A new device works like a solar panel,except that it doesn’t harvest energy from the sun. It absorbs energy from the cold night sky.
A prototype(原型)of the device produced enough electricity at night to power a small light bulb. A bigger version might one day light rooms or charge phones. It also could power electronics in remote or low-resource areas that lack electricity.
The device makes use of the temperature difference between Earth and outer space. It then uses that difference 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 beneath a transparent cover and surrounded with insulation(隔热材料) to keep out heat. The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate. That plate is warmed by the local air. At night,the top plate can get a couple of degrees Celsius cooler than the bottom of the generator.
Researchers tested a 20-centimeter prototype one clear December night in Stanford,California. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of device. That was enough power to light a small light-emitting diode,or LED bulb. Further improvements might increase its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter. To do that,the system might need more insulation around the cool top plate.
The device also could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices,says Aaswath Raman. He is a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California,Los Angeles. This may be useful in polar regions that don’t see sunlight for months at a time,Raman says. “If you have some low-power load and you need to power it through three months of darkness,this might be a way. ”
1.What can we know about the new device?
A.It gains energy from the sun. B.It’s been widely used in life.
C.It is cooler than a solar panel. D.It’ll be popular in special areas.
2.What does the author mainly talk about in Paragraph 3?
A.Application fields of the device.
B.The developing process of the device.
C.The working principle of the device.
D.Significant effects of the device.
3.How can the device produce more electricity?
A.By putting more insulation around the top plate.
B.By using it in extremely cold and clear nights.
C.By attaching the bottom plate to a warm plate.
D.By covering the top plate with a transparent lid.
4.What could be a suitable title for the text?
A.A Device Using the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity
B.A Device Bringing New Hope for Those in the Cold Night
C.The Difference Between a Solar Panel and a New Device
D.The Temperature Difference Between Earth and Outer Space
Sam is a fourth-year student at Harvard Medical School,but poetry is still a big part of his life,now with a new teacher,Rafael Campo,who believes poetry can benefit every doctor’s education and work. Rafael is a physician,professor and a highly respected poet.
“Poetry is in every encounter(邂逅)with my patients. I think healing is really in a very great way about poetry. And if we do anything when we’re with our patients,we’re really immersing(使沉浸于)ourselves in their stories,really hearing their voices. And,certainly,that’s what a poem does,”he said.
Rafael worries that something important has been lost in medicine and medical education today:humanity,which he finds in poetry. To end that,he leads a weekly reading and writing workshop for medical students and residents(住院医生).
He thinks medical training focuses too much on distancing the doctor from his or her patients,and poems can help close that gap.
Third-year resident Andrea Schwartz was one of the workshop regulars. She said. “I think there’s no other profession other than medicine that produces as many writers as it does. And I think that is because there’s just so much power in doctors and patients interacting when patients are at their saddest. ”Not everyone believes that’s what doctors should do,though.
Rafael said,“I was afraid of how people might judge me,actually. In the medical profession,as many people know,we must always put the emergency first. But,you know,that kind of treatment,if it’s happening in the hospital,very regrettably,sadly,results in a bad outcome. The family is sitting by the bedside. The patient hasn’t survived the cancer. Don’t we still have a role as healers there?”
In a poem titled“Health”,Rafael writes of the wish to live forever in a world made painless by our incurable joy. He says he will continue teaching students,helping patients and writing poems,his own brand of medicine.
1.What do we know about Rafael Campo?
A.He works as a doctor. B.He is under medical care.
C.He is a literature professor. D.He knows little about poetry.
2.What does the author try to show in Paragraph 2 ?
A.The importance of medical training.
B.The effect of poetry in medical treatment.
C.The similarity involved in poetry and medical work.
D.The present relationship between patients and doctors.
3.What does Andrea Schwaflz think of poetry?
A.It comforts patients’family.
B.It contributes to medical work.
C.It has nothing to do with doctors.
D.It keeps doctors away from patients.
4.What is Rafael Campo’s view on poetry?
A.It requires a lot of spare time.
B.It can provide a useful tool for doctors.
C.It has little effect on patients’conditions.
D.It should be included in emergency treatments.
When the young donkey Daisy May came to us,she was pregnant. With no donkey experience. I was unprepared for what might come next.
