1 . Composite image of Europe and North Africa at night, 2016. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Román, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Artificial light is often seen as a sign of progress: the march of civilization shines a light in the dark; it takes back the night; it illuminates. But a chorus of scientists and advocates argues that unnaturally bright nights are bad not just for astronomers but also for nocturnal (夜间活动的) animals and even for human health.
Now research shows the night is getting even brighter. From 2012 to 2016 the earth’s artificially lit area expanded by an estimated 2.2 percent a year (map), according to a study published last November in Science Advances. Even that increase may understate the problem, however. The measurement excludes light from most of the energy-efficient LED lamps that have been replacing sodium-vapor technology in cities all over the world, says lead study author Christopher Kyba, a postdoctoral researcher at the German Research Center for Geosciences in Potsdam.
The new data came from a NASA satellite instrument called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). It can measure long-wavelengths of light, such as those produced by traditional yellow-and-orange sodium-vapor street lamps. But VIIRS cannot see the short-wavelength blue light produced by white LEDs. This light has been shown to disrupt human sleep cycles and nocturnal animals’ behavior.
Credit: Mapping Specialists; Source: “Artificially Lit Surface of Earth at Night Increasing in Radiance and Extent,” by Christopher C. M. Kyba et al., in Science Advances, Vol. 3, No. 11, Article No. E1701528; November 22, 2017.
The team believes the ongoing switch to LEDs caused already bright countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the U.S. To register as having stable levels of illumination in the VIIRS data. In contrast, most nations in South America, Africa and Asia brightened, suggesting increases in the use of traditional lighting. Australia actually appeared to lose lit area—but the researchers say that is because wildfires skewed the data.
“The fact that VIIRS finds an increase (in many countries), despite its blindness in the part of the spectrum that increased more, is very sad,” says FabioFalchi, a researcher at Italy’s Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute, who did not participate in the study. In 2016 Falchi, along with Kyba and several other members of his research team, published a global atlas of artificial lighting that showed one third of the world’s population currently lives under skies too bright to see the Milky Way at night.
The data also cast doubt on the idea that the LED lighting revolution will lead to energy cost savings. Between 2012 and 2016 the median nation pumped out 15 percent more long-wavelength light as its GDP increased by 13 percent. And overall, countries’ total light production correlated with their GDP. In other words, Kyba says, “we buy as much light as we are willing to spend money on.”
1. Which is not true about the spread of lit areas?| A．Lit area expanded by an estimated 2.2 percent a year. |
| B．Artificial light is often seen as a sign of progress. |
| C．The increase in GDP is due to the increase in light. |
| D．It is bad for nocturnal animals and even for human health. |
| A．It is a kind of NASA satellite device. |
| B．It can record and analyze long-wavelength light. |
| C．The blue light generated by white LEDs can disrupt human sleep cycles. |
| D．VIIRS has found an increase of traditional lighting in lots of nations. |
2 . Job for You
Family Alliance Meal Delivery Family Alliance is looking for people who can deliver hot Chinese meals one to two times a week for people with disabilities in north suburban Fairfield County. All applicants must have a driver’s license and access to a car. Gas will be covered for each delivery. Working hours: 10 a.m. To 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays For more information, contact Charles Chen at cchen@famd.com Or call 740-6668988 | Lancaster Design We provide full furnishings, like donated kitchen equipment and furniture items, for the new homes of people who were once homeless. We need people who can work at our warehouse (仓库) sorting and packing items to be delivered to families, repair donated furniture and more. Candidates will be matched with a task based on skill set. Interested? Submit your application to www. lancasterdesign. org Or call 740-6119735 |
| A．Applicants are expected to design furniture. |
| B．Work is arranged according to one’s skill set. |
| C．It involves collecting furniture from homes. |
| D．It favors applicants who are homeless. |
3 . After beating bone cancer, Hayley Arceneaux thinks rocketing into orbit on SpaceX’s first private flight should be no problem at all. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital announced the 29-year-old doctor’s assistant will rocket into space later this year.
