A car that runs on coffee is unveiled(shown to the public for the first time)today but at between 25 and 50 times the cost of running a car on petrol, the invention won’t please any motor industry accountants.
Nicknamed the Car-puccino, it has been created using a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco bought for £400 and it was chosen because it looked like the time-traveling DeLorean in the movie Back To The Future.The car will be driven the 210 miles between Manchester and London powered only by roasted coffee granules (颗粒).It has been built by a team from the BBC1 science programme Bang Goes The Theory and will go on display at the Big Bang science fair in Manchester to show how fuels other than traditional petrol can power vehicles.
The team calculates the Car-puccino will do three miles per kilo of ground coffee (咖啡粉) — about 56 cups of espressos (浓咖啡) per mile.The journey will use about 70 kilos of ground coffee which, at supermarket prices of between £13 and £26 a kilo depending on brand and quality, will cost between £910 and £1,820, or between 25 and 50 times the £36 cost of petrol for the journey.In total, the trip will cost 11,760 espressos, and the team will have to take ‘coffee breaks’ roughly every 30 to 45 miles to pour in more granules.They will also have to stop about every 60 miles to clean out the ‘coffee filters’ to rid them of the soot and tar which is also generated by the process.So despite a top speed of 60mph, the many stops mean the going will be slow, with the journey taking around ten hours.
Sadly, the inventors will still have to pay duty on their coffee fuel---even though tax collectors at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom haven’t yet worked out how much.
Nick Watson, producer of Bang Goes The Theory, said, “Coffee, like wood or coal, has some carbon content so you can use it as a fuel.The coffee needs to be very dry and in granules to allow the air to move through the pile of coffee as it burns.The brand doesn’t matter.” He said the same technology could be used to power a car on other unusual fuels, such as woodchips or nut shells, construction or agricultural waste.
Which is the right way to choose the coffee used as fuels to run the Car-puccino?
A.It should be very dry. | B.The stronger, the better. |
C.The smaller the granules are, the better. | D.It should be of a certain brand. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.All kinds of materials can be used as fuels. |
B.The Car-puccino will be put into the market soon. |
C.Nick Watson is the designer of the Car-puccino |
D.Much remains to be improved for the Car-puccino. |
The Car-puccino has its disadvantages EXCEPT that ________.
A.it makes a lot of noise |
B.it runs at a very high cost |
C.it has to stop to be refueled very often |
D.it’s not good enough for long-distance journey |
How much ground coffee will be used to cover a distance of 126 miles in this car?
A.About 70 kilos | B.About 42 kilos. | C.About 32 kilos | D.About 30 kilos |
Why can coffee be used as a fuel?
A.It looks like wood or coal. | B.It contains some carbon content. |
C.It is very cheap. | D.It is much better than woodchips or nut shells. |
D
If you want to live longer and lower the risk of heart disease, a move to the mountains may help. Research by scientists in Greece shows that living in the mountains is good for the heart and longevity. People living at higher altitude have lower possibility of dying from heart disease than those closer to sea level, even if they have factors that could increase their risk."Residence in mountainous areas seems to have a 'protective effect' from heart disease," said Dr Nikos Baibas of the University of Athens.He and his colleagues suspect that the increased exercise from walking up mountainous area gives the heart a good workout and enables it to cope with lower levels of oxygen.
Researchers studied the health records and death rates of 1,150 Greeks who lived in three villages near Athens over 15 years.One village was 1,000 metres above sea level and the other two were in low-lying areas.Although men and women living in the mountainous village had higher blood pressure rates and other risk factors than people in the other villages, they had a lower rate of death from heart disease and other causes after a fifteen year follow-up."The contrast was more evident among men than among women," Baibas added in a report in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.Heart disease is one of the world's top killers.Smoking, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol levels, being overweight or obese and a family history of the illness increase the odds of developing the disease.
68.The first sentence in the passage is used to __________.
A.tell readers what the passage focuses on
B.give a very good guessing
C.warn people of the risk of heart disease
D.name a new unknown illness
69.According to the passage, a person _________ may have less possibility of having heart attack.
A.with more money B.with a better living habit
C.from higher altitude D.in a happier mood
70.How long does the research of the Greeks last?
A.At most 10 years. B.About 15 years.
C.More than 20 years. D.Not mentioned.
71.Apart from altitude, how many factors raise the chance of developing heart disease?
A.three B.Four C.Five D.Six
C
I'm really nervous opening Chatroulette (a website).I don't know if I'm more scared of the possibility of coming face-to-face with a naked (裸体的) guy doing improper things, or the possibility of having to speak to someone normal.But it's that uncertainty that's caused the "game" to explode into an Internet phenomenon.
