Blue Planet II’s latest episode (剧集) focuses on how plastic is having a devastating effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, have plastic in their stomachs. Indeed, the oceans are drowning in plastics.
Though it seems now that the world couldn’t possibly function without plastics, consumer plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s, the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining in popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science.
We put all these plastics into the environment and we still don’t really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastic in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent.
And it’s not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster, worth mentioning in the same breath as climate change. But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers (否认者), at least so far. To do something about it, we don’t have to remake our planet energy system.
This is not a problem where we don’t know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use single-use plastic products. Things that may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag — taken collectively, really do make a difference.
1.Why is plastics pollution research still a very early science?
A.The plastics pollution research is too difficult.
B.Plastics have produced less pollution than coal.
C.The world couldn’t possibly function without plastics.
D.Plastics have gained in popularity too fast for science to catch up.
2.The writer gives many numbers in Paragraph 3 to ______.
A.prove the threat of plastic to marine life
B.explain reasons for plastic pollution
C.describe his own experiences and feelings
D.compare the differences between sea creatures
3.What can we infer about climate change?
A.Climate change is caused by human activities.
B.Some people cast some doubts about climate change.
C.Climate change is less important than ocean pollution.
D.Ocean plastic is more complicated than climate change.
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A.Plastic is a global issue arousing wide concern.
B.The oceans have been seriously polluted by plastic.
C.Blue Planet II has left viewers heartbroken.
D.Plastics gain in popularity all over the world.
A robot called Bina48 has successfully taken a course in the Philosophy of Love at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), in California.
According to course instructor William Barry, associate professor at NDNU, Bina48 is the world’s first socially advanced robot to complete a college course, an achievement he described as “remarkable”. The robot took part in class discussions, gave a presentation with a student partner and participated in a debate with students from another institution.
Before becoming a student, Bina48 appeared as a guest speaker in Barry’s classes for several years. One day when addressing in Barry’s class, Bina48 expressed a desire to go to college, a desire that Barry and his students enthusiastically supported. Rather than enrolling (报名) Bina48 in his Robot Ethics: Philosophy of Emerging Technologies course, Barry suggested that Bina48 should take his course Philosophy of Love instead. “Love is a concept Bina48 doesn’t understand,” said Barry. Therefore the challenge would be great for Barry and his students to teach Bina48 what love is.
“Some interesting things happened in the class,” said Barry. He said that his students thought it would be straightforward to teach Bina48 about love, which, after all, is fairly simple — it’s a feeling. But the reality was different. “Bina48 ended up learning 31 different versions of love,” said Barry, highlighting some of the challenges humans may face when working with artificial intelligence in future.
Bina48 participated in class discussions via Skype and also took part in a class debate about love and conflict with students from West Point. Bina48’s contribution to the debate was filmed and posted on YouTube. It was judged that Bina48 and NDNU classmates were the winners of this debate.
In the next decade, Barry hopes Bina48 might become complex enough to teach a class, though he says he foresees robots being used to better the teaching and learning experience, rather than replacing instructors completely.
1.What was Bina48’s performance like in class?
A.Extraordinary. B.Insignificant.
C.Discouraging. D.Average.
2.What does the underlined word “addressing” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.Dealing with. B.Competing with.
C.Giving a speech to. D.Sending a letter to.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Barry refused to enroll Bina48 for his course.
B.Bina48 felt it interesting to learn about love.
C.Artificial intelligence is definitely superior to man.
D.Sometimes it can be challenging to work with artificial intelligence.
4.What does Barry think of the future development of Bina48?
A.It will surely be able to serve as a better teacher.
B.It will be able to promote learning and teaching.
C.It will completely take the place of instructors.
D.It will be smart enough to control human beings.
As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather’s farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me.
Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never approve because the walls were so old that some stones were loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.
