My name is Miranda Gibson. I have been a...

    It's not always easy to run an energy efficient house. But there are some simple things anyone can do.

Go LED with your lighting.

There are sevenal benefis to switching to energy efficient light bulbs. One of them is saving money- though the LED bulbs might cost more than traditional bulbs, the average saving on LED bulbs is $ 75a year._ 1.LED bulbs can last years or even decades.

Don't run your air conditioner constantly

As the weather starts to warm, you might be thinking about the right time to turrn on your air conditioner. _ 2.Air conditioner units are among the most energy-consuming appliances in your home. Using electrical fans instead of your air conditioner is much more efficient and it's a big money saver, too.

3.

On those days when you treat a large crowd and are low on time，don't beat yourself up if you have to use disposable(一次性的) dishware. This method reduces your water usage and saves energy. And as a bonus, if your city offers roadside recycling, your paper plates may qualify.

Update your insulation(隔热)

All that work you're doing to save energy in your home could go to waste if it's not properly insulated. If you can't insulate the whole house, pay special attention to the roof: it reduces air flow from outide. By updating your insulation,you're saving money.4.

Take showers instead of baths

A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of waler.5.Showers are quite dfferent---taking a five-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons!

A.But do you really have to?

B.You should use your air conditioner smartly.

C.Tum off water when not using it.

D.Plus, you needn't change them frequenly.

E.Don't feel guilty about using paper plates.

F.And it's also easier to control your home temperature.

G.Even if you don't fill it to the top, it still uses much more water.

    The ruins of a Maya city have been discovered in Guatemala with the help of the remote sensing technique LiDAR. This lost city envelops sites like Tikal, Holmul, and Witzna, but shows that these famous areas are a small part of this lost urban network.

Hidden under the jungles of the Maya Biosphere Reserve site, more than 60,000 human-made features — homes, canals, highways, and more — have been identified in aerial (从飞机上的)images collected by some international researchers headed by the PAGUNAM Foundation, a Maya cultural and natural heritage organization. Those have experts rethinking the outlines and complexity of the Maya Empire.

These ancient peoples obviously created these imaginative cultures based on their known relics (遗迹), but the new research has suggested that the size of this lost society is far beyond what experts imagined. The findings will be explored in a one-hour documentary called “Lost Treasures of the Maya Snake Kings”, to be broadcast on the National Geographic Channel.

This breakthrough was possible thanks to LiDAR sensors, which can survey lands in 3D by bouncing pulses off the ground from unmanned air vehicles and others. LiDAR is exceptionally useful for detecting archeological(考古的)sites, as it gets through jungles and other features that hold up exploration on the ground. The technique has made many discoveries become a reality in recent years. For instance, major finds at Angkor, Cambodia and Caracol, Belize can explain what it did. The final goal is to survey Guatemala’s lowlands with it.

“There are entire cities we didn't know about now showing up in the survey data,” Francisco Estrada-Belli, one of the lead archeologists on the project, said in Nat Geo's coming documentary. “There are 20,000 square kilometres more to be explored and there are going to be hundreds of cities about the mysterious people who built this urban network there that we don’t know about, and we will push back the frontiers with the technology,” he added.

1.What does the underlined word "Those" in paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Jungles. B.Human-made features.

C.Researchers. D.Aerial images.

2.What does the author want to convey in paragraph 4?

A.The working principle of LiDAR sensors.

B.The process of researching Maya civilization.

C.Great importance of Guatemalans lowlands.

D.LiDAR’s contribution to discovering the relics.

3.Which words can best describe the lost Maya city?

A.Small and hidden. B.Famous and high-tech.

C.Vast and complex. D.Fully-explored and imaginative.

4.What will the archeologists do next?

A.Continue to explore the unknown. B.Upgrade the LiDAR technology.

C.Study the documentary carefully. D.Build a massive urban network,

    As Americans live longer and the job market stays competitive, fast-food chains are increasingly hiring from senior centers, churches and aging advocacy groups like AARP, Bloomberg reports. And it's not just death rates and economic trends driving the change. Seniors have more polished social skills, but teens are stopped from growing up online with fewer real-world connections.

“I spend a lot of time with young kids. They can he very disrespectful,” 63-year-old Church's Chicken manager Stevenson Williams tells Bloomberg of his teen coworkers. “You have to coach them and tell them this is your job, not the street,” Williams says. Having “soft skills” such as politeness often comes more easily to the seniors, who have had a lifetime of experience in the workforce to learn how to treat customers compared with young people.

Employers thus get a more mature worker at no additional cost but the reasons for seniors outpacing teen hires are many. The US Census Bureau reported this year that, by 2035, there will be more Americans over age 65 than there are children under age 18. Plus, fewer people in their prime (盛年)are working—thanks to the unaffordable childcare that forces many parents to stay at home, according to a study by Princeton University.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts the number of American workers aged between 65 and 74 will swell 4.5 percent by 2024, while the 16-to-24s will shrink 1.4 percent. By 2024, the BLS projects the labor force will grow to about 164 million people. That number includes about 41 million people aged 55 and older about 13 million of whom are expected to be aged 65 and up.

