Plastic waste has polluted the Arctic. Two new studies have spied bags, fishing rope and tinier bits of rubbish in the Barents Sea. This sea sits north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It mixes with the Arctic Ocean, which is even farther north.
Plastic waste in the Arctic could harm wildlife and may hint that large volumes of human rubbish are collecting there, says Melanie Bergmann. She is one of the scientists who spotted the waste. She studies Earth’s oceans at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany. She first started counting bits of plastics in the Barents Sea because she kept spotting signs of the stuff there in images taken with deep-sea cameras.
Bergmann and her colleagues counted pieces of plastic from an icebreaker, a boat designed to break through large blocks of ice in very cold waters. They also tracked plastic pieces they saw during helicopter rides over Arctic waters. The team found 31 pieces of plastic. “That doesn’t seem like much, but it shows us that we’ve really got a problem, one that extends even to this remote area, far from civilization,” Bergmann says. She and her colleagues described their findings October 21 in Polar Biology.
Another team has also been counting plastics in the area. Those scientists took water from the Barents Sea and counted the number of smaller bits of plastics, called microplastics.
Plastic in the ocean is dangerous to animals. Some may get caught in rope or bags. And wildlife may swallow bags and other plastic bits. That makes them feel full. But some may eventually starve because they are not getting the nutrients they need to live. Sometimes plastics also may break down in an animal’s body and release poisonous chemicals. If another animal later eats the one that swallowed plastic, it too can end up with poisonous chemicals in its body. This, in turn, can travel up the food web, endangering predators (肉食动物) — even people.
1.What can be learned from Para 1?
A. Europe is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean.
B. The Barents Sea is to the north of the Arctic.
C. The Arctic Ocean is polluted by plastic rubbish.
D. European countries are to blame for the pollution.
2.What has brought Bergmann’s attention to plastic waste in Barents Sea?
A. Human rubbish dumped in the sea.
B. Pictures taken by deep-sea cameras.
C. Sea water taken to the laboratory.
D. Wildlife spotted by helicopter.
3.What concerned Bergmann according to Para 3?
A. Plastic is found in the remote sea.
B. The sea is covered with plastic.
C. Advanced tools are in great need.
D. People suffered from bad weather.
4.Why is plastic dangerous to animals?
A. Animals may get choked by bags or plastic bits.
B. Animals may die of hunger if they swallow bags.
C. Plastic can release harmful gases to kill animals.
D. It is hard for plastic bags and bits to break down.
Women in northern European nations are closest to equality with men on wages, education, health and education. That is the finding of a report by the World Economic Forum. The United States ranked 28th. On Friday, President Barack Obama announced the government will require large businesses to report how much they pay men and women. The data will be used to target companies that pay women less to do the same jobs.
According to the World Economic Forum report, women worldwide continue to lag behind men on wages. Based on current trends, they will need 126 years to catch up, according to the report. Women are making progress. But they still only earn what men did 10 years ago, say the report’s authors. The report measures the gender gap for women in 145 nations for health, education, economic opportunity, and political power. Women have not achieved equality in any of the 145 nations included in the survey, says the report.
Women came closest to equality in four Northern European nations – Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Ireland ranks No. 5. At the bottom of the women’s gender ratings are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Chad, Iran and Jordan.
More women than men are attending colleges in 97 nations. But women make up a majority of skilled workers in only 68 nations. Women control the majority of government and political positions in only four.
At last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, spoke about gender equality. “The reason to work towards equality – whether woman or man – is that it is better for you,” Sandberg said. “We should be doing this not because it’s the right thing, but because it’s the smart thing. Do it because it will help you.” The World Economic Forum completed its worldwide 2015 gender gap survey in November.
1.Why were large businesses required to report on salaries?
A. To help more women in America get paid.
B. To compete against northern European nations.
C. To target companies not paying women equally.
D. To suggest that America is where equality matters.
2.What can be learned from Para 2?
A. Women worldwide are making less money.
B. Men now earn ten times more than women.
C. Little attention is paid to equality of women.
D. The survey was conducted in many fields.
3.In which country can women probably get paid equally?
