1 . In the hands of a skilled stylist, your hair can help you boost your self-confidence, express your unique personality, and maybe even attract a romantic partner. In the hands of Matter of Trust, however, your hair might be able to do something even more meaningful: help save the environment.
For more than 20 years, Matter of Trust has been collecting hair and fur from hair salons, and farmers around the world for the purpose of making “hair mats” that can assist with oil spill cleanups.
Typically, oil spills on land are cleaned up using polypropylene (聚丙烯) mats that are effective but might cause environmental problems. After all, polypropylene is a non-biodegradable (不可生物降解的) plastic that’s made from fossil fuels; using it to clean up oil therefore requires drilling for even more oil. Hair and fur, on the other hand, are of no poison, biodegradable, sustainable, and can absorb more oil.
To date, Matter of Trust has produced more than 40,000 hair mats and more than 300,000 booms, reports CNN. Matter of Trust’s products have been used to clean up not only oil spills, but also non-emergencies like oil leaks from vehicles and machines. In both cases, oil can flow into soil and water, which can harm people, plants, and wildlife, according to Matter of Trust.
Although it’s an elegant solution, it isn’t perfect. Hair mats can only be used once, for instance, and can only be dealt with through incineration (焚化) or composting (堆肥). And in the case of composting, the resulting compost isn’t suitable for growing food.
Still, hair mats are a surprisingly effective tool in the fight for a cleaner planet. And because Matter of Trust hasn’t patented its designs, all that’s needed to produce them are hair cuttings—of which there are plenty, according to Gautier, who says there are about 900,000 qualified hair salons in the U.S. alone, each of which can easily cut at least a pound of hair per week.
“Anyone can make a hair mat,” she told CNN. “It creates green jobs, it cleans water, it reduces waste, and it’s promoting sustainable resources.”
1. Which of the following is NOT the function of your hair based on this text?| A．It can help you keep healthy. | B．It can promote your social contact. |
| C．It represents your personal image. | D．It can help protecting environment. |
| A．Polypropylene mats are poisonous. |
| B．Hair mats are cheaper than polypropylene mats. |
| C．Hair mats are sustainable and environmentally friendly. |
| D．The raw materials for polypropylene mats are hard to find. |
| A．It’s impractical. | B．It’s of short-term effects. |
| C．It’s worthy to be applied. | D．It increases global employment. |
| A．Gautier will apply for a patent for Matter of Trust. |
| B．More and more hair salons will be opened in America. |
| C．Everyone will take action to make hair mats to clean the earth. |
| D．Hair mats have good prospects for development. |
2 . Recently, Virgin Atlantic flew a large passenger jet from London to New York using a new kind of aviation (航空) fuel completely.
Airplane travel creates nearly 3% of the world’s greenhouse gases. That makes cutting pollution from flying an important part of the fight against the climate crisis. The reform and upgrading of aviation fuel has become an unavoidable trend. Airlines and plane makers are working hard to figure out ways to make their flights pollute less.
The recent flight was supposed to draw attention to these efforts. For the test flight, the plane only held people from the companies involved, and some reporters. Consequently, it crossed the Atlantic Ocean with its engines powered by 100% “Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)”. Virgin Atlantic says that using SAF cut the flight’s pollution by 70%.
SAF still pollutes when it’s burned, just like regular jet fuel. The difference is in how the fuels are made. SAF is made from plants (and related animal products) that once absorbed carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. When SAF burns, it just releases this same CO2 again. That’s different from jet fuel, which is made from oil pumped from underground, releasing CO2 that was deeply buried. SAF costs five times as much as regular jet fuel. That helps explain why only one-tenth of 1% of the fuel airlines currently use SAF. Virgin Atlantic is hoping its flight will encourage more companies to produce SAF and that this will bring the price down.
