2 . Polyurethane(聚氨酯)'s   durability (耐久性) has made it a desirable material in many industries that depend on its flexibility and light weight to mass-produce things. But its long length of service also makes it extremely difficult to break down or be recycled into new products. Therefore, many tons of polyurethane plastics end up in waste fields, where they pile up for decades, harming the health of wild animals and humans alike.

For most creatures, the build-up of polyurethane plastics means only bad news. But at least one of Earth's organisms sees them as a favor: a kind of bacterium called Pseudomonas sp. TDA1 that appears to love eating some parts of this kind of plastics. This organism seems to grow well in waste fields.

Other plastic-chewing bacteria have been discovered before, but each seems to have their own taste in types of chemicals they prefer to break down. Pseudomonas sp. TDA1 is one of only a few organisms known to be tolerant to the plastics' typically poisonous characters. What's more, the bacterium doesn’t just survive the plastics' unpleasant ingredients (成分): It uses some of them as a food source.

" While there is still much work to be done, this is exciting and necessary research that shows the power of valuable biocatalysts (生物催化剂) found in nature,"   John McGeehan, the director of the Centre for Enzyme Innovation said. "Understanding and using such natural processes will open the door for new recycling solutions. "

Mass microbial (微生物的) clean-ups of plastics aren't necessarily possible in our future, however. The bacterium doesn’t seem able to break down these products completely. But the study " author Hermann J. Heipieper hopes that in-depth studies of Pseudomonas sp. TDA1 will uncover the genes crucial to these plastic-attacking abilities. Understanding how these genes and their products work could help scientists engineer environmentally-friendly approaches to handling plastics in the future.

In the meantime, Heipieper stresses the importance of not worsening the plastic issue. As he tells The Guardian9 ”The main message should be to avoid using plastics which are later thrown into the environment in the first place."

1. What do we learn about polyurethane from Paragraph 1?

A．Its recycling takes decades.

B．It is not commonly seen in life.

C．It is not mass-produced in many industries.

D．Its durability makes it a double-edged sword.

2. Why did Pseudomonas sp. TDA1 draw scientists' attention?

A．Because it makes plastics less poisonous.

B．Because it feeds on polyurethane plastics.

C．Because it has a special taste for chemicals.

D．Because it removes plastics' unpleasant ingredients.

3. What do John McGeehan's words in Paragraph 4 mainly reflect?

A．The breakthrough in plastic recycling.

B．The process of developing biocatalysts.

C．The reliability of new recycling solutions.

D．The significance of recycling used things.

4. What's Heipieper's recommended way of handling plastic pollution?

A．Recycling plastics in a green way.

B．Finding more valuable biocatalysts.

C．Using fewer plastics in our daily life.

D．Setting up strict standards for producing plastics.

3 . Wifi UltraBoost

Have you ever noticed how much slower your Internet gets during the peak hours of the day? Luckily, there's finally a solution! It takes only one simple device, Wifi UltraBoost, to put an end to this and many other annoying Internet problems!

How does it work?

Wifi UltraBoost spots your existing signal, improving its characteristics and then sends already expanded Wi-Fi through all the barriers it meets on its way—whether it's concrete walls or multiple floors. It also solves our main problem-Internet providers slowing down the speed — by preventing data usage reports from reaching Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the first place.

What are the main features of it?

• Works with any Internet router (路由器).

• Uses the frequency of 2. 4 GHz.

• Transfers rates of up to 300Mbps.

• Easy to set up.

What problems does it solve?

• Slow Internet connection.

• Weak Wi-Fi signals beyond 30 meters.

• Bad quality of video calls.

• Wi-Fi "dead spots" around your house.

• Thick walls that weaken the signal.

How to use it?

• Step 1: Get Wifi UltraBoost from the official website.

• Step 2: Plug Wifi UltraBoost into a socket (插座)and start the equipment.

• Step 3: Be amazed at your Wi-Fi speed!

Why get Wifi UltraBoost today?

Wifi UltraBoost brings noticeable results immediately after you plug it in. For a limited time, Wifi UltraBoost is available to you 60% cheaper (instead of $99. 99)! Order now and enjoy your improved Internet connection!

1. What is Wifi UltraBoost?

A．An application to transform networks.

B．An organization to limit Internet speed.

C．A piece of equipment to improve Wi-Fi.

D．A formal provider to offer Internet service.

2. What can Wifi UltraBoost do?

A．Guarantee high-quality video calls.

B．Help Internet routers function normally.

C．Set up connection among Wi-Fi signals.

D．Save the electricity used to surf the Internet.

3. What might be the current price of Wifi UltraBoost?

A．$ 99.99.

B．$59.99.

C．$ 69,99.

D．$ 39.99.

5 . For even the most sharp-eyed ornithologists (鸟类学家), a small bird can look much like another. But luckily, researchers have built an artificial intelligence (AD) model. “Our study provides the means of overcoming one of the greatest limitations on the study of wild birds—reliably recognizing individuals.” said Andre Ferreira, lead author of the study.

