China plans to launch 156 small satellites by 2025 toprovide Internet services in low signal areas and placeswith adverse natural environment, according toChinaAerospace Science and Industry Corporation(CASIC).
Due to environmental conditionsof deserts,mountains and seas, half of the world's population has noaccess to the Internet, and the information deficiencyhamperslocal development.
It will be China's first broadband Internet accesssystem with small satellites hovering in low orbit, whichwill also help meet the needs of commercial space development.
The project, named Hongyun, plans to send the firstsatellite by 2019, and launch four more by 2020. By theend of 2025, CASIC plans to have all of the 156 satellites in operation.
The Hongyun Proiect, which focuses on communication,remote sensing and navigation, can offer communicationand Internet services for China and less-developed 3countries with reduced latency. Meanwhile, the projectcan also benefit emergency communication, sensor data collection and remote control of unmanned equipment.
Currently, international maritime satellites are widely used in communications in mountainous areas and airplanes, but those satellites, 36, 000 kilometers abovethe Earth, have time and signal delay as well as high cost for providing services.
The small satellites sent by the Hongyun Project will hover in low orbits only hundreds of kilometers to 1, 000 kilometers above the Earth, and thus could improve the Internet access. However, the low orbit satellites may face challenges in power supply, as they need more energyto reduce the influence of air-resistance compared to highorbit satellites. Experiments are needed to determinewhether solar energy alone is enough.
1.According to the passage, ________________.
A. 156satellites will be launched by the Hongyun Project by 2020
B. international maritime satellites can cause signaldelay
C. The Hongyun Project may not encourage commercialspace development
D. low orbit satellites are currently used widely incommunications in mountainous areas
2.The underlined word “hampers” in Paragraph2 probably refers to ________.
A. accelerates B. determines
C. prevents D. promotes
3.Which of the following is not included in the HongyunProject?
A. Communication and Navigation. B. Remote sensing.
C. Data collection. D. Solar energy.
4.Low orbit satellites need more energy in order to________.
A. provide more accurate data B. improve the Internet access
C. reduce the effect of air-resistance D. face more challenges
The idea of turning recycled plastic bottlesinto clothing is not new. During the last five years, a large number of clothing companies, businessesand environmental organizations have started turning plastics into fabric to deal with plastic pollution.But there’s a problem with thismethod. Research now shows that microfibers could be the biggest source of plastic in the sea.
Dr. Mark Browne in Santa Barbara, California, has been studying plastic pollution andmicrofibers for 10 years now. He explains that every time synthetic clothes go into a washing machine, a large number of plastic fibersfall off. Most washing machines can’t collectthese microfibers. So every time the water getsout of a washing machine, microfibers are entering the sewers and finally end up in the sea.
In 2011, Browne wrote a paper stating that asingle piece of synthetic(合成的) clothing can producemorethan 1, 900 fibers per wash. Browne collected samples from seawater and freshwater sites around the world, and used aspecial way toexamine each sample.Hediscovered that every single water samplecontained microfibers.
This is bad news for a number of reasons. Plastic can cause harm to sea life when eaten. Studies have also shown that plastic can absorbother pollutants.
Basedon this evidence, it may seemsurprising that companies and organizations havechosen to turn plastic waste into clothing as anenvironmental“solution.”Even though thescience has been around for a while, Browneexplains that he's had a difficult time gettingcompanies to listen. When he asked well-knownclothing companies to support Benign byDesign—his research project that seeks to getclothes that have a bad effect on humans and theenvironment out of the market, Browne didn’tget a satisfying answer. Only one women’sclothing company, Eileen Fisher, offered Brownefunding.
1.What has happened during the past five years?
A. Fabric has become much stronger.
B. Plastic pollution has been less serious.
C. Many plastic bottles have been reused.
D. Microfibers have been greatly improved.
2.What does Browne think of washing syntheticclothes?
