It can be difficult to start a hobby. You may not know where to begin or you may have come across one that requires costly equipment.1.To find a low-cost hobby, pick something that is interesting to you, doesn't require a lot of materials, and is available to you in your area.
Begin a collection. Many different collections can be started with little or no cost.2.Look for rocks, plant leaves and flowers, or insects you can preserve and keep. Another way is to begin to collect an object in your house, such as saving bottle-caps.
3.Youtube contains quantities of music you can listen to for free. Besides, you can discover music you like by using online radio stations or services including Pandora and Spotify. By exposing yourself to new music, you can turn music into a relaxing hobby without having to buy albums.
Learn a game. Games are similar to sports and often benefit from being shared in the community (团体). Game groups will often supply board games at no cost to you. In addition, libraries and schools may have video game groups for children and adults. You can also play a wide variety of free online games with people around you.4.
If these things fail to attract you, ask experts about how to begin. Find hobbyists and ask those who are experienced in your potential hobby for the minimum cost of materials you need to start.5.You'll be surprised that you don't need as much equipment as you imagined.
A.Listen to music.
B.One way to do this is to go outside.
C.Ask yourself what your favorite music is.
D.How and where to find one collection is up to you.
E.Use the site meetup.com to see what groups are in your area.
F.The truth is that many hobbies can be started without much money.
G.This will help you judge whether or not a hobby fits into your budget.
A new device (设备) works like a solar panel, except it doesn't harvest energy from the sun to produce electricity. Instead, it uses energy from the cold night sky.
In the center of this device is a thermoelectric generator (热电发电机), which uses the temperature difference between Earth and outer space to create electricity.
As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity. The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed under a transparent cover and surrounded with materials that keep heat out. It stays cooler than the surrounding air by getting rid of any heat it absorbs as infrared (红外线的) radiation. That radiation can zip up through the transparent cover and on toward outer space.
The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate, which is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get several degrees centigrade cooler than the bottom of the generator.
Researchers tested the device one clear December night in Stanford, Calif. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of the device. That was just enough power to light a small electric lamp. Further improvements might develop its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter.
"It's a very clever idea," says Yuan Yang, a materials scientist who works at Columbia University in New York City. "The device still needs improving," he notes. "But this new device may be useful for backup power," Yang says. "It might also provide a bit of energy to people living in areas that lack electricity."
"The device could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices," says Aaswath Raman, a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. What's more, this may be useful in areas that don't see sunlight for months at a time, Raman adds.
1.How is the device designed?
A.It includes two aluminum plates with different functions.
B.It is equipped with a heat resistant generator in the center.
C.Its two aluminum plates are exposed to air to keep heat out.
D.Its generator is sealed by a transparent cover to remain cool.
2.What is the limitation with the tested device?
A.It won't be expanded to be much larger.
B.It fails to produce electricity fast enough.
C.It is unable to power small electric lamps.
D.It produces a limited amount of electricity.
3.In paragraph 6, Yuan Yang mainly intends to .
A.evaluate the device on a positive basis
B.point out the problems with the device
C.explain the research work for the device
D.comment on Aaswath Raman's prediction
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Lamps Are Powered by the Energy From the Cold Night Sky
B.A Generator Producing Electricity Has Been Applied in Many Areas
C.Scientists Have Made a Breakthrough in Harvesting Green Energy
D.A Device Uses Energy From the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity
Ants keep traffic flowing by changing their behavior to meet changing conditions, according to new research.
For their experiment, researchers from the University of Toulouse and the University of Arizona focused on Argentine ants, which are only 2-3 millimeters long and frequently move from colony (栖息地) to colony depending on how far food is. Tapping into the ants' talent for fast commutes (通勤), the researchers constructed bridges between their colonies. The bridges varied in width from a fifth to three-quarters of an inch.
Then the researchers sat back and monitored the traffic. To their surprise, even when those narrower bridges were nearly overloaded, there were no 20-ant pile-ups. And traffic remained steady regardless of how crowed the bridges were because ants could adjust to the flow of road conditions.
"When crowding on the path increased, ants assessed it locally and adjusted their speed accordingly to avoid any interruption of traffic flow," the researchers said. "Moreover, ants avoided entering a crowded path and made sure the bridge was never overloaded."
The lesson for humans? The traffic problem mostly lies in our loss of the quality that the ants have. You've probably noticed it on your own commute to work. Driving is fun when there're few cars on the road-a lane-change (车道变换)here, a little acceleration there. Then traffic slows down. But some impatient drivers still constantly move between lanes.
"Traffic jams are common in human society where some people are focusing on their own personal objectives," the researchers said. "In contrast, ants share a common goal: the survival of the colony, thus they're expected to act cooperatively to get food."
The research also suggests that the ever-widening of highways may never free us from traffic jams. As long as we drive along with our own agendas, no matter how many other people are on the road, we'll always end up in a traffic jam. Indeed, less space may be a good thing. It leaves less room for personal choices and forces us to take a page from the driving handbook of ants.
1.What did the researchers do to the ants in the experiment?
A.They fed them with much delicious food.
B.They trained them to avoid heavy traffic.
C.They built bridges linking their colonies.
D.They improved their colonies constantly.
2.How did the ants behave during the experiment?
A.They worked together to remove the road blocks.
B.They sped up to get out of the traffic jam quickly. .
C.They made their way carefully in the given direction.
