It's already challenging enough for environmentalists to keep beaches clear of washed up trash(垃圾) and plastic debris(残骸), but the most difficult problem lies in cleaning up all of the millions of tiny microplastics that are impossible to pick up and separate from the sand.
Fortunately, a group of engineering students succeeded in developing a massive new vacuum cleaner that can collect microplastics without removing any of the sand from the beach. The 12 Canadian students from the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec built their Hoola One plastic vacuum cleaner as a class project.
"We did some research and we realized there was no machine around the world to do this kind of job," Hoola One co-founder Sam Duval told Hawaii Public Radio. "So we told each other, 'We will invent it,' and we did it."
As a means of testing their machine's efficiency, they recently used it on the sands of Hawaii's Kamilo Beach, which is also notorious for being one of the dirtiest beaches in the world. Though their first prototype(原型)experienced a number of technical issues, the students managed to fix the problems and tidy up the beach.
Using a handheld tube, the machine sucks(吸入)up plastic and sand and dumps them all into a massive tank of water. Since rocks and sand are heavier than plastic, they sink to the bottom of the tank so they can be dumped back onto the beach. The plastic, on the other hand, floats to the top of the tank.
According to Hawaii Public Radio, the team left the Hoola One vacuum on the island as a donation to the state department- They are now researching the ecological effects of the vacuum on the beach while they search for funding and sponsorships(赞助)to produce more Hoola One vacuums.
1.What is the hardest problem of keeping the beach clean?
A.Picking up plastic debris.
B.Removing trash on the sea.
C.Separating plastics from the sand.
D.Clearing up all the microplastics.
2.What do we know about the Hoola One plastic vacuum cleaner?
A.It can collect plastics without removing sand from the beach.
B.It has been used widely on the beaches around the world.
C.The students tested its efficiency on Hawaii's Kamilo Beach.
D.The students gave up the first prototype due to several failures.
3.What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
A.The working procedure of the vacuum cleaner.
B.The invention process of the vacuum cleaner.
C.The ecological impacts of the vacuum cleaner.
D.The special materials of the vacuum cleaner.
4.What words can best describe the 12 Canadian students?
A.Generous and stubborn. B.Confident and persistent.
C.Devoted and wealthy. D.Admirable and humorous.
Just what is a tiger mother？Amy Chua is a law professor at America's Yale University and her recent book on the subject is making waves. She's been called “dangerous”，“outrageous”，even a “monster” for her descriptions of how she brought up her two daughters.
Her book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother describes fighting with a daughter for hours at the piano to ensure the child gets a piece of music right. She rejected birthday cards made for her by her girls because she didn't think they had made enough effort. She compared one child negatively with the other，threatening to burn their toys. Her rules include：schoolwork always comes first; an A minus is a bad grade; children must be two years ahead of their classmates in math，and playing the violin or the piano is a must.
Ms. Chua considers the Chinese hard work ethic(道德) as a way of creating happy，successful children—at least in her case. Although she's had a large amount of flak for her theories，one thing can't be ignored—the success of Chinese children in the education system.
In Britain，shocking research shows that Chinese girls，for example，are outperforming all other foreign groups at GCSE—79 percent getting 5 A C Grades，compared with 58 percent of white British girls. So what is it about Chinese parenting that's leading to high achievers？And how do Amy Chua's theories play into that success?
She told me that if her daughter came back from school with 96/100 in a test，Chua would ask her what happened to the other 4 points. It's about always knowing “you can do better”，she told me.
Interestingly，in China，the birthplace of the tiger mother，people are moving away from traditional Chinese parenting. They are following more western parenting styles.
1.After reading Amy Chua's recent book，the public ______.
A.feel very sorry for their own children
B.consider her a very successful mother
C.realize their methods of bringing up children are wrong
D.don't think highly of her methods of bringing up her children
2.The underlined word in the third paragraph probably means_____.
A.Attention B.Criticism
C.Curiosity D.Contribution
3.It can be inferred from the text that ______.
