1 . In 2019, the world generated 54.6 million tons of e-waste. However, just 17.4 percent of it was formally collected and recycled. Since 2014, the amount of e-waste recycled has grown by 1.8 million tons—a relatively small amount, considering that the amount of e-waste generated increased by 9.2 million tons in the same period.
Global reserves of some elements, such as platinum, are supposed to be fully used up within 15 years if the proportion of recycled stocks entering production doesn’t increase. E-waste and EV batteries are currently recycled through processes called pyrometallurgy (火法冶金术) and hydrometallurgy (湿法冶金术). However, they involve burning temperatures with a high energy demand and deep carbon footprint, and poisonous chemicals which are harmful to the environment. Alternatives are therefore being sought.
A team of scientists from the University of Coventry are extending one such alternative. They have been using non-poisonous bacteria to oxidize and recover the precious metals—a process known as “bioleaching”. They have shown that copper is widely recoverable from e-waste, and that all metals present in EV batteries can be recovered by using microbes (微生物). If extended, bioleaching facilities would mean that manufacturers of EV batteries and other electronic goods would be able to recover metals locally, relying less on costly exports to recycling centers abroad.
“At present, a key limitation for e-waste recycling is the lack of certification detailing the types and amounts of metals contained in electronic goods. But with an efficient recycling process appearing, manufacturers have the motivation to use more recycled material in their products, which will change the very design of electronics goods. It’s about closing the loop of a product’s life cycle,” said the leader of the Bioleaching Research Group, Sebastien Farnaud.
Ultimately, bioleaching technology is born out of the idea of creating a truly circular process for the things that we consume. We need to shift from a mindset and economy where we see waste as an end product, to one where there isn’t even a start or an end at all.
1. What do the statistics in Paragraph 1 indicate?A.People pay no attention to e-waste recycling. |
B.The recycling rate of e-waste is comparatively low. |
C.E-waste has caused serious environmental problems. |
D.The amount of e-waste is sharply increasing every year. |
A.They are not environmentally friendly. |
B.They only apply to certain e-waste. |
C.They generate metals with a complex process. |
D.They cause a sharp rise in local temperatures. |
A.It has been applied abroad. | B.It releases no poisonous gas. |
C.It recovers metals by microbes. | D.It promotes the local export trade. |
A.a travel guide | B.a fiction novel |
C.a health magazine | D.a scientific journal |
2 . An exhibition of 125 life-size elephant sculptures has gone on display in London to highlight the need for coexistence between people and wildlife.
Organized by conservation groups Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective, the exhibition comes as a herd of wild Asian elephants roaming Southwest China’s Yunnan Province has drawn global attention. Elephant Family said it would like to see more strategies in place that allow elephants to migrate, eat, and do their best to fit into strange landscapes in a way that is safe for both people and wild animals.
The CoExistence exhibition is on display at Green Park, St James’s Park and Berkeley Square after the sculptures were initially placed outside Buckingham Palace in May. CoExistence is an environmental art exhibition by Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective. The elephants have been created deep in the jungles by indigenous (土生土长的) communities who live close to their real-life counterparts. Here, people and elephants coexist in denser (更密集的) populations than anywhere ese in the world.
The founder of The Real Elephant Collective, a nonprofit organization contributing to protecting elephants, said, “Our best guess is that elephants are very intelligent and have learned that humans grow lots of nutritious food. Elephants move over long distances and explore their environment, as their ancestors have always done. Coexistence is about negotiating this sharing of space.”
When many parts of the world went into lockdown to help control the spread of the novel coronavirus, researchers found wildlife thrived (茁壮成长) in the wake of reduced human activity. “A global reduction in human activity has had a positive effect on wildlife around the world,” Elephant Family said. “It has now been scientifically demonstrated that the moment we lighten our footprint, wildlife thrives and transforms the health of the planet for all. The COVID-19 pandemic has showed us that coexistence with wildlife is very much possible.”
After the exhibition, the sculptures will go on sale for between 6, 000 pounds (US $ 8,346) for a calf and 30,000 pounds for a large adult, Money raised will be directed toward some grassroots organizations working on peaceful coexistence.
1. What’s the aim of the CoExistence exhibition?A.To attract visitors to London. |
B.To raise money for protecting elephants. |
C.To encourage people to live in harmony with wildlife. |
D.To honour the elephants roaming in Yunan Province, China. |
A.Elephants cause no harm to humans. |
B.Elephants are almost as intelligent as humans. |
C.Humans and elephants are fighting for more space. |
D.The coexistence between humans and elephants needs efforts. |
A.The COVID-19 pandemic has no effect on wildlife. |
B.Fewer human activities are favorable to wildlife. |
C.People should try to avoid contact with wildlife. |
D.The exhibition can earn money for wildlife preservation. |
A.An Exhibition Tour of Elephant Sculptures |
B.Negotiation Between People and Wildlife |
C.Effects of Human Activities on Elephants |
D.Elephants’ Intelligence and Nature to Explore |
An island off the coast of Cape Cod is open to the public for the first time in 300 years. Sipson island
It is really important for us to be able to communicate the
The 24-acre island, which opens on Saturday ,
Now it is
4 . I experienced years of loneliness as a child.
