1 . Researchers at the University of Maryland have turned ordinary sheets of wood into transparent material that is nearly as clear as glass, but stronger and with better insulating properties(隔热性). It could become an energy efficient building material in the future.
Wood is made of two basic ingredients: cellulose, which are tiny fibres, and lignin (木质素),which is a glue-like material that bonds the fibres together to give it strength. The lignin also contains molecules called chromophores, which give the wood its brown color and prevent light from passing through.
Early attempts to make transparent wood involved removing the lignin, but this involved harmful chemicals, high temperatures and a lot of time, making the product expensive and somewhat fragile. The new technique is so cheap and easy that it could literally be done in a backyard.
Starting with pieces of wood a meter long and one millimeter thick, the scientists simply brushed on a solution (溶液)of hydrogen peroxide using an ordinary paint brush. When left in the sun, or under a UV lamp for an hour or so, the peroxide remove color from the brown chromophores but left the lignin undamaged, so the wood turned white. Next, they filled the wood with a tough transparent epoxy, which filled in the spaces in the wood and then hardened. This made the white wood transparent.
As window material, it would be much more resistant to accidental breakage. The clear wood is lighter than glass, with better insulating properties, which is important because windows are a major source of heat loss in buildings. It also might take less energy to produce clear wood because there are no high temperatures involved.
Transparent wood could become an alternative to glass in energy efficient buildings, or perhaps coverings for solar panels in harsh environments. There could be no end of uses.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The classification of wood strength. | B．The characteristics of wood. |
| C．The causes of wood color. | D．The structure of wood. |
| A．By removing the lignin. | B．By reducing chemicals. |
| C．By lowering the temperature. | D．By changing the experiment site. |
| A．To make the wood stronger. | B．To take away the brown color. |
| C．To turn the wood transparent. | D．To fill the spaces in the wood. |
| A．Replacing Glass with Wood | B．Turning Wood Transparent |
| C．Energy Saving Material | D．Eco-friendly Alternative |
2 . Slowing down was the last thing on Elaine Schaefer's mind when she turned 70 last year. She'd enjoyed an ambitious travel schedule for the previous decade. She didn't feel too old to travel.
Yet many people are asking that slightly embarrassing question: Can you be too old to travel? The travel industry has already responded. Try renting a car in Europe, for example. In Croatia, Schaefer wouldn't be able to this year, because the maximum age is 70. Insurance companies require higher rates; tour operators limit certain activities. That feels like a " no" for many travelers.
Definitely some folks should think twice before traveling, but not only based on their age. It's their level of fitness, says Kirsten Veldman, a former tour guide who now edits a retirement blog. She recalls a 93-year-old who was disabled and traveling alone on a Caribbean tour. "You can't expect to ask a tour leader to be there for you 24/7 for medical care. " she says. "Tour guides don't have the time, skills, and knowledge for it. So, in this case, my advice is: he shouldn't have traveled with us in this situation. "
But some tour operators serve older travelers. For example, Grand Circle Travel started in 1958 to serve senior members. “We have travelers into their 80s and even 90s. Some travel as a couple and some alone,” says company spokeswoman Ann Shannon. “We have no age limit.”
If you ask travel experts, they'll tell you that age is just a number. It's a question of physical, and to a certain extent, mental ability. "Many of our travelers are retired, focused on keeping their good health, and are experienced travelers who have a good idea of what to expect, "says Sara Baer-Sinnott, president of Oldways, a food and nutrition nonprofit that operates tours. "Someone in their 40's may struggle more than someone in their 80s. "
1. What is expected if Schaefer travels in Croatia this year?| A．She can rent a car to go around. |
| B．She has to pay more insurance fees. |
| C．She can join in all kinds of activities. |
| D．She will receive 24/7 medical care. |
| A．His old age. | B．His lack of money. |
| C．His poor health. | D．His in sociable personality. |
| A．It is a non-profit traveling organization. |
| B．It offers service to a wide range of travelers. |
| C．It has a history of more than seven decades. |
| D．Its main customers are senior travelers. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Supportive. | C．Tolerant. | D．Objective. |
3 . Growing up in Taiwan as the daughter of a calligrapher（书法家），one of my most treasured memories was my mother showing me the beauty, the shape and the form of Chinese characters. Ever since then, I was attracted by this amazing language.
