Every year, the brightest young scientists from around the globe come together to participate in the world’s largest pre-college science competition, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). They demonstrate their knowledge of science and engineering to improve the way we work and live.
One of 2019’s winners, Katie Lu, found a method for removing oil from water. This concept can also be applied to the removal of microplastics from our oceans as well.
Here is what Katie told reporters:
My experience at Intel ISEF was amazing! I remember on judging day, walking the exhibit hall and looking at the people gathered outside waiting to get in. My teacher turned to me and said, “That’s the future right there.” It was so amazing to spend time with all of these participants who are going to do amazing things in the future.
My scientific career has taught me not to fear failure and not to be afraid to ask for help. It’s really easy to be overwhelmed (挫败) and wonder if what you’re doing is going to work out, but even if it doesn’t, it’s OK! Always look on the positive side! A failure now doesn’t mean you’re a failure forever. Failure makes success feel earned when it comes. Also, asking for help is good when you’re struggling. You learn how to do things a lot faster and more efficiently.
I’m shocked that some people are still skeptical about climate change. It is real, it is dangerous and it is one of the most important issues of our generation. Reducing carbon emissions isn’t a “should”, it is a “must” to continue living on the planet. Additionally, people aren’t really worried about their personal impact on the earth in terms of littering, overusing plastic or wasting resources. If we don’t curb harmful human activity before it’s too late, it will be a problem that affects all humans, not just those that contribute.
1.What seems to concern Katie most?
A.Ocean exploration.
B.The overpopulation on the earth.
C.Environmental problems.
D.The shortage of natural energy.
2.What can we learn from what Katie’s teacher said?
A.No Intel ISEF, no future.
B.All the talents are at the Intel ISEF.
C.The participants will make the future amazing.
D.Katie should try to do better than the other participants.
3.What does Paragraph 5 mainly tell us？
A.The setbacks Katie experienced in her science.
B.The relationship between failure and success.
C.Seeking help is a shortcut to doing things well.
D.What Katie has gained from her scientific career.
4.What does the underlined word “curb” in the last paragraph most probably mean?
A.Punish. B.Control.
C.Deny. D.Measure.
With golden sunshine and a gentle breeze（微风）, autumn is the most beautiful seasons in the year. This is a great time to go outside and have fun. Go to a valley to see red maple trees,go and pick fruit in an orchard or find an open field to fly your kite in.
However, for many high school students, these great activities may be just a dream. With plenty of work to do, they spend all their hours indoors, struggling for a high mark in their exams. Of course, study is one of the most important things for teenagers. But life is definitely much more than that.
Sometimes we spend so much time studying that we forget how to make life wonderful. In doing so, we lose the real purpose of life —to be a valuable and happy person. To enjoy just how great it is to be alive, we have to put down our books and pens and look around us. Students, take some exercise to improve your health, talk with your parents and friends for understanding and walk around outside to refresh（振作）our body and mind.
Going out and enjoying the beautiful countryside often helps our creativity in our work. Chinese craftsman, Lu Ban created a saw to help woodworkers. But if he hadn’t walked outside, he would not have been inspired by a kind of toothed（锯齿状的）grass. We could also suppose if Newton hadn’t rested under that apple tree, then he wouldn’t have been hit by an apple, and his classic（经典的）theories would not have come out.
Going out is not only a break from hard work, but a chance to add to life experience. So come on, give your brain a good rest. Step out of the books and get your bag ready for an autumn outing. We are sure you will get much more than knowledge from the exciting journey.
1.In which paragraph does the writer make a summary about his opinion?
A.Paragraph 1. B.Paragraph 2.
C.Paragraph 4. D.Paragraph 5.
2.Why is going out a dream for many high school students?
A.They are unhappy to do so.
B.They have too much work to do for getting high marks in the exams.
C.Their parents don’t allow them to do so.
D.They think study is the most important thing for them.
3.The passage is developed mainly by______________.
A.describing the beautiful scenery in Autumn
B.pointing out the present situation of high school students
C.making predictions
D.reasoning and giving examples
4.What message can you learn from the passage?
A.Going out can make high school students get more.
B.Nature is power.
C.All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
D.The author isn’t happy with our education at all.
Our favorite tech gifts of 2019
When it comes time for the holiday shopping season, we’re extra choosy about the countless technology products that we will buy and give to friends and family. Here’s what impressed editors, reporters and producers the most in 2019.
Lumos Matrix
I recently bought a Lumos Matrix helmet (头盔) ($229) with built-in lights to make riding my bike at night a lot safer and less stressful. It’s a regular pain point for bikers like me to make sure absent-minded drivers see you, especially when it’s dark. This definitely helps.
