1 . International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is seen as a window into the inventions that will change our lives in the years ahead. Here are some of the best inventions making the headlines from this year’s show.
The virtual fence for your wandering dog
This $1,495 GPS-enabled dog collar lets you “draw” a boundary anywhere, including your home, the houses of friends, a campsite or a park. If the dog escapes, the GPS alerts you via a mobile phone app and helps you track and find it, even in remote areas like woodland.
The robot that brings you toilet paper
Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble’s toilet paper brand, Charmin, has shown a two-wheeled robot designed to save its owner at the most important moment. The “RollBot” is ordered by a smart phone using Bluetooth and uses technology similar to a robot cleaner to navigate to its owner, carrying a precious spare roll.
Wearable camera boosting hearing aids
Hearing aids can struggle to isolate (分离) sounds, often strengthening background noise as well as a person’s voice. The Hear, a wearable camera made by Israeli tech company OrCam, uses artificial intelligence to identify the person who is speaking and then employ lip reading technology to isolate the sound of their voice, making it easier for those with hearing difficulties to understand them.
Solar-powered electric tricycle
French start-up Wello has displayed a vehicle that lies somewhere between an electric car and a bicycle, showing a solar-powered electric tricycle. The vehicle is pedal-assisted, so it doesn’t need a driving license and can travel in bike lanes, but can reach a top speed of 25 miles per hour.
1. How does the dog collar work?| A．By limiting your dog to a boundary anywhere. |
| B．By tracking and finding your dog through an app. |
| C．By using Bluetooth to find where your dog hides. |
| D．By providing more information about your dog for the police. |
| A．It can bring you toilet paper. |
| B．It appeals to people who are visually challenged. |
| C．It strengthens background noise as well as a person’s voice. |
| D．It has an advantage over traditional hearing aids in isolating sounds. |
| A．They are all helpful in improving people’s lives. |
| B．They are all designed for senior people. |
| C．They are all environment-friendly. |
| D．They are all solar-powered. |
Most of us haven’t been taught how to apologize. That’s
When you’re apologizing for something, it’s critical to show true sorrow and regret. It feels
Your attention when apologizing should be on the impact of your words or deeds, not on your
An apology isn’t the only chance you ever get to address the underlying issue. The apology is the chance you get to establish the ground for future communication. When
3 . Masses of ocean plastic are providing artificial habitat (栖息地) for otherwise coastal species, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The study’s authors observed floating water bottles, old toothbrushes and waste fishing nets. The possibility exists that species may be evolving to better adapt to life on plastic.
A decade ago, marine researchers believed coastal species could not survive a trip across the inhospitable open ocean. Yet Japan’s 2011 tsunami (海啸), which sent some 300 species of Asian marine life riding floating plastic garbage onto North American shores, disproved that assumption.
Ocean plastic is “creating opportunities for coastal species’ biogeography to greatly expand beyond what we previously thought was possible”, Linsey Haram, a researcher and co-author of the study, said in a report.
The concept of species-covered plastic may sound like the story of ocean species’ victory in spite of human pollution. But that’s not quite the case, explains Juan José Alava, PhD, an expert at the University of British Columbia. In addition to transporting non-native species to new habitats where they may become invasive and destructive, the plastic is “basically an ecological trap”, says Alava. “That’s because small species on the floating structure may attract bigger animals to come for food. When these creatures enter garbage areas for food, they run a high risk of eating and/or becoming caught in plastic and dying.”
While scientists have found some types of bacteria (细菌) are able to break down plastic, thereby cleaning up garbage, it’s unlikely that the marine animals will have any such effect. “The 2021 UN report was clear that the increasing plastic pollution is putting the health of all the world’s oceans and seas at risk,” says Alava.
1. What does the underlined word “inhospitable” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Easy-to-spot. | B．Up-to-standard. |
| C．Down-to-earth. | D．Hard-to-stay. |
| A．Putting them at greater risk. |
| B．Causing them to grow bigger. |
| C．Enabling them to live in new habitats. |
| D．Freeing them from getting endangered. |
| A．It increases some creatures’ curiosity. |
| B．It causes damage to all marine species. |
| C．It creates habitats for larger creatures. |
| D．It leads to the death of some creatures. |
| A．Ocean plastic must be dealt with. |
| B．It’s OK to throw plastic into the ocean. |
| C．Marine life may adapt to ocean plastic. |
| D．Ocean plastic may be cleaned up soon. |
4 . For Wang Pengfei and Tian Xiaowei, Central Academy of Drama graduates, William Shakespeare’s works were a must-read during their college days. After graduation, they have been working together on Chinese plays with Wang as a producer and Tian as a director.