A.Amy Chua will change her methods
B.Amy Chua considers her methods useful
C.Amy Chua's children don't love their mother
D.Amy Chua's children prefer western parenting styles
Uber
Uber is available in over 70 cities throughout 40 countries worldwide. You can either choose a typical Uber unmarked car or a regular taxi. The app can show you where drivers are, so you know how long you’ll be waiting. You can also get fare quotes(报价)in advance. Your payment source is linked to the app and is automatically charged, so no physical money is ever needed.
Lyft
Lyft is a service that is also available in many large cities in the US. However, it offers something different, one of which is Lyft Line. With this service, you can find people that take the same route on a daily basis as you and split the fare with them. Lyft’s regular service lets you easily see where rides are, catch one, and easily pay right within the app.
Easy Taxi
Easy Taxi is available in 86 cities across 26 countries and lets you quickly browse through maps and find locations you’d like to be picked up at. From there, just make sure there are taxis in your area. Confirm your ride and then pay for it within the Easy Taxi app. Once you book a ride, you should see the taxi’s plate number and phone number appear on the map, making it easy for you to pick out both the car and the driver.
Curb
Curb, formerly Taxi Magic, is currently available in around 60 cities across the United States as well as select cities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Mexico. It ties in with taxi companies and their drivers. As your taxi makes its way to your location, you’ll be able to track its progress inside the app. You can link a payment account to Curb to pay your fare through the app. You can also pay in cash.
1.Which app is available in the most countries?
A. Uber. B. Lyft.
C. Easy Taxi. D. Curb.
2.What’s the special service of Lyft?
A. You can pay the fare in cash. B. You can see where your ride is.
C. You can get fare quotes in advance. D. You can find someone to share the fare.
3.What do the four apps have in common?
A. They are available worldwide. B. They are tied to taxi companies.
C. They allow users to pay via app. D. They can identify your location.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Some times people complain that getting to work in a big city is no easy matter, just like the popular saying goes, "Taking a bus is too crowded, getting a taxi is too expensive, buying a car is not practical. " It seems that traffic jams and cities go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic, however, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. Needless to say, traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. However, there are indeed some things: you can do to reduce the time you spend in traffic jams.
For example, the highway is not always the fastest way to get from Point A to Point B. Research the area and check online maps to see if you can find a shorter route to work, which usually flows more smoothly during rush hour and can help reduce much of your driving time. From the above you may know that alternative route is of great importance.
Let's take another example. Most of the population works from8 am to 5 pm, which means that the majority of traffic jams happen around 7 am and 6 pm. So if you want to avoid a traffic jam, talk to your manager about arriving at the office earlier and leaving earlier, If some of us and companies can do like this, the conditions of heavy traffic can be changed in a way.
Finally you can take gymnastics, dance or yoga lasses after work to avoid traffic jams. Actually, there are many reasons for us to take exercise classes and going to the gym, instead of shopping and entertaining friends after work. This is a clever solution that can also help people improve their health and meet others with similar interests.
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随着现代社会的发展，许多人开始养起了宠物，对此事有的人表示支持。也有的人表示反对。你对这个问题持什么态度，有哪些建议？假设你是李华，请写一封信给某英文报社的编辑，反映上述问题。
要求：1.词数80左右
2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Editor,
With the improvement of modern people's life, more and more people begin to keep pets. However, advantages and disadvantages happen to them.
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
A 90-year-old has been awarded “Woman Of The Year” for 1.(be) Britain’s oldest full-time employee—still working 40 hours a week. Now Irene Astbury works from 9am to 5pm daily at the pet shop in Macclesfield, 2. she opened with her late husband Les. Her years of hard work have 3.(final) been acknowledged after a customer nominated(提名) her to be Cheshire’s Woman Of The Year.
Picking up her “Lifetime Achievement” award, proud Irene 4.(declare) she had no plans 5.(retire) from her 36-year-old business. Irene said, “I don’t see any reason to give up work. I love coming here and seeing my family and all the friends I 6.(make) over the years. I work not because I have to, 7. because I want to.”
Granddaughter Gayle Parks, 31—who works alongside her in the family business—said it remained unknown as to who nominated Irene for the award. She said, “We don’t have any idea who put grandma forward. When we got a call 8.(say) she was short-listed, we thought it was 9. joke. But then we got an official letter and we were blown away. We are so proud of her. It’s 10.(wonder).”
