1 . California has been using recycled wastewater for many years. A team has used it to make ice surfaces for the game of hockey(冰球运动). It has been used to make snow for the sport of skiing. And farmers use it to water their crops. But it has not been used directly for drinking water.
Recently, California officials approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools, and businesses. It is a big step for California.
California’s new rules would let—but not require—water agencies to take wastewater, treat it, and then put it right back into the drinking water system. That means proving to people that recycled water is not only safe to drink but also not dirty. California would be just the second US state to permit this, following Colorado. It has taken officials more than 10 years to develop these rules, a process that included several studies by independent groups of scientists.
A project in San Diego is aiming to produce nearly half of the city’s water through recycling wastewater by 2035. And the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California aims to produce up to nearly 570 million liters(升)a day for its 19 million people. Adel Hagekhalil is with Metropolitan Water. He said the new rules will permit new projects that have not yet been considered.
California’s new rules require the wastewater be treated for all bacteria and viruses, even if they are not present in the wastewater. In fact, the treatment is so intense that it removes all of the minerals that make fresh drinking water taste good. That means the minerals need to be added back at the end of the process. Polhemus is a director of the drinking water group for the California Water Resources Control Board. “It’s at the same drinking water quality, and probably better in many instances,” he said, adding that it takes time and money to build these treatment centers. So, they will only be available for bigger cities at first.
1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us about the recycled wastewater?A.Its qualities. | B.Its functions. |
C.Its target users. | D.Its disadvantages. |
A.They made some new rules on pollution. |
B.They spent ten years recycling wastewater. |
C.They tried to make wastewater safe to drink. |
D.They requested water agencies to speed up treating water. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Favorable. | C.Pessimistic. | D.Indifferent. |
A.The Process of Recycling Wastewater Is Complicated |
B.California Tries to Reduce the Wastewater Generation |
C.California Permits Turning Wastewater to Drinking Water |
D.New Wastewater Treatment Projects Have Been Approved |
2 . A new study from the Netherlands has found that an important factor in a child’s ultimate level of education, even more important than their own family’s economic situation, is whether they grow up with rich neighbors nearby.
Researcher Agata Troost and her colleagues at Delft University of Technology used a national database to track the address of every Dutch baby born in 1995, a total of 140,338 people, from birth to age 23. Using geolocating software, they drew up a socioeconomic profile (概况) for each child's immediate neighborhood, figuring the percentage of neighbors who were rich, middle class or disadvantaged.
After controlling a number of other factors, including parents’ earnings and levels of education, the researchers found that a child's own experience of wealth or poverty mattered less to their ultimate level of schooling than exposure to well-off neighbors. The data suggest that growing up in a rich area, with well-maintained parks, libraries and soccer fields, as well as interactions with educated neighbors, could boost a poor child's ability to see beyond their immediate horizons (眼界).
“Rich families create neighborhoods and activities that create opportunities,” said Ms. Troost, and these advantages are shared with other children who happen to live nearby. The finding echoes an earlier study by Mr. Chetty and his colleagues, which showed that having even one inspiring teacher in middle school can improve a student’s career prospects. Whether in the classroom or on the street, it seems that social interactions outside the family can start a young person's motivation and ambition.
At the same time, the study also stressed the importance of the home environment. When parents are well educated, children are likely to be, too. And that's the moral of the story: Neighborhoods can have different effects on different children, depending on how educated their parents are, whether they are male or female, and how much casual contact they have with people who are different from their own families. “Location, location, location” may be a old saying for buying a house, but we're learning that it also holds true for children's development.
1. What aspect of the research is paragraph 2 mainly about?A.Its purpose. | B.Its principle. | C.Its method. | D.Its result. |
A.Goes against. | B.Agrees with. | C.Works for. | D.Relates to. |
A.An advertisement. | B.A novel. | C.A magazine. | D.A guidebook. |
A.The Benefits of Educated Parents | B.The Power of a Good Neighborhood |
C.The Decisive Factor in a Child's Growth | D.The Location Your New House Should Have |
3 . The big French pet care company AgroBiothers Laboratoire will no longer sell very small containers for raising fish.