But to an outsider, it seems to be as impenetrable as the Great Wall of China. Over the past few years, I've been wondering whether I can break down this wall, so that anyone who wants to understand and appreciate the beauty of this complex language could do so. I started thinking about how a new, fast method of learning Chinese might be useful.
At the age of five, 1 started to learn how to draw every single stroke（笔划）for each character in the correct order. I learned new characters every day during the next fifteen years. You only need 1 ,000 to understand the basic communication. The top 200 will allow you to read 40 percent of basic literature-enough to read road signs, restaurant menus, to understand the basic idea of the web pages or the newspapers. Today I'm going to start with 8 characters to show you how the method works.
Open your mouth as wide as possible until it's square. You get a mouth---口. This is a person going for a walk with two legs. Person---人.The shape of the fire is a person with two arms on both sides, as if she was yelling crazily, u Help! I'm on fire!" ---火. This is a tree---木.This is a mountain--山.The sun---日. The moon---月.The symbol of the door looks like a pair of car doors---门.These eight characters are the building blocks for you to create lots more characters.
1. What does the underlined word " impenetrable " in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Available to learn about. | B．Worthwhile to access. |
| C．Difficult to get across. | D．Important to understand. |
| A．To prove her ability to learn. | B．To help her mother with her career. |
| C．To get better grades in exams. | D．To enable more people to enjoy Chinese. |
| A．read restaurant menus | B．understand newspapers well |
| C．communicate with natives | D．enjoy basic literature |
| A．How the eight characters build other characters. |
| B．What other meanings the eight characters have. |
| C．Where the eight characters can be used in daily life. |
| D．Why the eight Chinese characters are formed in this way. |
4 . Imagine a world where you move around in front of a personal computer in your own sound space. You listen to your favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie—all without other people hearing the sound. That is the possibility presented by “sound beaming,” a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company.
On Friday, the company presented a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones or a special receiver. Noveto Systems gave The Associated Press (AP) a chance to test its Sound Beamer 1.0 before its debut. The AP’s Louise Dixon writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie. The sound seems so close it feels like it is inside your ears while also in front, above and behind them.
Noveto expects the device will have many uses. Office workers could listen to music or conference calls without others hearing. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Because the device does not use headphones, it is possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly.
The device uses a 3-D technology that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic waves to create sound pockets by the user’s ears. Sound can be heard in stereo or 3-D. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener The demo version of the device included nature videos of birds on a lake, bees flying and a quiet waterway. By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when they move their head. It also is possible to move out sound beam’s path and hear nothing at all.
While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to launch the technology. Its chief executive officer Christophe Ramstein said a smaller version of the device will be ready for release to consumers next year.
1. What do we know about Sound Beamer?| A．It’s a device appearing in the science fiction movie. |
| B．Listeners got its sound through a receiver. |
| C．It can prevent other sound being heard. |
| D．The smaller one will be on market next year. |
| A．New version. | B．First appearance. | C．Another failure. | D．Some doubt. |
| A．How the device works. | B．How to use the device. |
| C．The device’s advantage. | D．Why the device is invented. |
| A．The introduction of a new device — sound beamer. | B．The usage of 3D technology. |
| C．The influence brought by sound beamer. | D．3D technology and listening experience. |
5 . Malaysia’s last rhinoceros(犀牛), Iman, died last November. Some skin, eggs and tissue are all that remain of her. Now, scientists plan to use experimental technology to try to bring back Malaysia’s rhinos by using cells from Iman and two other dead rhinos.
