Adisorn Sangkrajang
“I’m thrilled about my first trip to China, and the visa exemption (豁免) is
“China is a country with a rich culture,
In late January, China and Thailand signed
2 . BRICS (金砖国家) grouping major emerging (新兴的) economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is to more than double its members with the admission of six more countries This historic expansion, which was announce data press conference during the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, involves Argentina, Egyptl, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and their membership will take effect from Jan 1.2024.
Observers said that the expansion bears witness to BRICS’ charm and vitality, helps improve the voices of the Global South, and mirrors the resolve of the group and the wider developing world to safeguard global equity (公平) and justice and promote peace and development.
Seventeen years since its establishment, BRICS has witnessed fruitful cooperation results in economic, political and cultural areas, and continues to prosper in a spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. The BRICS countries have written a wonderful story of the joint development of countries with different systems, cultures and regions, which has become a flagship of South-South cooperation.
Experts believe the expansion will represent a historic and new starting point for BRICS cooperation.
Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, posted his celebrations to Iran’s accession to BRICS, calling it a “historic move”.
BRICS’ expansion in a well-studied manner “would increase its strength and effectiveness and improve its regional and international role, in a way that contributes.to achieving greater and faster development rates,” said Abdel-Sattar Eshrah, secretary-general of the Cairo-based Egyptian-Chinese Business Council. “It would create many opportunities for joint cooperation among BRICS members in various fields,” the Egyptian business leader said, adding that BRICS’ expansion is to increase the abilities of its members to address economic, financial and political crises and challenges.
Filipe Porto, a researcher at the Federal University of ABC and a member of the Brazilian Foreign Policy Observatory, said although the five founding member states have very different national conditions, the spirit of win-win cooperation has kept the BRICS mechanism (机制) dynamic and drawn interest from more countries.
The rise of emerging economies, represented by BRICS nations, is fundamentally changing the global landscape. With the historic expansion, the BRICS inechanism will have a greater voice in driving global governance reforms toward a more just an id equitable direction, filling the world with greater certainty and stability, said experts.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “resolve” in paragraph 2?A.Limitation. | B.Freedom. | C.Determination. | D.Appointment. |
A.The benefits BRICKS has brought. |
B.The management of BRICKS. |
C.The regulations of BRICKS. |
D.The founding of BRICKS. |
A.Exhibiting strong leadership skills, |
B.Creating win-win opportunities, |
C.Driving global governance reforms. |
D.Making the world have greater stability. |
A.Why BRICS is recovering |
B.History of BRICKS’ development |
C.BRICS grouping major emerging economies |
D.BRICS shines brighter after historic expansion |
3 . IOC president Thomas Bach was urged by several members Sunday to change Olympic rules on term limits and seek four more years as president through 2029.
Bach’s presidency is due to end in 2025—a 12-year maximum agreed in anti-corruption (反腐) reforms passed after the Salt Lake City scandal (丑闻) broke in the 1990s. However, citing the recent years of global crises, several of the 99 International Olympic Committee members opened their annual meeting Sunday suggesting they needed more of Bach’s leadership. The Olympic movement needed “to go through this period of hardship with a president who has proved his courage,” said the Algerian leader of African Olympic bodies, Mustapha Berraf.
Though Bach has never publicly sought a term limit-lasting third time, the option has been spoken of in international sports circles since he was re-elected in 2021 at a meeting. The IOC gives its president a first term of eight years. Bach neither encouraged nor dismissed the proposal though he noted the presidential term limit is included in the IOC’s book of rules and principles. “I’m very loyal to the Olympic Charter,” the German lawyer said.
Extending Bach’s term would need a proposal submitted ahead of an annual meeting, known as the Session. The next is scheduled in July in Paris on the eve of the 2024-Summer Games.
A diplomatically expressed counter to extending Bach’s presidential term was suggested by gymnastics federation president Morinari Watanabe, who has been considered as a possible IOC leadership candidate. “Sports organizations must follow rules and have high integrity under good governance,” Watanabe suggested. “Sports demonstrate discipline and the spirit of fairness to society.”
