1 . Although we're surrounded by millions of bricks every day, most of us don't think about them too often. For thousands of years, the humble clay-fired bricks haven't changed.
They're made from natural materials, but there are problems with bricks at every step of their production. Bricks are made from clay—a type of soil found all over the world. Clay mining is harmful to plant growth. In conventional brick production, the clay is shaped and baked in kilns(窑) mostly heated by fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change. Once made, bricks must be transported to construction sites, generating more carbon emissions. With so many bricks produced globally, their impact adds up.
Gabriela Medero, a professor at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University, decided to find solutions to that. With her university's support, Medero set up Kenoteq in 2009. The company's signature product is the K-Briq. Made from more than 90% construction waste, Medero says the K-Briq—which does not need to be fired in a kiln—produces less than a tenth of the carbon emissions of conventional bricks. With the company testing new machinery to start scaling up production, Medero hopes her bricks will help to build a more sustainable world.
The K-Briq will be comparably priced to conventional bricks. Additionally, as a new product, the K-Briq has been subjected to strict assessment and authoritative certification. Reusing old bricks is an expensive process and there is no standardized way to check the strength, safety or durability (耐久性) of recycled bricks. Medero says that K-Briq could solve both these problems. She claims that K-Briq is stronger and more durable than fired clay bricks.
Over the next 18 months, Medero plans to get K-Briq machines on-site at recycling plants. "This will reduce transport-related emissions because trucks can collect K-Briq when they drop off construction waste," says Medero.
1. What inspired Medero to invent the K-Briq?| A．The poor quality of the conventional bricks. |
| B．The outdated style of the conventional bricks. |
| C．The high cost of manufacturing conventional bricks. |
| D．The problems with the conventional brick production. |
| A．It won't produce waste. |
| B．It brings no pollution to the air. |
| C．The plants occupy much less land than before. |
| D．The K-Briq is mainly made from construction waste. |
| A．The popularity of the K-Briq. |
| B．The advantages of K-Briq over traditional bricks. |
| C．The special materials used in K-Briq. |
| D．The advanced technology used for K-Briq. |
| A．To ensure fewer emissions. |
| B．To speed up the production. |
| C．To lower the production cost. |
| D．To collect more construction waste. |
2 . Hugging a dog is one of the life's greatest joys. It is like experiencing a love drug, which is quite true.
Dogs and humans always interact with each other. And if you get to have dogs and hug them every day, you just might live longer than people who don't have to clean animal hair off their clothes, according to a pair of studies recently.
The studies, published in the journal Circulation： Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, suggest that dog ownership is linked to a 21% reduction in the risk of death-over the 12-year period studied-for people with heart disease. When you look at all the evidence around dog ownership and their health, it's pretty clear the signal is real.
We’ve known forever that owning a dog increases one's physical activity. Regardless of weather, you have to get out and walk the dog. Otherwise, you might stay home and watch TV. Owning a dog makes you spend more time outdoors, and time spent outdoors improves health. Owning a dog or interacting with a dog even for a short term also reduces blood pressure. And the biggest advantage of having a dog is what it does for mental health. We see very beneficial effects on depression and anxiety.
Many of us may not have a dog. And these studies have finally convinced someone to get one. We've thought of dogs as a form of comfort. The study forces a rethinking of pets in our society. We've started out with dogs as accomplices during hunts as hunter-gatherers. Gradually, we selected for traits of loyalty and friendship. At this point, many of us can totally see the basic reasons why dogs improve our sense of well-being, reduce loneliness and can be an improvement to our physical and mental health.
1. Who might live longer according to the study?| A．People who hate dogs. | B．People who have dogs. |
| C．People who haven't dogs. | D．People who like bathing pets. |
| A．It can cure heart disease. |
| B．It can help improve health. |
| C．It can make people more energetic. |
| D．It can stop people from getting ill. |
| A．Improving physical health. | B．Enjoying outdoor activities. |
| C．Improving mental health. | D．Strengthening patience and love. |
| A．To show his love of dogs. |
| B．To share his own experience of keeping a dog. |
| C．To introduce a new life style. |
| D．To state the finding of a study about keeping dogs, |
3 . Scientists have been studying Antarctica for over a century, but details as basic as what it looks like beneath all that ice have largely remained a mystery. Now, Earther reports that a team of scientists from Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and the UK has published the most detailed data yet on the continent's subglacial topography （冰川下的地形）near the South Pole.
As they report in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, central Antarctica is home to three large canyons （峡谷）, one of which is deeper than the Grand Canyon and nearly as wide at some points. The researchers made the discovery by flying a plane with radar over the South Pole, a spot that isn't covered by satellites. They expected to find mountains beneath the ice sheet, but the wide canyons they found between the mountains came as a surprise.
