1 . It’s a known fact that emissions (排放物) from gas-powered vehicles are harming the atmosphere. In response to this, Porsche, the German sports car company, began producing e-fuels at a pilot plant in Chile last year. Currently, the fuel will be used only in sports cars at Porsche’s performance and experience centers.
E-fuels are made by passing electricity through water. The electricity separates the hydrogen and oxygen from water. The hydrogen is then mixed with CO₂ to produce a liquid e-fuel, which can be produced using many renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. E-fuels follow the chemical structure of gasoline, making it possible for gas-powered cars to run on e-fuels almost without any change.
E-fuels can help ease the transform away from gas-powered cars, for those who may not be able to afford electric vehicles (EV). It will also help to reduce waste by keeping gas-powered cars in service, instead of throwing them away prematurely. Additionally, the use of e-fuels will not require new facility to be built unlike EVs. Existing gas stations and cars will be able to stay in use, which is already a big saving.
Despite the many benefits, opinions differ on whether e-fuels are truly eco-friendly. E-fuels are widely said to be nearly carbon neutral (碳中和), although an independent study indicates that e-fuels release the same amount of CO₂ as gasoline. Since e-fuels are still being developed and tested, their true impacts are still unknown. Meanwhile, e-fuels are very expensive to produce, partly due to energy loss during production. Unfortunately, only about half of the energy used in producing e-fuels is actually transformed into fuel. Additionally, only about 16% of the energy used in e-fuel production is actually used to power the car. Whereas, about 70% of energy is preserved when powering an EV. Even though the use of e-fuels will preserve existing facility, it will still take time and money to integrate it into everyday life. Currently, the price of e-fuels is nearly double the cost of regular fuel.
E-fuels are still a work in progress. Though opinions are divided on e-fuels, with more testing and development, they have been considered another way to help fight against the climate crisis. “There are currently more than 1.3 billion vehicles with combustion (内燃) engines worldwide. Many of these will be on the roads for decades to come, and e-fuels offer the owners of existing cars a nearly carbon-neutral alternative. With the e-fuels pilot plant, Porsche is playing a leading role in this development,” said Michael Steiner, member of the Executive Board for Development and Research at Porsche AG.
1. What can we learn from this passage?A.E-fuels release no CO₂. |
B.E-fuels were tested in Germany at first. |
C.E-fuels are applicable to gas-powered cars. |
D.E-fuels need to be mixed with CO₂ in actual use. |
A.draw a conclusion. | B.present an opinion |
C.further a discussion | D.provide a solution |
A.Positive. | B.Dismissive. | C.Doubtful. | D.Objective. |
2 . On Feb. 21, four students were standing on the side of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu when a driver going 110 miles per hour lost control of his car and it crashed into the parked vehicles.12 people were killed at the scene, including 2 drivers.
This kind of traffic death shouldn’t be called an accident. In Los Angeles, we seem to have accepted constant carnage (屠杀) in our streets in exchange for maximizing driver speed and convenience. The official responses to proven traffic dangers are mere gestures, if even that.
Los Angeles is a uniquely deadly city with a death rate that is four times the national average. Unsurprisingly, it’s also a city that has been designed with one thing in mind: a concept called level of service, which grades streets on how well they serve those in automobiles. To many Angelenos, that makes sense — to design our streets for car traffic, which is the way many get around the city. Unfortunately, we don’t recognize that there’s a trade-off. We can either have streets bettered for free-flowing traffic, or we can design streets for people to move around safely outside of cars.
City leaders consistently choose for the easy but deadly option. In one recent example, a resident asked the city’s Department of Transportation to block drivers from using Cochran Avenue at Venice Boulevard as a cut-through street, as they were speeding through a quiet residential neighbourhood. The department responded by suggesting a “speed awareness campaign” in which neighbours put up yard signs urging drivers to slow down.
People don’t drive based on signage, but they drive on the design of the street. The trunk roads of Los Angeles such as Venice Boulevard all need to be revised so that people are prioritized over cars. This would include narrowing travel lanes (道), building bike lanes, and banning right turns at red lights. These measures would make drivers feel like they’re in a city and not on a highway. A recent John Hopkins study says this would have substantial safety benefits.
