1 . Want to know what we can do to help make our city a better place to live in? Why not take part in “Clean & Green weekend”? Join us, and you can make new friends and help protect the environment at the same time.
Park Life
Do you like playing and relaxing in the park with your friends? If so, why not take the chance to come with us and tidy up the park when you go? To add some fun, there is a gift for the person who collects the most rubbish! Meet us at the south entrance to Taohe Park at 9 a.m. next Saturday if you want to join in.
The Air You Breathe
A great way to make the air we breathe cleaner is by planting lots of trees！It is a fact that trees slowly filter (过滤) a lot of pollutants (污染物) from the air. So come and help us plant some new ones in Fenhe Park at 2 p.m. next Sunday.
War on Graffiti(涂鸦)
Some people think graffiti is cool. Well, it is not! The best way to stop buildings from becoming totally covered in ugly graffiti is to fix it as soon as possible. And that is exactly what we are going to do. We are repainting the school walls from 1 p.m. on Saturday. You don’t have to bring any tools, just remember to wear some old clothes!
1. The main purpose of “Clean & Green Weekend” is to ________.| A．have a nice weekend | B．offer the chance to have fun |
| C．help students meet old friends | D．make our city more beautiful |
| A．draw pictures well | B．bring some tools with us |
| C．wear some old clothes | D．wear some new clothes |
| A．on a school notice board | B．in a fashion magazine |
| C．in a travelling magazine | D．on a hospital notice board |
2 . Wine and beaches, fireworks and music... our readers recommend some fantastic festivals.
Festa delTUva e del Vino, Italy
Set on the beautiful shores of Lake Garda, this grapes and wine festival takes over the small town of Bardolino for four days every October. With local wines, food, art projections, fireworks and live music. people come from miles around to celebrate. First and foremost，it’s about great wine，but it’s worth visiting to soak up the great atmosphere.
Free，1-5 October
Quest festival, Vietnam
This is a weekend camping festival held just a 40-minute drive from Hanoi, bringing together locals and visitors in a celebration of underground live and electronic music culture. Held in the beautiful Son Tinh campsite, there are usually about 30 local and international DJs and 10 bands. There are also workshops, pop-up cafes, fire performances, dancing and much more.
Weekend tickets about £25, 6-8 November
Estiv al Switzerland
This is a free festival of jazz which takes place in the first weekend in July in the pretty squares and lakeside beaches and parks around the southern Swiss town of Lugano. The palm trees and summer air to see some of Europe’s up and coming jazz bands and enjoy Swiss
Free, every July
Irish Redhead Convention, County Cork
A friendly gathering for all red-haired people is held in the small seaside village of Crosshaven where redheads from all over the world take part in light hearted events. There’s live music, art exhibitions, lectures and of course the traditional Parade of Redheads through the village led by the newly crowned Redhead King and Queen.
Free, Every August
1. Jennifer, a girl with red hair, may be interested in ________.| A．Estival. | B．Quest festival. |
| C．Festa deirtlva e del Vino. | D．Irish Redhead Convention. |
| A．They offer local food. |
| B．They have fireworks. |
| C．They are free of charge. |
| D．They have music activities. |
| A．In a textbook. |
| B．In a magazine. |
| C．In a news report. |
| D．In a research paper. |
3 . Animal rights activists respect animals because they understand animals have a place in the world. Zoos, especially the ones that are doing everything right, become a headache for the animal rights activists.
Zoo supporters argue that they save endangered species and educate the public, but many animal rights activists believe the costs are more than the benefits, and the violation(违反) of the rights of the individual animals is unreasonable. Roadside zoos, petting zoos, and smaller animal exhibitors tend to offer narrow space for the animals, keeping them in pens or cages. Sometimes, a tiger or bear will live with cold concrete（混凝土）and metal bars for their entire lives. Larger, trusted zoos try to avoid these operations by offering excellent treatment to the animals. However, to animal rights activists, the problem is not how well the animals are treated, but whether we have a right to limit (限制）them for our delight or “education”.
