Hybrid cars, also called hybrid electric vehicles （HEVs）, are cars that use more than one source of energy to run. They differ from the majority of cars on the road today in several ways. The main difference is that HEVs run on gasoline and electricity. An HEV car has a battery-powered motor as well as an engine that runs on gasoline.
A hybrid car is a bit more expensive to produce than a regular car even though its engine is smaller. The reason for the greater expense is that the engine is more complex. It has specialized mechanisms that allow it to operate using gasoline and electric power. It also contains a computer that works differently from those of regular cars. Even though it is more expensive to purchase, it costs less to own than gas-powered cars. When an HEV car is at a stoplight or going at a speed below 15 miles per hour, its special computer tells it to run just on electric power. When the computer senses that the car needs more power, it puts the gasoline engine back to work. The computer is constantly deciding whether the car will use electricity, gas, or a combination of the two.
Because the HEV has electric power to help it run, it uses much less fuel than most cars. In fact hybrid cars are the most fuel-efficient cars that exist today. They can get from 50 to 60 miles per gallon on average. The high mileage saves money for the car owner and conserves precious supplies of petroleum. Hybrid cars help the environment in other ways too. For example, when
the HEV is using electric power, it does not send out poisonous smoke that pollute the air.
Despite the differences between hybrid cars and regular cars, HEVs offer the same feel as regular cars. They handle the same way and speed up and stop in the same way too. HEVs, though, are generally smaller than gasoline-powered cars. Their rounded, aerodynamic frame helps add to their fuel efficiency but unfortunately does not add to the amount of space inside the vehicle.
1.Which statement best explains the characteristics of an HEV?
A.Safe and reliable. B.Expensive but long-lasting.
C.Smaller engine, greater power. D.High price, low carbon.
2.The transformation between the gasoline and electricity in an HEV is operated by ________.
A.the engine B.the battery
C.the computer D.the driver
3.For what purpose was the HEV invented?
A.To save energy. B.To provide better service.
C.To lower the expense of purchase. D.To give the drivers a different feeling.
4.Where does the passage probably come from?
A.A health report. B.A science magazine.
C.A vehicle advertisement. D.A travel journal.
Rescue workers and thousands of volunteers are not the only ones who have won hearts and minds for their heroic efforts in the search for survivors after Tuesday's powerful earthquake in
Mexico. Fifteen dogs from the navy's canine（军犬）unit have assisted this week in the rescue efforts at the sites of collapsed buildings across Mexico City, where more than 50 people have been pulled alive from the ruins.
Of the canine heroes none is more famous or loved than Frida, a six-year-old white Labrador who in her distinguished service has won praise for her ability to detect people who have been trapped by various natural disasters. Over her admirable career she has found 52 people including 12 survivors in Mexico and other Latin American countries.
This week, Frida and Evil and Echo—two Belgian Shepherds that have also been specially trained for rescue efforts一were sent to the site of the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen School in southern Mexico City.
Equipped with goggles that protect her eyes from dust and smoke, boots to prevent damage to her paws while she climbs over rough ruins, Frida took to her work looking every bit the part of the ruins.
If Frida detects the presence of a survivor, she is trained to bark to alert rescue workers but if she detects a corpse she stops suddenly before proceeding, her handler explained.
Eleven children were rescued from ruins at the school but this time human rescue workers rather than the dogs were the ones who located them.
However, that hasn't stopped Frida from becoming a social media star and reaching a new level of fame this week. Videos and other social media posts that highlight the work of Frida and her impressive record of detecting people trapped by natural disasters spread quickly online.
While she has yet to detect anyone trapped in the ruins this week, she and other rescue dogs are continuing to work tirelessly, searching through spaces that humans cannot reach. With the possibility that there are still people trapped alive, time will tell whether she adds to her rescue record.
1.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.Severe earthquakes in Mexico B.Undertaking rescue work.
C.People waiting for rescue D.Special rescuers in Mexico.
2.What makes Frida a social media star?
A.Her rescue records and tireless work.
B.Her cooperation with the rescue team.
C.Her cool appearance with some special devices.
D.Her ability to search spaces beyond humans' reach.
3.What does the underlined word "corpse" in paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.An article of clothing. B.An unconscious animal.
C.A dead person. D.A special signal.
4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that_______ .
