We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away pollu
ting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1,000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-year-old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has-discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(降解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair, a ＄10,000 prize, a ＄20,000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd’s strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he grounded plastic bags into a powder and concocted(调制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap, maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” Said Daniel Burd.Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada Wide Science Fair because .
| A．he found a new kind of microorganism |
B．he contributed much to environmental protection |
C．he found a way to degrad e plastics in shorter time |
| D．he could encourage microbe growth in an easier way |
Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead b
acteria to .
| A．make the live bacteria work better | B．test how effective his method was |
| C．know which bacteria worked faster | D．control the temperature in the process |
Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because .
| A．plastics can get hot easily | B．microbes can produce heat themselves |
| C．much carbon dioxide is produced | D．the temperature can be controlled |
Daniel Burd got his idea from .
| A．his school textbook | B．the failure of researchers |
| C．his everyday work | D．the practice of other people |
According to the US Geological Survey, about seven million earthquakes strike worldwide every year—but fortunately, only about 1500 of these are of a magnitude(震级) of 5 or greater on the Richter scale. Certain areas, such as California and Japan, are more prone to earthquakes than others. Although the chance of being caught in “The Big one” is remote, it’s wise to be prepared if you live in a region where earthquakes are common.
Educate your family about earthquakes before a big one strikes. For example, they need to know to take shelter in a doorway or under a strong object if indoors, and never to run outdoors if they are inside. If outside, they need to know to stay away from power lines and buildings where objects could fall.
Teach family members how to turn off gas or water lines or electrical power that may need to be shut off after a quake if severe damage occurs.
Develop a plan. Where will your family meet in the event of a disaster? What if some people are at work or school? How will you know if they are safe? Where will you all meet up?
Pack a preparedness kit(衣物装备) and keep it in a safe location. In a major earthquake, it’s possible that you won’t be able to get into your house. Keep supplies in your car trunk or an outside storage shed if possible. Pack whatever your family is likely to need, enough for three days to a week, including food, water, medication, first aid and personal hygiene supplies, flashlights, a portable radio, blankets, clothes and shoes, cash, or camp stove, candles, matches or lighters, and a whistle.
Consider earthquake insurance for your home if you live in an earthquake-prone area. Regular homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover earthquake damage.The underlined words “prone to ” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by___________.
| A．likely to suffer | B．frequent to explore |
| C．regular to measure | D．impossible to experience |
According to the passage, if you are outside in an earthquake, you should_________.
| A．stay where you are | B．hide under a big tree |
| C．avoid power lines | D．sit on the ground |
We can learn from the passage that_________.
| A．about 1,500 earthquakes happen every year |
| B．people should store some clothes in their houses in advance |
| C．family members should meet in their home after an earthquake |
| D．people suffering earthquakes often should buy earthquake insurance |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．How to Keep Safe in an Earthquake |
| B．How to Prepare for an Earthquake |
| C．Who Can Help Us After an Earthquake? |
| D．Where Is an Earthquake-prone Area? |
Micro bloggers：have you ever compared the number of fans on your Sina Weibo or Tencent micro blog with those of your friends ?Don’t imagine you have more fans just because your number is bigger——some of them might be “zombie fans”，or fake(假的)followers．
That’s what Chen Chuanliang ，creator of Leijian Network，found when he bet against his friend several months ago．Chen，who used to do data mining for Microsoft Asia Research Institute，discovered that there were far more invalid(无效的)micro blog accounts than he had imagined．
Later Chen picked 1 0 users on Sina Weibo and analyzed their statistics．Kai-Fu Lee，the former CEO of Google China，who’s on Chen’s list of research，posted a message on his micro blog after he found out that he had more than 1 million fake fans(out of about 5 million)，joking“I have 1 million zombie fans ?If united，we can finally defeat those plants．”
According to a report by S Weekly in March，zombie fans on micro blogs are defined as invalid accounts signed up by network companies for the purpose of increasing the number of fans for certain users and getting them more attention．
And this kind of fake followers are also very much alive on Western social networks such as Twitter and Facebook ．
The Financial Times reported in August，that Newt Gingrich，a Republican candidate in the US presidential election，bought about 80 percent of his 1．3 million Twitter followers and tried to use them as help in his campaign．
Now there are also business deals through which users can get hundreds of thousands of fans for their micro blog accounts，by paying a small amount of money．
“We have been working to find ways to block or delete those invalid accounts，”Mao Taotao，a spokesperson for Sina Weibo told S Weekly.
