1 . Dan Scarfe, the boss of a new company that has found a way to unlock conversation for deaf people, says the idea hit him over Christmas with his family last year.
Scarfe’s grandfather was 97 years old with hearing problems, so he had great trouble communicating with others in the family. This inspired (激励) Scarfe to find a solution so that his grandfather could “talk” with others. “My grandfather either sits in silence or watches TV all the time with subtitles (字幕),” said Scarfe.
Now, just six months later, his company, with the help of Augmented Reality Classes, has invented XRAI Glasses.
The XRAI Glasses are connected to a mobile phone. Our software receives a sound from the microphone on these glasses and sends it down to the phone. Then the phone turns the sound into subtitles. Finally the deaf people can understand it.
“As a deaf person myself, I think it brings us much convenience,” said Steve Crump, Founder and Chair, DeafKidz International. “When I tried on the glasses, the real time subtitles make me join others in their “talk”. I have never done it before. It’s perfect”.
Though XRAI Glasses haves been considered by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People as a game changer with the ability to change lives, the invention is not without its disadvantages. It can’t understand group conversations well when many people talk together. Scarfe said, “we are doing research to make the glasses serve deaf people better. Hopefully, they are available (上市) by September”.
1. What inspired Dan Scarfe to invent the XRAI glasses?A.Hoping to change the world. | B.Noticing his grandpa’s condition. |
C.Seeing many deaf people around him. | D.Believing it as a way to make money. |
A.Where the XRAI Glasses are made. | B.What the XRAI Glasses look like. |
C.Why the XRAI glasses are popular. | D.How the XRAI glasses work. |
A.Annoyed. | B.Anxious. | C.Satisfied. | D.Disappointed. |
A.The XRAI glasses still need improvements. |
B.The XRAI glasses are available to customers. |
C.The XRAI glasses deal with group talking well. |
D.The XRAI glasses can only be tested by the elderly. |
2 . Mountain safety should be carefully considered before starting a hike in the mountains, but even with careful planning of your route getting lost can happen. So what should you do if you get lost hiking in the mountains? Do not be anxious.
Stop — As soon as you realize you may be lost, you should stop, keep calm and stay where you are.
Think — How did you get to where you are? What landmarks should you be able to see? Where were you when you were last sure you knew where you were?
Observe (观察) — What can you see? Where is the sun in the sky? What does the weather look like it is going to be? What supplies do you have? How long will they last?
Plan — Never move until you have a plan.
☆ Check for phone coverage. If you can still use your phone, it’s the best. You can call rescuers to help you. They may be able to explain how to get home.
☆ Attract attention. Use a whistle to try and attract attention. Three blasts is the universal signal for help.
☆
A.Shout for help |
B.Take out your bright items |
C.Find a shelter to sleep well |
D.They may even come to get you |
E.Based on your thinking and observations |
F.Keeping hiking is likely to get you even more lost |
G.That is the worst thing you can do and will probably make things worse |
3 . Every year, about 25, 000 plastic tents are thrown away after festivals in the Netherlands. That’s enough tents to get you from base camp to the top of Everest (珠穆朗玛) if you set up a tent every metre of the way. These plastic tent not only cause a lot of pollution to the environment, but they also have to be dealt with.
Into this situation stepped the KarTent. It’s a good solution to the plastic tent problem. The KarTent is a cardboard (纸板) tent. It is put up for you at the beginning of the festival and when the festival is over, the makers pick it up, take it away and recycle it into other products. No more plastic, no more waste. The production of one KarTent produces half the CO2 of a plastic tent. In the past, about thirty different materials were used to produce a tent. It may take hundreds of years to biodegrade (降解) the materials. However, to produce a KarTent, only one material is needed. It’s cardboard.
The tent is the brainchild of three Dutch businessmen: Jan Portheine, Wout Kommer, and Timo Krenn. After working on a cardboard beach hut, architect Jan started to look for other ways to use the skills he had learned, “In a meeting I met Wout and we found pictures of tents being left behind at festivals, and that’s how the idea started.”
Perhaps next time you’re at a festival you won’t have to look out across the sea of plastic, instead you’ll see the cardboard tents being neatly put into a truck and taken away to be recycled.
