What will the future be like? It’s possible that we may often fly up into space! Out of all the coolest inventions of the year 2004, Time magazine chose SpaceShipOne as the best.
SpaceShipOne is a 6-metre-long white spacecraft. On June 21, American pilot Mike Melvill flew it to space and back—about 100 kilometres up into the sky. Some might say it’s not a big success. You know, people went to the Moon years ago.
Well SpaceShipOne is special because it is the first spaceship that wasn’t made by the government. It was built and sent up by a private US company. Lots of people want to travel in space and think that it is an enjoyable trip. But it’s too expensive. American millionaire Dennis Tito paid almost US $20 million to become the first space tourist to visit the International Space Station in 2001. So private companies began to think of making their own spacecraft to take other tourists up into space.
Certainly, the success of SpaceShipOne is a good start. In the next 10 to 15 years, if you pay $20,000 to $100,000, you could fly high above the Earth in a special suit.
Can you imagine having your own spacecraft in your yard and taking it to space at the weekend?
| Title: SpaceShipOne—the best | |
| What it is | It is a white spaceship of six metres long. |
| Why it is special | It is the first spaceship made and sent up by a private company |
| Its first | ★Time: June 21, 2004 ★Pilot: Mike Melvill ★Distance: about 100 kilometres away from the |
| What the success means | ★It is a good start. More and more private spaceships will make it possible for people to travel in space with much |
| What you can do in the future | ★With your own spaceship, you can spend your weekend in space. |
2 . We all know there is a problem with plastic pollution. Five trillion(万亿) plastic bags are used every year. One million plastic drinking bottles are bought every minute.
What if we could use plastic waste to build roads? This is exactly what Toby McCartney has done.
In 2019, McCartney’s UK-based company, MacRebur, built the world’s first plastic road in Elgin town, Scotland. The plastic waste was made into grains(颗粒) and then mixed with bitumen(沥青). The road looks just like any other road. But it is more stretchy(有弹性的) thanks to the plastic.
“Our technology can help solve the problem of plastic waste. It can also produce roads that deal better with changes in the weather, reducing potholes(坑注),” McCartney told the BBC.
McCartney’s idea came from a trip to India. “I saw people in India would put plastic waste into potholes and burn it. The plastic would melt down in the hole,” said McCartney.
“I know there must be some similarities between the plastic and bitumen, which both come from oil. That’s how I started to think about mixing them,” he said.
After lots of testing, McCartney found the perfect idea. And now his company has built many plastic roads around the world, from Australia to Europe. A one-kilometer stretch of road uses about 684,000 plastic bottles or 1.8 million plastic bags. The road itself can be recycled at the end of its lifespan. The materials can be reused to build new roads.
“We are just a small part of ending the plastic problems, but it is nice to be part of it,” McCartney said. “I just don’t want my daughters to live in a world where there are more plastics in our oceans than fish.”
1. Paragraph 1 is written to show that plastic pollution is ________.| A．faster than imagined | B．better than other pollution |
| C．mostly unknown | D．a serious problem |
| A．is easy to break | B．is afraid of hot weather |
| C．is more stretchy | D．costs more money |
| A．Indian people’s way of repairing roads. | B．Seeing potholes on roads one day. |
| C．His wish of reducing plastic pollution. | D．His knowledge of plastic and bitumen |
| A．684,000 | B．6.84 million | C．1.8 million | D．18 million |
| A．Children should also join to reduce plastic pollution. |
| B．Plastic pollution will soon be solved with his help. |
| C．Plastic pollution will become more and more serious. |
| D．He is willing to offer help in reducing plastic pollution. |
3 . Many kinds of birds live in the United States, but the birds are fewer every year. One of the leading reasons is the growing number of pet cats. By keeping your pet cats in your home, you can help give birds a better possible chance to live.
Of the 90 million pet cats in this country, about two-thirds are allowed to go outside. It is said that these cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year, as well as billions of small animals such as rabbits and field mice.