Of the three canyons, two hadn't been documented previously. The largest, the Foundation Trough （基础槽），measures 218 miles long, up to 22 miles wide, and 6,260 feet deep, putting it up there with the planet's most impressive canyons.
The discoveries are significant on their own, but the real purpose behind the research is to better understand how the West and East Antarctic ice sheets will react to rising temperatures. Human-caused climate change has made some of the continent's ice not firm, and the West Antarctic ice sheet especially has been slowly melting to the sea. If patterns continue, the coastal glaciers supporting the large ice sheets could fall down, causing sea levels to rise a minimum of 10 feet. If this happens, the canyons could be a major factor in the speed and direction of ice flow from central Antarctica to the coast.
The event isn't likely to happen in the near future, but further study o£ Antarctica's topography will allow scientists to better predict when it might.
1. Which of the following have scientists known little?| A．The shape of Antarctica ice. |
| B．The condition of Antarctica ice. |
| C．The Grand Canyon. |
| D．The beneath of Antarctica ice. |
| A．The Grand Canyon. |
| B．The mountains. |
| C．Three large canyons. |
| D．Ice sheets. |
| A．Unexpected. | B．Interesting. |
| C．Ridiculous. | D．Common. |
| A．To document the three canyons. |
| B．To find out how large the three canyons are. |
| C．To know how ice sheets react to rising temperatures. |
| D．To show the importance of the three canyons. |
4 . Vegetarianism is growing in popularity in a lot of countries. And now, South Africa is one of them. Today, more and more South Africans are experimenting with the vegetarian (素食者) way of life by cutting meat out of their diet.
Some others are exploring veganism. Vegans (纯素者) are similar to vegetarians but they avoid all animal based products, including mike and eggs. Some vegans even do not eat honey. There is no official count of how many vegans there are in South Africa. But the interest has led to the birth of vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Johannesburg, the nation's economic center. And this year, Africa's first big vegan and plant-based festival was held in Cape Town. The Vegan & Plant Powered Show took place at the end of May.
But veganism can be a lonely road for many South Africans. The country is Africa's top consumer of meat from cows, pigs and sheep, based on information from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Many South Africans express shock at the thought of giving up meat, which is central to celebrations and spirituality.
This is an issue for many African vegans, including Anesu Mbizvo. “In African traditional culture, a big part of a family's worth is their livestock (家畜), which decide the wealth of a family. And so when an African kills an animal at a gathering, it's thought that he would give away his wealth.” But she adds, “Offering home grown vegetables would not be considered to be valuable. I think that thought mainly prevents some people of African cultures from being vegans.”
Some South Africans are finding their path somewhere in the middle, Thirty-one-year-old Thandiwe Ngubeni is a communications specialist. She still eats meat but less and less of it as time goes by. “I feel more energetic when I eat a vegan meal. It actually gives me more energy.”
1. What can we learn about vegans?| A．They can drink milk. | B．They eat some animal meat. |
| C．They enjoy opening vegan restaurants. | D．They refuse any product based on animals. |
| A．Too many animals in the wild. | B．Traditional views of livestock. |
| C．The influence from other countries. | D．Not enough vegetables in the restaurant. |
| A．She is a vegan. | B．She is an animal specialist. |
| C．She expects to eat more meat. | D．She eats less and less meat. |
| A．Vegans'Behaviors Are Too Extreme. | B．Vegetarians Are Not Popular Any Longer. |
| C．Many South Africans Welcome a Vegan Lifestyle. | D．Meat in South Africa Will Become Less Delicious. |
5 . Many Americans are busy preparing lists of what to give friends or loved ones. This season, people will be able to buy a cargo-carrying (载货) robot that follows them around like a dog. But it is unclear if the robot will be a popular gift.
Large companies like Amazon, FedEx and Ford have already been experimenting with sending delivery robots to homes across the United States. Now an Italian company is offering robots directly to consumers (顾客). The new robot, called “the Gita”, weighs about 23 kilograms and costs $ 3,250.
The robot's creators had short trips in mind when they designed it. “The Gita” is a “hands-free carrier" that can hold fruits, vegetables and other things as it follows its owner down the street. “The Gita” does not. require use of a telephone; it also does not use GPS technology or facial recognition.
Whether the robot will be a success is not yet clear. Tech experts say “the Gita” may fail. They hope the company finds more purposes of using it to contribute to its success. Examples include carrying tools around hospitals, factory floors or places where products are stored. The robots can carry up to 9 kilograms, So far, the best places to find the company' s six wheeled robot are US colleges: The University of Houston and the University of Wisconsin Madison.