D.They adjusted themselves for the flow of the traffic.
3.What is the biggest cause of the traffic jam in human society?
A.Poor road const ruction. B.People's inability to adjust.
C.People's selfish driving. D.Too many vehicles on roads.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.What ants help us do for driving safety.
B.What ants can teach us about traffic jams.
C.Why ants drive much better than humans.
D.Why ants are best at handling traffic jams.
Deciding to get her money's worth out of the wedding dress on which she spent over $1,000, an Australian woman has been wearing her wedding dress, a year after her wedding.
43-year-old Tammy Hall adopted a new lifestyle-anti-consumerism (反消费主义) lifestyle in 2016, after a trip to India opened her eyes to how much we as a society consumed. She decided not to buy any new clothes or footwear for a whole year after she returned home to Adelaide, in Southern Australia, and she managed to make it.
But last year, as her wedding day approached, she faced a dilemma. She wanted to look good on the most important day of her life, but how could she spend a small fortune on the wedding dress she would only wear on that day?
"In the end I decided that if I was going to get a wedding dress, I'd make sure I could get my money's worth," Hall tells PA Real Life.
"The first time I wore it after the wedding was to vote in the Australian election in early 2019," the 43-year-old adds. "Since then, it's been to all sorts of places. Wearing it on a crowded train was especially funny, but I've worn it to do housework, to football games and to the gym."
Hall says that she has gotten some strange looks from people, but no irritating comments. It may have something to do with the fact that the dress is not the fanciest, but she believes people are just too reserved to say anything. Anyway, she doesn't really care, because she knows she has to hit the goal she has set and wearing the dress multiple times is the most reasonable way she could think of to make the most of her wedding dress.
Hall now plans to wear her wedding dress on a trip to Iceland that she and her partner will take next summer.
1.Why did Tammy Hall adopt a new lifestyle?
A.To adapt herself to Indian life. B.To cut down her consumption.
C.To save money for her next trip. D.To get prepared for her wedding.
2.What did Tammy Hall do to get her money's worth out of her wedding dress?
A.She brought fun to people with it. B.She tried to wear it to earn money.
C.She wore it repeatedly in daily life. D.She got it exchanged again and again.
3.Which of the following best explains the word "irritating" underlined in paragraph 6?
A.Thrilling. B.Annoying.
C.Amusing. D.Confusing.
4.What can we infer about Tammy Hall?
A.She is determined to turn her ideas into practice.
B.She values her wedding dress less than her trips.
C.She has been struggling to make the ends meet.
D.She has influenced people's lifestyle widely.
New York's best classes for after-school kids include sports classes, performing arts classes, art classes and language programs. Make sure your kids are ready for new adventures with these super-cool offerings!
92nd Street Y Classes
At this institution your musicians can learn how to play instruments. After-school classes examine different musical pieces and encourage teamwork in a group setting. At the end of the program, mini Mozarts can impress their family and friends at open-house concerts. Plus, when they're not jamming, kids can take advantage of homework help in the Clubhouse, where they are divided up by grade level. Ages 5-15.
The Cliffs at LIC
After a day of fighting academic courses at school, your favorite achievers can reach heights on a rock-climbing wall. The Cliffs' offerings allow developing bodies to build muscle strength. For example, introductory sessions teach climbers how to safely tie knots (结) as well as other basics, mastering them with hands-on games and activities. The Cliffs at LIC, Long Island City. Ages 6-18.
Staten Island Skating Pavilion
This large area maintains (维持) its year-round frosty temperatures for ice-skating fun. Courses are offered every day for a variety of interests and skill levels, and public and freestyle sessions are available to children who want to spend some afternoons there without instruction. Ages 4-15.
West Side YMCA
If your children want to learn how to swim, you'd be hard-pressed to find more options than those offered here. Kids are grouped by age and ability. The courses cover personal safety and swimming techniques. If your children prefer dry land，the West Side YMCA also offers dance, basketball and football. Visit our website for class descriptions and price information. Ages 5-18.
1.Which of the following offers homework help?
A.The Cliffs at LIC. B.West Side YMCA.
C.92nd Street Y Classes. D.Staten Island Skating Pavilion.
2.What can participants do at Staten Island Skating Pavilion?
A.Learn basic climbing skills. B.Enjoy skating all year around.
C.Try a variety of outdoor sports. D.Start skating at the age of three.
3.Who is the text intended for?
A.Senior high school teachers. B.Children around school age.
C.Adults looking for relaxation. D.Parents with children of school age.
阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语段续写两段，使之构成一个完整的故事。续写的词数为150左右。
When Bryan Anderson noticed an old lady, caught on the side of the road, he knew she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out with his motor still running.
Even with a big smile on his face, she was worried. He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry. After reading her mind, he introduced himself as Bryan Anderson and began to help her.
Learning that she had a flat tire, without a second thought, Bryan set out to work and took hours to get it right, dirty and tired. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.
With everything done, the lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened. Bryan never thought about being paid. This was helping someone in need. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
Byan told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person help the way he gave her, and he added, “And think of me to let the chain of love pass on.”
Hearing that she owed him nothing, with tears rolling down her cheeks, the old lady drove off with a deep “Thank you”.
A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. In the dirty- looking restaurant, the whole scene was unfamiliar to her; a waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. Then she remembered Bryan.
Paragraph 1:
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a $100 bill.
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Paragraph 2:
That night when she got home from work, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written.
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