A.Frida will achieve nothing
B.Frida will probably work miracles
C.more dogs will be sent to the area
D.the rest of the rescue will be done by dogs
Parker Stewart, a 16-year-old from Sayre School, a college preparatory school in the United States, knew last year that he wanted his independent study on the environment to have a broad impact on the community. In order to "reduce the carbon footprint," Stewart planned to produce enough solar energy to power the school's science labs. Now his plan is set to happen. The installation of 30 solar panels is scheduled for late January.
As he began his research on solar energy, he discovered a useful phone app. By entering an address, he could find out how much sunlight the location receives each day. Based on how much sunlight it receives, Stewart found that his school building was the desired position.
At the suggestion of his science teacher, Debbie Wheeler, Parker first performed an energy audit（测算）of the science lab to see how much energy a typical lab uses per day. Then, he started his research, contacting a local installer of solar panels, Synergy Home, to do the job.
Parker lacked money for launching the project, so he convinced Sayre's head of school to fund him after explaining the benefits of solar power for the school and community. Since Sayre provided the initial seed money to provide supplies and the purchase of one panel, the project has grown to include a total of 30 panels. They are expected to generate enough energy to run all four of the science labs on campus.
"It feels like a dream to think that an idea I had resulted from my AP Environmental class would have this kind of impact," said Stewart, expressing gratitude for Wheeler's help.
Wheeler said the success of the project was due to Parker's efforts and willingness to follow through on the project from start to finish.
“I've had other students talk about environmental initiatives on campus, but Parker had the persistence to make it happen," she said.
1.How did the app help Stewart start his project?
A.To find an ideal location. B.To conduct an energy audit.
C.To look up specific information. D.To introduce financial aids.
2.Who invested in Stewart's project at the beginning?
A.Sayre School. B.His parents.
C.Synergy Home. D.His community.
3.What inspired Stewart to do his solar power project?
A.The phone app he discovered.
B.The air pollution in his community.
C.A suggestion from his science teacher.
D.An idea from his Environmental class.
4.What contributed to Stewart's success according to Wheeler?
A.His wisdom. B.His bravery.
C.His willpower. D.His independence.
Barbican Art Gallery
A world-class arts and learning center, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theater and many visual arts from Egypt.
Tickets:
Adult: £10 online/£12 at the door
13-17 years old: £6 online/£8 at the door
Children aged 12 and under: Free
Opening Times:
Sat.—Wed.: 10 a.m.—6 p.m.; Thu.一Fri.: 10 a.m.一9 p.m.
Review by Laura Miller: I have just watched To Kill a Mockingbird here. The play and actors were fantastic. Nice and clean ladies' toilets with hot water. During the interval, they were selling the usual ice cream and drinks. Not all staff were friendly, but most were. I would come again to watch another show or even the same one.
The British Museum
A museum of the world, for the world. Discover over two million years of human history and culture. Some of the world-famous objects include the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and Egyptian mummies.
Admission and opening times:
Free, open daily 10 a.m.—17:30 p.m.
The Museum is closed on Jan. 1, Good Friday (April 10, 2020) and Dec. 24, 25 & 26, but open every other day of the year.
Review by Robert James: I arrived at the main entrance line at 10:45 a.m., waited patiently as it rolled forward for a few minutes. Now 11:30 a.m. with two thirds of the line to go, another 30 minutes to wait and with knowledge that I had to go downtown shopping by 1 p.m., I turned on my heels and left.
1.How much will a couple with kids of 11 and 14 pay for online tickets of the Art Gallery?
A.£20. B.£26.
C.£32. D.£36.
2.What did Miller like best about Barbican Art Gallery?
A.Dance. B.Film.
C.Music. D.Theater.
3.What do the gallery and the museum have in common?
A.Both offer free admission. B.Egyptian exhibits are on display.
C.They're open all year round. D.They're located downtown.
What's that one thing you really should do, but keep putting off? We all have them: time-consuming, or difficult chores we're afraid of and drag out until the last minute — if we complete them at all.
But what if we could drive ourselves into those boring tasks by pairing them with something we really enjoy? Research suggests that combining the things we want to do, with the thing we should do, could be a nice trick to reach our goals. The method is known as "temptation bundling" and it allows you to combine two differing, but complementary activities at the same time.
