1 . Singapore is a very modern country in Southeast Asia. If you’ve been traveling in its capital city, Singapore, it can be a shock when it comes to accommodation prices. For backpackers they have no choice but to stay outside of the central area. If you are a visitor, I think it’s best to stay in the historic central area to make the most of your time. For first-timers I have put together this list of the best areas to stay in Singapore.
Chinatown
Chinatown is where the original community of Chinese immigrants settled in Singapore. The area is lined with Chinese stores, markets, and great places to eat for all budgets. It lies next to the downtown area and there is a variety of accommodation choices, from hostels (招待所) to 5-star hotels.
Little India
Little India is where most of the original Indian migrants made their home. Today it is still famous for temples, markets, and lots of places to eat delicious Indian foods. It’s the most popular spot for backpackers and there are some good mid-range choices here.
Kampong Glam
A short walk from Little India is the Kampong Glam area. This is where Arab traders set up shops, with street names such as Haji Lane, Baghdad St, and Arab St. The neighborhood is now one of the trendiest in Singapore.
Changi Airport
With one of the biggest airports in the region, the chances are you might just be passing without time to stay. Changi Airport is awarded as one of the best in the world, so if you have to do an overnighter at an airport, then you couldn’t have a better experience than at Changi. I didn’t get any sleep but it was an enjoyable stay for an airport.
1. What will make backpackers disappointed in Singapore?| A．The remote location of the hotels. | B．The system of accommodation. |
| C．The high charges of the hotels. | D．The accommodation with poor facilities. |
| A．Chinatown. | B．Little India. | C．Changi Airport. | D．Kampong Glam. |
| A．It witnesses a noisy environment. | B．It has gained a fairly good reputation. |
| C．It offers passengers worse service. | D．It is the biggest airport in Singapore. |
China will become a carbon-neutral country by 2060.The major challenges for China to achieve the
Since the government takes effective measures, the share of primary energy consumption
3 . The lander carrying China’s first Mars rover successfully touched down on the red planet early Saturday morning Beijing Time. It is the first time China has landed a probe on a planet other than Earth.
Tianwen-1, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, was launched from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on the coast of southern China’s island province of Hainan on July 23, 2020. This is the first step in China’s planetary exploration of the solar system, with the purpose of completing orbiting, landing and roving on the red planet in one mission.
The name Tianwen, meaning “questions to Heaven”, comes from a poem written by the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC). China’s first Mars rover is named Zhurong after the god of fire in ancient Chinese mythology, which echoes with the Chinese name of the red planet: Huoxing (the planet of fire).
Tianwen-1 was launched via a Long March-5 rocket, China’s largest launch vehicle. Tianwen-1 has been traveling in space for nearly 10 months. It has carried out four orbital corrections and a deep-space maneuver. It had flown 475 million km and was 192 million km from Earth when it reached Mars orbit.
The craft’s plummet through the Martian atmosphere, lasting about nine minutes, was extremely complicated with no ground control, and had to be performed by the spacecraft autonomously.
“Such a challenging attempt is characterized by a succession of complex activities that must be conducted completely by the spacecraft within a very short period of time,” said Geng Yan, an official with the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the CNSA. “What added to the difficulties was that we don’t know much about the Martian atmosphere, which brought a lot of uncertainties to the mission. Each step had only one chance, and the actions were closely linked. If there had been any flaw, the landing would have failed.”
1. What is the mission of Tianwen-1?| A．To record the wind speed on Mars. | B．To explore the atmosphere of Mars. |
| C．To search for aliens in the solar system. | D．To accomplish three major tasks on Mars. |
| A．The introduction of the poet Qu Yuan. | B．The reasons for the craft landing on Mars. |
| C．The origin of two names Tianwen and Zhurong. | D．The importance of ancient Chinese mythology. |
| A．The huge task of Tianwen-1. | B．The surroundings of the Mars orbit. |
| C．The expense of traveling in space. | D．The size of the Long March-5 rocket. |
| A．China’s attempt to explore Mars is successful. |
| B．Landing on Mars is a very challenging move. |
| C．People are enthusiastic about exploring the universe. |
| D．Tianwen-1 is essential to China’s space station program. |
4 . The best dessert for a party of family and friends? A homemade pie. The second best? A store-bought pie that you can pretend is homemade without being questioned. The following are some stores where you can find such great pies on Long Island.
Olish's Farm (75 Eastport Manor Rd., Eastport)
Owner Donny Olish prefers to buy fruit locally for his shop. Although more than 30 varieties are on offer, he's sometimes forced to look elsewhere to buy strawberries, pears, apples, blackberries and raspberries(山莓) to produce a pie for the ages. More info: 631 -325 -0539, olishfarms. com.
