As John George remembers it, the Detroit neighborhood he grew up in was straight out of Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. ''We knew all our neighbors,'' George, 60, told Detroit's Metro Times. ''On Christmas Eve, we'd all go to midnight Mass, and there would be 300 people in our house at one o'clock to about five in the morning. The folks were just really good, hardworking people. ''
By the 80s, however, the old neighborhood was more Pottersville than Bedford Falls. Due in part to economic downturns and a nationwide drug epidemic (泛滥), well-kept homes had been abandoned and kindly neighbors had fled to the suburbs. But not George. ''Living in any city, it's like being in a relationship,'' he told Reader's Digest. ''Some days are better than others. But it was my home. And when I saw it deteriorating, I had two choices: I could leave, or I could stay and fight. I decided to stay and fight. ''
When the abandoned home behind his turned into a crack den, the father of two grabbed some plywood and nails and began boarding up the house. After two neighbors stopped to ask what he was doing, they decided to help, with great results. ''When the drug dealers came back, they turned around and went home,'' says George. ''That's how it all got started. ''
''It'' is Detroit Blight Busters, or DBB, an organization of civic-minded volunteers devoted to reviving the city they love, one abandoned house, one vacant lot, and one garbage-strewn park at a time.
In the 30 years since that first home rescue, an army of approximately 182,000 volunteers, along with corporate and private donors, has helped George destroy around 300 abandoned homes, mostly in the poorer Northwest area of Detroit. They've also secured 400-some homes by boarding them up, thus keeping bad actors out. They've painted and renovated nearly 900 homes and built over 100 from scratch. According to Forbes, more than 1,000 Detroiters have been housed as a result of DBB's work.
''I'm half Lebanese, half Italian, and 100 percent Detroit stubborn, '' George told nationswell.com. ''Once we get something in our heart and in our head, it's almost autopilot. ''
But that was only the beginning. In 2003, George also breathed life into a dilapidated (破旧的) square mile of Detroit by turning it into Artist Village, an area now filled with galleries, a performance space, community gardens, a coffee shop, and outdoor courtyards. Because this region of North Detroit was a food desert, George also persuaded a supermarket chain to move into the neighborhood.
''Blight is like a cancer: If you don't set upon it, it will spread,'' George told thehubdetroit.com. And then there's Halloween. In Detroit, October 30 was ruefully known as Devil's Night, a period when all hell would break loose in the form of crime and vandalism. In response, George created a citizens' patrol (巡逻队) that would take to the streets, keeping an eye on suspicious behavior. He called it Angels’ Night. What began with 12 neighbors on patrol in 1990 has grown to more than 60,000 citywide.
George's inspired ideas have not gone unnoticed by the city he loves.''John wants to show that there is still something to Detroit. That it's still worth it,'' says real estate agent Robert LaBute. And others are buying into it.''We're seeing the trend of younger homeowners coming in.''
Is George proud of having boosted his once-ailing hometown? You'd better believe he is. As he puts it: ''We are on the front porch of the greatest urban comeback story in this nation’s history. ''
1.Why was John George reluctant to leave Detroit?
A.He wanted to save his city.
B.He enjoyed a wonderful life.
C.He stayed to fight against drugs.
D.He got along with his neighbors.
2.What was the result of the first home rescue?
A.An official organization was founded.
B.A voluntary movement began with it.
C.A better neighbor relationship was formed.
D.The drug dealers mended their ways at last.
3.The data provided in Paragraph 5 suggest that ______.
A.many people have been lifted out of poverty
B.many abandoned homes have been destroyed
C.DBB has done a lot to bring the city back to life
D.the number of the volunteers has been increasing
4.What did John George do to revive the city of Detroit ?
A.He transformed the city into an industrial area.
B.He created a citizen's patrol to prevent crimes.
C.He expanded investment in real estate business.
D.He built a supermarket chain in the neighborhood.
5.According to the passage, John George can be described as ______.
A.cautious and creative
B.stubborn and ambitious
C.proud and self-centered
D.strong-willed and inspiring
6.What's the best title for the passage?
A.The Life of a Hero
B.Detroit's Proud Tiger
C.The Power of Devotion
D.The Blooming of Detroit
For many, scientific innovations tend to be welcome advancements that improve our lives. For some, however, new technologies bring risk of uselessness, in turn leading to great resistance.