Arceneaux, a former patient at St. Jude, will become the youngest American in space, beating NASA record-holder Sally Ride by over two years. She will travel with businessman Jared Isaacman, who is using the spaceflight he bought to raise money for charity. Two other yet-to-be-chosen space flyers will join them. Arceneaux will be the first person to launch with a prosthesis an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body. When she was 10, Arceneaux had an operation at St. Jude to replace her knee and a piece of metal was put in her left leg. She still limps and has occasional leg pain.
“My battle with cancer really prepared me for space travel,” she recently told The Associated Press. “It made me tough, and then also I think it really taught me to expect the unexpected and go along for the ride.” Arceneaux wants to show her young patients and other cancer survivors that “the sky is not even the limit anymore.” “It’s going to mean so much to these kids to see a survivor in space.” she said.
Isaacman announced his space flight on February 1, promising to raise $200 million for St. Jude. As the flight’s self-appointed commander, he offered one of the four seats aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to St. Jude. The hospital chose Arceneaux from among its many workers who had once been patients. The idea was that one of them could represent the new generation, noted Rick Shadyac, president of St. Jude’s financing organization.
Arceneaux was at home in Memphis, Tennessee, when she got a surprising call in January. She was asked if she would represent St. Jude in space. As a lifelong space fan who loves adventures, Arceneaux has traveled widely and loves roller coasters. Isaacman, who flies fighter airplanes for fun, considers her a perfect fit. The launch is planned for this fall at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with the spacecraft orbiting Earth for two to four days.
1. Which statement is true about Hayley Arceneaux?| A．She works where she used to be a patient. |
| B．She is an adventure hater. |
| C．She is the youngest American in space. |
| D．She is the first woman space flyer. |
a. She received a surprising call. b. She was diagnosed with a serious disease.
c. She was chosen to rocket into space. d. She was operated on at St. Jude.
| A．a c d b | B．b c d a | C．b d a c | D．c a b d |
4 . Black Valley, 63 kilometers from downtown Chongqing, is one of the best preserved natural wonders around the municipality. The national 5A-level scenic spot is a popular summer resort for sightseeing, forest adventures, outdoor camping, hunting and angling.
Located in Heishan town, Wansheng Economic Development Zone, the scenic spot spans over 103 square kilometers, 97 percent of which are covered by primitive forests. With over 110,000 negative oxygen ions in each cubic centimeter of air, it is dubbed as a natural oxygen bar and “the most beautiful healthcare-themed valley.”
Black Valley is also known as “the natural gene bank of Chongqing and Guizhou regions” for the diversity of its rare plants and wildlife, including Cathaya argyrophylla, Davidia involucrata, Trachypithecus francoisi and clouded leopards.
Scenic spot level: AAAAA
Address: Heishan town, Wansheng Economic Development Zone, 63 kilometers from downtown Chongqing Opening hours: 8:30 am - 3:30 pm (peak season from November to February), 9:00 am-3:00 pm (off season from March to October)
Ideal sightseeing season: from May to September
Ticket price: 60 yuan ($8.72) during off season and 100 yuan during peak season, sightseeing bus and cable not included.
Notes:
1. It is recommended that tourists start from the higher southern area for a downward journey.
2. The average temperature is 18.1 degrees.
3. It’s a good idea to experience the local folk culture of the Miao ethnic group, especially when you choose to visit in May when the traditional Caishan Festival of Miao ethnic group is celebrated.
1. What can we know about Black Valley?| A．It lies in downtown Chongqing. |
| B．Plants and wildlife are rarely seen there. |
| C．A visit there costs at most 100 yuan. |
| D．The air is very high in negative oxygen ions there. |
| A．January. | B．March. | C．May. | D．July. |
| A．Culture. | B．Travel. | C．Nature. | D．Wildlife. |
5 . Today’s students have a problem. They were born into a world where technology, smartphones, and immediate access to the Internet are hurting their ability to focus and changing the way they think.
Now teachers have a problem too. They find it particularly exhausting to ask students to read complex or long texts without taking regular breaks. Smartphones have clearly affected the younger generation, but how education should evolve for digital-native students?
A common idea among teachers is that short is good. When students can’t seem to pay attention to long lectures, many teachers simply break lessons into smaller patterns. In fact, students need time to engage with a topic once the teacher introduces it before moving on. Switching between small lessons too quickly could rob them of valuable comprehension.
