5 . When most people think of drones (无人机), they think of technology and fun. Safe to say, few people would think about farming. However, a group of students from York College of Pennsylvania have been building a drone that will not only help local farmers but the environment, as well.
Samantha Gotwalt and Blayde Reich, two senior Mechanical Engineering majors at York College in the group, both found the work to be quite fascinating. According to Samantha, the idea came from a York College professor, who has worked with drones, and wanted to get students involved with a project beneficial to the community. “We really want to help farming and agriculture. It’s super-important to America and our economy,” Blayde says. “We want to help the smaller farmers, and one of the benefits is not having to spend their money on fertilizer and pesticides (杀虫剂).”
The idea is to design and build a drone that will take video imagery of the fields to determine what is needed to produce the best crop, while saving money and sparing the environment by reducing pollutants in the runoff water. Ideally, that data gained will help the farmers better determine what chemicals they need — and what they don’t.
However, finding the right equipment for the project was a challenge, starting with what drone the team would design for this particular usage. Samantha says she researched durability and control of drones to help make the proper determination.
“We are flying over the field and we want to have enough efficiency and go relatively slow enough that our pictures turn out well and fly low enough that it is not using up all of its power,” she says. “The fields are a couple hundred acres, so you need your drone to be able to fly the length of that field.”
Blayde says the team continues to learn a great deal of information that will help the farmers and the environment.
1. Why do students from York College of Pennsylvania build the drone?| A．To enrich students’ amusement activities. |
| B．To help farming and agriculture. |
| C．To confirm the students’ abilities. |
| D．To obtain more information about the drone. |
| A．Measuring the areas of the fields. | B．Assisting to monitor the state of crops. |
| C．Spreading proper quantities of pesticides. | D．Helping to determine the chemicals needed. |
| A．Its camera version. | B．Its durability and control. |
| C．Its flying ability. | D．Its further service. |
| A．Responsible and creative. | B．Experienced and generous. |
| C．Brilliant and grateful. | D．Reliable and realistic. |
1. 参加人员；
2. 活动过程；
3. 你的感受。
注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 题目已为你写好。
A meaningful volunteer activity
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . In 1240, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II built Castel del Monte on a lonely hill in central Puglia, where he had a perfect view of approaching enemies. He probably never imagined the enemies might be tourists one day. But these days, the old castle has been polished clean, and hundreds of multicolored Pullman buses snake up the winding roads to its grounds, now filled with T-shirt stands, Coca-Cola signs and a 200-car parking lot. All this thanks to the fact that UNESCO has designated (认定) it a World Heritage Site in 1996.
Officially, UNESCO honors places that exemplify an area’s ancestry, with the purpose of ensuring they are preserved. Unofficially, this designation is a kind of fairy dust that often turns little-known cultural sites into overnight tourist sensations. This is both a gift and a cuss. Lisa Mastny, senior adviser to the World Watch Institute, says tourism is double-edged for places considered of “outstanding value to humanity. It offers many poor communities the chance to obtain financial rewards, but also threatens the very resources —human and natural—upon which the industry is ultimately built”.
There is growing awareness that assigning UNESCO designation is worthless — or worse, harmful — without some kind of follow-up preservation program. “In the early days there wasn’t much attention given to what would happen once these site s became World Heritage. But that’s changing slowly,” says Joseph King, director of the sites unit at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). In Africa, a 12-year training program is currently underway to teach locals not only how to preserve their immovable cultural heritage, but how to use it for economic development. In Eastern Europe, where tourism is a relatively new thing, cities are looking for help in figuring out where to draw the line between preserving historical centers and promoting urban development.
1. What can we learn about Castel del Monte?| A．It was built to enjoy the view. | B．It has become a hot tourist spot. |
| C．It has to make way for a shopping mall. | D．It failed to win UNESCO designation in 1996. |
| A．Solution. | B．Promise. | C．Drawback. | D．Chance. |
| A．By quoting experts. | B．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Is UNESCO Helpful in Driving Global Tourism? |
| B．How Can a Place Be Included in the UNESCO List? |
| C．Why Is It Important to Market World Heritage Site Tours? |
| D．Does Identifying World Heritage Sites Do More Harm Than Good? |
8 . The Wild Atlantic Way has a certain romantic attraction, bringing to mind images of violent storms, terrible winds and driving rain. The Irish Republic inaugurated (为……举行仪式) this, “the longest defined coastal touring route in the world”, in 2014, an excellent marketing idea. The Wild Atlantic Way follows the west coast of Ireland, from the Inishowen Peninsula in the north down to the picturesque town of Kinsale, County Cork, in the south.