A. It is adding microfibers to the clothes.
B. It is worsening environmental problems.
C. It is making synthetic clothes last longer.
D. It is doing great damage to washing machines.
3.What can be inferred about Browne’s Benignby Design research project?
A. It has achieved great success. B. It hasn’t got anything done.
C. It is known to very few people. D. It is facing some difficulties.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A. It’s important to learn to recycle
B. It’s never easy to solve pollution problems
C. Recycled plastic clothing: solution orpollution?
D. Are human beings moving forward orbackward?
On a flight from Dallas, Texas, to Cincinnati, Ohio, to visit a friend in 2008, event planner Paige Chenault daydreamed about the grand birthday parties she’d throw for her daughter one day. (Paige was five months pregnant at the time.) Then, flipping through a magazine, she saw a photo of an impoverished Haitian boy, skinny. “I thought, this kid has nothing,” Paige says.
The image stayed with her, andshe resolved to do something to help. “I decided I would use my talents to throw birthday parties for homeless kids,” Paige says. For the next four years, Paige and her husband, Colin, took time out from parenthood to visit shelters to determine how best to pull off the parties.
Finally, in January 2012, Paige launched the Birthday Party Project, a nonprofit organization, and recruited friends and family to help decorate Dallas’s 75-occupant Family Gateway Shelter with balloons and streamers, celebrating the birthdays of 11 boys and girls, with 60 more homeless kids in attendance. “That first party was better than I could have ever imagined,” says Paige.
Now Paige and her staff of three paid employees work with regional volunteers to plan monthly themed parties at 15 shelters across the country, some of which house abused or abandoned kids. Each child celebrating a birthday that month gets a$30 gift, a decorative place mat, and an individual cake or cupcake.
One of Paige’s favorite parts of each party is when the kids make a wish and blow out the candles. “They rarely get a chance to dream big,” says Paige.
Her daughter, Lizzie, now seven, often helps out at the parties. Paige says, “The one thing I’ve always wanted is for my kid to be generous.”
1.What was it that made Paige want to help the homeless children?
A. A flight from Dallas to Ohio. B. Her daughter’s birthday.
C. The photo of a Haitian boy. D. Her talent for throwing parties.
2.What does the underlined word “impoverished” mean?
A. adorable B. poor
C. talented D. dead
3.What can be learnt from the passage?
A. A total of 75 full-time workers are employed by Paige at present.
B. After unsuccessful attempts, Paige finally threw a wonderful party for the homeless kids.
C. Kids can spend $30 to celebrate their birthday.
D. Paige commits herself to the cause of helping the homeless kids.
4.What kind of person do you think Paige is?
A. Caring and sensitive. B. Competent and loyal.
C. Kind and perseverant. D. Responsible and disciplined.
Here are our suggestions for keeping busy this week. Dive in!
Take to the waves in Southampton
Always fancied trying your hand at sailing? Now’s your chance. The Southampton Boat Show has plenty of opportunities for visitors to get out on the water to experience boat sailing, powerboating or taking a ride on a RIB--all for free.
Discover an island on the Thames
To celebrate Totally Thames, a month-long festival is held at various locations across London. We’ve discovered 21 of the river’s most fascinating islands--all of them with interesting stories to tell. Make the most of it with our map here.
Catch great films in Bristol
Over six days, Encounters Film Festival screens up to 400 films from over 60 different countries. The Bristol festival provides a platform for international filmmakers, and offers a gateway to the likes of the BAFTAs, Oscars and European Film Awards. See here for full details.
Get scientific in London
Experience the latest, best and most challenging science covering all areas of our lives and universe at New Science Live at ExCel London. New Scientist Live is a four-day festival full of ideas and discoveries from the team behind the world’s most popular science weekly magazine, featuring four zones--Brain&Body, Technology, Earth and Universe--as well as talks from experts and over 200 exhibitors.
1.Which is the most suitable for moviegoers?
A. Take to the waves in Southampton. B. Discover an island on the Thames.
C. Catch great films in Bristol. D. Get scientific in London.
2.What is true about New Scientist Live?
