1 . Bosses trying to quickly increase productivity should give up brainstorming meetings and instead invest in office plant, a study has found.
Green plants in offices increase work output by 15 percent, and challenges the “lean philosophy”(极简哲学)which holds that tidy buildings are best for concentration.
In experiments at two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands, it was found that plants significantly increased workplace satisfaction, levels of focus, and air quality. “Simply decorating an office space with plants help to increase productivity by 15 percent,” said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis.
“This conclusion doesn't agree with the modern ‘lean’ management techniques, yet it points out a path to a more enjoyable, more comfortable and a more profitable form of office-based workings.” She added, “Our research suggests that investing in decorating the office with plants will pay off through an increase in workers’ quality of life and productivity. It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive.”
Previous studies have shown that the presence of plants can reduce physiological(生理上的) stress, increase the attention span and improve health and well-being.
Researchers studied offices over several months during which plants were removed and added. Professor Alex Haslam, who also worked on the study, added, “The lean philosophy has been influential across a wide range of organizational fields. Our research questions this widespread belief that less is more. Sometimes less is just less.”
Plants are beneficial because a green office makes employees more physically and emotionally involved in their work.
Another researcher Dr. Craig Knight said: “Psychologically manipulating(处理,操纵)real workplaces and real jobs adds new depth to our understanding of what is right and what is wrong with existing workspace design and management. We are now providing a model of a really smart office.”
1. According to the “lean philosophy”, ________.A.green plants can increase productivity. |
B.green plants may disturb people’s concentration. |
C.a beautiful environment is beneficial to productivity. |
D.green plants will help bosses come up with new ideas. |
A.it may create a new way of management. |
B.it will lead to less investment in offices. |
C.it may lead to a better form of office-based workings. |
D.it challenges the widely accepted brainstorming meetings. |
A.The “lean philosophy” is widely adopted nowadays. |
B.A green office helps employees focus on their work. |
C.Green plants will make office workers more efficient. |
D.When it comes to decorating offices, the less the better. |
A.blame the “lean philosophy”. |
B.show how to increase productivity. |
C.Persuade bosses to remove plants from offices. |
D.indicate the effects of green plants on works’ efficiency. |
1.感谢他的关心;
2.介绍情况:
(1)自去年冬天以来已经发生数次雾霾天气;
(2)人们已经认识到雾霾天气的危害,正采取各种措施减少其发生;
(3)你自己为此做了什么或打算做什么。
注意:1.词:80左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:haze雾霾 environment 环境 poisonous 有毒的 mask 口罩 measure 措施
Dear Bill,
I' m glad to receive your letter. Thank you for caring for my health and the weather here.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Your,
Li Hua
3 . Darrell Blatchley, a marine biologist and environmentalist based in the Philippine city of Davao, received a call from the Philippines, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (渔业与水产资源局) early Friday morning reporting a death of a young whale.
When the necropsy (尸检) was performed, Blatchley told NPR, he was not prepared for the amount of plastic they found in the whale’s stomach. “It was full of plastic nothing but nonstop plastic.” he said “It was filled to the point that its stomach was as hard as a baseball.” That means that this animal has been suffering not for days or weeks but for months or even a year or more,” Blatchley added.
Blatchley is the founder and owner of the D’Bone Collector Museum, a natural history museum in Davao. In the coming days, the museum will display all the items found in the whale’s system. Blatchley and his team work with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and other organizations to assist in rescue and recovery of marine animals.
“Within the last 10 years, we have recovered 61 whales and dolphins just within the Davao Gulf,” he said. “Of them, 57 have died due to man whether they took plastic or fishing nets or other waste, or gotten caught in pollution — and four were pregnant.”
Blatchley said he hoped that the latest incident would launch the issue of plastic pollution in the Philippines and across the globe. “If we keep going this way, it will be more uncommon to see an animal die of natural causes than it is to see an animal die of plastic,” he said.
