Back in the early 2000s, lots of people couldn’t have imagined life without alarm clocks, CD players, calendars, cameras, or lots of other devices. But along came the iPhone and other smartphones, and they took over the functions of dozens of things we used to think were essential.
The smartphone story could even be a model for fighting climate change; not because smartphones use a small part of the energy of all the things they replace—although they do—but because they represent a different approach to design in general. And that approach is to focus on function rather than form. That requires focusing on understanding the underlying problem, and then engineering a wide range of potential solutions. This approach could revolutionize how we think about energy efficiency.
Traditionally, improvements in energy efficiency have mostly focused on individual devices, which can be quite fruitful. But focusing on individual devices is like if Apple had spent effort inventing a better alarm clock, a better CD player, a better calendar, and a better camera. Now with an iPhone, we don’t need the standalone devices at all, because it can function as all of them.
So when it comes to using energy efficiently, rather than just installing a more efficient heater, some people have focused instead on the desired function: staying warm. They designed and coated their house so well that they could get rid of their heater altogether, letting them heat their house with 99% less energy.
In the same way, rather than just making cars more efficient, what if we focus on the desired function—getting where we want when we want—and create an efficient transportation system where we can drive less or get rid of our personal cars entirely?
The most energy efficient car or heater is no car, or no heater, while still being able to get around and stay warm. In other words, it’s not thinking efficient, it’s thinking different.
1.What makes the iPhone a good example of environmental protection?
A.Perfecting individual devices.
B.Combining possible functions.
C.Adopting a minimalist design.
D.Reducing the energy consumption.
2.According to the passage, what is the core of improving energy efficiency?
A.Using recyclable materials.
B.Revolutionizing technologies.
C.Figuring out various solutions.
D.Concentrating on the essential needs.
3.What does the author think of traditional practices in energy improvements?
A.Out-of-date. B.Ineffective.
C.Adequate. D.Successful.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Think out of the box. B.Differences make it unique.
C.Be economical with energy. D.Step out of the comfort zone.
Anyone who commutes (通勤) by car knows that traffic jams are an unavoidable part of life. But humans are not alone in facing potential backups.
Ants also commute—between their nest and sources of food. The survival of their colonies depends on doing this efficiently.
When humans commute, there’s a point at which cars become dense (稠密) enough to slow down the flow of traffic, causing jam. Motsch, a mathematician in Arizona State University, and his colleagues wanted to know if ants on the move could also get stuck. So they regulated traffic density by constructing bridges of various widths between a colony of Argentine ants and a source of food. Then they waited and watched. “The goal was to try to find out at what point they are going to have a traffic jam.” said Sebastien Motsch.
But it appears that that never happened. They always managed to avoid traffic jam. The flow of ants did increase at the beginning as ants started to fill the bridge and then levelled off at high densities. But it never slowed down or stopped, even when the bridge was nearly filled with ants.
The researchers then took a closer look at how the behaviour of individual ants impacted traffic as a whole. And they found that when ants sense overcrowding, they adjust their speeds and avoid entering high-density areas, which prevents jams. These behaviours may be promoted by pheromones, chemicals that tell other ants where a trail is. The ants also manage to avoid colliding (碰撞) with each other at high densities, which could really slow them down. The study is in the journal eLife.
Can ants help us solve our own traffic problems? Not likely, says Motsch. That’s because when it comes to getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, human drivers put their own goals first. Individual ants have to be more cooperative in order to feed the colony. But the research could be useful in improving traffic flow for self-driving cars, which can be designed to be less like selfish humans—and more like ants.
1.What does the underlined word “this” in para.2 refer to?
A.Surviving. B.Commuting.
C.Finding food. D.Avoiding jams.
2.How did the researchers control the traffic density of the commuting ants?
A.By finding out the dense points. B.Through closer observation.
C.By controlling the widths of their path. D.By regulating their numbers.
3.According to the research, ants can avoid traffic jams mainly because ________.
A.they follow a special route.
B.they level off at high densities.
C.they never stop or slow down on the way.
D.they depend on their natural chemicals to adjust their speeds.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A.Traffic jams. B.Unavoidable? Not for ants!
C.Survival of an ant colony. D.Difference between human and ants.
I was 16 years old the day I skipped school for the first time. It was easily done: Both my parents left for work before my school bus arrived, so when it showed up at my house on that cold winter morning, I simply did not get on. The perfect crime!
And what did I do with myself on that glorious stolen day, with no adult in charge and no limits on my activities? Did I get high? Hit the mall for a shoplifting extravaganza (狂欢)?
Nope. I built a warm fire in the wood stove, prepared a bowl of popcorn, grabbed a blanket, and read. I was thrilled and transported by a book—it was Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises—and I just needed to be alone with it for a little while. I ached to know what would happen to Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley and Robert Cohn. I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting in a classroom taking another biology exam when I could be traveling through Spain in the 1920s with a bunch of expatriates (异乡客).
I spent that day lost in words. Time fell away, as the room around me turned to mist, and my role –as a daughter, sister, teenager, and student— in the world no longer had any meaning. I had accidentally come across the key to perfect happiness: I had become completely absorbed by something I loved.