Muhammad, biologist at the International Islamic University of Malaysia, said, “If everything...well and everybody supports us, it’s not impossible.”
Malaysia’s rhinos, the smallest among the world’s rhinos, once lived across Asia. But hunting and forest losses reduced their numbers. There are about 80 such rhinos left in Indonesia. But, in Malaysia, the species disappeared from the wild in 2015. Iman was 25 when she died at her home in a protected natural area on Borneo island. Tam, the country’s last male rhino, died there in May of 2019. Efforts to get the two to mate and produce young had failed.
John Payne of the Borneo Rhino Alliance has worked to save Malaysia’s rhinos for about 40 years. He said that Tam was likely too old to produce good sperm. “To increase the chances of success, one should get sperm and eggs from the rhinos in Indonesia,” he said. But, Payne said Indonesia is not supportive of the idea.
The Malaysian scientists plan to use cells from the dead rhinos to create an embryo. The embryo will then be placed into a living rhino, or a closely related animal, such as the horse. The plan is similar to one for the African northern white rhinoceros, of which there are only just two left. Even if it worked, the animals’ lack of diversity could create a threat to their long-term survival, Galli told Reuters.
Indonesian scientist Arief Boediono is among those helping in Malaysia. Arief hopes that suecess there will help his country’s rhinos.
“It may take five, 10, 20 years. I don’t know,” Arief said. “But there has already been some success involving lab rats in Japan, so that means there is a chance.”
For now, however, Iman’s skin will be used to create a reproduction of the animal. It will be placed alongside a reproduction of Tam in a Borneo museum.
1. What do Muhammad’s words actually mean?| A．There are no chances of the successful rescue of Malaysia’s rhinos. |
| B．Indonesia government is to blame for rhinos’ rescue and extinction. |
| C．The world organizations should support the rhinos’ rescue. |
| D．There exists hope for the rebirth of Malaysia’s rhinos. |
| A．Unexpected disaster. | B．Shooting and narrowed habitats. |
| C．Broken food chain. | D．Climate changing continuously. |
| A．Scientists try to bring back Malaysia’s rhinos. |
| B．An experimental technology is facing challenges. |
| C．Welcome to team up to save wild animals. |
| D．Rhinos in danger are drawing attention. |
| A．Indifferent | B．Objective. | C．Ridiculous. | D．Pessimistic. |
6 . Cookies are small pieces of data, stored in text files, which are stored on your computer or other device when websites are loaded in a browser(浏览器). They are widely used to “remember” you and your preferences, identify popular news stories, and remember what you are logged in. The table below explains the types of cookies we use on our websites and why we use them.
Category of cookies | Why we use these cookies |
Functionality | These cookies are used to store preferences set by users such as account name, language, and location. |
Security | We use these cookies to help identify and prevent potential security risks. |
Analytics and Performance | Performance cookies collect information on how users interact with our websites, including what pages are visited most, as well as other analytical data. We use these details to improve how our websites function and to understand how users interact with them. |
Advertising | These cookies are used to display relevant advertising to visitors who use our services or visit websites we host or provide, as well as to understand and report on the efficacy of ads served on our websites. They track details such as the number of unique visitors, the number of times particular ads have been displayed, and the number of clicks the ads have received. They are also used to build user profiles, including showing you ads based on products you’ve viewed or acts you have taken on our (and other) websites. These are set by Automatic and trusted third party networks, and are generally persistent in nature. |
1. Which cookies are applied to remembering personalized usernames?
| A．Security cookies. | B．Advertising cookies. |
| C．Functional cookies. | D．Analytics cookies. |
| A．Delivering online ads according to users’ interest. |
| B．Encouraging users to visit more websites. |
| C．Storing advertising network. |
| D．Displaying the enrolled websites. |
| A．Cookies are merely stored in the computer’s hard drive. |
| B．Cookies are likely to distinguish the website you sign up. |
| C．Cookies may give away information easily. |
| D．Cookies are massive database. |
7 . As if attending college isn't expensive enough, the cost of textbooks has been rising rapidly in recent years. Textbooks are something students can't avoid, but thankfully a number of companies have stepped up with options to make them more affordable.