— Matt mcfarland, Writer
Goodreads app
Although this isn’t a gift, the free Goodreads app is a gamechanger. At the beginning of 2019, I promised myself I’d read at least one new book every month. I set a goal of 12 books on Goodreads and used it to track my progress, keep a list of books I’m interested in and check out what friends and others on the app were recommending. I read 35 books this year! (That’s up from five books last year.) Goodreads feels like one of the rare feel-good social networks.
— Kaya Yurieff, Tech Reporter
Ember coffee cup
I drink my coffee slowly so it has routinely cooled by the time I get halfway through it. For my birthday, my mum bought me a cup ($99), which keeps my coffee warm until I finish it without trips to the microwave for reheating. I can also set the specific temperature I want. It makes my mornings so much easier.
— Millie Dent, Intern
1.What is the main advantage of Lumos Matrix helmet?
A.Helping drivers concentrate. B.Managing the bad weather.
C.Making night riding safer. D.Making bikers less painful.
2.What does the writer mean by referring to the Goodreads app as “a gamechanger”?
A.It changes some readers’ reading rules.
B.It provides readers with free internet games.
C.It limits the number of books a reader can read.
D.It inspires readers to read more through interactions.
3.Which of the following can best describe Ember coffee cup?
A.Eco-friendly. B.Convenient.
C.Expensive. D.Simple.
请阅读下面文字，并按照要求用英语写一篇150 词左右的文章。
Twenty years ago,getting sick meant visiting a doctor.Now,many internet tools seek to identify what disease a person has based on symptoms described.The following are some studies. |
Study 1 A study led by an American researcher showed these web-based tools may be useful for patients who are trying to decide whether they should get to a doctor quickly. Besides,online symptom checkers can help seriously-ill patients for a guided care.According to the findings,overall the 23 symptom checkers provided correct advice in 58 percent of cases in more critical cases. |
Study2 Australian researchers at Edith Cowan University in Perth.did a new study,which examined 36 international internet-based symptom checkers,finding these online symptom checkers were rarely correct and could be harmful. Michella Hill,a leader of the research,said,"While it may be tempting to use these tools to find out what may be causing your symptoms,most of the time they are unreliable and sometimes can be dangerous.” |
（写作内容）
1. 用约30个单词概括上述信息的主要内容；
2.谈谈你如何看待在线症状检查工具，用2-3个理由或论据支撑你的观点。
（写作要求）
1.写作过程中不能直接引用原文语句；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
3. 不必写标题。
（评分标准）
内容完整，语言规范，语篇连贯，词数适当。
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请阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。
Generally speaking,people often return to a set level of happiness despite life's ups and downs,For instance,people who win the lottery tend to return to roughly their original levels of happiness after the novelty of the win has worn off.The same-is true for those who are in major accidents and lose the use of their legs.The change in ability can be damaging at first,but people generally return to their pre-accident levels of happiness after the habituation period.This phenomenon is called hedonic adaptation,a concept studied by positive psychology researchers.
There are activities that are more or less affected by hedonic adaptation.Some of these activities are known as pleasures.They can lift your mood and leave you feeling wonderful,but their effects can be relatively a short time.What's more,we get used to them relatively quickly.If you have the same meal every day for a week,for example,you may find it to be less pleasurable by the end of the week. Gratifications(满足）are also such activities affected by hedonic adaptation.They can get us into a feeling of"flow”where we don't notice the passage of time,and where we're thoroughly engaged in what we're doing.Gratifications are activities that require more effort and thought,but the payoff is higher as well The more we engage,the more we enjoy!
Knowing that pleasures don't last long in their effects may make them seem less worth the effort than gratifications.There are reasons why they can be perfect for certain situations,however.First,they bring a quick lift in mood without a great deal of effort.This is actually quite valuable because there is significant research that shows that a lift in mood can lead to chain reaction of positive feelings.Second, gratifications do take more effort,so when you only have few minutes or a very limited amount of energy,pleasures are often the simpler and more accessible option.
Thankfully, we can do something to move away from the limiting effects of hedonic adaptation and engage in activities that can create a greater level of happiness in lie.For example,be sure to make time for hobbies!It doesn't really matter what the hobby is;as long as it's one you enjoy,you'll benefit from it,and these benefits will extend into the rest of your life.It's also a good idea to help other people. This can create greater meaning in your life, and thus create greater happiness.Enjoying your positive experiences is also a great way to maximize the positive in your life.So at the end of the day,a few days, a week,write about three things you enjoyed that day.Then,you'll be reliving these positive experience as you write about them,and can relive them again when you read.