Looking back on it now, I can see that some subtle things were happening to my mind and to my life while I was in that state of absorption. Hemingway’s language was quietly braiding itself into my imagination. I was downloading information about how to create simple and elegant sentences, a good and solid plot. In other words, I was learning how to write. Without realizing it, I was hot on the trail of my own fate. Writing now absorbs me the way reading once did and happiness is their generous side effect.
1.Why did the author skip school on that day?
A.Because her parents left home early.
B.Because it was a cold winter morning.
C.Because she was fascinated by a novel.
D.Because she hated to take the biology exam.
2.What did the author think is the source of true joy?
A.Reading by the fire. B.Travelling in Spain.
C.Breaking the regulations. D.Being occupied by one’s passion.
3.Which can best replace the underlined phrase “braiding itself into” in the last paragraph?
A.Entering. B.Destroying.
C.Mending. D.Blocking.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A.I was tired of my real-life roles.
B.I learnt how to write on the internet.
C.Hemingway’s style influenced me a lot.
D.Becoming a writer was my childhood dream.
Each year the Hay Festival attracts some of the world’s leading writers, artists and thinkers, to talk, share their thoughts and ideas and meet audiences. Ensuring guests are warmly received and well looked after during their stay has always been a top mission and one of the Festival’s key jobs.
All events management student volunteers need to be attentive and helpful. In return, they get the chance to meet some amazing, creative people, and experience the daily running of a fast-moving international festival, where time-keeping is important and, above all, performers and audience leave having had a thoroughly enjoyable, stimulating (启发性的) and thought-inspiring day.
We require volunteers in two areas:
Events Management
Events management student volunteers help out with a wide range of duties including meeting and greeting authors, assisting with book signings, accompanying artists to events, stage management assistance and manning reception desks.
Creative Workshops
Creative workshops student volunteers assist authors, illustrators and workshop leaders in the setting up and running of workshops. These roles may interest those who have a particular interest in visual arts and/or illustration.
Dates
The 2020 festival dates are Thursday 21 May–Sunday 31 May. Applicants will need to be available for the duration of the festival.
Who can apply?
We are looking for 24 young people between the ages of 18 and 25, who can demonstrate a passion for the arts and interest in events management.
Please send a CV and a short covering letter to ellen@hayfestival.com (for Events Management), or adrian@hayfestival.org (for Creative Workshops).
The closing date for both applications is 28 February 2020, and we will let applicants know whether they’ve been successful as early as possible in March 2020. Please indicate which role you are applying for or express a preference. If shortlisted (入围), you’ll need to be available for a short Skype interview.
1.What is the priority of the Hay Festival’s duty?
A.To meet creative people. B.To exchange ideas.
C.To receive more visitors. D.To serve guests well.
2.What must be mentioned in the application letter?
A.Available Time. B.The desired role.
C.A covering letter. D.Personal interests.
3.What is the deadline for the application?
A.20 March, 2020. B.21 May, 2020.
C.28 February,2020. D.31 May, 2020.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
It was an ordinary day for Shawn Turner and his kids as they were driving home along Military Trail on the morning of February 23. However, all this was about to change when his 9 -year -old son Timmy suddenly yelled from the backseat. He alerted him that there was a car floating in the canal they were passing by.
Shawn immediately pulled off onto the shoulder near the Boca Raton canal. The 33 - year-old dad rushed out of his vehicle and saw a woman behind the wheel in the sinking car. Knowing that there was no time to waste, Shawn quickly took off his sweatpants and jumped into the water.
He swam up to the window and confirmed that the woman, later identified as Molly Pedrone, was unconscious. She was still buckled (弯曲) in as her white Kia Soul filled with water. A woman also jumped in to assist with the rescue.
He shot his hand through the cracked window to roll it all the way down and launched his body halfway across the front seat. Shawn struggled to unbuckle Molly’s seatbelt. Just then, a man later identified as Adam Gunn dived into the water and quickly swam towards the driver’s side window.
By then, the car was close to being fully submerged. Shawn climbed inside to free Molly. Shawn lifted Molly out of her seat so that Adam could pull her through the driver’s side window. Because of his weight, the car started sinking faster. His 14-year-old son, who was filming the rescue, yelled in panic,“Dad, jump out! Get out! ”
Just as the car’s entire front was underwater, Shawn’s head emerged from the surface. He, the woman, and Adam carried Molly to the shore. As they were bringing her to the bank, Molly opened her eyes, looking confused.
“I told her to relax, that she was in an accident and that her car went into the water,”
Shawn said.
However, Molly had no recollection of the whole rescue, it was when she got in the hospital that she understood everything that had happened.
The attack rendered her unconscious, and that’s when her car came crashing into the canal.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Molly and Shawn met on Tuesday, and she says she couldn’t thank him enough and everyone involved in for what they did for her. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6月6日是全国爱眼日。在爱眼日来临之际，你校英文报以“爱护眼睛”为主题开展征文活动，请根据以下提示写一篇短文投稿。要点提示：
1.用眼的不良习惯和问题；
2.保护眼睛的措施和建议。
注意:1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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