1 . Environmental experts warn that our planet is drowning in plastic.

The world’s cities produce 2 billion tons of trash every year. By the year 2050 that number is expected to rise to 3 billion tons. The World Bank estimates that the largest amount of trash today, about 44 percent, is plastic. But we often have to buy packaged goods. And often that packaging is made of plastic.

Now, that may be changing. A new environmentally-friendly shopping model was recently launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This shopping model, called Loop, aims to replace throwaway containers with reusable ones.

Loop is the idea of Terra Cycle, an American-based recycling company. Its chief, Tom Szaky, told the Associated Press (AP) that “removing plastics from the ocean is not enough. ” He said the point is to get away from single-use packages. Szaky said that Loop is the future of shopping. But it comes from an idea of the past.

He compared it to the “milkman model” of the 1950s in the United States. Back then, someone brought milk to your doorstep in glass bottles and then left with empty bottles. These could be cleaned and used again. The result is zero-waste.

Jennifer Morgan from the environmental non-profit organization Greenpeace also joined in the discussion about Loop at Davos. She said that “Greenpeace welcomes the aim of the Loop Alliance to move away from throwaway culture and disposability”. But Morgan questioned whether companies worldwide are ready to change their business models.

Loop is set to launch later 2019 in three eastern U. S. states, and also in Paris, France and some of the surrounding areas. Then Loop plans to expand to the U. S. West Coast, Toronto, Canada and Britain by the end of this year or 2020.

1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?

A．Provide background information.

B．Advocate zero-waste lifestyle.

C．Explain the reason for trash.

D．Introduce a new topic.

2. Where does the idea “Loop” come from?

A．The World Economic Forum.

B．Demand of some companies.

C．Zero-waste model.

D．Jennifer Morgan.

3. Which countries is Loop expected to expand to by 2020?

A．United States and Switzerland.

B．Switzerland and Britain.

C．Canada and Britain.

D．France and Canada.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A new shopping model.

B．The development of future city.

C．The world’s environmental issue.

D．The concerns of future shopping.

2 . My daughter had just turned five when I took her to go grocery shopping with me one day. There on _______was the most beautiful toilet paper she had never seen, for it was pink. During_______ awareness month, the toilet paper company had made their produce pink, with a part of each sale’s profits helping the people in need. And my daughter simply had to have it. She _______with her sweetest pretty pleases. Of course I met her request, explaining that it was pink to _______awareness of kindness and that _______of the money we were paying was going towards helping others.

My little girl sat in the cart, holding her package of pink toilet paper. She could not contain her _______ and talked on and on about how _______the rest of the family would be when she shared her treasure with them. On the way out, she retold to the cashier everything she could remember about the_______of the colored toilet paper. Her passion spread among the other _______, and several more packages________the checkouts that morning.

My daughter carried the tower of toilet paper into the house herself and dragged it upstairs, which was a great ________ considering the package stood as ________as she did. That evening, I walked into the bathroom to find all the rolls neatly stored in the cupboard, in the shape of a ________castle. She began in all seriousness as she ceremoniously (隆重地) ________a half used white roil on the holder with a new pink one, “ Every time I use it, I will remember to pray for all those people who are________right now.”

1.

A．display

B．television

C．time

D．purpose

2.

A．science

B．baby-care

C．charity

D．peace

3.

A．cried

B．begged

C．lied

D．challenged

4.

A．represent

B．raise

C．teach

D．sell

5.

A．all

B．none

C．any

D．some

6.

A．excitement

B．calmness

C．nervousness

D．patience

7.

A．thrilled

B．disappointed

C．comfortable

D．lucky

8.

A．usage

B．price

C．misunderstanding

D．meaning

9.

A．families

B．cashiers

C．papermakers

D．customers

10.

A．got caught in

B．went through

C．broke into

D．fell off

11.

A．accomplishment

B．independence

C．responsibility

D．expectation

12.

A．large

B．strong

C．tall

D．small

13.

A．lonely

B．lovely

C．different

D．homely

14.

A．compared

B．combined

C．replaced

D．mixed

15.

A．in common

B．in need

C．in practice

D．in silence

3 . Christmas Day is for eating，drinking，watching bad TV－and trying to cover up your embarrassment as you realize your husband’s aunt Maud has spent her pension on your present while you bought her a set of Christmas cards.

