Will you stop using plastic?
If you take a look around your kitchen or office right now, chances are that you’ll notice you’re surrounded by plastic—water bottles, to-go coffee cups, straws (吸管), plastic grocery bags, food wrappers, take-out containers, single-serve coffee pods and produce bags. 1.
It’s certainly not realistic to remove all plastic from your life, but let’s examine some statistics that may encourage you to reduce your single-use plastic footprint by throwing away straws, switching to reusable water bottles, bringing cloth bags to the grocery store and more.
According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, the popularity of plastic, which began rising in the 1950s, is growing out of control. 2. And there’s no sign of slowing down, considering scientists say that another 12 trillion kilograms will be produced worldwide by 2050.
“Every piece of plastic that has ever been created will remain in the environment in some form, but once we conveniently throw out our rubbish at home, wind and runoff carry our waste from landfills and streets to the ocean,” says Mystic Aquarium’s chief clinical veterinarian Jennifer Flower, DVM, MS. “Given that we are globally producing over 320 million tons of plastic annually, the marine environment is taking a big hit from our daily disposal of plastic.
3. For example, newborn fish are mistaking tiny bits of plastic waste for food. If they die, there will be fewer big fish—and that could damage the food chain. Often our society is so focused on making our lives more convenient in the short term, but in the long run, our health and the health of marine life are at the expense of those everyday conveniences.”
4. A recent report suggests that when heated, certain food additives (添加剂) can damage hormones, growth and development, as well as increase chances for children of being fat. 5. It is found in plastic containers and metal cans. Parents are urged to avoid using microwaves to warm food and drinks or placing plastics in the dishwasher.
A. Our plastic consumption is directly affecting the life in the ocean.
B. People are concerned about the results of overusing plastic containers.
C. 8.2 trillion kilograms of plastic have been produced around the world.
D. Using plastic containers in microwaves is also harmful to children’s health.
E. Let’s stop using plastic for the benefit of the environment and human beings.
F. These are all examples of single-use plastic products, which is a hot topic nowadays.
G. The most concerning artificial additive BPA is a chemical used in the production of plastics.
There are many things we remember from our childhood—the games we played, the music we listened to, but what about earning pocket money? This was our first ever wage for completing tasks such as tidying our bedroom or sorting the laundry. Our reward was a handful of coins that we safely hid away. But now, it seems parents’ attitude to handing out cash is changing.
There was a time when cash was king—it was the main currency for financial deals. These days, though, using credit or debit cards, or making contactless payments, are the most convenient ways of paying. So where does that leave handing over pocket money? Research has found that 84% of British parents currently give notes and coins to their children— typically an allowance of £7 a week.
But banks predict that by 2028 only one in ten deals will be with cash, and that is something that today’s children will have to deal with. One particular issue is that children may not understand the value of cash because they never see it. Parents face difficult choices too— finding a new way to transfer pocket money, or maybe not bothering to pay it at all.
Giving children lessons about finance at school is important. Children should be provided with financial literacy at an early age. That is vital to ensure proper money management skills later in life, such as setting a realistic budget, responsibly managing credit and debt, saving for unexpected expenses. The UK’s Money and Pensions Service advises parents to get children started with money as young as possible. Sarah Porretta from the service told the BBC that for parents who no longer carry cash, “The trick is to go and get some cash, just so your children have the opportunity to interact with them. Talk about what you are doing with money. If you are paying with a card or with a phone, talk to children about that and link it back to those coins they have handled.”
But, of course, many of the goods that young people want to buy—such as add-ons for a computer game—only allow digital deals. This has led to a number of apps being set up that allow children to track and spend their hard-earned pocket money and parents to transfer money electronically and monitor their child’s spending. Banks also suggest setting up accounts for older children which gives them a cash card to use. But whatever method a parent chooses to adopt, they need to teach their kids that money doesn’t grow on trees!
1.What can you learn from the passage?
A.The custom of giving children pocket money is disappearing.
B.Banks predict people will pay most of the deals in cash by 2028.
C.It isn’t necessary for children to experience the course of using cash.
D.Cash-free payments are convenient ways of purchasing goods these days.
2.The underlined word “That” refers to _________.
A.digital deal
B.cash payment
C.financial literacy
D.pocket money
3.According to UK’s Money and Pensions Service’s advice, parents should _________.
A.offer chances for children to use cash
B.no longer carry cash when they go out
C.play some tricks with kids using the coins
D.play cards and make phone calls with children
4.What is the main purpose of this passage?
A.To stress the importance of paying in cash.
B.To introduce the development of pocket money.
C.To explain why the ways of payment are changing.
D.To develop children’s awareness of money management.
