Scientists blame greenhouse gases for being a major cause of climate change around the world. This is because greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and make the planet warmer.
Now, a team of researchers has announced a successful experiment that turned carbon dioxide into useful liquid fuel. The researchers created a device, called a reactor, which changes bon dioxide into a pure form of formic acid(甲酸). Formic acid is a substance (物质) found in ants and some other insects, as well as in many plants. It is used as an antibacterial material and in the processing of some kinds of clothing.
Haotian Wang led the research team. He said in a statement that the results of the experiment were important because formic acid is a major carrier of energy. So, the substance can provide a way to reuse carbon dioxide and prevent it from being released into the atmosphere. “It’s a fuel-cell fuel that can generate electricity and send out carbon dioxide which you can grab and recycle again,” Wang said.
“Other methods for turning carbon dioxide into formic acid require intense purification processes,” Wang said. Such methods are very costly and require a lot of energy. The Rice University team said it was able to reduce the number of steps in the traditional process to create a low-cost, energy-saving method.
The researchers reported the reactor device performed with a conversion rate (转化率) of 42 percent. This means that nearly half of the electrical energy can be stored in formic acid as liquid fuel. The team said the reactor was able to create formic acid continuously for 100 hours with little degradation (退化) of the device’s parts.
Wang said the reactor could easily be used to produce other high-value products, including alcohol-based fuels. The researchers noted that the technology could also be a big help in solving another major energy problem—how to store large amounts of power in small places.
1.What factor is the main cause of climate change?
A.Greenhouse gases. B.Chemistry waste.
C.Formic acid. D.Liquid fuel.
2.What do we know about formic acid?
A.It is a large amount of power. B.It can be found in ants.
C.It is high- value equipment. D.It is a substance in clothing.
3.What is Wang’s attitude towards his own research?
A.Doubtful. B.Aggressive.
C.Optimistic. D.Uncaring.
4.In what magazine can you read this text?
A.A travel magazine. B.A sports magazine.
C.A music magazine. D.A science magazine.
Australia and New Zealand’s health organizations have given their advice on when to use sunscreen (防晒霜), suggesting Australians apply it every day to avoid bad health effects.
A Sunscreen Summit took place in the Australian State of Queensland. During the summit, representatives from some of Australia’s leading research, medical and public health organizations examined the evidence on sunscreen use and determined that in most parts of the country it is beneficial to apply sunscreen every day.
“Up until now, public health organizations have recommended applying sunscreen ahead of planned outdoor activities but haven t recommended applying it every day as part of a morning routine (惯例),” professor Rachel Neale from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute said. “In recent years, it has become clear that the DNA damage causes skin cancer and melanoma(黑色素瘤), which is caused by repeated small exposure to sunlight over a period of time,” Neale said. “In Australia, we get a lot of sun exposure from everyday activities such as alking to the bus stop or train station,” Neale said.
A study showed that one in two Australians believed it was unhealthy and potentially dangerous to use sunscreen every day. However, Terry Slevin from the Public Health Association of Australia says it is wrong. “There is consistent and compelling evidence that sunscreens are safe,” Slevin said. “Importantly, medical trials have found that people who use sunscreen daily have the same levels of vitamin d as those who don’t,” Slevin added.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world which is made worse by the country’s close to Antarctica where there is a hole in the ozone layer (臭氧层), letting in higher numbers of UV rays.
1.What made Australian health organizations advise Australians to use sunscreen?
A.The makers of sunscreen.
B.Australian government.
C.The Sunscreen Summit.
D.New Zealand’s researchers.
2.What is not recommended before the Sunscreen Summit?
A.Using sunscreen before outdoor activities.
B.Using sunscreen as a morning routine.
C.Reducing the use of sunscreen.
D.Reducing outdoor activities.
3.What is the misunderstanding of many Australians?
A.People using sunscreen won’t have skin cancer.
B.Sunscreen will never take effect.
C.People using sunscreen have the same levels of vitamin
D.D. Sunscreen is bad for people’s health.
4.Which of the following best explains “compelling” underlined in paragraph 4?
A.Interesting. B.Disappointing.
C.Boring. D.Convincing.
When Faith Wanjiku graduated from the Technical University of Kenya last year, she immediately enrolled (注册) at the Confucius Institute in Kenyatta University. She wanted to learn Chinese, as she believed that it would help her land a good job.
She has just completed the hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) 3 exam. HSK is a test of Chinese language level for non-native speakers, organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters.
However, this level isn’t enough for Wanjiku, who plans to pass HSK 6. She wanted to increase her level of Chinese and improve her spoken Chinese. And Wanjiku isn’t alone. The number of people taking the HSK reached 6.8 million in 2018 and went up 4.6 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Education said on May 31.
Chinese is becoming an increasingly popular choice of language to study around the world. Currently, middle school students in Russia can take Chinese as an elective language test in the country’s national college entrance exam, Sputnik News reported.
In May, Zambia became the fourth country in Africa-after Kenya, Uganda and South Africa—to introduce Chinese language to its schools.
And many English-speaking countries have shown an interest in allowing their students to learn Chinese. The US government announced the launch of “1 Million Strong” in 2015, a plan that aims to bring the total number of learners of Chinese to l million by 2020.
Behind the growing popularity of Chinese language learning is the international community’s positive attitude toward Chinas future development, as well as the people’s longing to learn about Chinese civilization and culture.
Indeed, it’s as the former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela put it, “if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
1.What did Wanjiku do after graduating from university?
