Consumers are being confused and misled by the hodge-podge(大杂烩) of environmental claims made by household products, according to a “green labeling” study published by Consumers International Friday.
Among the report’s more unacceptalbe findings – a German fertilizer described itself as “earthworm friendly”; a brand of flour said it was “non-polluting” and a British toilet paper claimed to be “environmentally friendlier”.
The study was written and researched by Britain’s National Consumer Council (NCC) for lobby group Consumers International. It was funded by the German and Dutch governments and the European Commission.
“While many good and useful claims are being made, it is clear that there is a long way to go in ensuring shoppers are adequately informed about the environmental impacts they buy,” said Consumers International director, Anna Fielder.
The 10-country study surveyed product packaging in Britain, Western Europe, Scandinavia and the United States. It found that products sold in Germany and the United Kingdom made the most environmental claims on average.
The report focused on claims made by specific products, such as detergent (洗涤剂), insect sprays and some garden products. It did not test claims, but compared them to labeling guidelines set by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in September, 1999. Researchers documented claims of environmental friendliness made by about 2,000 products and found many too vague or too misleading to meet ISO standards.
“Many products had specially designed labels to make them seem environmentally friendly, but in fact many of these symbols mean nothing,” said report researcher Philip Page.
“Laundry detergents made the most number of claims with 158. Household cleaners were second with 145 separate claims, while paints were third on our list with 73. The high numbers show how confusing it must be for consumers to sort the true from the misleading,” he said.
The ISO labeling standards ban vague or misleading claims on product packaging, because terms such as “environmentally friendly” and “non-polluting” cannot be verified. “What we are now pushing for is to have multinational corporations meet the standards set by the ISO,” said Page.
1.According to the passage, the NCC found it unacceptable that _______.
A. all the products surveyed claim to meet ISO standards
B. the claims made by products are often unclear and deceiving
C. consumers would believe many of the manufacturers’ claims
D. few products actually prove to be environment friendly
2.As indicated in this passage, with so many good claims, the consumers _______.
A. are becoming more cautious about the products they are going to buy
B. are still not willing to pay more for products with green labeling
C. are becoming more aware of the effects different products have on the environment
D. still do not know the exact impact of different products on the environment
3.It can be inferred from the passage that the lobby group Consumer International wants to _______.
A. make product labeling satisfy ISO requirements
B. see all household products meet environmental standards
C. warn consumers of the danger of so-called green products
D. verify the effects of non-polluting products
Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (肌腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (缝合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.
Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle (脚踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement (侵犯). Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties (版税). In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.
1.Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because __________.
A. people did not know how to put out the fire
B. Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention
C. the sewing machines couldn’t work finally
D. workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire
2.Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elias Howe a lifetime of royalties?
A. Because the judge was against Singer for his unfriendly attitude.
B. Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.
C. Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.
D. Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.
3.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
B. The Case between Howe and Singer
C. Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine
D. The Early History of the Sewing Machine
Calling for Contributions
Keen to share your views and have your articles published in the Campus Link? We are calling for contributions to the following sections:
Lifestyle:
Do you travel widely, keep a journal of your adventures and have nice photographs that you might want to share? Or have you simply been somewhere that caught your imagination? Tell us all about your travels!
Are you an eager movie-goer? Be Leonard Maltin for the day and share your views of the latest blockbuster (大片) with our readers!
If food is your preferred choice of relaxation, try your hand at being food critic and send us your views on food/restaurants worth trying.
Class Notes:
Whether it’s about your accomplishments, memories of campus days, your recent career or a new addition to your family, we welcome you to share your news, views and photos with friends and classmates through Class Notes. Read about your classmates in this issue of Campus Link.
Research:
If this noble line of work is your bread and butter or passion, we want to hear from you! Share with Campus Link your research developments and breakthroughs. If you know of someone (your schoolmate or teacher) whose research work is a source of inspiration for our community, do not hesitate to send in your suggestions!
If you are interested in sharing any of the above, or if you know of someone worthy of feature, please get in touch with the Editor-in-Chief, at karinyeo@campuslink.sg.
Contributions will be selected based on their relevance and quality and Campus Link reserves the right to publish or reject a submission. All contributions will be edited for clarity and length. Please send your submissions in word.doc files and your photos in jpeg format.
Contributions for the next issue should reach us by 10 July 2013.
1.In the Lifestyle section, you may not find ___________.
A. journals of travels B. well-taken photographs
C. stories of Leonard Maltin D. opinions on restaurants
2.Which of the following is TRUE about Campus Link?
A. It offers readers bread and butter.
B. It welcomes research developments and breakthroughs.
C. It helps you to recognize your schoolmates and teachers.
D. It is a source of inspiration for the community.
3.The poster aims to __________.
A. declare the rights of Campus Link
B. introduce someone worthy of feature
C. share views and articles among teachers
D. encourage contributions for the next issue
Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar（美洲豹）saw Jeb and his son, Tom, before they saw it. Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar. It worked. The cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too.
Jeb let go of his jacket, grasped Tom and held him across his body, making a cross. Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger, and it rose up, ready to move away, but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb.