Hedonic Adaptation | |
Concept of hedonic adaptation | Hedonic adaptation refers to people's general tendency to return to a set level of 1.despite life's ups and downs. |
Two kinds of activities influenced by hedonic adaptations | ●Pleasures are activities whose positive effects are 2.，and our adaptation to them is also gone fast. ●Gratifications are activities that take us more effort but can bring more 3.results. In other words, compared with pleasures, they are more4.to the effects of hedonic adaptation. |
Advantages of pleasures over gratifications
| ●Pleasures not only can lift our moods quickly but also are relatively 5. ●Pleasures are a better-choice when we're too6.or worn out. |
Tips of 7. the effects of hedonic
| ●Take up hobbies that 8.to you whatever they are. ●Do others a favor and it can make you live more 9. ●Enjoy your positive experiences by taking a regular10.about adaptation them. |
The story of a voyage bearing witness to plastic pollution in the oceans,Junk Raft(筏子），based on facts,is an exciting,thought-provoking book.Science educator and researcher Marcus Eriksen's navigational feat(航海壮举）is holding readers' attention and interest--88 days crossing some 4,000 kilometers of open ocean,on a raft made of 15,000 plastic bottles wrapped in fishing nets.But it is more. Two equally fascinating storylines are made up through the written records of a series of events: Eriksen's evolution from soldier to research director of the environmental non-profit 5 Gyres Institute, and the journey we all need to take towards a more sustainable use of plastics.
Around 15%of all the litter in our oceans in plastic,and a calculated 5 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the seas annually.Unavoidably,it is now present at the sea surface and on shorelines,in Arctic seas and on the sea bed at depths of 3,500 metres.Around 700 sea species are known to come into contact with pieces of waste plastic material-and can be harmed or killed by taking in it or becoming twisted and caught in it.There are also concerns about plastics accumulating in commercially important species of fish and shellfish.The waters and shores of Hawaii are particularly heavily pottuted, giving a rationale(理由）for Eriksen's destination.
This environmental challenge has attracted increasing scientific,media and societal attention in recent years. yet few accounts have conveyed the\wider picture accessibly Junk Raft does just this---while exposing our frustratingly slow progress on a issue of major importance to fisheries, tourism and,finally,the health of the world's oceans.
Eriksen lists the issues associated with the accumulation of sea plastic:the causes,consequences and potential solutions.Our single-use culture is the main offender.For more than 60 years,society and industry have been producing more and more throwaway items particularly packaging.Some solutions lie in better acquisition of materials at the end of their lives,in a circular economy.
Eriksen takes the crisis into consideration together with a timeline of scientific discovery and advancement since the 1970s.Alongside this he gives a very personal,somewhat North American,view the troubles of industry and policy involvement the side plots and blind alleys,and the tactics(战术） of avoidance and disturbance he has so often experienced.There are parallels,he shows,with the troubles that faced those who fought to raise awareness around the health impacts of smoking.
Throughout,we are regularly brought back to the realities of life aboard the raft,with Eriksen's fellow sailor Joel Paschal.This is both fascinating and eventful,from their slow,occasionally very dangerous progress to the moments when it seems the raft will break up into pieces,littering the ocean with the waste material Eriksen is trying so hard to fight against.Eriksen's wider journey also takes him onto dry land,where he touches on the accumulation of land plastic.He learns about the consumption of plastic bags by camels-a serious issue in some desert countries.
It can be difficult to judge the direct impacts of projects such as Eriksen's,but he rightly notes the Importance of raising awareness of the risks of disposable plastic.Eriksen has also done much to emphasize the environmental consequences of polymer microbeads(聚合物微粒）in the US Great Lakes, providing key evidence that led to the introduction of a law.
Junk Raft is filled with adventure,romance,a sense of optimism and important truths that will be needed by the thousands of groups.It serves as a reflection of the choices and journeys that each of us makes and helps us understand how plastic in the oceans is closely connected with the future of human life.
1.What makes the book Junk Raft attractive to readers?
A.The appeal for global environmental protection.
B.Efforts made to put an end to the use of plastics.
C.Erisken's adventures on the plastic ocean on a raft.
D.Eriksen's soldierly service and environmental study.
2.What has raised people's concern according to the passage?
A.More rubbish being poured into the oceans.
B.Plastics accumulating in rare species of fish.
C.Many species in the oceans suffering fro shock.
D.The waters of the oceans being polluted by plastics.
3.What does the underlined word"this"in Paragraph3 refer to?
A.Making accounts accessible.
B.Listing the environmental issues.
C.Taking the pollution into account.
D.Facing the environmental challenge.
4.What is the main reason for sea plastic pollution?
A.The overuse of household items.
B.The wasteful throwaway culture.
C.The production of more materials.
D.The failure to find potential solutions.
5.The trouble industry and policy engagement face lies in that_____.
A.the current policy is yet to be further perfected
B.people turn a blind eye to the plastics industry
C.people lack correct awareness of the problem
D.the market need for plastics is enlarging on land
6.What is the author's attitude toward Eriksen's work?
A.Cautious. B.Ambiguous.
C.Doubtful. D.Appreciative.
