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 . 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. |
5 . 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. |
6 . Studying abroad is full of adventures-everything is different and exciting. How can you adjust to the new environment soon? Homestay is a great way to get to know the culture from a firsthand aspect. Here are some tips on how to enjoy a successful homestay.
Bring a thoughtful gift.
Respect the schedule.
Even though you’ve paid for your stay, you’re still part of a family that is not yours - respect their schedules. If the meals are at 7 p. m., make sure you are on time.
Attend the family meals.
Most host programs will give you the choice to include meals in your homestay. It’s highly recommended that you join your host family for at least one meal each day
Be fair and honest when problems arise.
When it comes time to leave, you might be feeling some relief about getting back to a more familiar home. Do remember to make an effort to express your thanks to the family for let-ting you into their home and sharing their lives with you.
| A．Show great relief before you leave. |
| B．Express your gratitude before leaving. |
| C．Lies can only make things much worse. |
| D．This can help you taste homemade local food. |
| E．You don’t have to spend a lot of money on the gift. |
| F．Whenever people live together, there’s room for disagreement. |
| G．You must let your host family know in advance if you can’t arrive on time. |
7 . 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. |
8 . Do you know what Mark Zuckerberg, Barack Obama, and Christopher Nolan all have in common? They wear the same kind of clothing every day. The greatest scientist, Albert Ein-stein, had five similar gray suits in his wardrobe (衣柜). What’s with geniuses and their limited clothing choices?
When asked about why they do it, many successful people cite a phenomenon called decision fatigue (疲劳). So, what is decision fatigue and how can we overcome it? Will wearing the same thing every day do the trick?
Like it or not, decision-making is a part of our everyday lives. From the moment we wake up, we deal with an endless stream of choices — when to get up, what to eat, what to wear, and so on. The human brain makes about 35,000 decisions per day, most of which we may not even be aware of.
Decision fatigue is a state when the mind becomes tired after making too many decisions within a short amount of time.
What should you do when you’re tired of making decisions? Einstein himself said that he chose the same gray suit every day, “So that I don’t waste any brainpower in the mornings deciding which set of clothes to wear.”
Please remember: having fewer choices means less time and energy wasted—a simplified life! The best way to achieve this is to stick to regular tasks on a daily basis. That way, your brain doesn’t have to sweat those little decisions every day. While shopping or doing any kind of cognitively demanding activities, try to make a list, and cross things off as you go. This will reduce decision fatigue and help you make choices more rationally (理智地), fairly, and objectively.
1. Why is Albert Einstein mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce his poor life. | B．To show his preference for black suits. |
| C．To lead to the topic of decision fatigue. | D．To compare him with other famous people. |
| A．It can wear people out. | B．It is caused by too few choices. |
| C．It is put forward by Albert Einstein. | D．It can be effectively solved by a rich life. |
| A．Having a rain plan in advance. | B．Getting up early to get more time. |
| C．Buying as many clothes as possible. | D．Sticking to regular tasks every day. |
| A．The richer, the more choices. | B．The simpler, the more relaxed. |
| C．The poorer, the fewer clothes. | D．The busier, the less chances. |
9 . Prabodh Malhotra, a retired Melbourne economist, 71, on Wednesday walked the final steps of a 1,000km, 52day hiking between the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation.
His “crazy” idea to hike between the two great cricket (板球) grounds came this time last year when he saw a group of men walk 150km between Newcastle and the SCG for the same breast cancer charity. “I thought if they can do it and raise $1,000 per kilometre, I should be able to raise the bar,” he said on Wednesday.
Before the end of January, he signed up. But his friends thought he was crazy, pointing to the lack of footpaths and the danger caused by trucks, buses and cars passing by. But Malhotra was undeterred.
“If something happens in the process of doing something good for the country, I’m more than happy to go,” he said.
With the help of friends, he set a course through Shepparton, Jindabyne, Canberra and Moss Vale, rotating (换穿) through four pairs of shoes, including a nowrundown pair of Hokas.
Malhotra said he was amazed by the generosity of people along the way. Traders and accommodation providers declined payment and often donated to the McGrath Foundation when they discovered his charitable cause.
“To walk 1,000km up from the MCG at the age of 71 just proves you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it,” McGrath said. “It’s an incredible effort. The raised money will help fund nurses for 2,100 families going through breast cancer in 2024”.
1. What inspired Prabodh Malhotra to start his hike?| A．His love for sports. | B．His desire for health. |
| C．His sight of others hiking. | D．His dream of being famous. |
| A．Unshakable. | B．Undesirable. | C．Unavoidable. | D．Understandable. |
| A．Conservative. | B．Supportive. | C．Negative. | D．Objective. |
| A．Easy and worthwhile. | B．Lengthy and thrilling. |
| C．Comfortable and rewarding. | D．Tough and meaningful. |
10 . These days, if there’s something you’re scared about while traveling, from insect bites to having your credit card stolen on the beach, there’s a piece of technology to deal with it.
The Smart Suitcase
An IndieGogo campaign has produced the Bluesmart, a suitcase for people who like every part of their travel life to be connected — and the features are pretty impressive. The Bluesmart can be locked and unlocked via your phone, tracked worldwide, weigh its own contents, charge your devices, and warn you if it’s separated from you. It costs $329.00.
The Portable Water Sterilizer
If you’ve ever had Delhi Belly or any kind of waterborne disease while travelling, this will seem like a complete life saver. The SteriPen is a handheld UV water purifier, and can kill 99.9percent of waterborne bacteria and diseases in whatever water you stick it in. It can purify a full liter of water in 90 seconds. It’s also pretty reasonable at $69.95.
The RealTime Translator
Sigmo is designed to be a small, handheld realtime translator for 25 languages. It’s tiny—barely the size of a square of chocolate— and can be used with earphones or speakers and during phone calls. Right now, they’re predicting that it will be $65.00, but keep an eye on the developers for news.
The Cooling TeeShirt
Sol Cool is designed for people hiking around in heat. The fabric of the clothes has significant cooling functions when it comes to human body heat, creating a nice cool sense next to the skin. The fabric is also very highwicking and UV protected, so you can still wear clothes in extreme heat without boiling. A woman’s shirt costs $60.00.
1. What should be bought for those sensitive to bacteria?| A．Bluesmart. | B．SteriPen. | C．Sigmo. | D．Sol Cool. |
| A．$329.00. | B．$69.95. | C．$65.00. | D．$60.00. |
| A．They are techfriendly. | B．They protect your luggage. |
| C．They can drive away insects. | D．They make you cool in summer. |
