The Cosmic Crisp—a new super-sweet variety of apple that can reportedly last longer than a year in the refrigerator—is expected to hit grocery stores in the US this week.
The Cosmic Crisp’s release comes after two decades of development and some three years of planting apple trees. Washington state farmers have exclusive growing rights for one decade, according to local media KIMA. The apple, developed by Washington State University‟s fruit tree breeding program and first cultivated in 1997, is said to have a “remarkably firm and crisp texture” and be surprisingly sweet, making it an excellent eating apple, according to its website.
The fruit, a cross between the Enterprise and Honeycrisp apple varieties, was bred to feature “naturally higher levels of acidity and sugar”, so much so that one can use less sugar while baking, researchers claim. They also say that it‟s “naturally slow to brown when cut and maintains its texture and flavor in storage for more than a year.”
Its name stems from the tiny bright dots on the apple‟s otherwise darker red skin. Tasters said the flecks reminded them of “outer space and the cosmos,” Cosmic Crisp‟s website noted. Just over 450,000 40lb boxes of the cosmic Crisp crop were expected to be shipped to retailers across the US on Sunday, according to the Spokane-based Spokesman-Review.
The producers hope the shipments will grow to 2.1m boxes in 2020. For those who can‟t wait for their local grocery store to stock them, four apples were retailing for $39 online over the weekend.
The initial 600,000 Cosmic Crisp trees were sold to farmers in 2017, researchers reportedly said. Since then, more than 10m Cosmic Crisp trees were planted, Kate Evans, who heads the university‟s Pome Fruit Breeding Program, told the Spokesman-Review.
1.How long can the new apples last?
A.They can last shorter than three years. B.They can last longer than a year.
C.They can last a year. D.They can last one decade.
2.What is the third paragraph mainly about?
A.The features of the Cosmic Crisp. B.The way of planting the Cosmic Crisp.
C.The cost of planting the Cosmic Crisp. D.The shape of the Cosmic Crisp.
3.What does the underlined word “flecks” mean?
A.Flavour. B.Red skin.
C.The tiny bright dots. D.Stars.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards this Cosmic Crisp?
A.Pessimistic. B.Disapproving.
C.Subjective. D.Objective.
Li Ziqi, a vlogger who enjoys a fan base of more than 21 million people on Sina Weibo and 7 million strong followers on YouTube, has made a name for herself in her videos that highlight a traditional Chinese way of life in the rural areas of Sichuan Province. Her videos cover a wide variety of crafts related to traditional Chinese culture. From making paper and ink to weaving cloth, from making a silk quilt comforter for her grandmother to building her own bread kiln with blocks, nothing seems impossible with Li’s crafty hands as they work their magic to bring these things into existence. But Li’s most eye-catching, and mouth-watering craft is cooking.
Li scarcely speaks in her videos. When she does open her mouth, the most common phrase that comes out is her calling her grandmother to come and eat. Instead of dialogue, Li focuses on how she works with her hands. Watching her videos, it is difficult not to appreciate their beauty and hold back that sense of nostalgia (怀旧) and longing for home. But it is even harder not to want to take a bite of her succulent dishes, which really remind viewers of taste of our childhood and home.
Glamorous as her present life may seem, life was difficult for her during her youth as she and her grandparents had little to live on. Li herself revealed that she was “economically supported” to continue schooling. She started to work in the city at 14 and would not have returned to her childhood home if not for her grandmother falling ill in 2012. After returning home, Li opened an online shop, Li Ziqi, to sell mostly edible products. To boost sales, she began making short films in 2016 about how these products were created, while covering her life in the rural area, all against the backdrop of traditional Chinese aesthetics (审美). “I started it because I wanted to create something for people to watch and relax. We are all under a lot of stress. I hoped that after a long and busy day, they could click on my videos and relieve some of their anxiety and pressure,” Li said.
However, Li is not without criticism, such as remarks about her “beautifying” life in the country and her use of a professional production crew to help her film. Others have expressed skepticism about how “real” her videos are, and how “amazing it is that she looks so picture perfect after a long day of work in the fields.”
1.According to the passage, we can know the following EXCEPT .
A.it was her grandmother‟ falling ill that made her return to her hometown
B.masses of viewers from both home and abroad are hooked by her videos
C.she never opens her mouth in her videos because she has difficulty in speaking
D.many viewers speak highly of her videos while some of them throw doubt on her
2.What words can be best used to describe Li Ziqi?
A.Aggressive and strong-willed. B.Crafty and considerate.
C.Humorous and stubborn. D.Ambitious and severe.
