Britain’s high streets are dying slowly
Twenty years ago, the prosperous high street(繁华商业区) was the heart of most cities. It was crowded with customers. 1.Nowadays, high streets are declining, with very few shops and shoppers. With about 14 shops down every day, Britain’s high streets are dying little by little.2.It’s fairly easy to understand. To start with, people are spending less because of the economic recession(衰退). On top of that, more and more people are using the Internet to do their shopping. And it is not easy for shopkeepers in the high streets, either. 3.Finally, there are the out-of-town retail parks with free car parking that sell just about everything at very low prices.What can be done? Prime Minister David Cameron has hired Mary Portas, a British business woman and star of TV show Mary Queen of Shops, to bring some life back into Britain’s high streets. She’s talked about creating “magnets(磁石)” to attract people back to the centre. 4.In one town, a bicycle rickshaw(人力车) service is delivering people’s shopping to their homes. 5.where children can be cared for while parents are shopping.Members of the public have also voiced their opinions. “My ideal shopping center is one where there’s a wide selection of attractive looking shops, with cheap parking and good public transport links,” said a 28-year-old man. “I’d like to see Night Shopping evenings where shops are open through to 10 pm or later,” said a 22-year-old girl.
A. They have to pay increasing high rents. |
B. But he is not the only one to solve the problem. |
C. But that’s all changed. |
D. In another town, they set up night shopping centers, |
E. In another town, they set up a nursery, |
F. They can make a fortune overnight. |
G. Why are high streets in such a desperate situation? |
Artificial intelligence can predict when patients with a heart disorder will die, according to scientists.
The software learned to analyze blood tests and scans of beating hearts to spot signs that the organ was about to fail. The team, from the UK’s Medical Research Council, said the technology could save lives by finding patients that need more aggressive treatment. The results were published in the Journal of Radiology.
According to the researchers, high blood pressure in the lungs damages part of the heart, and about a third of patients die within five years after being diagnosed. There are treatments: drugs, injections straight into the blood vessels, a lung transplant. But doctors need to have an idea of how long patients might have left, in order to pick the right treatment.
The software was given scans of 256 patients’ hearts, and blood test results. When this data was combined with eight years of patient health records, the artificial intelligence predicted when patients would die.
The software could look about five years into the future. It correctly predicted those who would still be alive after one year about 80% of the time. The figure for doctors is 60%.
The team now want to test the software works in other patients in different hospitals before assessing whether it should be made widely available to doctors. The researchers also want to use the technology in other forms of heart failure, such as cardiomyopathy, to see who might need a pacemaker or other forms of treatment.
Dr Mike Knapton, from the British Heart Foundation, said, “This exciting use of computer software in medical practice will help doctors in the future to make sure that patients are receiving the correct treatment before the condition deteriorates and leaves them needing a lung transplant. The next step is to test this technology in more hospitals with heart disease.”
1.What can artificial intelligence do according to the passage?
A.Predicting how long a person with heart disease can survive.
B.Helping doctors diagnose people with heart disease.
C.Obeying orders and reminding heart disease patients to take pills.
D.Producing medicine without side effects for heart disease patients.
2.What can we know about the software from the passage?
A.It can make accurate long-term predictions.
B.It has not yet been widely put into use.
C.It can prevent high blood pressure in the lungs damaging part of the heart.
D.It can help doctors make sure that patients are receiving the correct treatment.
3.The underlined word “deteriorates” in the last paragraph probably means “________.”
A.continues B.worsens
C.exists D.improves
4.The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to _________.
A.advertise B.persuade
C.inform D.entertain
City trees grow faster and die younger than trees in rural forestry, a new study finds. Over their lifetimes,then, urban trees will likely absorb less CO2 from the air thah forest trees.
As we all know, the earth would be freezing or burning hot without C02. However, CO2 is a greenhouse gas, meaning it traps energy from the sun as/heat. That makes temperatures near the ground rise. Human activities, especially the widespread burning-of fossil(化石）fuels，have been sending extra greenhouse gases into the air. This has led to a rise in average temperatures across the globe.
Studies had shown forests readily absorb C02，but there hadn’t been much data on whether city trees grow， die and absorb CO2 at the same rate as forest trees do. So some researchers decided to find out.
To figure out how quickly trees were growing, researchers tracked their diameters (the width of their trunks) between 2005 and 2014. A tree’s diameter increases as it grows, just as a person’s waist size increases as they gain weight. About half the weight of a tree is carbon, research has shown. Most of the rest is water. Over the nine years’ tracking, the researchers found city trees absorbed four times as much carbon from the air as forest trees. However, they were twice as likely to die. So over the lifetime of each type of tree, forest trees actually absorbed more C02.
City trees grew faster because they had less competition for light from their neighbors. In a forest，trees tend to grow close together，shading their neighbors. Street trees also benefit from higher levels of nitrogen (氮）in rainwater. Nitrogen helps plants grow. Waste gases from gas-burning cars also contain nitrogen, thus enriching city air with nitrogen. Later, rainwater may wash much of it to the ground. Some street trees may also have better access to water than trees in the country because the underground water pipes can leak.
1.What can he known about CO2 from paragraph 2?
A.It is one of the side effects of greenhouses.
B.It greatly accelerates the process of global warming.
C.It results from the widespread burning of fossil fuels.
