Common indoor plants may prove to be a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. Those plants in your office or home are not only pretty, but NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing possible harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings.
NASA have announced the finds of a 2-year study that suggested the common indoor plants may provide a natural way of helping fight against “Sick Building Syndrome(综合症)”.
Research into the use of biological processes as a means of solving environmental problems, both on Earth and in space habitats, has been carried out for many years by Dr. Bill Wloverton, a senior research scientist at NASA.
Based on preliminary evaluations(初步评估) of the use of common indoor plants for indoor air purification(净化),NASA funded a study using about a dozen popular varieties of attractive plants to determine their effectiveness in removing several key pollutants linked with indoor air pollution. NASA research on indoor has found that living plants are so efficient at absorbing pollutants in the air that some will be launched into space as part of the biological life support system aboard future orbiting space stations.
While more research is needed, Wolverton says the study has shown that common indoor plants can remove certain pollutants from the indoor environment. “We feel that future results will provide an even stronger argument that common indoor plants can be a very effective part of a system used to provide pollution free homes and work places,” he concludes.
“Combining nature with technology can increase the effectiveness of plants in removing air pollutants,” he said.
NASA research has always shown that living, green and flowering plants can remove several poisonous chemicals from the air inside buildings. You can use plant in your home or office to improve the quality of the air to make it a more pleasant place to live and work—where people feel better, perform better, and enjoy life more.The main idea of the passage is _______.
| A．plants are very useful to human beings |
| B．indoor plants can help remove indoor air pollution |
| C．indoor plants should be raised in both homes and offices |
| D．NASA have studied indoor plants for many years |
Why do you think NASA are very interested in indoor plants?
| A．Some indoor plants would be used in space stations. |
| B．They want to find a way to cure Sick Building Syndrome. |
| C．They need indoor plants to carry out their experiments. |
| D．Indoor plants are pretty and attractive. |
The underlined word “pollutants” refers to _______.
| A．some kinds of indoor plants | B．ways to solve air pollution |
| C．research on indoor plants | D．poisonous chemicals in the air |
Not long ago, a rock band called the Backstreet Boys made a big splash on the music scene. Young people everywhere loved their songs. One of the band’s biggest fans was a young boy named Aaron Carter. Aaron had a special reason for taking such an interest in the band. Nick Carter, one of the Backstreet Boys, was Aaron’s big brother.
Even before Nick joined the band in 1996, Aaron loved music. From the age of two, Aaron spent most of his time listening to the radio. He sang along with his favorite songs. He made up dances to go with them. So Aaron’s family was not surprised when Aaron decided to follow Nick into the music world.
Aaron got off to a fast start. At the age of seven, he joined a band in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. But after two years, Aaron didn’t want to be part of a band anymore. He wanted to sing alone. Soon, Brother Nick gave Aaron a helping hand. During a Backstreet Boys show in Germany, Aaron sang a song. He did an amazing job! After the show, someone from a record company asked Aaron to make an album (专辑). Of course, Aaron said yes!
Since that day, Aaron has made lots of songs that sell well. His songs include “Crush on You” and “I’m Gonna Miss You Forever”.
Aaron has worked hard to become a success. But he never forgets how his brother gave him his start. As Aaron has said, “If Nick wasn’t a singer, then I wouldn’t be there.”According to the passage, Aaron _____.
| A．joined the Backstreet Boys at the age of seven |
| B．fell in love with music after Nick became famous |
| C．was not allowed to sing by his family |
| D．was thankful for his brother Nick’s support |
“Crush on you” is the name of a _____.
| A．band | B．song | C．movie | D．play |
What does the underlined part “made a big splash” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Drew wide attention. | B．Got into great trouble |
| C．Collected a lot of money. | D．Led to a heated discussion. |
What is discussed in the passage?
| A．The rise and fall of a band. | B．The way to be a singer. |
| C．The road to success of a singer. | D．The secret of success of a band. |
One Sunday morning, when I was driving along a road, I saw something I couldn’t believe. A little girl, who was less than two years old, was pushing her stroller (婴儿车) across the road. The traffic was not heavy that morning.
I stopped my car at once and ran toward her. This little girl knew enough to run from a stranger. I tried to catch her in order that I could get her out of the road.