They can also bring illness to the animals that live in people’s yard(院子), further weakening the health of the natural populations.
Allowing pet cats to go outside is not just bad for birds and wildlife, it’s also bad for the cats themselves. Outdoor cats can get sick very easily. They are in danger from traffic and attacks(攻击) from other animals. In fact, outdoor cats usually don’t live past the age of five, while indoor cats often live to be 17 or older.
Keep your pet cat inside! It’s your duty.
| Problem | The number of birds is becoming |
| People allow the cats to go outside freely. | |
| What to do | People who |
How will geography affect your life? For some children around the world, the environment they grow up in has a huge effect on their lives. This is the case in Madagascar, an island country in Africa, where a 3D-printed school is now being built.
Maggie Grout was just 15 years old when she set up a non-profit organization—Thinking Huts. Now 22, she is raising money to build a series of 3D-printed school powered by solar energy. She led the whole process from start to finish, working with university professors. They chose Madagascar because it needs more schools. Many children in that country don’t have the chance to have access to education. Besides, it has a lot of sunshine, which can be made into energy to power things.
Maggie then drew a design for the school. She thought about what the people might need and where they worked best.
Next, Maggie found an architect and 3D printing company for the job. To make it environmentally friendly, they use a special 3D printer to build the school. It meant up to 50 percent less concrete (混凝土) used and less CO₂. Plus, the school could be completed in just a week. They also used local materials to build the doors, windows and roof.
What’s more, Thinking Huts trained local workers to use a 3D printer so that they could build more schools on their own in the future. Maggie plans to print more new schools in other parts of Madagascar because one in five children don’t have the chance to attend primary school there.
So far, Grouts charity has already raised $125,000. “It’s not so bad to me! Of course, we need more.” Maggie told Spring wise website.
1. When did Maggie Grout set up Thinking Huts?2. What kind of energy did Maggie’s 3D-printed schools use?
3. Why did Maggie build the 3D-printed schools in Madagascar first?
4. How did the 3D printing company make its work environmentally friendly?
5. Did Thinking Huts train local workers to use a 3D printer?
5 . If you are ever in Vietnam, don’t miss Water Puppetry. Water Puppetry is exactly as it sounds—puppets dancing and moving on the water. It is a traditional Vietnamese art form enjoyed by people of all ages.
Vietnamese Water Puppetry originated in the Red River Delta one thousand years ago. During the harvest, farmers came together for singing and dancing with puppets in the rice fields filled with water. Slowly, Water Puppetry developed to be an art form. In the 12th century the best puppet shows in the country were chosen to entertain the king and his guests. Today Water Puppetry becomes a symbol of Vietnamese culture.
Water Puppetry is performed in a pool of water about one meter deep, with the water surface as a stage. When performing Water Puppetry, puppeteers stand in the water behind a bamboo screen throughout the show. They control the wooden puppets with long bamboo sticks and strings underwater. The puppets enter from either side of the stage or appear from the water. On the water, they move, dance jump and so on.
A traditional Vietnamese band provides background music. Musicians sing the songs which tell the stories acted out by the puppets. The musicians and the puppets collaborate during the performance. The musicians may shout to warn a puppet in danger or to encourage a puppet in need. And the puppet makes movements accordingly. Different scenes are usually introduced by the comedic host called Tễu. He leads you through different stories humorously.
The water puppet show tells daily lives in the countryside of Vietnam. Stories about the harvest, fishing and festivals are highlighted. National history is also told through short performances.
1. Vietnamese Water Puppetry first appeared ______.| A．a century ago | B．in the 12th century | C．in the king’s palace | D．in the field with water |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．the musicians | B．the host | C．the puppeteers | D．the band |
| A．greet | B．communicate | C．discuss | D．compare |
| A．people can learn the Vietnamese culture | B．the shows focus on the history of Vietnam |
| C．the host introduces the scenes in a serious way | D．the puppeteers sing and dance during the shows |
6 . E-book is short for electronic (电子的) book. It is usually read on personal computers. Some mobile phones can also be used to read e-books.