To zoo supporters, by bringing people and animals together, zoos educate the public and promote an appreciation of the animals, encouraging people to protect the animals. Zoos save endangered species by bringing them into a safe environment, where they are protected from poachers(偷猎者), habitat loss, hunger, and predators(捕食者). Many zoos also have various programs for endangered species. In the wild, these individuals might have trouble finding mates and multiplying(繁殖). A good zoo provides an enriched habitat in which the animals are never bored, are well cared for, and have plenty of space. Besides, zoos are a tradition, and a visit to a zoo is a healthy, family activity.
In the case of zoos, both sides—animal rights activists and zoo supporters will argue that their side saves animals. Whether or not zoos benefit the animal community, they certainly do make money. As long as there is need for zoos, they will continue to exist. We can start by making sure that conditions are the best possible for the animals who are limited to zoos.
1. Which of the following statements do the zoo supporters agree with?| A．Zoos can offer all the animals foods when they are in trouble. |
| B．Zoos give people more chances to educate animals. |
| C．Zoos enable animals to live longer without any sickness. |
| D．Zoos can protect animals and provide room for educating. |
| A．Zoos will be improved. |
| B．Zoos will have no place in the world. |
| C．Zoos will hold fewer animals. |
| D．Zoos will not make profits. |
| A．Endangered species in zoos. | B．Arguments for and against zoos. |
| C．Zoos’ advantages and disadvantages. | D．People and animals in zoos. |
| A．A science book. | B．A news report. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．A book review. |
4 . Renewable energy projects, including onshore and offshore wind and solar farms, have so far been subsidized（资助）by government support schemes. This has led to some to complain that clean energy is pushing up bills.
However, the most recently approved offshore wind projects will most likely operate with ‘negative subsidies’—paying money back to the government. The money will go towards reducing household energy bills as the offshore wind farms start producing power in the mid-2020s.
This is the conclusion of an analysis by an international team led by Imperial College London researchers published today in Nature Energy.
Lead researcher Dr Malte Jansen, from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial, said: “Offshore wind power will soon be so cheap to produce that it will undercut fossil-fueled power stations and may, be the cheapest form of energy for the UK. Energy subsidies used to push up energy bills, but within a few years cheap renewable energy will see them brought down for the first time. This is an astonishing development.”
The analysis for five countries in Europe, including the UK, focused on a series of government auctions（拍卖）for offshore wind farms between February 2015 and September 2019. Companies that want to build wind farms bid in the auctions by stating the price at which they will sell the energy they produce to the government.
These are known as ‘contracts for difference’ or CIDs. If a company's bid is higher than the wholesale electricity price on the UK market once the wind farm is up and running, then the company will receive a subsidy from the government to top up the price.
However, if the stated price（规定价格）is less than the wholesale price, then the company will pay the government back the difference. This payback is then passed through to consumer's energy bills, reducing the amount that homes and businesses will pay for electricity.
The winning companies said they could build new offshore wind farms for around £40 per megawatt hour（MWh）of power. This was a new record set by these wind farms with bids 30 percent lower than just two years earlier.
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?| A．Offshore wind farms to be built in the UK could reduce household energy bills by producing electricity very cheaply. |
| B．Offshore wind farms will not be subsidized by government in the near future. |
| C．The importance of CDs. |
| D．The operation of negative subsidies |
| A．will stop producing power in the mid-2020s | B．are paying money back to the government |
| C．will help reduce household energy bills | D．will all operate with negative subsidies' |
| A．The renewable energy projects will lead to some to complain that clean energy is pushing up bills. |
| B．The company whose bid is less than the wholesale electricity price will receive a subsidy. |
| C．The stated electricity price is now higher than the wholesale electricity price. |
| D．Fossil-fueled power will be soon produced cheaply, |
| A．Curious. | B．Pessimistic. | C．Indifferent. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A financial magazine. |
| C．An advertisement | D．A science report |
5 . When Kirk Alexander went missing for 11 days, an unlikely savior came to his rescue： his neighborhood pizza store.
