We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-year-old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has-discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(降解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair, a ＄10,000 prize, a ＄20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he grounded plastic bags into a powder and concocted(调制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” Said Daniel Burd.
1.Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair because .
A. he found a new kind of microorganism
B. he contributed much to environmental protection
C. he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time
D. he could encourage microbe growth in an easier way
2. Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to .
A. make the live bacteria work better B. test how effective his method was
C. know which bacteria worked faster D. control the temperature in the process
3.
Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because .
A. plastics can get hot easily B. microbes can produce heat themselves
C. much carbon dioxide is produced D. the temperature can be controlled
4. Daniel Burd got his idea from .
A. his school textbook B. the failure of researchers
C. his everyday work D. the practice of other people
In 2006, a large number of new Internet sites became popular around the world. Some of these are for communication, others for entertainment.
The blog is one form of communication that increased in popularity. Through these personal websites, people can share their lives, ideas and opinions on the Internet. People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writing and other forms of self-expression. Blogs also connect people with other people who have the same interests. For example, teachers use blogs to share ideas with other teachers’, as well as experiences and concerns about their work.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular last year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and a half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet last year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.
People also take part in fantasy sports leagues with the help of the Internet. A fantasy sport is a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team. Each owner creates a team of real-life professional players to compete against other teams in the league. More than fifteen million American adults play fantasy sports. The industry earns more than one billion dollars each year from publications, memberships and other costs.
1.The passage is mainly about __________.
A. the most popular Internet technology in 2006
B. some new ways for people to communicate or have fun on the Internet
C. one online game called Second Life
D. the high price of playing online
2.Who is the owner of YouTube now?
A. Three young men. B. Google. C. Computer users. D. Yahoo.
3. Whom does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. The people who are interested in blogs.
B. The people who play games on YouTube.
C. The people who play Second Life.
D. The people who are created in Second Life.
4. What do we know from the passage?
A. Teachers can share ideas, experiences and concerns about their work with other teachers on any website.
B. More than fifteen million American teenagers play fantasy sports.
C. Second Life helps people get married, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school in real life.
D. Fantasy sports, a game in which each member of a group acts as the owner of a team, is very popular around the world.
Ellis Island is located in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is open daily year-round from 9:30am to 5:00pm, with extended hours during summer. It is closed on December 25. There is no admission charge to Ellis Island; donations are gratefully accepted.
At Your Fingertips
Park information (212) 363- 7620
Emergencies (212 ) 363- 3260
Ferryboat information (212) 269- 5755
Lost and found (212) 344- 7620
Dining, gifts, & audio tour (212) 344- 0996
Transportation
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry: Boats leave from Battery Park, Manhattan, and from Liberty State Park, New Jersey. They run about every 30 to 45 minutes beginning at 9: 15 am. (ferry schedule subject to change).
Hours: May vary; call the number below
Closed: December 25
Ferry fees (Includes Liberty and Ellis Islands): adults, $ 7; senior citizens, $6; children (age 3 to 17), $ 3. (lower group rates are available for 25 or more adults)
Ticket & schedule information: (212) 269- 5755
1.In summer, visitors will have ___________ to visit Ellis Island.
A. no enough money B. a longer time C. a shorter time D. a wonderful time
2. Which number would you call if your friends were suddenly ill?
A. (212) 344- 0996 B. (212) 363- 7620 C. (212 ) 363- 3260 D. (212) 269- 5755
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. People can visit Ellis Island free of charge.
B. The boats departure time from Battery Park is at 9:15 a.m. all the year round.
C. Ferry fees for children are cheaper than for adults.
D. Ferry fees for group visitors can be reduced.
4. We may infer from the passage that _____________.
A. visitors prefer to go to Ellis Island by boat B. there are more visitors in winter
C. Ellis Island is open every day D. Boat is the only transportation to Ellis Island[
The bus is a usable form of transportation all over the world because we can easily take it to go everywhere. Also, we do not need to worry about danger on a long-distance trip. Now, we have comfortable buses in London. I would like to describe how comfortable they are. First, the number of seats on a bus has been reduced from 44 to 19. The reason why the number of seats is now 19 is that the seats have been changed to big and comfortable sofas.
