While studying at Jadavpur University, Banerjee wanted to find a creative and socially beneficial alternative to bricks. Along with his classmates, Banerjee created, a social enterprise called Qube in 2017. Its product is the Plastiqube-an alternative brick made from waste plastic.
Banerjee and his team work with waste collectors to gather garbage, including water bottles and abandoned bags. The garbage is then cleaned, cut up and pressed into blocks by hand. “Each Plastiqube brick costs 5 to 6 rupees （about 8 cents） to make，while the average clay brick sells for about 10 rupees (14 cents),” Banerjee says. What 's more, unlike traditional bricks, Plastiqubes don' t use any mortar (砂浆). “They are basically like Lego bricks,” explains Banerjee, now aged 22. He adds，“There are interlocking designs on the bottom and the top, and they lock between each other.
India is estimated to throw away over 25, 000 tons of plastic waste every day. Around 40% of it is left uncollected. “We’re building something sustainable (可持续的) out of garbage,” Banerjee says. By taking coal and mortar out of the brick making process, Banerjee claims Plastiqubes can reduce energy use by 70 percent, generating a much lower carbon foot-print than traditional bricks.
Each Plastiqube brick contains 1.6 kilograms of waste plastic. They haven't yet been tried out for practical purpose but tests on their fire resistance and long- term steadiness are now in progress. Banerjee believes they will last even longer than traditional clay bricks, while removing waste plastic from the environment for centuries.
Banerjee's innovation has, already won him recognition. He was a regional finalist for the United Nation's 2018 Young Champions of the Earth awards. He is also part of the Yunus and Yunus Global Fellowship. Banerjee will not only encourage young engineers to dream big, but also to think carefully about the environmental impact. “My advice is to start something while keeping a goal that it has to be sustainable in the long term,” he says.
1.Why did Banerjee invent Plastiqube ?
A.To reduce the cost of bricks. B.To protect the environment.
C.To control the usage of mortar. D.To raise his company 's reputation.
2.Which of the following makes the new bricks join together?
A.Mortar. B.Lego bricks.
C.Average clay. D.Interlocking design.
3.How does the text describe the characters of Plastiqube?
A.By explaining the process. B.By analyzing some cases.
C.By listing some data. D.By giving examples.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A.Banerjee has won lots of national awards.
B.Producing Plastiqube needs little labor force.
C.Plastiqube hasn't been used to build houses.
D.Banerjee likes inspiring teenagers to go for dreams.
Ecology is a complicated thing. c Given the facts that elephant damage often kills trees and bush fires often kill trees, a combination of the two will make things worse. However, as research shows just published in Biotropica, by Benjamin Wigley of Nelson Mandela University, if a tree has already been damaged, fire can actually help to make things better.
Since 1954，the Kruger National Park has been the site of experiments. Dr Wigley carried out these experiments by looking at trees in three different zones. In one of these zones, the vegetation (植被) was burned every year. In the second it was burned every other year. The third zone, by contrast, was actively protected from fire. To keep things consistent, he only looked at the fate of a single tree species, the marula (玛鲁拉树), whose bark is often eaten by elephants. In July 2016, he and his colleagues identified 20 marulas in every zone and used a hammer and a knife to remove a 5 cm circular section of bark from each of them.
To their surprise, damaged trees in the annual burnt zone regrew 98% of their lost bark during the two years of the study. Those living in the second burnt zone regrew 92% of it. But those in the zone where fires were banned regrew only 72%.
The researchers also found something else around the trees' wounds: ants. Ten of the 20 trees in the fire-banned zone developed ant colonies in their wounds. The ants were known to damage tissue healing. By contrast, only five trees in the second zone and three in the annual zone developed ants' nests in their wounds.
It looks, therefore, as if bush fires are burning trees'。wounds to kill the ants. Though such fires are surely harmful to healthy trees, it seems, in an example of two negatives making a positive, as if they are actually helpful to sick ones.
1.What is the finding of the research?
A.More fire does good to trees. B.Fire makes damaged trees. grow better.
C.Ants always help trees gr8w well. D.Elephants often damage tree barks.
2.What do we know about the experiments?
A.They were finished in one year.
B.They were carried out in different parks.
C.The damaged trees grew well as other trees.
D.The trees chosen had been damaged by the researchers.
3.Why did the author mention ants in the last two paragraphs?
A.To prove that ants are bad animals.
B.To show the benefit fire brings to damaged trees.
C.To express how ants influence trees' growth.
D.To introduce the role ants play in ecology.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Is Fire Totally Bad for Trees2 B.How does Fire Destroy the Trees?
C.The Balance of Trees and Ants D.Trees, Animals and Disasters
As part of his role in the Air Force Volunteer Reserve, John Lewis often visited military schools. But it was at a London school in 2014 that an accident happened. He had 11 operations in total and it was two years before he could walk again.
Although John improved physically, he couldn’t recover from what had happened. John was diagnosed with post -traumatic (创伤后) stress disorder (PTSD), but none of the treatment seemed to help. Then last year, at a hospital, a doctor told him a puppy (小狗) could manage stress and might help with his anxiety.
