1 . Reducing plastic waste isn't easy because the cheap material is found in almost every household item. Now, a delicious and nutritious solution has come up to help reduce our dependence on this environmental hazard.
David Christian, the co-founder of Evoware, says the idea of creating the biodegradable (生物降解的) products came from concern at the country’s high pollution rate. Indonesia is home to four of the world's worst polluted rivers. Since single-use packaging is a large contributor to the problem, Evoware decided to deal with that first.
After investigating various materials, the company settled on seaweed. Unlike corn, commonly used for biodegradable containers, seaweed does not require resources like water or large amounts of space. Since Indonesian farmers already harvest more seaweed than they can sell, it's easy for the company to find the material.
Though they will not reveal their production process, Evoware says the seaweed packaging contains no chemicals and is safe to consume. The company has also invented single-use cups, which can break down 30 days after they're thrown away.
While replacing plastic with the seaweed products may seem appealing to most of us, it is a hard-sell in Indonesia. According to Christian, ''The awareness to reduce single-use plastic is still very low. This makes our bioplastic unnecessary.” Also a factor is the cost, which is higher than using plastic. Hopefully, Evoware will succeed in convincing Indonesians and people worldwide that switching to their products will be helpful to protecting our beautiful planet.
1. What problem did Evoware decide to deal with first?| A．Ways to clean the four worst polluted rivers. |
| B．What nutritious materials for people to use. |
| C．How to deal with single-use packaging. |
| D．Means to contribute to the country's economy. |
| A．It didn't require much space and was easy to get. |
| B．It could be found everywhere in his country. |
| C．It was most commonly used for packaging. |
| D．It grew thickly in most of the polluted rivers. |
| A．Their seaweed products have won government support. |
| B．Sometimes it's hard to get people to reduce the use of plastics. |
| C．Their new products have received worldwide popularity. |
| D．The cost of making seaweed products will be lowered soon. |
| A．Something lasting long. | B．Something hard to accept. |
| C．Something easy to get. | D．Something commonly seen. |
2 . Supermarket shelves are filled with plant-based alternatives (可代替品) to cow milk, including soy, nut, and coconut milk. These products are popular with consumers who cannot drink cows’ milk for health reasons, as well as with those concerned about animal welfare and environmental sustainability. While the dairy-free (非乳制的) options work well with cereal or in coffee, they fail miserably when it comes to making milk-based products like cheese or yogurt. However, these shortcomings may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a new company in California, which has figured out how to create animal-free milk in a laboratory!
Perumal Gandhi and Ryan Pandya founded the company in 2014 after becoming increasingly annoyed with the lack of cows’ milk-free alternatives, particularly for cheese. For Gandhi, who stopped consuming animal products five years earlier due to environmental and animal welfare concerns, the motivation to create a better alternative stemmed from his love of cheesy pizza. Pandya was spurred (被激发) to take action after being forced to eat some “really bad” dairy-free cream cheese on his sandwich.
The two MIT biomedical engineering scientists decided to join forces to create a more realistic alternative to dairy-based products. In their university lab, the pair spent nine months first isolating (分离) cow DNA then inserting it into yeast (酵母). This genetic modification (改造) enabled the yeast to produce the necessary milk proteins. The final step of the process involved mixing the proteins with some plant nutrients and fats.
The dairy-free milk not only tastes like the real thing but is also healthier, has a longer shelf life and, most important of all, is Earth friendly. According to the company’s website, when compared to conventional (常规的) milk production, their process uses 65% less energy, creates 84% less greenhouse gas emissions (排放) and requires 91% less land and an amazing 98% less water! Best of all, since it contains real milk proteins, the product behaves like the cow-produced version, which means vegetarian (素食的) consumers will no longer have to deal with the unpleasant cheese on their sandwiches and pizzas.
The company plans to bring their creation to market later this year and their first product will most likely be cheese since there are already many good cows’ milk products available to consumers.