Earlier e-books were written for specific group of reads and were about only a few subjects. With the development of the Internet, knowledge and answers to a lot of questions mainly come from e-books. This is why the e-book business is increasing quickly.
E-books have many advantages. First, they save time. We don’t need to go to a bookstore to buy books; besides, we can find the topic we want to know about on the Internet and then we can quickly get many e-books on similar topics. Second, e-books save money. Some e-books cost a little money, and there are millions of e-books on the Internet that we can get for free. Third, more trees are saved because e-books don’t need to be printed on paper. Fourth, e-books make reading more convenient. You can carry a whole library of hundreds of books with you in a small computer or any e-book reader (电子阅读器) without worrying about their weight.
But e-books have certain disadvantages. They need a personal computer or an e-book reader and the information can be lost if its file format (文件格式) is not supported or changed in the reader’s computer.
However, e-books provide us with a new way of reading. That is good.
1. Why is the e-book business increasing quickly? Because ________| A．earlier e-books are about only a few subjects. |
| B．people don’t like to read any paper books any more. |
| C．most e-books have been written for a specific group of readers. |
| D．the development of the Internet makes e-books more useful. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．E-books can’t be read on mobile phones. |
| B．All the e-books on the Internet cost lots of money. |
| C．E-books can make reading more convenient. |
| D．You can’t read e-books without a personal computer. |
| A．You’ll lose the information if its file format is not supported. |
| B．You can carry hundreds of books in an e-book reader. |
| C．You can buy cheap e-books anywhere. |
| D．You can read e-books at any time. |
| A．e-books offer us a new good way of reading |
| B．you don’t need to buy paper books in a bookstore if you read e-books |
| C．the information can be lost if its file format is changed |
| D．the development of e-books can help save the environment |
7 . Computers can injure you. Most other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very quickly. But computer injuries happen slowly.
You probably know how to ride a bike safely. Now learn to use a computer safely.
Your eyes
Too much light can injure your eyes, so never sit too close to a computer screen. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimeters from the screen. Remember to look away from it sometimes. This gives your eyes a rest.
When you use computer, the window should be on your left or your right. If it is behind you, the light will reflect on (反射) the screen. If the window is in front of you, the sun and the screen will both shine into your eyes.
Your hands and wrists (手腕)
Hand and wrist injuries can happen because the hands and wrists are moved in the same way hundreds of times. If you use a keyboard for a long time, follow these three rules:
1. Rest your wrists on something.
2.Keep your elbows at the same height as the keyboard.
3. Stop sometimes and exercise your hands, wrists and fingers in a different way.
Your back
Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can injure your back or your neck. So you should sit with your back straight. The top part of the screen should all be in front of your eyes. Your forearms wrists, hands and the upper part of your legs should all be parallel (平行) to the floor. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arms, legs and necks.
Enjoy your computer, but use it safely.
1. A computer screen may injure your eyes if _______| A．you sit 60 centimeters away | B．you remember to look away |
| C．your eyes are too close to it | D．the window is on your left or your right |
| A．get plenty of exercise | B．move in the same way again and again |
| C．rest your wrists on something | D．keep your elbows as high as the keyboard |
| A．you work near a window | B．you often take a rest from working |
| C．you use a keyboard for a long time | D．the window is behind you |
| A．in the right way | B．for many hours |
| C．with the screen below your eyes | D．with your back leaning forward |
| A．How to protect your eyes. | B．How to protect your hands and wrists. |
| C．How to use a computer safely. | D．How to protect your back. |
8 .