“But as the fake accounts grow so fast，they’re going to be here for a while．Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Micro Bloggers | B．Blog Accounts |
| C．Zombie Fans | D．Micro Blog Fans |
Users get zombie fans for their micro blog accounts by________.
| A．making friends with people |
| B．paying a little money |
| C．helping their weibo followers |
| D．doing search on the Internet |
It can be learnt from the passage that________.
| A．there are more fake fans in America than in China |
| B．invalid accounts for micro blogs will be deleted in no time |
| C．there exist many fake fans on western social networks as well |
| D．Newt Gingrich had 1．3 millions followers in his presidential election |
The underlined word“their” in the passage refers to
| A．deals’ | B．fans’ | C．campaigns’ | D．users’ |
There’s a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America，I guess—I’m the guy who can get these for you：cigarettes，a bag of cigar，if you want that，a bottle of wine to celebrate your son or daughter’s high school graduation，or almost anything else．．．within reason，that is．It wasn’t always that way．
I came to Shawshank when I was just twenty，and I am one of the few people in the prison who is willing to admit what he did．I committed murder．I put a large insurance policy on my wife，who was three years older than 1 was，and then I fixed the brakes of the car her father had given us as a wedding present．It worked out exactly as I had planned，except I hadn’t planned on her stopping to pick up the neighbour woman and the woman’s son on the way down Castle Hill and into town．The brakes let go and the car crashed through the bushes，gathering speed．Bystanders said it must have been doing fifty or better when it hit the base of the Civil War statue in the town arid burst into flames．
I also hadn’t planned on getting caught，but caught 1 was．I got a pass into this place．My state has no death penalty(死刑)，but I was tried for all three deaths and given three life sentences，to run one after the other．That fixed up any chance of parole(假释)I might have，for a long，long time．The judge called what I had done‘an extremely evil crime’, and it was ,but it is also in the past now．
Have I transformed myself，you ask ?I don’t know what that word means，at least as far as prisons and corrections go．I think it’s a politician’s word．It may have some other meaning，and it may be that 1 will have a chance to find out，but that is the future．．．
I was young，good—looking，and from the poor side of town．I met a pretty，headstrong girl who lived in one of the fine old houses on Carbine Street．She got pregnant later．Her father was agreeable to the marriage if 1 would take a job in the company he owned and ‘work my way up’．I found out that what he really had in mind was keeping me in his house and under his thumb，like a disagreeable pet that has not quite been housebroken and which may bite．Enough hate eventually piled up to cause me to do what I did．
Given a second chance 1 would not do it again，but I'm not sure that means I am transformed．What do we know about the man from the passage?
| A．He is treated unfairly in the prison． |
| B．He is in charge of the federal prison． |
| C．He is quite an able person as a prisoner． |
| D．He is the most powerful man in the prison． |
By saying that“I got a pass into this place”(in Para．3)，the man means that________.
| A．he has got to stay in prison |
| B．he was allowed to go home |
| C．he was caught by the police without a pass |
| D．he has stayed in the federal prison before |
The man committed such an evil crime because__________.
| A．he had made a secret deal with an insurance company |
| B．he had been angry for a long time with his father—in—law |
| C．his wife’s family members had disapproved of their marriage |
| D．his wife had looked on him as a pet and he didn’t feel respected |
Which of the following is TRUE about the man?