Almost every night for more than ten years. Kirk Alexander, 48, of Salem, Oregon ordered a late dinner from his local Domino's pizza store. He had no signature order. Sometimes he would call for a salad, sometimes a pie, sometimes chicken wings. The only sure thing for the staff of the Silverton Road Domino's was that they would see Alexander's name show up on their online ordering site sometime between 11 p. m. and midnight several times a week.
Until suddenly, for nearly two weeks at the end of April 2016, they didn't.
It was a slow Saturday night on May 7th when Domino's general manager Sarah Fuller felt she could no longer ignore Alexander's recent absence.
“I went and looked up to see how long it had been since he last ordered,” Fuller told KATU. com. “It was 11 days, which was not like him at all.”
Fuller knew Alexander worked from home, and neighbors said he rarely left. She also knew that he had suffered some health issues in the past. Something, Fuller worried, was wrong.
Around 1 a. m. on Sunday. May 8, Fuller sent longtime delivery driver Tracey Hamblen to stop in at Alexander's home. Hamblen approached Alexander's door as he had countless times before and knocked. He could plainly see that Alexander's TV set was on, as were his lights; but after several minutes, Alexander still didn't answer the door.
Hamblen rushed back to the store to relay the upsetting developments to Fuller. She encouraged Hamblen to dial 911. Soon, officers were on their way.
When deputies from the Marion County Sheriff's office arrived at Alexander's house, they heard a man “calling for help from inside the residence, deputies said. They broke the door down, and found Alexander on the floor in need of immediate medical attention. One day later, and they might have been too late.
Alexander was rushed to Salem Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition shortly after the dramatic rescue. In the following weeks, Fuller, Hamblen, and other store employees went to visit him with flowers and cards, noting that Alexander greeted them with knowing smiles.
1. How did Fuller sense that something was wrong?| A．She knew Alexander had serious health problems. |
| B．Alexander hadn't ordered chicken wings for nearly 2 weeks. |
| C．Alexander had never before broken his routine in the store for 10 years. |
| D．Alexander had disappeared from the store's ordering system for about 2 weeks. |
| A．Hamblen was fond of knocking at Alexander's door. |
| B．Hamblen was more than an acquaintance to Alexander. |
| C．Every time Hamblen arrived at Alexander's house, he would knock first. |
| D．When Hamblen had enough time in the past, he would go to Alexander's house. |
| A．Life. | B．Technology. | C．Healthy. | D．Entertainment. |
| A．Born in distress, die in peace | B．Details determine success or failure |
| C．Even the wise are not always free from error | D．Better late than never |
6 . Healthy, shiny hair is an attainable goal for many people. What you eat can bring luster and strength back to your hair. A balanced diet filled with so-called superfoods like certain fruits and oils treat your hair from the inside out.
Oils
The omega-3 fatty acids in eggs, walnuts, and fatty fish like salmon help make hair shiny. These oils can also be obtained through some vegetable oils or flaxseed oil, but are found in higher amounts in oily fish and eggs. The protein in these foods also helps hair grow strong and healthy. Also found in eggs are B12 and biotin, both of which are essential for healthy skin, nails, and hair.
Avocado
Avocados contain high amounts of vitamin E. Only 2 ounce of a medium-size avocado contains 8 percent of your daily recommended intake of vitamin E. If you don’t like to actually eat avocado, you can make an avocado mask to put on your hair. Vitamin E helps to keep your hair color bright and prevents split ends.
Coconut Oil
The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are used differently by your body than other saturated fats. An added benefit of coconut oil is its ability to make your hair shiny and healthy. Use coconut oil to cook your chicken or seafood, add it to your salad, or put it directly on your hair as a mask. Coconut oil’s anti-fungal agents also help protect against and treat dandruff and other scalp problems.
Vitamin C Fruits
Fruits high in vitamin C, such as oranges, peaches, pineapples, strawberries, and kiwi - help maintain healthy hair and fight against free-radical damage from the environment to protect your hair against pollutants. Make sure to eat lots of fruits high in vitamin C. You can also apply the juices of these fruits directly to your hair by mixing it into your shampoo.