After some difficulty,Daisy’s baby was born. I thought the poor thing was dead. I planned to put the loss behind us and make sure she never got pregnant again. Just then,I heard a little noise. I couldn’t believe that baby was breathing and looking at me!We called him Samson,and of course I became his mother as much as Daisy was.
When Samson was nine months old,I had to separate Daisy and Samson for a few hours a day to wean(使断奶)him,but otherwise he went wherever she did. I think she would be lost without him. His donkey stepdad Bernard taught him to always be ready to have fun. They enjoy playing football together and going for a roll on a hot summer day.
I asked a worker to make a harness(马具)for my three little donkeys. When I brought it home I taught them one by one how to pull a cart. Samson watched and freely followed Daisy. When he was three,I put the harnness on him and he knew exactly what to do.
That was 15 years ago. Now,the most exciting thing about Samson is that he has become a little renowned. People come from all over to see him perform. The neighbors bring their grandchildren,and my sons bring their friends.
Samson shakes hands,unties my shoe,picks up a hat and more. And when I ask him if he has any bad habits,he tries to pick my pocket!He surprisingly learned these tricks himself. I just ask him to do them and he understands.
The relationship I have with my“baby”Samson has been an amazing experience. Every day is a fun day with this superstar donkey.
1.Why was the author at a loss for what might happen next at first?
A.She wasn’t ready to be a mother.
B.She never raised a donkey before.
C.The donkey was pregnant by accident.
D.The donkey gave birth to a dead baby.
2.What can we learn about Samson when he was little?
A.He was surrounded by love.
B.He was separated from his family.
C.He was unwelcome to the neighbors.
D.He was skilled in entertaining people.
3.Which of the following can best describe Samson?
A.Friendly and courageous. B.Intelligent and lively.
C.Carefree and creative. D.Patient and fortunate.
4.What does the underlined word“renowned”in Paragraph 5 probably refer to?
A.Strange. B.Proud.
C.Humorous. D.Famous.
Since it first opened after four years of construction in 1937 at a cost of $27 million,the Golden Gate Bridge has made its appearance in films and poetry.
CNN Travel spent a day climbing into and ground the bridge,learning these secrets from the people who know and love it best.
Why is it called the Golden Gate Bridge?It’s not golden.
“The Golden Gate Bridge gets its name because it spans what is called the Golden Gate Strait,”said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz,spokesman for the Golden Gate Bridge,Highway and Transportation District,which operates the bridge. It’s a three-mile-long and one-mile-wide body of water that connects the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay.
What color is the bridge?It looks red.
“It’s not red,although you’re not crazy to think so. Visitors all call it red,”said Russell. “Back in the day,the US Navy,then part of the War Department,oversaw the waterways and wanted to paint this bridge black and yellow for high visibility,”said fellow painter Jarrod Bauer. “They ended up mixing paint to create the color International Orange,which is similar to the color of red lead,”he said.
Does the bridge get entirely painted every year?
No,and it doesn’t need to be. It’s true that the top coat has been fully repainted over time with new and environmentally-improved International Orange top coats.
Who performs bridge rescues?
McVeigh and his fellow ironworkers,the so—called“Cowboys of the Sky”,have that responsibility. McVeigh has lost count of how many troubled souls he’s been called to rescue over the past 17 years.
In September in 2018,the bridge started constructing a suicide(自杀)prevention system,also known as the safety net,to keep people from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s expected to be completed in 2021.
1.What’s the true color of the Golden Gate Bridge?
A.Red. B.Red lead.
C.Black and yellow. D.International Orange.
2.Who can probably be called a hero on the Golden Gate Bridge?
A.McVeigh. B.Jarrod Bauer.
C.Russell. D.Paolo.
3.What can we know about the Golden Gate Bridge?
A.It is safer now because of the safety net.
B.It got its name because of its color.
C.It took much time and money to be built.
D.It needs to be repainted once a year.
请认真阅读下文信息,并按照要求用英语写一篇150词左右的文章。
China’s New Wildlife Trade Ban and Upcoming Law Amendment(修正案)
March 05, 2020 “Lisa” Ning Hua
The Coronavirus Outbreak in China, has been identified by the World Health Organization as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” or “PHEIC.” Seventeen years after the horrific SARS outbreak, the coronavirus has once again shown a spotlight on the risks of consuming wildlife as food and encouraged public outcry to ban wild meat consumption in China.