The company has a 27 percent share of the French market for products used by people who raise animals at home. But it said it would no longer sell any fishbowls that hold less than 15 liters of water. They will only offer four-sided ones.
The company said it was animal abuse (虐待) to put fish in small bowls without added oxygen and filtration. Filtration is the process of removing small waste from the water with a device.
AgroBiothers chief Matthieu Lambeaux recently used the term “impulse”—meaning a sudden strong desire to do something—to describe why many adults buy goldfish. “People buy a goldfish for their kids on impulse, but if they knew what torture it is, they would not do it. Turning round and round in a small bowl drives fish crazy and kills them quickly,” Lambeaux added.
Goldfish can live up to 30 years and grow to about 25 cm in large aquariums (养鱼缸) or outdoor ponds. But in very small bowls they often die within weeks or months. Lambeaux said goldfish are social animals that need other fish, lots of space and clean water. He added that having an aquarium requires some special equipment and knowledge.
Germany and several other European countries have long banned (禁止) fishbowls, but France has no laws on the problem.
Lambeaux explained the company’s decision further by saying, “We cannot educate all our customers by explaining that keeping fish in a bowl is terrible. We consider that it is our responsibility to no longer give customers that choice.”
“There is demand for fishbowls,” he said, “but the reality is that what we offer children is the possibility of seeing goldfish die slowly.”
1. What makes the French company stop selling certain fishbowls?A.Their size. | B.Their price. |
C.Their weight. | D.Their popularity. |
A.Progress. | B.Pleasure. |
C.Difficulty. | D.Suffering. |
A.The age goldfish can reach. | B.Costs of keeping goldfish. |
C.Proper living conditions for goldfish. | D.The advice on how to choose fishbowls. |
A.Raise the price of the fishbowls. | B.Remove the chances of harming goldfish. |
C.Keep goldfish outside in the wild. | D.Educate parents to care for goldfish. |
注意:
1.观点明确,逻辑清楚,表达充分连贯,语言准确;
2.写作词数应为80左右;
3.开头已为你写好,不计入总词数。
Dear editor,
Recently there have been lots of discussions about whether it is necessary for primary school to learn English.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,
Li Hua
1. 智能手机给学生带来的不良影响;
2. 学生应如何减少智能手机的影响;
3. 发出倡议。
注意:1. 词数不少于80;
2. 内容充实,行文连贯;
3. 开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear fellow students,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Li Hua
Machines work well at a constant speed ― and the faster the better. Whether they are spinning cotton
Increasingly, our world is being designed by machines and for machines. We adapt to machines and hold ourselves to their standards: People
A few years ago, I became very interested in what it meant
A minute eating ice-cream is not the same as a minute doing push-ups. Even time itself isn’t a uniform raw material ― as the physics of Einstein shows.
7 . A new study has found that many drivers using driver assistance (辅助) tools often treat their vehicles like they are fully self-driving. The study warns that drivers who put too much trust in driver assistance technologies are putting themselves at risk for serious accidents.
The research involved drivers of three vehicles that offer advanced driver assistance systems. Each vehicle came from one of three companies: Cadillac, Nissan / Infiniti and Tesla
The study was led by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a nonprofit group. The group carries out research and crash tests and seeks to persuade car makers to design safer vehicles.
Cadillac’s driver assistance tool is called Super Cruise. The study found that 53 percent of active users of that system said “they were comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving.” Tesla’s driver assistance system is called Autopilot.
The results come even as car makers have repeatedly warmed drivers that they must never fully depend on driver assistance for full operation of the vehicle. Users are asked to be fully prepared to regulate driving at any time. There have also been highly publicized accidents involving cars with driver assistance programming.