1. According to the passage, eggs contain a lot of essential nutrients needed by healthy hair EXCEPT ________.| A．biotin. | B．flaxseed oil. | C．B12. | D．omega-3 fatty acids. |
| A．Avocados are rich in Vitamin E, which helps keep your hair brightly coloured. |
| B．Oranges are rich in Vitamin C, which protects your hair from pollutants. |
| C．To have healthy shiny hair, you can either eat superfoods or apply them to your hair. |
| D．Coconut oil is high in saturated fats and sugar, which can help treat scalp problems. |
| A．Beauty and skin care. | B．Life and society. |
| C．Food around the world. | D．News abroad. |
7 . Great Barrier Reef Choking on Pollutants
Attempts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are failing. A report released Monday by the government in Australia says water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is far below what it should be. It showed that pollution have decreased, but not enough to reach environmental targets.
Sediment (沉淀物) and chemicals can weaken coral, hurting its ability to feed and grow. Coral are live animals that take root in the ocean floor, but they are not plants. Reefs are the hard skeletons (骨架) left at the bottom of the sea by small marine creatures called polyps (珊瑚虫). The polyps then form the larger structure of a reef. Corals also are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the entire planet. They can make a home for invertebrates, crustaceans, fish, and sea snakes.
Steve Miles is Queensland’s environment minister. He says the research shows the Reef needs more protection. “Over that five-year period, we did see some progress towards our targets. Sediment is down 12 percent and pesticides (杀虫剂) loads are down 30 percent. But what is most disturbing is that these results are far from our targets. Progress towards these targets flat-lined in the period 2013-2014. If one of my kids came home with a report card like this, I would be a bit disappointed. There is more bad news here than good news. ” said Steve Miles.
The report also found that fewer than one-third of Queensland’s sugar plantations used techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. Only 28 percent of land managers managed their land properly. They had reduced harmful water run off to protect the health of the Reef. The official target is a 90 percent reduction in pesticide use within three years.
Scientists at the University of Queensland and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences published their findings Wednesday, July 18 in the journal Science Advances. It found between 1992 and 2010, the recovery rate dropped by an average of 84 percent. But there is hope. The study also found some corals can recover quickly if “acute and chronic stressors” are lessened.
Meanwhile, the Australian government released its updated reef protection plan Friday. It clearly states global temperatures must be stopped from rising in order to save the world’s largest living structure.
1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Diverse ecosystems. | B．Sediment and chemicals. |
| C．Reefs and corals. | D．Small sea creatures. |
| A．He is satisfied with the protection of the Reef. |
| B．He thinks that the Reef needs more protection. |
| C．He feels angry with what his children did. |
| D．He is very happy about the Reef progress protection. |
| A．Not increase significantly. | B．Disappear. |
| C．Speed up. | D．Miss the chance. |
| A．were tough to deal with | B．failed to manage their land properly |
| C．reduced the amount of harmful water | D．were eager to quit pesticide soon |
| A．A news report. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A book review. | D．A guide book. |
8 . Can you think outside the box? Samsung Electronics is inviting you to think outside the “cardboard” box.
We love it when companies try to limit their carbon footprint (碳排放量) . But it can be hard especially when you take packing (包装) materials into consideration. For safe delivery purposes, it’s not something we can completely do without. But giving that packing material a long-lasting purpose is a way to reduce unnecessary waste. That’s what Samsung Electronics has done with their new “eco-packing” try. In addition to using corrugated (波纹状的) cardboard for easier recycling, the boxes have another function. Each box comes with a dot-matrix pattern (点矩阵图案) allowing customers to cut and build it into everything from a tea table to a cat house.
Each package comes with a QR code that buyers can scan (扫描) for more ideas of building their own DIY items. And you will be proud of making your furniture out of cardboard. Believe it or not, it’ll be a fashion soon.
This is a great idea and another win for Samsung. The company already won an innovation (创新) prize for its eco-packaging idea earlier this year. Any brand devoted to keeping us entertained while protecting our planet is a brand we can support.
The South Korean company is now holding a global contest that encourages people to come up with new designs and ideas on how the cardboard can be changed to make it suitable for a new purpose.
Anyone can enter the contest as long as they are at least 18 years old. They can be from any country. Each has to send at least one, and up to ten photos of their creation.