Briermere Farms (4414 Sound Ave., Riverhead)
Briermere is nothing short of a pie factory, whose two dozen flavors (味道) are sold by the hundreds on lovely fall weekends. And for good reason: Much of the fruit used is grown right there on the farm. Don't miss its cream pie, an open-faced pie filled with cream and topped with fruit. More info: 631-722 -3931, briermerefarms. com.
Diane's Bakery Cafe (23 Bryant Ave., Roslyn)
Blue. Straw. Rasp. Three kinds of berries that join produce what remains the most popular pie at this old shop. But almost as popular are its chocolate and banana cream versions, followed closely by pecan and apple pies, to which New York State fruit is the key. Besides all these pies, you can treat yourself to other types of desserts there. More info: 516 -621 -2522, dianesroslyn. com.
Jericho Cider Mill(213 Route 106, Jericho)
Apple-raspberry. Apple-peach. Apple-blueberry. Are you detecting a theme? A new and cute outdoor seating area is the latest addition to Jericho Cider Mill. A matchless selection of New York's favorite home-grown fruit finds its way into equally matchless 13 varieties of pies. More info: 516 - 433 - 3360, jerichocider. com.
1. What do we know about Olish's Farm?| A．It merely uses home-grown fruit. |
| B．It has a new outdoor seating area. |
| C．It always opens on fall weekends. |
| D．It offers the largest variety of pies. |
| A．The apple pie. |
| B．The chocolate pie. |
| C．The mixed berry pie. |
| D．The banana cream pie. |
| A．Olish's Farm. |
| B．Jericho Cider Mill. |
| C．Briermere Farms. |
| D．Diane's Bakery Cafe. |
5 . Improvements to energy efficiency, such as LED lights, are seen by many authorities as a top priority for cutting carbon emissions. Yet a growing body of research suggests that a rebound effect could wipe out more than half of the savings from energy efficiency improvements, making the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change even harder to hit.
A team led by Paul Brockway at the University of Leeds, UK, looked at the existing 33 studies on the impact of the rebound effect. First comes the direct rebound: for instance,when someone buys a more efficient car, they may take advantage of that by driving it further. Then comes the indirect rebound: fuel savings leave the owner with more money to spend elsewhere in the economy, consuming energy.
Although the 33 studies used different methods to model the rebound effect, they produced very consistent estimates of its impact, leading the team to conclude that the effect wipes out, on average, 63 percent of the anticipated energy savings.
“We're not saying energy efficiency doesn't work. What we're saying is rebound needs to be taken more seriously,” says Brockway.
The idea that increased efficiency may not deliver the hopedfor savings dates back to the Jevons paradox(悖论), named after the economist William Stanley Jevons, who, in 1865,observed that more efficient coal use led to more demand for coal.
If the rebound effect does prove to be as big as suggested, it means future global energy demand will be higher than expected and the world will need far more wind and solar power and carboncapture technology than is currently being planned for.
But that doesn't mean nothing can be done to limit the rebound effect. One answer is to double down on energy efficiency and do twice as much to achieve the same effect.
1. Which of the following is a rebound effect?| A．A man uses LED lights to cut carbon emissions. |
| B．A company uses coal more efficiently to reduce waste. |
| C．A family saves money by using energysaving devices. |
| D．A lady spends savings from her fuel efficient car on more clothes. |
| A．By interviewing economists. |
| B．By analyzing former studies. |
| C．By modeling the rebound effect. |
| D．By debating about the Jevons paradox. |
| A．Authorities should dismiss energy efficiency. |
| B．Worldwide efforts to preserve energy are in vain. |
| C．The rebound effect helps protect the environment. |
| D．More attention should be paid to the rebound effect. |
| A．Positive. | B．Pessimistic. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Disapproving. |
6 . When he tells people that he is deaf, Oliver Stabbe is called a liar. "The idea that deaf people cannot speak is a very offensive assumption," the sophomore(大二学生) said.
Stabbe’s experience speaks of many of the misunderstandings about deaf people and the struggles they face — things commonly found right in Rochester. This city is home to 90,000 deaf people, a significant slice of the more than 1.1 million national population. The percentage of deaf people here is higher than the national average, due in part to RITs National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the first technological college in the world created specifically for the deaf and hard of hearing.
"Really, there seems to be an embarrassment in communicating with deaf people," said sophomore Stephen Davis, another deaf student. This awkwardness might arise because non-deaf people just don't know how to do so without possibly offending someone. "I guess they think saying ‘deaf’ is offensive, but it really isn't and deaf people don't get upset about it," Davis said. He noted that the biggest issue he's had when communicating with other students is their anxiety about communicating.
Deaf or hard-of-hearing students also face frustrations(令人心烦的事) on their end when interacting with others. "Sometimes people talk about you, maybe to a non-deaf friend standing beside me, as if I’m not there," Davis said. "That’s depressing." As Davis put it, "We don’t see ourselves as the disabled, so the awkwardness is only one-sided."
