Modern agriculture and its beauty to feed billions of people may be one of humanity’s greatest achievements. However, it comes with hidden costs. For example, have you ever considered how much water is needed to provide you with a steak or a salad? It may surprise you.
In a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia’s national science organization, took a close look at the diets of 9,341 adult Australians-specifically, their “water-scarcity footprints (水消耗足迹)”.
It turns out that a sweet tooth not only adds to our waistlines but also stresses our water resources.
The water-scarcity footprint is a widely recognized measurement of water consumption. First, it counts the liters of water you used. Then, it looks at the place where the water was used. Using a liter of water in the desert is not the same as using a liter of water in a tropical rainforest. The more scarce water is in your area, the larger your water-scarcity footprint.
The scientists found that the average Australian’s diet had a water-scarcity footprint of 362 liters per day. Snacks and beverages-cookies, cakes, sodas and alcohol-accounted for 25 percent of the water-scarcity footprint. The research also included a glass of wine (41 liters), a single serving of potato chips (23 liters), and a small bar of milk chocolate (21 liters).
Not surprisingly, cutting out snacks would be the top priority if you wanted to lower your own water-scarcity.
Earth’s surface is 70 percent water, but only 2.5 percent of that can be used for drinking or farming. While humanity faces an uphill battle to feed its growing population, climate change is causing droughts and extreme weather in agricultural centers like California and eastern Australia.
Cities aren’t safe, either. In 2018, Cape Town, South Africa, nearly ran out of water due to drought. Its freshwater reservoir (水库) stayed at just about 13.5 percent of full capacity.
By 2030, a world of about 8.6 billion people will need 35 percent more water, 40 percent more energy, and 50 percent more food, according to the United States National Intelligence Council.
So, we need to watch what we eat, not just for our personal health but for the health of our societies.
1.What did the recent study from CSIRO find?
A.There are many hidden places like lacking water.
B.The foods we consume could cause our water-scarcity footprints to be bigger.
C.Climate change is the leading reason for larger water-scarcity footprints.
D.Eating sweets leads to a smaller water-scarcity footprint.
2.What do we know about water-scarcity footprints?
A.They show how much a person affects their local water supply.
B.They change with a country’s population.
C.They count the amount of water a family wastes.
D.They are mainly used to measure how scarce water is in the desert.
3.What can we infer from the last four paragraphs?
A.South Africa is the area with the worst water shortages.
B.We are facing a greater shortage of water than of food.
C.Our eating habits could make a difference to the problem of water shortage.
D.Water shortage may bring about many social problems.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.How to get rid of snacks
B.Why we should reduce water waste
C.The more water is, the bigger the water-scarcity footprints are
D.Water waste starts with snacks
As we know it, it’s not unusual to find such private message on Facebook: “Hey, girl. Wanted to invite you to join my next challenge group-we’ll be focusing on fitting in 30 minutes of exercise and balanced nutrition.”
It was all becoming too much. Facebook was running my life, not me.
But what killed Facebook for me was when I posted a photo, and five minutes later my son asked me how much “likes” it had got. His question was a wake-up call.
“Likes” are signs of acceptance and approval. I had forgotten that acceptance and approval need to come from within and had unknowingly set him a bad example.
Before Facebook, surfing the Internet was an occasional distraction and I spent a lot more time reading books and magazines. I checked in with friends through texts, emails and phone calls.
To recreate the simplicity of those days and set a healthier example for my son, I deactivated my Facebook account.
I’d been in the habit of checking Facebook many times a day, so I had to come up with some new habits. I carried a novel and a crossword puzzle book around with me. I rediscovered knitting. I started taking yoga classes.
I started to remember a few things. My body is fine just the way it is. I have friends who will help me out when I’m in trouble, and I’ll help them out. I do my best to be a good mother, and our son is happy and healthy. We are lucky to be able to afford two vacations a year.
I stopped looking at the world through my cellphone. I felt completely present in the moment.
The break left me feeling better about myself, my family, my home and my life.
After a few weeks, I returned to Facebook. Now I look at the photos of my friends’ kids growing up and treasure how social media allows me to keep in touch with family far and wide. I look in on a daily basis, but no longer with the desire constantly to post updates.
1.The underlined word“deactivate”in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to___________.
A.update B.quit
C.label D.close
2.What did the author do to change her life?
A.She went to the gym as often as she could.
B.She got into some healthy habits.
C.She tried to make money for her holidays.
D.She traveled around a lot for a year.
3.What did the author think of the break from Facebook?
A.It gave her time to find beauty in life.
B.It distanced her from her friends.
C.It stopped her using social media.
D.It left her space to educate herself.
4.In the author’s opinion,people should be__________using social media.
A.doubtful about B.supportive of
C.cautious about D.indifferent to
Don’t you have time for reading? If you are interested in non-fiction books, here are some good choices for you.
A Room of One’s Own
This essay by English writer Virginia Woolf is based on several lectures given to two women’s colleges at Cambridge University in 1928. In the essay, Woolf describes that it’s circumstance not talent alone, that allows men to be more successful at writing. Women, in other words, spend so much time cooking, cleaning, and tending to their children that they have no time left for art. To write well, therefore, a woman must have a “room of her own”. While on its surface, this essay appears to be only about writing, it is actually about wealth and class, freedom and confinement, and the power struggle between sexes.