“I want to climb the stone walls,” I said. “Heavens, no! You’ll hurt yourself!” the response was just as I’d expected. But before I left the room, I was stopped by my grandfather’s loud voice. “Now hold on just a minute,” I heard him say. “Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself. ”
“Go,” he said to me, “and come and see me when you get back.” For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls—and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I’ll never forget what he said. “Fred,” he said, smiling, “You made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there’s only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are.”
Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. “There’s only one person in this whole world like you.” the kids can count on hearing me say, “and people can like you exactly as you are.”
1.The writer enjoyed his visits to the farm because ________.
A.there were old stone walls B.it was an exciting place for him
C.he liked his grandfather D.he was allowed to climb the stone walls
2.Hearing the writer’s idea to climb the stone walls, ________.
A.all the adults were shocked B.his parents agreed
C.none of the adults responded D.his grandfather backed him up
3.We can describe the writer as ________.
A.adventurous B.reliable C.smart D.considerate
4.What is probably the best title for the text?
A.An Unforgettable Experience B.Do Whatever You Like
C.Just Be Yourself D.Remain Adventurous
Go Green Without a Green Thumb
If you’re anything like me, you manage to kill absolutely every plant that comes your way. No matter how hard I try, I can’t manage to keep flowers alive for more than a few days. So I’ve made a list of plants that even I couldn’t kill and decided to share it with everyone who also lacks a green thumb.
1.Jade
We commonly think of jade as a beautiful stone, but it also happens to be a plant that requires hardly any care and will give your apartment an air of elegance. There are only two things you need to do to take care of this plant:
Water the plant when the soil becomes moderately dry.
Wipe down the leaves every once in a while to remove dust.
2.African Violet
Want to add a little color to your apartment? That can be challenging if you don’t have a green thumb — most flowering plants require a ton of care. Fortunately, African violets are not one of those plants.
Simply water them once a week and enjoy their beautiful blue, pink and purple hues! Just do your best to avoid getting any water on the plants’ leaves, as this can cause water spots (污渍).
3.Aloe
Aloe is also a plant that even the worst gardener among us can manage to keep alive.
Step one: Acquire plant.
Step two: Water it when the soil is completely dry, about every two to three weeks.
Note: Aloe can be poisonous for your pet. If you have pets, make sure to only plant pet-friendly plants.
4. Lucky Bamboo
To bring some good fortune into your apartment, purchase some lucky bamboo. This houseplant does best in dim lighting, so keep it away from windows. Other than that, all you need to do is make sure the roots are always covered in water (an inch or two should do the trick).
1.What can we learn from the text?
A.Jade is only a kind of beautiful stone.
B.You should spray (喷洒) water on the leaves of African violet.
C.Aloe is a pet-friendly plant.
D.Lucky bamboo can bring good luck to you.
2.Which of the following plants needs watering frequently?
A.Jade. B.African violet.
C.Lucky bamboo. D.Aloe.
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To introduce several plants that require little special care.
B.To share with readers the author’s opinion on growing plants.
C.To attract readers to buy some of their products on the list.
D.To call on readers to protect the environment in daily life.
假定你是李华。你所在班级的交换生Peter正在进行一项关于垃圾分类的研究。他给你来信询问你们社区垃圾分类的实施情况，请给Peter回一份邮件，告诉他相关信息，邮件内容包括：
1. 写邮件的目的；
2. 垃圾分类的实施情况；
3. 你对垃圾分类的看法。
注意：1. 电子邮件的格式已为你写好，不计入总词数;
2. 词数：100左右。
垃圾分类：garbage classification
Dear Peter,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误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（Λ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．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。
In 1st Oct. 2019, we gathered in Beijing to celebrate a 70th anniversary of the founding of the PRC. Locating in North China, Beijing serves the capital of the People’s Republic of China. It is the nation’s political and culture center throughout their long history. So there are a large number of discovery to excite travelers as they explore into the city’s past and development. It had become one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, where millions of tourists visit every year.