Both Super Cruise and Autopilot have a feature that the vehicle’s advanced driver assistance system will be turned off if users do not appear to be attentive (专心的) while driving. The study found that about 40 percent of the users of Autopilot and Super Cruise reported the systems had at some point turned off while they were driving and would not reactivate.
The study comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) examines a series of crashes involving Tesla’s Autopilot. Since 2016, the NHTSA has opened 37 special investigations into 18 crash deaths involving Tesla vehicles where systems like Autopilot were suspected of use.
Tesla has said that Autopilot is meant for use with a fully careful driver who is prepared to take control of vehicle operation. General Motors, which produces Cadillac models, said it “believes driver engagement is very important.”
1. What’s the problem with some drivers according to the study?A.They drive with too much tension. | B.They refuse to accept high technology. |
C.They rely too much on driver assistance tools. | D.They have caused many traffic accidents |
A.To watch over car making in the world. | B.To develop advanced vehicle technology |
C.To judge various cars based on their quality. | D.To push car makers to improve vehicle safety. |
A.Enjoy. | B.Stop. | C.Control. | D.Ignore. |
A.They praised their self-driving technology. |
B.They stressed the importance of human driving. |
C.They admitted the disadvantages of self-driving. |
D.They promised to improve their self-driving technology |
8 . According to a study done by University of Michigan researchers, shopping to relieve stress was up to 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and shoppers were three times less sad compared to those who only browsed for items.
More than half of the 1,000 consumers participating in the survey said they have impulsively (冲动地) shopped to deal with feelings of stress, anxiety or depression. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they’ve maxed out a credit card in the past year. Millennials, 68 percent, responded by saying they have stress spent in the past, compared with 53 percent of Gen Xers and only 26 percent of Baby Boomers.
By gender, 48 percent of men and 31 percent of women who have stress spent said they had purchased alcohol when stressed. 82 percent of women stress spent on clothing compared to 52 percent of men. Women also lead stress spending for jewelry, 42 percent, compared to 22 percent for men, with men stress spending more for electronics, 44 percent versus 30 percent for women.
In fact, shopping to reduce stress can actually help you live a healthier life by making sure that your blood pressure is lowered. Shopping to relieve stress is also known as retail therapy (疗法) as a form of regulating stress. The survey found that 82 percent had only positive feelings about their purchases and that the positive mood boost that followed those purchases was long-lasting.
However, the side effect of retail therapy, for many, can start out as a relatively harmless mood booster but could possibly grow into an impulse that uses up money and cause conflict, thereby adding a significant amount of stress to a person’s life.
1. What can we know about Millennials according to the survey?A.They tend to max out their credit cards. |
B.They bear more stress than Baby Boomers. |
C.They are more likely to purchase to reduce anxiety. |
D.They have an advantage over Gen Xers in managing stress. |
A.Alcohol. | B.Clothing. |
C.Jewelry. | D.Electronics. |
A.It is harmless. | B.It is highly recommended. |
C.It promotes personal relationship. | D.It can serve as a temporary solution. |
A.Can Shopping Relieve Stress? | B.Where is Your Money Going? |
C.Shopping Habits across Generations | D.A New Cure for Depression |
9 . Recycling is a great way of doing your bit for the environment and helping to protect the earth’s precious resources. However, a new study has revealed that our desire to be sustainable maybe doing more harm than good. According to waste company Biffa, this is because of “wish-cycling” — assuming that items such as disposable coffee cup sand pizza boxes will be recycled if put in the recycling bin. In fact, pollution from those items or other non-recyclables can result in recyclable items that have been put in the correct bin going to landfill. David Heaton, a business director at Biffa, said: “Pollution happens when items are disposed of in the wrong bins or haven’t been cleaned before being recycled.”
Experts at Biffa analyzed the amounts of non-target and non-recyclable materials that entered UK material recycling facilities between 2016 and 2020. It was found that, in 2016, the average pollution rate of recycling waste was 13.4 percent, rising over four years to 17 percent by the end of 2020. This shows that, even as people are becoming more eco-conscious, wish-cycling is increasing both in households and businesses.