Experts say it’s easy to make small amounts of SAF out of plant waste. But to make as much SAF as the airlines really need would require farmers to grow plants for fuel instead of for eating. This could also lead to more forests being cut down for farmland. Besides, there’re relatively few SAF production plants or companies transporting it globally. So some groups argue reducing the number of flights taken is the only way to cut aviation’s environmental impact.
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?| A．Explain the first paragraph further. | B．Make a prediction for the readers. |
| C．Add some background information. | D．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| A．It can be easily mass-produced. | B．It can get rid of aviation pollution. |
| C．The demand for it remains limited. | D．Its price will drop sharply very soon. |
| A．Lead to another type of ecological damage. | B．Decrease various flights all over the world. |
| C．Strengthen the awareness of greener travel. | D．Reduce transportation costs of aviation fuel. |
| A．SAF’s Fighting Against Climate Change | B．Crossing Atlantic on 100% Sustainable Fuel |
| C．Virgin Atlantic’s Flying a Large Passenger Jet | D．Developing SAF to Maintain Flight Operations |
3 . Chaudhary weaves (编织) together lengths of rope and grass collected from the nearby riverbank in her village, skillfully shaping the materials into a gift box while instructing a group of women to follow suit.
The ropes being used were once the lifeline for mountain climbers tackling Nepal’s mountains and were then cast away. Diverse measures to remove such discarded materials have rocketed since 2019, when the government launched Clean Mountain Campaign.Around 140,000 tons of waste were collected on Mt. Everest alone, which were handled accordingly, either securely buried or recycled.
Some waste is now finding fresh life, transformed by skilled hands like Chaudhary’s into items to sell, thanks to an initiative led by Acharya, an owner of a waste processing business and an advocate for sustainable waste management. She has been working with the cleaning campaign, aiming at mountains like Mt. Everest.
“Metal waste goes through the recycling process, but we weren’t capable of recycling these ropes and cooking gas cans,” Acharya says. It didn’t occur to her that the waste which couldn’t be recycled could be reused until she met Rai at an art exhibition and a solution emerged.
Rai, a businessman dealing in craftworks, helped connect Acharya with Chaudhary and her team of craftswomen in hopes of unlocking the economic value of the mountain waste. With flexible hours, the project gives the craftswomen an opportunity to earn money even as they maintain their household responsibilities.
“While this seems insignificant compared to waste in the mountains, it’s a start. We can’t supply sufficient raw material with waste sorting and cleaning processes taking plenty of time and money,” Acharya says, desperate to expand the program to involve more women and treat more waste. But progress has been slow. “We need investment to mechanize the cleaning and processing of waste in the initial phase to provide the crafting team with enough materials to meet their demand,” she adds.
1. What were the ropes mentioned in paragraph 2 initially intended as?| A．Tools for tying up weeds. | B．Villagers’ basic necessities of life. |
| C．Raw materials tor unique artworks. | D．Life-saving devices for mountaineers. |
| A．A journey to the rural area. | B．An encounter with a trader. |
| C．Information from a product launch. | D．Attendance at an academic conference. |
| A．Train more senior technicians. | B．Obtain a better reputation. |
| C．Drop waste washing procedures. | D．Bring in advanced equipment. |
| A．Chaudhary: An Eco-Minded Folk Artist |
| B．Nepali Women Are Turning Garbage into Crafts |
| C．Clean Mountain Campaign Has Already Taken Effect |
| D．A Headache: Mt. Everest Is Heavily Littered with Waste |
4 . What can bring people from around the world together? Skin colour? Language? A favourite football team? According to a recent study conducted by OnePoll, a London-based marketing research company, food is the answer.
OnePoll surveyed 2,000 people around the world. 84% of participants said that food had the power to connect people of different cultures and backgrounds.
“Food has to do with how we live—it’s not just something that we ingest. Food is a part of our lives, and it helps bring people closer together,” one participant in the survey said.