1. What can be inferred from the second paragraph?A.The whale was starved to death. |
B.The dead whale must have swallowed a baseball. |
C.Blatchley was very shocked at what he found. |
D.Blatchley didn’t make preparations for the necropsy. |
A.Waste collected from the ocean. |
B.Things found in the whale’s body. |
C.The whole system of the whale. |
D.Many different tools of whaling. |
A.Worrying. | B.Indifferent. |
C.Inspiring. | D.Mild. |
A.A Whale Found Dead of Plastic | B.Stand Up for Protecting Whales |
C.Plastic Threatening Our Existence | D.Natural Death or Merciless Murder |
4 . A very dangerous situation happened in California last week. More than 12 wildfires broke out in the state. Most of them began on October 8, in Northern California. They grew rapidly. The fires were made bigger by winds of up to 50 miles per hour and dry air in the area.
At least 20 people have been killed, the state government said. About 200 have been injured. At least 3,500 homes and businesses have been destroyed. About 50,000 people have been required to escape. Many left in a hurry, without time to take their personal things. “All the good stuff(东西)—I’m never going to see it again,” Jeff Okrepkie said. He escaped from his Santa Rosa home. It was destroyed soon after he left.
The fires burned through parts of eight counties(郡,县). These include Sonoma and Napa. The areas are important to California’s economy(经济). They are home to many of the state’s vineyards(葡萄园) and wineries(酿酒厂). In 2016, California’s wineries made more than $57 billion.
October is when wildfires usually produce the most ruins in California. But it is unusual for so many fires to start at once. Up to now, the government has not given a cause for any of the fires, many of which were still burning.
1. Why did the fires grow quickly?A.Most of the fires began in October. | B.12 fires happened at the same time. |
C.The state government didn’t do anything. | D.High-speed wind and dry air. |
A.50,000. | B.200. | C.3,500. | D.20. |
A.Homes have been destroyed. | B.Wineries have been burned. |
C.People have to leave their homes. | D.Many people have been injured. |
A.The high-speed wind and dry air. | B.Many fires started at once. |
C.October produces the most ruins. | D.The cause is not explained. |
5 . You just can’t imagine what a brave mother is like. She was a mother of three, who just
At midnight, Connie and her three children were
Juan slowly
Being deaf was not deterrent (妨碍物) for this
A.experienced | B.dreamed | C.avoided | D.reported |
A.turning around | B.standing by | C.running away | D.crying out |
A.see | B.hear | C.forgive | D.reach |
A.when | B.after | C.unless | D.before |
A.blind | B.deaf | C.old | D.sick |
A.alone | B.awake | C.alive | D.asleep |
A.chatting to | B.playing with | C.focusing on | D.running after |
A.signed | B.phoned | C.shouted | D.explained |
A.helper | B.flashlight | C.box | D.suitcase |
A.mopped | B.examined | C.climbed | D.left |
A.carefully | B.regularly | C.bravely | D.hurriedly |
A.up | B.above | C.under | D.down |
A.stay | B.return | C.flee | D.cry |
A.famous | B.skillful | C.ordinary | D.determined |
A.darkness | B.shelter | C.ruins | D.stairs |
6 . More than one million single-use straws (吸管), most of them plastic, are used in the United States each day. They end up in waterways, harm sea animals, and break down into micro-plastics. Quantities of places have passed plastic-straw bans as a way to start handling the global plastic waste problem.
Straw materials: advantages and disadvantages
1. Metal
Made of stainless steel, aluminum, or even titanium, metal straws have become popular. They draw some criticism for having a metallic taste and conducting heat from a hot drink, but they’re strong and can be reused.
2. Paper
Paper drinking straws, which date from the late 1800s, often absorb liquid over time and can leave a taste or fibers in drinks. They’re the most popular throwaway choice in places with plastic-straw bans.
3. Glass
Though glass straws may be more breakable and thus less portable than reusable straws of other materials, they hold up well to washing and reuse. Some straws are made to look artistic, with colors and blown-glass designs.
4. Bamboo
This natural material can be sustainably produced and is a plant-based replacement of plastic straws. Bamboo straws are easily disposed of and turned into fertilizer. They are reusable but can be hard to clean completely and may absorb flavors.
1. What is the major problem with plastic straws?A.Function. | B.Flavor. |
C.Weight. | D.Pollution. |
A.Metal straw. | B.Paper straw. |
C.Glass straw. | D.Bamboo straw. |
A.It can become fertilizer. | B.It is easy to clean. |
C.It is portable and bendable. | D.It has different designs. |
My aim in life is
I want to teach people to buy products
There is no debating that we also have a problem with population. The number of people in the world keeps
8 . A company in San Francisco, California, has found a way to turn used plastic bottles into women’s shoes.
