Over a hundred years ago in 1911, something strange was found in the glaciers of Antarctica. Grilffith Taylor—an Australian geologist, had discovered a blood red steam pouring out of the ice cascades（瀑布）of Talor Glacier! Popularly known as the Blood Falls, scientists had not been able to find the reason behind the blood red liquid flowing through the ice---until recently. The mystery of the Blood Falls had finally been solved.
When these falls were first discovered, scientists had believed that the red colour came from a large amount of red algae（海藻）concentrated in the water. Red algae contain a pigment（色素）which reflects red light, making the algae appear red.
This theory made sense, until it was later found that algae do not play a part in the red color of the flowing liquid at all. What really causes Talor Glacier’s waters appear blood red, is the presence of iron oxide in the liquid. The waters of the blood falls are rich in salt and iron content, and when this water comes in contact with the air, it turns red—just like rust! The water in these falls is often referred to as “brine” by scientists because of the high salt content in the water.
This reasoning behind the red colors of the falls was found back in 2003. However, the entire mystery had not yet been solved. How is it then, that the Blood Falls are not frozen?
Researchers at the University of Colorado and University of Alaska found that inside the glacier, there was a network of channels and reservoirs that move the water around. Salt water has a lower freezing temperature. In addition, when any substance undergoes a change in state, it gives off heat. Therefore, the brine actually warm itself up while it’s freezing! How this works, is that when the brine is flowing through the Talor Glacier, some of it does freeze. As a result of changing state from liquid to ice, the brine gives off heat. This heat is enough to keep the rest of the rest of the brine in liquid form, which is why it flows out of the glacier.
Incredible new chemistry facts found, any mystery solved!
1.According to the text, the red algae theory was once considered ________.
A.ridiculous B.reasonable
C.impractical D.complex
2.Why does the Blood Falls look red in colour?
A.Because there is too much salt and iron in its water.
B.Because its liquid is rich in red algae.
C.Because the following liquid reflects and sunlight
D.Because the air is thin and rare in Antarctica.
3.What is the main reason for the Blood Fall’s not freezing?
A.The water continued flowing constantly.
B.There is too much salt in the water.
C.The brine gives off heat while freezing
D.Temperatures aren’t high enough for flowing water.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The discovery of the blood glacier.
B.The birth of the Talor Glacier.
C.The flowing red water in Antarctica.
D.The mystery of the Blood Falls.
Bees play a vital role in the world. Unfortunately, bees are dying by the second.
The main purpose of bees is to make honey. Honey, shockingly, does not exist for human consumption, it is essential to the insects. Honeybees store honey in their hives (蜂巢) in order for the bees to have energy for their flight muscles and for heating the hive during the winter period. They collect pollen (花粉) which supplies protein for young bees to grow.
According to Honey, com, the increased production and quality of agricultural crops as a result of honey bee pollination is valued more than $14.6 billion per year. These insects are responsible for over 70 of the fruits and vegetables we eat today, including apples, grapes, coffee, beans, and broccoli.
So if they are so valuable to agriculture, why do they keep dying off? A key suspect seems to be pesticides (农药). Honeybees who are exposed to pesticides result in the damage to their neurological (神经的) functions, specifically memory or behavior. And that’s why the majority of worker bees disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen. There are several other causes to the decline of bees, including the destruction of natural habitat, like woodlands, forests, and other habitats for bees. Climate change is also a factor in the decline of the wild bee population.
Actually, there are a variety of methods to help the bee population grow. One way is to start your own organic garden by planting bee-friendly plants. Pesticides are used in both industrial practices and even in your home, so it is best to find organic seeds and weed killers.
1.Why do honeybees store honey in their hives?
A.To provide enough honey for human to consume.
B.To draw protein out of honey for young bees.
C.To help attract other insects and make hives stronger.
D.To strengthen bee muscles and heat hives in winter.
2.Apples and beans are mentioned in the third paragraph to show that ________.
A.bees supply human beings with basic food
B.bees mainly live on these agricultural crops
C.bees are of great importance to fruits and vegetables
D.bees can bring in more money for famers every year
3.What is most likely to cause the worker bees to leave their hives behind?
A.The lack of food.
B.The abuse of pesticides.
C.The fighting among bees.
D.The destruction of the habitats.
4.What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A.Another way to save bees.
B.Other tips for choosing seeds.
C.More methods to plant green organic fruits.
D.Causes of the decline in the wild bee population.
For the last eight years, Jo Meade rode her bike each Sunday on a 16-mile round trip to her job washing dishes. It took more than an hour each way. Other days of the week she would spend two hours on three buses from her apartment to get to the other work, for a four-hour round trip.
That was the “before” part of her life. The “after” part of her life was started by the community Police Officer Trevor Arnold, who delivered a used car to her with the help of a car dealer and other donors.
Arnold, who spotted Meade, red and sweaty, riding her bike in the worst heat this summer, decided he would get her a car. He intended to quietly buy her a used car out of his own pocket so he turned to his friend Kody Slaght, a car salesman, to ask about a car priced $ 1,000. That wasn’t enough for a reliable ride, Slaght said, but the dealership said they would find a good car for her at a good price. Soon others were donating. Slaght and Arnold wouldn’t say how much the car cost, but the value is about $ 4,000.