There are also teachers who begin classes with meditation (深思) exercises to help their students focus. However, it turns out that any sort of “tech breaks” could counteract strong desires to multi task.
A 2018 study found that students aged between 10 and 24 tend to stay away from physical books. They prefer video as a source of information second only to teachers. Therefore, some tech-forward teachers choose platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. Asha Choksi, vice-president of global research at Pearson, gives the example of a teacher who films himself performing a science experiment and posts it to YouTube. When it is time for class, he uses the video to illustrate material in the textbook, which can seem boring to students.
Still, while those educators are embracing technology in the classroom to meet student’s needs, they also find value in traditional methods, and so suggest a “blended (混合的) learning” approach. Direct instruction from them will never be replaced in their classes. Technology will be favored only when it improves a lesson in ways that are impossible offline.
Digital natives will continue to eagerly adopt new media. Teachers have no choice but to evolve. They are making an effort not only to ensure that students can take advantage of new technologies, but to teach students valuable skills that can help them think in a world constantly trying to distract them. Think of the Zuckerbergs, the Gates, the Jobs and all those pioneers in the tech world. They became successful not because they could code (编程); it was because they could think.
1. What does the underlined word “counteract” in paragraph 4 probably mean?| A．Motivate. | B．Reduce. | C．Compensate. | D．Influence. |
| A．Teachers adopt short lectures, small lessons, which could be hard to understand sometimes. |
| B．Teachers employ meditation exercises to help students concentrate on class, which is of little effect. |
| C．Students aged between 10 and 24 don’t prefer physical books, so YouTube and Instagram may be a good choice. |
| D．Students aged between 10 and 24 prefer videos to teachers, so using videos to explain textbooks is a popular way. |
(1). the conventional way of teaching remains unchallenged
(2). technology is a useful supplement to textbooks
(3). material in the textbook is too boring to most students
(4). teachers want to change their traditional teaching methods
| A．(1)(2) | B．(2)(3) | C．(3)(4) | D．(1)(4) |
| A．to share as much knowledge with students as possible |
| B．to encourage students to make full use of new technologies |
| C．to help students develop their ability to think critically and creatively |
| D．to instruct students to limit their use of smart phones and social media |
6 . Unique and Weird New Year's Eve Traditions
German
In some parts of Germany, they do lead （铅）pouring. Pour a dollop （团）of lead into cold water and the shape it dorms may be telling you about the year to come. A heart shape, naturally, means love will come your way. A crown predicts wealth and fortune. A star indicates happiness. But if you see a cross, you're almost dead!
Latin America
If you are in Latin America, make sure you have some colourful underpants to ring in the New Year. End — of — the — year partiers put on colourful underwear to ensure certain types of outcomes of the following year, red for love and yellow for success.
Naples, Italy
Neapolitans like throwing things out of the windows, at least on New Year's Eve. Furniture, kitchen machines, grandma.. Well, maybe not the last one. Let's hope not, anyway. This tradition is meant to symbolize an out — with — the — old gesture and get a new beginning of the new year. These days people are a bit more mindful of what they throw into the street below.
Spain
In 1909, winegrowers in the Alicante region of Spain had a brilliant idea: Start and promote an annual tradition that would involve people in having to buy and eat more grapes. Everyone must eat 12 grapes on New Year's Eve to pray for wealth of the coming year. Now, it's a popular custom in Spain. But the problem is that people have to eat a grape for each bell striking at midnight.
1. Germans would like to see the following shapes of lead Except ________.| A．a heart | B．a cross |
| C．a star | D．a crown |
| A．They hate cooking at home. |
| B．They are more careful about what to throw now. |
| C．They throw their grandma out of the window. |
| D．They like making gestures in front of the windows. |
| A．They buy lots of wine. |
| B．They pray with 12 grapes. |
| C．They eat as many grapes as possible. |
| D．They eat a grape for each bell striking, |
7 . When you are having dinner, do you eat up all the food on your plate or have some leftover（剩菜剩饭）? According to the UN, 1. 3 billion tons of food is wasted around the world every year. That’s about one - third of all food produced each year.
