1 . Our goal is to bring a simple and effective solution to the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses both in home and hospitals
Focusing on what matters most
While hand-held communication devices are Increasingly being used to help foster better processes and outcomes, they bring with them the unintended consequences of increased risk of pathogen transmission when not properly disinfected. Shared-use devices are frequently touched and carried from room to room, patient to patient -like a third hand you never was?. We hope to be part of helping solve this problem with the introduction of PhoneSoap ExpressPro.
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A 30-second cycle in PhoneSoap ExpressPro kills 99.99% of all harmful viruses and bacteria on your phone. Stay happy and healthy by sanitizing your phone along with your hands, as the two are inseparably connected.
Save 10% with code READERS10 at phonesoap. comIt only takes liking one Instagram post, answering a phone call, or sending a single tweet to transfer all the bacteria you’ve touched straight to your phone. It’s the third hand you never wash, and when it isn’t sanitized regularly these germs can make you sick.
Operation is safe and easy
| A．can clean both our hands and hand-held items |
| B．uses soap and water to kill harmful bacteria and viruses |
| C．is commonly used in hospitals to control infection after surgery |
| D．takes 30 second s to reduce almost all the viruses on mobile devices |
| A．transferred | B．connected | C．disinfected | D．updated |
| A．It will open automatically when the cell phone is cleaned. |
| B．There is no evidence that it has the effect of preventing infection. |
| C．Users needn’t turn over their cell phones to get every side cleaned. |
| D．Customers can get a 10% discount if they buy it online with a code. |
2 . Super Size Me
Fast food, otherwise known as junk food, is a huge passion for a large number of people across the Western world. But what would happen if you ate lots of junk food every day? Would it seriously damage your health? These were the questions which led Morgan Spurlock, an independent film-maker, to do an experiment, which he came into a documentary film entitled Super Size Me.
The main basis of his experiment was that Spurlock promised to eat three McDonald’s meals a day, every day, for a month. He could only eat food from McDonald’s and every time an employee asked if he would like to ‘super size’ the meal, he had to agree. ‘Super sizing’ refers to the fact that with this type of meal you get a considerably larger portion of everything for only a very small price increase.
Before he started, three doctors certified that Spurlock weighed about 84kg and was in good health. Although both Spurlock and his doctors knew he would put on a bit of weight, and that this diet was unhealthy, none of them were quite prepared for just how unhealthy it turned out to be. The changes in his body were horrifying. In the first week, he put on 4.5 kilos and by the end of the thirty days he had gained nearly 14 kilos, bringing his total weight to 98 kg.
Weight gain was only one of the negative effects, however. When all three doctors saw the severe damage to his liver, they all recommended stopping the experiment after 20 days. Spurlock continued to follow the diet, however, because he wanted to show people what this kind of diet can do to you. Watching the film, you begin to realize that it could be a fast-forward picture of your life: in 30 days you go to see what could happen to you over 20 or 30 years of overconsumption.
Junk food is exactly what it says it is -- junk. Spurlock says, ‘I’d love people to walk out of the movie and say, “Next time I’m not going to ‘super size’. Maybe I’m not going to have any junk food at all. I’m going to sit down and eat dinner with my kids, with the TV off, so that we can eat healthy food, talk about what we’re eating and have a relationship with each other.”’ Food for thought indeed.
1. In the one-month experiment, Spurlock ______.| A．ate three McDonald’s meals every day | B．could choose to “super size” his meal |
| C．got extra-large meals at a lower price | D．pretended to eat for better visual effect |
| A．He gained one sixth of his body weight in one week. |
| B．Doctors suggested him stopping the experiment halfway. |
| C．He fast-forwarded the video past the medical examination. |
| D．He turned out to be 20 or 30 years older than people of his age. |
| A．human nature often drives us to desire more |
| B．how we eat is far more important than what we eat |
| C．overconsumption for a short time does little harm to the body |
| D．if we eat too much junk food, we ourselves will be supersized |
3 . A forest in Staffordshire (in the UK) transformed into a hi-tech laboratory. Researchers here are investigating how the trees use carbon, and it’s difficult to find out. In an unusual experiment, extra carbon dioxide is piped to the trees, to create the kind of atmospheric conditions expected in the middle of the century. And instruments measure how the forest reacts.
