1 . The rapid growth in skyscrapers worldwide has led to a high demand for window washers since most of these buildings feature large glass panes (窗格) to highlight their breathtaking views.
Though the job offers a handsome salary, dangling alongside multi-story structures is dangerous, and accidents are not uncommon. However, if Israel-based company Skyline Technologieshas its way, the dangerous chore may soon be taken care of by Ozmo, an intelligent window cleaning robot.
"As a society, we've become too comfortable watching people hanging off the sides of 30-story buildings," says Yaron Schwarez, co-founder and CEO of Skyline Robotics. "No salary could justify allowing people to put their lives in the hands of a system of ropes."
Much like humans, Ozmo is placed on platforms suspended from the buildings and uses its arms and brushes to clean the dirt on the glass panes. A 3D map of the building's surface programmed into its system allows the robot to skillfully handle obstacles as it moves up and down the structure. Computer vision and touch sensors enable it to move out of the way in case of unexpected events, such as the sudden opening of a window.
Unlike current window washers, the robot cleaner does not require soap to clean the glass. Instead, it uses distilled water (蒸馏水) and a process called dirt absorption to do the job. Schwarez explains, "We use pure water to absorb and remove the salts, the minerals, the oils, and the dirt from the building. We are environmentally-friendly."
Ozmo is also expected to be much more efficient than humans. While it currently takes three cleaners 480 hours each to clean the windows of a 40-story glass building, the robot will single-handedly complete the task in just 80 hours. However, unlike other robots, Ozmo will not replace human workers. It will only make their jobs safer by lifting them to the role of supervisors, who will be remotely controlling the operation from below.
Whether Ozmo, which is still undergoing testing, does as good a job as human remains to be seen.
1. Which of the following can best replace the phrase "has its way" in paragraph 2?| A．Succeeds. | B．Hesitates. |
| C．Struggles. | D．Exists. |
| A．It requires chemicals to clean. |
| B．It has trouble crossing obstacles. |
| C．It operates with great efficiency. |
| D．It works without human helpers. |
| A．Optimistic. |
| B．Doubtful |
| C．Unconceded. |
| D．Objective. |
| A．Ozmo: a Double-edged Sword. |
| B．Ozmo: a Smart Window Cleaner. |
| C．Window Washing: a Dangerous Job. |
| D．Window Washing: a Blessing in Disguise. |
2 . Obviously, you want to make the most of your precious time, to squeeze every last drop out of the days. Here we've rounded up the best events for you and your family to enjoy in June in Shanghai.
Dog Day Saturdays
On the first Saturday of the month, The Rooster (Jing'an) throws a backyard party where dogs are welcome. There will be free hot dogs, Flying Dog Beers and dog treats for the little buddies. Donations will also be collected for local animal rescue group, Best Friends China.
June 6, 3~5p.m., RMB 50. The Rooster (Jing'an).
Shanghai International Literary Festival
The undisputed literary event champion of Shanghai is back! Every type of author is set to appear at this year's fest, including legendary Chinese American writer Amy Tar (The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's Daughter), Internet business expert Duncan Clark (Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built) , the Anthill founder Alec Ash (Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China) and many more. Stay tuned for our full festival preview and author features.
June 10 ~ 22, various times, RMB 85 or RMB 150 (for literary lunches). Clam.
Mom to Mom Sale
Sell or stock up on clothes, toys, books, strollers and other family goods at this twice-a-year market organized by Shanghai mothers. Sellers will contribute 15 percent of all their profit to the charity group, Heart to Heart.
June 21 ~ 22, 2-6p.m. (Sun.) 10a. m. ~ 2p. m. (Mon.), free entry. Shanghai Racquet Club.
Vivienne Westwood — Get a Life
The iconic fashion designer is the subject of this crossover exhibition of Chinese contemporary art and eco-friendly fashion inspired by Westwood's strong stance towards a climate revolution. Participating artists include Sun Xun, Wu Junyong and Zhang Ruyi.
Until June 28, free entry. Chi K11 Art Museum.
1. Who could you possibly meet al Glam on 21, June?| A．Jack Ma. | B．Alec Ash. |
| C．Bonesetter's daughter. | D．Joy Luck. |
| A．Dog Day Saturdays. | B．Shanghai International Literary Festival. |
| C．Mom to Mom Sale. | D．Vivienne Westwood — Get a Lile. |
| A．They are organized annually. |
| B．They take place at the same time. |
| C．Participants can support charily work. |
| D．Participants are admitted free of charge. |
3 . On a bright early summer morning, many young swimmers gather at a local swimming pool in the state of Maryland. They are members of a competitive summer swim team, and that’s a regular part of their daily life. As they train and cut seconds off their times, which makes them closer to the championship in the following large-scale (大规模的) competitions, they are getting lots of physical exercise and vitamin D from the sun. However, the benefits of belonging to a sports team are not just honor or health related. You can learn useful life skills.