We make a survey in 34 countries to see how much food is wasted in different countries. For example, the UAE（阿联酋） wastes the most food, with each person wasting about 1, 000 kilos every year on average. However, some countries have worked hard to use their food resources wisely. France wastes the least amount of food, according to the survey.
France was the first country to pass laws that stop food waste. It’s not allowed to throw away fresh food. Another law forces French restaurants to provide bags for people’s leftovers.
China ranked 23rd for food waste in the survey. China’s food waste is around 18 million tons every year, enough to feed up to 50 million people for one year. Facing this situation, China has been working hard to reduce food waste. Since early 2013, a movement to prevent food waste called “empty plate” has begun. It has become popular among both government officials and general public.
1. How much food is produced every year around the world?| A．1, 000 kilograms. | B．More than 34, 000 kilograms. |
| C．About 1. 3 billion tons. | D．Nearly 4 billion tons. |
| A．China. | B．France. | C．The United States. | D．The UAE. |
| A．started a movement called “empty plate” |
| B．passed laws to ban food waste |
| C．buys more food from other countries |
| D．produces less food each year |
| A．UAE wastes the most food. |
| B．China has been working hard to reduce food waste. |
| C．You can throw away fresh food in France. |
| D．1.3 billion tons of food is wasted around the world every year. |
8 . Which is safer-staying at home, traveling to work on public transport, or working in the office? Surprisingly, each of these carries the same risk, which is very low. However, what about flying compared to working in the chemical industry? Unfortunately, the former is 65 times riskier than the latter! In fact, the accident rate of workers in the chemical industry is less than that of almost any of human activity, and almost as safe as staying at home.
The trouble with the chemical industry is that when things go wrong they often cause death to those living nearby. It is this that makes chemical accidents so newsworthy. Fortunately they are extremely rare. The most famous ones happened at Texas City (1947), Flixborough( 1974), Seveso (1976), Pemex (1984) and Bhopal (1984).
Some of these are always in the minds of the people even though the loss of life was small. No one died at Seveso, and only 28 workers at Flixborough. The worst accident of all was Bhopal, where up to 3,000 were killed. The Texas City explosion of fertilizer killed 552. The Pemex fire at a storage plant for natural gas in the suburbs of Mexico City took 542 lives, just a month before the unfortunate event at Bhopal.
Some experts have discussed these accidents and used each accident to illustrate a particular danger. Thus the Texas City explosion was caused by tons of ammonium nitrate (硝酸氨), which is safe unless stored in great quantity. The Flixborough fireball was the fault of management, which took risks to keep production going during essential repairs. The Seveso accident shows what happens if the local authorities lack knowledge of the danger on their doorstep. When the poisonous gas drifted over the town, local leaders were incapable of taking effective action. The Pemex fire was made worse by an overloaded site in an overcrowded suburb. The fire set off a chain reaction of exploding storage tanks. Yet, by a miracle, the two Largest tanks did not explode. Had these caught fire, then 3,000 strong rescue team and fire fighters would all have died.
1. Which of the following statements is true?| A．Working at the office is safer than staying at home. |
| B．Travelling to work on public transport is safer than working at the office. |
| C．Staying at home is safer than working in the chemical industry. |
| D．Working in the chemical industry is safer than traveling by air. |
| A．they are very rare |
| B．they often cause loss of life |
| C．they always occur in big cities |
| D．they arouse the interest of all the readers |
| A．natural gas, which can easily catch fire |
| B．fertilizer, which can’t be stored in a great quantity |
| C．poisonous substance, which can’t be used in overcrowded areas |
| D．fuel, which is stored in large tanks |
| A．natural gas stored in very large tanks is always safe |
| B．to avoid any accidents we should not repair the facilities in chemical industry |
| C．all these accidents could have been avoided or controlled if effective measures had been taken |
| D．the local authorities should not be concerned with the production of the chemical industry |
9 . Home fires can happen quickly, destroying lives and property, but unlike other disasters, most home fires can be prevented. Read on to learn 4 unexpected home fire dangers.
Having old smoke alarms
An effective smoke alarm can make much difference when it comes to surviving a house fire. It's not enough to change the batteries twice a year, you also need to replace your alarms every decade. "You should test your smoke alarms every month, "says Lorraine Carli, vice president of the National Fire Protection Association. "But also don't forget to check the dates and replace an alarm that is more than10 years old."
