Scientists blame greenhouse gases for being a major cause of climate change around the world. This is because greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and make the planet warmer.
Now, a team of researchers has announced a successful experiment that turned carbon dioxide into useful liquid fuel. The researchers created a device, called a reactor, which changes bon dioxide into a pure form of formic acid(甲酸). Formic acid is a substance (物质) found in ants and some other insects, as well as in many plants. It is used as an antibacterial material and in the processing of some kinds of clothing.
Haotian Wang led the research team. He said in a statement that the results of the experiment were important because formic acid is a major carrier of energy. So, the substance can provide a way to reuse carbon dioxide and prevent it from being released into the atmosphere. “It’s a fuel-cell fuel that can generate electricity and send out carbon dioxide which you can grab and recycle again,” Wang said.
“Other methods for turning carbon dioxide into formic acid require intense purification processes,” Wang said. Such methods are very costly and require a lot of energy. The Rice University team said it was able to reduce the number of steps in the traditional process to create a low-cost, energy-saving method.
The researchers reported the reactor device performed with a conversion rate (转化率) of 42 percent. This means that nearly half of the electrical energy can be stored in formic acid as liquid fuel. The team said the reactor was able to create formic acid continuously for 100 hours with little degradation (退化) of the device’s parts.
Wang said the reactor could easily be used to produce other high-value products, including alcohol-based fuels. The researchers noted that the technology could also be a big help in solving another major energy problem—how to store large amounts of power in small places.
1.What factor is the main cause of climate change?
A.Greenhouse gases. B.Chemistry waste.
C.Formic acid. D.Liquid fuel.
2.What do we know about formic acid?
A.It is a large amount of power. B.It can be found in ants.
C.It is high- value equipment. D.It is a substance in clothing.
3.What is Wang’s attitude towards his own research?
A.Doubtful. B.Aggressive.
C.Optimistic. D.Uncaring.
4.In what magazine can you read this text?
A.A travel magazine. B.A sports magazine.
C.A music magazine. D.A science magazine.
Australia and New Zealand’s health organizations have given their advice on when to use sunscreen (防晒霜), suggesting Australians apply it every day to avoid bad health effects.
A Sunscreen Summit took place in the Australian State of Queensland. During the summit, representatives from some of Australia’s leading research, medical and public health organizations examined the evidence on sunscreen use and determined that in most parts of the country it is beneficial to apply sunscreen every day.
“Up until now, public health organizations have recommended applying sunscreen ahead of planned outdoor activities but haven t recommended applying it every day as part of a morning routine (惯例),” professor Rachel Neale from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute said. “In recent years, it has become clear that the DNA damage causes skin cancer and melanoma(黑色素瘤), which is caused by repeated small exposure to sunlight over a period of time,” Neale said. “In Australia, we get a lot of sun exposure from everyday activities such as alking to the bus stop or train station,” Neale said.
A study showed that one in two Australians believed it was unhealthy and potentially dangerous to use sunscreen every day. However, Terry Slevin from the Public Health Association of Australia says it is wrong. “There is consistent and compelling evidence that sunscreens are safe,” Slevin said. “Importantly, medical trials have found that people who use sunscreen daily have the same levels of vitamin d as those who don’t,” Slevin added.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world which is made worse by the country’s close to Antarctica where there is a hole in the ozone layer (臭氧层), letting in higher numbers of UV rays.
1.What made Australian health organizations advise Australians to use sunscreen?
A.The makers of sunscreen.
B.Australian government.
C.The Sunscreen Summit.
D.New Zealand’s researchers.
2.What is not recommended before the Sunscreen Summit?
A.Using sunscreen before outdoor activities.
B.Using sunscreen as a morning routine.
C.Reducing the use of sunscreen.
D.Reducing outdoor activities.
3.What is the misunderstanding of many Australians?
A.People using sunscreen won’t have skin cancer.
B.Sunscreen will never take effect.
C.People using sunscreen have the same levels of vitamin
D.D. Sunscreen is bad for people’s health.
4.Which of the following best explains “compelling” underlined in paragraph 4?
A.Interesting. B.Disappointing.
C.Boring. D.Convincing.
When Faith Wanjiku graduated from the Technical University of Kenya last year, she immediately enrolled (注册) at the Confucius Institute in Kenyatta University. She wanted to learn Chinese, as she believed that it would help her land a good job.
She has just completed the hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) 3 exam. HSK is a test of Chinese language level for non-native speakers, organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters.
However, this level isn’t enough for Wanjiku, who plans to pass HSK 6. She wanted to increase her level of Chinese and improve her spoken Chinese. And Wanjiku isn’t alone. The number of people taking the HSK reached 6.8 million in 2018 and went up 4.6 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Education said on May 31.
Chinese is becoming an increasingly popular choice of language to study around the world. Currently, middle school students in Russia can take Chinese as an elective language test in the country’s national college entrance exam, Sputnik News reported.