With the climate crisis unfolding before our eyes, the race is on to find alternatives that will help humanity leave a smaller footprint on our planet. Because of animal agriculture's leading role as a greenhouse gas emitter, the search for more sustainable protein sources could be one such alternative.
As food tech companies use science to unlock the potential of plant proteins, they're producing increasingly better plant-based meats and milks that look and taste like the real thing, but with a much lower carbon footprint. Some in the meat industry are supporting the new and investing in these alt-protein companies.
For some lawmakers, however, these innovative products don't deserve support; they deserve restriction. Missouri State, for example, recently passed a bill making it a crime punishable by imprisonment for companies to call their products ''meat'' if they don’t come from an animal.
So why the mania (狂热) over meat and milk all of a sudden? Was there a consumer who brought home some pies labeled ''plant-based meat'' only to realize he was tricked? Did confused milk-drinkers file complaints with the Department of Agriculture when they found out their soymilk didn't contain actual milk?
There really are some consumers who are truly confused. Surveys show, however, that number is remarkably small. If anything, consumers are choosing these plant-based products specifically because they think they're better for them than the original products. And they have good reason to believe that plant-based milks and meats usually have less fat and more fiber than comparable animal-based foods.
So, consumers aren't confusing ''veggie bacon'' for real bacon; and if they don't think chicken nuggets have the same nutritional value as ''chicken-free nuggets'', then why do some meat and milk groups want a monopoly (垄断) over the M-words? Could it have to do with the fact that the increasing popularity of these foods, which are more sustainable and better for you, is threatening the profits of their constituents?
And with the future of our civilization hanging in the balance as climate change becomes more severe, it's time for policy makers to stop trying to prevent innovation, and instead to celebrate all the ways science can save us, including with sustainable proteins that can and do produce new kinds of meat.
1.What can be learned about the M-word applied to plant-based substitutes?
A.They are environmentally friendly.
B.They are innovative and widely accepted.
C.They have been restricted across America.
D.They have been produced in large quantities.
2.From the passage we can learn that consumers ______.
A.have sufficient faith in new science and technology
B.prefer the original products to the plant-based products
C.buy the plant-based products for their great benefit to health
D.often get confused by the composition of the new kind of meat
3.According to the author, some people resist the new kind of food probably because _____.
A.it contains no real meat
B.it brings risks to society
C.it plays a trick on customers
D.it poses a threat to their profits
4.What's the author's attitude towards the plant-based products?
A.Supportive. B.Cautious.
C.Ambiguous. D.Disapproving
People are more willing to change their mind about people they initially hold. Common wisdom holds that negative first impressions are hard to shake-and some research backs this up. But such studies often unfairly compare impressions based on immoral deeds that are extreme and relatively rare with impressions based on kindnesses that are more common. A new set of studies involving precisely balanced behaviors finds that people are more willing to change their mind about individuals who initially come off as selfish than about those they think selfless.
In three of the experiments, 336 laboratory and online participants read about two people who each made a series of 50 decisions regarding how many electric shocks to give someone in exchange for money. One fictional subject required more money per shock than the average person did to inflict (施加) pain on others. The other’s price-per-shock threshold (界限) was comparably lower than the average person’s. Study participants read about each subject’s decisions one at a time. Before seeing each decision, they predicted what it would be. After every three decisions the fictional subject made, participants rated the individual on a scale from “nasty” to “nice,” and then specified their confidence in the rating.
As expected, participants rated the person who gave shocks for a lower price as nastier than the higher-price shocker. But they expressed less confidence in the “nasty” ratings, and their predictions of how many shocks that person would give fluctuated (波动) more. In other words, their beliefs about the “bad” subject were more changeable. “A well-designed brain system would not write someone off completely at the first sign of trouble,” says Molly Crockett, a psychologist at Yale University.
The test scenarios (情况) are a far cry from real-world interactions. Still, the experiment offers “a really elegant pattern that drills down on a question that’s so central to our everyday human life,” says Peter Mende-Siedlecki, a psychologist at the University of Delaware.
1.According to the passage, what does the new set of studies find?
A.Bad first impressions may be lasting.
B.Bad first impressions are not set in stone.
C.People often judge others by first impressions.
D.People are reluctant to change first impressions.
2.What are the researchers’ findings based on?
A.The number of electric shocks someone was given.
B.Some specific laboratory and online questionnaires.
C.Comparisons between decisions made by two subjects.