Having recently retired, and also having a very supportive wife, I decided to cycle the 2,600 kilometres of this highway, and to seek some sponsorship while doing so for the benefit of a small, but hugely effective charity supporting Children of the Dump in Manila in the Philippines.
Another reason to start this cycle tour was the polite refusal of my youngest son to my request to accompany him, and his friend, on their journey in 2016 from Lima in Peru to Ushuaiain Patagonia by bike. He was probably quite right to have done so. The Donegal hills were enough to tire me out in the first week of my own adventure; the Andes might have finished me off a longtime before I had the opportunity to wheel my bike from the Holyhead to Dublin ferry (渡口) at the beginning of May this year.
Having begun the journey in suitably cold and wet conditions in Donegal, my luck and that of the rest of Ireland changed quite suddenly, and to the amazement of the whole country, they and I enjoyed some of the finest May and June weather on record. The “Wild Atlantic Way” became the “Kind Atlantic Way”, and I got sunburnt! It was a remarkable and unforgettable journey for me. Generous friends have helped me raise £2,600, one pound for each kilometer I rode.
Try it yourselves, but do it the green way and leave the car at home. Pump up (给……打气) your bike tyres and give it, or at least some of the route, a go. You won’t regret it.
1. What do we know about the Wild Atlantic Way from paragraph 1?| A．It starts at Kinsale in County Cork. | B．It is a famous cross-Europe touring route. |
| C．It used to be extremely popular with sea divers. | D．It was promoted by the Irish Republic government. |
| A．To join his wife. | B．To raise money for a charity. |
| C．To work out for his health. | D．To find sponsorship for his company. |
| A．Lucky. | B．Angry. | C．Excited. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．He stopped halfway. | B．He was badly injured. |
| C．He got many flat tyres. | D．He had quite a few sunny days. |
9 . A few years ago, I worked as an English teacher for girls in Silverton, a small, rural farming community south of Portland.
One day, I asked the girls what
I searched the Internet, and
The school year passed quickly. When our final presenter had left, I posed the
| A．exercises | B．relations | C．entertainments | D．careers |
| A．confused | B．inspired | C．amused | D．frightened |
| A．wealth | B．time | C．potential | D．freedom |
| A．paths | B．challenges | C．restrictions | D．suggestions |
| A．grateful | B．sustainable | C．unique | D．available |
| A．quit | B．depended | C．refused | D．found |
| A．competing | B．celebrating | C．advertising | D．planning |
| A．appealing | B．working | C．married | D．annoyed |
| A．stopped | B．adjusted | C．ensured | D．accused |
| A．teach | B．warn | C．allow | D．combine |
| A．pretended | B．agreed | C．struggled | D．happened |
| A．presentations | B．summaries | C．experiments | D．comments |
| A．difficult | B．personal | C．same | D．academic |
| A．excuses | B．responses | C．rewards | D．courses |
| A．independence | B．expectations | C．embarrassment | D．movement |
10 . Ways to Boost Your Energy
Are you sleepy as the afternoon wears on? When low energy drags you down, don’t look to a candy bar, a cup of coffee, or an energy drink for a lift. The sugar and caffeine might give you an immediate pick-me-up, but after that quick high wears off, you’ll crash and feel even more tired.
Research suggests that just a few minutes of walking outside on a warm, clear day may enhance mood, memory, and the ability to absorb new information. Going outside can even improve your self-esteem.
It’s not exactly clear why, but numerous studies have shown that chewing gum increases attentiveness. Even before science confirmed it, during World War I, American soldiers were issued gum to help them focus.
When you’re stressed, it’s natural to breathe shallowly, which can decrease the amount of oxygen that reaches cells. To counteract that, try breathing in through your nose for four seconds, holding your breath for four seconds, and then slowly breathing out for four seconds.
Have a drink of water.You don’t necessarily have to follow the “eight glasses a day” rule. But you do want to drink enough water to keep your body functioning well.
| A．Have a bite. |
| B．Take a few deep breaths. |
| C．Singing reduces levels of stress in your body. |
| D．If you really can’t get out, at least open the shades. |
| E．What you need is a lasting solution to helping you feel refreshed. |
| F．Try to get to the fridge or water cooler for a refill every few hours. |
| G．Expose yourself to natural sunlight, especially in the early morning. |