A. Yemen. B. Iceland. C. Syria. D. America.
4.What’s Sheryl Sandberg’s attitude towards gender equality?
A. Casual. B. Cautious. C. Sympathetic. D. Favorable.
A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel. The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane’s wings stretch 72 meters across. Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, which capture the sun’s energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Andre Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot. The scientists say they are not trying to alter the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible.“We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel.” Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot’s seat is also a toilet.
The plane’s route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.
Internet viewers can go to the Solar Impulse website to see the plane’s location and listen to broadcasts from the pilots.
1.Why does the plane have wider wings?
A. It can fly faster and land safely.
B. It can get the sun’s energy easily.
C. It may look like a Boeing 747.
D. It will make the plane appear larger.
2.What does the underlined word “alter” in Para 2 probably mean?
A. Improve. B. Change. C. Rebuild. D. Destroy.
3.What do we know about the trip made in the plane?
A. It will take five to six days and nights.
B. It is a non-stop flight around the world.
C. It is broadcast live on the Internet.
D. It doesn’t include North America.
4.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. A solar-powered plane will travel the globe.
B. A good way to save energy has been found.
C. A newly-built plane consumes no energy.
D. Solar energy waits to be fully explored.
At first glance Esther Okade seems like a normal 10-year-old. She loves dressing up, playing with Barbie dolls and going to the park or shopping. But what makes the British-Nigerian youngster stand out is the fact that she’s also a university undergraduate.
Esther, from Walsall, an industrial town in the UK’s West Midlands region, is one of the country’s youngest college freshmen. The talented 10-year-old enrolled at the Open University, a UK-based distance learning college, in January and is already top of the class, having recently scored 100% in a recent exam.
“It’s so interesting. It has the type of maths I love. It’s real maths-theories, complex numbers, all that type of stuff,” she smiles. “I want to finish the course in two years. Then I’m going to do my PhD in financial maths when I’m 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I’m 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people.” she adds.
Esther has always jumped ahead of her peers. She sat her first Math GSCE exam, a British high school qualification, at Ounsdale High School in Wolverhampton at just six, where she received a C-grade. A year later, she got the A-grade she wanted. Then last year she scored a B-grade when she sat the Math A-level exam.
Not content with breaking barriers to attend college at just 10 years old, Esther is also writing a series of math workbooks for children called “Yummy Yummy Algebra.”
“It starts at a beginner level-that’s volume one. But then there will be volume two, and volume three, and then volume four. As long as you can add or subtract, you’ll be able to do it. I want to show other children they are special.” she says.
1.Why does Esther Okade want to have her own bank?
A. To make more money.
B. To set up a maths school.
C. To help the people in need.
D. To publish her maths books.
2.What can be inferred about Esther Okade from the text?
A. She is not good at taking maths exams.
B. She fails to get along well with her peers.
C. She is determined and strict with herself.
D. She was not admitted to Ounsdale High School.
3.What makes Esther Okade special according to the text?
A. Her natural talent in maths.
B. Her love for big challenges.
C. Scoring 100% in every exam.
D. Writing a series of math books.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Why does the speaker give this talk?
A. To tell the arrangements for a visit.
B. To explain the student welfare in detail.
C. To introduce the University Helpline.
2.What will the speaker hand out?
A. Maps. B. His business cards. C. Guide brochures.
3.What are the opening hours of the Student Welfare Office?
A. 9:00 am ~ 4:00 pm on weekdays.
B. 10:00 am ~ 4:00 pm on Saturdays.
C. 9:30 am ~ 4:00 pm on Saturdays.
4.What should visitors do during busy hours?
A. Wait in the office patiently.
B. Ask the speaker to call them back.
C. Add their names to the waiting list.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why does the man need help?
A. He can’t read the form. B. He hasn’t been abroad. C. He didn’t have a passport.
2.What does the woman write for the man?
A. His name. B. His address. C. His phone number.
3.How should the man finish the last part?
A. By copying the passport. B. By ticking the items. C. By writing in pinyin.
4.What will the man do with his fruit?
A. Throw it away. B. Tell the official about it. C. Leave it at the customs.