A. A science weekly magazine.
B. A festival where ideas and discoveries are shared.
C. A festival to celebrate great scientist.
D. An exhibition to show scientific discoveries.
3.Where can you find the text?
A. On a noticeboard. B. In a newspaper.
C. On a website. D. In a book review.
Every act of kindness starts with something small, something we all can and should do every single day. I’m Will Ruhio, one of the ______ of BYUtv’s Random Acts show. We take hidden cameras to unexpected places to ______ random acts of kindness. We’ve filmed acts _____ from building disabled-friendly facilities(设施) for those who are badly ______ them but can’t afford them to returning a lost wallet.
On Random Acts, it may be a neighbor or a colleague who recognizes a need and ____ an incredible chain reaction of service.______ the story of Emmalene Meyers for example. Like many young girls, Emmalene was______to be a ballet dancer, but her physical disability makes even everyday tasks a(n)__. Instead of seeing a limitation, Emmalene’s friend Lily ______ an opportunity.Lily imagined Emmalene’s dream being brought to life onstage and persuaded Random Acts to help make her plan ______.
So, where can you start? The key is to be like Lily: look for an opportunity to make a ____ to those in need, and then take action to make it happen. Being ______ and involved in service is _____ like any other goal you want to achieve. You have to ______ it.
After two seasons of hosting Random Acts, the joy of ______ burdens and brightening lives doesn’t fade. I sometimes ____Random Acts might lose its feature eventually, but that couldn’t be further from the ______. When I finally meet the people we’ve been working to ______ and see their genuine shock and appreciation, it ______ me in the feel every time. I cry more than anyone else on the show.
Be that person doing acts of kindness out of the ______ of your heart—be the nice you want to see in the world!
1.A. photographers B. actors C. viewers D. hosts
2.A. expose B. conduct C. arrange D. advocate
3.A. changing B. counting C. ranging D. transforming
4.A. in search of B. in need of C. in defense of D. in favor of
5.A. sets off B. sets aside C. sets down D. sets out
6.A. Retell B. Take C. Create D. Explain
7.A. anxious B. proud C. afraid D. unwilling
8.A. exception B. dilemma C. competition D. challenge
9.A. provided B. seized C. spotted D. missed
10.A. successful B. acceptable C. reasonable D. available
11.A. choice B. difference C. promise D. decision
12.A. generous B. caring C. ambitious D. sociable
13.A. never B. even C. still D. just
14.A. put up with B. make up for C. work at D. take in
15.A. bearing B. carrying C. reducing D. overcoming
16.A. admit B. realize C. remember D. assume
17.A. truth B. deadline C. destination D. boundary
18.A. entertain B. surprise C. locate D. please
19.A. relieves B. discourages C. hits D. satisfies
20.A. whisper B. curiosity C. faith D. goodness
在未给提示词的空白处仅填写 1个适当的单词,在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。
China has once again showed its ability to change the world with its“ four great new 1. (invent)” —highspeed rail, electronic payment, shared bicycle, and online shopping.
China's newgeneration highspeed train, the Fuxing Hao, is now one of the 2. (fast) trains in the world,which can travel at a speed of 350 km/h. Besides highspeed rail, China 3. (improve) people's lives in many other innovative ways over the last decade.
Bike sharing, for example, is not new itself. But China has made 4. much more convenient and popular both in China 5. overseas. The leading Chinese bikesharing companies Mobike and Ofo are now operating in foreign countries such as Singapore and Britain.
And back in China, when riding a shared bike, you can stop 6.(buy)and eat whatever you want 7. (simple) with a tap on your phone. You could easily pay with your smartphone by 8. (scan) the seller's QR code. Cashless payment has grown into a 9.(choose) for Chinese people—even a pancake seller is using Alipay.
Besides, the four innovative ways of life are most appealing 10. youths from 20 countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, and they wish their countries would emulate (模仿) China in terms of technological achievements.