We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices(装置) well after they go out of style. That’s bad news for the environment — and our wallets — as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things.
To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life — from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation — Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007.
As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones. "The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kids' room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices — we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions（排放）more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window.
So what's the solution（解决方案）? The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.
1.What does the author think of new devices?
A.They are environment-friendly. B.They are no better than the old.
C.They cost more to use at home. D.They go out of style quickly.
2.Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?
A.To reduce the cost of minerals.
B.To test the life cycle of a product.
C.To update consumers on new technology.
D.To find out electricity consumption of the devices.
3.Which of the following uses the least energy?
A.The box-set TV. B.The tablet.
C.The LCD TV. D.The desktop computer.
4.What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?
A.Stop using them. B.Take them apart.
C.Upgrade them. D.Recycle them.
Give yourself a test. Which way is the wind blowing? How many kinds of wildflowers can be seen from your front door? If your awareness is as sharp as it could be, you’ll have no trouble answering these questions.
Most of us observed much more as children than we do as adults. A child’s day is filled with fascination, newness and wonder. Curiosity gave us all a natural awareness. But distinctions that were sharp to us as children become unclear; we are numb to new stimulation, new ideas. Relearning the art of seeing the world around us is quite simple, although it takes practice and requires breaking some bad habits.
The first step in awakening senses is to stop predicting what we are going to see and feel before it occurs. This blocks awareness. One chilly night when I was hiking in the Rocky Mountains with some students, I mentioned that we were going to cross a mountain stream. The students began complaining about how cold it would be. We reached the stream, and they unwillingly walked ahead. They were almost knee-deep when they realized it was a hot spring. Later they all admitted they’d felt cold water at first.
Another block to awareness is the obsession (痴迷) many of us have with naming things. I saw bird watchers who spotted a bird, immediately looked it up in field guides, and said, a “ruby-crowned kinglet” and checked it off. They no longer paid attention to the bird and never learned what it was doing.
The pressures of “time” and “destination” are further blocks to awareness. I encountered many hikers who were headed to a distant camp-ground with just enough time to get there before dark. It seldom occurred to them to wander a bit, to take a moment to see what’s around them. I asked them what they’d seen. “Oh, a few birds,” they said. They seemed bent on their destinations.
Nature seems to unfold to people who watch and wait. Next time you take a walk, no matter where it is, take in all the sights, sounds and sensations. Wander in this frame of mind and you will open a new dimension to your life.
1.According to Paragraph 2, compared with adults, children are more ________.
A.anxious to do wonders B.sensitive to others’ feelings
C.likely to develop unpleasant habits D.eager to explore the world around them
2.What idea does the author convey in Paragraph 3?
A.To avoid jumping to conclusions. B.To stop complaining all the time.
C.To follow the teacher’s advice. D.To admit mistakes honestly.
3.Why do the hikers take no notice of the surroundings during the journey?
A.The natural beauty isn’t attractive to them.
B.They focus on arriving at the camp in time.
C.The forest in the dark is dangerous for them.
D.They are keen to see rare birds at the destination.
4.In the passage, the author intends to tell us we should ________.
A.fill our senses to feel the wonders of the world
B.get rid of some bad habits in our daily life
C.open our mind to new things and ideas
D.try our best to protect nature
My friends are often jealous of my good memory. When they were beating their brains to recall how many people attended John’s ninth birthday, I succeeded in reminding them of the details. I told them that Tom, Barbara, Tony and I did; that Mary brought a toy car as a gift, Tom brought a four-in-one game disc…; that John said after blowing out the candles his wish was to be a pilot when he grew up… When Bob, Jim and Elizabeth were quarrelling, faces flush with anger, about the name of the forest where they went camping, I stopped them by detailing to them on which date, which month, which year we visited which forest and ate what food for picnic…
Bob often says, “Lewis, if only I had a memory half as good as you!” Whenever hearing this, a voice shouted from the bottom of my heart, “How I wish God gave me a forgetfulness half as good as you!”
In fact, instead of being proud of my memory, I hate it; I’ve suffered a lot from it, for it is sometimes too good: I can remember everything I’ve experienced, including what I don’t want to remember; indeed, I do hope to forget something!
