1 . Google recently announced that it has begun using carbon-free electricity from a geothermal (地热能) project to power data centers in the state of Nevada.
Tim Latimer is chief and co-founder of Fervo Energy based in Houston, Texas. His company is working with Google on its geothermal project. Latimer said that getting electricity on the grid from geothermal resources is an event many new energy companies never reach. He added that he believes geothermal energy will become more well-known than in the past.
The International Energy Agency(IEA) has long suggested geothermal could be an answer to climate change. The IEA said in a 2011 document that geothermal could reach 3.5 percent of global electricity production each year by 2050. The Paris-based international group says geothermal energy could prevent almost 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Fervo Energy is using this first test to launch other projects that will provide more electricity to the grid. The company is currently completing some work in southwest Utah for a 400-megawatt project. Google and Fervo Energy started working together in 2021 to develop geothermal power. The plant near Winnemucca, Nevada, is now operating and is sending about 3.5 megawatts to the grid.
Google announced in 2020 that it would use what it calls “carbon-free” energy every hour of every day, wherever it operates, by 2030. Many energy experts believe huge companies like Google can play a part in increasing the use of clean energy.
Terrell noted the company was also an early supporter of wind and solar projects, helping those markets grow to where they are today. “It’s a very similar situation. Now that we’ve set a goal to be 24/7 carbon-free energy, we have found it will take more than just wind, solar and storage,” Terrell said.
The United States leads the world in using heat from the Earth for electricity production. U. S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said earlier this year that advances in new geothermal systems will help introduce this form of energy to areas where it has been thought to be impossible. This makes it possible to find energy in more places.
1. What is Tim Latimer’s attitude to working with Google?| A．Supportive. | B．Disapproving. | C．Concerned. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Fervo Energy has launched many geothermal projects before. |
| B．Geothermal energy will take the place of solar energy. |
| C．Getting electricity from geothermal resources has been widely used. |
| D．Geothermal energy has the potential to tackle environmental problems. |
| A．CO2 emission is to blame for climate change. |
| B．Carbon-free electricity only exists in our dream. |
| C．Google is setting a good example in environmental protection. |
| D．Wind and solar projects are more important than geothermal project. |
| A．Geothermal: an answer to climate change |
| B．Google: a company launching a new project |
| C．IEA: an organization contributing to global warming |
| D．CO2: the leading factor to global warming |
1.表达哀思；
2.对娃哈哈集团的希望和建议。
condolences—慰问；吊唁
Dear Ms. Zong,
I’m Li Hua from Hangzhou Foreign Language High School.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . The Grameen Bank (GB) project started in 1976 as an action research pilot project in “Jobra” village in Chattogram district of Bangladesh. In 1983, the pilot project was transformed into a bank with the aim of reducing poverty and empowering the poor in Bangladesh through micro credit.
The unique feature of GB is that no collateral（担保抵押）is required to get the credit from the bank. Unlike mainstream commercial banks that bring their clients to their shiny branch buildings where the poor are afraid to be trampled, GB carries its services to the comfort zone of its clients’ doorsteps. It has inspired the women and the weaker section of the communities to join the Grameen community. All banking businesses except loan disbursement（支付）are done in the meetings of the borrowers at the village level centers organized by the center managers. GB’s strong presence in remote areas of the country bears witness to this fact. GB has always made it a priority to empower women and involve them in economic activities. As a result, GB can proudly say that 98% of its borrowers are women. More than two-thirds of these women have moved on to better lives through poverty reduction.
GB is currently present in 81678 (94%) villages in the country and provides services to nearly 45 million people (including family member) through 10.34 million borrower members. Its microcredit program is being carried out as a successful model in reducing poverty in many countries of the world. GB was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 in appreciation of its efforts to create economic and social development from the bottom of the society through microcredit. Now GB is working not just to reduce the poverty of its borrower members, but also to ensure that their future generations are not left behind. It offers education loans, new enterprise loans, and scholarships to borrower members’ children.
Grameen Bank has been actively contributing to the development of Bangladesh.