In 2020, after the coronavirus pandemic(疫情) hit, Tian considered creating a play. Since most of his works were based on classic works, Tian decided to write an original play. This turned out to be a three-hour-long play, titled Will, exploring the life story of Shakespeare.
“When we researched Shakespeare’s own life story, we found that we shared lots of experiences and emotions with him.” says Wang when asked about the inspiration. Tian agrees: “We share the passion for theater. We face problems after we left school, such as looking for job opportunities to make ends meet, and struggling between reality and dreams. We see ourselves through this play, Will.”
With four actors and actresses playing more than 30 roles, the play follows the man, Will, who, at the age of 5, entered the theater of Stratford City Hall by accident and became attached to it. Before adulthood, he went to London to seek his theater dream and launched his career, which brought him fortune and fame(名声). Then in his later years, he returned to Stratford, his hometown and stayed there until his death.
Premiered(首映) on July 22, the play was staged in Beijing and Shenzhen and was warmly received by both audiences and critics. In 2022, it will start a new round of shows in Beijing in April and July and is expected to be watched by about 13,000.
When asked about the feeling, Wang says, “Both Tian and I felt like returning to our school days when we fully devoted into creating plays and were not distracted. It felt great.”
1. What do we know about Tian?| A．He knew little about Shakespeare. | B．He adapted a play from classics. |
| C．He has teamed up with Wang. | D．He has served as a producer. |
| A．What made them create Will. | B．How they drafted Will. |
| C．The necessity of watching Will. | D．The introduction to Will. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By following the time order. |
| C．By giving various examples. | D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| A．Bringing Shakespeare to life | B．Shakespeare’s influence on China |
| C．The popularity of Shakespeare | D．Saying hello to Shakespeare |
5 . Kids generally like Labor Day because they’re off school. But do they know what they’re celebrating every first Monday in September? Sure, we can explain how it’s the holiday devoted to American workers. However, there might be a better way to teach them about it with these ideas.
Write thank-you letters
Labor Day celebrates the labor movement and workers here in our great country. Even little ones can thank our nation’s hardest workers during this holiday weekend. Help your child write a thank-you card to a worker they admire and then deliver it by hand or by mail.
Have a sing-along with friends
Rally(召集) the kids and lead them in an epic American sing-along to celebrate our country and its amazing workers. Be sure to have a loud speaker on hand and print out words for the children to follow along. Don’t be alarmed if the gathering turns into a completely developed dance party!
Make footprint vehicles
Ask the kids to think of some of the vehicles our nation’s workers use to do their jobs. Paint the bottom of your child’s foot with washable paint and help them make a footprint on a piece of paper. Give them markers to help them turn their footprint into their favorite worker vehicle. So cute!
Create a career mobile
Buy or make a hanging photo mobile, and have the kids add photos of American workers. Ask the children what they want to be when they grow up — place their dream career in the center and hang others off to the sides.
1. When would Labor Day most probably be celebrated in the US.?
| A．May 1st. | B．September 2nd. |
| C．September 19th. | D．May 4th. |
| A．Have a sing-along with friends. |
| B．Make footprint vehicles. |
| C．Write thank-you letters. |
| D．Create a career mobile. |
| A．American holidays for children. |
| B．Proper gifts for American workers. |
| C．Better ways to teach about Labor Day. |
| D．Different ways to cheer up kids at home. |
6 . It seems that some people were simply born charming. When they enter a room, everyone notices their presence. They are like magnets.
⚫ Charming People Give You Their Undivided Attention
Stop to think about two or three likable people you know. Do they constantly check their phone while you are talking to them? Do they continually redirect conversations to themselves so they can become the center of attention? Probably not. They ask you intelligent questions and show a true interest in what’s going on in your life.
⚫They Follow Through
They Take Real Pleasure in Proactively Helping Others
Charming people don’t preach or tell you how to do things, and they certainly don’t brag about their own lives and successes.
In a word, charming people will always let their actions talk for them instead of words. If we were all wired that way, we would probably become popular too.
| A．They always surprise you with something new. |
| B．You won’t find this with charming people, however. |
| C．Therefore, don’t make promises that you can not keep. |
| D．They take delight in giving you a helping hand proactively instead. |
| E．They focus on being “interested” rather than appearing “interesting.” |
| F．One common quality of charming people is that they stick to their words. |
| G．However, we are all born with the ability to attract other people’s interest in us. |
Last Sunday I finished my volunteer work in the wildlife park in my hometown, where was a valuable experience for me.