In May 2019, they adopted a black puppy called Gibson. He says, “I'd never thought of it as a comfort. After just a few weeks, I could feel myself improving. If I was feeling anxious, he would jump up on the sofa and sit on my chest and I found that really relaxing and comforting. Wherever I go, he will follow me and it’s really helpful to my anxiety. We go out and play Frisbee (飞盘) and I now look forward to going out for walks while I would always make excuses to stay in the house before.”
His wife Anna has also noticed a difference. She says, “Gibson is an incredible dog that adores John. He is a fantastic companion. It has given him a focus and a lease on life.”
John is now. taking part in Generation Pup, a groundbreaking study that tracks puppies through adulthood to learn how their early experiences and environment affect their development. John says, “I really enjoy tracking this through the study, watching his personality begin to grow and support me on my road back to mental health, which he is playing a big part in.” “Gibson has done so much for me in a short space of time. I want to do something for him.”
1.What can we learn about John Lewis after the accident?
A.He couldn't bear the pain of the operations.
B.He soon stood up and returned to his post.
C.He suffered a lot from mental problems.
D.He still focused on the life in military schools.
2.What do John’s words in paragraph 3 show?
A.How to raise a puppy. B.How naughty Gibson was.
C.How to get on with a puppy. D.How Gibson comforted him.
3.What does the underlined part “a lease on life” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.More wisdom. B.Better life.
C.Great wealth. D.Lifelong ambition.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.John is grateful to Gibson. B.John makes full use of Gibson.
C.John has recovered from PTSD. D.John has researched a lot on puppies.
The trend is clear: more and more people are walking around with wireless headphones. Some of the best selling headphones are from Apple, which have a high price. This price is beyond many budgets and many of us are simply not willing to pay that amount.
We Have Found the Solution
We’re recently discovered a brand that is overtaking the famous one in many countries. It is iHeadphones. The iHeadphones have an attractive design that is very similar to the most recognized brand. They even top the competition in many aspects. The most important thing is that they are compatible (兼容的) with Android and IOS. They are currently only available to buy online.
Main Characteristics
Different colors: you can choose the one that goes best with your style.
Long battery life: more than 8 hours of your favorite music thanks to its powerful battery.
Better price: iHeadphones cost less than half of what you'd pay for AirPods, with characteristics that are similar or superior to the competition.
How Can You Buy It?
You can place your order online through the official website www.iHeadphones.com. It will be sent to your home.
Only during the launch period, the company is offering a large promotion for this product through the website. And if that is not enough, they will also offer a discount for mass purchases.
Limited Sale
50% off only during the launch period on the website. Buy it now! Limited sale.
1.What's the iHeadphones’ advantage over headphones from Apple?
A.The lower price. B.The larger promotion.
C.The more attractive design. D.The adoption for everyone.
2.How can consumers save more when they buy iHeadphones?
A.By buying it in the company. B.By paying for it with cheque.
C.By purchasing it in a store after its promotion. D.By buying it on the official website during the launch period.
3.What’s the purpose of the text?
A.To compare iHeadphones with AirPods. B.To analyse the market of iHeadphones.
C.To advertise the product iHeadphones. D.To teach consumers to use iHeadphones.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为 150 左右。
In 1989, fresh out of high school, I had the difficult task of choosing a career path before college started in three months. In those days in Pakistan, there were limited options: becoming a doctor or an engineer, or entering the financial world after getting a business degree. I wasn’t interested in engineering, so that I was left with medicine or business. I couldn’t decide.
My uncle, an influential person in the family, suggested that I do a work placement to experience it for a month in an international company followed by a month in a hospital. After that, I could make a decision. It seemed like a brilliant idea.
I was accepted for a month’s placement at a foreign bank in Karachi. I got a feel for how the world of finance functioned, made new friends, and generally enjoyed the mostly easy-going work surroundings.
The month passed rapidly, and soon I began working at a leading hospital in Karachi. The experience couldn’t have been more different. The hospital had an intense environment. The days started early (at 7 am, compared to 9 am at the bank), and were filled with endless duties. And the night calls! This was crazy, working all day, through the night, and again the next day.
I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. The hospital was full of excitement and unpredictability, but the studying and training was difficult. It seemed that the business option was going to win out.
Near the end of my month at the hospital, I was driving home after an especially busy night call. In front of me was a public bus, with college students sitting on the top. As the driver weaved through (穿梭) traffic, I could see the boys shaking from side to side.
Paragraph1: Suddenly, a boy fell off the back of the bus.
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Paragraph2: The next day, when I went to hospital to see the boy, all his family got up, with grateful smiles on their faces.
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为推动中美文化交流，城关中学将组织一次赴美游学活动。参加的学生将通过选拔的形式产生。假设你是校学生会主席，请你以学生会的名义用英语写一则关于选拔活动的书 面通知。内容包括：
1.时间与地点
2.报名条件
3.选拔形式
注意：1.词数 80 词左右
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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