People can get a better understanding of another culture through trying its cuisine. For example, Chinese culture is based on the idea of harmony (和谐), which can be seen in almost every aspect of life in China, most noticeably its cuisine. In Chinese cuisine, every ingredient is used in a balanced way to create delicious dishes that go well together. Another example is the rich diversity of American cuisine, which directly reflects the rich diversity of its multicultural influence.
Food can help strengthen cultural ties. Every country has its own way of doing things, which means that sometimes there can be very little common ground between countries. However, every country has food in common—after all, we all need to eat. So something as simple as a dinner gathering has the power to bring together people from different countries or cultures. In fact, food is often the catalyst (催化剂) in forming many important decisions and friendships.
“We believe food has a transcending (超越的) ability to connect us, and that delicious things can happen when we share heritage, culture, and uniqueness through food,” said Jason Levine, one of the survey’ s conductors.
1. How many people in the survey said food brings people together?| A．2,000 | B．1,680 | C．320 | D．84 |
| A．eat | B．appreciate | C．digest | D．prefer |
| A．Deep and vital. | B．Diverse and balanced. |
| C．Balanced and harmonious. | D．Harmonious and delicious. |
| A．By experiencing different cultures. |
| B．By accepting foreign ideas. |
| C．By bringing people together. |
| D．By sharing heritage with others. |
5 . Immersion (沉浸) in music is a remarkable way to relax. Now, music lovers he a chance to please your ears. The following four festivals must bring you great surprise.
Moab Music FestivalWhere: Moab, Utah
When: Aug. 29 — Sept. 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including there “Grotto Concerts”, where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest.org.
Jacob’s Pillow Dance FestivalWhere: Becket, Massachusetts
When: June 15 — Aug. 24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights (最精彩的部分) this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem’s production of Alvin Ailey’s “The Lark Ascending”, which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. jacobspillow.org.
Cheyenne Frontier DaysWhere: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July 19 — 28
There’s something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an “Indian village” and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world’s largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo.com.
The Glimmerglass FestivalWhere: Cooperstown, New York
When: July 6-Aug. 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year’s performances include Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman” and Verdi’s “King for a Day”, in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers (作曲家).
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass.org.
1. Which date is suitable for you to enjoy a “Grotto Concert”?| A．June 15. | B．September 4. | C．August 24. | D．July 19. |
| A．Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. | B．Cheyenne Frontier Days. |
| C．The Glimmerglass Festival. | D．Moab Music Festival. |
| A．Art. | B．Literature. | C．Business. | D．Education. |
6 . There are many potential sources of clean energy out there: solar energy, wind energy, hydrogen-based energy, and more. One of the less-known sources of clean energy is wave energy. Now the energy is being put to use in an almost funny way, turning seawater into drinking water by Oneka, a Canadian startup.
In general, there are two traditional kinds of desalination (脱盐) technology. In the first technology, seawater is heated till the water changes into steam, leaving the salt behind, and then the steam is cooled, turning into water, and made available for use. In the second one, seawater is pushed through a see-through thin material, separating the salt and the water, which consumes relatively less fuel compared with the first technology. Whichever technology is used, however, most desalination plants run on non-renewable energy.
Desalination equipment is traditionally powered by fossil fuels, but the world has certainly reached a vital point where it’s necessary to move away from fossil fuel-powered desalination. This is where Oneka’s unique desalination technology comes in. Oneka uses floating desalination machines, attached to a kind of floating device which then absorbs energy from the ocean waves, and changes it into mechanical forces, to pump the water through the see-through thin material system. The fresh water is then pumped to land, through the power of the waves.
The waste from conventional desalination plants contains high concentrations of salt which is discharged into the sea, creating a zone where sea life dies off. Oneka’s technology steers clear of this, because the water that streams back into the ocean only has a 30 percent increase in the salt concentration, and is quickly spread by the waves.
This innovative technology shows us that sometimes the solutions to complicated problems don’t have to be complicated at all. Sometimes all you need are the ocean waves.
