50 questions and answers, ChatGPT uses up a bottle of water, about 500ml. The exact amount of water used in chatting changes with the seasons.
Many people are unaware of the problem. If you don’t know how many resources ChatGPT uses, how can you help to save water? The next time you are amazed at how smart ChatGPT is, think about how much water it’s “drinking”. Why not reduce the time of talking to machines—to help save the Earth’s water resources!
How “thirsty” are AI systems?
| Around the world, intelligent products are | |
| The | When an AI system learns to |
| A recent report by Microsoft | From 2021 to 2022, the amount of the water used in cooling machines kept |
| The analysis (分析) | The amount of used water is ◇ connected with ◇affected by the high ◇not |
| Advice | ◆ Consider it as a ◆ Save Earth’s water resources by having more |
【推荐2】We sometimes say the lion is "the king of the jungle" because it is stronger and more dangerous than the other animals in the jungle. It can run faster than most other animals and it can hunt better. The lion is the highest animal in the land food chain. In the sea the shark is at the top of the food chain. It can swim faster than most other sea animals. It can also use its big teeth to catch other sea animals and eat them. What is at the top of the world's food chain? Humans are! We are not the biggest or fastest, but we are the cleverest. We could not run faster than most animals, so we invented cars and now we can move fastest. We could not fight better than lions, so we invented guns. Now we can hunt the best.
People's inventions are clever, but they can be dangerous, too. For example, many years ago, in Inner Mongolia, (A) people used guns to kill a lot of wild wolves. The wild wolves usually eat wild rabbits. But in recent years, the number of wild rabbits is becoming bigger and bigger because the number of wild wolves is getting smaller and smaller. The wild rabbits competed for the grass with the sheep and cows. (B) Much of the grassland became desert because it was seriously destroyed by the rabbits.
Remember that we are part of the food chain, so we are in danger, too! If we protect animals, we are protecting ourselves.
1. it is the strongest and the most dangerous animal in the jungle (在文中找出同义句).2. Why are people at the top of the world's food chain?
3. 把(A)处划线句子改成被动语态。
4. 把(B)处划线句子翻译成汉语。
5. 请给短文拟一个适当的标题。
【推荐3】“Green” is more than just a colour. It means that you should live to protect the environment —the water, the land and the air. You can be a green kid by following these steps.
Reduce it.
When you use less of something, you do a good thing for the earth. For example, a shorter shower means you use less water. Turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth.
Reuse it.
Many times, even if you don’t need something, someone else might just need it. For example, if your younger sister doesn’t play with her toy bear, you can give it to your neighbour. Try to change books, toys, even clothes with friends.
Enjoy it.
It is true that pollution is a great problem now, but the earth is still a beautiful and interesting place to explore(探索). Go for a hike(远足), visit natural centres and gardens, climb mountains and take a boat on the rivers...Outdoor activities are good for you. You can also plant trees, collect reusable things...Being a green kid is so easy.
1题完成句子；2、3题简略回答问题；4题找出并写下全文的主题句；5题将文中画线句子译成汉语。
1. Outdoor activities
2. What does a shorter shower mean?
3. What can Tom do if his younger sister doesn’t play with her toy bear?
4.
5.
【推荐1】There is little doubt that plastic waste pollution is one of the biggest problems in the world today. Plastic waste continues to increase day by day. However, it seems that India has found a fantastic way to deal with the problem.
Ambikapur, a city in India, started India’s first garbage cafe last year. People are encouraged to bring their plastic waste there, so they can get a free hot meal. The cafe offers a full meal for a kilo of plastic waste. “It’s become well known fast because it’s located right by the main bus stop in the city.” said Ambikapur Mayor-Ajay Tirkey. “We’re getting many people coming in every day. One day a whole family came in with lots of plastic weighing seven kilos.”
The collected plastic waste is recycled and then is used to build roads by the city. Ambikapur has already built roads out of plastic. It has worked really well, even during the rains.
The café’s idea of exchanging plastic waste for food is catching on in other cities in India too. In Siliguri, the graduates of a local school are distributing(分发) free food on Saturdays to anyone who collects half a kilo of plastic waste. At the other end of the country in Mulugu, the authorities(当局) give one kilo of rice in return for one kilo of plastic. Local school children also go around collecting plastic. The authorities of the capital, New Delhi, have also decided to open several garbage cafes.
What a creative way that helps both a city and its people!
1. Where is the garbage café in Ambikapur?2. What is the collected plastic waste used to do?
3. Is the idea of exchanging plastic waste for food popular in other cities in India?
4. 将开头划线句子译成汉语。
5. What’s the best title?
This is a story from a meeting held by some people and two things in nature. We call it the Four-Sided Talk. Let’s “listen to” everyone carefully and find out what they think.
An old tree: I am thousands of years old, but I have fewer and fewer friends. I’m afraid I will be cut someday. People cut down many trees to make paper and chopsticks. Soon there will be no trees to make air and to protect people from floods. Mother nature is making many disasters to teach people a lesson.