1. What does Grameen Bank do to the borrowers according to the passage?| A．Do banking businesses at their village. | B．Take them to the grand bank building. |
| C．Help them step out of the comfort zone. | D．Send the loan money to their home. |
| A．Well received. | B．Left behind. | C．Watched over. | D．Looked down on. |
| A．Influencing almost every village in Bangladesh. | B．Helping the poor through microcredit. |
| C．Reducing poverty all over the world. | D．Caring about the future generations of the poor. |
| A．Women-first. | B．Interest-free. | C．Subject to education. | D．Guarantee-bound. |
A New Way to Learn Languages
Nowadays, the Internet is changing the way people learn languages. There is still no way to avoid the hard work through vocabulary lists and grammar rules, but since the birth of the Internet, books, tapes and even CDs
Livemocha, a Seattle-based company, has created a website helping people learn more than 38 languages by exchanging messages over the Internet and then
The CEO of Livemocha says the website’s advantage is the context
Livemocha is now experimenting with many ways that resemble the games
There are more and more companies like Livemocha offering online language learning to students throughout the world.
5 . How do you decide which charities to support? If a charity receives a high ranking, it must be effective at meeting its mission. Therefore, we pick some international charities that rank A+ in terms of financial health, accountability, and transparency.
International Children’s Fund
The mission of the International Children’s Fund (ICF) is to come to the aid of needy children worldwide since 1987. This charity distributes life-saving food, clothing, and medicine and it supports the construction of orphanages, schools, churches and vocational training centers across the African continent. ICF uses an impressive 99.7 percent of its funding for projects.
Direct Relief
With a history of over 7 decades, Direct Relief (DR) is a humanitarian organization with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies. DR’s assistance programs focus on emergency preparedness and disaster relief, disease prevention and treatment of the most vulnerable populations. DR uses a 99.4 percent of its funding for programs.
MAP International
Since its foundation in 1954, MAP has served millions of people. Its mission is to provide medicines and health supplies to those in need around the world so they might experience life to the fullest. At present, MAP is responding to recent emergencies that include areas hit by earthquakes or hurricanes, as well as helping refugees. Contributions go a long way here; a $25 donation provides $1,500 of medicine. A notable 99 percent of its funding is used for aid programs.
Books for Africa
Books for Africa organization collects, sorts, ships and distributes books that are donated by publishers, schools, libraries, organizations, and individuals. Volunteers choose books that are age and subject appropriate. Enough books for entire classes are sent. To date, 41 million books have been distributed to once-empty libraries and rural schools in every African country. This organization, founded 35 years ago, also uses 99 percent of its funding for its missions.
1. What does MAP focus on?| A．Building schools. |
| B．Improving people’s fitness. |
| C．Preventing natural disasters. |
| D．Supplying studying materials. |
| A．Direct Relief. |
| B．Books for Africa. |
| C．MAP International. |
| D．International Children’s Fund. |
| A．The people who founded them. |
| B．The region they offer help to. |
| C．The organization that sponsors them. |
| D．The reputation they enjoy worldwide. |
| A．Mr Brown. | B．The man. | C．The woman. |
Giant Pandas, one of the rarest animals in the world, are not only regarded as China’s national treasure, but also beloved by people around the world. Chengdu Panda Base is the world’s only museum
Located in the north Chengdu suburb with only 10 km to the city center, this base was first set up in 1987 with six sick and hungry giant pandas which
If you are not satisfied
In the volunteer program, you will follow the instruction of the staff
8 . Tesla’s leading position in the U.S. battery-electric vehicle market was facing a growing threat after its competitor Rivian scored a $3 billion funding round, raising its 2019 haul (数量) to $2.8 billion. The money was twice what Morgan Stanley forecasted for Tesla’s 2019 capital expenditures (资本支出) and would make Rivian a “serious” competitor. “Tesla may have a big lead today, but we expect this to change over time,” a team of New York-based Morgan Stanley analysts led by Adam Jonas wrote in a note sent to clients.
The analysts said Rivian’s cash haul might be bigger than Ford and General Motors’ combined spending on battery-electric vehicles in 2020 and enough to build a large factory in a low-cost country. It was also enough money to build two or three new models of electric vehicles. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the e-commerce giant, which had invested in Rivian, aimed to have 100,000 of the vehicles on the road by 2030.
Tesla controlled about 80 percent of the U.S. battery-electric vehicle market, but Morgan Stanley said its current position was “unsustainable long term” and expected a start-up with access to talent and capital to provide the “next serious competition.” The firm’s analysts also saw increased rival carmakers.
One such threat was the $500 billion merger (合并) between Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot, announced last November, which created the fourth-largest automaker by sales. At the time the deal was announced, Eric Schiffer, CEO of the Los Angeles-based firm Patriarch Organization, told FOX Business the deal would create a high degree of competition over the next five years and “one of the greatest dangers” to Tesla’ s survival.