“Tom, no!” shouted his father.
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar. The second Tom broke free, Jeb threw himself on the cougar, just as it jumped from the rock. They hit each other in mid-air and both fell. The cougar was on Jeb in a flash, forgetting about Tom, which was what Jeb wanted.
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance, even with just his fists. As the cougar’s claws（爪子）got into his left shoulder, Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit hard. The animal howled and put its head back. Jeb followed up with his other fist. Then out of the corner of his eye, Jeb saw Tom. The boy was running back to help his father.
“Knife, Tom,” shouted Jeb.
The boy ran to his father’s bag, while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting, to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom. Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb. The cougar was moving its head in and out, trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms. Tom swung with the knife, into the cougar’s back. It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains.
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds.
1.Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?
A. To get ready to fight. B. To frighten it away.
C. To protect the boy. D. To cool down.
2.What do we know about cougars?
A. They are afraid of noises.
B. They hesitate before they hit.
C. They are bigger than we think.
D. They like to attack running people.
3.Which of the following happened first?
A. The cougar jumped from the rock.
B. Tom struggled free of his father.
C. Jeb asked Tom to get the knife.
D. Jeb held Tom across his body.
To advertise effectively today, you must abandon the old-school idea of “reaching the masses”. All advertising is local and personal. The key to effective advertising today is to focus on the 45 .
Some are the 46 ways every advertiser could work out. You can print a specific offer of your goods or service on door-hangers and place them on doorknobs in your area. Door-hangers on doorknobs will produce results in direct 47 about the strength of your offer. If you need to reach the drivers, flyer (宣传单) under windshield (挡风玻璃) wipers may have better effect than door-hangers. Imagine, how 48 if you hire someone to be a walking ad or launch a T-shirt advertising, 49 , you can print your products on T-shirts of your 50 . In the early 1970s “Hamp Baker says Drive with Care” was spray-painted on cars, which was a public service ad. Ever since, spray-painted sign has become more and more 51 .
More grand ways are as follows: virtual showroom. Build a website to 52 a virtual showroom. Use it when people call to ask 53 about your company, your products or your services. Also you can even use an old slide projector to put on a nighttime show. They’re 54 effective, and in the long run, cheap. Nothing is quite as powerful as a public 55 that seizes the public’s attention. You can invite a band to give a performance. 56 , you can hire famous models to show it vividly.
Nothing screams “expert” quite as loudly as a book written about a subject. You simply can’t 57 the power of your name on the cover of a book. You might only sell a few copies online, but the copies you give away in your town will make you a fortune. You won’t make money on the book. You’ll make it because of the book.
Of course, word-of-mouth is the best way to promote your 58 . Friends and past customers recommend your products to their family, friends and colleagues. Word-of-mouth works because the 59 is based on previous positive experiences.
1.A. person B. product C. individual D. style
2.A. special B. common C. amusing D. normal
3.A. description B. decision C. discussion D. permission
4.A. surprising B. funny C. impressive D. amazing
5.A. that is B. at the same time C. as a result D. on occasion
6.A. customers B. employers C. consumers D. employees
7.A. expensive B. usual C. popular D. meaningless
8.A. refer to B. serve as C. stand for D. use as
9.A. location B. business-hours C. salary D. details
10.A. unbelievably B. consequently C. accidentally D. occasionally
11.A. speech B. sport C. debate D. performance
12.A. For example B. Moreover C. However D. To be exact
13.A. create B. guess C. imagine D. think
14.A. production B. reflection C. consciousness D. business
15.A. information B. relationship C. pronunciation D. achievement
A. concentrated B. possible C. revised D. applications E. figures F. connect G. benefits H. global I. associate J. tops
More than two million people in Europe now have fiber broadband（光纤宽带）direct to their home, suggests a survey. The latest 1. on superfast broadband delivered by fiber to the home (FTTH) show 18% growth over the last survey compiled in late 2008.
The continued growth suggests that the 2. economic decline has not hit plans to build fiber networks. Sweden 3. the list of nations applying the technology, with 10.9% of its broadband customers using fiber. Karel Helsen, president of Europe’s Fiber-To-The-Home Council, said the growth matched predictions that were 4. when the credit crisis started to make itself felt. “The numbers in 2009 are in line with the latest forecasts,” said Mr. Helsen.
By 2013, the FTTH Council expects that 13 million people across 35 European nations will have their broadband delivered by fiber. Such services would start at a speed of 100 megabits per second (mbps), said Mr. Helsen. Around Europe more than 233 projects were underway to lay the fibers that would 5. homes or buildings to the net, said Mr. Helsen. Many of those, he said, were being operated by local governments or smaller net firms. Local governments were interested in FTTH because of the economic and social 6. it brought in its wake, said Mr. Helsen.
The low delay in high-speed fiber networks made 7. new uses of broadband, he said. “No delay is very important,” he said, “specifically if you talk about 8. that are time-dependent such as personal communications, conference calls or video calls where delays cause a lot of trouble.” While early FTTH services were 9. in cities, said Mr. Helsen, many more were reaching out to rural areas for e-health and e-learning projects.