Originally, they changed the normal seats to airplane seats and took out ten seats from the buses. However, every customer wanted to have a more comfortable seat on the bus when they went on long-distance trips, so they changed them to sofas. Also, the owners of the bus companies wanted to make more money, so they tried to meet the passengers’ needs. They changed the airplane seats to sofas, so the number of seats is now 19.
As the new buses appear, the prices go up, too. The owners have many ideas, which you have probably never thought about before. Now they have bus attendants who serve water, snacks, newspapers, and towels.
Also, you can change the direction and the height of the sofa to make yourself more comfortable, and there is a service bell on each sofa. Moreover, some companies show movies on the buses. In addition, when you go on a long-distance trip, they have luxurious(豪华的) buses that have an LCD screen on each seat. That is not the only surprising thing on the bus. They also have different TV channels, movie channels, and seventy TV games for killing time while you are on the bus.
1.How many airplane seats did they put in a bus originally?
A. 10 seats. B. 19 seats. C. 34 seats. D. 44 seats.
2. The direction and height of the sofas can be changed so that ______.
A. they can take up less space B. they can hold more people
C. passengers can feel more comfortable D. passengers can watch a movie
3.If you are thirsty and want to have a drink while sitting in the bus, you’d better _____.
A. go to the front of the bus to get it B. get off the bus to buy some by yourself
C. change the direction of the seat D. ring the bell on your sofa
4.Though there are fewer seats on the buses, _____.
A. the bus can pick up as many passengers as before
B. the owners get more money by offering better service
C. the bus fare remains the same as before
D. the bus is as crowded as it was before
完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Tong Shiqiang rushed into a kindergarten behind his primary school several times, carrying a __36__ of kids each time he rushed out of their classroom on that fateful（灾难的）day. Only 14 years old and 1.5m tall, Tong can now __37__ a national bravery award for saving seven children.
The grade-6 student was __38__ a Chinese language class in Zhongwang Primary School in Qishan village of Longnan city, one of the worst-hit areas in Gansu province, __39__ the deadly quake struck on May 12,2008. There were 49 __40__ students in his class at the time.
"Windows began rattling(嘎嘎响）and it __41__ as if lots of bees were singing underground," __42__ Tong Shuangxi, Tong Shiqiang's teacher and uncle. "The sound grew __43__ ... and then I __44__ it was an earthquake.”
The teacher cried: " __45__ out!" All the students ran out of the room immediately.
__46__ outside, Tong Shuangxi rushed toward the kindergarten where the children __47__ a nap (午睡). Tong Shiqiang ran with him.
Only three of the kids had __48__ to run out of their room when they __49__ the building. The rest were crying, too __50__ to move. It __51__ less than three minutes for them to carry out all the five- and six-year-olds to __52__.
__53__ whether all the kids had been saved, Tong and his nephew had __54__ begun checking the name list when the classroom's walls fell down. "That's the only time I was scared," said Tong Shiqiang.
The 14-year-old is __55__ to be nominated (提名) for the child hero award, to be given by the Ministry of Education and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League.
1. A. score B. dozen C. couple D. number
2. A. beat B. win C. show D. give
3. A. listening B. hearing C. giving D. attending
4. A. when B. while C. where D. which
5. A. another B. other C. others D. the other
6. A. looked B. turned C. appeared D. seemed
7. A. reminds B. remains C. recalls D. remarks
8. A. alouder B. weaker C. clearer D. louder
9. A. realized B. found C. thought D. recognized
10. A. Nobody B. Everybody C. Somebody D. Anybody
11.A. once B. Before C. Since D. After
12. A. were having B. have C. had D. having had
13. A. tried B. wanted C. managed D. attempted
14. A. arrived B. reached C. got D. escaped
15. A. surprised B. moved C. frightened D. excited
16.A. paid B. spent C. cost D. took
17. A. safety B. classroom C. yard D. hospital
18. A. No problem B. No wonder C. Not sure D. Not know
19. A. ever B. just C. never D. even
20. A. possible B. probable C. likely D. maybe
It was in the garden of her old house ______ she grew up ______ she dug up a pot of silver and gold.
A. that; where B. where; that C. which; what D. what, which