Paul Waas, coach of the swim team, explains, “The discipline (自制力) comes into play when you’re talking about concentrating on the details that your coaches are saying as it makes you faster rather than going up and down the pool the same way you have every time. When you focus on what you’re doing right and what you can do better, then you’ll see the improvement.”
Besides, there is also responsibility, goals and workings within a group. Again, here is Coach Waas. “It’s really great! It’s so fun to watch from year to year. I’ve had kids who as 7-year-olds on the team could barely pay attention in practice and were only interested in who was going first. Now they’ve come back as 8-year-olds, having set some goals and having things that they want to achieve. These skills can help them a lot.”
But playing the sports is not without harm. Some can be hard on the body. Young athletes suffer serious injuries that follow them into adulthood. Coach Waas says that in fact, swimming is different from most others. First, it poses a lower risk of injury. The second one relates to how swim teams are structured. Actually, children are not the only ones who can benefit. Adults can also benefit from team sports.
1. Why do the swimmers gather at a swimming pool in the early morning?| A．To obtain vitamin D from the sun. | B．To build practical skills for future. |
| C．To join in a large-scale competitive. | D．To carry out their routine practice. |
| A．Swimmers should concentrate on details. |
| B．Members get disciplined and focused in the team. |
| C．Coaches play a key role in layers’ improvement. |
| D．Most swimmers enjoy sinning in the same way. |
| A．They are more aware of what to do. | B．They pay less attention to training. |
| C．They devote more time to practice. | D．They care more about who goes first. |
| A．Exercise benefits everyone. | B．Swimming is better than other sports. |
| C．Team sports teach life lessons. | D．Physical exercise should be a habit. |
4 . A struggling Waffle House employee who was trying to serve nearly 30 people by himself after midnight got a full serving of kindness when some customers jumped behind the counter to help him.
Ethan Crispo, 24, witnessed the inspiring scene in the early hours of Nov. 3 at a Waffle House in Birmingham, Alabama.
Crispo told TODAY’s Kerry Sanders that he had come to the 24-hour restaurant from a friend’s birthday party and saw the struggling employee, identified only as Ben, trying to cook the food, serve it, bus tables and wash dishes while more than 25 people were waiting to eat.
“The look on his face was just confusion,” Crispo told Sanders.
An unidentified male customer then decided to help him out, grabbing an apron and going behind the counter to wash dishes.
Another customer, Alison Stanley, went behind the counter to make some coffee—still dressed from a night out on the town.
“I don’t think it’s anything special,” Stanley told Sanders. “He needed help, so I got up and helped out.”
Crispo took some photos of the scene as multiple customers worked to bus tables and wash dishes while Ben focused on taking orders and preparing the food.
Waffle House told TODAY that Ben was left to support himself due to a scheduling issue.
“We had two associates scheduled to leave, however, due to a communication mix-up, their relief did not show up on time,” Waffle House director of PR Pat Warner said in a statement. “That left Ben, our cook, alone in the restaurant with hungry customers. He worked the grill (烤架) and got the orders out.”
The company was also thankful for the customers who joined in and helped Ben out.
“We are grateful that many of our customers feel like they are part of our Waffle House family,” Warner said. “There is a sense of community in each and every one of our restaurants, and we appreciate the fact that they consider our associates like family.”
“We are also very thankful for Ben, who kept the restaurant open. He is a representative of our Waffle House culture by always putting the customers first.”
Crispo had his usual order, double plain waffle, as he took in the scene of strangers helping out Ben on his shift.
“Humanity truly isn’t good, it’s great!” he said.
1. Ben was left to work alone during his midnight shift because ________.| A．his associates asked for a leave | B．there was a scheduling mistake |
| C．few customers needed to be served | D．the restaurant was scheduled to close |
| A．washing dishes | B．taking photos |
| C．taking orders | D．cooking food |
| A．They shared the same community spirit. | B．They were family members of Ben. |
| C．They wanted to serve themselves. | D．They were too hungry to wait. |
| A．Lucky and excited. | B．Moved and inspired. |
| C．Relieved and hopeful. | D．Content and unbelievable. |
5 . HOW BIG should a business team be?It is an enormously important issue for companies, Teams that are too small may lack the skills required to get the job done:teams that are too big may be impossible to co-ordinate.