A.She went abroad. B.She learned Chinese.
C.She found a job. D.She travelled to China.
2.HSK is a test for ______.
A.non-native speakers B.native speakers
C.middle school students D.college students
3.What does the underlined sentence mean?
A.Wangjiku has lots of friends.
B.Lots of people want to pass HSK6 exam.
C.Wangjiku has passed HSK3 exam.
D.Many people want to live in China.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A.Chinese Language Study Takes Off
B.Chinese Play an Important Role in Economy
C.People Share the Experience of Learning Chinese
D.Different Opinions about the Function of Chinese
For a herder (放牧人) in Africa, the hardest part of the job is searching for cattle lost in the bush. But for Andrew, a herder at a farm in Zimbabwe, it's not a problem. Once he spots Toro, he knows the rest of the herd is nearby. That’s because Toro isn’t an ordinary member of the herd. He's a giraffe. In hot weather, cattle rest in the shade under his belly. And because of his height, Toro can spot lions long before they come close to the herd.
Toro's unusual situation came about after his mother was killed by lions. Toro survived the attack, but he was left with no one to protect him or give him milk. About two days later, some herders spotted and rescued him. With the permission of the Department of Wildlife, the herders moved Toro to Andrew's farm. Since giraffes and cattle are both plant-eating animals that live in groups, their behaviors are much the same. Toro was accepted into the herd and wandered among the cattle as they ate grass.
Toro doesn't always behave like the other members of his new herd. Like many kinds of animals, cattle compete for dominance (支配). Standing more than 13 feet tall, Toro is more than three times taller than the biggest bull, But Toro never tries to be ''the boss. ''He is very used to their company, '' Andrew said. When the herd enters the kraal (家畜栏), the cows and bulls push each other. ''But thanks to his height, Toro does not need to join the mess, '' said Andrew.
When asked if Toro would ever be returned to the wild, Munetsi, an officer of the Department of Wildlife said no. ''In the wild, he would find it difficult to be accepted into another herd or defend himself from predators (猎食者),'' he added. ''He seems very much at home and is respected by the cattle.''
1.What was Toro like when the herders found him?
A.He was left alone. B.He was seriously ill.
C.He was lost in the bush. D.He was fighting with lions.
2.What do we know about Toro in the cattle herd?
A.He has fought to be the leader.
B.He gets along well with the herd.
C.He is pushed around by the bulls.
D.He stays away from the herd most of the time
3.What will happen to Toro according to Munetsi?
A.He will be sent back to the wild.
B.He will be put into another herd of giraffes.
C.He will continue to live together with Andrew.
D.He will be trained to fight with the big animals.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A.Giraffes under threat in the wild
B.A surprising new family for a giraffe
C.A new way of herding appearing in Africa
D.Moments showing friendship between animals
A friend of mine is a musician. He _________ seems to be learning new tunes, new _________, and new ways of making music in cool ways. At the weekends, he _________ to go into Central Park in the center of Nagoya during the daytime where lots of bands _________. Some of these bands are really good, but some of them are quite _________. One of the reasons why my friend likes _________ all the bands is that they are _________! And as he says to me, ''_________ expensive things don't necessarily mean that they're good, free things don't necessarily mean they have no _________. You have to listen and look yourself and ____________ what is valuable for you. And ____________, as you listen and look, you may learn different things.''
So my friend goes to the ____________ every week when the weather is fine, and he says he learns ____________ from every single band! When he watches and listens to the really good bands, he learns new concertos (协奏曲) from the ____________ and cool rhythms from the drummers. I guess that it's not ____________ that you can learn a lot by watching ____________ performers. But what really ____________ me are my friend's words — ''You can learn by watching and listening to the bad performers, too. When I watch a bad performer, I think to myself-wow, that's another thing that I'm going to ____________.''
So my friend makes ____________ by learning from both good and bad performers. And he says he also finds ____________ and pleasure in learning and improving in ways that he never even imagined!
1.A.finally B.quickly C.seldom D.always
2.A.games B.systems C.instruments D.languages
3.A.loves B.wishes C.agrees D.affords
4.A.compete B.perform C.study D.succeed
5.A.poor B.shy C.unlucky D.fierce
6.A.forming B.watching C.inspiring D.training
7.A.right B.familiar C.famous D.free
8.A.Since B.For C.While D.Unless
9.A.price B.fault C.soul D.value
10.A.find out B.wait for C.bring out D.call for
11.A.in short B.of course C.at first D.as usual
12.A.park B.club C.studio D.cinema
13.A.nothing B.anything C.everything D.something
14.A.listeners B.learners C.players D.dancers
15.A.touching B.exciting C.surprising D.satisfying
16.A.excellent B.strange C.energetic D.amateur
17.A.embarrasses B.impresses C.comforts D.convinces
18.A.come up with B.get hold of C.look down on D.get rid of
19.A.time B.money C.progress D.way
20.A.duty B.fun C.pride D.respect
在许多地方，家长开汽车接送孩子上下学已成为一个普遍现象，人们对此做法褒贬不一。请你根据下表提示用英语写一篇短文，并发表自己的看法。
赞成 | 反对 |
1.为学生节约时间； 2.安全； 3.增加家长跟孩子交流的机会。 | 1.使交通更加拥挤； 2.增加家长的负担； 3.使学生更加依赖家长。 |
注意:1.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2.开头已给出。
3.120个词左右。
In many places, it is common for parents to drive their children to and from school, which causes a heated debate in society.
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