D.An analysis of information collected from participants.
3.The underlined phrase in Paragraph 4 means “______”.
A.very secure B.much different
C.completely hidden D.almost withdrawn
Keep the Summer Fun Going
Grand Ole Opry Package
Experience some of Nashville’s most notable attractions with the Grand Ole Opry Package, a three-night getaway that includes lodging, a performance at the Grand Ole Opry, and a General Jackson Showboat Dinner Cruise.
Hersheypark Vacation Package
The exciting Hersheypark Vacation Package includes two nights of lodging in the area in addition to tickets to Hersheypark, a recreational dream where visitors can ride exciting roller coasters and taste the delicious milk chocolate that the Hershey company is known for.
Branson's Fun for Kids Vacation
Branson’s Fun for Kids Vacation includes four nights of lodging, admission to the Branson’s Wild World VIP Animal Adventure, Escape Mini Golf & Jungle Arcade, Hamners’ Unbelievable Family Variety Show, Fritz’s Adventure, a one day pass to Silver Dollar City and admission to the Dolly Parton’s Stampede!
SeaWorld San Antonio Vacation Package
Dive into the deep sea excitement of SeaWorld with the SeaWorld San Antonio Vacation Package, which includes Three Day Flex Ticket and three nights’ lodging at your choice of hotels in the area.
1.If you are planning an exciting wild jungle adventure, which vacation package will you book?
A.Grand Ole Opry Package.
B.Hersheypark Vacation Package.
C.Branson's Fun for Kids Vacation.
D.SeaWorld San Antonio Vacation Package.
2.Hersheypark Vacation Package is attractive in that it includes ______.
A.free accommodation
B.various milk chocolates
C.thrilling roller coaster rides
D.amusing animal performances
From poverty to a rocket scientist to the CEO of the Girl Scouts (女童子军), Sylvia Acevedo’s story is inspiring.
Sylvia Acevedo grew up on a dirt road in New Mexico. Her family was _______, living paycheck to paycheck. After an infectious disease _______ in Las Cruces nearly killed her younger sister, her mother moved the family to a different _______. At her new school, a classmate _______ her to become a Brownie Girl Scout. And from that moment, her life _______ a new path.
The Girl Scout cookie program equips girls with basic _______ knowledge. Women constantly in the sector said they got their _______ through it. Sylvia Acevedo was there going door-to-door _______ cookies to all her neighbors. There’s a famous sales _______ that her troop leader gave her: you never leave the side of a sale ________ you’ve heard “no” three times, and to this day she ________ by that.
The Girl Scout experience in a way got girls ________. When they are earning different badges (徽章) , they have all those job skills that are tied ________ to what they’ve learned. On one camping trip, Acevedo’s troop leader saw her looking up at the ________--she didn’t know that there were planets. Her troop leader ________ the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper and a few planets. Later, when the girls were ________ badges, Acevedo’s leader remembered her ________ with the stars and suggested she ________ for her science badge. She went on to get a master’s in ________ from Stanford University, then became a rocket scientist with NASA, and then, in 2016, was tapped to ________ the Girl Scouts.
What the Girl Scouts taught her was determination and resilience (适应力) and she has kept that lesson in her life ever since.
1.A.large B.happy C.poor D.close
2.A.control B.outbreak C.detection D.victim
3.A.project B.neighbourhood C.schoolyard D.division
4.A.convinced B.advised C.forced D.allowed
5.A.took up B.took in C.took off D.took on
6.A.political B.cultural C.financial D.religious
7.A.start B.way C.head D.vote
8.A.allocating B.selling C.making D.tasting
9.A.campaign B.figure C.program D.technique
10.A.after B.while C.until D.since
11.A.lives B.gets C.passes D.judges
12.A.adopted B.hired C.noticed D.supported
13.A.gradually B.hopefully C.directly D.mysteriously
14.A.trees B.birds C.stars D.tents
15.A.pointed out B.ruled out C.sorted out D.brought out
16.A.wearing B.donating C.counting D.earning
17.A.satisfaction B.association C.combination D.fascination
18.A.try B.wish C.stand D.pay
19.A.nursing B.marketing C.teaching D.engineering
20.A.back B.head C.fund D.check
—I hope we’ll be able to move to the new house next month.
—______. The decoration is still in progress.
A.Forget it B.Hard to say C.Pardon me D.No kidding
