1 . When the parcel arrives, the remote-controlled car inside is broken. That could easily result in an unhappy child — but not this time.
The package has come from a British start-up that hopes to equip the nation’s youngsters with an endangered skill: the ability to fix gadgets when they fail. The aim is to encourage 10 to 14-year-olds to try fixing electronic devices and learn how they work, by sending them faulty toys that they have to take apart and repair themselves. The company, Team Repair, has been founded by five engineering graduates from Imperial College London. Having begun as a university project, its ultimate goal is to steer children into careers in science and to nurture (培养) a new generation of engineers and inventors.
“Every month, we’ll send children an electronic gadget with a carefully planned fault,” said Patrick McGuckian, 22, the chief operating officer. “The idea is that they learn key repair skills, and that they also learn the science and technology behind how the components inside it work.”
It is estimated that two million tonnes of electrical and electronic items are thrown away in the UK each year. “Meanwhile, the UK has a Stem [science, technology, engineering and maths] skills shortage costing£1.5 billion a year,” McGuckian said. “We wanted to help solve those two problems.”
The service — currently in a testing phase — will cost £28 a month, with each kit designed to keep a child occupied for several hours. Once a gadget has been mended, you post it back so it can be broken again for somebody else to fix. There is also an app to provide instructions on how to perform the repair, and also mini science lessons. “As a society we’ve been tuned to replace rather than repair,” McGuckian said. “We want to encourage a different mindset in the next generation — and on top of that, we want them to be creative, to be engineers, to be inventors that solve the biggest problems.”
1. Why does the author mention the remote-controlled car in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To present a fact. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To explain a point. |
| A．To provide children with faulty toys. | B．To reduce the use of electronic items. |
| C．To help children learn Stem skills for free. | D．To equip children with the ability to repair. |
| A．The gadget after being repaired. | B．Face-to-face guidance to mend. |
| C．Some mini science lessons online. | D．A faulty electronic gadget weekly. |
| A．Broken Toys Have a Good Place to Go | B．Team Repair for Young People was Set Up |
| C．The Ability to Fix Gadgets is to be Improved | D．Broken Toys Offer Neat Fix for Skills Shortage |
With the
In the 1950s, in order to control the flooding and to get electricity from the flow of the Nile River, the Egyptian government made a proposal
Later, an international committee
The project was considered a greatly successful example by UNESCO to prevent world heritage from
3 . Just seven weeks after setting up a carsharing club, Emily Kerr and her husband decided to sell their own car. The couple waved goodbye to their 2013 model Honda CRV in October. “I started by wanting to share it and then realised that we could share everybody else’s car instead,” she said. After that small step, she has now set herself the target of persuading one million other motorists to follow their example by 2025.
It’s understandable that many people are deeply attached to their car, and do not want to share it with a stranger. Her venture(经营项目), Share Our Cars, only allows other members of a trusted group to drive it—your neighbours. It has attracted interest from 40 community groups in locations ranging from Edinburgh to the London suburbs. They think she may have hit on a formula(方案) that will allow car sharing to go mainstream.
Unlike other neighbourhood groups, bookings and insurance are handled by Hiyacar, a commercial platform, sparing participants administrative headaches and worries about liability in the event of accidents. Participants all know each other and can be confident a car is available when they want it.
Before each rental, the driver receives a quote on the Hiyacar app, which covers the insurance, booking fee, plus and the hourly fee paid to the owner. The driver collects the keys, or has them dropped through their letterbox, and takes pictures of the car before use. The owner is expected to keep the car clean, and the driver only refuels it if they drive more than 10 miles. Demand has been so great that Kerr is about to launch 10 more projects in Oxford.
1. Why did the couple sell their own car?| A．They needed money to help the community. |
| B．They realized they could share others’ cars. |
| C．They couldn’t afford the cost of car consumption. |
| D．They were banned from driving due to an accident. |
| A．Responsibility. | B．Availability. | C．Possibility. | D．Flexibility. |
| A．The process of car rental. | B．The introduction of Hiyacar app. |
| C．The requirements for drivers. | D．The demand for car sharing. |
| A．Risky. | B．Costly. | C．Promising. | D．Profitable. |
4 . The AWF is one of my heroes because it helps the animals in Africa stay alive and keeps them from dying out. They are trying to conserve wildlife by saving animals whose mothers were killed by poaching（偷猎）or from lack of food and water or loss of homes. They are also trying to conserve land by making it a protected area.
The AWF helps animals and the environment. AWF's task is as follows: “The African Wildlife Foundation, together with the people of Africa, works to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will exist forever.” They save their land through research and protecting wildlife habitat.
My fiend Erin feels it isn't the organization that is heroic but the people working for the organization. The people of the AWF risk their lives working in war zones and dangerous jungle environments to save African animals that are at risk of extinction. Each of these “heroes” is working to save a specific African animal that is at risk. The most famous was Diane Fossey who was working with gorillas（大猩猩）in the early 1980's and was murdered in the war. They made a movie about her devotions called Gorillas in the Mist. There are many other heroic people working with different animals that didn't get so much publicity.