Much like a smartphone, your body will go to sleep when there are no new inputs. When you are on a bus, your senses will give you the same repetitive inputs. The streets will flow by, the engine adds constant white noise, you’re seated and not moving, and the smell... well you hope the smell doesn’t change.
Any repetitive input going to your brain will eventually be ignored and your brain will start going into a low energy state. The fact that you fall asleep quickly when closing your eyes on a bus is because you were already on the bus for a while and got used to all the repetitive sensory data.
When you go to bed, you have a lot of new changes. You are lying down, you wear different clothes, you feel the pressure of your covers, you go from bright to dark, noisy to quiet. All of these are new sensory inputs that your brain needs to get used to before going to sleep.
A laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of whole-body vibration (震动) on seated human alertness and sleepiness was carried out. Vibration was applied to the volunteers sitting on the vehicle seat on the vibration platform. Volunteers for this investigation included 18 young male and healthy university students. None of the volunteers had a history of neck pain, diseases of the cervical spine or musculoskeletal disorders. Seated volunteers were exposed to a Gaussian random vibration, with 1–15 Hz frequency bandwidth at 0.2 ms−2 r.m.s., for 20-minutes.
The results suggest that exposure to vibration even for 20-minutes can cause significant sleepiness. The data clearly show that exposure to vibration has considerable influence on subjective sleepiness levels, and more importantly, human reaction times and decrease of attention.
Drowsy driving has been reported to account for approximately 20% of accidents worldwide. In Australia, 16.6% of total road deaths were caused by sleep-related accidents in 1998 alone. It is well established that sleepiness caused by extended hours of driving has considerable influence on driver performance, therefore, compromising transportation safety.
These findings need to be further proved particularly in relation to driving behavior. This line of research can then assist in the development of practical and relevant guidelines for limitation of vibration exposure in the automotive industry, in an effort to reduce the burden of road accidents. That’s something for both car manufacturers and road safety experts to think about.
1.According to the passage, why do we fall asleep quickly on the bus?
A.Because we meet a lot of new changes.
B.Because the surroundings become quiet.
C.Because we get used to the repetitive sensory data.
D.Because our senses give us different kinds of inputs.
2.What is the purpose of the experiment?
A.To investigate people’s sleeping hours and situation.
B.To research whether vibration can affect people’s health.
C.To study the relationship between inputs and people’s attention.
D.To find out how shaking affects people’s sleepiness in the vehicle.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Sleepy driving is the main cause of road accidents.
B.The research has helped to reduce the burden of road accidents.
C.The findings of the experiment have been recognized by road safety experts.
D.The research results can give some implications to the automobile production.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards the findings?
A.Positive. B.Negative.
C.Disappointed. D.Indifferent.
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Weekend English Teacher Mosher Tech $30 an hour Duties: Teach English to young learners between 5-12 years of age through our platform. Teachers will be teaching classrooms with up to 4 students. Each in-lesson time is 30 minutes. Training and support provided. Working Hours: 20 hours a week Qualifications: English teaching certificates. Prior teaching experience. A computer with stable internet connection and clear audio/video capacity. |
Reading/Math Tutor Butler Community College $22.25 an hour Duties: The Reading/Math Tutor will be responsible for reading aloud and listening to students read in a group. They will tutor students by assisting with academic assignments for reading or math and perform simple duties assigned by the classroom teacher. Qualifications: Strong attention to details and problem solving skills. Ability to establish and maintain productive work relationships with staff and students. |
Registrar Assistant The University of Chicago $15.25 an hour Duties: This individual will work from December to March at approximately 20 hours per week. In peak periods, more hours may be available, and the assistant may be asked to work evening hours if needed. The assistant will create various reports on examinations, assist in exam administration and print course evaluations to help assure the department runs smoothly and efficiently during this period. Qualifications: High level of accuracy with repeated tasks. Ability to work independently as needed. Minimum of 2 years of previous office experience required. |
1.As a Registrar Assistant, you need to _________.
A.deal with general office work
B.write a variety of exam reports
C.give instructions on course evaluations
D.work 20 hours a week for a whole year
2.Which job doesn’t require previous working experience?
A.Student Activities Assistant B.Weekend English Teacher
C.Reading/Math Tutor D.Registrar Assistant
3.We can probably read this passage from _________.
A.a textbook B.a school website
C.a travel guide D.a science magazine
When Thomas Panek lost his eyesight more than 25 years ago, the anxious runner doubted he would ever pursue his lifelong passion again. “It was too scared to run,” he said.
Indeed, although Panek had been running since high school, the idea of running blind seemed altogether too difficult. But he did manage to keep his dream alive—with help from human guides who assisted him on each run.