A bright spot for me turned out to be reading. My love of the written word began early as my mother read to me every evening.
My mother also encouraged me to make what I wanted. I tried making toy cars with cardboard boxes and constructing buildings from leftover cardboard and bits of wood my father gave me. When my mother saw my creations, she told me how creative my designs were.
A.I wasn't alone any longer. |
B.I enjoyed reading stories aloud. |
C.I was invited to play with another kid. |
D.I loved the colorful photographs in the books. |
E.Another habit I formed early was being outdoors. |
F.Thus, I began my lifelong interest in making things. |
G.My older brother couldn’t be bothered to play with me. |
5 . I am an active playgoer and play-reader, and perhaps my best reason for editing this book is a hope of sharing my enthusiasm for the theater with others. To do this I have searched through dozens of plays to find the ones that I think best show the power and purpose of the short play.
Each play has a theme or central idea which the playwright(剧作家) hopes to get across through dialogue and action. A few characters are used to create a single impression growing out of the theme. It is not my intention to point out the central theme of each of the plays in this collection, for that would, indeed, ruin the pleasure of reading, discussing, and thinking about the plays and the effectiveness of the playwright. However, a variety of types is represented here. These include comedy, satire, poignant drama, historical and regional drama. To show the versatility(多面性) of the short play, I have included a guidance play, a radio play and a television play.
Among the writers of the plays in this collection, Paul Green, Susan Glaspell, Maxwell Anderson, Thornton Wilder, William Saroyan, and Tennessee Williams have all received Pulitzer Prizes for their contributions to the theater. More information about the playwrights will be found at the end of this book.
To get the most out of reading these plays, try to picture the play on stage, with you, the reader, in the audience. The houselights dim(变暗). The curtains are about to open, and in a few minutes the action and dialogue will tell you the story.
1. What do we know about the author from the first paragraph?A.He has written dozens of plays. | B.He has a deep love for the theater. |
C.He is a professional stage actor. | D.He likes reading short plays to others. |
A.Stating the plays’ central ideas. | B.Selecting works by famous playwrights. |
C.Including various types of plays. | D.Offering information on the playwrights. |
A.Control their feelings. | B.Apply their acting skills. |
C.Use their imagination. | D.Keep their audience in mind. |
A.A short story. | B.An introduction to a book. |
C.A play review. | D.An advertisement for a theater. |
6 . Roughly the size of a soda can, sitting on a bookshelf, a relatively harmless device(设备) may be turning friends away from your home. The elephant in your living room is your Internet-connected camera, a device people are increasingly using for peace of mind in their homes. But few stop to think about the effect these devices may have on house guests. Should you tell your friends, for instance, that they’re being recorded while you all watch the big game together?
"It’s certainly new territory, especially as home security cameras become easier to fix," says Lizzie Post, president of the Emily Post Institute, America’s distinguished manners advisors. " I think it will be very interesting to see what manners appear in terms of whether you tell people you have a camera or not, and whether guests have a right to ask that it be turned off, if it’s not a security issue. "Post wants to make clear that she’s not talking about legal rights, but rather personal preference.
When it comes to security cameras, Post says it’s a host’s responsibility to make sure guests feel comfortable within their home. If the host casually acknowledges that there is a camera in the room by telling a story about it, that may be enough to provide an opening for a guest to say if they are uncomfortable.
However, if a contractor(合约工)is working in your home, you don’t need to tell them that there are cameras watching. Then again, the camera can also work in contractors’ favor. "If anything does go wrong while they’re in the house, they don’t want to be blamed for it," she says. "In fact, the camera could be the thing that proves that they didn’t steal the $20, or knock the vase off the table.
1. The visitors are concerned that the security camera may .A.threaten their health | B.spoil their peace of mind |
C.disturb their privacy | D.affect their preference |
A.Indicating its position. | B.Making their guests feel at ease |
C.Turning it oil in time. | D.Having a casual talk with guests. |
A.It can prevent the accidents happening. | B.It can prove their innocence. |
C.It can record their working progress. | D.It can make their work more enjoyable. |
A.Negative. | B.Pessimistic. | C.Favorable. | D.Objective. |