Robin Dunbar.an anthropologist at Oxford University,has done a lot of work on primate(灵长目）groups.His argument is that the size of the group is linked to the size of the brain.With their large brains,humans can cope with larger bands,A larger social group has many advantages,allowing for greater protection and specialization.
Whereas 150 is sometimes referred to as the"Dunbar number",the academic himself in fact refers to a range of figures.He observes that humans tend to have five intimate friends,15 or so good friends,around 50 social friends and 150-odd acquaintances.
Running a larger network can be difficult.The armed forces have spent more than 1,000 years experimenting with unit size.A Roman centurion(百天长）oversaw 100.The modern American army company has 180 members.Britain's equivalent numbers 120.These are rough estimates,rather than fixed figures.But it is striking that many group activities seem to be close to a Dunbar number. The Special Air Service of Britain has four-man patrols;when your life depends on it,you need to have absolute trust in your colleagues.As a result,such groups are limited in size.
For much of economic history,work was conducted in small units by peasants,tenant farmers and craftsmen.The coming of powered machinery enabled production at a much larger scale,with workers crowded into factories.These days the rise of the service economy means that workers are no longer concentrated in such large groups.
This may not be a bad thing.It was easy for employees in large factories to regard remote company owners as "them"rather than"us".The modern company may settle on a model with a small group of"core"workers and a larger group of contract workers.The result may be more united within the core staff but the non-core staff may be less well treated.The small core teams may work effectively.The big question will be the effect on morale of those outside those teams.
1. What does the first paragraph serve as in the whole article?| A．An example of the topic, |
| B．An introduction to the topic, |
| C．A guide to the whole article, |
| D．No relation to the passage at all. |
| A．Workers crowded into factories |
| B．'These days the service economy has risen. |
| C．Workers are no longer concentrated in such large groups. |
| D．Employees regard company owners as"them"rather than"us". |
| A．A large group of exact 150 workers. |
| B．A small group of less than 15 core workers. |
| C．A small group of peasants and a large group of factory workers. |
| D．A small group of efficient workers and more contract workers. |
| A．To offer companies some useful advice. |
| B．To introduce us the most suitable size of teams. |
| C．To arouse the readers' interest in Robin Dunbar. |
| D．To persuade companies to adopt the"Dunbar number". |
6 . Stewardship Youth Ranger Program
If you were born in 2003, you could apply to be a Stewardship Youth Ranger (护林人) and work on local natural resource management projects for 8 weeks this summer.
Who is eligible: Students born in 2003 (16 or 17 at time of hire, but not turning 18 before December 31, 2020)
NOTE: Each team also requires a team lead, who may be any age and may or may not be a student.
Summer Employment Opportunities
Through the Summer Employment Opportunities program, students are hired each year in a variety of summer positions across the Ontario Public Service, its related agencies and community groups.
Who is eligible: Students aged 15 or older (Some positions require students to be 15 co 24 or up to 29 for persons with a disability due to program funding.)
Native Youth Work Exchange Program
If you self identify as Native you can apply for an 8-week summer job for up to 3 continuous summers, offered through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in partnership with Native communities and organizations.
Who is eligible: Native students: 15-24 years old, and up to 29 years old if you have a disability.
Articling and Summer Law Student Programs
Law students can apply to work for the Ontario government — as either a summer law student or an articling student — If you are experienced with Aboriginal communities or have an interest in Aboriginal law, you can also apply to work specifically in this field as part of the Aboriginal Summer law program.
Who is eligible: The Summer Law Student Program is open to first and second year students enrolled in a law school. To be eligible for the articling program, candidates must have either completed law school at the start of the articling period or have received a certificate of qualification from the National Committee of Accreditation.
1. Tom is not a student but he is interested in summer programs, he can most probably apply to_____________.| A．Stewardship Youth Ranger Program |
| B．Summer Employment Opportunities |
| C．Native Youth Work Exchange Program |
| D．Articling and Summer Law Student Programs |
| A．It has an extremely strict limit of age. | B．It provides better summer jobs. |
| C．It can give jobs to disabled students. | D．It can help find different jobs. |
| A．More professionals | B．Much older. |
| C．Quite creative. | D．Physically strong. |
7 . Things to do in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, MexIco！
◆ Rhythms of the Night-Sunset Cruise(乘船游览)
Duration: 5 hrs
Kick off the evening with a scenic cruise across Banderas Bay to Las Caletas. Las Caletas, once home to a Hollywood movie director John Huston, offers front-row sunset seats, and dinner tables just steps away from the water. The buffet-style menu offers a wide variety of choices. Watch the lively performance of ancient ceremonies and be lost in historical stories about Jalisco. You must be able to climb and go down stairs.