The scientist in charge says there’s still a lot to learn. And he worries that governments and companies are rushing to plant trees as an easy answer to climate change. “If you try and use trees to tidy up the mess that we’re making through emissions, you are putting those trees into a very rapidly changing climate and they will struggle to adapt,” said Professor Rob MacKenzie, University of Birmingham.
This device tracks the movement of carbon dioxide. In a healthy forest, the gas is not only absorbed by the trees but some is released as well. What scientists here are finding out is the way carbon flows into a forest and out of it is a lot more complicated than you might think. So, if mass tree planting is meant to be a solution to tackling climate change, the trees are going to have to be monitored and cared for, over not just decades, but may be centuries as well.
Of all the challenges, the task of planting is the simplest. Shelby Barber from Canada can do an amazing 4,000 trees in a day. “People talking about planting millions billions of trees around the world. Is it possible do you think, physically?” asked BBC.
“It’s definitely possible with the right amount of people, the right group of people. I’ve personally, in three years, planted just over half a million trees.” said Professor Rob MacKenzie.
Once planted, the trees need to survive, and experts are mixing different types to minimize the risk of disease. “It’s a bit like making sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you’re spreading out your risk. And then if one part of that woodland fails, for whatever reason, it gets a disease or it can’t tolerate future climatic conditions, there are other parts of the forest that are healthy and able to fill in those gaps.” said Eleanor Tew of Forestry England.
Suddenly there’s momentum to plant trees on a scale never seen before. So what matters is doing it in a way that ensures the forests thrive — so they really do help with climate change.
1. Why is extra carbon dioxide piped to the trees in the experiment?| A．To predict the future atmospheric conditions. |
| B．To imitate the possible air condition in the future. |
| C．To create an instrument to measure atmospheric conditions. |
| D．To investigate the quality of air condition in the future. |
| A．oxygen | B．carbon dioxide | C．mess | D．purified gas |
| A．Minimizing the area of the woodland. |
| B．Studying future climatic conditions. |
| C．Planting different types of trees. |
| D．Avoiding mixing different species. |
| A．It should be advocated in terms of efficiency and convenience. |
| B．It is the most effective solution to fighting climate changes. |
| C．It will do more harm than good to the health of the environment. |
| D．It needs to be studied further as a measure against climate change. |
4 .
| |
| Q What’s the best way to keep track of your characters in a novel? Amanda Rose, via email A I’m not sure what the best way is, but here are some of the methods I use. Most of my records are on paper. I have a huge folder, and in it are the following:* Character sheets – one A4 sheet for each character with all their details: name; age; address; physical description; personality type… * Dialogue records – an extra page where I note their favorite words and dialogues. * Photographs – I use photos cut from magazines for inspirations as to what they look like. I’m also a big fan of spreadsheets. I create one that has the name, date of birth and age of my characters at any given time in the novel – or novels if it’s a series. This is particularly helpful for controlling timelines, as I only need to change one date and the rest are set up to update automatically. I also use a spreadsheet for keeping track of the plot so I know what happens to each character in each chapter. I create the spreadsheet before I start and fill it in as I go. It’s for tracking not plotting, but it could be used for that if you plotted what happens in each chapter. Hope this helps, Amanda. | Q Should I use single quotes or double quotes for dialogue? Tania Yeatman, Wimborne A It doesn’t matter! Usually it’s a matter of house style, so if you are aiming at a specific publication, check to see what their style is for publication and copy that. If you don’t know the house style then the important thing is to be consistent. The same applies to quotes from interviewees and experts in your articles.“I saw Anne at writing group,” Milly said. “And she came rushing up to me and told me she’d done it at last. She’s got an agent!”
Q ______________________________ Grace Louise |
1. ________ are most useful for controlling timelines of the story.
| A．Character sheets | B．Dialogue records |
| C．Photographs | D．Spreadsheets |
| A．‘I saw Anne at writing group,’ Milly said. ‘And she came rushing up to me and cried, “I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!”’ |
| B．“I saw Anne at writing group,” Milly said. “And she came rushing up to me and cried, ‘I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!” |
| C．‘I saw Anne at writing group,’ Milly said. “And she came rushing up to me and cried, ‘I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!’” |
| D．“I saw Anne at writing group,” Milly said. ‘And she came rushing up to me and cried, ‘I’ve done it at last. I’ve got an agent!’ |
| A．When and where will your next novel be published? |
| B．What should I write about to win the writing competition? |
| C．Do you have any tips for overcoming the writer’s block? |
| D．Can you give us a lecture on choosing the right topics? |
5 . The Fight against Fast Furniture
Fast furniture is a term that refers to furniture that is produced cheaply and quickly. These items are often bad for the environment because they are made from materials that break easily and need to be replaced often.