Barbara and I are best friends from the cradle. In fact, our relationship was already beyond friendship; it was that of lovers. But one day she left me for no reason except that I was too familiar to her to further our relationship. Over the next two months and a half, I couldn’t fall to sleep. While in bed wide awake, I warned myself, “You must forget her, otherwise you will get destroyed.” But my good memory failed me again and again — I could remember how beautiful it was when I first kissed her affectionately and then in turn received even more affectionate responses; I could remember every sweet word she had said to me…
1.The first paragraph is intended to describe ________.
A.how the writer’s friends were jealous of him
B.what a good memory the writer had
C.what happy childhood he shared with his friends
D.what an important part he played among his friends
2.Barbara left the writer ________.
A.for nothing B.because she hated it that he kissed her
C.because their friendship broke D.because she was tired of him
3.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A.The writer and Barbara had a long-time friendship.
B.The writer, somehow, hated his good memory.
C.The writer was struggling to tear himself off the pain of losing love.
D.Tony’s wish was to be a pilot when he grew up.
4.What the writer suffered the most was that ________.
A.he had got too good a memory B.Barbara left for no reason
C.others were jealous of him D.the sweet past was out of memory
Embassy Suites by Hilton Santa Ana Orange County Airport
Neighborhood: John Wayne Airport (SNA), Orange County
1325 East Dyer Road, Santa Ana, CA
OVERALL GUEST SCORE
Very Good
Based on 163 Guest Ratings
Hotel Description
Being close to airport and freeway access makes the Embassy Suites a top choice for our guests in the area. The 300-room Embassy Suites offers homey comforts for those on business and vacation alike—suites with separate living and sleeping areas, refrigerators, microwaves, coffeemakers, Wi-Fi access and two TVs. Wake up to a free cooked-to-order breakfast and enjoy the indoor pool and fitness center. A two-hour evening reception offers drinks and appetizers and the on-site restaurant serves American favorites. The property also has a business center with copy and fax services. Parking is available for an additional fee. Less than two miles from I-405, the Embassy Suites is within a half-mile of various restaurants and just three miles from John Wayne Airport. Our guests say the Embassy Suites’ location, “brilliant” breakfast and “friendly” staff make it one of their favorite Santa Ana properties.
Guest Ratings |
Good Feb 8, 2017 By: Harold Pros: Loved the breakfast and the friendly, helpful staff. Spacious accommodations made this a very good value. |
Cons: Didn’t love the heating/AC system; room was too cold for comfort. Also was not aware of the parking fee until we checked in. The parking fee was $17 a night. |
Good Jan 24, 2017 By: Micaela Pros: Breakfast was amazing with a variety of choices and the staff were helpful. Cons: The room had a very strange old smell when we first got there. I had to open the door to air it out. |
Very Good Jan 5, 2017 By: Bruce Pros: The location was very good for us and the included breakfast was a plus. Cons: The room was not cleaned properly when we got there. The heating system was not working for the hotel as well |
… |
1.________ makes the Embassy Suites a top choice for its guests in the area.
A.The business center B.The friendly staff
C.The convenient location D.Wi-Fi access
2.According to the guest ratings, all the guests are satisfied with its ________.
A.heating system B.accommodations
C.parking fee D.breakfast
3.This advertisement is made more believable by ________.
A.providing the exact address B.using guests’ comments
C.analyzing its pros and cons D.interviewing the guests
假如你是李华，请你给你的英国朋友Jason写一封E-mail。邀请他观看2022年即将在北京举办的冬奥会开幕式。内容包括：
1. 这是中国第一次举办冬奥会;
2. 向他表达你的民族自豪感;
3. 注意事项（天气，交通等）。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jason,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅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（^），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。
As the coming of skiing competition in our school , we decided to practice skiing. Last Sunday, my classmates and I got together at the school gate. In the early morning, leading by Ms Li, we went there by bus. On the bus we sang some popular songs and play some games as well. Then we told some instructions on how to ski safe. It took us half a hour to arrive. On changing our clothes, we couldn’t wait it to ski on the snow. We were black and blue because of many fall. The sun set after we knew it. Although we were tired and hungry, we were exciting.