Sadie Garcia is a student at the University of Houston. “I love them. I think they're so cute," she said, as one of the machines arrived carrying a sandwich for her in the dining hall. Garcia said she was so cold that she did not want to leave her room. Starship co-founder Ahti Heinla said his company once thought about selling the machines directly to consumers. But the business dropped the idea after discovering it would have to sell them for more than $ 3,000 each.
1. What is"the Gita"designed to do?| A．Fight with other robots. | B．Buy things for its owner. |
| C．Carry things for its owner. | D．Help college students do homework. |
| A．Find more uses for it. | B．Keep advertising it. |
| C．Improve its reaction rate. | D．Encourage hospitals to use it. |
| A．The low quality. | B．The high price. |
| C．The limited number. | D．The poor performance. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A detective story. |
| C．A travel guide. | D．A life diary. |
6 . I have been receiving so much kindness. It was difficult for an independent girl like me to accept it at first. At times, my financial situation is not the best. But with that comes a great lesson in appreciation, budgeting, and deciding what is and what isn't important.
A few times I've had to put off or even give up things. Because of my scarcity on money, I had to give up a keep fit exercise, which is something I like to treat myself regularly. When my coach Lisa heard about this, she offered me training at a highly discounted price. At first this made me very uncomfortable. I feared that she would wrongly think that I was going to bargain (砍价) and of course I wasn't. ; Instead, I was just being honest about my situation being short of money. I finally accepted her offer, remembering that I deserve kindness, too.
Another time, I noticed a friend of mine selling his old exercise bike, which was perfect for me, as I was looking to replace my broken one. {I told him that I would take it when I had the money, but then life got in the way. When I finally got the time to pick it up, I realized my financial shortcomings again, I asked him if he could hold onto it for one more week, as then I'd have the funds again. He was happy to do this, but instead he insisted on offering me the bike as a gift. Another opportunity presents itself to teach me how to receive with dignity(尊严).
I continue to slowly learn how to accept the kindness from others. In fact, the relationship between giving and receiving is closely linked. When you accept the kindness from others with joy, they will feel happy, too.
1. How did the author feel at first when she received kindness from others?| A．Happy. | B．Unfair. | C．Proud. | D．Uncomfortable. |
| A．Request. | B．Independence. | C．Principle. | D．Lack. |
| A．Being punished. | B．Being misunderstood. |
| C．Accepting her coach's strict training. | D．Giving away the secret of her being short of money. |
| A．She paid much money for it. | B．She got it for free. |
| C．She bought it from her coach. | D．She borrowed it from her friend. |
7 . No video games are allowed after 10 pm. It is not allowed to play games for more than 90 minutes on non-holidays. No more than 400 yuan per month is allowed to buy virtual weapons and costumes.
The Chinese government has issued new regulations aimed at controlling teenager’s addiction to video games. Some officials believe that this problem is the reason why more and more young people are suffering from myopia (近视) and poor learning. The rules forbid users under the age of 18 from playing between 10 pm and 8 am. The rules demand that they shouldn’t play more than 90 minutes on non-holidays and more than 3 hours on weekends and other holidays.
Officials have taken stronger measures to monitor large technology companies and promote them to help spread the advocated cultural values. The official media regarded some games as “poisons” and banned some violent games. In addition, minors (未成年人) must use real names and ID numbers when they log into the game. These regulations also limit the a-mount of money that teenagers can use to purchase virtual items such as weapons, clothing, and pets through the app.
Analysts said that these regulations have been largely predicted by the industry and are unlikely to affect its earnings. However, young gamers may also find ways to bypass (绕开) the rules, such as using the parent’s phone number and ID number. “There will always be something imperfect,” said Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners. However, he added that thanks to the regulations, China is now one of the most regulated video game markets in the world.
Yang Bingben is the owner of an industrial technology company. He noticed that his son often plays games that don’t require networking and is difficult to control. “We have something new to replace the games,” he said, “our thinking should be to build more stadiums, such as football stadiums and basketball courts.”
1. The new regulations will help Chinese teenagers with their ________.| A．intelligence | B．personalities |
| C．study and eyesight | D．constitutions and morals |
| A．They are adjustable. | B．They are effective. |
| C．They are creative. | D．They are worthless. |
| A．Teenagers are spending more time in the stadiums. |
| B．Football and basketball will be popular with teenagers. |
| C．Getting rid of the addiction to video games is impossible. |
| D．Doing sports helps prevent teenagers playing video games. |
| A．Literature. | B．Education. |
| C．Fashion. | D．Sport. |
8 . Put “crottin de chevre” into Google Translate, and you’ll be told it means “goat dung (粪) So if it appeared on a menu, you might feel sick of it. Actually, you have missed a delicious cheese made of goat’s milk that is often served as a starter in France.