This challenge is not unique to China. Epidemics, such as Ebola, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease, Avian Influenza, and SARS, all originate from wildlife.
To combat the outbreak, China announced a suspension on wildlife trade across the country in January and a crackdown (i.e., stricter enforcement) on illegal activities involving wildlife. The country’s top legislature also initiated a process for amending the current Wildlife Protection Law and announcing a decision this week to ban the trade of wildlife as food and tighten the crackdown on illegal wildlife trade.
While this is all very good news, it should be noted that the ban is not permanent and will automatically expire(失效)when the amendments to the Wildlife Protection Law become effective. Further, key details regarding ban enforcement have yet to be clarified to ensure it serves its purpose.
(写作内容)
1. 用约30个单词概述上述信息的主要内容;
2. 谈谈你如何看待保护野生动物,并说明理由(至少两点)。
(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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请认真阅读下列短文,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:每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things?
We all probably know someone who is intelligent but does surprisingly stupid things. What does it mean to be smart or intelligent? Our everyday use of the term is meant to describe someone who is knowledgeable and makes wise decisions, but this definition is at odds with how intelligence is traditionally measured. The most widely known measure of intelligence is the intelligence quotient, more commonly known as the IQ test, which includes visuospatial puzzles, math problems, pattern recognition, vocabulary questions and visual searches.
The advantages of being intelligent are undeniable. Intelligent people are more likely to get better grades and go farther in school. They are more likely to be successful at work. And they are less likely to get into trouble (for example, commit crimes) as adolescents.
Given all the advantages of intelligence, though, you may be surprised to learn that it does not predict other life outcomes, such as well-being. You might imagine that doing well in school or at work might lead to greater life satisfaction, but several large-scale studies have failed to find evidence that IQ impacts life satisfaction or longevity (长寿). Most intelligence tests fail to assess the extent of rational thinking, such as real-world decision-making and our ability to interact well with others. This is, in other words, perhaps why “smart” people do “dumb” things.
The ability to think critically, on the other hand, has been associated with wellness and longevity. Though often confused with intelligence, critical thinking is not intelligence. Critical thinking is a collection of cognitive (认知的) skills that allow us to think rationally (理性地) in a goal-orientated fashion and a disposition to use those skills when appropriate. Critical thinkers have self-confidence in their own abilities to reason. They possess great flexibility in requiring evidence to support their beliefs. Critical thinking means overcoming all kinds of cognitive biases (偏见).
Critical thinking predicts a wide range of life events. Researchers have found that critical thinkers experience fewer negative life events such as academic (“I forgot about an exam”), health (“I received HIV through unprotected sex”), legal (“I was arrested for driving under the influence”), interpersonal (“I cheated on my partner for more than a year”), financial (“I have over $5,000 of credit-card debt”), and so on.
Intelligence and improving intelligence are hot topics that receive a lot of attention. It is time for critical thinking to receive a little more of that attention. Reasoning and rationality more closely resemble what we mean when we say a person is smart rather than spatial skills and math ability. Furthermore, improving intelligence is difficult. Intelligence is largely determined by genetics. Critical thinking, though, can improve with training, and the benefits have been shown to continue over time. Anyone can improve their critical thinking skills. Doing so, we can say with certainty, is a smart thing to do.
Why Do Smart People Do Foolish Things? | |
Introduction | The defining term of intelligence in daily life 1.largely from how it is traditionally measured. |
The advantages of intelligence | ●Intelligent people may have better academic and job 2.. ●Intelligence may predict less trouble during adolescence. |
3. for smart people doing foolish things | ●Intelligent people don’t 4. enjoy greater life satisfaction or longevity. ●What most intelligence tests 5. are rational thinking skills like decision-making. |
The importance of critical thinking | ●Critical thinkers are more likely to be 6. in life and live longer. ●Critical thinkers are rational, self-confident, 7. and open-minded. ●Critical thinking is believed to be 8. with fewer negative life events. |
Conclusion | We should 9. more on critical thinking than on intelligence, as intelligence is something, to a large extent, that one is 10. with while critical thinking can be trained and improved. |