1. Why is Everest mentioned in the first paragraph?A.To compare the Netherlands with it. | B.To introduce a famous place for us to visit. |
C.To offer the wonderful place to put up tents. | D.To show the pollution caused by plastic tents. |
A.Plastic. | B.Wood. | C.Cardboard. | D.Glass. |
A.The campers themselves. | B.The makers of the tents. |
C.The workers of festivals. | D.The inventors of the tents. |
A.A creative idea. | B.A kind of illness. |
C.A clever child. | D.A special experience. |
4 . In late June of this year, Kristi came across a gray fox. Here is the retelling of her
While driving on the freeway yesterday, I saw an animal rushing around with what
When it
A.competition | B.dream | C.job | D.experience |
A.appeared | B.happened | C.determined | D.designed |
A.repair | B.drive | C.pull | D.push |
A.refused | B.offered | C.heard | D.realized |
A.toys | B.holes | C.games | D.experiments |
A.anxious | B.special | C.regular | D.dangerous |
A.Wrapped | B.Destroyed | C.Left | D.Found |
A.tall | B.light | C.ugly | D.stupid |
A.played | B.struggled | C.argued | D.filled |
A.well | B.perfectly | C.alone | D.fast |
A.treat | B.hit | C.teach | D.free |
A.Frightened | B.Tired | C.Annoyed | D.Sad |
A.focused on | B.worked out | C.came to | D.made up |
A.amazing | B.challenging | C.interesting | D.confusing |
A.hug | B.spot | C.contact | D.rescue |
“Radish knives” have become a hot-sale product in shops near schools. They are also a hot-sale product online. So far more than 400, 000 “radish knives”
The rising popularity of these toys has raised worries among parents about their possibility to lead
A radish knife is a colorful plastic toy that looks just like a radish. It is made of plastic, and usually 5 centimeters in
“Playing with a toy knife may have
6 . One cold morning in early 2015, Lauren Passell was on her way to work. Suddenly, she fell down on the sidewalk. As she tried to stand up, a stranger appeared from the crowd and knelt (跪下) beside her.
The woman introduced herself as Sharon Evans. As Evans helped Passell up, all Passell could think about was that she needed to get to work. But she was in terrible pain, and could hardly stand. Seeing this, Evans told Passell to stay still while she called a taxi.
“And I said, ‘No, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you have places to be, I can do it.’ And honestly, the second time she said, ‘No, I’m getting you a taxi’ I thought, ‘Oh, thank you. I don’t think I can do this alone.’ ”
Once the taxi arrived, Evans got in with her. Passell tried to tell her that it wasn’t necessary. But Evans stuck to it. Once again, Passel was secretly relieved (如释重负) to have Evans’ help.
Evans didn’t just go to the hospital with Passell. She helped her fill out the paperwork, and even took Passell to the bathroom. Each time, Passell tried to advise Evans to leave, to get to work. And each time, Evans refused.
Once it was time for Passell to be seen by doctors, Evans left. It turned out that Passell’s condition was serious. The doctors told her she needed to have an operation (手术) — if not, she could have died due to the blood clots.
Passell not only recovered (恢复), but ran a half marathon the next year. “I might’ve died if Sharon hadn’t shown so much kindness. So thank you, Sharon, for saving my life. And I hope one day I can pick someone off the sidewalk, just like you did for me.”
1. What happened to Lauren Passell on her way to work?A.She ran a half marathon. | B.She met a traffic accident. |
C.She talked with her friend. | D.She fell down and hurt herself. |
A.Strangers. | B.Old friends. | C.Boss and worker. | D.Doctor and patient. |
A.To run a marathon. | B.To help those in need. |
C.To show kindness to Sharon. | D.To wait for Sharon off the sidewalk. |
A.Brave and honest. | B.Clever and humorous. |
C.Kind and helpful. | D.Outgoing and friendly. |
7 . Open Lands Day
Join us at the Rogue River Preserve for a very special Open Lands Day!
The preserve includes two miles of riverfront along the Rogue River, a large forest, and some woodlands. It is only open to the public during special events, work parties, and youth education programs. So, come and take advantage of this special opportunity and explore the trails at your own pace, attend a guided hike, bring a picnic lunch to enjoy by the river, or all three.
To limit crowding, registration is required for hikes or self-guided exploration for the day.
Hike | Time | Activities | |
Self-guided hike | 10: 00-3: 00 | Explore the preserve at your own pace. | |
Guided hikes | Lichen Hike | 10: 30-12: 00 | Discover the mysterious lichens (地衣) that live on trees, rocks, and soil with lichenologist, Steve Sheehy. Learn how to identify some of the 57 liches that have been described on the preserve. |
Cryptozoology Hike “Sassy with Sasquatch” | 12: 00-1: 00 | Bigfoot, Yeti, Sasquatch! Let’s go for a walk to the Fairy Forest and discuss the rare creatures of the Pacific Northwest. This hike will be guided by Rebekah Bergkoetter, Land Steward at SOLC. | |
Cryptozoology Hike ‘Ness Around and Find Out’ | 1: 30-2: 30 | Learn about the monster (怪物) of Loch Ness while we walk around and find more creatures unique to this area. This hike will be guided by Rebekah Berg koetter, Land Steward at SOLC. |
Meeting Location: Rogue River Preserve
Pet Policy (政策): This preserve is protected to conserve special habitats. Therefore, we kindly ask you to leave your pets at home. Certified Assistance Dogs will be the only dogs that are allowed.