1. Which can best describe the first technology in paragraph 2?| A．It is labor-intensive. | B．It is energy-hungry. |
| C．It separates salt via cooling. | D．It outperforms the second one. |
| A．It’s slightly complicated. | B．It leaves little salt behind. |
| C．It reshapes fresh water storage. | D．It’s mechanically driven. |
| A．Relieves. | B．Facilitates. | C．Envelops. | D．Achieves. |
| A．Eco-driven Desalination Machines | B．Ocean Waves: The New Energy Solution |
| C．Wave-powered Green Desalination | D．Desalination: The Future of Fresh Water |
7 . Neuroengineer Silvestro Micera develops advanced technological solutions to help people regain sensory and motor functions that have been lost due to injury events or neurological disorders. Until now, he has never before worked on strengthening the human body and cognition with the help of technology.
Now in a study published in Science Robotics, Micera and his team report on how diaphragm (隔膜) movement can be monitored for successful control of an extra arm, essentially augmenting a healthy individual with a third-robotic-arm.
For further exploration, the researchers first built a virtual environment to test a healthy user’s capacity to control a virtual arm using movement of his or her diaphragm. They found that diaphragm control does not interfere with actions like controlling one’s physiological (生理的) arms, one’s speech or gaze.
In this virtual reality setup, the user is equipped with a belt that measures diaphragm movement. Wearing a virtual reality headset, the user sees three arms: the right arm and hand, the left arm and hand, and a third arm between the two with a symmetric (对称), six-fingered hand.
In the virtual environment, the user is then hinted to reach out with either the left hand, the right hand, or in the middle with the symmetric hand. In the real environment, the user holds onto an exoskeleton (外骨骼) with both arms, which allows for control of the virtual left and right arms. Movement detected by the belt around the diaphragm is used for controlling the virtual middle, symmetric arm. The setup was tested on 61 healthy subjects (受试者) in over 150 sessions.
Previous studies regarding the control of robotic arms have been focused on helping the disabled. The latest Science Robotics study is a step beyond repairing the human body towards augmentation. “Our next step is to explore the use of more complex robotic devices using our various control strategies, to perform real-life tasks, both inside and outside of the laboratory. Only then will we be able to grasp the real potential of this approach,” concludes Micera.
1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To show an evidence. |
| C．To summarize the general idea. | D．To offer some background. |
| A．A virtual reality game. | B．A new medical device. |
| C．A new treatment method. | D．An experiment on animals. |
| A．By listing some related data. | B．By offering some examples. |
| C．By making some comparisons. | D．By describing research processes. |
| A．How to expand controllable robotic devices. |
| B．Where to find new and exciting opportunities. |
| C．How to further develop the robot market potential. |
| D．Why to balance inside and outside of the laboratory. |
8 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.
Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.
There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”
Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.
A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.
1. When can children play games according to the new rules?| A．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Friday. | B．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Tuesday. |
| C．Between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m. On Saturday. | D．Between 10 p. m. and all p. m. On Thursday. |
| A．the new rules can stop children’s addiction to social media |
| B．companies are more responsible for kids ‘ obeying the rules |
| C．the new rules will help prevent children playing online games |
| D．parents play a greater part in limiting the time of online games |
| A．Design an advanced program. | B．Use facial recognition systems. |
| C．Set up real-name registration systems. | D．Borrow accounts of their older relatives. |
| A．Rules Limiting Short-video alps | B．Rules Limiting Video Game Time |
| C．Rules Banning Irrational Fan Culture | D．Rules Breaking Addition to Social Media |
9 .
