Americans spend nearly 40 minutes a day cleaning their homes. Fortunately, you can re-gain those precious minutes with these genius cleaning tips that only the professionals know 1.!
Freshen up your garbage disposals (处理器)with some lemons.
With all the junk we throw into our garbage disposals, it's no wonder that they're real petri dishes (培养皿)with the awful smell to prove it. Thankfully, making them a whole lot cleaner is easy： Simply drop some cut lemons down your drain.2..
Make the bathtub clean with grapefruit and salt.
3.. So the next time you’re at the supermarket, make sure to throw an extra grapefruit into your cart—not for eating, but for cleaning. Just cut the fruit open and cover it in salt. The salt creates a special texture while the acid in the grapefruit will help break down stains.
4.
Research published in 2015 in Scientific Reports suggests that our coffee makers are an absolute hotbed of bacterial activity, which means that we might just be taking in some of that disgusting stuff along with our dark roast. 5.? A monthly vinegar wash should do it. Simply fill your coffee maker's reservoir with a few tablespoons of white vinegar mixed with water, run it once more with only water to remove any remaining vinegar smell.
A.What problem will be caused by the bacteria
B.This his fruit is the perfect solution to a dirty tub
C.So, how should you fight with all that bacteria
D.Clean out your coffee maker with some vinegar
E.Get ready to have your home look twice as spotless in half the time
F.These tricks can help you be more subjective and work more efficiently
G.As your disposals covers up those skins, it will start to smell fresh and great
According to a study published in the pre-print website bioRxiv, a team of Israeli scientists recorded tomato and tobacco plants producing sound frequencies which humans cannot hear in stressful situations—such as when they experienced a lack of water or their stems were cut. The team identified the sounds with microphones placed around 10 centimeters (around four inches) away from the plants, though the scientists say the noises could potentially be heard several feet away by some mammals and insects, such as mice.
Plants exposed to drought stress have been shown to experience cavitation (空化现象)— a process where air bubbles (气泡)form, expand and explode inside tissue that transports water. These explosions produce sound, but they have only ever been recorded using devices directly connected to the plants. The latest study, meanwhile, is the first to identify plants making sounds which can be detected over a distance. And the researchers say that cavitation could potentially be the source of these sounds.
The team detected the tomato plants made 35 sounds an hour on average when they were exposed to drought conditions, while the tobacco plants produced 11. When the stems of the plants were cut, the tomato plants made 25 sounds an hour on average and the tobacco plants produced 15. As a comparison, unstressed plants made less than one sound hour on aver-age, according to the study.
The team say that while they only tested tomato and tobacco. It's possible that other plants could also produce sounds, adding that the latest findings could have implications for agriculture. ''Plant sound emissions could offer a novel way for monitoring crops' water state—a question of vital importance in agriculture, '' the authors wrote in the study. ''More Precise irrigation can save up to 50 percent of the water consumption and increase the output, with dramatic economic implications. ''
''According to Anne Visscher from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the U. K., the idea that the sounds could be used in precision agriculture is 'practical' though she urges caution regarding the Israeli team's suggestion that other animals could hear the sounds at a distance, '' New Scientist reported.
1.What do the Israeli scientists find about plants?
A.Stressed plants tend to lack water.
B.Some plants can understand humans' sounds.
C.Stressed plants can make more frequent sounds.
D.Some mammals and insects can communicate with plants.
2.What can we learn about cavitation?
A.It may contribute to the plants' sounds.
B.It may lead to plants experiencing drought.
C.It is determined by the number of air bubbles.
D.It was identified and recorded for the first time.
3.How many sounds do the tomato plants make per hour on average when cut?
A.11. B.15.
C.25. D.35.
4.What's Anne Visscher's attitude to applying the study to agriculture?
A.Supportive. B.Cautious.
C.Reserved. D.Opposed.
Given a wide range of available entertainment options and the way we consume information, visits to the library may seem like an old-fashioned entertainment. But according to a new Gallup poll (民意调査),Americans took more trips to the library than to the movie theater in 2019. The poll surveyed 1,025 adults throughout the United States who were asked how many times they participated in nine different leisure (休闲)activities, including visiting a library, watching a movie, or attending a sporting event. Library visits came out on top as the favorite, with those surveyed visiting an average of 10.5 times annually. Movies were second with respondents heading to the cinema an average of 5.3 times throughout the year. The zoo came in the last place with only 0.9 visits.
Although it’s not the only determining factor, cost appears to play a part. Activities at the bottom of the list such as theme parks and zoos are typically expensive. Libraries are free, as are many of their available services like Wi-Fi, in addition to the endless amounts of books. A Pew Research Center study indicated that although most people visit libraries to check out reading materials, 29% of surveyed Americans over the age of 16 use libraries for computers, Internet and public Wi-Fi.
People between ages 30-49 were most likely to engage in leisure activities, according to the Gallup poll. This was perhaps because of “their relative youth combined with mid-life stability” Gallup’s Justin McCarthy told Smithsonian. McCarthy also notes that libraries are typically visited most often by adults from low-income households and less often by adults from high-income households. In this poll, the youngest age group—those who are 18 to 29 years old—visited the library the most. This could be because college students are in that group.
Regardless of the reasons why people visit libraries, they’re far from outdated. Libraries have stood the test of time, which is good news for book lovers, those needing to drop in for Internet use, or anyone just looking for some quiet time. If there was ever any doubt that libraries would simply fade away, research suggests that they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
1.Which activity ranks last according to the survey?
A.Going to a library.
B.Visiting the zoo.
C.Attending a sporting event.
D.Watching a movie in the theater.
2.What can be inferred from paragraph 2?
A.Age plays a key role in going to a library.