The Biffa experts say that one of the best ways to prevent pollution of recycling is to clean recyclable waste before putting it in the bin. They suggest cutting off the top of old pizza boxes and only recycling that part to avoid pollution from the grease (油脂). Check the on-packaging recycling label to check it can actually be recycled When it comes to plastics, Biffa recommends checking the resin code, the number in the plastic triangle, to know whether it should go in the recycling bin. In general, resin codes 1, 2, 4 and 5 are recyclable, while 3, 6 and 7 are not. Larger items, like electronics, furniture and batteries, can also be recycled but often can not go in household recycling bins as they need specialist separating. These will need to be taken to recycling centers or sustainable waste management companies.
“It’s vital as a nation that we get better at effective ‘pre-cycling’— sorting waste correctly before collection to reduce pollution rates,” added Mr. Heaton.
1. What’s the truth of “wish-cycling” according to the first paragraph?A.The desire to lead a sustainable life. |
B.The good intention to help recycling. |
C.The habit of throwing items that end up in landfills. |
D.The practice of recycling items that can not be recycled. |
A.People are becoming more eco-conscious. |
B.Wish-cycling is on the rise in recent years. |
C.Pollution happens less frequently in recycling facilities. |
D.People are used to cleaning recyclable waste before putting it in the bin. |
A.Dispose of electronics together with household waste. |
B.Skip the step of checking the on-packaging recycling label. |
C.Check the resin code of plastics to see whether it is recyclable or not. |
D.Cutoff the top of old pizza box and throw the rest to the recycling bin. |
A.Recycling: a Big Project | B.Wish-cycling: a New Trend |
C.Wish-cycling: a Growing Concern | D.Pre-cycling: an Effective Method |
10 . American researchers say the thought that machines could take over the world is becoming an increasing reality, rather than the nightmarish plot of a sci-fi horror movie. Now, they are fueling workplace worry, with some employees reportedly sabotaging (暗中破坏) and even attacking their robot replacements.
However, psychologists think that reminding ourselves of our humanity could help alleviate irrational (不合理的) fears about machines replacing people in the workplace. It involves repeating positive statements used to promote confidence and belief in your own uniquely human abilities. These statements help shift focus away from perceived failures or inadequacies and onto a worker’s strengths — those you already have and those you want to develop.
Lead author Professor Kai Chi Yam says in a media release, “Some economists theorize that robots are more likely to take over blue-collar jobs faster than white-collar jobs. However, it doesn’t look like robots are taking over that many jobs yet, at least not in America, so a lot of these fears are rather subjective.”
Yam’s team carried out tests and analyzed data from participants in the U.S., Singapore, and India. In one experiment, working with industrial robots fueled stress and unrest among 118 engineers employed by an auto manufacturing company in India. An online survey of 400 participants found self-affirmation exercises reduced feelings of hopelessness. The workers then wrote about characteristics or values that were important to them. “Most people are overestimating the capabilities of robots and underestimating their own capabilities,” Yam says.
While some individuals may have legitimate concerns, media coverage may be unnecessarily heightening fears among the general public. “Media reports on new technologies like robots and algorithms tend to be apocalyptic (毁灭性的) in nature, so people may develop an irrational fear about them,” Yam concludes.
1. Why do people hate robots in workplace?A.They are attacked by robots. | B.They feel threatened by robots. |
C.Robots appear in sci-fi horror movies. | D.Robots take charge of their workplace. |
A.Remove all their fears and horrors. |
B.Remind them of their advantages. |
C.Help them focus better on their work. |
D.Rid them of failures and inadequacies. |
A.White-collar jobs won’t be replaced. |
B.There are too many robots in the U.S. |
C.Worries about robots are not justified. |
D.Robots have taken the place of labor. |
A.One of factors fueling people’s worries. |
B.Other irrational fears of general public. |
C.The media’s attitude toward robots. |
D.The nature of robots and algorithms. |