The river: What the old tree said is right. I not only make the earth more beautiful, but provide the clean water for people and animals. Now I’m sad because people put waste into me, which kills many animals and plants that drink my water. Some people drink this kind of water and get sick, too.
People: We have lived on the earth since ancient times. The earth is our home. We have done some harm to our home! From now on, we should make full use of the resources on the earth and protect the earth. Let’s try our best!
The United Nations: We know a little about the environmental problems. Hearing what all of you said, we’ve decided to protect the earth and love the earth. We’ve also made the June 5th World Environment Day.
回答下面5个问题，每题答案不超过7个词。
1. What is the meeting called in the story?
2. Why do people cut down a lot of trees?
3. How long have people lived on the earth?
4. How does nature teach people a lesson?
5. What should we students do after reading this passage?
Microplastics are very small plastic pieces. They are less than 0.5 cm in diameter (直径). These tiny pieces are formed in two main ways. The first is that they are made on purpose. For example, tiny plastic pieces are often added to toothpaste (牙膏). In the other way, bigger pieces of plastics break up into smaller pieces and become microplastics.
Countless microplastics enter the sea. They can be eaten by sea animals of all sizes. When the animals’ stomachs are filled with plastics, they do not feel hungry and do not eat food. Some animals will even lose their lives. Some tiny plastic pieces have been traveling through the sea for a long time! They can act like little sponges (海绵) and take in harmful chemicals. Through the food chain, these chemicals can easily end up in human bodies. A recent study found that these chemicals can influence how hormones (激素) work in our bodies. This is bad for our health.
What can we do to cut down on microplastic pollution? Scientists are working on “green” materials to take the place of plastics. In our daily lives, we can cut down on the use of plastics. For example, we can bring our own shopping bags instead of using single-use plastic bags.
1. How many main ways are there to form microplastics?2. Where do the harmful chemicals in microplastics end up at last?
3. What are scientists doing to take the place of plastics?
4. What is your method for cutting down on plastic pollution? Write 30 words or more.
Can humans and machines “talk” to each other? We often see this in movies and on TV shows.
In the 1960s TV series Star Trek, spaceships could reply to human voice orders. In the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL 9000 is a computer that humans can talk to. It can play chess with humans and fix their spaceship.
This type of technology, which helps machines understand human speech and act accordingly (相应地), is known as voice control, or voice recognition (识别).
Today, voice recognition is no longer fiction and people often use it to finish everyday tasks. Siri, the voice recognition software (软件) made by Apple, is an example. You can ask it to do many things, from playing music and setting alarms to turning on household devices.
One of the nice things about voice recognition is that it can be used when we’re busy. When we’re driving a car or walking down the sidewalk, it can’t be convenient or safe to pick up your smartphone. With voice recognition you can focus on (集中于) whatever you’re doing at the moment while still finishing other tasks.
People with hearing disabilities can also benefit. Speech recognition can be used to “listen” to spoken words and turn them into text that deaf people can read. Advanced speech recognition software can even hear words spoken in one language and then translate them into another language.
Voice recognition is One of the voice recognition’s advantages is that it can bring convenience and |
As winter comes, hands can easily get cold. Thick gloves might be a good choice, but sometimes wearing them is inconvenient. However, this was not a problem for ancient Chinese people, who had a fine tool to warm their hands: hand warmers.
There is one folk story about its invention. Emperor Yang from the Sui Dynasty visited Jiangsu in winter. Because of the cold, a local official asked craftsmen (工匠人) to make a small warmer for the emperor that could be held in his hands. So, the hand warmer was created.
By the Song Dynasty, the warmers had become popular among the common people. Skills for producing the tool were widely used in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. And using hand warmers was recorded by many poets from this period .
In the early days, copper (铜) was generally used in the production process. It was more suitable than silver, iron and porcelain because it could transfer (传导) heat better, while reducing the risk of breakage or corrosion (腐蚀). Inside a hand warmer, there were coals, some of which were mixed with flowers, giving off a nice smell when burned.
Ancient hand warmers had different designs. Round, square and octagonal shapes were typical, and there were also some fashioned shapes which looked like pumpkins, flowers and turtle shells. The patterns on the warmers would usually be animals or symbols with good meanings, such as deer, flowers or the Chinese characters for long life.
| How ancient people warmed their hands in winter | |
| Introduction | Hand warmers: a fine tool for ancient Chinese people to keep their hands |
| The | ●In the Sui Dynasty: Craftsmen made a small warmer for Emperor Yang. ●By the Song Dynasty: The popularity of the warmers had risen. ●In the Ming & Qing Dynasties: Many poets |
| The materials | ●The outside: copper It could transfer heat better. It reduced the risk of breakage or corrosion. ●The |
| The designs | The designs of the ancient hand warmers were different. ● ●Patterns: animals or symbols with good meanings |
Cars powered by gasoline were sold for many years before hybrid vehicles (混合动力车) that use gasoline, electricity, and solar energy. Car companies are now making cars that are fully powered by electricity only. How do these electric cars measure up to (符合标准) traditional gasoline cars?