Even so, he lost the real joy of the run—the thrill of independence that comes from completing a course on his own. “When you’re tied to another person, it’s no longer your own race.” the 48-year-old said. “The independence isn’t quite there.”
But Panek found a friend—indeed, man’s best friend—who would help him regain that sense of purpose. Not only did Panek rediscover his love for running, but, along the way, he founded Guiding Eyes for the Blind, an organization dedicated to providing service dogs for the visually damaged.
On March 16, Gus glided across the finish line with his human at the New York City Half Marathon. In that moment, they were both recorded into the history books. Panek, who finished the course in a little more than two hours and 20 minutes, became the first blind runner to complete the race led by dogs.
Panek pointed out that it wasn’t just Gus who provided the wind beneath his running shoes. In all, three guide dogs helped him see his way to the finish line. Siblings Westley and Waffle picked up the early parts of the course, each running between five and eight kilometers of the 21-kilometer race. Along the way, the whole team got plenty of support from event host New York Road Runners.
With retirement approaching, it would be the faithful yellow labrador’s last race. But for Panek, the road ahead remains long and bright—not only for him, but for anyone with a disability who still hopes to run down a dream.
1.What happened to Panek 25 years ago?
A.He gave up his dream. B.He became blind.
C.He found running blind easy. D.He won the first prize.
2.From the passage, we know that Gus _________.
A.is an instructor of Panek
B.is a good marathon competitor
C.is a dog for the visually damaged
D.is an organizer of the running event
3.Which of the following can best describe Panek?
A.Firm and positive. B.Kind and confident.
C.Calm and faithful. D.Honest and ambitious.
4.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.Failure is the mother of success.
B.Where there is a will, there is a way.
C.All things are difficult before they are easy.
D.We can make a difference by helping others.
Recently, David Deutchman, an 82-year-old man, was nicknamed “the ICU Grandpa” at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Hospital. For 12 years or so, he has been _________ babies, children there.
Deutchman said he was coming to the _________ for a recovery after a running injury 12 years ago when he first _________ some of the patients’ mothers. From conversations with them, he _________ that he wanted to make more connection with parents and children being_______ at the hospital. Therefore, he started _________ at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Hospital after he retired from a job in international business marketing.
He _________ babies and sometimes he even gets peed (小便) on, but he is _________ to carry on. “It’s been wonderful because it gives me something to do that has _________ to it. Every day I drive in here, I don’t know which kids and parents I’ll __________ and what the issues will be and how I can help, but I __________ it. You just can’t imagine the kind of________ that I can get from holding a baby and talking with parents”, he said.
In the ICU, there are only two to three new admits every night so the first thing he will do is to __________ the parents who have been admitted the previous night. “Usually they needed a________ after a whole night. And I make sure they can go down for breakfast and I’ll stay with the __________ until they get back,” he said.
MaryBeth Brulette, the mother of baby Logan, has been at the hospital for six weeks. On a recent morning, she returned to the hospital to find Logan in Deutchman’s __________. Seeing this, she said, “All my __________ was gone.”
Elizabeth Mittiga, an ICU nurse at the hospital, said that the staff __________ Deutchman’s calming presence and appreciated Mr. Deutchman’s __________ to his cause. He’s a great help to babies in the ICU care. He’s just a really special person to us, as nurses, and the babies just adore him.
“Right now, I’m still going strong and enjoying it an awful lot,” he said. “So as long as they’ll have me, I’ll be there.” What an outstanding human being! Truly, Mr. Deutchman is the typical example of a __________ man with a sincere desire to make his life worthwhile by helping others.
1.A.tending B.educating C.examining D.curing
2.A.house B.hospital C.apartment D.center
3.A.disturbed B.persuaded C.accepted D.noticed
4.A.imagined B.remembered C.realized D.studied
5.A.treated B.injured C.interviewed D.ignored
6.A.teaching B.instructing C.volunteering D.exhibiting
7.A.holds B.praises C.seeks D.raises
8.A.concerned B.annoyed C.confused D.determined
9.A.training B.meaning C.thinking D.ending
10.A.protect B.greet C.meet D.call
11.A.miss B.fear C.control D.enjoy
12.A.trouble B.reward C.effort D.change
13.A.rescue B.visit C.inform D.count
14.A.break B.message C.lesson D.drive
15.A.doctors B.cleaners C.children D.partners
16.A.arms B.bed C.hands D.room
17.A.relief B.sorrow C.anxiety D.curiosity
18.A.shared B.regretted C.complained D.treasured
19.A.evaluation B.devotion C.application D.explanation
20.A.brave B.creative C.careless D.selfless