D.It prevents the earth from becoming unsuitable to live on.
2.Why did researchers track the diameters of trees?
A.To know about their growth rates.
B.To find out how much they weigh.
C.To check whether they were healthy.
D.To assess the carbon amounts in them.
3.What advantage do city trees have over forest trees?
A.They are more likely to access growth promoters.
B.They can enjoy more water coming from the air.
C.They can enjoy more shade from neighbors.
D.They are better at competing for light.
4.What will probably be talked about if the passage is continued?
A.How urban trees can live longer.
B.Why city living makes trees die young.
C.How trees respond to dry soil conditions.
D.Why faster-growing trees absorb more C02.
One of my favorite hobbies is exchanging old-fashioned, paper-with-a-stamp-on-it postcards with random strangers around the world.
The Postcrossing Project was created by Paulo Magalhaes in 2005. He liked getting mails—especially postcards. He thought others did, too—but how could he connect with them? That’s when he came up with the idea of an online platform (postcrossing.com): There, postcard lovers like me can sign up to send a postcard to someone who has registered online, and receive a postcard in return.
Along with a randomly selected address, participants get a unique code to put on the postcard. When the postcard arrives, the recipient registers that code with the site, which then causes the sender’s address to be given to another postcrosser in turn. In practice, this means that for nearly every postcard I send (a few get lost in the mail) I get one back. And since I never know who will send me a card or where in the world they live, every trip to the mailbox holds the potential for a wonderful surprise.
Privacy-conscious Americans might worry about sharing their address with strangers overseas. But postcrossers are friendly, polite, respectful folks—in more than 450 cards exchanged, I've yet to have a bad experience.
On days when the international news is depressing, postcrossing is my comfort. There’s nothing like getting a card from a child in China just learning to write in English, or a grandmother in Belarus describing her most recent gardening success to remind me that we truly are members of one global family, far more similar than we are different.
It seems like such a small thing to send out a postcard. But as travel and communication technology continue to shrink the world, it’s important to remember that it isn’t just for diplomats and politicians to represent our country anymore. All of us have the power—and perhaps the responsibility—to be ambassadors, to show the best of your country to the world.
And it's good to know that what you need to accomplish this is not necessarily complicated or expensive. It can be as simple as a postcard.
1.Why did Paulo set up postcrossing.com ?
A.To discuss personal hobbies with strangers.
B.To exchange postcards with others in the world
C.To collect different postcards from other countries..
D.To provide a platform for communication online.
2.According to the passage, postcrossers __________.
A.don't know who will send them postcards
B.are sure to get a postcard back immediately
C.often choose a receiver's address carefully
D.register every postcard they receive online
3.What did the writer learn from postcrossing?
A.The international news is usually depressing.
B.Americans are more conscious about privacy.
C.Postcrossers sometimes describe their bad experience.
D.The whole world is actually a big family.
4.What does the underlined word "this" refer to?
A.Choosing a diplomat to represent a country.
B.Having the responsibility to be an ambassador.
C.Showing the best of your country.
D.Shrinking the world with communication technology.
Dreaming of summer picnics filled with family and fun? We’ve come up with 4 of the top picnic areas across the US.
Cumberland Islands, Georgia
Just a few hours south of Savannah, this national seashore is a wonderful picnic place. It’s an unspoiled place in the Deep South with over 50 miles of hiking trails (小径). Covered in Spanish moss, the trails are lined with trees and since it’s still a rural area, the stars line up for a grand show at night and create the perfect evening starlit picnic opportunity.
Grant Park, Chicago
If you are looking for delicious food in Chicago, go for a taste of a 20-day, lake-front, foodie festival that happens in October each year. Grab a spot near the fountain to enjoy your picnic, appreciate the city scenery and lake views and relax with family and friends. If you are there on July 4th, be sure to plan the day to include the fireworks display at the Navy Pier.
Cranberry Islands, Maine
Here, you’ll enjoy natural picnics with island views. The islands are a delightful group of islands about 20 minutes offshore from Acadia National Park. You can visit the islands by private boat or ferry service. Bring a picnic basket along for the ride as it’s a romantic picnic area to take your special someone or go for a family outing to visit the islands.
Big Sur, California
The Point Lobos State Reserve is a small gem. Besides the coastal wildlife there are rare plant communities, and unique geological formations. It’s good to have a picnic there. We recommend bringing a telescope, because much of the wildlife can be seen only at a distance.
1.Why does the writer advise us to go to Cumberland Islands?
A.Because they are just next to Savannah.
B.Because they have a grand show every night.
C.Because they are almost covered in Spanish moss.
D.Because they keep their original ecology (生态).
2.Where can you enjoy observing wildlife with a telescope?
A.At the Navy Pier. B.At the Point Lobos State Reserve
C.At Acadia National Park. D.In the Deep South.
3.Where can we most probably read this passage?
A.In a personal dairy. B.In a science report.
C.In a geography textbook. D.In a travel magazine.
假设你是李华，你校拟举办茶文化讲座。请你给留学生朋友Robert写封邮件邀请他参加。
内容包括：
1．讲座的时间、地点
2．活动安排
3．喝茶的好处
注意：
1．词数100左右
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
3. 开头和结尾已为你写好
Dear Robert,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your coming.
Yours,
Li Hua