Present­buying can be a minefield: from how much to spend，to whether to risk surprising receivers with a gift they don’t want, to knowing if you should buy your neighbor you only say hello to a little something.

Here, FEMAIL has asked experts for their top tips on how to select present to ensure the only thing that’s red this Christmas is Santa Claus’ nose.

“If you’ve just started seeing someone you don’t need to spend a fortune” says dating advisor James Preece.

“It’s much better to impress them with your imagination by choosing a gift that’s a little bit different.￡20 is about the right amount, with a maximum of ￡50 if you can afford it.”

“Or you don’t even need to go that far”, says relationship expert and founder of BeLoveCurious.com, Helen Rice.“Plan to spend a romantic evening together or have a fun day out.Feel free to give the person you’re dating something thoughtful, just don’t spend a lot of money.”

“If you’re in a long­term relationship then your budget really reflects on your personal situation,”adds James.“You don’t need to go craze, but it’s a great opportunity to show you love and appreciate them.”

“It’s also best to buy a few cheaper presents rather than big one.Part of the fun is the mystery and unwrapping,so it will last longer if you give them several to enjoy.”

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph in this article?

A．To arrest the attention of readers.	B．To criticize greed of mean couples.
C．To describe traditional customs of Christmas Day.	D．To express sympathies for embarrassed senior citizens.

2. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 imply?

A．To accumulate red symbols for Christmas atmosphere.

B．To calculate how much paint they need to decorate the house.

C．To surprise their friends with their delicate intention.

D．To avoid unnecessary embarrassment when sending gifts.

3. Which statement does James Preece agree?

A．Only rare treasures can move a stone heart.	B．Diamonds are girls’ best friends.
C．Curiosity to gifts adds to fun.	D．True friends need nothing but trust.

4. Who are the target readers of this article?

A．Those who cannot afford expensive eating.

B．Those who want to fix their broken friendship.

C．Those who have trouble in picking proper gifts.

D．Those who have once quarreled with their neighbors.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1 个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Time to Upgrade Phone? You Bet!

“Is it high time to buy a 5G phone now or should I wait?” this question     1     (throw) at me constantly by friends ever since China commercialized 5G last October.

First of all, China now has a wide 5G coverage, which makes     2     convenient for consumers to use 5G smartphones. Currently, 5G signals are available in all prefecture-level cities in China, and     3     (consume) in more than 300 cities are able to access 5G signals when they are in subways,     4     (take) a walk in parks or shopping at malls.

Moreover, telecom carriers have announced their plans to cover key counties and towns     5     5G signals next year, which will attract more people to 5G smartphones.

At the same time, the prices of 5G data packages are also dropping     6     (significant) from the starting price of more than 120 yuan ($18.3) per month at the start of this year to about 90 yuan now, making the tech     7     (afford) for more people to enjoy the 5G service. There are more 5G smartphone models to choose from — some of them may remain much too expensive,     8     the cheapest one now costs only 999 yuan.

China’s big three telecom carriers are also working on a new 5G-enabled messaging service, which is designed to replace current short messages with a system     9     is richer, provides phone book polling, and can transmit in-call multimedia.

So, yes, it’s high time that I     10     (buy) a 5G smartphone indeed.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

At Lowe's, the home improvement chain, a "LoweBot” in some stores can answer simple questions, such as where     1     (find) items, and can assist with inventory(库存)monitoring. These robots free up workers from routine tasks, thus     2    (give) humans more time for customer interaction-but that's only the beginning.

The real benefit of retail robots is the opportunity to capture the exact data about the products on the     3    (shelf) and customer buying patterns, which can increase efficiency and accuracy in inventory management. The key is using retail robots as data - collectors within     4    Internet-of-Things (loT) , which is best thought of     5     a complex network of connected devices, objects, and sensors gathering data that     6    (analyze) in the cloud or with edge computing.

With robots in stores, retailers already have the beginnings of a whole IoT     7    (solve).

As the robots move around the stores, they take photos of every shelf and aisle (过道)，which are then digitized and converted into metrics and insights about out - of - stock merchandise and pricing.

Such detailed data is     8    (incredible) valuable in retail,    9     understanding and anticipating consumer demand is necessary. For example, Stitch Fix, which provides just - for - you clothing choices to shoppers at home, regards     10     (it) as its business model, from product recommendation to inventory management and fashion design.

6 . School Spirit is in the bag!