So, I hesitantly click "play".My face appears in a small box to the left of the screen.I'm a 22-year-old guy, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, and sitting in my warmly lit bedroom —not too threatening, I think.Believing I look welcoming and friendly, I open all features: visual, audio and text.The user can disable these at any time if they feel uncomfortable.
Quickly I find myself face-to-face with my first "partner".A guy with glasses is staring back at me.He looks like he spends too much time in front of the computer."Hey", I say, "how are you going?" "Good," says the guy.Sensing that he was not going to be very talkative, I hit the "next" button.
Just like that, I'm thrown across the world into someone else's bedroom.This time it looks like a middle-aged woman.I must have hit gold because 85 percent of Chatroulette users are male, according to the Wall Street Journal.She's wearing sunglasses and smiles back.Before I can even say a word, she "nexts" me."WHAT?!"
Then, I fly through the Internet and arrive at my next partner.My nightmare, a man is sitting in his computer chair half-naked taking off his pants.Argghh! "Next, next, next!" For the next 30 minutes I keep my cursor (光标) over the "next" button.My experiences continue to be short, shocking, and largely uninteresting.I discouragingly hit "next" after seeing another naked man, and decide to end my session and close the window.This wasn't "the new social media experience" I was hoping for.Maybe it was just a little bit too random (随机的).
64.It is the author's __________ that leads him into Chatroulette.
A.curiosity B.unwillingness C.enthusiasm D.ignorance
65.The underlined word "disable" in Paragraph 2 means __________.
A.store B.close C.misuse D.copy
66.Among all the partners, __________ seemed to be the least interested in talking with the author.
A.the guy with glasses B.the middle-aged woman
C.the man in his computer chair D.the last man mentioned
67.What is the author's attitude toward Charoulette?
A.Positive. B.Supportive. C.Objective. D.Negative.
B
Here are two letters in WORKWORRIES, a column in a newspaper:
Dear Ariel, I got a job offer from a high-tech company with a fairly satisfactory paycheck and benefits.Even the work environment is cool.But I heard that the job requires a lot of overtime and even weekends.I know it's important for newcomers to work hard to get their feet planted firmly on the ground, but I'm scared of the idea of having nearly no free time.I still need to find a girlfriend.So, shall I accept the job or give it up for another one with much less pay and more freedom? Amoretto |
Dear Amoretto, I have two things to say: First, you're lucky to have such an excellent offer, especially at a time when so many qualified people are struggling to find any work at all; and second, you can't figure out your work-life balance until you're actually working. Take the job.You'll be learning, doing interesting things, working in a cool environment, and making money.If you're given a contract (合同), make sure you understand the terms before you sign.Ask your boss how many hours a week you're expected to work.If they tell you a number that is much lower than what you find once you're working, you'll be in a better position to talk to them about it. Give your work 100 percent.Work energetically and efficiently.If you're dedicated and focused, you might accomplish more than your co-workers in less time.Showing yourself to be a productive and talented worker for the beginning will give you more bargaining power.Finally, remember that taking a job doesn't have to be a life commitment.Try to give it at least a year (two is better).If you're really miserable after that time, look for another job that will give you more freedom.By then, you'll have workplace experience, bosses and colleagues who can speak positively about your work and some ![]() Ariel |
60.From Amoretto's letter, we know that he __________.
A.has been working for a long time B.is likely a green hand
C.expects to change his job D.is quite satisfied with the job
61.How can a man arrange his work-life balance according to Ariel?
A.By taking a training course. B.By asking people for advice.
C.By comparing with others. D.Through his own work experience
62.All of the following are advised byArial EXCEPT__________.
A.understanding the terms before signing
B.working hard and efficiently
C.getting a better position
D.doing the job at least a year
63.What does Ariel advise to do in the reply?
A.Take the job offered. B.Give up and find a new job.
C.Depend on your feeling. D.Choose jobs with great care
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
A
In the early morning of September 7, 2006, Akif woke suddenly."Where am I?" she thought, confused, only to realize she'd fallen asleep in the children's bedroom in their east-end Montreal apartment.There was a sharp and acrid (刺鼻的) smell in the room.Could that be smoke? She leaped up, opened the door and began to cough.She ignored the flames that lit up the apartment as she raced across the small hall to her own bedroom, where a window was already open, "Help!" she cried into the dark.But it was 3:30 in the morning and nobody was around to hear.She was on her own.