Suddenly her father came running down a hill across the road from where I had parked my car. He ran right to her and caught her up, saying “bad girl” to her. I picked up the stroller and gave it to him. The father grabbed the stroller and walked toward where he came from without a word.
I went back and sat in my car for a few minutes with my son. My hands were shaking and tears were about to run out of my eyes. “Do you feel cold, Mom?” asked my son. I just shook my head.
After this happened, I thought about how thankful I am. Even though the father didn’t say “Thank you”, I feel that I did something good. Doing something for someone else is pleasing, even when it’s only a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
I didn’t really “save” her, but I feel like it was important that I happened to be there. It is sad that I was the only one who stopped. It really made me a little disappointed that no one else stopped to help. The little girl ran away from the author because _____.
| A．she wanted to look for her father |
| B．she wanted to stay on the road |
| C．she needed to catch her stroller |
| D．she didn’t know the author at all |
When the author saw the little girl, _____.
| A．there weren’t many cars on the road |
| B．the girl feared to go across the road |
| C．the girl had lost her way |
| D．she was driving to work in a hurry |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The author shared her experience with her son. |
| B．The author felt sad that no one else helped the girl. |
| C．The girl’s father didn’t like the girl at all. |
| D．The girl’s father had wanted to thank the author. |
Why were the author’s hands shaking?
| A．Because the weather was very cold at that time. |
| B．Because she failed to be understood by the girl’s father. |
| C．Because she was not feeling well. |
| D．Because she was too excited to keep calm. |
The smartphone has become the centerpiece of many students' digital lives.
Yes, it can be a distraction(困扰，分心), but it is also an incredible tool that can transform classroom learning and late-night studying.
Professors and students are starting to explore what the smartphone can contribute to learning-and there is a whole host of apps（设备） to help that process along. There are also plenty of apps to help students with the less academic parts of college life.
To download any of these apps, search the iTunes App Store or Android Market. iOS apps are built for Apple's mobile platform and can run on the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.
Skype
Cost: Free
Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iOS
More and more smartphones now ship with front-facing cameras that make them great video chat tools.
There are several competitors here ---- including Apple's FaceTime ----but Skype is still the best cross-platform tool for keeping in touch with faraway friends and family. Users on either end can be on a computer, smartphone.
Grades 2
Cost: Free
Platform: iOS
This app is a sophisticated tool for calculating grades. Students can use it to figure out what grade they'll need on a test to achieve their target grade and also keeps track of overall GPA, weighted by each class's credit count.
Students can also enter due dates for assignments as reminders.
The app is free and supported by ads, but users can pay $1 inside the app to turn them off.
Snoozerr Recordings
Cost: 99 cents
Platform: iOS
This is a great tool for logging long lecture classes or smaller study sessions(授课时间）． It records audio and pairs that with time-stamped pictures that the student takes of presentations--- say, equations（方程）on a blackboard----or of his or her own notes.
When the student wants to review, he or she can use the pictures as a visual guide to what the instructor was saying and replay that section.
TED
Cost: Free
Platform: iOS
This app is great for the student in everyone. It compiles（编辑）video from hundreds of presentations at technology, entertainment and design----a conference that features short speeches focused on new ways of thinking.
Presenters often speak about technology, social good or education and challenge societal norms.
It's a great way to spend an hour or so hearing from some of the world's leading minds for free. All of the videos are also available at www.ted.com.
AroundMe
Cost: Free
Platform: Android and iOS
This app uses a smartphone's GPS to find nearby locations by category such as banks, gas stations, bars, coffee shops, restaurants and supermarkets---- all the college staples(主要产品).In which section of a newspaper could you find this article?
| A．Science & Tech. | B．Entertainment. | C．Life. | D．Tourism. |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Improve College Students' Studies |
| B．How to Download Computer Games |
| C．How to Choose the Latest Smartphone |
| D．Five Tech Tools for College Students |
Many college students use Grades 2 mainly for _____.
| A．chatting | B．calculating |
| C．hearing speeches | D．recording lectures |
If you want to use your smartphone to find a nearby supermarket, you should download _____. .
| A．TED | B．AroundMe | C．Skype | D．Grades 2 |
ios means _____.
| A．TED | B．VCS | C．OS | D．ECX |
We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash in the street. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the store to get some soft drinks. It seemed like this would be a good time to let my teenage daughter Holly practice her driving, so I sent her to the store in my truck. At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said, "Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won't last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won't last." After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted, "Dad! Dad! Holly crashed your truck."