Chegg
Chegg has everything a student could ask for. You can rent or buy hard-copy and eTextbooks, with savings up to 90% off their list price. Shipping is free on all orders over $ 50, and if you order the wrong book, Chegg allows 21-day trouble-free returns.
AbeBooks
A be Books has more than just textbooks. It has a wide variety of fine art, rare books and special editions. Thousands of independent booksellers list their textbooks for sale on abebooks.com. The site has new and used textbooks, academic journals, classic literature, reference books and even international editions. Any book priced $ 15 or above has free shipping policy.
ValoreBooks
ValoreBooks offers deep discounts on millions of titles, with a fortnight free return shipping service. The site gives students the ability to buy or rent textbooks from over 18,000 sellers and rental providers. Plus, when you're done with the book, you can sell it right back through valorebooks.com, making the process as easy as possible.
eCampus
Through eCampus.com, students can buy, rent and sell textbooks and e-books. You can enjoy free shipping on orders over $35, plus a 25-day, trouble-free return policy. And the site runs an ongoing promotion where you can save an additional $ 5 on your order by texting the word BOOKS to 87955.
1. Which of the following do Chegg and AbeBooks both provide?| A．A variety of fine art. | B．Conditional free delivery. |
| C．90% discount. | D．Trouble-free returns. |
| A．7 days. | B．14 days. | C．21 days. | D．25 days. |
| A．By texting “BOOKS” to 87955. | B．By selling more e-books. |
| C．By purchasing more than $ 35. | D．By running a promotion. |
8 . Drone（无人机）Training for Recreational Flyers
When: Saturday 12 December 9 a. m. to 1 p. m
Website: www. drone-wise. com. Au
Where: Hall ACT
Cost: $ 285 pp（per person）
This is the perfect training course if you plan to buy a drone soon. Best of all, no experience is required and the drones will be provided，so you just need to book online and come along on the day. The training course is held at Hall ACT. The 4-hour beginners course is $285. This includes written material, use of the Drone-wise aircraft for flying and morning tea. If you are under 18 years of age, you will need to be accompanied by a parent or grown-up friend or relative. Book your place today at drone-wise. com. au/our-training-courses.
Led by Martin Bass and Tim Robinson, commercially rated drone pilots with considerable experience, this training course is a chance to get.
Basic Knowledge
Recreational drone flying and the law
Risks and how to manage them
Flying environment
Basic Flying Skills
Pre-flight planning and checks
Aircraft handling skills
Obstacle avoidance
Your Instructors:
Martin Bass. Martin is a pilot with over 20-year experience He is also a commercial drone pilot and enjoys recreational drone flying as well. In his other role as a consultant and trainer to local government, Martin is an experienced educator and holds an honorary position with the University of Western Sydney.
Tim Robinson: Tim is an experienced photographer as well as a commercial drone pilot. His photos are about nature and wildlife. Tim is also an experienced adult educator and has lectured at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of Canberra.
1. What do we know about this training course?| A．it will last for an hour. |
| B．It requires experience of flying drones. |
| C．It asks people to pay more for morning tea. |
| D．Adolescents are not allowed in with no companion. |
| A．High-level drone flying skills. |
| B．A chance to be a commercial drone pilot. |
| C．An understanding of different aircraft types. |
| D．Knowledge of dealing with risks of drone flying. |
| A．They work at the same university. |
| B．They are experienced in photographing. |
| C．They are good at commercial drone flying. |
| D．They pay much attention to wildlife protection. |
9 . It was a cold winter. The wind blew all night and the snow was blinding. When morning came, my three children and I got up and made our way to the windows. As we looked out the window, we saw that the henhouse was gone. Our three hens had been blown away.
