The world’s first hydrogen-powered (氢动力的) trains have begun running in Germany. They began carrying passengers on Monday in Germany’s northern Lower Saxony state. The new trains will run 100-kilometre trips and can travel up to 140 kilometers per hour.
A French railroad company called Alstom built the two trains. Teams in Germany and France worked together on the project, which was supported by the German government. The new train model, called the Coradia iLint, signals the beginning of efforts in Germany and other nations to move away from pollution-producing diesel (柴油) trains.
The Coradia iLint is designed to run on non-electrified train lines with low levels of noise. It uses a process that combines hydrogen with oxygen to produce electrical power. If the system produces more energy than the train needs at that time, it can store the extra energy in batteries. The only emissions (排放物) are water and steam.
Hydrogen-powered trains cost more than diesel trains to build. But Alstom officials say the operating costs are much lower. The company plans to provide another 14 Coradia iLint trains to Lower Saxony by 2021.
The head of railroad operations in the area, Carmen Schwabl, praised replacing diesel trains with hydrogen-powered trains. She said the move was an important first step in using clean-burning technologies to reach climate protection goals.
Alstom says several other European countries have also expressed interest in developing hydrogen train systems. France have already said it wants its first hydrogen train to be on the rails by 2022.
1.Why did Germany build the new trains?
A.To replace diesel trains.
B.To carry more passengers.
C.To make traveling much faster.
D.To improve the relationship with France.
2.What is one advantage (优势) of hydrogen-powered trains over diesel trains?
A.They are cheaper to build.
B.They cost much less to run.
C.They don’t use electrical power.
D.They run without making any noise.
3.What can we know about hydrogen trains?
A.They are widely used nowadays.
B.They are environmentally friendly.
C.They can contribute to air pollution.
D.They can produce water and oxygen.
4.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
A.Saving Natural Resources
B.Efforts to Reduce Emissions
C.A New Way to Make Electricity
D.The World’s First Hydrogen Trains
Older adults with a better sense of smell may live longer than those who have a poor sense of smell, a new study suggests. The study was a project of researchers in the United States that was continuing for over 13 years. They asked nearly 2300 men and women to recognize 12 common smells. All the subjects were from 71 to 82 years of age. The researchers gave the adults marks, from 0 to 12, based on how many smells they recognize correctly.
During the years of follow-up research, over 1200 of the adults died. When the study was started, none of the adults were weak. They could walk about half a kilometre, climb 10 steps and independently complete daily activities. In the latest findings, the researchers noted those with a weak nose were 30% more likely to die than people with a good sense of smell. The findings were reported last month in the scientific publication Annals of Internal Medicine.
Honglei Chen, a doctor with Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, was the lead author of the report on the study. He said the connection between a poor sense of smell and an increased risk of dying was limited to adults who first reported good or excellent health. This suggests that a poor sense of smell is an early and sensitive sign of worsening health before it is recognizable in medical tests. With a poor sense of smell, people are more likely to die of brain and heart diseases, but not of cancer or breathing problems.
The results also suggest that a poor sense of smell may be an early warning of poor health in older age that goes beyond dementia (痴呆) or other neurodegenerative (神经变性的) diseases. These often signal the beginning of the weakening of the mind or body.
1.What do we know about the study in the passage?
A.All the adults were in their eighties.
B.The adults were young and energetic.
C.The study lasted for more than 13 years.
D.The study involved international researchers.
2.What was the situation like at the beginning of the study?
A.Over 1200 of the adults passed away.
B.One third of the adults had a poor sense of smell.
C.Many of the adults were found with health problems.
D.All the adults could perform daily activities independently.
3.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A.People with a poor sense of smell have heart disease.
B.Most older people may have breathing-related disease.
C.People with a poor sense of smell won’t suffer from cancer.
D.Older people should be careful with their health if they smell poorly.
4.What is the meaning of the underlined word in Paragraph 1?
A.主题 B.科目
C.实验对象 D.绘画或拍摄题材
In 2011, Nancy Ballard went for a routine checkup that turned into something extraordinary. In fact, she was carrying a painting of a plant she’d done when she arrived at her doctor’s San Francisco office. “It would be great if we had artwork like that for our chemotherapy (化疗) rooms,” the nurse said. Ballard asked to see one.
She was shocked by what she found. The walls were dull and bare, and the paint had fallen off. It was a room where sad patients are receiving their routine—patients limited themselves to chemo drips (点滴) for perhaps several hours, often with nothing to look at except those sad walls. Ballard didn’t have cancer herself, but she had pity on the patients. “I couldn’t imagine how anyone could even think about getting healthy in a room like that,” she says. As it happens, Ballard’s doctor, Stephen Hufford, was ill with cancer himself, so finding time to decorate the rooms was low on his to-do list. So Ballard made it her mission to brighten the place up.
She started by emailing 20 local designers. “I wrote, ‘You don’t know me. But my heart hurts after seeing these rooms.’” she said. She then asked whether they would donate their time and money to transform just one of Dr. Hufford’s rooms each.