Leaving the kitchen while you cook
One in five Americans admitted leaving food cooking unattended on the stove, found an American Red Cross survey. Walking away from food cooking in the kitchen is a serious fire risk." The leading cause of home fires is cooking and the leading cause of those fires is unattended cooking," says Carli. If you need to use the stove or oven, be sure to keep an eye on it.”
Turning the heat too high when you cook
Turning up the heat too high can be deadly, even if you're in the kitchen while you cook. Kevin Kelley, senior director of the American Red Cross, recommends paying close attention and turning off the burner if you see smoke or grease(油脂)starting to boil while frying food.
Having a dirty stove while you cook
If your stove is covered with grease, a small kitchen fire can get out of hand quickly. Clean and clear the area around the stove before turning on the heat, or the result will be dangerous.
1. How long should you have a new smoke alarm?| A．2 years. | B．10 years. | C．12 years. | D．8 years. |
| A．Having a dirty stove. |
| B．Turning the heat too high. |
| C．Having an old alarm. |
| D．Walking away from food cooking. |
| A．Some home fire dangers can be prevented. |
| B．It is advisable to change the batteries of smoke alarms twice a year. |
| C．Kevin Kelley suggests paying close attention to fried food. |
| D．Having a dirty stove is dangerous while you cook. |
10 . With the infection being brought under control, more and more galleries and museums are reopening. While many museums have been putting exhibitions online, visitors still prefer to enjoy works of art in person. Here are four major art exhibitions that are held offline.
The Palace Museum (Dec. 10—Feb. 15)
The exhibition, Everlasting Splendor which is being held in the Meridian Gate Galleries, marks the 600th anniversary of China’s imperial palace. Over 400 cultural relics are displayed at the exhibition, reflecting the history of the Forbidden City’s construction, the development of its layout, and how it has been protected and restored in the past decades.
The National Museum of China (Jan. 4—Mar. 29)
The exhibition, A Sail Over Miles, offers a brief review of the ancient Silk Road in ceramics (陶瓷). It guides visitors through the manufacturing, export and shipping routes from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty with over 300 ceramic relies, including a pot dug from Nanhai No 1, a Chinese cargo ship dating back more than 800 years. The exhibition also shows Japanese, Korean and British ceramics, reflecting the influence of China’s porcelain-making techniques in local industries.
The Capital Museum (Jan. 1—Mar. 30)
The Capital Museum is to host Man of Infinite Refinement: Special Exhibition on the Paintings and Calligraphy of Su Shi, a calligraphy and painting exhibition on the legacy of Su Shi, an iconic figure of ancient Chinese literature and fine arts. The 78 exhibits on display spans from the Northern Song Dynasty through recent history and cover a range of media, including calligraphy, paintings, documents and rarely seen books.
The National Art Museum of China (Nov. 30—Feb. 10)
On show are nearly 300 objects, including paintings, calligraphy works, carved seals, manuscripts, letters and books. Donation of Rong Geng not only reflects his academic accumulation over the years, but forms the basis for his becoming such a well-rounded scholar in the area of Chinese cultural traditions.
Rong Geng (1894—1983), a scholar of Chinese paleography, educator and connoisseur of antiquities, is little known to the general public. However, his extensive studies of ancient Chinese writings and his former collection of archaic oracle bones and bronzes continue to enrich people’s cultural life. In his lifetime, Rong donated to the State nearly 200 bronze objects, all of which are now housed at numerous public museums and universities.
1. Which offline exhibition lasts the shortest period of showtime?| A．Everlasting Splendor. | B．A Sail Over Miles. |
| C．Man of Infinite Refinement. | D．Donation of Rong Geng. |
| A．The National Museum of China. | B．The Palace Museum. |
| C．The National Art Museum of China. | D．The Capital Museum. |
| A．Visitors can only appreciate Ancient Chinese ceramic relics at the National Museum of China. |
| B．Donation of Rong Geng exhibits nearly 300 objects which were once donated by Rong Geng. |
| C．All the exhibits on display at the Capital Museum were created by Su Shi himself. |
| D．Everlasting Splendor displays over 400 cultural relics that have a history of 600 years. |