To help protect the environment, a movement to move away from fast furniture has begun. Many companies are joining the fight by finding cleaner ways to manufacture furniture. For example, IKEA has agreed to switch to using renewable or recycled materials for their furniture by the year 2030.
There is also a push to encourage shoppers to buy more used furniture for their homes. Small businesses that help transform old chairs and sofas into completely new products have even popped up recently. At the end of the day, consumers will play the most important role in the fight to end fast furniture. Shoppers should try to think more about the long term when preparing to purchase new furniture. They should stay away from furniture that is made from cheap materials like fiberboard or plastic because they will often fall apart after a few years.
A much better alternative is furniture made from real wood because it won’t break as easily. If wood furniture is damaged, it can often be repaired to last longer. High-quality metals are another good material, as they are durable. If the furniture is no longer fit for use, these metals can still be recycled and used to make new products.
| A．It has also designed a special program that lets people return used furniture pieces to its stores so they can be fixed and used again by consumers. |
| B．This would help to reduce overall waste, as it would extend the life cycle of old furniture items. |
| C．Although these items may cost less initially, they are more expensive because they will need to be replaced sooner than traditional pieces of furniture. |
| D．This creates a lot of pollution, as the furniture ends up buried in landfills where it can harm the soil. |
| E．Homeowners are looking for furniture that is kinder to the environment. |
| F．By choosing furniture that’s made to last, we can help reduce waste and protect the environment. |
6 . PAUL HEMINGTON, 57, is the Assistant Operations Manager at Cheddar Gorge（切达峡谷） and Caves cheddargorge.co.uk
I moved to SOMERSET mainly for my family. My daughter was getting married and I didn’t want to live six hours away, so we made the move. Once we moved, we were made unneeded and it was a mad race to get work. I ended up at here at Cheddar Gorge and Caves.
Cheddar Gorge is like nothing else in the UK. It’s a unique phenomenon, because although there are other caves in the country, you don’t have the gorge elsewhere. This is a major geological feature, it’s three miles long and there’s just this natural, raw beauty. I can sit at my desk in guest services and look out at part of the gorge. It’s amazing.
The Cheddar Gorge spirit is strong. You know, not having worked here or heard about the area, you come here and it gets under your skin in the right way. You become part of it, it becomes part of you. I’m very passionate about it. And there’s the amazing wildlife, the geology, the prehistory — Cheddar Man is still one of the greatest finds in the UK.
Every day at Cheddar Gorge and Caves is different. You’ve got the rock sports side of things, the climbing, the caving. We take people through the caves on tours and we have pre-history, which we do with the museum, whereby we have schools come in and do demonstrations with them. We will dress up as genuinely as we can to reproduce the time period of the Cheddar Man, which is the Mesolithic period, so 10,000 years ago. We do fire lighting, for example, and hopefully it’s inspiring to the young people! It’s really cool to be in the museum garden and have part of the gorge as the background while you’re doing it, so you can really submerge yourself in that moment.
My favourite spot is when you go past the peak on the walk and you can look back down into the gorge or across to the reservoir. The view is amazing. Yes, you can see pictures of it, but honestly you have to be there to fully appreciate it. You might hear some buzzards or see some sheep or goats while you’re up there, just to enhance the experience!
1. PAUL HEMINGTON originally moved to Cheddar Gorge to __________.| A．settle down in the countryside | B．be closer to his daughter |
| C．land a job as a tour guide | D．take part in a competitive race |
| A．affects you deeply | B．bothers you greatly |
| C．increases your strength | D．improves your skin condition |
| A．He goes to the school to give lectures on pre-history. |
| B．He demonstrates to young people how to climb rocks. |
| C．He participates in recreating the scenes in the Mesolithic period. |
| D．He decorates the museum garden to make it look like the gorge. |
| A．How he adapts to the local way of life. |
| B．What major local attractions are worth seeing. |
| C．Why Cheddar Gorge ranks first as a natural wonder. |
| D．What makes Cheddar Gorge so special to him. |
7 . Making a Backup Plan Weakens Performance
There are certainly important benefits to making backup plans. One is the psychological comfort it brings: People think, “I’m going to be Okay, even if I fail because I can then do X or Y.” Another benefit is that if you fail, you won’t keep thinking about it; you can quickly implement your backup plan.