1. The underlined word “those” in paragraph 1 refers to _______.| A．actions | B．products | C．people | D．reasons |
| A．their deep concern for the environment |
| B．their worry that farm animals were poorly treated |
| C．the over-consumption of the dairy-based products |
| D．the poor taste of dairy-free cheese presently available |
| A．The dairy-free products cannot be stored for a long time. |
| B．Cow farming causes considerable environmental damage. |
| C．The new products will taste better than dairy-based ones. |
| D．The dairy-free milk will be more expensive than cow’s milk. |
| A．Healthier Cheese |
| B．New Milk Saves Planet |
| C．Making Milk without Cows |
| D．Fresher Milk, Better Future |
3 . Public transport is declining in the rich world. To those who have to squeeze onto the number 25 bus in London, or the A train in New York, the change might not be noticeable. But public transport is becoming less busy in those places, and passenger numbers are flat or falling in almost every American city despite healthy growth in urban populations and employment.
Although transport agencies blame their unpopularity on things like roadworks and broken signals, it seems more likely that they are being outcompeted. App-based taxi services like Uber and Lyft are more comfortable and convenient than trains or buses. Cycling is nicer than it was, and rental bikes are more widely available. Cars are cheap to buy, thanks to cut-rate loans, and ever cheaper to run. Online shopping, home working and office-sharing mean more people can avoid travelling altogether.
The competition is only likely to grow. More than one laboratory is developing new transport technologies and applications. Silicon Valley invented Uber and, more recently, apps that let people rent electric scooters(滑板车) and then abandon them on the pavement. China created sharing-bicycles and battery-powered "e-bikes", both of which are spreading.
Transport agencies should accept the upstarts(新兴方式), and copy them. Cities tend either to ignore app-based services or to try to push them off the streets. That is understandable, given the rules-are-for-losers attitude of firms like Uber. But it is an error.
It is doubtful that most people make hard distinctions between public and private transport. They just want to get somewhere, and there is a cost in time, money and comfort. An ideal system would let them move across a city for a single payment, transferring from trains to taxis to bicycles as needed. Building a platform to allow that is hard, and requires much effort of traditional networks as well as technology firms. It is probably the secret to keeping cities moving.
1. What is the change in public transport in big cities?| A．It is becoming busier. |
| B．It is getting less popular. |
| C．There are fewer traffic delays. |
| D．There is more new transport. |
| A．there are roadworks and broken signals. |
| B．people are becoming healthier and employed. |
| C．cars and bikes are more and more available. |
| D．transport agencies are seemingly less competitive. |
| A．By giving examples |
| B．By providing research results |
| C．By stating arguments |
| D．By comparing different approaches |
| A．to develop an ideal system that satisfies everyone. |
| B．to provide people with more means of transportation. |
| C．to build a good platform that appeals to transport agencies. |
| D．to make traditional networks and technology firms cooperate. |
4 . While bees hopping from one flower to another is vivid to watch, having bees disturbing a backyard barbecue certainly isn’t. They may seem like pesky creatures to get rid of, but there are quite a few things you may not know about bees, especially the impact they have on our livelihood.
The main purpose of bees, particularly honey bees, is to help pollinate the plants around them. According to the Department of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University, pollinators (such as bees) help to fertilize plants, which results in “the formation of seeds and the fruit surrounding seeds”. Pollinators are necessary for three-quarters of our major food crops, including fruits, vegetables, and nuts. An estimated 300,000 species of plants need pollinators. That’s around 80 to 95 percent of plant species. Without pollinators, the number of crops we have will take a serious hit.
Other pollinators can help out with this process including butterflies, beetles, and flies. Even some birds and bats can be pollinators. However, bees of various species are known for being natural pollinators for plants.
Unfortunately, for years there has been an alarming decline of bees around the globe. The University of Vermont published a study stating that 23 percent of the wild bee population declined between 2008 and 2013. 139 counties in parts of California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, west Texas and the Mississippi River valley have taken the worst hit in wild bee declines. Since 39 percent of U.S. croplands rely on pollinators for their crop including those beloved apple orchards and pumpkin patches in the fall, we are facing a serious threat.
By taking care of the bees, our world is able to benefit in terms of agricultural income and nutritious food supply. You may not be able to make a huge change on an industrial level, but as someone with a landscape of your own, why not help save the bees?