Such misunderstandings are why Google admits that its free tool, used by about 500 million people, is not intended to replace human translators. Tourists might accept a few misunderstandings because the technology is cheap and convenient. But perhaps in business, law or medicine, these services often fall short. “Using Google Translate can lead to some serious errors, especially when words have multiple meanings, which is often the case in fields such as law or engineering, says Samantha Langley, a translator in France.
That is not to say professional translators do not use Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. Some applications can help them take the dull work out of repetitive translations. CATs are even used as part of modern language degree courses these days. So how good are they?
One of the most popular new tools is the so-called translation earphone. Usually paired with a smartphone app, they pick up spoken foreign languages and translate them for the user. “It has taken decades of research to combine that with speech recognition technology, which has allowed us to make a huge leap forward in terms of accuracy,” says Andrew Ochoa, chief executive of Waverly Labs, which produces translation earphones. “For meetings and conferences, wearable translators like Waverly’s are undoubtedly popular. But even this new generation tech has limitations. Users must wait at least a few seconds for a phrase to be translated, or more if the internet connection is poor.”
And computers still lack the subtlety (微妙) of human communication. “I find it’s actually harder to desert part of the sentence and rebuild it than to just create something from scratch.” says Antonio, a translator. But he thinks this problem could be resolved within the next 10 years.
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 1?| A．Add some more related information. |
| B．Provide some advice for the readers. |
| C．Introduce the topic of the text. |
| D．Summarize the following paragraphs. |
| A．By changing Google Translate. | B．By surfing online. |
| C．By working with engineers. | D．By using CAT tools. |
| A．It is more accurate. | B．It is more attractive. |
| C．It is cheaper. | D．It is smaller. |
| A．Are Computer Translators Good? |
| B．Why do Human Translators Need Help? |
| C．What Is the Problem of Human Translators? |
| D．Can Computer Translators Replace Human Translators? |
9 . When I was six, I was so desperate to be out in nature. I’d be transported through David’s documentaries (纪录片) to all these amazing places. I did a PhD studying ants and butterflies, before getting a call from the BBC asking about my work for a show called Life in the Undergrowth. I was so excited and immediately begged, “Please let me help!”
Sir David himself came to film with me, so I got to meet him early on, and he is the loveliest person. Something was wrong with the car. He dived straight under it to try to fix it. His enthusiasm and passion was so real. The first trip I did with him was to Israel as an assistant producer, then in Madagascar. My dream came true.
Usually, we spend six weeks filming for about three minutes of TV. What usually happens is that we’re going to film one thing but the animal ends up doing something else. We stay in whatever basic accommodation is the closest, because we can’t waste time on the way. So it’s rare that we stay in a hotel. Patience is the key, then learning and listening.
Of course you encounter animals that could hurt you. There was a moment on Planet Earth where a wolf approached me and we had to push it off with a camera. During filming for Seven Worlds we came across a beautiful but deadly snake, which casually came into our room. I took it up in a hat and put it back into the jungle. I still remember the chimps in Senegal jumped on a tree next to me and pushed it to the ground. He was like saying, “You can stay here, but if I wanted to crash you, I could.”
When we film certain animals, like lions for example, we must be vigilant. We know they will attack other creatures for their territories, but there’s something fascinating in the small creatures. I’ve always cared about these beautiful lives and the planet. I desperately want to preserve the creatures in the natural world.
1. Why did the author agree to work for BBC?| A．He could work with David. | B．He would travel abroad. |
| C．He could study more animals. | D．He would become famous. |
| A．Enthusiasm. | B．Listening. | C．Patience. | D．Observation. |
| A．Clever avoidance keeps animals away. | B．Filming in nature has potential danger. |
| C．The author prefers strange experiences. | D．Violent behaviors are common in the wild. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Strict. | C．Energetic. | D．Powerful. |
10 . Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck, talent, and circumstances don’t come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However, to succeed in life, one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And, in addition to that, in order to get really good at something, one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things, it’ll require even more time, time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do, it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success, you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost. It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent, but thinking that way does you no good, and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do, if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out, almost to the point of addiction, and over a long period of time. If you’re not willing to put in the time and work, don’t expect to receive any rewards. Consistent hard work won’t ensure you the level of success you may want, but it will ensure that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.
1. Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.| A．the meaning of success | B．the reasons for success |
| C．the standards of success | D．the importance of success |
| A．setting a practical goal | B．being good at something |
| C．putting in more time | D．succeeding in life |
| A．it takes a lot of time to succeed |
| B．work makes one feel pain |
| C．one gives up his work easily |
| D．one tends to enjoy his work |
| A．Successful people like to show their great skills. |
| B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent. |
| C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life. |
| D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success. |