Now you can design your own Taft Tiger bags and backpacks.

What’s in your bag?

School books, homework, and gym clothes are just a few of the many items that successful students at Taft Middle School carry around every day. The right bag or backpack can help you get organized. Carry your school equipment with style and show your Tiger Pride with one of these strong SCHOOL SPIRIT TO GO bags.

Which bag do you need?

Backpack: $20

●Made with strong materials and zippers

●Comfortable, padded shoulder straps(软垫肩带)

●Two large compartments for books and notebooks

●Small zippered bag for pens, pencils, calculators and more

Duffle bag: $15

●Perfect for holding gym clothes, shoes, and towels

●Large enough to hold up to three basketballs

●Removable shoulder straps and short handles

Tote bag: $10

●Ideal for light loads

●Use it to carry a sweater and snacks for a field trip

●Take it to the library to carry books and research materials

Satisfaction guaranteed

These bags are a great bargain and SCHOOL SPIRIT TO GO guarantees their quality. If the bag has a defect(缺陷), simply return it within 30 days of receipt for an exchange of equal value or a full refund(退款).

How to order your bag

All orders must be placed in person and during the week of September 26-30 only.

●Visit the SCHOOL SPIRIT TO GO representatives in the cafeteria September 26-30 to see samples of bags.

●Complete the order form. Be sure to write down your first-period teacher’s name on the form.

●Hand in your payment with the order form to the representatives.

The bags will be delivered to the school in three weeks. First-period teachers will give out the bags to students who placed orders.

1. Compared with Tote bags, Duffle bags ________.

A．are a little cheaper	B．have small bags for tiny items
C．can have their shoulder straps taken off	D．are suitable to be carried to the library

2. What do we know about the sale of the bags?

A．It is held by Taft Middle School.

B．It is aimed at Taft Middle School students.

C．It allows students to return bags without reasons.

D．It includes offering free gym clothes to students.

3. What is one requirement for students who order the bags?

A．Going to a given place to get the bags.

B．Giving payments to their first-period teachers.

C．Including the representatives’ names on the forms.

D．Placing the orders during the last days of September.

7 .

TV VOICE PRO AIR $299 USD	Hearing Specialists Develop New Ultra-Lightweight (超轻的) TV Listening Earbuds (耳塞): At just Half an Ounce, they Weigh 90% Less than Traditional TV Headphones!
HAVING TROUBLE HEARING THE TV CLEARLY? Get ready to clarify TV dialogue like never before, with our new Ultra-Lightweight Wireless TV Listening Technology. Big and heavy TV headphones are now a thing of the past, thanks to Hearing Specialists who have developed new ultra-lightweight wireless TV earbuds, which enable the wearer to hear the speech and dialogue on any TV show with clarity. The unique speech clarification audio works for those with any level of hearing loss, and has been proven to outperform even the most advanced digital hearing aids for TV clarity. TV VOICE PRO AUTOMATICALLY CLARIFIES TELEVISION DIALOGUE Revolutionary TV speech enhancement technology made simple Speech enhancement technique based upon clinical hearing assessments of over 1,000 people with varying levels of hearing loss and proven TV listening difficulty Connects to any TV in under 2 minutes FEATURES WITH THE TV VOICE PRO AIR SYSTEM Listen at your own volume without altering the TV audio for others in the room Uses state-of-the-art Bluetooth technology for uninterrupted listening up to 35 feet from your TV. Simple volume control located on the earphones, with additional loud volume range to suit those with even severe hearing loss. Sit back, lie down, or move around. So comfortable to use, you can watch TV any way you like. Is guaranteed to work with any TV, new or old.
As a special offer, Readers Digest readers can use Gift Voucher (礼券) Code READERSDIGEST at the TV Voice Pro website checkout for $50 OFF the purchase price, and free shipping available until December 31, 2020.			Visit www.TvVoicePro.com to order online or over the phone on 415 277-2026. 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE

1. TV VOICE PRO AIR is aimed at _____.

A．TV designers	B．people with hearing difficulty
C．hearing specialists	D．wearers of digital hearing aids

2. According to the advertisement, TV VOICE PRO AIR enables the wearer to _____.

A．enjoy TV even over 35 feet from his/her house	B．improve his/her hearing ability in daily life
C．listen to TV clearly at whatever volume	D．watch more TV programs

3. What can be learned about TV VOICE PRO AIR from the advertisement?

A．You can get a refund within 30 days if dissatisfied with it.