1. What is the best title for the passage?| A．Bees Is Disappearing? |
| B．How You Can Save Bees? |
| C．How Bees Help Pollinate the Plants? |
| D．Why You Shouldn’t Kill Bees in Your Yard? |
| A．To provide delicious honey. |
| B．To disturb backyard barbecue. |
| C．To get rid of some pesky creatures. |
| D．To help pollinate the plants around them. |
| A．To show the diversity of plant species. |
| B．To show how we depend on plants. |
| C．To prove the importance of pollinators such as bees. |
| D．To make a comparison between plants which need pollinators and which don’t. |
| A．Because the bee population has decreased sharply. |
| B．Because lots of wild bees have been hit by people. |
| C．Because many people are attacked by wild bees. |
| D．Because the croplands have produced less crops in the fall. |
5 . The moon may shine white above us most nights of the year, but how much do we know about Earth’s neighbor and what lies beneath its surface? Scientists are aiming to find out.
On Jan 3, 2019, China’s Chang’e 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon – a first for humanity. It released a small probe (探测器), Yutu 2, or Jade Rabbit 2, which began to search beneath the moon’s surface using Lunar Penetrating Radar. These radio signals can reach 40 meters underground, three times the depth of the Chang’e 3 lunar probe launched in 2013 for the near side of the moon, China Daily reported.
In a study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found that the lunar soil’s top layer on the far side of the moon was much thicker than expected – about 40 meters. Other scientists only expected about 6 millimeters of soil based on NASA observations during the Apollo moon landings, according to The New York Times.
“It’s a fine, dusty, sandy environment,” said one of the authors of the study, Elena Pettinelli, a physics and mathematics professor at Rome Tre University, Rome.
Yutu 2 is specifically exploring the Von Karman crater (大坑), a large hole that’s 180 kilometers wide and also the landing site of Chang’e 4. It’s part of an even larger, older crater spanning more than 1,770 kilometers.
“The subsurface at the Chang’e 4 landing site is very complex,” said Li Chunlai, a research professor and deputy director-general of National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Observations suggest that the subsurface material is totally different than the previous landing site of Chang’e 3, she said.
Radar waves revealed various layers beneath the moon’s surface: grainy (颗粒状的) material, boulders (岩石), and further layers of fine and coarse (粗糙的) particles. This information is helping scientists to gain new understanding of the moon’s history and formation, as well as volcanic activity and lunar impacts.
Yutu 2 is the longest-working rover (巡视器) on the moon, but it won’t last forever. China plans to launch the Chang’e 5 probe later this year, Xinhua News Agency reported. The spacecraft is expected to bring pieces of the moon back to Earth for closer study.
1. What can we learn about the Chang’e 4 probe?| A．It was the first to land on the moon’s near side. |
| B．It explored areas as wide as 1,770 kilometers. |
| C．It is three times as large as the Chang’e 3 lunar probe. |
| D．Its signals could reach 40 meters beneath the moon’s surface. |
| A．It looks like a large hole. |
| B．It is about 6 millimeters thick. |
| C．It goes farther down than expected. |
| D．It is covered by boulders and fine and coarse particles. |
| A．Bring lunar samples back to the Earth | B．Explore the Von Karman crater. |
| C．Replace Yutu 2 to explore the moon. | D．Identify the moon’s various layers. |
| A．A history of Chinese lunar missions. |
| B．A report on the Chang’e 4 probe’s findings. |
| C．A comparison of the Chang’e 3 and 4 probes. |
| D．How Yutu 2 explored beneath the moon’s surface. |
Do not miss your chance to see Texas’ first modern art museum—the McNay Art Museum. There are more than 20,000 different and significant works. With beautiful Spanish gardens and the amazing architecture of the building, the art within the walls isn’t the only wonder to see.
Address: 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave, San Antonio
TEL:(210)8245368
San Antonio Art League & Museum
The San Antonio Art League & Museum is a great showcase for local artists and home to permanent exhibits, many of which express the history of the area. The museum houses both traditional and contemporary works.
Address: 130 King William Street, San Antonio
TEL: (210) 2231140
Guinness World Records Museum
The Guinness World Records has probably brought you amazing stories of all the record holders in the world. This museum is a good choice for the entire family, as it contains some of the most amazing oddities in the world.
