Are Your Clothes Causing Pollution?
Very small pieces of plastic, called microfibers, are polluting rivers and oceans.1.Clothes worn for outdoor activities and exercise are often made of artificial material, which is useful in keeping warm. But they contain very small plastic fibers, which may also be harming the environment when you wash them. When people wash these clothes, very small pieces go down the drain (下水道) with the wash water.
2.
Pollution caused by plastic is not new, but recent studies have shown the effect of microfibers in the environment.
Studies show very small microfibers are ending up in our waters, which may come from waste water treatment factories. A 2015 study found them in fish from California.
Microfibers, effect on food supplies.
Beyond the waterways, the researchers say microfibers may end up in soil and agricultural lands. 3.This means there is much to be learned about microfibers and the environment. Some studies have shown that microfibers end up inside sea animals, like oysters.4.Researchers say that the fibers tend not to move into the tissue of the fish, but it needs more study.
Steps to save or keep microfibers from the environment.
Until more information becomes known, there are steps to take to reduce the amount of microfibers in the environment. People should use less of the artificial materials. If we already have those in our lives and we’re using them, an important step would be washing them less.5.A bag is being designed in which to wash these clothes. It traps the microfibers in the bag and it may be available for purchase soon.
A. New technology may also help.
B. Studies on microfibers in the environment.
C. They can also move around the atmosphere.
D. Studies on how much of the microfibers is released.
E. The source of these microfibers may surprise you: your clothes.
F. Washing machines keep microfibers from escaping with wash water.
G So if these microfibers have been found in fish and seafood, are they safe to eat?
Booking a trip on an online travel site is convenient, but comes with its own set of problems.
◆They know who's going to spend more.
Last year, US travel research company Orbitz tracked people's online activities to test out whether Mac users spend more on travel than PC users. It turns out that on average, Mac users lay out US $20-30 more per night on hotels. As a result, online travel sites show these users more expensive travel options first. To avoid paying more, sort results by price.
◆Their software doesn't always link to the hotel's system.
A guaranteed reservation is almost impossible to come by anywhere — but the risk of your flight or hotel being overbooked increases with third-party providers. The middleman's software isn't immune(防护作用的) to system errors, so always call the hotel or airline to make sure your booking was processed.
◆Don't be fooled by packages: Often, they're low-end items grouped together.
Ever notice how travel sites recommend a hotel, a rental car, and tour package all in one click? These deals usually feature travel that no one wants, like flights with multiple layovers(中途停留). Check the fine print.
◆Once your trip is purchased, you're on your own.
An online travel agency can't provide assistance the same way an agent can if a flight is cancelled or a room is substandard. Basically, when you arrive at the airport or hotel, you're just another customer who booked at the lowest rate.
1.What does the writer mainly intend to tell readers?
A. Steps of reserving a hotel on line
B. Tips of how to reserve flights on line
C. Problems about reserving a trip on line
D. Traps in reserving hotels and flights on line
2.Why do people probably spend more on their online reservation for trips?
A. They are shown less expensive travel options first
B. Some of the travel expenses are earned by Mac users
C. They book at prices recommended first by travel sites.
D. Their flights or hotels are overbooked by tourist agencies
3.What can we lean from the passage?
A. Booking online is better than booking in other ways
B. The third parties will provide good travel services on line
C. Few people book trips on line because of possible troubles
D. Travelers’ interests may not be guaranteed with booking on line.
The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand—a system of rapid handwriting, and now it’s threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2012, just 15% of the most1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive(手写体). The rest? Block letters.
And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.
There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?
It was at University Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.
The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive(认知的) opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better—a lifelong benefit.
It doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George’s County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript (手写的)letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.
1.A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to ____________.
A. prove how valuable handwriting is B. explain what a famous poet he is
C. show how unique his poem is D. stress how fascinating the documents are
2.According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?
A. Kindergarten. B. Primary school.
C. High school. D. College.
3.The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that______.
A. the school are responsible for the loss of handwriting
B. the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed
C. the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one
D. it doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills
4.What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?
A. Pessimistic B. Sceptical
C. Critical. D. Supportive
Computers have beaten human world champions at chess and, earlier this year, the board game Go(围棋). So far, though, they have struggled at the card table. So we challenged one AI(artificial intelligence) to a game.
Why is poker so difficult? Chess and Go are “information complete” games where all players can see all the relevant information. In poker, other players’ cards are hidden, making it an “information incomplete” game. Players have to guess opponents’ hands from their actions----tricky for computers. Solving poker could lead to many breakthroughs, from cyber security to driverless cars.