Arnold said he was motivated by Meade’s work ethic (职业道德) to help. “I see a lot of hardworking people but that’s when they are at work. Can you imagine spending four hours of your day getting to and from work?” he said.
Meade’s boss said she was awesome and really reliable when she worked and she got along with others. “She’s willing to ride the three buses to get in here on her day off if we need her to.”
Meade said she was planning to buy a car, “but I haven’t been able to afford it,” she said. “Trevor, he is a very good guy. I did not expect this.”
1.What can we learn about Jo Meade’s work?
A.It’s free but low-paid. B.It’s time-consuming on the road.
C.It’s competitive and high-paid. D.It’s not worth her devotion.
2.Why did Slaght disagree to Arnold’s buying a car priced $ 1,000?
A.The car was not in good condition of driving.
B.The car was too expensive for Meade.
C.The car was beyond Arnold’s affordability.
D.The car had been donated to another person.
3.What inspired Arnold to buy a car for Meade?
A.Her devotion to work. B.His duty as a policeman.
C.His sympathy for Meade. D.Her desire for a better life.
4.What’s Meade’s feeling for the donated car?
A.Normal. B.Embarrassed.
C.Disappointed. D.Surprised.
What is TrackR?
TrackR is the simplest way to find lost or misplaced items. Join the millions of people who are connected to their most important items.
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1.What do you think is the passage?
A. Descriptions of several products. B. An advertisement of a product.
C. An introduction to lost items. D. Directions of a new item.
2.How many functions does a TrackR have?
A. Three. B. Four. C. Five. D. Six.
3.Which of the following can replace the underlined “a snap” in the passage?
A. An easy job. B. A necessary task.
C. An available method D. A quiet action.
请阅读下面图文，并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
The need for social distancing has reached the dining table with the National Health Commission announcing on Sunday that it will insist on diners being served meals in separate dishes in restaurants to better protect public health.
Separate dishes for everyone is not something new for China;the earliest records show people having their meals from separate dishes.Even during big feasts,people had a table to themselves. And there is nothing to suggest this practice was because of an epidemic(流行病）。Instead,this helped personalize the menu for everyone and avoid the wasting of food.
How we eat is,of course,just one way to control the spread of an epidemic.Some of these good habits should continue after the epidemic ends to prevent another one from breaking out in the future.
（写作内容）
1.用约30个单词概括图文信息的主要内容；
2. 结合实际谈谈你是否倾向于中国古代传统的就餐方式？请说明理由（不少于两点）。
（写作要求）
1.写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2.作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3.不必写标题。
（评分标准）
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填1个单词。
Imagine that work had taken over the world.It would be the centre around which the rest of life turned.Then all else would come to be subservient(服从于）to work.Then slowly,almost unconsciously,anything else-the games once played,the songs sung now,the loves fulfilled,the festivals celebrated-would come to resemble and finally become work.
And how,in this world of total work,would people think and sound and act?Everywhere they looked,they would see the pre- employed,employed,post-employed,underemployed and unemployed,and there would be no one uncounted in this census(人口普查）。Everywhere they would praise and love work wishing each other the very best for a productive day,opening their eyes to tasks and closing them only to sleep.Everywhere virtue of hard work would be championed as the means by which success is to be achieved,laziness being considered as the gravest sin(罪孽）。 Everywhere among content-providers,knowledge-brokers,collaboration architects and heads of new divisions would be heard endless chatter about workflows,about plans and benchmarks(基准）。
In this world,eating,resting,exercising,meditating and commuting(act of travelling back and forth between home and work)would all be beneficial to good health,which would,in turn,be put in the service of being more and more productive.No one would drink too much,and some would just take a little of psychedelics(迷幻剂）to enhance their work performance.
What is so disturbing about total work is not just that it causes needless human suffering but also that it removes the forms of playful contemplation(沉思）concerned with our asking,thinking and answering the most basic questions of existence.There is,to begin with,constant tension,an dominant sense of pressure associated with the thought that there's something that needs to be done, always something I'm supposed to be doing right now.Secondly,one feels guilt whenever he is not as productive as possible
The burden character of total work,then,is defined by ceaseless,restless,upsetting activity, anxiety about the future,a sense of life being overwhelming,thoughts_about missed opportunities, and guilt connected to the possibility of laziness.In short,total work necessarily causes dukkha,a Buddhist term referring to the unsatisfactory nature of a life filled with suffering.
In addition to causing dukkha,total work blocks access to higher levels of reality.For what is lost in the world of total work is art's disclosure of the beautiful,religion's glimpse of eternity(永恒）， love's pure joy,and philosophy's sense of wonderment(a feeling of pleasant surprise or admiration). All of these require silence,stillness,a wholehearted willingness to simply understand.
Passage outline | Supporting details |
Imagination
| If work occupied the world,human life would 1.around nothing else and there would also be an 2.change from anything to work. |
Possible occurrences
| ◇Human life would be a work-sleep pattern. ◇Efforts to make you 3.at work would be praised and laziness 4. ◇People of different5.would talk endlessly about work,like workflows,plans and so on. |
Consequences
| ◇Total work not only brings about suffering but also 6.people from having playful contemplation. ◇Total work tends to put people under pressure,making them feel tense and 7.when they are not productive. ◇Total work causes people to always feel 8.about their life. ◇Total work leaves people little 9.to explore art,religion,love and philosophy,blocking people's access to higher levels of 10.. |
