1 . A major new facility to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere has started operating in Iceland, which is a boost to an emerging technology that experts say could eventually play an important role in reducing greenhouse gases.
The plant in southwest Iceland is the biggest of its kind, its builder says. It is able to capture(捕获) 900 tons of CO2 every year but it needs heat and electricity to work. It is using energy produced from waste and is built on the roof of a waste incineration plant, and through the burning of rubbish, energy is generated.
Human-sized fans are built into a series of boxes. They take CO2 out of the air, catching it in spongelike filters(过滤器). The filters are blasted with heat, freeing the gas, which is then mixed with water and pumped deep into deep underground basalt caves(玄武岩洞穴), where over time it turns into dark-gray stone. Pumping CO2 into the ground is just one way to deal with it. The makers are also selling the gas to be used again. The CO2 can be captured just a few 100 miles away. It is pumped through an underground pipeline directly into a greenhouse. Vegetables and plants love CO2 and higher concentrations of the gas within the greenhouse improve the growth of plants.
By 2050, humanity will need to pull nearly a billion metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year through direct air capture technology to achieve carbon neutral goals, according to International Energy Agency recommendations. The plant in Iceland will be able to capture 4, 000 metric tons annually — just a small amount of what will be necessary, but one that Climeworks, the company that built it, says can grow rapidly as efficiency improves and costs decrease.
“This is a market that does not yet exist, but a market that urgently needs to be built,” said Christoph Gebald who co-founded Climeworks. “This plant that we have here is really the blueprint to further increase the size and really industrialize.”
1. What do we know about the carbon capture facility from paragraph 2?| A．It is built at high altitudes. | B．It uses waste to produce power. |
| C．It makes Iceland free of air pollution. | D．It produces lots of heat during operation. |
| A．The methods of breaking down CO2. | B．The approaches to reusing waste gas. |
| C．The necessity of building greenhouses. | D．The workings of the carbon-catching plant. |
| A．It will decrease the cost of energy production. |
| B．It can help reach the carbon neutral goals in advance. |
| C．It will speed up the reduction of CO2 levels in the air. |
| D．It may replace the traditional carbon storage system. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Neutral. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Uncaring. |
1. Why is Henry going to China?
| A．To take a holiday. | B．To have a business trip. | C．To receive some training. |
| A．A soldier. | B．A writer. | C．A teacher. |
| A．Pink and Say. | B．The Blessing Cup. | C．Thank You, Mr. Falker. |
1. Who does James buy a gift for?
| A．His father. | B．His sister. | C．His roommate. |
| A．Interesting. | B．Difficult. | C．Easy. |
| A．Impressive. | B．Decorative. | C．Practical. |
| A．By referring to the receiver’s last backpack. |
| B．By choosing the most popular color. |
| C．By asking the receiver’s advice. |
| A．Buy a present. | B．Plan a weekend trip. | C．Have a barbecue. |
5 . Facial recognition software has found an unlikely new application: scanning the faces of thousands of British children in school canteens.
Nine schools in North Ayrshire will today start taking lunch payments by scanning the faces of pupils, claiming that the new system speeds up queues and is more secure than the card payments and fingerprint scanners they used previously. “It’s the fastest way of recognising someone at the till,” said David Swanston, the managing director of CRB Cunninghams, the company that installed the systems. “In a secondary school you have around a 25-minute period to serve potentially 1,000 pupils. So we need fast productivity at the point of sale.” He said the average transaction time was cut to five seconds per pupil.
However, privacy campaigners say there is little need to spread out facial recognition technology, which has been criticized for often operating without gaining approvals from the owners. Swanston argued that CRB Cunningham’s system, which uses cameras to check against coded face-print modes stored on servers at the schools, was different from live facial recognition systems that scan through crowds to identify faces. Live facial recognition has previously caused debate after being used by schools for security or to monitor attendance.
North Ayrshire committee said that 97 percent of children or their parents had given agreement for the new system. “Pupils often forget their PINs and unfortunately some have also been the victim of PIN cheating, so they are supportive of the planned developments and appreciate the benefits to them,” the council said.
But some parents said they were unsure whether their children had been given enough information to make their decision, and suggested that peer pressure had also played a role.
1. What can we infer from Swanston’s word?| A．He speaks highly of the system. |
| B．The software is intended to promote the sales. |
| C．The technology has previously caused debate. |
| D．The system will be helpful when the students forget their PINs. |
| A．It speeds up the queues. |
| B．It is safer than the previous payments. |
| C．It operates without being approved of. |
| D．It benefits the pupils who often forget their PINs. |
| A．Supportive | B．Disapproved |
| C．Objective | D．Critical |
| A．Facial recognition has been the best way adopted so far. |
| B．Parents disagree with the application of facial recognition system. |
| C．The facial recognition system can benefit the pupils who are forgetful. |
| D．Schools speed up canteen queues with facial recognition technology. |
| A．A tourist. | B．A cleaner. | C．A guide. |
| A．On Monday. | B．On Tuesday. | C．On Friday. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Happy. | C．Surprised. |
| A．Playing a video game. | B．Watching TV. | C．Brushing her teeth. |
10 . It’s currently December and Christmas is almost here. And what better way to spend time with your loved ones than sitting down to watch some classic Christmas movies? Listed below are four films that will make you laugh, cry or both this Yuletide (圣诞节期间).
The Grinch (2000)
This is a Christmas must-watch and one of Jim Carrey’s best performances. It was also originally a children’s book written by Dr Seuss, which I would recommend reading! It’s the story of a green monster who wants to ruin Christmas, but who in the end discovers the power of love and generosity. It sounds cheesy and cliché (陈词滥调), but I promise it’s a great film with plenty of laughs along the way.
Love Actually (2003)
While this is not a personal favourite of mine, people in the UK absolutely Jove this film. It has a star-studded cast, featuring actors and actresses such as Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman. It might be a little difficult to follow as there are lots of different sub-plots, so I recommend watching a dubbed version (配音版) in your native language. However, the heart-warming elements of the film make it worth watching.
Home Alone (1990)
This blockbuster (轰动一时的电影) is one of my favourite films of all time and I would watch it all year round if I could. It tells the story of a boy, Kevin, who is left alone in his house when his large family forget to take him on vacation with them. While the family are away, burglars (小偷) try to rob the house and Kevin must protect his home by setting traps. The trips, falls and traps will have you laughing out loud as you watch a 10-year old boy outsmart two grown men.
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
You can’t have Christmas in an English-speaking country without watching this film. It’s not funny like Home Alone or The Grinch, but it is incredibly touching. It’s about a man who claims to be Santa, but nobody believes him except a lawyer and a little girl. The storyline may seem a little childish, but you can enjoy it at any age. I cry every time I watch it and I’m 21!
1. In which film can you see Jim Carrey’s wonderful performance?| A．The Grinch. | B．Love Actually. |
| C．Home Alone. | D．Miracle on 34th Street. |
| A．It’s one of the authors favorite films. |
| B．We’d better watch a clubbed version. |
| C．It’s a film about the power of love and generosity. |
| D．Some handkerchief papers are necessary when you watch it. |
| A．They are very touching. |
| B．They are only fit for children. |
| C．They are funny and make people laugh a lot. |
| D．They are popular and tell a story about kids. |
