1 . The Ocean Awareness Student Contest(International)

We invite middle and high school students from around the world to attend the 2017 Ocean Awareness Student Contest! The theme is Making Meaning out of Ocean Pollution, and it challenges you to research, explore, explore interpret, and say something meaningful about the connections between human activities and the health of our oceans.

This year, we challenge you to concentrate on one type of ocean pollution and “make meaning” of it through art, poetry or film. We encourage you to connect it with your own life, your own local community, or something else that is personally meaningful to you, but what’s most important is to pick a topic that inspires you.

To take part:
(1)Research

Do research on your own. Ask tough and complex questions, and think about the way science and society help you explain the topic

(2)Create

To explain your topic, create your own work of art, writing, poetry or film.

(3) Submit(提交)

The closing date for entries is on June 13, 2017, at 11:59pm.

Submit as an individual: This means that you are the only creator of your submission .

Submit as a group: Groups can be of unlimited size, but you must provide the names of each group member. There will be one group leader who will be the contact(联系)person for the group and prizes will be awarded to the group as a whole.

Prizes:

The winners will receive scholarships (up to $ 1,500), and each year we give out over 140 prizes(totaling up to $80,000) as well as chances to the winners to work with us and to get their works exhibited and published.

1. The purpose of the contest is to______.

A．encourage more people to explore the ocean

B．direct students to receive more scholarships

C．draw students’ attention to the health of the oceans

D．help students complete their works in various styles

2. The contest is designed for______.

A．college students	B．teenagers
C．art students	D．people of all ages

3. To take part in the contest, students are asked to______.

A．submit their works in groups

B．experience the life in a local community

C．exhibit or publish their works in advance

D．do research and explain their topics

4. Which of the following prizes is not mentioned in the passage?

A．Scholarships will be offered to the winners

B．The organizers will let the winners work with them

C．The winners will be admitted to famous universities

D．Chances are that the winners can get their works published

2 . In an effort to discourage people from using plastics，scientists have been hard at work inventing alternative packaging products．From water bottles made from seaweed to cutlery(餐具) made from rice and wheat，a number of inventions are set to change the way we eat while we are on the go，or having a relaxing picnic in the park．

The idea of using seaweed to make eco-friendly(环保的) water bottles has been around for a few years．Recently，Ari Jonsson took his invention—a water bottle made from red seaweed—to show off at a festival. The bottles will only hold their shape as long as they are filled．As soon as these bottles are empty they will begin to break down，though they would be perfectly safe to eat．Ari Jonsson’s bottles are a step closer to a widely used alternative to the current plastic ones．

The eatable water container is not the only product to add to our image of the future．Narayana Pessapaty has also created eatable spoons．After the success of his spoons, Mr Pessapaty is ready to expand and introduce forks and chopsticks to his menu．His aim is to largely reduce the amount of plastic waste，which is a huge problem for waste sites all over the world．It is a product that may take up to 500 years to break down，and recycling companies worldwide are struggling to deal with it．

Aside from the obvious benefits to the environment，this new packaging is also cheap to produce and therefore cheap to buy．Even better is the fact that similar eatable cutlery can be made at home，possibly a science project for children or just fun with friends．Why not get experimenting and create your own recipes?

1. Why do scientists invent alternative packaging products?

A．To make people’s life more convenient．

B．To reduce the amount of plastic waste．

C．To charge the way we picnic outside．

D．To show off their inventive talents．

2. What makes Ari Jonsson’s water bottles eco-friendly?

A．They can be made at home．

B．They are cheap to produce and buy．

C．They will hold their shape when they are filled．

D．They will break down themselves when empty．

3. What do Ari and Narayana’s inventions have in common?

A．They are convenient to carry．	B．They are safe to eat．
C．They can be used for a short time．	D．They are heavier than plastics．

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Home-made eatable cutlery is likely to be popular．

B．Eatable cutlery’will completely replace plastics in the near future．

C．No recycling companies can breakdown plastic waste．

D．It’s unsafe for individuals to invent eatable cutlery at home．

3 . It is reported that bags are getting bigger all the time，and that there are more bags per person on the street today than at any other time in history．If this is true，possible explanations could include the wide use of small electric and electronic devices，a reading-material explosion，a popular interest toward tight or pocket less clothing，or cheap bagmaking labor overseas.

But，much as nature finds ways—such as disease—to control overpopulation，city life has thrown up impediments(障碍) to bags．To enter many public buildings，such as theatres and railway stations，you must go through a search or go bagless．The city has countless bag rules．It is hard to keep them all straight，and you're never sure，when leaving home for the day，whether it might be a bad idea to bring one along．

Last week，the New York Public Library got in the game．Students，researchers，writers，historians，and anyone else who has got used over the years to treating the vast Rose Main Reading Room as an office or a reading room came up against a new rule．You are no longer allowed to bring a bag larger than eleven inches by fourteen inches into the library．If you walk in with one，you must leave it at the coat check．You may keep its contents with you，however，and the library provides big clear plastic bags for them．You return them when you come back for your own bag．

What the library is trying to prevent，in this case，is people taking things out，rather than bringing things in．A librarian said on the second day，”It’s a big change for people who used to come and bring in half their flats．The people who use the library responsibly will continue to do so．The people who steal will continue to get away with it，if they really want to．”

1. How many reasons does the author list to explain the changes related to bags?

A．2

B．3

C．4

D．5

2. What do the bag rules in many public buildings require people to do?

A．Have their bags examined.	B．Pay for bringing in bags.
C．Leave the places bagless.	D．Use big clear plastic bags.

3. What is the purpose of the new rule at the New York Public Library?

A．To change people’s way of reading.

B．To prevent people stealing things.

C．To help people better use the library.

D．To stop people from bringing in dangerous things.

4. How is the effect of the new rule according to the librarian?

A．Excellent．

B．Satisfactory．

C．Harmful．

D．Limited．