◆ Sayulita Escape
Duration: 3 hrs
Hop on a powerful UTV(utility task vehicle) to explore Sayulita, a nice beach town not far from Vallarta. Ride over muddy roads and a riverbed to reach the small community famous for its relaxing atmosphere. Soon after hitting the main road, your guide turns onto one of the dusty forest paths. When you are ready, a picnic lunch, an open bar, and a knowledgeable crew await your return to the ship. Wheelchair accessibility is available.
◆ Las Caletas Beach Hideaway
Duration: 7 hrs
The use of kayaks(独木舟)and stand-up paddleboards is all available, as well as a scenic nature walk and admission to Kids Adventure Park for the young ones. You can even swim out to an offshore platform to practice your diving skills. Wheelchair accessibility is not available.
◆Street Food and Taco Tour in Puerto vallarta
Duration: 6hrs 30mins
Enjoy a feast of local flavors in our food and tacos-tasting tour. Discover Puerto Vallarta's best flavors to the locals'eye. Learn about the local culture and life, while you eat where the locals do with their beloved ones. Wheelchair accessibility is not avaliable.
1. What can tourists do on the tour Rhythms of the Night-Sunset Cruise?| A．Enjoy free dinners. |
| B．Come across the movie director John Huston. |
| C．Learn about the history of Jalisco. |
| D．Watch the scenic sunrise. |
| A．It includes a licensed guide. |
| B．It is more friendly to the disabled. |
| C．It offers various water event. |
| D．It has adventurous routes. |
| A．Las Caletas Beach Hideaway. |
| B．Sayulita Escape. |
| C．Rhythms of the Night-Sunset Cruise. |
| D．Street Food and Taco Tour in Puerto Vallarta. |
8 . It was rush hour in the morning. Heather Sant, 36, was driving her white 2012 Mazda on the road with her nine-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son in the back. Suddenly, a red pickup truck cut them off. Sant turned the wheel hard to the right, sending the Mazda slide off the road and down an embankment(路堤) that ended in a drop-off after about 50 feet. If the car didn’t stop, it would take off and dive into the road some 20 feet below. Then a bit of luck: as the car raced toward the edge, its undercarriage got stuck, stopping it suddenly.
The people inside, however, were far from safe. The car had come to rest on top of a retaining wall(护墙), balancing on the edge of disaster. One sudden move by anyone inside could throw the car off balance and send it over. Jacob Rodriguez watched everything in terror from the nearby truck company where he works. As an experienced sailor, just like every time he met shipwreck, he whispered a sailing saying “Ship, shipmates, self”, then immediately he and four other men ran to the car. They leaped onto the trunk(后备箱) to balance the weight as the terrified kids in the back seat watched.
Meanwhile, Julio and his nephew Marco, were driving to their jobs at nearby Premier Automotive. Julio jumped out of the car to help while Marco went to the shop, grabbed a strong rope, and returned to the car. He tied the Mazda to an F-350 truck that had been driven over by one of the other rescuers. With the car secured, the group carefully opened the back doors and helped the children out. But their departure shifted the cars weight, causing it to tip forward. The men, still on the trunk, begged Sant to jump into the back seat. She did and then inched out of the back door. Finally, the men carefully got off the trunk. Everyone was safe.
“Another foot,” Rodriguez told USA Today, “and this would be a different story. ”
1. What most probably caused the traffic accident?| A．The Mazda was overloaded. | B．Sant was really speeding. |
| C．The wheel failed to work. | D．The pickup cut in abruptly. |
| A．To open the back door of the car. | B．To fasten the rope to the truck. |
| C．To keep the balance of the car. | D．To help the men get off the trunk. |
| A．The timely help offered by rescuers. |
| B．The excellent cooperation of all the people. |
| C．The dangerous position where the car stopped. |
| D．The serious danger the rescuers faced. |
| A．Persistence will pay off. | B．One in trouble, all to help. |
| C．Many hands make light work. | D．Doing is better than saying. |
9 . Some of the best cycling routes in the world pass through its most beautiful scenery. Here are some of world’s best bike routes for cyclists who either are up for breaking a good sweat or simply seeing the world without leaving an ugly carbon footprint behind.