Consideration on other candidates to succeed Bach has also included two of the IOC’s four vice presidents, Nicole Hoevertsz of Aruba and Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. of Spain, plus Zimbabwe sports minister Kirsty Coventry, who is widely seen as a favored successor of Bach.
1. From the first three paragraphs we know ________.A.A 12-year maximum IOC presidency was made due to a scandal. |
B.Most of the members are in favor of changing Olympic rules on term limit. |
C.Supporters want Bach to continue his presidency for the present hardship. |
D.Bach is contacting the African Olympic bodies for his third-round presidency. |
A.Watanabe. | B.Hoevertsz. | C.Samaranch Jr. | D.Coventry. |
A.Confession. | B.Confusion. | C.Opposition. | D.Recognition. |
A.Bach is seeking for his third time presidency. |
B.Several members urged the continuation of Bach’s presidency. |
C.Different attitudes to Bach’s presidency for a third round are considered. |
D.Several successors of Bach will be discussed in the coming Session in July, 2024. |
4 . The world’s most famous tire (轮胎) graveyard (坟地) of 42 million tires in the sands of Kuwait is finally being cleaned up and recycled. This news in itself would be a major relief to locals who have to suffer from the clouds of black smoke arising during fires. But the government isn’t stopping there. They are aiming to create a green city of 25,000 homes in line with a post-oil Persian Gulf, with a focus on sustainability and tourism.
The first step is to clear the ground. The Salmiya area, nicknamed “Rubber (橡胶) Mountain”, is formed from hundreds of small mountains of spent tires — a reaction from the one million cars which were added to Kuwait’s roads over the decade.
EPSCO Global General Trading recycling company has opened a recycling plant for the tires, where they’ve been collected, sorted, cut up, and pressed into other materials like rubbery coloured flooring tiles (铺地砖). The plant opened in January of 2021, and can recycle up to 3 million tires a year. The recycled material is then exported out to nearby gulf neighbours and Asia. In the place of the tires will be South Saad Al-Abdullah City, a green city characterizing a new era in the Middle-Eastern country.
Spent tires are a major environmental problem worldwide due to the room they take up and the chemicals they can release.
“We have moved from a difficult stage that was characterized by great environmental risk,” says Oil Minister Mohammed al-Fares. “Today the area is becoming clean and all tires are being removed to begin the launch of the project of Saad Al-Abdullah city.”
Expected to cost €3.3 billion and require 30 years to complete, the city hopes to feature green technology, probably like the kind one can see in other cities on the Persian Gulf, both existing and not. Saudi Arabia is planning to build a zero-emissions, car-less future city that’s centered around access to big data rather than water or crops.
1. Why is the Salmiya area called “Rubber Mountain”?A.It is rich in rubber. | B.It has too many waste tires. |
C.It used to be a mountain. | D.It has been a tradition. |
A.A recycling company. | B.The purpose for removing tires. |
C.How to build a green city. | D.What is done with the spent tires. |
A.To make a prediction. | B.To explain an idea. | C.To present a fact. | D.To analyze a cause. |
A.The Transformation of a Huge Landfill | B.Spent Tires, a Big Threat to the Environment |
C.The Salmiya Area’s Measures to Kick Pollution | D.Kuwait Tire Mountain to Be into a Green City |
5 . The social purpose of the copyright system is to encourage creativity and the advancement of knowledge by giving those who make intellectual (智力的) contributions a “unique right to their writings and discoveries” for limited times. Protection is provided for a much longer time for copyrights than for patents. The U.S. Copyright Law of 1976 provides a term or the lifetime of the author plus 50 years. It recognizes that the value of written works often extends over a longer time than that of technological advances in the public area.
It is essential to register for formal copyright protection in order to have some degree of protection against the copyright of one’s works by others. The procedure for obtaining a copyright registration is quite simple—an application is submitted with a small fee and two copies of the work. No examination is made, and the copyright is immediately in force.
The Copyright Office will provide on request a variety of leaflets (小册子) describing the procedure and giving information about the classes of subject matter that can be registered.