The AWF's headquarters is in Nairobi, Kenya. The countries where it works include Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and many others. The AWF was founded in 1961 to increase awareness of the problems with different programs in the 1970's as well as continuing the more hands on aspects of saving the animals to this day.
The biggest task of the AWF is to bring back all of the animals from hear dying out. The foundation cannot do this by itself; it needs the global help to save the animals. For example, Starbucks has agreed to help but much more is needed. There is little the foundation can do by itself without financial support.
1. Which can best describe the people working for the AWF?| A．Brave. | B．Energetic. |
| C．Generous. | D．Humorous. |
| A．To honor her devotion to education. |
| B．To honor her generosity to poor people. |
| C．To honor her great work of gorillas protection. |
| D．To honor her contributions to the environmental protection. |
| A．The animals in Africa have been far from extinction. |
| B．Starbucks is an organization of environmental protection. |
| C．The majority of animals in Africa are dying out. |
| D．The financial support of the AWF is far from enough. |
5 . For many famous people, fame is more than being on the big screen or performing on a stage or scoring a game-winning goal, but about using their likeness to bring awareness to different social justice topics or rare medical conditions or assisting undeveloped communities.
Holly Robinson Peete, a black actress, along with her husband, Rodney Peete, started the HollyRod Foundation in 1997. It was inspired by Robinson Peete’s father, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. After it was confirmed that their son was autistic, they expanded their efforts to assist autism community, hoping to bring awareness and resources to this group and help them find jobs.
The Foundation has partnered with Delivering Jobs, an organization creating pathways to one million employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental differences by 2025.
“Thanks to our partner, Delivering Jobs, my son has a job with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the World Series Champions,” Peete explains. “We are so happy that the job has given this boy purpose, a paycheck and self-worth and friends. He never had friends growing up and now he has a whole family.”
As Robinson Peete and the HollyRod Foundation continue to help those less fortunate, she shares one principle on how companies can support the autism community: Donate to those supporting programs which provide training to help individuals find a role that best suits their abilities. “Don’t think of a hire from the community as charity. In some cases, these workers will turn out to be your best employees.” says Peete.
1. What is true about the HollyRod Foundation?| A．It helped Robinson Peete’s son find a job. |
| B．It has created 1 million jobs for autism community. |
| C．It was founded by Robinson Peete and her husband. |
| D．It supports the autism group through financial donation. |
| A．Action speaks louder than words. | B．God helps those who help themselves. |
| C．To be square and round, rules must be strict. | D．Teaching a man to fish is better than giving him fish. |
| A．The popularity of famous people. | B．An investigation into social justice. |
| C．The achievements of some companies. | D．An actress’s contribution to the less fortunate. |
6 . Alibaba Group Holding is sparing no effort to turn its annual Singles' Day shopping festival into a universal celebration. The challenge for billionaire Jack Ma's(Ma Yun)online kingdom is to break another sales record after a decade of rapid developments. With rising strong competition from smaller platforms such as JD.com Inc. and Pinduoduo Inc., Allibaba is seeking to add new growth engines.
Now the retail(零售)celebration on Nov.1 has become an important signal not just for the company, but also the world's second largest economy, China. This year, shoppers in China have broken last year's record by making the sum of $30.8 billion in sales, as the tradition marked its 10th year. "Singles' Day has now become a stage for Alibaba to present its power across all its platforms." Daniel Zhang (Zhang Yong), chief executive officer(CEO), said at an October news conference in Beijing. He's taking over after Ma steps down as executive chairman next year.
It was Zhang who came up with the idea of turning Singles' Day into a shopping festival a decade ago. Now that this year's one-day fair will be Ma's last as chairman, Zhang will need to prove he can carry on the wonder. "We think I billion packs will become a daily event in the future." he said.
To fuel growth, Alibaba is speeding up its global exploration. Eleme, the company it took control of this year, will provide services for selected Starbucks stores across 11 cities in China. Rural Taobao, aiming at the customers in the countryside will offer special discount(折扣)for goods across 800 counties.
Although it's been three years since Ma said he wants to make Singles' Day a global shopping event, that hasn't happened yet. International expansion will be a key part of Zhang's plan to keep breaking sales records.
1. According to paragraph 1, Alibaba is exploring more growth engines because .| A．other companies are competing for the market |
| B．it has broken a new sales record |
| C．Jack Ma's dream has come true |
| D．it has developed swiftly in the last ten years |
| A．shoppers in China doubted whether Zhang will be a successful CEO |
| B．the Singles' Day shopping festival started over ten years ago |
| C．the idea of the-retail celebration on Nov l I was put forward by Jack Ma |
| D．Zhang has a long way to go before he sets another sales record |
| A．giving an explanation | B．making a comparison |
| C．listing examples | D．offering data |
| A．challenging and hopeless | B．challenging but hopeful |
| C．worrying and doubtful | D．worrying but promising |
7 . Now that the internet provides us with direct access to all kinds of information, some people say we don't need public libraries. This may be why some public libraries are finding new ways to serve the public.