The Great Windy Road, Victoria, Australia
If you like a challenge, take on this 243-kilometer windy road along Australia’s south-eastern coast. If a day is all you’ve got, take the 60-kilometer route from Torquay to Bells Beach. There you’ll cycle through rural farmland, enjoy the sweeping ocean views from cliff tops, and snake past the wetlands around Lake Connewarre.
Udaipur City Tour, Rajasthan, India
Biking is arguably the best way to explore Udaipur, Venice of the East.
Cyclists often need to cycle past herdsmen and their goats and camels, sharing narrow, old pavements in this romantic place. But surrounded by ancient castles, temples and grand palaces, Udaipur brings about one of the best biking experiences, allowing cyclists to truly discover rural India.
The Karakoram Highway, China-Pakistan
The Karakoram Highway is the highest international road in the world, reaching an altitude of 4,700 meters at the Khunjerab Pass. Starting in Kashgar, China, cyclists can travel up to 1,200 kilometers on mostly unpaved roads, but the views are as breathtaking as the riding.
Route of the Hiawatha, Idaho-Montana, United States
Take your family out to Montana this summer and cycle along the most scenic disused railroad in the country. The railroad turned bike trail turns into 24 kilometers of leisure biking that takes you over seven trestles(高架桥) and through 10 tunnels, with the longest one, the Taft Tunnel, stretching for 2.7 kilometers.
1. In which tour can you enjoy the seaside scenery?| A．The Great Windy Road. | B．Udaipr City Tour. |
| C．The Karakoram Highway. | D．Route of the Hiawatha. |
| A．Go to Venice. | B．Feed wild animals. |
| C．Visit cultural relics. | D．Enjoy modern architectures. |
| A．It is a totally undeveloped route. | B．It goes along an abandoned railway. |
| C．It owns the longest tunnel in the world. | D．It lies higher than other international roads. |
10 . On Tuesday, China announced it had grown the first ever plants on the moon, days after landing on the moon’s “far side” Von Karman crater. The cotton seed sprouts (新芽) seemed to have withstood the tough lunar conditions: freezing temperatures, lower gravity levels, and radiation.
But by Thursday, the new cotton seed sprouts had dead already, according to Liu Hanlong, the experiment leader, in a government press conference statement.
After Chang’e-4 landed on the far side of the moon earlier this month, the probe (探测器) was sent a command to remotely water the plants and start the growing process. A tube directed natural light on the surface of the moon into the small container to allow the plants to grow. The probe entered a sleep mode on Sunday, the first lunar night after the probe’s landing.
Professor Xie Gengxin, professor at Chongqing University and chief designer of the experiment, told CNN that it ended after nine days when the control team shut down the power. Xie said temperatures inside the biosphere had grown too abnormal and reached extremes that would likely kill all life, including the seeds and eggs during the lunar night. Xie didn’t confirm why temperatures had risen to levels unbearable for the plants in spite of the measures taken by the research team.
Even though the experiment was quickly terminated, Xie considered it a success. The cotton were the only seeds to sprout, however, and despite many assumptions about the future possibility of moon clothes, the cotton plant’s main purpose this time was to give researchers the valuable data on how to cultivate life in the moon’s tough conditions. The eventual ability to grow plants on the moon could prove useful for long-term space missions, like a trip to Mars. Astronauts could theoretically harvest their own food in space, avoiding the need to return to Earth to resupply.
Aside from the apparent failure of the biological or plant experiment, the rest of China’s mission to the far side of the moon appeared on track as of Thursday. The historic mission is intended to accomplish a range of tasks, including conducting the first lunar low-frequency radio astronomy experiment and exploring whether there is water at the moon’s poles.
Chang’e-4 is the latest step in China’s robotic lunar-exploration program, named after a moon goddess in Chinese mythology. China plans to launch the Chang’e-5 sample-return mission sometime this year.
1. What does the underlined word “withstood” mean?| A．Appreciated. | B．Suffered from. |
| C．Tolerated. | D．Been subject to. |
| A．The measures of the research team. | B．The cause of ceasing the experiment. |
| C．The reason for the extreme temperature. | D．The failure and impact of the experiment. |
| A．To make moon clothes possible. |
| B．To ensure its value for long-term space missions. |
| C．To enable astronauts to harvest their own food without returning to Earth to resupply. |
| D．To accumulate the priceless data on how to grow life in the moon’s severe conditions. |
| A．China’s moon plants have died |
| B．China’s mission to the far side of the moon |
| C．The Chang’e-5 sample-return mission |
| D．Astronauts’ efforts to cultivate life in the moon |
