Imagine having an idea, drawing it on paper, bringing it to a store and seeing it turned into an object. This is now possible with the help of 3D printers. Such machines were once used just by universities and big companies, but now, stores with 3D printing services are appearing around the United States.
Bryan Jaycox and his wife opened The Build Shop LLC in Los Angeles two years ago. The Jaycoxs offer 3D printing classes and services for anyone who is interested.
“I think 3D printing is going to be huge. It’s going to have a huge influence on society as a whole.” says KiChong Tran, one of the students in a recent class. He plans to open a 3D printing business in Cambodia.
3D printing services are coming into American people’s life. The UPS Store is a nationwide retailer (零售商) that provides copying and other services. The UPS Store recently put 3D printers in three of its independently-owned stores. Burke Jones owns one of the stores in San Diego.
“The demand has been amazing. There has been a lot of interest from people. It’s been much more than I would have imagined.”
The UPS Store plans to add 3D printers in three more stores.
For $11, someone used a 3D printer to produce two small plastic parts as part of a knuckle (指节) for a hand. He works for the company which is testing finger prosthetics (假肢). He says the same–day or next-day printing services will speed up testing of parts and get them to patients faster.
Staples, an American store, is selling 3D printers on its website for as low as about $1,300. As with any technology - experts expect the printing speed to increase and the price to go down.
Bryan Jaycox requires $15 an hour to print an object. He also sets the price depending on the size of the object and up to $50 an hour for design and labor services.
Mr Jaycox thinks that within five years, 3D printing technology could become more user friendly. But KiChong Tran says even today’s technology can make a difference in a developing country like Cambodia.
“With 3D printing you can give them tools, so they are responsible more for their own development and they learn skills beyond just like learning English and becoming a tour guide or something like that. You can actually create things that give value to the world.”
He says it’s not just Cambodia but anywhere where there is a 3D printer, it can turn a good idea into reality.
1.What can 3D printers do according to the passage?
A. Come up with an idea.
B. Draw on a piece of paper.
C. Help users to spend less money.
D. Turn an idea into a physical object.
2.What does the underlined part mean in this passage?
A. Make users’ life better.
B. Make friends with users.
C. Make 3D printers easier to use.
D. Use 3D printers to make money.
3.What can we infer (推断)from the passage?
A. 3D printing is becoming popular in the world.
B. There is no 3D printing business in Cambodia.
C. The UPS Store is the biggest 3D printing company.
D. 3D printing plays the most important role in daily life.
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. The future of 3D printing in the world.
B. The 3D printing business in Cambodia.
C. The development and growth of 3D printing business.
D. The 3D printing classes and services in different places.
Lin Xiao, 21, a student at Guangdong University, has a big family – her two parents, a younger brother and two younger sisters. Lin took her role as the “big sister” seriously. When her first sister was born, Lin took turns with her mom holding the baby late into the night. “I almost did everything that was supposed to be a parent’s job, but I felt proud of myself,” she said.
Not all of Lin’s classmates shared her experiences because of the family planning policy (政策), The one – child policy has been carried out in China for about forty years. But the situation is about to change. A new policy made on October 29 said all couples can now have two children.
The new policy is expected to help raise the population of China. Recently, China has been facing an aging population and labor shortages because of the low birth rate (比率).
The two-child policy may also be the gift for every only child. Researchers found that growing up with a brother or sister can have good influence on one’s mental (心理) health.
“Brothers and sisters do matter in unique ways. They give kids something that their parents don’t.” Laura Walker, a professor from Beijing University, told China Daily. She noted that having a brother or a sister protects teenagers against loneliness, fear and so on.
Liu Fang, 20, from Shenzhen University, has a 2-year-younger sister. When her sister disagreed with parents over choosing a college major, she helped her to communicate with her parents. “If necessary, I would always have her back,” said Liu. “The best part of having a sister is that you have a partner, friend and supporter throughout your life.”
But children with brothers or sisters also have to learn to understand and look after each other, said Laura.
1.There are ________ children in Lin Xiao’s family.
A. three B. four C. five D. six
2. The one-child policy caused some problems except ________.
A. the aging population
B. labor shortages
C. the population growth
D. the low birth rate
3.What does the underlined word “unique” possibly means ________ in Chinese.
A. 独特的 B. 相同的 C. 对立的 D. 相反的
4.We can infer (推断) from the article that ________.
A. Lin Xiao doesn’t like her sister
B. Liu Fang has a 17-year-old sister
C. Laura is against the two-child policy
D. The one-child policy is out of date now
5.The best title for this article should be ________.