3.From Li Ziqi’s story, we can know that .
A.Many hands make light work B.An idle youth, a needy age
C.Virtue is bold, and goodness never fearful D.God helps those who help themselves
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Young vlogger tells story of China in picturesque videos
B.An Internet celebrity makes delicious dishes
C.Relaxing videos are made with passion
D.The more traditional, the more popular
From the most talked about politicians to the most popular TV shows, the social media platform—Twitter has unveiled what its users have been most fixated (最关注的) with over the past year.
Most tweeted-about TV shows 2019
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” claimed the title of the most tweeted-about TV show of the year, despite many criticizing the series for an anti-climatic finale.
It was followed by streaming giant Netflix‟s “Stranger Things” and long-standing animated sitcom
“The Simpsons”.
Most tweeted-about films 2019
2019 American superhero film “Avengers: Endgame” became the highest-grossing film of all time when it was released earlier this year, grossing nearly $2.8 billion worldwide and its success was reflected on Twitter, making it the platform‟s most-talked about movie of the year. It was followed by “Toy Story 4” and American psychological thriller “Joker”.
Most tweeted-about hashtags 2019
The top news-related hashtags worldwide included NotreDame after France‟s landmark cathedral caught fire, causing irreversible damage to the building which dates back to 856 and is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
Other popular news hashtags included Brexit, Christ Church and Climate Strike, in line with the biggest stories that have been dominating the global news agenda.
Most tweeted-about politicians 2019
US politicians topped the list for the most tweeted-about politicians worldwide, with President Donald Trump weighing in first. Former US President Obama was next on the list, followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Also in the top 10 is US Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, popularly known as AOC, who made waves on the US political stage this year and is a strong supporter of the Green New Deal. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and French President Emmanuel Macron were also in the top 10.
Most tweeted-about emoji 2019
The social media platform kept track emoji usage as well, finding that the laughing face with tears of joy was the most used, followed by the crying face and heart eyes emoji.
1.Which of the following can be WRONG from Most tweeted-about TV shows 2019 and Most tweeted-about films 2019?
A.No film has earned more money than “Avengers: Endgame” so far.
B.When you see “Joker”, there is possibility that you will feel thrilled.
C.“Toy Story 4” is second only to “Avengers: Endgame” in popularity.
D.“Game of Thrones” enjoys a great success without any criticism.
2.It can be inferred that “hashtags” mainly refers to .
A.topics that people show little interest in
B.particular subjects that arouse people‟s attention worldwide
C.events that have controversial endings
D.subjects that are prohibited from being talked about
3.According to Twitter, we can know that from the last two parts.
A.there is no Asian politician on the list of Most tweeted-about politicians 2019
B.crying face is used more frequently than the laughing face with tears
C.US politicians are relatively more influential than politicians from other countries in 2019
D.US Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is strongly against the Green New Deal
春节来临，你们学校要组织迎新年师生联欢会，现在要从你校留学生中选一名主持人。假定你是学生会干事，请你根据以下选聘要求，给国际部的留学生下个书面通知。
1.懂中国，汉语好；
2.本周末到学生会办公室面试；
3.面试内容：3分钟演讲---我眼里的中国。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（Λ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
It was sunny and warm so Jane and I decide to go for a swim. When we got the beach, Tim, Paul and Mary were already here. We joined them and spent the afternoon swimming. The sea was as smooth as the mirror. I was pleased and Tim and Paul were a little disappointing as they like swimming in huge waves. When we got hungry, we bought hotdogs from a shop closely to the beach. After that, we had enough energies to play football on the sands. Paul and I won the game, in which surprised the others because we had three in their team. We really enjoyed the afternoon.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Ten foreigners received China Reform Friendship Medals 1. December18, 2018 for their outstanding contributions to the country’s reform and opening-up over the past 40 years. They were given the medals at a grand gathering in Beijing 2. (celebrate) the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up.
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, 3. (praise) the medal winners as “old friends of the Chinese people” while 4. (read) a statement from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.
Wang said the 10 foreigners significantly helped promote exchanges and cooperation between China and 5. rest of the world and were 6. (deep) involved in China’s reform and opening-up process.
Among the medal winners, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister and one of the most influential Asian 7. (politician), made contributions by sharing Singapore’s 8.(success) governance experience with China. Juan Antonio Samaranch, former president of the International Olympic Committee, 9. (remember) by many Chinese for his great contributions to China’s return to the IOC.
The 10 medal winners are only a representative sampling of millions of foreigners 10. have made contributions to the country’s reform and opening-up.