Address: 329 Alamo Plaza, San Antonio
TEl: (210)2262828
Buckhorn Saloon and Museum
For a cowboy-style activity, head to the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. The Buckhorn Saloon and Museum is located only two blocks from the Alamo, offering a convenient location to those who are visiting Downtown San Antonio. After being built over 130 years ago, the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum has become a unique place for locals and tourists alike to visit. Here, guests will be able to feast upon delicious dishes.
Address:318 E. Houston Street, San Antonio
TEL: (210) 2474000
1. What can we see in Texas’ first modern art museum?| A．traditional and contemporary works | B．Stories of record holders |
| C．Beautiful gardens | D．Cowboy-style activities. |
| A．McNay Art Museum | B．Guinness World Records Museum |
| C．Buckhorn Saloon and Museum | D．San Antonio Art League & Museum |
| A．It only fits for local tourists. | B．It has a history of 100 years |
| C．It provides delicious foods. | D．It’s near downtown |
7 . We all want to be successful in our work. But what happens when our achievements come at the risk of losing important friendships? If your friends didn't receive what they were hoping for, your success could make them feel like they've been “left in the dust”. But does that mean that we shouldn't enjoy our achievements in case we displease someone or that we should feel sorry for being successful when others aren't?
Those of us who value friendships and close working relationships might feel embarrassed for achieving more than our friends. But we deserve our success, and nothing should take it away. Jealousy is only natural, but It’s often unreasonable, too. Your success is probably not connected with your friends' progress, so you shouldn't feel bad about achieving your goals. If your friends stay unfriendly, don’t be afraid to keep yourself away from them. You are not responsible for their weaknesses, and nor should they treat you sharply for furthering your work.
On the other hand, your friends may think highly of your recent success while hiding their real feelings. They could be jealous, angry or sad that they are not progressing at the same rate. So, be careful not to boast. It's a thin line between pride and self-importance, and by crossing the line, you may risk losing team support.
Next time you want to boast about your end-of-year win, or high-class new office, consider your listeners. Maybe your friends narrowly missed out on a position-raising, or experienced pay cuts which meant they didn't get what they were expecting. If your work is on a rising path, it doesn't mean that's the case for everyone.
Perhaps a step forward in your work has meant that you don't spend as much time with your friends as you used to. If you've changed a post or moved to a new office, take the time to stay in touch with old friends. Chances are that in the build-up to your success you've built strong relationships along the way. Don't let that hard work go to waste by losing touch with them.
1. From the first two paragraphs, it can be inferred that ________.| A．we should enjoy our deserving success |
| B．our success will certainly hurt our friends |
| C．friends will surely help us achieve success |
| D．our success is connected with our friends’ progress |
| A．Show up. | B．Stand out. |
| C．Talk big. | D．Keep silent. |
| A．Improve ourselves further. |
| B．Consider their feelings. |
| C．Help them make progress. |
| D．Make them proud of us. |
| A．How to share our success with friends. |
| B．How to enjoy our success to the fullest. |
| C．How to keep relationships between friends. |
| D．How to keep friendships while enjoying achievements. |
8 . The popular streaming service Netflix announced plans to exclude (排除) tobacco use from any of its new shows and movies that target younger audiences, specifically those below the age of 15. According to media reports, the decision comes from pressure from Truth Initiative, a large non-profit organization aiming to get rid of tobacco and make its use “a thing of the past”.
Smoking is a bad habit and no parents want their kids to start smoking. As such, excluding the vice (坏习惯) from television shows and movies young people watch makes good sense. I’ll acknowledge that Netflix’s decision to exclude smoking is a good one — but it’s a wildly inconsistent standard. What about other vices? For example, the use of bad language?
As parents of three young boys, my wife and I are trying to expose our children to good things. We want to encourage them to grow up to become responsible men who see the value and potential in every person. We want to see them avoid the landmines that so often entrap young people today.
Sadly, typical television shows and movies contain material that’s the exact opposite of that. It’s often said that companies only produce what people will consume — and there’s some truth in such a claim. But the organization I work for has long had an online site that helps parents know about what's in a movie, show or music album. We don’t tell you whether you should watch or listen — we simply let you know what it’s about — and let you decide. It’s our most popular site, attracting millions of visits each month.