I looked at the emptiness outside. Then I saw all three chickens sat around the edge of a white bucket. How was this violent wind not blowing them into the field beyond? I quickly pulled on long snow pants and heavy winter coat, wrapped a scarf and stuck my feet into very large boots.
I shouted at the wind as it blew. I was alone, save for my children. They stared out the window into the vast white sea of snow, their eyes peeled for any sign of movement. Outside I heard the sound of my boots as I walked against the wind.
The snow circling around me, I steadily made my way to the soft cluck-cluck-cluck sound my hens always made. When I reached them, I saw that their little feet were holding on to the edge of the bucket, heads bent forward and away from the wind. I gently lifted each hen and put it carefully into the warm inside. Then I began the freezing walk back to the small shed directly behind our house. One by one I laid my chickens on the cold floor, and they began to cluck softly.
As I shut the shed doors, my eyes went directly to the window where my children were watching. They jumped up and down cheering, and so did I! I wasn’t some dragon slayer (屠龙者) from a fairy tale. I was simply a mom, but the look on my children’s faces told me that they thought I was a hero mom.
1. What was the author’s feeling when seeing all three chickens sitting around the bucket?| A．incredible | B．worried |
| C．shy | D．confident |
| A．By searching for the white bucket. |
| B．By wearing protective clothes. |
| C．By following the sound of the hens. |
| D．By shouting at the henhouse. |
| A．The author’s children liked dragon slayers. |
| B．The children watched their mother all the way. |
| C．The author struggled to be a hero. |
| D．The author enjoyed herself in the snow. |
| A．Weather in extreme. | B．Hens in trouble. |
| C．Kindness in need. | D．Hero in the snow. |
10 . These days there is so much tempting technology to look at: smart phones, tablets, computer games and TV screens. Much of children's entertainment and education comes from using them, so it's no wonder they spend so much time staring at them. But even if the saying that looking at a screen for too long gives you square eyes isn't true, there is still some concern. So, should we be worried?
Certainly for children who spend hours glued to a screen, there is a concern that their health might be at risk. Also there is a fear that their eyesight is declining too. Although there's not much evidence to prove this yet, recent findings have brought the problem into light.
Chris Hammond, consultant at St Thomas' Hospital, says “We find short-sightedness is becoming more common It has greatly spread in East Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea where approaching 90 of 18-year-olds are now short-sighted.”
But can this be linked to children's obsession with using electronic gadgets? Annegret Dahlmann, expert at Moorfields Eve Hospital in London. says lack of natural light seems to be the key issue. She's suggested that children in East Asia study a lot, using computers, smart phones or tablets, and they go outside less. Wearing glasses is one solution, but it's not ideal.
This leads to a dilemma: achieving short-term academic success or protecting your long-term eyesight. It's always going to be a challenge to drag children away from their screens and it's likely that more and more studying will be done online. But despite that, Professor Hammond says. “In countries like urban China, where 10% of children in each class per year are becoming short-sighted from about the age of six. there's an argument for saying we should be trying to prevent it.” It's evidence we can't turn a blind eye to. So, maybe it's time to hit the “off” button and get our children outside?
1. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?| A．Recent findings have opened our eyes to the issue of eyesight. |
| B．Looking at a screen for too long will get you square eyes. |
| C．It has been confirmed that children's eyesight is failing. |
| D．Using electronic gadgets affects children's education. |
| A．Wearing glasses. | B．Heavy school work. |
| C．Lack of natural light. | D．Booming technology. |
| A．Learning online or offline. |
| B．Reading for pleasure or exams. |
| C．Focusing on study or protecting eyesight. |
| D．Protecting eyesight or promoting technology. |
| A．Study hard. | B．Head outdoors. | C．Quit computer. | D．Challenge more. |