Bathing in Hot Chocolate Do you like chocolate? How about bathing in it? There is a chocolate hot spring (温泉) in Japan! Families go there together. They paint their bodies with sweet chocolate sauce (酱). They get chocolate skincare masks (护肤面膜). It looks a little scary, but hot chocolate is good for our skin! Finding the Best Pigeon  The UK holds the pigeon show every January. More than 2,500 pigeons join it. They are the best in the country. Around 25,000 fans of pigeons come together and choose (选择) the best. A good pigeon should have strong bones, thick feathers, big wings and bright eyes. ____________________  In Italy, there are not just ice cream and pizza. There are fancy masks (面具), too! Venice is a city in Italy. Every year from February to March, Venice holds a big carnival (狂欢节). People wear masks. They walk on the streets and dance in parties. Why wear masks? Masks in Venice are beautiful! Some people wear them to perform (表演). Some people wear them to have fun. |
| A．travel | B．sports | C．nature | D．fashion |
| A．Put Your Masks on | B．Carnival in March |
| C．Beautiful Venice | D．Performance or Fun |
| A．let pigeon join it | B．attract people to the UK |
| C．pick out the best pigeon | D．sell pigeon to the fans |
| A．over 25,000 pigeons will join the pigeon show |
| B．sweet chocolate sauce can be used for skincare |
| C．Italy is best-known for its ice cream and pizza |
| D．it’s not easy to set the standard (标准) for a good pigeon |
| A．people like wearing masks | B．there aren’t ice cream and pizza in Italy |
| C．carnival is popular in Italy | D．we should learn more language |
9 . People develop solar panels (太阳能板) to take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity. Over the past ten years, the price of solar panels has gone down greatly. In many parts of the world, solar energy is now the cheapest form of electricity. More and more people have started using solar energy to power their homes.
However, solar panels also have their problems. They stop working at night and on rainy days. Is it possible to make them produce electricity all the time?
Scientists at Suzhou University have invented a new solar panel now. It can produce electricity not only from solar energy but also from falling rain. When a raindrop falls on the solar panel and then rolls (滚动) down, it creates friction (摩擦力) on the surface (表面) of the panel, which can then be turned into electricity.
Sun Baoquan is one of the inventors, “Our new invention can produce electricity in any weather during the day,” he says. “It can even provide electricity at night if there is rain.”
The field of solar energy is developing fast. Scientists have made some improvement on solar panels. Some have been working on ways to join solar panels and wind power together. Some have been trying to use sunlight to produce liquid and gas fuels (液体和气体燃料).
Title: The | |
| The Cost | Solar energy is the |
| The Problems at First | Solar energy can’t work at night or on a rainy |
| The Theory (原理) of a New One | Some scientists turn the friction |
| The | Some scientists have been working on the way to put wind power and solar panels together. |
10 . It is 8: 30 a. m. at the Chengdu Research Centre. Panda keepers are preparing milk for the baby pandas’ breakfast. At 9: 00 a. m. , they find that most of the babies are already awake and hungry. When the babies see the keepers, they run over to them with excitement and some of the young pandas even walk into their friends and fall over!
Lin Wei, one of the panda keepers, says, “They’re so cute and lovely. I take care of them like they’re my own babies. I wash, feed and play with them every day. They’re very special to me.” In fact, many people around the world love these black and white animals. Pandas have become so popular that they are now a symbol of China.
Scientists say there are now fewer than 2,000 pandas living in the forests. Another 300 or so live in zo0s or research centers in China and other countries. Pandas do not have many babies, maybe only one every two years. The babies often die from illnesses and do not live very long. Adult pandas spend more than 12 hours a day eating about 10 kilos of bamboo. Many years ago, there were a lot more bamboo forests and pandas in China, but then humans started to cut down these forests. As the forests get smaller and other human activities cause more problems, pandas cannot find enough to eat and they are having fewer babies.
An education program in Chengdu teaches children about pandas and other endangered wild animals. The Chinese government is trying hard to help save the pandas. Scientists are doing research to better understand the habits of pandas. We all hope that in the future there will be a lot more pandas.
1. What is Lin Wei’s job?2. What do the baby pandas have for breakfast?
3. How many kilos of bamboo do adult pandas eat each week?
4. What does the education program in Chengdu do?
5. Why are scientists doing research?