Finnish designers used the concept of a useful public space to prove the point. Helsinki Central Library Oodi pushes the boundaries of what a library can be. The library opened its doors at the end of last year.
Antti Nousjoki, one of Oodi's architects, said the idea behind its design is to make the place “an indoor town square”. The building was designed without interior support columns, so the inside is mostly a large open space. According to Tash Reith-Banks of the Guardian, this is quite different from the normal idea of libraries-"Dull and silent".
Of course, Oodi still serves as a traditional library, with a catalogue of about 100,000 books. Finnish news outlet Yle Uutiset reports that, since opening, Oodi lends out5,000 books each day. But given the fact that Oodi has attracted almost a million viewers during the past four months, with around 7,500 daily visitors, it's providing more than just books.
While most libraries around the world offer internet access and other services, Finnish libraries often differ themselves in services, including access to e-publications, sports equipment, power tools and even karaoke.
Oodi goes even further. On the middle floor, multi - function rooms are designed to accommodate both noisy and quiet activities. It also offers facilities like a 3D printer and recording studios.
“Oodi has been designed to give citizens and visitors a free space to actively do what they want to do-not just be a consumer,” said Nousjoki.
1. What is special about Oodi?| A．It has more books. | B．It's a place for both books and activities. |
| C．It only provides e-books | D．It allows visitors to stay overnight. |
| A．has a long history | B．makes architects popular |
| C．houses a large collection of e-books | D．is successful in finding new ways to serve people |
| A．A Library Of More Than Books | B．A Public Place For All Visitors |
| C．A New Way Of Reading Books | D．A Unique Experience of Visitors |
8 . John Rosher can treat a jellyfish sting and ice skate backwards.He is good at playing chess and can confidently talk about nuclear science.The 17-year-old from Kansas,US has gained knowledge about many subjects,all because of the Boy Scouts(童子军）.
The Boy Scouts is a kind of club that teenagers can join to learn skills. Every time members master a new skill, they earn a merit badge(勋章）. Rosher has earned all 137 available badges.In the 105-year history of the Boy Scouts of America,fewer than 300 scouts have achieved that.
When Rosher joined the Boy Scouts at 10,his only goal was to earn more merit badges than his dad,who had earned 54 during his time in the Scouts.After beating his dad's record,Rosher realized he wanted to keep going.He enjoyed the challenge.
The badges are earned for subjects from safety to career skills.Rosher earned some of the badges during his family vacations.He went water rafting in Colorado.He practiced fishing in the Amazon jungle with alligators(鳄鱼）all around him.Not all the badges needed a vacation.For example,for his model design badge,he spent hours building a 3-D model of a spaceship at home.
Earning so many badges wasn't easy,especially since he's also dealing with band, soccer,and volunteer work.But Rosher is thankful for all his experiences."They have shaped me and taught me to be more adventurous,"he said."Everything I learned in Boy Scouts will stay with me forever."
1. What do we know about Rosher?| A．He has earned 54 badges so far. |
| B．He has achieved a lot in nuclear science. |
| C．He has been a Scout member for 10 years. |
| D．He has learned many skills after joining the Boy Scouts. |
| A．enjoys collecting badges. |
| B．likes meeting more challenges. |
| C．wants to prove himself to his friends. |
| D．hopes to win more badges than his father. |
| A．Common. | B．Painful. | C．Rewarding. | D．Boring. |
In order to encourage literacy (读写能力) among kids who are more used to playing on their smart devices. LA County
For those
Kids can now go to their local library and tell the librarian that they would like
The program has already had a major effect
The Times Higher Education magazine has listed 200 top universities all over the world based on how they are regarded by a group of international college teachers. That is to say the list measures how universities are regarded, rather than how they actually performed.
A subjective, word-of-mouth（口碑的）quality such as "reputation" has genuine economic value for universities, said Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
"Reputation is not just an impression, though it might be not as reliable as performance by objective indicators（客观指标）," said Prof Marginson.
Based on the views of 13,000 college teachers around the world, it confirms the power of the big US universities, which dominate this list. Seven of the top 10 are US universities, headed by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Furthermore, 14 of the top 20 are from the US. Cambridge is the highest ranking UK university in the list, in third place, with Oxford ranked as sixth.
For students applying to university, reputation might be hard to quantify, but was an important part of the attractiveness, said the president of Cambridge University's students' union, Rahul Mansigani.
"Reputation makes a huge difference. If there is an idea that somewhere is great, it will get lots of good people applying whether it's true or not. Factors such as a sense of history and the presence of outstanding college teachers were part of the reputation of Cambridge," he said.
1. The underlined word “dominate” in Paragraph 5 probably means __________.
| A．affect | B．decide |
| C．control | D．improve |
| A．No Asian universities are among the Top 10. |
| B．At least five UK universities are among Top 20. |
| C．The Times Higher Education magazine is from the US. |
| D．Reputation affects students’ decisions when choosing universities. |
| A．Turning ideas into reputation |
| B．World’s best universities ranked in order of reputation |
| C．The top 200 universities in the USA |
| D．Reputable Universities attractive to more students |
