1 . 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 |
2 . For most of us, the world’s southern-most point seems like a pretty place, but for Hannah, Hannalore, Sophie and Julia, it’s home. Each year they spend five months living and working in Port welcoming visiting ships and, best of all, watching over the native colony of penguins（企鹅）.
They live on a tiny island the size of a football pitch, but share it with about 2000 gentoo penguins and their chicks, as well as other birds. Life here is different every day and depends on weather and ice conditions, as well as the visiting ships’ schedules. Port Lockroy is one of the most visited places in Antarctica, with one to three ships visiting a day. Between ship visits we have other duties to attend to. These include maintenance jobs, sending postcards from the post office, checking conditions on the historical items in the museum and monitoring the penguin colonies and other wildlife.
Hannah spends much time stamping people’s postcard, which makes her happy to think of the joy over 70,000 people per year get when they receive a postcard from Antarctica, and the most southerly post office in the world! For Sophie, the most amazing thing about my job is being able to live and work with my feathery friends, the penguins. Sophie says they have to make sure the penguins are not disturbed when they are resting or waddling their way back to their nests. They mark specific routes for visitors to walk on so that they don’t use the penguins’ highways. Part of their job is also to count the penguin colony when after they've laid their eggs, then again when the chicks are born and when the chicks are old enough to venture beyond the nest. The information collected will help scientists know if the breeding season has been a successful one or not.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．How to live and work in Antarctica. |
| B．What the real life is like in Antarctica. |
| C．What the four women do in Antarctica. |
| D．How to explore the beauty of Antarctica. |
| A．posting wildlife to people around the world. |
| B．changing the weather to preserve historical items. |
| C．recording the data of the ice conditions in Port Lockroy. |
| D．collecting information about the breeding season of penguins. |
| A．Postcards from Port Lockroy are free of charge. |
| B．Port Lockroy welcomes the most tourists in Antarctica. |
| C．Weather is a factor to consider if people are to visit Port Lockroy. |
| D．When visiting Port Lockroy, tourists can travel wherever as they like. |
| A．Book review. | B．People in the news. |
| C．Economics and business. | D．Sports and events. |
3 . 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. |
4 . Many visitors to the UK go straight to London and never explore outside the capital, which is a pity, for there is various landscape only a few hours away, in any one of Britain’s largest areas of protected countryside, its national parks.
The Cairngorms
The biggest is the Cairngorms in northern Scotland, with some of the country’s highest mountains and the best place for skiing. Ponytrekking, climbing and fishing are also popular, along with Scotland’s national game, golf. Wildlife enthusiasts are well rewarded—this is the home of the red deer, red squirrel and golden eagle.
The Lake District
Over the border in England is the Lake District, originally made famous by local Romantic poet William Wordsworth two hundred years ago. People have been travelling here in large numbers since 1847 when a railway was built to its biggest lake, Windermere. Children’s writers have found inspiration here too, and the mountains make for excellent walking, with breathtaking views.
Snowdonia
Wales also has its fair share of impressive landscape — Snowdonia was one of the first national parks to be created in 1951. You will find the road signs in two languages and hear Welsh spoken in the local shops. If mountain climbing is not your thing, try visiting a castle built by a 13th-century prince, or check out the nearby beaches.
The Giant’s Causeway
For the strangest coastal scenery of all, cross the Irish Sea to the Giant’s Causeway, a set of basalt (玄武岩)columns formed by volcanic activity sixty million years ago — or, as legend (传说)has it, built by warrior giant Finn McCool to walk from Northern Ireland to fight his enemy in Scotland. The stone “steps” are not complete because the giant fell asleep — something you’ll probably want to do yourself at the end of an exciting day in the great British outdoors.
1. Which of the following can offer you wonderful snow scenery?| A．The Giant’s Causeway. | B．Snowdonia. | C．The Lake District. | D．The Cairngorms. |
| A．All of these national parks can be reached in several hours. |
| B．Snowdonia was the first national park to be created in the UK. |
| C．The Giant’s Causeway was built by warrior giant Finn McCool. |
| D．The Lake District attracts large numbers of people in that people can find inspiration there. |
| A．Discovery. | B．News Weekly. |
| C．National Geographic. | D．Space Exploration. |
5 . The 15-day Spring Festival is the biggest holiday of the year for many Chinese to leave from their jobs to travel home and see their loved ones. But along with gathering come a lot of traditions aimed at making sure the year ahead is lucky and happy.