Stabbe advised that those communicating should not make assumptions about others’ preferences or ability. If you have a question, ask. A moment of awkwardness is absolutely worth it if you are being educated about an important topic.
1. Why are there more deaf people in Rochester?| A．Deaf people have some privileges here. |
| B．Deaf people may get better job opportunities here. |
| C．Deaf people meet fewer struggles here. |
| D．A professional school for the deaf appeals to them. |
| A．They are afraid of upsetting the deaf. |
| B．They are unwilling to communicate. |
| C．They don’t know any simple gestures. |
| D．They don't challenge enough assumptions. |
| A．Sensitive and talkative. |
| B．Reasonable and reliable. |
| C．Confident and intelligent. |
| D．Outspoken and aggressive. |
| A．We can hear your heart. |
| B．"Deaf" is not a bad word. |
| C．Deaf people are not liars. |
| D．Embarrassment is one-sided. |
7 . Not all waste has to go to waste. Most of the world’s 2.22 billion tons of annual trash ends up in landfills or open dumps. Veena Sahajwalla, a materials scientist and engineer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, has created a solution to our massive trash problem: waste microfactories. These little trash processors— some as small as 500 square feet — house a series of machines that recycle waste and transform it into new materials with thermal technology. The new all-in-one approach could leave our current recycling processes in the dust.
Sahajwalla launched the world’s first waste microfactory targeting electronic waste, or e-waste, in 2018 in Sydney. A second one began recycling plastics in 2019. Now, her lab group is working with university and industry partners to commercialize their patented Microfactory technology. “The small scale of the machines will make it easier for them to one day operate on renewable energy, unlike most large manufacturing plants. The approach will also allow cities to recycle waste into new products on location, avoiding the long, often international, high-emission journeys between recycling processors and manufacturing plants. With a microfactory, gone are the days of needing separate facilities to collect and store materials, extract elements and produce new products,” says Sahajwalla.
Traditionally, recycling plants break down materials for reuse in similar products — like melting down plastic to make more plastic things. Sahajwalla’s invention evolves this idea by taking materials from an old product and creating something different. “The kids don’t look like the parents,” she says. For example, the microfactories can break down old smartphones and computer monitors and extract silica (from the glass) and carbon (from the plastic casing), and then combine them into silicon carbide nanowires. This generates a common ceramic material with many industrial uses. Sahajwalla refers to this process as “the fourth R” adding “re-form” to the common phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle”.
In 2019, just 17.4 percent of e-waste was recycled, so the ability to re-form offers a crucial new development in the challenge of recycling complex electronic devices. “We can do so much more with materials,” says Sahajwalla. “Traditional recycling has not worked for every recycling challenge.” She and her team are already working to install the next waste microfactory in the Australian town of Cootamundra by early 2021, with the goal of expanding around the country over the next few years.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To present the process of recycling waste. |
| B．To introduce a new type of trash processor. |
| C．To prove the seriousness of the trash problem. |
| D．To show the current situation of trash recycling. |
| A．The scale of waste microfactories. | B．The founding of waste microfactories. |
| C．The influences of waste microfactories. | D．The advantages of waste microfactories. |
| A．Extracting materials from the waste. | B．Updating the whole recycling process. |
| C．Generating new materials with waste. | D．Transforming waste into similar products. |
| A．A business report. | B．A science magazine. | C．A chemical textbook. | D．A fiction novel. |
8 . Improve Your Relationships
Having stable and positive relationships in your life can make you happier and more fulfilled. Whether it's your friends, family, or significant other, improving a relationship can sometimes be confusing.
Express your appreciation for the person.
If you hardly see each other or talk to each other, it can be difficult to maintain a relationship. Take extra time out of your day and devote it to the person that you want to improve relations with. Try to work around the other person's schedule so that you can spend the time together. You can share a meal, watch a show, listen to music, or go shopping with them.
Turn off distractions.
Distractions like a cell phone, social media, or video games can create a division in between you and another person. If you notice that you are always distracted, you should turn off your cell phone or computer and talk to them.
Seek therapy(心理治疗) if you can't get along.
To fix or improve family relationships or relationships with your significant other, you can turn to therapy. If you notice that you and the person are always arguing over the same kinds of things, and nothing has worked, you should consider seeking therapy with them.
| A．Spend more time with the person. |
| B．Maintain a relationship if possible. |
| C．People often like to be praised for achievements. |
| D．A specialist can help solve longterm issues in the relationship. |
| E．If they are the one always distracted, ask them if they can do the same. |
| F．Follow the tips and you can develop good relationships with your family. |
| G．Luckily, by adjusting your behaviour, you can improve any relationship in your life. |
| A．when | B．what | C．which | D．where |
| A．had taken | B．were taken | C．had been taken | D．took |
