At the Fairmont San Francisco in California, the wealthy visitors arriving through the front door aren't the only guests staying at the five-star hotel.On the hotel's rooftop, the buzz(嗡嗡声)of bees can be heard.Bees have become more common guests at hotels, especially in San Francisco.Ten hotels have hives(蜂房)on rooftops.Urban beekeeping allows hotels to market sustainability(可持续性), harvest honey and raise awareness for the particular challenges bees face.
“When companies have honeybees, it helps in a few different ways...by bringing awareness to the fact that our noisy friends need flowers that are clean and free of pesticides(杀虫剂)in order to feed, and that our bees need habitats," says Becky Masterman of the University of Minnesota Bee Squad.
The U.S.agricultural industry has come to rely on commercial bees for much of its pollination(授粉)needs.At pollination time, commercial beekeepers provide truckloads of bees.European honeybees and Apis mellifera are brought in.They are not native to North America.Continuing losses of these commercial hives could eventually be felt at the grocery store.The costs of fruits and vegetables that the bees pollinate could potentially go up over time because the pollination costs are higher.
For the hotels, the bees offer more than honey.More guests are looking for places to stay that help the environment, says Melissa Farrar.She is the director of marketing communications for the Fairmont.The Fairmont offers tours of hive spaces to interested guests.Some guests go on to start their own hives.The Fairmont has also hosted school groups from preschoolers to high school photography classes."Maybe we can help people appreciate that nature's important, and that we take care of the environment.And if you want to eat fruits and veggies, you need bees in the background," says Ms.Farrar.
1.What is the text mainly about?
A. Wildlife research in San Francisco.
B. Environmentally aware tourism in America.
C. The introduction of beekeeping to hotels.
D. The conflict between commercial bees and native bees.
2.What is a result of using commercial bees for pollination?
A. More profits for greengrocers.
B. More expensive fruits and vegetables.
C. A decrease in the number of native bees.
D. An increase in greengrocery diversity in stores.
3.Why would more guests choose to stay at hotels with hives?
A. They regard it as a trendy thing to do.
B. They'd like to try the freshest honey.
C. They consider it an eco-friendly idea.
D. They come to learn to start their own hives.
4.What is Ms.Farrar’s attitude to urban beekeeping?
A. Doubtful B. Supportive C. Disapproving D. Uncaring
On April 12th, two African American men walked into a Starbucks in Philadelphia, and sat down to wait for their friend.Because they had not bought anything, an employee asked them to leave.When the two men refused, the employee called the police, and in minutes, they were arrested.It was not until later that day that they were let go.
The video of this incident posted on Twitter went viral.People across the US were outraged.Unfortunately, these practices are not uncommon today.This incident is just one example of implicit bias(内隐偏见), something that is a part of human nature.
Most of the time, implicit bias refers to people showing negative associations towards people of a different race.Starting from a young age, these feelings develop unconsciously and naturally, because our brain draws associations based on our background, cultural environment and personal experiences.
Implicit bias affects our everyday speech and actions and these unconscious decisions can be harmful to our society.There have been many examples of blacks unfairly killed by white officers, such as in the cases of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, which happened only two years ago.Implicit bias affects the justice system, our medical system where studies show minorities are less likely to be taken seriously, and job placements where white males are likely to be judged as more capable compared to women and other minorities.
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson and the police have publicly apologized to the two men, and Starbucks will be holding an anti-bias training meeting on May 29th. All Starbucks stores will be closed on that day.However, critics and experts have said that such training is done "for show" rather than to promote change.
To address this issue, many experts agree that what the world needs is a long-term program that targets the root cause.It also starts with promoting diversity in children from an early age when they have friends and playmates from different races and cultures.
1.What does the underlined word "outraged" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Very angry. B. Quite curious. C. Very delighted. D. Quite puzzled.
2.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A. The nature of implicit bias. B. The examples of implicit bias.
C. The basic concepts of implicit bias. D. The negative effects of implicit bias.
3.What might experts think of the anti-bias training meeting?
A. It will be a shame for Starbucks B. lt will be a meaningless practice.
C. It will raise the police's reputation. D. lt will raise public awareness of anti-bias.
4.What might many experts agree with?