Here are some key dos and don’ts that many Chinese follow before and after the Lunar New Year.
DOs
Set off fireworks
The more fireworks or firecrackers you set off, the better.
Not only do you light up the night sky with a symphony of color, but the loud banging sounds are thought to scare off evil spirits.
Eat dumplings
Eating dumplings is a popular tradition in northern China because dumplings not only taste good but also look like pieces of gold.
Clean your home
Sweep, mop, vacuum, steam-do anything and everything to make sure your home is clean before the midnight on Lunar New Year eve. The aim here is to free your home from any bad luck that’s accumulated over the past year.
DON’Ts
Wash or cut your hair
Leave your hair as it is on the first day of the New Year.
The Chinese character for hair is the same first character in the word for prosperity(发达).
This means washing or cutting it off is seen as washing your fortune away.
Clean post-New Year
Cleaning of any kind on the first day is strictly forbidden.
You clean your home to avoid any bad luck before the New Year - now you want to be sure not to wipe, sweep or wash away any of the good luck that arrives after midnight.
Buy books
It’s bad luck to buy them during the 15-day Spring Festival.
The Chinese word for "book" (shū) sounds exactly the same as the word for "lose’"-so buying a book is considered an invitation to bad luck.
Also, avoid giving books as gifts to anyone, because it’d be like wishing bad luck upon them.
1. Why is the Spring Festival the best time for many Chinese people according to the text?| A．They can enjoy a lor of delicious dishes. |
| B．They can get together with their family members. |
| C．It’s time for them to say good-bye to the past year. |
| D．The festival will bring them good luck and happiness. |
| A．setting off fireworks | B．enjoying tasty dumplings |
| C．cleaning your home | D．leaving your books untouched |
| A．Advertisement. | B．Literature. |
| C．Culture. | D．Travel. |
China is famous for its various hot pots, but the Japanese also love this delicious cuisine, where hot pots are known as nabemono. Here’re four tasty versions worth eating.
Shabu- Shabu
Many types of hot pots exist, but one of the most popular in Japan is called Shabu-Shabu. Featuring thinly sliced cuts of meats, fish and vegetables, the dish, whose name imitates the sound “swish swish” as the food is cooked in the boiling pot, is said to have been created in Osaka in the 1950s.The food is typically dipped in a sauce with a citrus(柑橘)flavor.
Chankonabe
Since the late 1800s, Chankonabe has been served to sumo(相扑)wrestlers looking to gain weight. Interestingly, there is no fixed recipe fr this style of hot pot. In other words, any type of meat and vegetables can be thrown in. It’s served in large portions, often with other food such as fried chicken so that sumo wrestlers can keep their significant body weight.
Mille-Feuille Nabe
A less fattening Japanese hot pot that has an attractive visual element is Mille-Feuille Nabe. Made with mostly pork and cabbage, it’s easy to prepare since this hot pot requires fewer ingredients(原料)than other kinds of nabemono. The remaining soup can also be enjoyed with steamed rice or noodles.
Yaminabe
Yaminabe is a dining experience like no other. Everyone brings their own ingredients to add to the pot,but with their eyes covered, they don't know what else is being added. Therefore,no one knows exactly what they’re picking out of the pot. Sounds like the ultimate surprise,doesn’t it.
That’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to nabemono. These hot pots are just the start of a wonderfully delicious nabemono journey!
1. Where does Shabu-Shabu get its name from?| A．The taste of the meat as it’s eaten. |
| B．The town called Osaka in the 1950s. |
| C．The sound of food boiling in the pot. |
| D．The flavor coming from a citrus sauce. |
| A．Shabu-Shabu. | B．Chankonabe. | C．Mille-Feuille Nabe. | D．Yaminabe. |
| A．A food and travel blog. |
| B．A history textbook. |
| C．A Japanese cookbook. |
| D．A news website. |
7 . On your journey, there are some healthy active transport options, for example cycling.
Active transport benefits
* It’s a convenient and practical way to incorporate (并入) regular exercise into your day.