Scientists believe it is only a matter of time before AI once again vanquishes humans, so our human-machine match comes up in a game of Texas Hold’s Em Limit Poker. The AI was developed by Johannes Heinrich, a researcher studying machine learning at UCL. It combines two techniques: neural(神经的)networks and reinforcement learning(强化学习).
Neural networks, to some degree, copy the structure of human brains: their processors are highly interconnected and work at the same time to solve problems. They are good at spotting patterns in huge amounts of data. Reinforcement learning is when a machine, given a task, carries it out, learning from mistakes it makes. In this case, it means playing poker against itself billions of times to get better.
Mr Heinrich told Sky News: “Today we are presenting a new procedure that has learned in a different way, more similar to how humans learn. In particular, it is able to learn abstract patterns, represented by its neural network, which allow it to deal with new and unseen situations.”
After two hours of quite defensive play, from the computer at least, we called it a draw.
1.Why can’t the computer beat humans at the poker game?
A. Because humans are cleverer than the computer
B. Because humans practice playing the poker game every day
C. Because the computer can’t learn the regular rules of the poker game
D. Because the computer can’t know the other players’ cards completely
2.What does the underlined word “vanquishes” in Paragraph 3mean?
A. Leaves B. Defeats
C. Cheats D. Serves
3.What do we know about the reinforcement learning of AI?
A. It solves problems correctly every time
B. It is the same as the learning of humans
C. It learns from the mistakes appearing in a task
D. It is more developed than the studying ways of humans
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A. The new procedure of AI has some features of humans
B. Computers are stronger than humans in every aspect
C. Humans will beat computers at playing poker forever
D. Scientists feel unhappy about the result of the poker game
Ben, at the age of 23 ,was the youngest man to ski solo to the North Pole. He dragged a 180-kilogramme sledge (雪橇) over 1,420 miles through the worst Arctic conditions. This year, Ben plans to ski solo from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back in the autumn, carrying all his supplies on his sledge.
Ben Saunders was fired after persuading the firm to support his disorganized first adventure. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We didn’t get to the Pole, so we had no media interest. No one heard about it.”
“People said it was impossible for me to get to the Pole. I said, “No, I can get there,” and I did. Self-belief, I see it as being a bit like a muscle — it's my belief that the more you stretch yourself the stronger it gets. If you never do anything that's uncomfortable or risky then your self-belief gets weaker. So that's one of the lessons I’ve figured out along the way.
“My Antarctic adventure is just practicable and that's what is exciting to me. If I knew I could do it without too much bother, I wouldn’t be interested." Why? “Personally I'm attracted by the human performance element to it. Not that long ago, running a marathon was seen as the top point of human attempt, and now I wouldn’t be that surprised if my mum said she was going to run one."
People’s horizons are changing. “I'm not particularly gifted. I’ve just chosen this one goal to achieve and I’ve been working hard to realize it. And that’s the thing that attracts me: with enough training and enough determination, enough focus and preparation, how far can we go? And I don，t think I've found out yet.”
1.What do we know about Ben Saunders’ first adventure?
A. It was ruined by his company.
B. There was no press coverage.
C. It was well planned and organized.
D. He actually reached the North Pole.
2.According to Ben Saunders, if you want to stretch your self-belief, you should______ .
A. often test your confidence
B. try something adventurous
C. aim to reach the North Pole
D. always stretch your muscles
3.Ben Saunders was excited about his Antarctic adventure because_______ .
A. he liked running a marathon
B. he wanted to exercise his body
C. he knew it might be achievable
D. he was sure he could do it easily
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We have to change our views about adventure.
B. We can never know our possibilities and energies.
C. We should have a reason for going on an adventure.
D. We have to be especially talented to have an adventure.
假如你是红星中学的李华，收到来自英国学生Mark的电子邮件，咨询你校暑期为异国学生举办汉语夏令营活动，请通过电子邮件向Mark介绍本次活动，其内容如下：
1.活动时间：7月10日到7月30日：地点：红星中学。
2.活动内容：
•学习日常汉语，可与当地人交流。
•举办各种晚会，了解中国历史和中国传统文化，例如节日…...
•参观博物馆，长城等......
3.活动意义......
注意：
1.词数不少于100；
2.可适当的加入细节，以使内容充实，行文连贯；
3.开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mark,
I feel delighted to get your email,
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Yours,
Li Hua
