1 . Fired bricks are a universal building material, produced by thousand-year-old technology, which throughout history has seldom served any other purpose. But researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have found a new use for bricks:as energy storage units. A team of engineers and chemists have found a way to transform an ordinary house brick into a battery (电池) — allowing it to conduct (传导) and store electricity.

The researchers connect an LED light bulb (灯泡) to the bricks. They are powerful enough to illuminate it and cost only about $3 to make.

“I love the idea of adding value to things that are inexpensive, things that are affordable, things that we see every day,” said Julio D'Arcy, an assistant professor of chemistry at Washington University and one of the researchers on this project.

The new invention relies on something known as iron oxide, a form of matter in bricks that gives them their red colour. The scientists pumped the bricks with several gases that react with iron oxide to produce a network of plastic fibres. These fibres coat the empty spaces inside the bricks — and conduct electricity.

“What we’re trying to do is:we're trying to make specialized plastics and then we can actually put those plastics inside construction materials,”D’Arcy says. “In the future, a brick wall could potentially serve two purposes at one time:providing structural support and storing electricity produced from renewable energy sources,such as solar panels.”

The technology is still at least a few years away from being ready for the market. And right now the energy that the bricks can store is still not much. Hut the team is now testing ways to improve brick performance — because it looks like you can find a new purpose for an old brick.

1. What did the researchers turn bricks into?

A．Lighting equipment.	B．Construction materials.
C．An electricity-storage item.	D．A new form of green energy.

2. What does the underlined word “illuminate” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Store.

B．Light.

C．Conduct.

D．Transform.

3. What conducts electricity in the bricks?

A．Iron oxide.	B．The stored gases.
C．The produced fibres.	D．The empty spaces.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Old Bricks, New Tricks	B．A Bright Future Is on the Way
C．A New Way to Produce Electricity	D．Recycled Batteries,Renewable Energy

2 . This is the moment a cleaner at a British university burst into tears after students raised $ 2,063 to send him to Jamaica on vacation to see family.

Herman Gordon, who has worked at Bristol University for more than a decade, is described as “one of the most loved” members of its cleaning staff. He is so well liked that a group of students raised money to give him a holiday. A video shows a student hands an envelope of cash to the surprised Gordan with tears rolling down his cheeks. He wipes away tears with a cleaning cloth and hugs the student who gave it to him. Gordan said: “I want to thank every one of you and God bless every one of you.”

The group of students started the fundraising because they liked Gordon so much. A post said: “The Jamaican cleaner in the biomedical library is the jolliest man I have ever met; he makes me smile even when I’m in the deepest depths of sorrow, if you want a reason to smile, go talk to him for a minute or two.”

Anyone who has been to the biomedical library knows who Herman the cleaner is. Simply put, Herman is the epitome（典范）of happiness, “All year round, this man works hours on end to provide us with a clean working space in which to study. But most importantly, his everlasting positive attitude has managed to turn many students’ dark days into positive ones filled with joy,” said a student. Whether you’re just feeling generally down or stressed out due to exams, Herman is always there to encourage you.

This legend proves that happiness is not about what you own, what job you have or how much money you’ve got, but about appreciating what you currently have in life even if it’s small.

1. What was Herman Gordon’ reaction when receiving the fundraising?

A．grateful.

B．stressed.

C．delighted.

D．astonished.

2. What does the underlined word “jolliest” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．most miserable.

B．most cheerful.

C．most generous.

D．most glorious.

3. In which aspect do students benefit most from Herman?

A．Building confidence.	B．Developing exam skills.
C．Learning self-control.	D．Gaining biomedical knowledge.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A biomedical library cleaner. .	B．A group of warm-hearted students.
C．Money-raising to send a cleaner on vacation.	D．The most loved cleaning staff.