In park, I did the cleaning for the animals and feed them every day. In addition to, I corrected the translation mistakes on the leaflets which give visitors basic informations about the park. I also worked as a guide tell visitors that they should pay attention to when visiting the park.
I am so happy that I did something useful but meaningful for those wonderfully creatures. I hope more and more people will join me to protect it.
Zhong Nanshan was born in October 1936 in Central Hospital in Nanjing, Jiangsu. Zhong
Many people know Zhong
Zhong’s life has always been
9 . A new study has found that ride-sharing services result in much more air pollution than other kinds of private and public transportation, and they also draw passengers away from more environmentally friendly methods of travel, like public transportation, walking or biking.
Several studies have suggested that ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft can worsen traffic problems in cities. The new study attempts to center on how ride-sharing services affect air pollution. It examined the effects of ride-sharing services on 7 of America’s largest cities. Overall, the researchers reported that ride-sharing trips result in an estimated 69% more air pollution on average than the trips they displace. One of the big reasons is that ride-sharing vehicles are often driven without passengers in. This happens when drivers are either waiting for ride requests or on the way to pick up passengers.
This situation, known as “deadheading”, takes up about 42% of all ride-sharing driving. The researchers said that deadheading results in about 50% more carbon dioxide than one person driving in a private vehicle.
Both Uber and Lyft do offer a choice of a “pooled” ride, which involves drivers picking up additional riders during the same trip. The study urges services like Uber and Lyft to work to increase the number of pooled rides and electric vehicles on the road, and improve connections to public transportation centers.
Uber made no comment on the latest report, but the company said it aims to be part of the solution to address climate change by working directly with cities, adding that it will continue to promote pooled trips and other means of transportation. Lyft said that the study made misleading claims about ride-sharing although it shared the practice of increasing the number of pooled rides and putting more electric vehicles in service.
Both companies have already operated businesses that offer electric scooters and bikes and have begun to include public transportation information in their systems.
1. What’s known about ride-sharing services before the new study?| A．They are more popular with passengers than public transportation. |
| B．They provide a more efficient means of transportation. |
| C．They waste a lot of time waiting for ride requests. |
| D．They make traffic problems in cities even worse. |
| A．They use too much fuel to operate. |
| B．They are used by too many people. |
| C．They are often driven with no passengers. |
| D．They don’t have public transportation information. |
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. | C．Approving. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Both Uber and Lyft pay little attention to the result of the study. |
| B．Ride-sharing business will be canceled in more countries. |
| C．Ride-sharing services will become greener in the future. |
| D．Riding bikes is the solution to urban traffic problems. |
10 . One afternoon, When I walked out the supermarket, I found an old man who struggled with two bags of food. It was very cold. I guessed he must have a long walk ahead of him. I stopped the car near him and put the window down to ask if he needed a ride. With a little hesitation, he did accept.
After he got settled in the car, my husband and I introduced ourselves, but he didn’t say a word. During the drive, we tried to make him more comfortable with some small talk. His home was more than two miles away, so it would have been a difficult walk for anyone, let alone an old man carrying bags.
When we pulled up outside his door, the first thing he asked is “How much money do you want?” “Nothing, we just wanted to help,” we answered. The shock and relief on this man’s face was actually sad, because we should be able to live in a world where it isn’t shocking to have someone help you out of the goodness of their heart without expecting something in return. He was overwhelmed. Tears in his eyes, he said “Thank you!” over and over to me after realizing we truly didn’t want anything, which made me feel proud.
My only words to him were, sir, I hope this helped you out and have a good week. These simple acts of kindness are the types of kindnesses that anyone, anywhere can do. It doesn’t cost a cent. Just be aware of the world happening around you. There is always someone who needs something — a door held, a bag carried... the opportunities are endless.
1. Why did we give the old man a lift after shopping?| A．Because we wanted to help others. | B．Because he begged us to do so. |
| C．Because we wanted to earn money. | D．Because he was our old friend. |
| A．Happy and moved. | B．Comfortable but grateful. |
| C．Nervous and quiet. | D．Pleased but cautious. |
| A．He wanted to give us something he bought. | B．He planned to pay for the car ride. |
| C．He decided to introduce himself to us. | D．He wanted to show his kindness for us. |
| A．Kindness doesn’t cost a cent. | B．The acts of kindness should be great. |
| C．Helping others makes people sad. | D．There is always a chance for kindness. |