Electric and gasoline vehicles look similar on the outside.They have very different parts under their hoods (引擎盖), though. Electric cars have one main moving part: the motor. But gas cars have hundreds of parts, often requiring frequent maintenance (保养). Having fewer parts makes the electric car cheaper to maintain and less likely to have mechanical problems.
Electric vehicles are energy efficient, also making them cheaper to operate. It costs about＄1.00 to travel 43 miles in an electric car, which is a clear contrast to a gas car, which costs about 1.25 to go 18 miles. Basically, an electric car can go twice as far as a gas car for the same price.
Electric vehicles do not have tailpipe emissions (废气排放), making them more friendly to the environment, too.
While some details make electric cars seem attractive, other details aren’t as favourable. For example, some electric cars can travel only 60 to 120 miles on a full charge (充电). Most gas cars can drive hundreds of miles on a full tank.
An electric car has to stop more often to get recharged.Therefore, a gas car would be a better option (选择) if you have far to drive. And electric cars aren’t as convenient to power up as gas cars are.There are plenty of gas stations, but not many charging stations for electric cars.Then, once an electric car reaches a charging station, it can take up to six hours to charge.
There are certainly benefits to both electric cars and gasoline cars.It’s good to know that there is an option.
1. What kind of cars are car companies making now?
2. How many miles can electric cars travel on a full charge according to the passage?
3. How long can it take up to charge when an electric car reaches a charging station?
4. What benefits do electric cars have?
5. Which do you like better, gas cars or electric cars? Why?
【推荐1】Let’s imagine you are taking a walk along the road and you happen to see one or two waste bottles lying on the grass beside the road. What would you do?
You may have different choices. Firstly, you can leave the bottles there as they are. It was not you who threw them away. Why should you do something about it? This is quite OK. Secondly, you can pick them up and throw them into a dustbin. By doing this, you have walked a slop further to help make our home clean. This action is a better choice. Thirdly, you might want to pick them up and give them to someone who collects waste for a living. If this is your choice, you have walked even further. You’re not only thinking about doing something for the environment, you’re also developing yourself to be a person who would think of others and help them.
As for young kids, they may always have such a question: “When do I grow up? “Yes! When does a child grow up? And how can a kid know he or she has grown up? These are interesting questions. As for us, fifteen-year-olds, who are finishing middle school, we’re no longer younger children. We should know whether or not we have grown up. When we start to have a sense of offering a helping hand for a cleaner city and greener world, and when we have a loving heart to think more of others than of ourselves and are ready to help them, we can say that we have grown up.
Remember: If we help others, others will help us. If we do our best for nature, nature will offer its best to us in return!
阅读短文，然后根据短文内容，回答问题。
1. How many choices are there in Paragraph 2?
2. Who can you give the bottles to in the third choice?
3. What does the writer think of the questions about growing up?
4. What will nature do if we do our best for nature?
It’s not easy being a teenager and it is not easy being the parent of a teenager. You can make your child feel angry, hurt, or misunderstood by what you say without realizing(意识到) it yourself. It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while letting him know that you’ll always be there for him when he needs you. So here’s some advice for you.
First, expect a lot from your child, just not everything. Second, keep everything else open to discussion(讨论) but not for health and safety problems like drug use and careless driving. Third, if your child is unwilling to talk about something, don’t ask him to tell you what’s on his mind. Instead, let him try to solve(解决) things by himself. At the same time, tell him that you’re always there for him to ask for advice or help. Fourth, show respect for your teenager’s privacy(隐私). Never read his mails or listen to his personal talks.
What’s more, always ask your child to follow the family rules. For example, teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family. If your child talks on the family telephone for too long, tell him he can talk for 15 minutes, but then he must stay off the phone for at least 15 minutes. This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and get calls, but teaches your teenager moderation (节制). Or you can allow your teenager to have his own phone, but he can pay for it with his own pocket money or a part-time job.
1. Is it easy being the parent of a teenager?2. Who can teenagers ask for advice or help from?
3. Why shouldn’t parents read mails or listen to personal talks of their children?
4. How can a teenager pay for his own phone?
5. What’s the passage mainly about?
【推荐3】It’s very common for students’ mark to fall. Sometimes it is because of situations outside school, such as problems at home. Sometimes it is only because of the harder exams.
When your marks start to fall, you should try talking to a friendly teacher. He or she can help you with the subjects you find difficult. Stop comparing yourself with other people. It does not matter if other students get higher exam marks than you. What is important is that you do your best. Before each exam, you should go through your notes from class. You should remember the most important things you have written in a shorter form.
Look through your shorter notes again just before the exam. You will be surprised when you find you remember so much. It may take hard work and your marks may not improve straight. But let your confidence rise by every mark. Soon they should begin to climb again.
根据英文释义及首字母提示，拼写单词。
1. c to examine or look for the difference between two or more things
2. s an area of knowledge especially one that you study in school
同义句转换，每空一词。
3. He or she can help you with the subjects you find difficult.
He or she will be
根据短文内容简答问题。
4. Why do students’ marks fall?
5. Who should you try talking to when your marks start to fall?
6. What do you look through again before the exam?