* Cycling to your stop or station helps to reduce your carbon footprint.
* The cost of buying and maintaining a bicycle is around 1% of the cost of buying and maintaining a car.
* It provides an opportunity to socialize with people in your local community.
* Cycling provides commuters (通勤者) with economical and efficient access to public transport services. On average, 10 times more households are within cycling distance of public transport than they are within walking distance.
Taking your bike on the train
You can take your bike on the train on weekdays, except during the following peak times:
* 7 a.m.-9:30 a.m. towards the CBD (Central Business District);
* 3 p.m.-6:30 p. m. outwards from the CBD;
* at any time during weekends and public holidays.
Note: You can travel in the opposite direction during the specified peak times above.
To avoid travelling during peak times, you must complete your morning journey by 7 a.m. towards the CBD and afternoon journey by 3 p.m. outwards from the CBD.
During peak hours, bikes cannot be brought through Fortitude Valley, Central or Roma Street stations. If you travel with a bike during peak times, you may be asked to leave the train until peak time ends.
Bike storage facilities
Bike facilities offer greater flexibility as you can cycle to a station and securely park your bike before continuing your journey on public transport. Queensland Rail and the City of Gold Coast also offer a number of bicycle storage facilities across our network. You can book a bike locker by emailing us at bikelockerqueries@ translink. com. au.
1. What is mentioned about cycling in the text?| A．It is environmentally-friendly. | B．It is convenient to get around. |
| C．It is helpful to reduce your weight. | D．It is much faster than walking. |
| A．7 a.m. on Christmas. | B．3 p.m. towards CBD. |
| C．6 p.m. during weekends. | D．4 p.m. outwards from CBD. |
| A．A guide book. | B．A health journal. |
| C．A sports magazine. | D．A Travel website. |
8 . Scientists estimate that over 500 million species have died out throughout evolution. Here is a list of 4 incredible extinct animals.
Pinta Island Tortoise
| The giant tortoise of Pinta lived on the island Pinta of the Galapagos Islands,Ecuador. By the end of the nineteenth century,most of the Pinta Island tortoises had been wiped out due to hunting. The last known individual was a male named Lonesome George who died on 24 June 2012. In his later years,he was considered the rarest animal in the world. |
Falkland Islands Wolf
| The Falkland Islands wolf was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands. The animal was hunted for his beautiful fur,and the shepherds(牧羊人），considering it a threat to the sheep,poisoned him. On the islands,there were no forests in which the species could take shelter,and its lack of fear towards man made it easy prey to kill. The last known individual died in the late 19th century on the western island. |
Caucasian Wisent
| The Caucasian wisent which went extinct in 1926 inhabited(栖息）the Caucasus mountains. In 1910 their numbers were estimated in the hundreds. When state authority collapsed after the First World War,the remaining population fell victim to hunters. The decline can also be contributed to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that was introduced with cattle. |
Javan Tiger
| The Javan tiger is an extinct subspecies of the tiger that was native to the Indonesian island of Java. Very little data was gathered about their behavior before they were driven to extinction. The reduction of its two main prey species,and the modification of its habitat led to the extinction of the subspecies in the 1980s. |
1. According to the passage,which shows the correct order of the animals' extinction?
① Pinta Island tortoise ② Falkland Islands wolf
③ Caucasian wisent ④Javan tiger
| A．②③①④ | B．②③④① |
| C．③②④① | D．③④②① |
| A．Pollution. | B．Disease. |
| C．Hunting. | D．Habitat loss. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．A news report. |
| C．A nature magazine. | D．A biology textbook. |
9 . RAMCO TECHNOLOGIES
Where Technology Shapes Tomorrow
Marketing @Ramco.comewww.Ramco.com
TO: Rachel Mohler, Vice President
Harrison Fontentot, Public Relations
FROM: Mike Gonzalez
SUBJECT: Three Ways to Increase Ramco’s Community Involvement
DATE: March 5, 2019
At our planning session in early February, our division managers stressed the need to generate favourable publicity for our new Ramco facility in Mayfield. Knowing that such publicity will highlight Ramco’s visibility in Mayfield, I think the company’s image might be enhanced in the following three ways.