"I only let myself get a footbath when I'm doing some work," says Katherine Milkman, a professor of behavioral economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Another example? Going to your favorite restaurant but with a difficult colleague, or someone you're supposed to spend time with, such as a relative.
In short, it's pairing something you like with something you don't like, offering you incentive to do something you might be putting off.
Exercise is one activity routinely treated as a boring task — so Milkman used it in an experiment to know how temptation bundling works in reality.
In her experiment. Milkman encouraged students to exercise while listening to addictive, page-turning audiobooks. One group, which could only access the audiobooks while at the gym, were 51% more likely to exercise than the control group, which were able to listen when they liked. Another group, whose access to the audiobooks was not restricted but who were merely encouraged to bundle the activities, were 29% more likely to exercise than the control group.
The benefit of "temptation bundling" comes from doing two things at once that go well together, says Milkman. "The secret is to bundle tasks that require different effort. For instance, if one task requires focus or concentration, you want the other not to be too distracting — reading while listening to a podcast is very difficult, for example, while cooking and listening is more realistic." Milkman adds.
1.Temptation bundling can help us to______.
A.avoid delaying what should be done in time.
B.solve two problems at a time.
C.put what we have learned into practice.
D.improve our ability to face a chore.
2.The two percentages 51% and 29% in paragraph 6 show that_____.
A.many people treat exercise as a boring task.
B.most people consider listening to audiobooks a boring thing.
C.combining two activities at the same time can contribute to each other.
D.the control group do the worst in dealing with physical exercise.
3.Which of the following is true according to this passage?
A.Cooking and listening can be combined because neither needs focus.
B.Combining two differing, but complementary tasks is popular among us.
C.Milkman's experiment shows that temptation bundling is effective.
D.Temptation bundling is suitable for reading and listening to a podcast.
4.This passage is intended to tell us_____.
A.what benefits pairing two tasks will bring us.
B.how to get a boring task completed.
C.what tasks can be paired with each other.
D.how to identify the bad habit of putting off.
Since App Store was set up, it has been selling consumers one simple thing — choice. Whether you wanted to play games, read the news, or do a thousand other things, there was something for whatever you desired.
Then something funny happened. Logging into the App Store today is like going into a shopping mall with only a coupon (优惠券) for one thing: There's so much choice; it might be easier to give up than to choose.
It isn't consumers who are burdened, though. Too much content of all kinds also has economic effects. When countless choices are available, it causes pressure, pushing prices down and driving us a bit crazy.
So what is the way forward? It may well be to tum less choice itself to the marketing strategy. There are already signs that this is happening. Firstly content companies are looking to prevent their offerings from getting lost in the tons of stuff. Most obvious is Disney, which is planning to open its own streaming service next year. The point is to narrow the focus so that those seeking Disney cartoons will have one place to go, rather than being around various services.
Yet if that represents a careful first step, there are more extreme options too. Consider the idea of a wine club: from tens of thousands of bottles each year, subscribers (用户) pay someone to select the most interesting ones. Perhaps what comes next for digital content is similar — carefully selected offerings from trusted sources that put choices in the hands of someone else in order to get rid of the anxiety of choosing.
Up to now, too much choice in digital media has only one solution: the algorithm (运算法则). But we've seen the trouble with algorithms on You Tube. They feed you only what you've already said you like, not things you may not know you're into. Worse, they have a tendency to serve up disturbing content. The way forward can't simply be more or better algorithms.
Instead, it's time for digital companies to start thinking about how to put limits on things: on how much we can use a device, or what we are available to choose from.
As we move further into the digital revolution, what people ask for is clear: Less.
1.What will too much choice of content on the market result in?
A.The shutdown of companies. B.Anxiety of consumers.
C.Poor quality of products. D.Negative influence on economy.
2.Why is Disney planning to open its own streaming service?
A.To improve its marketing strategy.
B.To help people focus on less choice.
C.To encourage more people to visit Disney.
D.To provide consumers with various services
3.In what way may a wine club and digital content in the near future be similar?
A.Someone else will be employed to make a choice for consumers.
B.Both of them will offer only a few options.
C.Consumers will refuse to choose from too many options.
D.Both of them will make a change about their products.
4.What do we know about the algorithm?
A.It manages to offer what consumers will possibly like.
B.It helps to remove disturbing content from digital media.
C.it offers consumers things based on what they've said they like.
D.It'll solve the problem of having too much choice.