1. What is a must for hikers at the Rogue River Preserve?
A.To take a dog. | B.To follow a guide. |
C.To make a schedule. | D.To register in advance. |
A.Cryptozoology Hike ‘Ness Around and Find Out’. | B.Cryptozoology Hike ‘Sassy with Sasquatch’. |
C.Self-guided hike. | D.Lichen Hike. |
A.All kinds of pets are allowed at the preserve. |
B.Visitors can only bring beautiful pets to the preserve. |
C.The preserve can help visitors to take care of the pets. |
D.Only Certified Assistance Dogs are allowed at the preserve. |
Anniversary (纪念日) trips were a tradition nearly as old as our marriage. Each year, we took turns planning a secret trip. After our daughter Aurora was born, she came on our adventures too. We’d stayed in a historic train car in Livingston, the Ghost Rails Inn in Montana, and Chena Hot Springs in Alaska. But this anniversary required someplace special. Somewhere completely unexpected. Could we still get a surprise during our anniversary trip?
The pressure was on—and I found the perfect spot: The Shire of Montana. It was a J.R. R. Tolkien -inspired guest home, a “hobbit house (霍比特小屋)” built into a hillside near the small town of Trout Creek, a 7-hour drive from our place in Roundup. Jim and I had often talked about how fun it would be to build a hobbit house, so I knew Aurora would be excited. And she would love it, too.
Magical structures dotted the grounds—a troll mine, a wishing well, houses for dwarves (矮人) and fairies. What child wouldn’t be attracted to a village made for childsize hobbits? This was going to be the best trip yet. She might love The Shire even more than we did.
I was about to book our reservation when I saw a note on the Shire’s website: No kids allowed. That ruined everything! We couldn’t leave Aurora alone at home, and I had no Plan B. A year without an anniversary adventure was unthinkable. Could it be the big surprise for this anni-versary trip? Shall we find another destination? Were there any other places like the village made for childsize hobbits? No, No, No…All answers were the same.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
To my amazement, there was an email address on the site.
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The day finally arrived when my application was approved.
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A map has gone viral (走红) online. Contrary
Wu has a
Now, the map includes nearly 10,000 historic landmarks with
As far as Wu is
10 . Most of us can’t start our day until we’ve had our morning coffee. However, the production of coffee makes large amounts of agricultural waste, about 50 percent of the actual weight of the coffee produced. Agricultural waste was a huge environmental issue for coffee producers and didn’t have any other purpose for it.
In the past, when coffee beans were roasted to make coffee, husks and pulp (外壳和果肉) were eventually turned into a powerful greenhouse gas. Now a company called Woodpecker mixes recycled plastic along with the coffee husks and pulp to create a new material that’s being used to build houses. The idea was not just to create any material but build one that was both affordable and lightweight. The material could change the way people build houses in hilly areas and remote destinations, where it’s usually harder to transport the traditional material such as bricks, and concrete.
Woodpecker experimented by combining various natural fibers with recycled plastic including rice, palm, and grass fiber. Through trial and error, the company came to the conclusion that the best natural fiber to combine with recycled plastic was coffee husks and pulp which lent the material strength and durability (耐久性). Most importantly, the material would be easily available. The material is also fireproof and prevents insect problems.
The company sponsored (赞助) two complete houses after a hurricane destroyed more than a thousand homes in Colombian. “The system worked perfectly considering there was no power supply, the ground was muddy, the airport was damaged, there was no food, etc., all the problems you can imagine. We believe that our houses are an excellent solution to the housing crisis there,” said Alejandro Franco, CEO of Woodpecker.
1. What makes the material a good choice to build houses in hilly areas and remote destinations?A.They are easily available. | B.They are fireproof. |
C.They are lightweight. | D.They are durable. |
A.By collecting figures online to make a decision. |
B.By doing experiments to make comparisons. |
C.By turning to experts to find a solution. |
D.By asking local people for help. |
A.The lack of power supply. | B.The damage to the airport. |
C.The shortage of food and water. | D.The housing crisis after a hurricane. |
A.Positive. | B.Doubtful. | C.Concerned. | D.Subject. |