CREATE A SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Ramco would receive favourable publicity by creating a scholarship at Mayfield Community College for any student interested in a career in technology. A one-year scholarship would cost $6,800. The scholarship could be awarded by a committee composed of Ramco executives. Such a scholarship would emphasize Ramco’s enthusiastic support for the latest technical education at a local college.
OFFER SITE TOURS
Guided tours of the Mayfield facility would introduce the community to Ramco’s innovative technology. These tours might be organized for academic, community, and civic groups. Individuals would see the care we take in protecting the environment in our production and equipment choices and the speed with which we ship our products. Of special interest to visitors would be Ramco’s use of industrial robots working alongside our employees. Since these tours would be scheduled in advance, they should not conflict with our production schedules.
PROVIDE GUEST SPEAKERS
Many of our employees would be excellent guest speakers at civic and educational meetings in the Mayfield area. Possible topics include the advances Ramco has made in designing and engineering and how these advances have helped consumers and the local economy.
Thanks for giving me your comments as soon as possible. If we are going to put one or more of these suggestions into practice before the facility opens in mid-April, we’ll need to act before the end of the month.
1. If Ramco establishes a scholarship, it will _____.| A．benefit students at colleges in Mayfield |
| B．highlight Ramco’s support for the latest technical advances |
| C．be offered to MCC students interested in a career in technology |
| D．be jointly awarded by Ramco executives and college professors |
| A．Site tours of Mayfield facility can be arranged at any time. |
| B．The three measures are scheduled to be carried out in mid-April. |
| C．The three measures are sure to create favourable image for Mayfield. |
| D．Guest speakers will talk about Ramco’s advances in designing and engineering. |
| A．A letter of introduction. | B．A letter of proposal. |
| C．A letter of recommendation. | D．A letter of complaints. |
10 . Cells in our brain usually send a “stop eating” signal when we've eaten enough. But in a study, researchers found that after mice ate fatty food for just two weeks, their brains brake on overeating failed.
Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle conducted the study.They shared their findings in Science.Garret Stuber is a professor at the University of Washington.He and his team mainly focused on one brain area known-to be connected with eating behavior.This brain area contains many different kinds of cells.Researchers noticed big differences between the glutamatergic nerve cells(谷氨酸神经细胞)of the fat mice and those of the thin mice.And the earlier work by Stuber's group had suggested that these cells act like a brake on overeating.When the researchers stopped these cells from working,mice suddenly overate.They also fattened up. But it wasn't clear how these cells' activity changed as the mice changed from being slim to being fat.
“Being fat doesn't just happen overnight,”notes Stuber.To study that gradual fattening up,his group did a new study.They fed mice with high-fat food.Now and again,they used a microscope to look at how well the animals 'glutamatergic nerve cells could send out signals.During the process,they found the activity of these glutamatergic nerve cells slowed,even before the mice became fat.That cell sluggishness(怠惰)continued as the mice grew larger over a 12-week period.
The results suggest that the high-fat diet is removing the brake on overeating and becoming fat,”says Stephanie Borgland,a professor at the University of Calgary in Canada. Stuber's group doesn't know whether these brain cells will go back to normal if the mice stop eating the fatty food and slim down.It would be hard to keep monitoring the same cells over the months it would likely take for the mice to return to a healthy body weight,”explains Stuber.And it's hard to say whether similar cells control the same thing in humans.
“Having high-fat diets probably affects a much wider family of cells than those studied here,” Stuber notes. “Changes,” he says, “are probably happening across the brain.” Understanding those things might help us find better ways of limiting overeating.
1. What did researchers find in the study?| A．Mice tended to become sluggish if they often overate. |
| B．Having high-fat diets affected many kinds of brain cells. |
| C．Mice began to overeat after eating fatty food for a period. |
| D．The number of brain cells would drop when mice overate. |
| A．To prove that fatty food was bad for health. |
| B．To know more about that gradual weight-gain. |
| C．To collect more information about the mice 's cells. |
| D．To observe how long it would take for the mice to grow fat. |
| A．It's still difficult to answer some questions. |
| B．It's hard to find the similar brain area in humans. |
| C．It's wrong to apply what suits animals to humans. |
| D．It's necessary to keep monitoring the mice for long. |
| A．A personal diary. |
| B．A useful guidebook. |
| C．A science magazine. |
| D．An adventure novel |
