1 . Did you buy too much bread before heading out for a holiday? Did you give up the vegetables that are going bad?
In an effort to help eco-conscious consumers, a Geneva nonprofit is speeding up its plan of street-side, free-access public refrigerators that restaurateurs, at-home cooks and others can use to give away food that’s about to go bad. It’s part of a bigger effort by communities in Switzerland and other European countries to do their part for the environment while helping to cut down on food waste.
The nonprofit Free-Go has placed refrigerators and shelves in Geneva where passersby can get fruit, vegetables, bread and other perishables(易变质食品) to take home for free.The program costs about $40,000 to run each year and enjoys the support from the city government. It began a year ago with a single fridge outside a community center in western Geneva and it now has four fridges, strategically placed around town. A fifth one is planned before year’s end.
Free-Go is experimenting with scheduled pickups at apartment buildings to make it easier for residents(居民) to participate in the program. It has also set up a“hotline”that restaurateurs can use to call for the collection of unused food. Free-Go says giver s of food from the private sector, such as restaurants, must make a promise to ensure the given food is safe to eat.
Free-Go says about 1 billion tons of food go to waste every year around the world—using up energy and other resources in the farming and transportation process. Similar food-sharing activities are in place in the capital, Bern, after the idea was imported from Germany.
According to Foodsharing.de, a community group in Germany that started more than a decade ago, more than a half-million people in Germany, Switzerland and Austria have made “the food-sharing initiative an international movement”and have helped save 83 million tons of food from going to waste.
1. How did the Free-Go program start in the beginning?| A．With two fridges in a local supermarket. |
| B．With a single fridge outside in western Geneva. |
| C．With three fridges distributed in various parks. |
| D．With a large storage facility in central Geneva. |
| A．To promote local restaurants. |
| B．To provide refrigeration services. |
| C．To establish a hotline for food collection. |
| D．To reduce food waste and help the environment. |
| A．To report refrigerators in bad condition. |
| B．For residents to schedule food pickups. |
| C．To provide information about safe food handling. |
| D．For restaurateurs to call for the collection of unused food. |
| A．Critical. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Indifferent. |
Earthquakes Around the Pacific
About 400 earthquakes occur worldwide every day, more than a hundred thousand in a year.
China
The California Earthquake of the 18th of April 1906 is the worst earthquake that has ever happened in the United States. It took place at 5:15 am,
Fires caused by the California Earthquake
3 . Students at Eindhoven University of Technology didn’t just want to build a car that wouldn’t pollute the air; they wanted to create one that could actually clean it up.
The college team has just exhibited a battery-powered car that absorbs CO2. Their car, called the Zem, is equipped with a special filter (过滤器) that cleans up the CO2 produced by other cars on the road.
The Zem was born out of a challenge to build a completely carbon-neutral vehicle. Its body panels (金属板) were 3D printed to reduce waste and minimize the production of CO2. Recycled plastics were also used throughout the outside and inside. The car’s powertrain, which consists of small battery packs and a 22-kWh motor, also makes use of regenerative braking to increase efficiency.
The real difference maker, though, is the vehicle’s special CO2 filter. The Zem purifies (净化) the air through the special filter while driving, capturing the CO2 and storing it. It is able to absorb two kg of CO2 for 20,000 miles a year, meaning ten cars could store as much carbon dioxide as an average tree — a significant amount when considering the world’s billion cars are currently one of its leading sources of emissions.
Even if the technology isn’t adopted, the team hope that their car can inspire automakers to start making cleaner vehicles. “We want to encourage the industry by showing what is already possible,” the leader of the team said. “If 35 students can design, develop and build an almost carbon-neutral car in a year, then there are also opportunities and possibilities for the industry.”
The Zem is the second zero-emission vehicle we’ve seen come out of the Eindhoven University of Technology. Last year, another team of students created the Stella Vita, a solar-powered vehicle that could travel up to 450 miles a day. We can’t wait to see what the school’s students come up with next.
1. Why can the Zem absorb CO2?| A．It is battery-powered. | B．It has a special filter. |
| C．It is created by using 3D printing. | D．It has reusable body panels. |
| A．It is time-consuming. | B．It is financially secure. |
| C．It is physically demanding. | D．It is environmentally-friendly. |
| A．It can capture the CO2 and dispose it. |
| B．It is able to absorb CO2 as much as a tree. |
| C．It has a huge potential to reduce pollution. |
| D．It can run 20,000 miles on a single charge. |
| A．Invest in research. | B．Inspire confidence. |
| C．Innovate further. | D．Introduce technology. |