As it happens, six of them wrote back almost immediately. Six rooms got new paint, light fixtures, artwork, and furniture. Dr. Hufford was delighted. “All the patients feel the relief of the pain because of it,” he said. He even noted that his own voice was different in the rooms and that he was better able to connect with his patients.
Ballard was so encouraged by the patients’ reaction that she created a non-profit organization, Rooms That Rock Chemo, to raise money and decorate more spaces. Since then, she has worked on 20 projects, including one in Pennsylvania. “We were in Philadelphia for an opening ceremony, and a woman was there on her third battle with cancer,” says Ballard. “When she saw what we’d done, she said, ‘I’m gonna beat it this time. I thought I wasn’t going to, but now I’m gonna beat it.’”
1.What made Ballard decide to help decorate the chemotherapy rooms?
A.Her pity for cancer patients.
B.Her passion for room decoration.
C.The good relationship with Hufford.
D.The request of a nurse in San Francisco.
2.What result does Ballard’s efforts bring about?
A.More hospitals will be built.
B.Hufford cured more patients.
C.The cancer patients were feeling better.
D.Hufford’s chemotherapy rooms got good reputation.
3.Which words best describe Nancy Ballard?
A.Rich and generous. B.Talented and energetic.
C.Loving and devoted. D.Ambitious and creative.
4.Which can be a suitable title for the passage?
A.Battle Against Cancer B.Design for Hope
C.Donation for Patients D.Decoration in Hospital
What Will You Discover Today
Whether you are a new or regular visitor, this is your guide to all of the free family-friendly activities coming up at museums and collections of the Oxford University in the next few months. From planting to painting; the deep blue sea to the sky above us; storybook characters, historical figures and monsters—there is something for everyone! Learn together, have fun together, and become a family of museum explorers together....
Tales of Trees and Other Plants
Every day from l Mar.-31 Oct.
Hear Philip Pullman read from the His Dark Materials and members of the Botanic Garden staff talk about their favorite plants.
Age 17+ During opening hours. Subject to availability (受可用性限制)
Brilliant Medicine Trail (路线)
Every day from l Mar.-9 Oct.
Take our medicine trail around the Botanic Garden to find out how plants have helped to keep us healthy for thousands of years and continue to be essential to making medicines today.
Age 17+ During opening hours.
Saturday Backpacks
Every Saturday
If you want to visit the much-loved Pitt Rivers Museum, housing the finest collection of anthropological artifacts (人类学手工艺品) from all over the world, on a Saturday, keep a look out for our family backpacks full of activities!
Suitable for all! 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Subject to availability
Advance bookings are required.
Big Botanic Backpacks
Every day from 1 Mar.-31 Oct.
Borrow a backpack from our information desk and use the activities inside to help you explore our collection of plants and trees from all around the world! Suitable for all!
1.Who will most likely be interested in Brilliant Medicine Trail?
A.Garden staff. B.History teachers.
C.Local guides. D.Medical students.
2.What are visitors required to do to attend Saturday Backpacks?
A.Book tickets ahead of time.
B.Buy souvenirs in the activity.
C.Borrow backpacks from the information desk.
D.Look for information of the Pitt Rivers Museum.
3.What do the activities have in common?
A.They are held indoors.
B.They are free of charge.
C.They are held on a daily basis.
D.They are intended for teenagers.
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
Eighty-five percent of the jobs that today's students will do in 2030 don't exist yet,the Institute for the Future has predicted.That might seem like a high number to reach in only 10 years.But think about the non-mainstream careers that did not exist just a handful of years ago: social media manager,app developer and cloud computing engineer,etc.What role should colleges and universities play in preparing students for a workplace that is constantly changing? Educational institutions are trying to answer that question."We hope they will not only be prepared for whatever the job market looks like in 10,20 or 50 years but be the ones shaping it," said Jenn Stringer,professor at the University of Californian,Berkeley.Here are some of the approaches they're taking.
Some experts argue that the four-year learning model needs to be rethought in a big way. They say education can no longer be seen as something that stops when a person graduates from college.If students could take a year or two off school,get a job,and then return to school a few years later,the education system would offer true life-long learning and better adapt to changing technology.
Fewer employers are willing to train people on the job than the employers 50 years ago, largely as part of an effort to cut costs.To fill the job skills gap,some courses are offered as an add-on to a student's main degree.For example,the courses may include data analysis,web design and digital marketing.The goal is to offer students,a degree aside,some advantages when they seek jobs or promotions in the future.
Other institutions are trying to imitate the workplace within the traditional classroom. Several colleges have partnered with private companies,such as the software company Adobe, to integrate their products into the classroom.Professors at schools who partner with the company are encouraged to use the product for assignments.The idea is that students learn how to create a project that can be used in the real world and the"soft skills"such as teamwork and creativity.
假定你是李华，你班来自英国的交换生Jack 上周回到中国，现处于隔离期，请给他发封邮件，建议他调整好心情，做好返校准备，内容包括：1.表示关心；2.提出建议；3.期待重逢。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：隔离期 quarantine