Later, she'd say she thought of nothing at all.It was female's instinct (本能)that helped her uncover a supermum strength she never knew she had.She had no choice; her children would surely have died had they waited in their own bedroom for rescue.She ran back through the flames for her children, first lifting Sami, still half asleep, into her arms and carrying him to the open window in her room and dropping him to the ground from the second floor.Then, she turned back for Majda.
By then, a neighbour had called 9-1-1.Looking out of the window, Akif knew that jumping would be her only chance of survival.She also knew if she didn't, the very reason her family had moved out from Morocco five years earlier—— to make a better life and give the children opportunities they wouldn't have had back home ——would be for nothing.But why couldn't she move her left leg? She didn't know that her polyester pants had caught fire and melted into her body.All she knew was that she had to get out of the apartment.
56.After finding her house was on fire, Akifwent to her own room to _______.
A.save her children B.wake up her husband
C.ask for help D.escape from the fire
57.We can infer from the passage thatAkif__________.
A.was bom a brave lady B.was brave as a mother
C.liked to be independent D.was careless about her children
58.Why did Akifs family move to the country where they live?
A.Because they longed for a better life and more opportunities.
B.Because they had to continue their study abroad.
C.Because they were forced to leave their motherland.
D.Because they were fond of moving to new places.
59.What follows the last passage is probably about __________.
A.why Akif was praised B.what made Akif so brave
C.how the fire was put out D.how Akif was saved
Many Older Doctors Plan to Give up Their Practice
The results of a new survey indicate that 48 percent of physicians between 50 and 65 years of age are planning to reduce or end their clinical practice in the next l to 3 years. The findings also suggest that many older physicians believe that their younger counterparts do not have the work ethic they do.
The survey, which was conducted by Merritt Hawkins&Associates, a Texas-based physician search and consulting firm, suggests that many older physicians are simply unhappy with the changes that have taken place in medicine over the years.
"When Baby Boom doctors entered medicine, they had control over how they practiced and the fee they charged. But the rules changed on them in mid-stream and now many are looking for a ticket out," Mark Smith, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins&Associates, said in a statement. "Our study is the only one I am aware of that examines the career plans of physicians in the 50-to-65 age group." This age group represents more than one-third of all physicians in the U. S. If they stop working in the coming years, it will have a "significant impact" on the overall supply of physicians, Smith told Reuters Health.
The results of the survey, which included 1,170 respondents(调查对象), show that 24 percent of older physicians are planning to leave clinical practice all together in the next 1 to 3 years. Specifically, 14 percent said they were planning on retiring, 7 percent said they were looking for a medical job in a non-patient care setting, and 3 percent said they were seeking a job in a non-medical field.
For those physicians not leaving clinical practice, many said they would make changes to reduce the number of patients they treat. For instance, 12 percent said they would begin working part-time, 8 percent said they planned to stop taking new patients or markedly reduce their patient load, and 4 percent expressed a desire to work on a temporary basis.
When asked about the work ethic of physicians entering practice today, 68 percent of the respondents said that these younger doctors are not as dedicated or as hard working as physicians who entered practice 20 t0 30 years ago. Fifty-seven percent of older physicians said they would not recommend medicine as a career to their own children. Similarly, 44 percent said they would not select medicine as a career if they were starting out today.
"The most ominous(不祥的)finding is that about one half of physicians surveyed plant to either abandon patient care in the next 1 to 3 years, or significantly reduce the number of patients they see," Smith said. "The U. S. already is facing a widespread shortage of physicians. Should older, ‘workhorse' physicians choose to give up patient care, access to medical services will be further restricted."
66. Which is NOT true of physicians in the 50-to-65 age group in the U. S.?
A. They are mostly baby boomers.
B. They have nothing to complain about.
C. Many of them plan to gradually stop their practice.
D. They account for over one-third of all physicians in the country.
67. The survey was focused on .
A. the living conditions of older physicians in the U. S.
B. the career plans of older physicians in the U. S.
C. the retirement plans of older physicians in the U. S.
D. the achievements of older physicians in the U.S.
68. Many older physicians in the U. S. view the work ethic of their younger
counterparts .
A. with appreciation B. with disapproval
C. with jealous D. with indifference
69. In the eyes of many older physicians, medicine .
A. comes first in their choice of a career for their children
B. remains their lifelong pursuit
C. is not as good a career as it used to be
D. is more demanding than it used to be
70. If many older physicians stop working in the coming years, Americans will have .
A. even less access to medical services B. even better patient care
C. a shortage of younger physicians D. more job opportunities