B.Teenagers go to libraries mainly for free Wi-Fi.
C.Theme parks and zoos are less favored among the young.
D.The majority of Americans visit libraries mainly for reading materials.
3.Who visit libraries most according to McCarthy?
A.Adults with high income.
B.People between ages 30-49.
C.The young at the age of 18 to 29.
D.Teenagers from low-income households.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Why people love reading more than ever
B.We love movies, but we love libraries more
C.Reading in libraries makes you a better person
D.Why more young people go to libraries for free Wi-Fi
Anna Heusler and a group of cyclists were riding towards Adelaide on Friday when they spotted a koala sitting in the middle of the road. It wasn’t the first time that Heusler had seen koalas out and about on the roads while riding—but this koala’s reaction amazed her. ''We stopped the bikes to help the koala get off the road, otherwise it would get hit by cars. But the koala walked up to me very quickly. It was obviously very thirsty, '' Heusler told CNN.
''As I was giving it a drink from our water bottles, it climbed up onto my bike. I've never seen a koala move so quickly. They're usually not pet animals, they stay up in the trees and people admire them from afar. ''
''None of us have ever seen anything like it. We gave it as much as we could and then made sure it was off the road and back to safety. ''Heusler shared the adorable yet heartbreak-ing images to her blog, showing the koala drinking water from her bottle. ''Australian Koala Bears suffered severe thirst in a heatwave. This koala walked right up to me as I was going down and climbed up onto my bike while I gave it water, '' she captioned the image. The video has since gone viral online, ranking top of millions of views on social media around the world. ''There's nothing but tragedy in Australia. It's burning out of control'' Heusler said. ''I hope this incident helps spread awareness. ''
Severe fires in the Adelaide Hills have burned 25,000 hectares of land，leaving koalas searching for food and water hard. Adelaide Koala Rescue's Jane Brister is currently caring for 46 koalas that have had their homes destroyed. She said the centre doesn’t normally care for this many koalas at once and the increase was due to the fires. ''A big problem we’ re noticing now is that koalas are coming in starving… there's just no food, '' Ms Brister said. Koalas eat eucalyptus (桉树)leaves—but thousands of trees have been destroyed by fires. Firefighters now across the country are taking time to care for wildlife when they find them before handing them to the correct authorities.
1.How did the koala surprise Heusler during her trip?
A.It approached her for the water.
B.It arried its baby to beg for her help.
C.It sat still in the middle of the road.
D.It was hit seriously by a car.
2.What can we know about koalas from paragraph 2?
A.They usually walk fast.
B.They are highly social animals.
C.They often rely on people to survive.
D.They usually don't stay close to humans.
3.Why did Heusler post the koala pictures online?
A.To spread people's awareness of the fire.
B.To stress the worsening climate change.
C.To remind people of the naughty koala.
D.To get more likes online.
4.What does Jane Brister's work focus on now?
A.Putting out the forest fire.
B.Looking for koala babies.
C.Protecting the endangered trees.
D.Looking after starving koalas.
Here are the most popular festivals and fair events in New York this year.
Fanfaire NYC—High School of Art and Design
From：Today, Feb 8, 10：00 am To: Tomorrow, Feb 9, 6：00 pm $5.00-$20.00
The Fanfaire NYC is a fun way to spend the day burying yourself in your love of comic book art and meeting many people who help make it a reality. Super affordable to attend, and a nice way to spend the day with your fellow fans. Don't miss out.
New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center
From：Friday, Mar6, 10：00 am To：Sunday, Mar8 6：00 pm $8.00-$10.00
Celebrate all that is handcrafted and see what's NEW at Sugarloaf Crafts Festival!
Find special things never available online! Shop the latest in fashion, jewelry, art accessories, furniture, décor, special foods and much more! Discover unique and memorable gifts you can't find anywhere else to make your spring gift giving celebrations extra-special. Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, graduations, weddings and more—you’ll find per-fectly hand-made joy at Sugarloaf!
American Fine Craft Show at Brooklyn Museum
From： Thursday, Nov 19, 6：00 pm To： Sunday, Nov 22, 6：00 pm $8.00-$16.00
American Fine Craft Show at Brooklyn Museum will crown the holiday season with 90 ex-hibits of art and handmade fine crafts for sale from artists and artisans from Brooklyn and around the country in the museum's landmark Beaux-Arts Court. In addition to fine art, exhibitors will sell ceramics, art glass, decorative fiber, fashion and fashion accessories, furniture, jewelry and mixed media.
On Air Fest 2020
From： Friday, Dec 6, 9：00 am To: Sunday, Dec 8, 4：00 pm $149.00-$375.00
On Air Fest is a rally point for leading voices, new movements and curious listeners in-spired by the art of sound. Coming into its fourth year in 2020, the flagship Brooklyn event at Wythe Hotel will feature over 100 artists who bring forward innovative ideas and present new work.
1.Which event charges the highest prices?
A.On Air Fest 2020.
B.New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center .
C.Fanfaire NYC—High School of Art and Design.
D.American Fine Craft Show at Brooklyn Museum.
2.What can we learn about New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center?
A.Its goods can be booked online.
B.It lasts the longest time among the events.
C.It only sells goods made by hands.
D.It gives the visitors free festival gifts.
3.Which section of a newspaper may the text be taken from?
A.Food and drink. B.Performing arts.
C.Festivals and fairs. D.Sports and active life.
假如你是李华，澳大利亚好朋友Harry来中国学习，但因文化差异感到生活有些不适应。请给他写一封信，内容包括：
1. 表示安慰；
2. 给出建议；
3. 寄予希望。
注意:1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头与结尾均已给出。
Dear Harry,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