A. Starbucks should be closed.
B. Implicit bias should be ignored.
C. Children should be taught to avoid implicit bias.
D. Implicit bias should be dealt with by the policemen.
I was selfish as a teenager.I usually spent my time thinking about myself and taking care of my own needs.I let my older brother do most of the work around the house until he left for college.I let my mom and dad worry about our bills and problems while I read books, played, and lost myself in my own imagination.This didn't change even when I went to college either.I studied hard but only to make my own life better. Even when I started to explore my faith, it was only to increase my own happiness.
I married after graduation and decided to start a family.Of course, I had no idea what hard knocks reality had in store for my selfish soul.Soon I found myself unemployed, deeply in debt, and with a new baby on the way.l found out that life has little sympathy for spoiled people.In fact, all of the struggles I was going through were beating the selfishness slowly out of me.
Still,I didn't give up on happiness.I knew that there must be a way to find it.I finally realized, however, that it had to include more than just my own needs, wants, and desires.The answer began to make itself clear one night shortly after my baby boy was born.I got a bottle and held him in my arms.As I was feeding him I looked down and saw his big, innocent, trusting eyes.I smiled and talked to him.Then he smiled and I could feel my heart growing, expanding with love.I felt such peace and joy.At that moment I had a hint of the truth: it is by growing our hearts with love that we find our happiness.
Carolyn Arends wrote:"The more people you let into your heart, the bigger your heart gets.The more love you get, the more love you have to give.It just keeps growing." So, keep loving, keep living and keep caring.Keep growing your heart today, tomorrow, and always.
1.What do we know about the author from the first paragraph?
A. He often helped his brother with housework.
B. He studied hard for his family.
C. He was concerned about his family.
D. He put his own needs above others'.
2.What did the author realize after he suffered in life?
A. Spoiled people can't survive the hardship of life
B. Spoiled people are never happy in life.
C. Life is cruel to spoiled people.
D. Selfishness is helpful.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The author loved kids.
B. When caring for his baby, the author got inspired.
C. The author realized the importance of happiness.
D. The author often fed his baby.
4.Which can be the best title of the passage?
A. Loving Others, a Way to Happiness
B. The Elder One Grows, the More He Gets
C. Help Others, Help Oneself
D. Keep Growing to Live a Happy Life
The booking notes of the play “The Age of Innocence”:
Price:$10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for performance:
--in person
The Box Office is open from Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m.—8 p.m.
--by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card(Visa, MasterCard and Amex accepted)
--by post
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Global Theatre Box Office.
--on line
Complete the on-line booking form at www.Satan-fiedtheatre.com
DISCOUNTS:
Saver: $ 2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday.Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion.It is advisable to book in advance.There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show.
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $ 6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible (suitable) for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Bookings: there is a ten percent discount for parties of twelve or more.
School: school parties of ten or more can book $6 standby tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free.
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.
1.If you want to book a ticket, you CANNOT ________.
A. use the Internet
B. go to the Box Office on Sundays
C. complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office
D. ring the booking number and pay for the tickets by credit card
2.According to the notes, who can get $ 2 off?
A. An 18-year-old teenager . B. A 55-year-old woman.
C. The people who book the tickets on Fridays. D. A 20-year-old full-time college student
3.From the passage we can know all the following information except that ________.
A. it is advisable to book tickets in advance
B. the audience can't refund money if the performance is on show
C. a school party of 15 students should pay $90 for the standby tickets
D. a group of 13 persons can get a 10 percent discount
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What's the percentage of travelers only considering jet lag “an unpleasant thing”?
A. Only one third. B. Almost a half. C. Over three quarters.
2.What problem caused by jet lag is NOT mentioned?
A. Headache. B. Exhaustion. C. Sleep disorder.
3.How many time zones which you cross might make jet lag a real problem?
A. Only one. B. Two. C. Over three.
4.Which flying trip might cause more problems according to the talk?
A. From Shanghai to Beijing.
B. From Los Angeles to New York.
C. From New York to Los Angeles.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Why doesn't the man ask the teaching assistant for help?
A. The assistant is not present right now.
B. He doesn't like the assistant.
C. The assistant asked him to do it alone.
2.What is the woman going to do next?
A. Have dinner. B. Study for an exam. C. Practice swimming.
3.What might the magazine The Torch focus on?
A. New technology. B. Literature. C. Math problems.
4.What can we know about the woman?
A. She's the best student in her class.
B. She's new in town.
C. She's unwilling to help the man.