So don’t be surprised to see even more service with a smile and silver hair in that drive-through lane.

1.What does the underlined part “the change” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.The job market gets competitive.

B.Americans live longer.

C.Senior centers are becoming more popular.

D.Fast-food chains hire more senior people.

2.Why are seniors the hot new fast-food employees according to Williams?

A.They demand less pay.

B.Teens are easy to quit.

C.Teens are hard to control and manage.

D.They are good at socializing.

3.Which of the following can be regarded as a “soft skill”?

A.Knowing customers’ needs.

B.Having high education.

C.Having lots of connections with the real world.

D.Being skillful at computer.

4.Why do many parents stay at home?

A.They prefer to look after children.

B.They find it hard to find a job.

C.They find it hard to pay for childcare.

D.They are unwilling to work with senior citizens.

    Before my daughter, Evelyn, was born, I eagerly expected her first year of life. I imagined celebrating every milestone --- bonding with her as a newborn, seeing her smile for the first time, hearing her say her first word. 1 didn't think of feeding tubes, long hospital stays or an organ transplant( 移植). For Evelyn, the first year included all and more.

Evelyn came into this world at just 34 weeks, weighing less than 3 pounds. Genetic testing revealed she had Alagille syndrome, a genetic disorder that can damage the liver(肝脏),heart and other organs. Soon, we received the news that baby Evelyn needed a liver transplant. Our family moved nearer to UPMC Children's Hospial of Pittsburgh so that we were closer if a liver was available for Evelyn.

When Evelyn was added to the organ donation wait list, I was under the liver allocation policy in place at that time,which was map-based. This policy lacks any special consideration for transplant candidates.We were told it would likely take three months. Just then, a new policy for liver allocation was tried out.Under the new system, the sickest child patients get first priority(优先).The new policy was only in effect for a litle over a week, but in that period, Evelyn received her liver transplant. Had it been just one week earler or later, we would not have received the call.

As Evelyn recovers from her transplant, we are grateful for the change.I am also sad, because the new policy was short-lived. That means another mom like me might not receive that phone call with good news.

Other children should have the same opportunity as Evelyn to live healthy, happy lives. When it comes to liver transplant policy, we can and must do better for children.

1.What probably happened to Evelyn shorly after she was born?

A.She failed to give a smile.

B.She had a serious liver failure.

C.She said her first word quickly.

D.She suffered from a heart attack.

2.Why did the author's family move nearer to the hospital?

A.To save time.

B.To have money.

C.To see a doctor.

D.To get first priority.

3.What does the author mean by the underlined sentence?

A.Evelyn is healthy now.

B.They waited too long.

C.They were one week earlier.

D.Her daughter is fortunate.

4.What does the author want to express in the last pargraph?

A.We must guarantee kids have healthy livers.

B.Kids should have chances of a liver transplant.

C.The sickest kids should get liver transplants first.

D.The old policy lacks special consideration for kids.

    Muir Woods and Sausalito Half Day Tour

Wander through an ancient coastal redwood forest and explore the artistic bayside on this half-day tour from San Francisco. Travel across the Golden Gate Bridge to visit Muir Woods,  home to some of the oldest and tallest  trees  on  Earth.  At  the  end  of  your  tour  choose  between getting dropped off at Union Square in San Francisco or taking the ferry back to San Francisco.

Yosemite National Park and Giant Sequoias Day Trip

Discover the beauty of the Sierra Nevada on this full-day trip to Yosemite National Park from San Francisco. Travel aboard a comfortable van through historic Gold Rush towns to reach the park, where you’ll be amazed by supersized natural wonders. Take a hike among ancient trees, and enjoy several hours to explore the park’s wonders on your own.

Niagara Falls Tour

Escape from New York City and head north to see both sides of the Canadian border on this guided, 2-day tour to Niagara Falls. Visit Niagara Falls on both the American and Canadian sides and take a ride on the famous Maid of the Mist boat. Then, on the road back to New York City, make a stop to shop at the Crossings Premium Outlets, one of the largest outlet malls in the US.

Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Tour

Escape to California’s famous wine country on this full-day tour from San Francisco. Taste regional varietals at three different wineries including both big-name and family-run estates (庄园). Learn about the winemaking process during guided tours, and appreciate the regional culture with  a stop for lunch.

1.Which tour should you choose if you want to do some shopping ?

A. Muir Woods and Sausalito Half Day Tour.

B. Yosemite National Park and Giant Sequoias Day Trip.

C. Niagara Falls Tour.

D. Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Tour.

2.What can you do on Napa and Sonoma Wine Country Tour ?

A. Appreciate some of the oldest and tallest trees on Earth.

B. Enjoy supersized natural wonders.

C. Get some winemaking knowledge.

D. Take a ride on the boat.

3.What does the writer intend to do by writing the passage?

A. To introduce some outdoor activities.

B. To share some tour experiences.

C. To advertise for the wine country.

D. To call for protecting natural wonders.