The company offers a prize of $20,000 for the top of five designs. The top prize is $10,000, while second and third places will be rewarded with $5,000 and $3,000. Fourth and fifth places will receive $1,000 each.
Have you got a good idea for a box design? Why not try your luck?
1. What’s the main purpose of the passage?| A．To introduce a new design of Samsung Electronics. |
| B．To stress the achievement of Samsung Electronics in eco-package. |
| C．To warn electronic companies to reduce unnecessary waste. |
| D．To encourage you to take part in a design contest held by Samsung Electronic. |
| A．Eco-package allows packing material only to be reused for a short time. |
| B．It is by scanning a QR code that buyers can build their own furniture with a box. |
| C．Anyone who is above 18 years old can go in for the contest. |
| D．The company won an innovation prize because of the eco-packaging product. |
| A．Think outside the “cardboard” box. |
| B．Samsung Electronics’ success in eco-packing effort. |
| C．A national contest for new designs and ideas. |
| D．A fashion to make furniture (家具) out of cardboard. |
| A．Science. | B．Customs. |
| C．Culture. | D．Advertisement. |
9 . Pali Overnight Adventures offers children and teens exciting experiences this summer. From broadcasting to street art, these are just 4 of the 17 highly unique camps being offered.
Broadcasting Camp
Become the next star reporter
news writer, director or producer. While running every aspect of our own news station, kids and their fellow campers will create and host a broadcast airing each night at dinner for the entire camp. Every night it goes on the web, keeping parents and the world informed of the happenings at Pali.
Secret Agent Camp
In the movie Mission Impossible, Tom Cruise made being a secret agent seem like the coolest job ever. Campers who sign up for the 2-week secret agent camp can get to know about the life of real secret agents by learning strategies and military skills on the paintball field.
Culinary Camp
If your child enjoys being in the kitchen, then the culinary camp is definitely the right fit. Campers learn technical skills of roasting, frying and cutting, as well as some recipes that they can take home and share with their families.
Street Art Camp
This camp takes creative license to an entirely new level. Campers will share their colorful ideas and imagination with each other and work together to visualize, sketch and paint with non-traditional techniques to create the coolest mural which will be displayed in public for all to see.
1. Which camp will you choose if you are interested in survival skills?| A．Broadcasting Camp | B．Secret Agent |
| C．Camp Culinary Camp | D．Street Art Camp |
| A．An ad | B．A scientific magazine |
| C．A novel | D．A news report |
| A．To advertise 4 camps |
| B．To introduce Pali |
| C．To introduce Pali Overnight Adventures |
| D．To appeal to children and teens to sign up for the camps |
10 . From this issue, we explore why the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute hasn't turned up anything since its founding in the 1980s. (See page 30 for more.) We asked our Facebook followers: Do you think that astronomers will find evidence of alien life in your lifetime?
Loran McCormick: 1 think they already have it. Judging by the sudden industrialization, I figure they found something that's probably been here since before humans walked the Earth.
Jens Avery: We may find life, but it may not want anything to do with us. We are not very advanced and can't even get along with each other.
Steven Buhrow: I think the more important question is — will any government ever publicly admit it in our lifetime? I fully believe that we could discover alien life today and the government would simply say the public is not ready for this information.
Jenna Walsh: I think we already see it, but just don't realize what it is. Intelligent alien life probably doesn't want anything to do with the disaster that is Earth at this point, so no doubt they're playing it safe and observing from a safe distance.
Christopher Harvey: By alien life, do you mean intelligent alien life? Then no. It would be extremely hard to find, short of them coming down to Earth. But if you mean unintelligent alien life, like bacteria or single cell, we might.
1. Why did we ask the Facebook followers the question?| A．To question the efficiency of SETI. |
| B．To confirm the appearance of aliens on earth. |
| C．To ensure the existence of aliens. |
| D．To complain about the failure to find aliens. |
| A．Loran McCormick. | B．Steven Buhrow. |
| C．Jenna Walsh. | D．Christopher Harvey. |
| A．An album. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A magazine. | D．A travel guide. |
