Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bag.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台) . The bags are banned in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don't question these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
1.What has Steven Stein been hired to do?
A.Help increase grocery sales. B.Recycle the waste material.
C.Argue for the use of plastic bags. D.Stop things falling off trucks.
2.What does the word “headwinds”in paragraph 2 refer to?
A.Effects of city development. B.Bans on plastic bags.
C.Headaches caused by garbage. D.Plastic bags hung in trees.
3.What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?
A.Producing them requires more energy. B.Replacing them can be difficult.
C.They are less strong than plastic bags. D.They are quite expensive.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Garbage Collection and Waste Control B.Industry, Pollution and Environment
C.Recycle or Throw Away D.Plastic, Paper or Neither
Teachers and students at Herbert Slater Middle School in Santa Rosa, California are used to seeing 7th grader Raquel Zuniga holding a stuffed Kermit the Frog doll as she goes about her school day.
Raquel, aged 12, attends classes for students with mild to serious disabilities. Having her favorite frog doll Kermit by her side makes school life much easier for her, yet there are still times when Kermit’s cheery presence isn’t enough to help her through her anxiety.
One day Raquel was having a hard time changing halfway from inside the classroom to outside. Several teachers approached Raquel as she held Kermit tight and walked back and forth in the hallway, yet none could get through to the child. After nearly an hour, school resource officer Chris Morrison happened to wander by to see if she could help.
Chris herself was a teacher for high-risk students in Los Angeles for twelve years before joining the Santa Rosa Police. She’s now been on the job as a cop for eighteen years, but those teaching wisdoms still run deeply through her mind.
Without hesitation Chris approached the student and bean to speak to her in a comforting voice. Chris did something simple yet extraordinary: she began to sing. Not only does music have a calming effect on its own but also the song she selected was especially meaningful: “Rainbow Connection”, the 1997 song made famous by Kermit the Frog himself.
Raquel’s face lights up in a beautiful smile as she turns to her teacher as if to say, “She’s singing my song!”
“The three of us were standing there in awe,” said Assistant Principal Jessica Romero, adding that she wasn’t the least bit surprised that this kind act came from Officer Morrison. “She’s a very special soul,” Jessica explained. “She comes to everything she does with heart, with empathy, and is able to build close relationship with students.”
1.Why does Raquel always hold the Kermit frog doll in her school days?
A.Because she is mentally disabled. B.Because students are used to seeing it.
C.Because it gives her a sense of safety. D.Because the teachers there encourage it.
2.According to the article, what do we know about Chris Morrison?
A.She has been a teacher for high-risk students in Los Angeles for 12 years.
B.She is working both as a teacher at the middle school and a policewomen.
C.She is understanding and knows what to do to comfort the children in anxiety.
D.She is warm-hearted and always surprises the teachers around with her wisdom.
3.Chris chose the song “Rainbow Connection” because _______.
A.it is a song meaningful to Raquel
B.it is a song popular among children
C.it is a song familiar to Chris
D.it is a song to calm children
4.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.The satisfying ending of the warm story. B.Teacher’s impression about Chris Morrison.
C.Teachers’ reaction to Chris Morrison’s method. D.The unique method to get through to a child.
TRAIL SAFE! is a unique safety training program designed specifically for National Park Service (NPS) Trail Volunteers, but is useful to everyone! It’s based upon NPS Operational Leadership Training, where the human factor of safety is explored. TRAIL SAFE! focuses on the central learning aims of the 16-hour Operational Leadership course while allowing volunteers to learn from their own homes online.
The TRAIL SAFE! series includes eight video lessons, each ranging in length from 18 to 40 minutes long. Watch them over the course of multiple days, or “binge watch” the entire series in three hours-it’s up to you-but please watch them in order from Lesson 1 through Lesson 8. After viewing the lessons, send your training verification (验证) emails to register your participation. When you have viewed and registered for all eight individual lessons, each participant will receive a TRAIL SAFE! pin and a SPE/GAR card in the mail for use in the field. Thank you!
Ready to start?
Click on this link to access all TRAIL SAFE! videos: https://www.nps.gov/iatr/trail-safe.htm
If you require Audio Descriptive versions of TRAIL SAFE!, the link to those videos is also available on the Ice Age Trail site.
Record your participation
In order to receive credits for your participation, please fill in your answers to the following questions and email to: Matthew_mohrmannps.gov.
● Which video lesson did you just complete viewing?
● Name of the Trail where you volunteer.
● Your name and full mailing address, so we may send your course completion materials to you.
● Names and addresses of others if you are viewing this lesson in a group setting.
● Optional: Please let us know any comments or suggestions you have about this lesson.
Upon registering your completion for the entire eight lesson series, you’ll receive your TRAIL SAFE! pin and risk assessment card via mail.
1.What is the aim of TRAIL SAFE!?
A.To urge everyone to explore safety factors.
B.To develop volunteers’ operational leadership.
C.To offer links to the websites for learning.
D.To improve protection for wildlife.
2.What should the participants do to get a SPE/GAR card?
A.Send training verification emails B.Answer all of the questions.
C.Watch and register for all the series. D.Give some comments on the lessons.
3.How should participants watch the video lessons?
A.Watch 18 or 40 minutes a time. B.Finish them as soon as possible.
C.From the beginning through to the end. D.Give some comments on the lessons.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is to be hosted on Wednesday evening?
A.A bake sale. B.A parent book club. C.An event to honor an artist.
2.When does the book fair end?
A.On Thursday. B.On Wednesday. C.On Monday.
3.Where will the money from the bake sale go?
A.A computer lab. B.The sports teams. C.The art department.
4.What happens to the computer lab?
A.It will be repaired. B.It will be closed forever. C.It will be put up for sale.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A.What abilities to possess.
B.Which professor to follow.
C.What job to do in the future.
2.What subject does the man probably prefer?
A.History. B.Politics. C.Art.
3.What do the woman’s parents expect her to be?
A.A restaurant manager. B.A politician. C.A teacher.
4.What is the woman good at doing?
A.Dealing with people. B.Working with kids. C.Painting pictures.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How is Ted’s homework this time?
A.Very poor. B.Well done. C.So-so.
2.Where is Ted going now?
A.The gym. B.The library. C.The bookstore.
3.What does Ted think of his teacher?
A.Polite. B.Generous. C.Helpful.