Ferreira began exploring AI’s potential while in South Africa, where he studied the sociable weaver, a bird which works with others to build the world’s largest nest. Ferreira wanted to understand each individual’s contribution to building the nest, but it was hard through direct observation because they were often hiding in trees or building parts of the nest out of sight. This experience contributed to his building the AI model, which could recognize individual birds simply from a photograph of their backs while they were busy with nest-building.

The model must be trained with thousands of labeled images in order to accurately identify individuals, but acquiring labeled photographs of birds is very difficult. Ferreira and other researchers finally overcamethis challenge. They built feeders with camera traps and sensors. Most birds in the study populations already carried a tag (标签) similar to microchips which are put in cats and dogs. Antennae (天线) on the bird feeders read the identity of the bird from these tags and touched off the cameras.

According to Ferreira, the use of the Al model could save on expensive fieldwork and spare researchers from procedures such as catching and marking animals. “It removes the need for the human to be a data collector, so researchers can spend more time thinking about the questions instead of collecting the data,” said Ferreira.

The AI model is currently only able to re-identify individuals that have been shown to it before. The researchers are now trying to build more powerful AI models that can identify larger study groups of birds, and distinguish individuals even if the AI models have never seen them before. This would enable new individuals without tags to be recorded by the cameras and recognized by the computers.

1. Which of the following may trouble ornithologists most when studying wild birds?

A．Tracking birds closely.

B．Locating birds quickly.

C．Identifying birds accurately.

D．Marking birds without hurting them.

2. Why does the author mention Ferreira’s work experience in South Africa?

A．To explain the significance of studying wild birds.

B．To introduce the living habits of sociable weavers

C．To inform us of the great potential of the AI model.

D．To show the reason for developing the AI model.

3. What does “this challenge” mentioned in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Attaching a tag to each bird.

B．Obtaining labeled images of birds.

C．Touching off camera traps and sensors.

D．Training AI model to identify individual birds.

4. What can we learn about the AI model in the last paragraph?

A．It has been adopted in longer-term studies.

B．It needs improvement to identify more birds.

C．It has helped record new birds without tags.

D．It shows great potential in recognizing new birds.

6 . Fast fashion has changed the way we dress. We buy more clothes, more often, but wear them less. The average lifespan of a piece of clothing is just two years, and 87 percent of unwanted clothing ends up in landfill or incinerators (焚化炉).

Alina Bassi, founder, of Kleiderly, wants to give our clothing waste another chance of a useful life. The 30-year-old chemical engineer has always cared about the threat of climate change — in her teens she made a film highlighting the environmental impact of Heathrow Airport — but she actually started her career in the oil industry. “I learned so much there, but knew it wasn’t quite right for me,” Bassi says. As a junior engineer, it was difficult to affect change in large corporations and she wanted to make an impact. “I really wanted to work in sustainability. (可持续性).”

After a few more years in the energy industry, she landed a job with bio-bean, a company that turned waste coffee grounds from major UK cafe chains into products that could be burned for heat and fuel. After a year in Berlin as chief operating officer of Kaffeeform, another coffee recycling company, Bassi was eager to step into a different field — used coffee grounds are not the biggest threat faced by the planet. Instead, Bassi poured her efforts into tackling a much bigger polluter.

Kleiderly hopes to change the landscape of clothing waste. Using the principles of a circular (循环的) economy, Bassi has developed a low-energy, multi-stage process to turn clothing fibers into an alternative to oil-based plastic. She is reluctant to reveal any further details as the process is still being patented. This plastic can then be fed to manufacturers that can use it in their existing machines, so that your old T-shirts and jeans are reused as brand new products. “I wanted to take the fibers and turn them into something that would be used for many years to come.” Bassi says.

1. What do we learn about Bassi’s work in the oil industry?

A．It gave her much joy.

B．It inspired her to make a film.

C．It went against her personal goals.

D．It made her worry about the oil industry.

2. What did Bassi realize after a year of managing Kaffeeform?

A．She should enter the energy industry.

B．She should do more to help prevent pollution.

C．She should take advantage of coffee grounds

D．She should accept the principles of a circular economy.

3. What does the underlined word “reluctant” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Determined.	B．Unwilling.
C．Unlucky.	D．Proud.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Engineers find a new way to produce oil-based plastic

B．A lady makes great efforts to promote the fashion industry

C．Engineers appeal to various industries to fight climate change

D．A lady devotes herself to giving clothing waste a second life

7 . The Ghost Bridegroom

At the time of this story, there was a great family gathering at the castle to meet the promised bridegroom of the Baron’s daughter. An arrangement had been made between the Baron and an old nobleman of Bavaria, Berton, for a marriage between their children. It would increase the importance of both families. The initial plans had been made in the usual way: the young people were engaged without having met each other and the date set for the wedding.