Every day, millions of Americans drink water and other liquids from plastic bottles. More than 60 million of them are thrown away each day. Many of the plastic bottles end up in landfills or are burned with other waste products.
A San Francisco start-up company called Rothy’s, however, turns this plastic waste into environmentally friendly shoes. Roth Martin is the company’s co-founder. He explains how they turn plastic into soft material for women’s feet. They take the plastic, clean it, and break it down into small pieces. Then they press them through a device that makes soft fibers. Those fibers are then combined together. This is done by a 3D machine. It is designed to reduce waste while making the shoes. The knitted stuff and the inner part of the shoe are then attached to the shoe’s outer part, called the sole (鞋底). This outer sole is also made from environmentally friendly material: responsibly sourced no-carbon rubber.
Rothy’s shoes are sold online. They are flat shoes, with either a rounded or pointed toe. They come in different colors and designs. They cost either $ 125 or $ 145 per pair, depending on the design. After American actress Gwyneth Paltrow discovered them last year, the demand for the shoes grew. Martin says there is no shortage of material to fill that demand. “We’re not going to run out of water bottles any time soon. So we have a limitless supply of material, and I think that is a good sign for our future.” When the environmentally friendly shoes wear out, customers can return them at no cost to a company that uses the recycled materials to make other products.
For now, the shoes are only available to be shipped in the United States. However, the company says it will add international shipping in the near future.
1. What does the underlined word knitted in the third paragraph mean?A.attached | B.combined |
C.fixed | D.repaired |
A.The design and color. | B.The reasonable price. |
C.The star power of Gwyneth Paltrow. | D.The company’s advertisement. |
A.To introduce a new way of recycling plastic waste. |
B.To describe the process of making shoes. |
C.To advertise a new kind of shoes. |
D.To stress the importance of environmental protection. |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
As we all know, it’s great pleasure to study in a beautiful environment that you can breathe in fresh air and enjoy birds singing. To create a more beautiful campus, every one of us should make it our duty to protect the environment. Here is my suggestions for you.
To begin with, it is better for us to walk or ride a bicycle to school because cars produced carbon dioxide, which contributes to the global warming. Also, we should never forget to turn of the lights and the taps when we don’t use them. Besides, we are expected it to take good care of the plants in our campus and get rid of the bad habit of throw rubbish everywhere. Last but not least, it is vital for us to recycle as many as possible.
All in all, do keep in mind that our contribution are of value in keeping our campus more tidy and beauty.
10 . Why do we like drinking water from plastic bottles(塑料瓶)? Some people think it is healthy and clean. Others drink bottled water because it’s easy — you can carry it around with you. In hot countries, like Greece, we often buy bottles of cold water in the summer.
However, making lots of plastic is not a good idea for many reasons. First of all, we need a lot of oil for plastic products. We usually use oil as a source of energy. If we reduced the number of bottles we made, we wouldn’t need so much oil. Plastic bottles also pollute the environment. If we reused all our plastic bottles, we wouldn’t need so much space for rubbish dumps. But in Greece, we don’t reuse much of the plastic we use. In 2006, Greeks reused only about 10% of plastic waste. The rest became rubbish on land and in rivers and seas.
So next time you want to throw away a plastic bottle in the litter bin, stop and think. If you reuse it, you would help the environment. But what can you do when there isn’t a bin near you? Well, there are lots of useful ways that you can use your bottles again. For example, an empty bottle makes a great piggy bank for your pocket money, and if you cut a bottle in half, you will have a plant pot. Go green! You can make a difference.
1. What is not mentioned about bottled water in this passage?A.It’s healthy. | B.It’s clean. |
C.It’s easy. | D.It’s expensive. |
A.energy | B.oil |
C.rubbish | D.plants |
A.To reuse them. | B.To make a piggy bank. |
C.To make a plant pot. | D.To drop them into the river. |
A.To make a different life, you’d better go outside. |
B.To look different, you’d better wear green clothes. |
C.To protect the environment, you can do something. |
D.To go green, you should use plastic products. |