She gave 160 university students a sentence-unscrambling (理清句子) task and promised an energy bar to those who performed it well.
In the follow-up experiment, Shin took the same approach but offered people different rewards — an extra dollar. “We think that when achieving a goal requires work, not luck, making a backup plan can hurt performance by reducing the desire for the goal.” said professor Shin. “In the third study in which participants were asked about how much they wanted the promised reward of one dollar, those who had been asked to think through backup plans reported that they wanted the cash less than others.
The participants in the lab studies spent less than 10 minutes, thinking about their backup plans -- a tiny investment of their attention -- yet it significantly affected their motivation and performance on goal pursuit. In real life when the stakes are higher, people would be expected to devote more time and energy to mapping out the detailed backup plans.
The practical advice from the researchers is: Hold off on making back up plans until you’ve put as much effort as possible into your primary goal.
| A．As that reduces effort over a sustained period, it could result in even more significant negative effects. |
| B．Before receiving the text, half the participants were asked to think about the different ways they could obtain free food, should they fail to earn the snack. |
| C．But participants asked to brainstorm other things before unscrambling sentences did just fine. |
| D．However, the costs of making backup plans haven’t previously been examined. |
| E．If you prepare for failure, you may be more likely to fail. |
| F．They might not have been aware of this shift in their mindset while working, but they were less motivated. |
Fellowships for Postdoctoral Scholars AT WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION Scholarships designed to extend the education and training of the applicants and to advance their research careers are available to new or recent doctoral graduates in diverse areas of research. | |
| Applications will be accepted from doctoral recipients with research interests associated with the following Departments: ·APPLIED OCEAN PHYSICS & ENGINEERING ·MARINE CHEMISTRY AND GEOCHEMISTRY ·PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY ·GEOLOGY & GEOPHYSICS ·BIOLOGY Interdepartmental research, including with the Marine Policy Center, is also encouraged. Applications will also be accepted from those with research interests on the following: ·USGS/WHOI- areas of common interest between USGS and WHOI Scientific Staff. The individual will interact with both USGS and WHOI based advisors on their research. Criteria for awards include demonstrated research independence, productivity and novelty, and community service including contributions to making ocean sciences and engineering more diverse and welcoming. Scholarships are awarded for 18-month appointments（$68,500 annually, plus a health and welfare allowance; a travel allowance; and a research budget）. | Recipients are encouraged to pursue their own research interest supervised by resident staff. Communication with potential WHOI advisors prior to submitting an application is encouraged. COMPLETED APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY OCTOBER 15, 2023, to start any time after January 1, 2024 and before December 1, 2024. Awards will be announced in December. Further information about the Scholarships and application forms as well as links to the individual Departments and their research themes may be obtained at: https://go.whoi.edu/pdscholarship A goal of the Postdoctoral Scholar Program is the long-term broadening of participation in ocean science and engineering: women, minorities, veterans, those with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
|
| A．Women applicants are more likely to be considered than men applicants. |
| B．Applicants whose research is independent and original will be given priority. |
| C．All applicants must agree to work with the Marine Policy Center. |
| D．Applicants without a degree in engineering will be rejected. |
| A．October 15, 2023 | B．January 1, 2024 |
| C．December 1, 2024 | D．December 12, 2023 |
| A．get a health and welfare allowance of $70,000 a year |
| B．use the database at http://go.whoi.edu/pdscholarship |
| C．appoint any WHOI advisor as his/her research partner |
| D．do research under the guidance of resident staff at WHOI |
9 . My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word: kira-kira. I pronounced it ka-a-ahhh, but she knew what I meant. Kira-kira means “glittering” in Japanese. Lynn told me that when I was a baby, she used to take me onto our empty road at night, where we would lie on our backs and look at the stars while she said over and over, “Katie, say ‘kira-kira, kira-kira!’” I loved that word! When I grew older, I used kira-kira to describe everything I liked: the beautiful blue sky, puppies, kittens, butterflies, colored tissues.
My mother said we were misusing the word; you could not call colored tissues kira-kira. She was dismayed over how un-Japanese we were and swore to send us to Japan one day. I didn’t care where she sent me, so long as Lynn came along.