A. Brothers and sisters are good for us.
B. The family planning policy is bad.
C. The two-child policy helps a lot.
D. A new policy was made.
A new study said about 65 percent of the online payments(付款) last year were done with mobile devices. Along with the rapid growth of the online to offline business, the mobile payment has been further changing people’s everyday life.
According to findings published by Alipay, the mobile payment is more _______ in China’s underdeveloped areas. In Tibet, 83.3 percent of the online payments were done with mobile devices in 2015. The region was followed by Guizhou, Gansu, Shanxi and Qinghai. Nearly 80 percent of the mobile payments were done in these regions and provinces. Li Chao, a researcher from iResearch Consulting Group, said that the lack of traditional business was the main reason why people used mobile payment more often.
Although people in developed areas in China used mobile payments less often, they spent much more money. The study showed that people in Shanghai spent more than 100,000 yuan(15,210dollars) on average through Alipay, becoming the top Alipay users in China in 2015.
As more and more companies are entering the mobile payment field in China, such as mobile payments in convenience(便利) stores and movie theatres, online payment is sure to develop much more quickly. In the near future smartphones may replace wallets.
1.About _________ percent of the online payments in 2015 were done through mobile devices.
A. 45 B. 55 C. 65 D. 75
2.Which of the following can be put in _______?
A. possible B. interesting
C. expensive D. popular
3.Why did people in underdeveloped areas use mobile payments more often?
A. Because of the convenience of using computers.
B. Because of the poor traffic conditions.
C. Because of the lack of money.
D. Because of the lack of traditional business.
Here are some important events in August in Britain.
Great Britain Beer Festival Tuesday, August 3rd —Saturday, August 7th London Drink, music and other entertainments. This is held at Earls Court. |
Edinburgh International Festival Friday, August 13th —Sunday, August 22nd Edinburgh A festival of classical music, operas and dances in Edinburgh |
Bristol International Balloon Festival Thursday, August 12th —Thursday, August19th Europe’s largest hot-air balloon festival, with over 100 balloons taking part. |
Summer Bank Holiday Monday, August 25th A public holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. People take trips or short vacations during the holiday. |
1.The longest event in August in Britain will last for ______.
A. 5 days B. 8 days C. 10 days D. 12 days
2.If you are in the UK at the beginning of August, you can probably take part in ______.
A. Summer Bank Holiday
B. Great British Beer Festival
C. Edinburgh International Festival
D. Bristol International Balloon Festival
3.What’s the Edinburgh International Festival about?
A. Food. B. Balloons. C. Art. D. Vacations.
完形填空
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
Yesterday afternoon Misty and I were sitting on the grass ______ the girls were playing at the park. We saw a(an) ______ man pushing a shopping cart(购物车) and struggling with each step he took. On two different occasions, I heard him telling people that he was lost and I felt ______ as I noticed these people pay no attention to ______ he said.
After thinking about it for a moment, I ______ that he probably had dementia(痴呆). I walked over to him and asked him if he knew ______ he was. He said that he didn’t know. I asked his______ , and he told me his name was Ray. I asked him how long he had been walking and he said he had been lost for hours.
At this point, I walked over to Misty and told her what the ______was about and she called the police to let them know the situation. I walked back over to him and offered him ______ to drink. I asked him if he would like to join us at the park ______he could sit down. He agreed and as soon as he started to walk ______ the support of the shopping cart, he was very unsteady(不稳) on his feet. I told him to lean on me while we walked and he did exactly that.
It ______ that his family had reported him missing, so Misty and I let him know that we were going to wait with him until his family arrived to ______ . I could tell that he was very nervous and uneasy., so I asked him if I could pray with him. He said he would love it . He grasped my hands as we began to pray. He said he was thankful to Misty and I, referring to us as “beautiful angels”. Half an hour later, his daughter came. Her eyes were ______ tears as she thanked us for our kindness.
I was so happy that God ______ us the chance to do just what he would have done—the right thing and the loving thing. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive.
1.A. when B. as C. while D. before
2.A. young B. elderly C. helpful D. powerful
3.A. excited B. confident C. sad D. happy
4.A. that B. what C. which D. how
5.A. decided B. replied C. imagined D. realized
6.A. who B. which C. why D. where
7.A. name B. address C. age D. hobby
8.A. decision B. opinion C. conversation D. discussion
9.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing
10.A. in order to B. so that C. such that D. after all
11.A. under B. with C. without D. by
12.A. turned off B. turned out C. found out D. handed out
13.A. take him up B. pick him up C. put him up D. look him up
14.A. fill of B. full with C. filled with D. filled of
15.A. provided B. lent C. offered D. presented
--- We will study in different schools next term. Enjoy your time in the new school!
--- __________
A. I will take your advice . B. Me too
C. Congratulations ! D. The same to you .