Those are subject to protection: |
(1) Books and newspapers (2) Lectures (3) Dramatic compositions (4) Films (5) Maps (6) Works of ant (7) Sound recordings (8) Photographs (9) Prints and labels (10) Musical compositions |
Those are not subject to protection: |
(1) Ideas (2) Systems, methods and plans (3) Government publications (4) Laws and opinions of courts |
You can contact the Copyright Office (wwcoprightfice.org) for more information.
1. In which aspect do copyrights differ from patents?A.The application fee. | B.The duration of protection. |
C.The intellectual value. | D.The contribution to society. |
A.Copies of your work. | B.Photos of yourself. |
C.Introductory leaflets. | D.Examination certificates. |
A.a movie about a new method of time travel |
B.an original musical composition for children |
C.a book about one’s opinions on American laws |
D.an official document issued by the local county |
6 . Halloween candy could be in for a California big change. State lawmakers last month passed the California Food Safety Act, which bans four materials found in popular snacks and packaged foods - including candy corm and other Halloween treats. Set to take effect in 2027, the ban will lead candy and food producers to change their formulas for products sold both in California and elsewhere around the country.
The law bans the production and sale of some materials, which are used in processed foods including kinds of instant potatoes and sodas, as well as candies. The additives (添加剂) have been linked to increased risks of cancer and nervous system problems, according to the Environmental Working Group, which started the act, and are already banned in many other countries.
Food producers and their lobbyists (说客) opposed the law, arguing the conclusion that the four additives are unhealthy should be made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They thought that evaluating the safety of food materials and additives should rely on the scientific accuracy of the FDA. But food safety advocates say the FDA has moved far too slowly in regulating food chemicals. It’s unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to food safety.
California’s act made headlines this year as a “Skittles (彩虹糖) ban” that would wipe popular candies off California shelves. But supporters of the act said the intention is simply to require changes in the materials, as has already happened in Europe. Perhaps the most standing-out material on California’s banned list is red dye No. 3. It is allowed only in candied and cocktail cherries in the European Union but more than 3,000 products contain the chemical in the U. S. The list includes items like frosted pretzels and scores of brand-name candies such as Peeps and Pez. It also includes items like fruit cocktail cups, protein drinks, and yogurts.
1. How will Halloween candy in California change?A.It will change its recipes. | B.It will transform its shapes. |
C.It will move out of California. | D.It will disappear completely. |
A.FDA’s conclusion on the materials is wrong. |
B.Four materials are allowed all over the world. |
C.The materials’ safety needs to be reassessed. |
D.FDA moves too fast in regulating food chemicals. |
A.They demand a complete ban on Skittles. |
B.They wish the “Skittles ban” to be headlines. |
C.They want to apply European policies to Skittles. |
D.They hope more red dye No. 3 is used in Skittles. |
A.California candy ban. | B.Food safety in California. |
C.The responsibility of FDA. | D.Change of Halloween Candy. |
China has launched six improvement plans to boost a flagship high-quality grain project. The plans,
The green storage plan
The quality and brand improvement plan said that
The online and offline grain markets, which include emergency supply
The plan aims to improve quality and safety inspection and monitoring by using big data, the internet of things and other information technologies, further
In the 1920s, the American economy was very strong, and life was good. World War I
Then, on october 24, 1929, the stock market crashed. Suddenly, life changed for millions of people. Instantly, people lost billions of dollars in stock. Companies went bankrupt.
In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt was elected the new president of the United States. Roosevelt had a plan to end the Great Depression. His plan was called the New Deal. He increased the influence of the government on the economy. He tried to have the government
9 . 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。
The Silk Road first
The Silk Road Economic Belt is called “One Belt”. It is a regional economic cooperation strategy
One Belt aims to develop the economic
There are two main trends for One Belt,
10 . 听双语新闻—填词
EU asks member states to reduce energy consumption by 15%
European Union leaders have announced a plan to reduce reliance on Russian gas amid supply disruptions. The European Commission has called on member states to scale down their energy consumption by 15 percent between August and the end of March. The cut will be
So far, 12 EU member states have been hit by a cut in gas supply from Russia. Not all countries are on board with the plan to reduce energy usage. Poland has already been bolstering gas reserves in