My heart sank and my mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts. Was anyone hurt? Who else was involved? As I ran to the door, I heard a voice in my heart say, "Here is a chance to show Holly what you really love. She'll never forget it."
The accident had occurred in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle, the family van. In her inexperience, she had confused the brakes and the gas pedal (油门). Holly was unhurt physically but when reached her, she was crying and saying, “Oh, Dad, I'm sorry. I know how much you love this truck." I held her in my arms as she cried.
Later that week a friend dropped by and asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the whole story. Her eyes moistened（润湿） and she said, "That happened to me when I was a girl. I borrowed my dad's car and ran into a log that had fallen across the road. I ruined the car. When I got home, my dad knocked me to the ground and began to kick me."
Over 40 years later, she still felt the pain of the night. It was a deep wound on her soul. I remember how sad Holly was on the night she crashed our truck, and how I comforted her. One day, when Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know that I love her a thousand times more than any piece of property. I repaired the van, but the dent (凹陷） in my truck is still there today. Every day it reminds me of what really matters in my life.What caused the crash?
| A．The brakes weren't working. |
| B．Holly stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes. |
| C．Holly was drinking a soft drink while driving. |
| D．The car got a fiat tire and Holly lost control. |
What happened to the author's friend after she ruined her dad's car?
| A．She suffered physical pain for a long time. |
| B．She lost the courage to drive. |
| C．Her father kicked her out of the house. |
| D．Her father was violent towards her. |
Which of the following descriptions is true according to the passage?
| A．When the author first learned about the crash, he regretted sending his daughter to the store. |
| B．The author allowed his daughter to use his truck because his son was too young to drive. |
| C．When the author saw the crash, he was sorry for the damage to his beloved car. |
| D．By comforting his daughter, the author showed how much more he loved her than his truck. |
What does the underlined sentence imply?
| A．The wound recovered after 40 years. |
| B．Her soul was deeply hurt. |
| C．The hurt caused by her father affected her all the time. |
| D．Parents shouldn't beat their children. |
The main idea of the story is that ______.
| A．love is more important than possessions |
| B．parents should never let a teenager drive |
| C．there is no point blaming someone after an accident |
| D．we should always forgive others' mistakes |
Near the village, there is an old famous temple. Some people want to build new houses where the temple now stands, because they can find no other area to build them, while others disagree with them. They meet to decide how to solve the problem. Here are their opinions about it.
The expert wants to protect the temple and believes that there are some interesting things buried in the ground. If it is destroyed or moved, people may never learn about how people lived in the past.
The businessman thinks that the houses should be built. History is important, but we must think about the future. The village needs development and building new houses will offer jobs to hundreds of people.
Villager A says, “We should build the new houses because we need houses to live in.”
Villager B says, “We should protect the temple because it can attract many tourists to come for a visit. If the temple is destroyed or moved, we will lose a lot of business.”
The village leader thinks that he has a duty to make life better for the villagers. They need jobs and new houses. He also thinks the cultural site (遗迹) is important and they should be careful with it as well.The expert doesn’t want to _______ the old famous temple.
| A．rebuild | B．protect | C．pull down | D．fall down |
The businessman thinks building houses there can _______.
| A．help the village develop |
| B．attract many tourists to come for a visit |
| C．help people learn about how people lived in the past |
| D．help people learn about the interesting things buried in the ground |
_______ agree that they should build new houses there.
| A．The expert and the village leader |
| B．The businessman and Villager |
| C．Villager A and Villager |
| D．Villager B and the businessman |
The village leader thinks _______.
| A．they should destroy the temple |
| B．they needn’t build new houses |
| C．They should build the temple to make life better |
| D．they should not only build new houses but also be careful with the temple |
According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?
| A．It’s difficult to satisfy everyone. |
| B．The cultural site is not so important. |
| C．It’s easy to make a decision on the problem. |
| D．The villagers will lose their jobs with the development of their hometown |