Netflix might be surprised how many new customers they would win if they started producing content that parents actually want instead of themes that regularly stand in opposition to the values of the millions of moms and dads like me who want to see our kids accomplish more in life rather than simply avoiding the smoking habit.
1. Why did Netflix plan to cut smoking from youth-targeted content?| A．Because of appeals from parents. |
| B．Because of the influence of media reports. |
| C．Because of requests from young audiences. |
| D．Because of pressure from a tobacco control organization. |
| A．Bad habits. | B．Comfort zones. |
| C．Unrealistic dreams | D．Improper friendships. |
| A．It teaches parenting skills. |
| B．It promotes youth programs. |
| C．It advertises movies and shows. |
| D．It serves as an entertainment guide. |
| A．It is helpless. |
| B．It is far from enough. |
| C．It is against popular values. |
| D．It is a warning to tobacco makers. |
9 . THE SESSIONS
TRAVEL WRITING
Whether you're trying to impress an editor, get yourself noticed or start a career as a writer, our sessions will give you all the help and advice you need to make your words count.
We'll also be discussing the future of travel writing in this ever-changing digital world.
One-on-one sessions
Are you looking for tailored feedback on your work? If so, we have a limited number of one-on-one sessions with leading travel writers that will focus on your style, tone and narrative direction. Our partner, Olympus, will also be on hand to give you expert advice on getting the most use of their cameras. For more details on how to book, go online.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Don,t miss your chance to get tips straight from the top as our team of photographers and designers share their expertise. We'll cover everything from wildlife and landscapes to planning the perfect shoot and adapting to your environment when talking photos.
WHEN
6, October 10:00-18:00
WHERE
University of Westminster
Marylebone Road, London
NW15LS
TICKETS
£50 or two for £90
1. What should you do if you want to turn to Olympus for help?| A．Attend photography sessions. | B．Book one-on-one service. |
| C．Land a job as a writer or an editor. | D．Go to University of Westminster. |
| A．£90. | B．£110. | C．£140. | D．£180. |
| A．To advertise a magazine. | B．To provide part-time jobs. |
| C．To promote some classes. | D．To exchange experience. |
10 . Zoos have traditionally been built in a certain way: Animals on the inside, humans on the outside, peering in. This separation is good in theory—humans and animals need to be protected from one another—but terrible in practice, as animals end up living in an environment far from a natural habitat. A new plan for a Zoo in Denmark wants to reverse those roles, giving animals more freedom in captivity while effectively placing humans inside protective barriers.
Called Zootopia, the conceptual design has the goal of turning the safari(野外观兽旅行)style zoo into a place where animals determine interaction—not humans. “Try to imagine if you asked the animals what they would like. What would they decide?” says the director of the project. “They want their nature back, so to speak, and we are going to try to create that”.
In Zootopia, animals will wander free around the perimeter while humans observe, hidden away from view in underground passageways and naturalistic architecture structures. Visitors can watch lions through an underground enclosure disguised as a hill. They'll peek out at giraffes through windowed houses built into the side of a hilly plains. Outside of the main circular entrance, there will be no traditional buildings. “We want to take away human influence,” said Zootopia's designers.
The main challenge, of course, is to design the zoo in a way that the enclosure is still there but it's not visible. The two-phase plan, which will cost around $200 million, is still in the improving and approval phase; it'll be at least five years until we see any work finished on the park, and it's likely to take upwards of 10 years before it opens. Can the animals wait that long?
1. Why does a zoo in Denmark plan to create Zootopia?| A．to protect animals from humans. |
| B．to provide animals with a natural habitat. |
| C．to provide humans with more freedom in the zoo. |
| D．to protect humans and give animals enough freedom. |
| A．animals enjoy full freedom. | B．there will be no conventional buildings. |
| C．humans watch animals without being noticed. | D．humans can interact with animals at their will. |
| A．It’s tricky to design the enclosure. |
| B．Zootopia is now under construction. |
| C．There is a long way to go before Zootopia operates. |
| D．Zootopia arouses people’s concern about animals. |
| A．the future of Zootopia | B．the development of Zootopia |
| C．the fall of traditional zoos | D．the concept of a cage-free zoo |