With more than 7,500 miles of streets in the city of Los Angeles, they won’t all be rebuilt anytime soon. But with each road construction project, or each crash, we should be revising streets to make them safer for all road users.
The solution to traffic jam isn’t to make more space for cars. It’s to design the streets to be safe enough for alternatives such as biking, walking and mass transit, especially for the 50% of trips daily in Los Angeles that are less than three miles. The solution to protecting people dining outdoors isn’t crash barriers. It’s a street design that forces drivers to go slowly. The problem is carnage in the streets, and we know the solutions.
1. Why should the traffic death in Los Angeles be called “constant carnage”?A.The traffic accidents happen quite often. |
B.Too many people are killed in the traffic accidents. |
C.The drivers’ speeding is to blame for the traffic death. |
D.City leaders’ consistent choice contributes to the traffic death. |
A.Balance. | B.Guideline. | C.Conflict. | D.Resolution. |
A.To widen travel lanes. | B.To add more crosswalks. |
C.To arrange more traffic police. | D.To punish speeding drivers. |
A.Drivers first or walkers first? | B.Traffic death or constant carnage? |
C.More warning signs or safer designs? | D.More narrow lanes or speedy highways? |
3 . About 40% adults and 19% children in the US are obese (肥胖的). Obese people are at increased risk of many serious diseases, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
Dietary “self-monitoring” is a common strategy. It involves recording what they consume, and how much. The theory is that when thinking of what you put in your body, you’ll make healthier decisions.
A good principle to follow may be “write when you bite”. Dietary self-monitoring can be performed in different ways — using an online program, using a pencil or using smart-phone applications.
A.Can it really be that easy? |
B.It is important to find what works for you. |
C.Thus, long-term weight loss takes time and effort. |
D.The risk factors that determine obesity can be complex. |
E.In comparison, those who recorded less daily lost less weight. |
F.Obesity is also associated with a lower life quality and poor mental health. |
G.Study shows the more often you log your eating, the more weight you might lose. |
4 . We need people like you, who understand the power of science, to fund the research that will change lives in the future.
By donating to the Medical Research Foundation (MRF), you’ll be funding the research that future generations will depend on. MRF is an independent charity, focused solely on funding quality medical research. With close links to the Medical Research Council (MRC), we’re able to choose the most impactful studies and adapt quickly to meet any emerging health crisis, thanks to the support of people like you.
Your gift can support some of the brightest scientific minds. Many of these scientists are at the beginning of their careers, when funding is hardest to secure. Your support at this critical time can provide the springboard that a scientist needs to drive their research and career forward, ensuring they can continue to make life-changing discoveries.
MRF has supported researchers tackling pressing challenges like the Bird Flu, as well as vital areas of research that are often overlooked by other funders, ensuring we fill the gaps in our medical knowledge and protect the future of human health.
As someone interested in science, you will understand that while no one can predict what we will face next, we can be certain that it is only through ambitious, high-quality medical research that we will meet whatever new challenges come our way. By leaving a donation, you can have a lasting impact on science and on the future of human health.
1. What does the MRF mainly do?
A.Provide service for the MRC. | B.Predict emerging health crisis. |
C.Fund quality medical research. | D.Donate to people interested in science. |
A.fill the gaps in medical knowledge |
B.tackle the future pressing challenges |
C.choose the most impactful medical studies |
D.support some of the brightest scientific minds |
A.To raise medical research funds. |
B.To introduce the impact by donation. |
C.To analyse the health crisis in the future. |
D.To employ people devoted to medical research. |
Winning a significant science award is a big deal, especially if you are 12 years old. But Marine Gill, a girl from Fresno, California, won the top award in the Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (SIIC) for designing a fire detection system superior to existing ones.
Marine’s inspiration came from a fire that destroyed a restaurant in her neighbourhood during the spring of 2023. “I had never really experienced something like that before,” she told The Washington Post about the early morning fire, which started in the kitchen. “They had smoke detecting device(设备), and yet it still burned down.”
After she studied fire statistics, Marine spent over half a year developing a fire detection system that could have prevented the fire. Unlike traditional smoke detectors that sense active fires from the smoke in the air, Marine’s thermal(热的) imaging device is designed to stop fires from occurring.