In May, Zambia became the fourth country in Africa-after Kenya, Uganda and South Africa—to introduce Chinese language to its schools.
And many English-speaking countries have shown an interest in allowing their students to learn Chinese. The US government announced the launch of “1 Million Strong” in 2015, a plan that aims to bring the total number of learners of Chinese to l million by 2020.
Behind the growing popularity of Chinese language learning is the international community’s positive attitude toward Chinas future development, as well as the people’s longing to learn about Chinese civilization and culture.
Indeed, it’s as the former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela put it, “if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
1.What did Wanjiku do after graduating from university?
A.She went abroad. B.She learned Chinese.
C.She found a job. D.She travelled to China.
2.HSK is a test for ______.
A.non-native speakers B.native speakers
C.middle school students D.college students
3.What does the underlined sentence mean?
A.Wangjiku has lots of friends.
B.Lots of people want to pass HSK6 exam.
C.Wangjiku has passed HSK3 exam.
D.Many people want to live in China.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A.Chinese Language Study Takes Off
B.Chinese Play an Important Role in Economy
C.People Share the Experience of Learning Chinese
D.Different Opinions about the Function of Chinese
National Zoo in Australia
OPEN TIME
9: 30 am-5: 00 pm every day of the year, except Christmas Day.
TICKET PRICES
Children: 3-15 years $26
Students: 16 years or above with student card $40
Seniors Card/ Aged Pension(退休金) Card Holders:$40
Adults: $47
Family: 2 adults and up to 3 children: $130
CARERS FOR SPECIAL VISITORS
Carers for visitors with disabilities are admitted free of charge. Carers ID is required upon entry.
COMPANION CARD holders receive free entry, as well as their carers.
Please note, we aren’t a government funded zoo and don’t receive a subsidy (补贴) to accept many of the government concession (减价票).
GROUP RATES
If you are visiting the zoo in a group of 10 or more, you may qualify for our Special Group rates on General Entry prices.
DAILY ACTIVITIES & KEEPER TALKS
Make the most of your zoo visit and check out our daily keeper activities. There are great opportunities to see animals in action. Watch them enjoy a treat and interact with their keepers as they receive a feed.
On weekends and during school holidays, additional Keeper Talks are added to the schedule and visitors have the chance to meet or even feed some of our wonderful animals!
WALK ON THE WILDSIDE
Become a zoo keeper for a day with the ultimate all day wildlife experience.
ZOOVENTURE TOUR
Hand feed a tiger, and pat a rhino, which may be your most unforgettable experience.
GETTING HERE
BY CAR
We are located on Lady Denman Drive, next to Scrivener Dam. Find us on Google Maps.
BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Unfortunately, there are no bus services running to the zoo at present.
1.How much will a 17-year-old student pay with a student card?
A.$ 40. B.$ 47.
C.$ 26. D.$ 130.
2.Which of the following may be the most unforgettable experience?
A.Being a zoo keeper. B.Feeding the tiger.
C.Talking with the keepers. D.Watching animals in action.
3.What can be learned from the text?
A.People can take a free bus to the zoo.
B.Keeper Talks are available everyday.
C.People caring for disabled people can visit for free.
D.Senior people have a free visit.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
When I was a teenager, I got lost in a foreign country. I was in Berlin, Germany, only month-long trip in Europe. My team and I had one night there to spend however we pleased. Most of my teammates decided to stay indoors and relax. But I did not want to pass up the chance to explore Berlin.
I visited lots of major attractions around the city that night. When the exhaustion began to set in, I checked the time on my watch. I was surprised to see that it was two o’clock in the morning.
As I walked to a subway station, I realized that it was my dad’s birthday. This would be the first birthday I couldn’t celebrate with him because he died a few months earlier. Before I could begin thinking of my dad, I heard train wheels stop.
I rushed onto the train. At first, I was thankful to have made it onto the train. But that joy quickly turned to panic when I noticed that the train was heading in the wrong direction!
I looked around the nearly empty train. I saw a young woman sitting quietly by the window and approached her.
“Hi, do you speak English? I’m lost. Can you help me?” I asked.
The woman understood. She told me how to return to where I had first gotten on the train. But my anxious mind couldn’t follow her guidance.
Without thinking, I asked, “Can you come with me?”
Her face froze at my stupid request. After a long second of hesitation, she agreed to help me. At that moment, I was grateful for the kindness from a stranger.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为100左右；
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Paragraph 1:
On the journey back to the train station I got on, she and I chatted.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Finally, we reached my stop.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，最近收到你在英国的朋友Sara发来的一封邮件。她说打算春节假期来中国旅行，请你为她推荐一处旅游景点。请根据下面的写作提示，用英语给她回一封邮件。内容包括：
1. 推荐一处景点；
2. 推荐的原因；
3. 祝愿旅途愉快。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sara,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