| |
| Q What’s the best way to keep track of your characters in a novel? Amanda Rose, via email A I’m not sure what the best way is, but here are some of the methods I use. Most of my records are on paper. I have a huge folder, and in it are the following:* Character sheets – one A4 sheet for each character with all their details: name; age; address; physical description; personality type… * Dialogue records – an extra page where I note their favorite words and dialogues. * Photographs – I use photos cut from magazines for inspirations as to what they look like. I’m also a big fan of spreadsheets. I create one that has the name, date of birth and age of my characters at any given time in the novel – or novels if it’s a series. This is particularly helpful for controlling timelines, as I only need to change one date and the rest are set up to update automatically. I also use a spreadsheet for keeping track of the plot so I know what happens to each character in each chapter. I create the spreadsheet before I start and fill it in as I go. It’s for tracking not plotting, but it could be used for that if you plotted what happens in each chapter. Hope this helps, Amanda. | Q Should I use single quotes or double quotes for dialogue? Tania Yeatman, Wimborne A It doesn’t matter! Usually it’s a matter of house style, so if you are aiming at a specific publication, check to see what their style is for publication and copy that. If you don’t know the house style then the important thing is to be consistent. The same applies to quotes from interviewees and experts in your articles.“I saw Anne at writing group,” Milly said. “And she came rushing up to me and told me she’d done it at last. She’s got an agent!”
Q ______________________________ Grace Louise |
1. ________ are most useful for controlling timelines of the story.
| A．Character sheets | B．Dialogue records |
| C．Photographs | D．Spreadsheets |
| A．‘I saw Anne at writing group,’ Milly said. ‘And she came rushing up to me and cried, “I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!”’ |
| B．“I saw Anne at writing group,” Milly said. “And she came rushing up to me and cried, ‘I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!” |
| C．‘I saw Anne at writing group,’ Milly said. “And she came rushing up to me and cried, ‘I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!’” |
| D．“I saw Anne at writing group,” Milly said. ‘And she came rushing up to me and cried, ‘I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!’ |
| A．When and where will your next novel be published? |
| B．What should I write about to win the writing competition? |
| C．Do you have any tips for overcoming the writer’s block? |
| D．Can you give us a lecture on choosing the right topics? |
10 . I was the only kid in college with a reason to go to the mail box, because my mother never believed in email, in Facebook, in texting or cell phones. I was literally waiting by the mailbox to get a letter with a warmest comfort from her.
So when I moved to New York and got depressed, I did the only thing I could think of. I wrote those same kinds of letters like my mother for strangers, and tucked them all over the city: in cafes, in libraries, and even in the subway. I blogged about those letters and promised if asked for a hand-written letter, I would write one.
Overnight, my inbox became this harbor of heartbreak — a single mother in Sacramento, a girl being bullied in Kansas, a 22-year-old immigrant, all asking me to write them and give them a reason to wait by the mailbox. And this is how I initiated the act The World Needs More Love Letters.
Today I run a global organization fueled by those trips to the mailbox. It is a miracle. But the thing about these letters is that most of them have been written by people brought up in a paperless world where some best conversations happen on a screen. We have learned to diary our pain onto Facebook, and we speak swiftly in twitter.
Therefore, I’ve been carrying this mail crate (大木箱) with me these days, which is a magical icebreaker. So I get to tell total strangers about a woman whose husband was traumatized (受精神创伤) from war, and how she left love letters throughout the house saying, “Come back to me.” And a man, who had decided to take his life, slept safely with a stack of letters just beneath his pillow, handwritten by strangers who were there for him.
These stories convince me that letter-writing will never need to be about efficiency, because it is an art now, all of it: the signing, the scripting, the mailing.
1. Why did the author share her experience in college?| A．To show her care for her family. | B．To convey her love for writing letters. |
| C．To express her feelings attached to letters. | D．To prove her consistency in writing letters. |
| A．She advocated the paperless lifestyle. | B．She intended to provide professional aid. |
| C．She tried to improve her communication skills. | D．She aimed to give emotional support with letters. |
| A．It cures people of mental diseases. | B．It serves as a conversation starter. |
| C．It has magic power to melt ice. | D．It empowers people to be brave. |
| A．Family Letters Are Priceless | B．Love for Writing Never Declines |
| C．World Needs More Love Letters | D．Hand-written Letters Improve Efficiency |