When she wasn’t in school, she stayed with me constantly. Both our parents worked. Officially, I stayed all day with a lady from down the road, but unofficially, Lynn was the one who took care of me.
My sister used to keep a diary. Today I keep her diary in a drawer next to my bed. I like to see how her memories were the same as mine, but also different. For instance, one of my earliest memories is of the day Lynn saved my life. I was almost five, and she was almost nine. We were playing on the empty road near our house. Fields of tall corn stretched into the distance wherever you looked. A dirty gray dog ran out of the field near us, and then he ran back in. Lynn loved animals. Her long black hair disappeared into the corn as she chased the dog. The summer sky was clear and blue. I felt a brief fear as Lynn disappeared into the cornstalks. After Lynn ran into the field, I couldn’t see anything but corn. “Lynnie!” I shouted. We weren’t that far from our house, but I felt scared. I burst into tears.
Somehow or other, Lynn got behind me and said, “Boo!” and I cried some more. She just laughed and hugged me and said, “You’re the best little sister in the world!” I liked it when she said that, so I stopped crying.
1. What can be learned about Katie as a little child from the first paragraph?| A．She only listened to Lynn’s advice. |
| B．She didn’t like to learn the Japanese language. |
| C．She mispronounced kira-kira on purpose. |
| D．She associated kira-kira with nice things. |
| A．discouraged | B．amused | C．relieved | D．unconvinced |
| A．...I was sure that the dog would hurt Katie... |
| B．...My heart melted at the sight of the lovely dog... |
| C．...I kept chasing the dog until Katie appeared... |
| D．...I regretted taking Katie out when I saw the dog... |
| A．sing praise of her Japanese roots | B．share an adventurous experience |
| C．recall unique style of language learning | D．show the sisterly affection |
10 . Small batteries are big problems, but nobody really pays attention to where they end up. Researchers at the Cellulose & Wood Materials Laboratory are working to address this problem. Their new research paper describes a water-activated paper battery developed from environmentally friendly materials that could eventually present a sustainable alternative to the more harmful batteries common in low-power devices.
The paper battery has the same key components as standard batteries but packages them differently. Like a typical chemical battery, it has a positively charged side called a cathode, a negatively charged side called an anode, and a conductive material called an electrolyte (电解质) between the two. A traditional battery’s components are encased in plastic and metal; in the new battery, the anode and cathode are inks printed onto the front and back of a piece of paper. That paper is filled with salt, which dissolves (溶解) when the paper is dampened with water. The resulting saltwater solution acts as the electrolyte.
Sustainable materials were a precondition for the researchers, who considered only safe and plentiful ingredients to create their device. “We were fairly confident that we would have something that would work in the end, but developing these materials and ink systems is challenging,” says Gustav Nyström, senior author of the study.
After trying hundreds of formulations for the battery components, the researchers settled on a graphite ink to make the cathode, a zinc ink for the anode, and salt-filled paper to create the electrolyte.
When the paper is dry, the battery is shelf-stable. Add just a couple of drops of water, however, and the salt dissolves, allowing electrons to flow. Once the paper is dampened, the battery activates within 20 seconds. The new battery’s operating performance declines as the paper dries. When the scientists re-wet the paper during testing, the battery regained functionality and lasted an hour before beginning to dry out again.
Although the researchers demonstrated that their battery could power an alarm clock, the paper batteries are unlikely to replace standard ones on store shelves. Nyström envisions a future where these paper batteries could make their way into products within the next two to five years. “The performance that you see on this device, I think, is sufficient for a lot of other applications already,” he says. It is mostly a matter of scaling up production and integrating the batteries into systems such as diagnostic tests and environmental sensors.”
1. How is the paper battery similar to the standard battery?| A．They both have two charged sides and an electrolyte. |
| B．They are both packaged in plastic and metal. |
| C．The key components are environmentally friendly. |
| D．Both batteries can operate for only an hour. |
| A．Heating the salt | B．Wetting the paper |
| C．Drying out the battery | D．Charging the electrons |
| A．major technological breakthrough will be made in the near future |
| B．all home appliances will be powered by paper batteries |
| C．paper batteries will have longer shelf life than traditional ones |
| D．the future for a wide application of paper batteries is not far off |
| A．It advances the battery manufacturing industry. |
| B．It is a low-cost alternative to traditional battery. |
| C．It is a creative way to reduce potential e-waste. |
| D．It turns dangerous e-waste into useful products. |