| A．He regrets having committed the crime． |
| B．He will be out of prison in the near future． |
| C．He thinks the trial a mistake and is unfair． |
| D．He has found out the |
Any day we wish；we can discipline ourselves to change it a11．Any day we wish；we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge．Any day we wish；we can start a new activity．Any day we wish；we can start the process of life change．We can do it immediately，or next week，or next month，or next year．
We can also do nothing．We can pretend rather than perform．And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable，we can remain as we are．We can choose rest over labor，entertainment over education，delusion(幻想)over truth，and doubt over confidence．The choices are ours to make．But while we complain about the effect，we continue to nourish(助长)the cause．
As Shakespeare uniquely observed，“The fault is not in the stars，but in ourselves．’’We created our circumstances by our past choices．We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today．
Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth .They need the whole truth .And the responsibility to nothing but the truth．
We cannot allow our errors in judgment，repeated every day，to lead us down the wrong path．
We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out．And then we must make the very choices that will bring life，happiness and joy into our daily lives .
And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life—If you don’t like how things are，change it !You’re not a tree．You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life — and it all begins with your very own power of choice．The first paragraph tells us that_________.
| A．no one wants to be disciplined |
| B．we often need some new knowledge |
| C．taking activities does good to our health |
| D．we want to change all the time |
We may conclude from the second paragraph that
| A．whatever happens, we have to change ourselves |
| B．people tend to nourish the cause of bad results |
| C．whether we change or not depends on ourselves |
| D．most choices we made are not good enough |
From Shakespeare’s words，we know________.
| A．it is our duty to change for the better |
| B．we complain a lot about our past choices |
| C．sometimes we have to face the fate |
| D．we should believe in ourselves in life |
In the author’s opinion，if。you want a good life，what you need most is_______.
| A．self confidence | B．good choices | C．strong wills | D．the truth |
A carefree summer vacation can be yours with these easy tips．
1．Fly into Alternate Airports
Most major destinations are served by more than one airport．Flying into a less popular one can result in cheaper tickets．Another added perk of quieter airports? Shorter check-in and security lines，and less waiting around．
2．Use Public Transportation for City Travel to Save Time and Money
When possible，take public transportation from the airport to your hotel．For example，the London-Heathrow express train takes just 15 minutes to get from airport to city and costs under 20 pounds．By contrast，“A taxi costs about 70 pounds and takes 40 minutes，"reports DiScala．
3．Eat Smart，Explore…and Save
Look for ways to take your order in pricey restaurants and you can avoid “Are we about to run out of money?”“Don’t order an appetizer．Don’t drink a lot of booze，” says DiScala．
Also，cover more ground by spreading out your snack places．“Have dessert at a café or ice cream stand, instead of at the dinner restaurant，” suggests DiScala．You’ll see more of the city and decisions about where to go for dinner will be less worrying．
4．Hit the Market
Much like reading the local newspaper，visiting a market gives context to a foreign country．
Even the smallest villages tend to have a weekly open-air market(often on Saturday mornings) , while in larger towns and cities，expect additional market days，as well as big supermarkets．
Markets also sell amazing，wallet-friendly souvenirs．Think about sea salt，local spices or sauces，and regional oils and vinegars． Eatable gifts are almost always appreciated，saving you the stress of finding the“perfect”gift for each person on your list．The passage aims to tell the readers how to________．
| A．take a plane without waiting for long |
| B．spend your holidays abroad economically |
| C．eat in a pricey restaurant at the smallest expense |
| D．save money to buy eatable gifts in a foreign market |
What does the underlined word“perk” in Line 4 mean?
| A．Special benefit． | B．Strict standard． |
| C．Common scene． | D．Extra trouble． |
Which of the following will best help you save time and money?
| A．Choosing a bigger airport． | B．Visiting local markets． |
| C．Having dinner at the hotel． | D．Taking an express train． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Having coffee at a cafe will cost more money． |
| B．Souvenirs bought at local markets are expensive． |
| C．You will run out of your money if you eat out． |
| D．Markets help you understand your tourist destination． |