Tesla’s accomplishments in the electric car market haven’t gone unnoticed as others in the field have had their fair share of struggles. Nio, often referred to as the “Tesla of China,” needed a $200 million injection from CEO William Li and the Chinese gaming giant Tencent, one of its largest shareholders, when it was struggling to keep up with delivery targets. Meanwhile, the vacuum-maker Dyson killed its $3.1 billion electric car project, saying it was not commercially workable.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Rivian’s increasing funding. | B．The growing threat from Rivian. |
| C．Tesla’s forecast of 2019 cash haul. | D．Tesla’s leading position in electric cars. |
| A．Make new models of electric cars. | B．Attract talented people and money. |
| C．Build factories in low-cost countries. | D．Cooperate with the e-commerce giant. |
| A．It would kill the Patriarch Organization. |
| B．It would create the largest carmaker. |
| C．It would hurt the electric car market. |
| D．It would present a big threat to Tesla. |
| A．To celebrate its achievements in car making. |
| B．To present the huge challenges facing Tesla. |
| C．To show Tesla’s influence on other electric carmakers. |
| D．To encourage great investment in the electric car industry. |
9 . There are at least 80,000 registered charities in Canada, ranging from churches to nursing homes to community centres. The latest report from the Canadian Philanthropy Survey (CIC) listed the top 10 charities in the country, and the following are among them.
Fresh Start Recovery Centre
freshstartrecovery.ca
Aimed at people in Alberta struggling against addiction and homelessness, Fresh Start Recovery Centre provides a four-month live-in program that includes fitness training and nutritional support. The group also provides short-term housing and employment information for those who are recovering from alcoholism. Other programs include a food truck that’s fully staffed by people in recovery; in 2020, it centered on bringing necessary supplies to those in need.
CUPS
www.cupscalgary.com
CUPS is the combination of a Calgary community center, health-care system and social-service agency. Many programs are specially aimed at families, including several parenting workshops. In 2020 alone, CUPS saw 2, 336 people use its services for the first time. During the COVID-19, it created “assisted self-isolation (隔离) sites” at a hotel for people with no fixed address who had been exposed to COVID-19.
Educational Program Innovations Charity (EPIC)
epiccharity.com
Youth living in poverty or in at-risk situations, as well as members of Black communities, get support from this Sydney, N.S. organization, including one-on-one mentoring (辅导), and scholarships for high-school graduates for higher education. The program also helps kids from poor families who struggle to get access to tech devices and Internet services.
Elimin8Hate
elimin8hate.org
This Vancouver group aims to fight anti-Asian racism using creative methods that range from interactive social-media activities to designs for educational campaigns. The organization also serves as a key platform: members of Asian communities who experience racial violence can report what happened, contributing to a database that’s sadly ever-expanding.
If you’re interested in learning more about which charities are most in need, check out canadahelps. org and charityintelligence.ca.
1. What do Fresh Start Recovery Centre and CUPS provide in common?| A．Food supplies. | B．Training for parents. |
| C．Job opportunities. | D．Temporary accommodation. |
| A．Accepting them as members of the organization. |
| B．Keeping them far from risks and dangers. |
| C．Offering them scholarships to university. |
| D．Teaching them how to surf the Internet. |
| A．Organize certain social-media activities. |
| B．Answer racial violence with violence. |
| C．Report his experience to the organization. |
| D．Stay in Asian communities all the time. |
10 . Diving with a Purpose
The water is cool against my skin, the silence absolute, and as I hover (盘旋) over the remains at the bottom of the sea, I feel peaceful, thankful, a sense of coming home.
Go underwater with me, and you’ll see about 30 other divers, paired in sets of two. They calmly float in place, despite strong currents off the coast of Key Largo, Florida, sketching images of coral-covered artifacts or taking measurements.
We are members of Diving With a Purpose, a group that trains divers to find and conserve (保存) historical and cultural artifacts buried deep in the waters.
However, the wrecks are hard to find. Ships from the past were primarily made of wood, and they have disintegrated over time and been absorbed by the sea. Searchers today use equipment such as side-scan sonars (声呐) to detect unnatural, manufactured materials in dark water.
The sandy ocean floor covers and reveals as it fancies. What may be seen today may not be seen tomorrow. A proper expedition with historians and archaeologists can take years. But it is important to take as long as is needed to look.
| A．Its goal is to help us find history and stories under the water. |
| B．We are helping document and mapping the remains of a shipwreck. |
| C．We love and volunteer to go underwater for the magic and cool feelings. |
| D．However, in some ways there is still so much we don’t know about DWP. |
| E．The information we gather from the depths tells a more inclusive history of us. |
| F．Unfortunately, the work can take place at sites home to marine life that shouldn’t be disturbed. |