The young Count (伯爵) Von Altenburg had been recalled from the army and was on his way to the castle to meet his promised bride. Messages had been received from Wurtzburg where he was accidentally delayed. The messages indicated the day and time when he might be expected to arrive. The castle was in a fever of preparation to provide him with a suitable welcome.

Anne had dressed with particular care. Bertha and Wilda had selected her clothing and quarreled all morning about what she should wear. The young lady had taken advantage of their arguments to wear exactly what she wanted and had chosen very well. She looked as beautiful as any young bridegroom could wish for, and the excitement made her look even lovelier. The two aunts constantly directed her, as single aunts usually take a great interest in the love affairs of others. They were giving her the final instructions on how to behave, what to say, and how to greet her intended husband.

Hour by hour passed. The sun, which had been so warm over the rich forests of the Odenwald, was now setting along the tops of the mountains. The Baron went to the tallest tower in the castle to see if he could see any sign of the Count and his escorts.

Once, he thought he saw them. The sound of horns came floating up from the valley. A party of men was seen far below, riding slowly along the road. It was a false alarm, for when they reached the foot of the mountain, they suddenly rode off in a different direction. The sun, by now, had set, and the bats began to fly about in the evening light. It was getting dark, and the only movement on the road was the occasional worker returning home.

1. Which is the right relationship of the characters in the novel?

A．Von Altenburg was the Baron’s son.

B．Anne and Bertha were the Baron’s sister.

C．Anne was Berton’s only daughter.

D．Von Altenburg was Anne’s intended husband.

2. What can best describe the bridegroom?

A．He accepted his intended marriage arranged without his knowledge.

B．He was eager to meet his intended wife so he retired from the army.

C．He wouldn’t have been welcomed by the bride had he arrived on time.

D．He didn’t like the marriage, so he purposely delayed going to the castle.

3. Which of the following descriptions best reflects the disappointed feeling of the Baron family?

A．The sun was so warm over the rich forests of the Odenwald.

B．The Baron went to the tallest tower to see if he could see any sign of the Count.

C．The sound of horns came floating up from the valley.

D．The sun had set, and the bats began to fly about in the evening light.

4. What will the author most probably write about in the next paragraph(s)?

A．What happened to the bride.	B．What happened to the bridegroom.
C．What happened to the Baron.	D．What happened to the aunts.

8 . Years of exposure to Americans has, at last, convinced me of something about their food culture. I now think they’re correct in one of life’s great dilemmas: when eating at a restaurant, it is really fine to politely send your food back if it is not what you ordered, or covered in cheese when you asked for no cheese, etc.

Of course, the idea makes me feel anxious; the British fear of making a scene is planted in my soul. But what persuaded me, in the end, was realizing how self-centered that fear actually is. Are you really such a big deal that your no-cheese request will embarrass your fellow diners, ruin the waiter's day, and send waves of shock through the kitchen? Face it: you're not. Instead, you're in the situation of what might be termed “egocentric reticence (以自我为中心的沉默).”

Egocentric reticence raised its head again the other day in a study about gratitude, which found that people underestimate how much delight a thank-you note can bring. The psychologists Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley had people send grateful messages to someone who'd made a difference to their lives. Again and again, they found, senders assumed their words would lead to less happiness and more awkwardness than they really did, and that recipients would judge their letter-writing competence cruelly, too. Even in the seemingly selfless context of expressing gratitude, senders couldn’t help giving too much weight to their own perspective. So if you stop yourself from sending someone a thank-you note because you're worried you'll make them feel awkward or annoyed, you are letting egocentrism prevent an action that would have made both of you happier.

The most acute form of egocentric reticence, surely, is extreme shyness. “Shyness is just egotism out of its depth,” famous actress Penelope Keith once told an interviewer. The quote was later regarded as a line the writer Sadie Stein credits with curing her own shyness. “For some reason, the clear cruelty of that quote was what I needed, ” Stein wrote. “OK, I thought... No one is looking at you.”

1. Before contacting Americans, the author thought sending restaurant food back was ________.

A．certainly a customer's right

B．fine to do just in some cultures

C．acceptable but not worthy sometimes

D．embarrassing and would cause trouble

2. If someone is in a situation of egocentric reticence, he might ________.

A．hesitate to do something due to self-centered reasons

B．keep sending waves of shock to others

C．be ignorant of other people's feelings

D．do something extremely embarrassing

3. What did the study about gratitude find?

A．People may regard sending grateful messages unimportant.

B．It's common for Americans to send a thank-you letter.

C．It's important to thank others after being helped.

D．People often take a thank-you note for granted.

4. What does Sadie Stein's story tell us?

A．We sometimes need shyness to behave well.

B．We should pay no attention to other people's thoughts.

C．We can overcome our shyness by removing our egotism.

D．We should avoid being exposed to other people's focus.