B．You need to pay $50 for its shipping if you buy it in 2021.

C．You can get a discount as long as you use Gift Voucher Code.

D．You need to place a special order for it if you have severe hearing loss.

8 . Do you shop online with websites like Taobao?The money you pay doesn’t go directly to the seller.Instead,it goes through Alipay,which keeps your money for a while.After you receive your goods and click the “confirm receipt” button,Alipay then gives the money to the seller.

The process is called “third party online payment”.There is a transfer station,or a third account,between sellers and buyers to make online shopping safe.Buyers don’t need to worry about paying for goods and then receiving nothing.Sellers also get rid of the risk of receiving no money after sending out goods.

These transfer stations are usually set up by payment service companies such as Alipay,Tenpay and Yeepay.Among them,Alipay is the biggest in China.It has more than 270 million active users,according to Xinhua.

While most online sellers and shoppers like the third party online payment system,banks are not very happy.That is because companies like Alipay are fighting over money with the banks.Users can invest in financial products through Alipay and make money.Thus lots of people choose to put money in Alipay rather than in banks.

But WeChat payment is not the same.WeChat doesn’t have its own account.When paying through WeChat,the buyers’ money goes directly to the sellers.That’s why so many people are excited about receiving and handing out “red envelopes” or gift money to their friends on WeChat.

Whether Alipay or WeChat payment,they are all trying to attract more users and make online shopping easier.These two companies are also promoting payments through fingerprints.New payment methods such as quick response codes have become popular too.

1. How many ways to pay are mentioned in the passage?

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

2. Paragraph 2 mainly wants to introduce how .

A．Alipay works

B．to run a Taobao shop

C．to make your money safe

D．to make money by using Alipay

3. According to the passage,we can imagine in the future.

A．real money will not be used

B．Alipay will take the place of banks

C．payment through fingerprints will be popular

D．third party online payment is sure to avoid all the risks in trade

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Some ways to pay in our daily life.

B．The advantage of third party online payment.

C．Using new technologies to do online shopping.

D．It is convenient to do the shopping online using Alipay and WeChat.

9 . Best Gifts to Children This Season

Marble (弹珠游戏) Circuit

With brightly colored pieces and a seemingly simple layout, Marble Circuit doesn’t present as a tough logic game—but don’t underestimate (低估) its difficulty. After drawing a challenge card, players must arrange pieces and fill in holes on the game board to allow the right number of marbles to run through the channels and into each box at the bottom of the board. Because it requires more patience and abstract, special thinking skills than some other kinds of logic puzzles, Marble Circuit is recommended for the over-8 crowd. (Mind Ware, $ 24. 95)

Botzees

Kids can follow directions or use their imaginations to build a robot out of the 130 blocks, and then command it to dance, sing, drum and light up with the companion app on a smart device (设备) or tablet. Though the robot-building appealed to younger testers, kids aged 5 and up enjoyed the toy’s advanced features (特色). (Pai Technology, $ 99. 99)

How to Code a Rollercoaster

Just as coding can be used to tell stories, this is a story about coding. This picture book does a good job of introducing and explaining what code is, how computers understand it, and introducing common coding terms—variables, loops, if/then. The volume is part of the popular “Girls Who Code” series, but intended for the younger reader. (Penguin Random House, $ 17. 99)

Code Like a Girl

Miriam Peskowitz features women in the computer science field in this how-to book. It shows how people are working to make tech a more inclusive place to code. Written with a cookbook-like feel, the book provides encouraging, step-by-step tips and tricks for learning the Python computer language, and more. (Penguin Random House, $ 21. 99)

1. What can we know about the gifts?

A．Botzees enables its players to build a robot as they want.

B．Marble Circuit is an easy logic game for those 7-year-olds.

C．How to Code a Rollercoaster is written by a famous writer.

D．Code Like a Girl is about female scientists’ achievements.

2. Which gift can you buy with a budget of $ 20?

A．Botzees.	B．How to Code a Rollercoaster.
C．Code Like a Girl.	D．Marble Circuit.

3. What is the similarity of the last three gifts?

A．They are for teenagers.

B．They are related to technology.

C．They have the picture introductions.

D．They can be bought on Penguin Random House.

10 . Where are the speakers?

A．At a swimming pool.

B．In a clothing shop.

C．At a school lab.