The Art of War
Written by ancient Chinese warrior Sun Tzu, The Art of War is widely considered to be one of the best books about military strategies in human history. Consisting of 13 chapters, each dealing with a separate aspect about how to fight a war, the book has been translated into every major language and has thousands of editions. For centuries, it has been used to train world leaders for its detailed study of military strategies and effective leadership.
Letter to My Daughter
This book of essays by Maya Angelou, a respectable African-American poet, is written for “the daughter she never had” — the millions of women, both young and old, that she considers to be her “family”. From the viewpoint of a caring, older relative, this book contains lessons selected from her own life experiences, including the birth of her only child, a son, as well as the development and loss of friendship.
A Brief History of Time
If you’re short of time, then why not read about, well, the creation of time? This book, first published in 1998 from brilliant scientist and mathematician Stephen Hawking, explores mind-bending questions about the creation of the universe, including if and when it will end, and if so, how. Despite its heavy subject matter, Hawking addresses these questions in a way that’s easy to understand, even for those who know little about physics.
1.What can we learn about the four books?
A.A Brief History of Time mainly focuses on the matter of time.
B.Letter to My Daughter is actually a common family letter.
C.The Art of War gives advice on how to be a world leader.
D.A Room of One’s Own is more than about writing.
2.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.As a physicist,Hawking is equally famous in writing.
B.Maya devotes herself to fighting for women’s rights.
C.The book by Sun Tzu is helpful in policy-making.
D.Woolf looks down upon men in writing.
3.What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To make comparisons among the four books.
B.To recommend the four books to readers.
C.To make comments on the four books.
D.To promote sales of the four books.
假定你是李华，你校将迎接英国代表团，作为学校书法团团长，请你写一篇发言稿，要点如下：1.介绍书法用具；2.阐述书法学习的好处；3.邀请英国同学参与。
注意:1. 100词左右；2. 开头已写好，不计入总词数。3.参考词汇：书法 calligraphy；文房四宝 the Four Treasures of the Study(writing brush, ink stick, paper, ink slab)
Dear friends,
We’d like to share our culture with you by introducing you to the art of Chinese calligraphy ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之同交换修改作文，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（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：l. 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。
I was only about six while he held his hand out to me. I took it in me and we walked. Minutes later I ask him, “Grandpa, how come you have so much lines on your hand?” Heard the words, he laughed and said, “Well, that’s a big question!” He was silent for a moment. Now he answered slowly, “Each these lines stands for a trouble in my life.” I looked at his other hands. “But Grandpa, I wonder how you have more lines on that one.” “Because there are more the honors and joys in my live,” he smiled.
Humans frequently fall ill owing to me._______, they can hardly blame me; it is largely their own_______. A tired person may get_______especially when he goes to crowded places with polluted air. A sudden change in_______ is another factor. In hot summer, people turn on the air-conditioner upon returning home. They will catch a cold easily.
My latest victim is an energetic student. After school, he played football hard for two hours. Though_______, he still went to the cinema. Then he got back home and took a cold shower immediately.
I seized this golden chance to_______ him. He reacted, trying to_______ me, but I was already_______ deep in his throat. He kept sneezing and his nose was running._______ he put on some warm clothes, it didn’t work, for there were too many of us. Besides, his sore throat kept________ him, and he developed a cough to force me and my family out, but________.
The next day he couldn’t go to________. He had lost his appetite and was not as________ as before. His mother made him orange juice every few hours for more vitamin C, which would help his________.
For two days he was________ by his mother. As he rested more, his defense strengthened and I began to feel the________. I knew I had to________ him before long. But I am not the one who gives up easily, and I made every effort to fight back.________, it was my turn to feel________ now, for his defense system was starting an all-out attack against me. I became________ and finally my time was over.
Do you know what I am?
1.A.Therefore B.Besides C.However D.Then
2.A.business B.responsibility C.excuse D.fault
3.A.punished B.blamed C.caught D.killed
4.A.season B.temperature C.place D.condition
5.A.excited B.hurt C.late D.exhausted
6.A.injure B.bother C.attack D.destroy
7.A.get rid of B.get on with C.put up with D.take hold of
8.A.waiting B.reproducing C.hiding D.disappearing
9.A.Since B.Once C.Whether D.Although
10.A.upsetting B.reminding C.comforting D.influencing
11.A.escaped B.succeeded C.regretted D.failed
12.A.bed B.work C.school D.hospital
13.A.peaceful B.afraid C.dynamic D.happy
14.A.development B.recovery C.study D.growth
15.A.nursed B.protected C.scolded D.treated
16.A.loss B.operation C.pressure D.movement
17.A.boycott B.abandon C.forget D.beat
18.A.Uncertainly B.Unsuccessfully C.Unusually D.Unfortunately
19.A.disappointed B.awful C.nervous D.ashamed
20.A.weaker B.bigger C.smaller D.stronger