With a thermal camera and a tiny computer, the device detects when a heat source has been left unattended for ten minutes and sends a text message warning. The hardest part was the programming. “I had two designs, and my first design completely failed. It was a really big challenge I had to go through,” she said. The final device outperforms traditional smoke detectors in speed and accuracy. Marine wants to bring the costs down to make it even more common than hardwired smoke detectors.
“The top winners have , exhibited boundless possibility,” Maya Franklin, president of Society for Science, said in the press release. “Their remarkable research not only reflects their talent but also puts a stepping stone to an exciting new future.”
1. What design won Marine Gill the top award in the SJIC?2. From where did Marine draw inspiration for the design?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Unlike traditional smoke detectors, Marine’s thermal imaging device is designed to sense active fires from the smoke in the air.
4. What is the main quality that has made Marine a top winner? Why?(In about 40 words)
Although Start of Autumn, the 13th traditional Chinese solar term, often indicates the
1.表示祝贺;
2.回顾他的困难;
3.赞扬他的努力。
注意:1.词数100左右;
2.开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
8 . Eleven o’clock at night saw a large woman with a large purse walking alone, when a boy ran up behind and tried to snatch (抢夺) her purse. But the boy lost his balance and fell on his back. The woman picked him up firmly by his shirt front.
“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” shouted the woman. Two or three people passed, stopped, and stood watching.
“I’m very sorry, lady. I’m sorry,” whispered the skinny little boy, in broken tennis shoes.
“Um-hum! And your face is dirty,” said the large woman dragging the frightened boy. “Since you put yourself in contact with me, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Jones.”
He began to struggle, but Mrs. Jones continued to drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside. “What’s your name?” the woman asked.
“Roger,” answered the boy in a low voice. “Then, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face,” ordered the woman and finally let go of him.
“You gonna take me to jail (监狱)?” asked Roger, bending over the sink.
“Not with that face,” said Mrs. Jones. “I believe you were hungry to snatch my purse.”
“I wanted a pair of blue shoes,” replied the boy.
There was a long pause. After he had dried his face, the boy turned around. The door was open. He could run!
After a while the woman said, “I was young once and I wanted things I could not get. I have done things too, which I would not tell anybody else, son.” There was another long pause. The boy’s mouth opened.
Then Mrs. Jones went to do the cooking. She did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run, nor did she watch her purse left behind her. She did not ask him anything about where he lived, or his folks. Instead, as they ate, she told him a lot about her job in a hotel shop and how all kinds of people came in and out. She cut him another piece of her cake.
When they finished eating, she got up and said, “Now, here, take this ten dollars and buy yourself some blue shoes. Do not make the mistake, because shoes come by devilish ways like that will burn your feet.”
She led him to the front door. “Good night! Behave yourself, son!” she said, looking out into the street.
1. How did Roger feel when Mrs. Jones mentioned her past?A.Frightened. | B.Surprised. | C.Settled. | D.Ashamed. |
A.She intended to go easy on him. |
B.He reminded her of her own son. |
C.He put himself to be in contact with her. |
D.She lacked an excuse to teach him a lesson. |
A.Kind and generous. | B.Able and ambitious. |
C.Frank and cooperative. | D.Calm and courageous. |
A.Home is where the heart is. |
B.Life is full of ups and downs. |
C.A best parent is to lead by example. |
D.A good deed shines the light into the dark. |
9 . My parents ran a small eatery, and my first real job was shining diners’ shoes. My
Working in the restaurant was a source of great pride because I was
Except for the shoeshine job, I was never
After being away in the army for about two years, I came back home. I had just been promoted to captain and was full of
“I can’t believe this!” I thought. “I’m an officer in the army!” But it didn’t matter. As far as Dad was concerned, I was just another member of the
A.duties | B.scores | C.wages | D.ideas |
A.waiter | B.cook | C.cleaner | D.manager |
A.attending | B.applying | C.reacting | D.contributing |
A.standards | B.challengers | C.achievements | D.customers |
A.insistent | B.confident | C.courageous | D.responsible |
A.arranged | B.praised | C.paid | D.suspected |
A.succeed | B.negotiate | C.operate | D.promise |
A.dignity | B.respect | C.curiosity | D.gratitude |
A.frequently | B.later | C.instead | D.immediately |
A.army | B.class | C.team | D.party |
In my old school days, running