A sunflower is a sunflower. A mobile phone is a mobile phone. But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment? As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower.
A biodegradable (生物可降解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists. It is hoped that the new type of phone will encourage consumers to recycle (再利用). Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic, but overtime it can break down into the soil without giving out any poisonous chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸盐). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. “We’ve only put sunflower seeds into the cover so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers will perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time.” said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means producers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists. “The seed is released and the flower grows in the pot so you don’t have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it,” said Kerry Kirwan, the leader of the research team.After you have finished using the new type of mobile phone, _______.
| A．the sunflower seed will come out and flower in the pot |
| B．the phone cover will break down very soon in the soil |
| C．it will be recycled by the producers |
| D．it can charge itself with electricity in a green way |
This type of research is done because ________.
| A．the technology of making phones is changing rapidly |
| B．too many waste mobile phones may lead to environmental problems |
| C．nobody has ever thought of recycling mobile phones |
| D．producing mobile phones uses a lot of energy |
We can infer from the story ________.
| A．the new type of mobile phones is already on the market |
| B．the new type of mobile phones will sell extremely well |
C．the material of the new type of phones is  harmful |
| D．other flowers may be used in the new type of mobile phones |
A glass a day keeps obesity at bay. Alcohol has always been thought to cause weight gain because of its high sugar content, but new research suggests a glass a day could form part of a diet. Looking at past studies they found that, while heavy drinkers do put on weight, those who drink in moderation can actually lose weight.
A spokesman for the research team at Navarro University in Spain says, “Light to moderate alcohol intake, especially of wine, may be more likely to protect against, rather than promote, weight gain”. The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research reviewed the findings and agreed with most of the conclusions, particularly that current data do not clearly indicate if moderate drinking increases weight.
Boston University’s Dr. Harvey Finkel found that the biologic mechanisms (生物学机制) relating alcohol to changes in body weight are not properly understood. His team pointed out the strong protective effects of moderate drinking on the risk of getting conditions like diabetes(糖尿病)，which relate to increasing obesity. Some studies suggest that even very obese people may be at lower risk of diabetes if they are moderate drinkers.
The group says alcohol provides calories that are quickly absorbed into the body and are not stored in fat, and that this process could explain the differences in its effects from those of other foods. They agree that future research should be directed towards assessing the roles of different types of alcoholic drinks, taking into consideration drinking patterns and including the past tendency of participants to gain weight.
For now there is little evidence that consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis increases one’s risk of becoming obese. What’s more, a study three years ago suggested that resveratrol, a compound present in grapes and red wine, destroys fat cells.
The passage is mainly for those ______.
| A．who produce wine |
| B．who are eager to lose weight |
| C．who go on a diet |
| D．who have a drinking habit |
The underlined phrase “in moderation” in the first paragraph means ______.
| A．properly | B．carefully |
| C．excitedly | D．frequently |
Why has alcohol been thought to cause weight gain?
| A．Because its calories are stored in fat. |
| B．Because it is rich in sugar. |
| C．Because it changes drinking patterns. |
| D．Because it increases the risk of diabetes. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The specific roles of different types of alcoholic drinks are very clear. |
| B．Resveratrol is proved to increase the risk of becoming fat. |
| C．The research found moderate drinking has a strong protective effect. |
| D．Current data clearly show that moderate drinking increases weight. |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．How to do some easy experiments. |
| B．How to prove the finding mentioned above. |
| C．How to make wine in a healthy way. |
| D．How to reduce the calories contained in wine. |
In my first week as a graduate student at Cambridge University in 1964 I met with a fellow student, two years ahead of me in his studies; he was unsteady on his feet and spoke with great difficulty. This was Stephen Hawking. I learned that he had a bad disease and might not live long enough even to finish his PhD degree.
But, amazingly, he has reached the age of 73. Even mere survival would have been a medical miracle, but of course, he didn’t merely survive. He has become arguably the most famous scientist in the world for his brilliant research, for his bestselling books, and, above all, for his astonishing victory over hardship.
Stephen received his “death sentence” in 1964, when I thought it was hard for him to go on with his study. Stephen went from Albans School to Oxford University. He was said to be a “lazy” undergraduate, but his brilliance earned him a first-class degree, an “entry ticket” to a research career in Cambridge and a uniquely inspiring achievement.Within a few years of the burst of his disease he was wheelchair-bound, and his speech was so unclear that it could only be understood by those who knew him well. But his scientific career went from strength to strength: he quickly came up with a series of insights into the nature of black holes (then a very new idea) and how the universe began. In 1974 he was elected to the Royal Society at the exceptionally early age of 32.
The great advances in science generally involve discovering a link between phenomena that were previously conceptually unconnected — for instance, Isaac Newton realized that the force making an apple fall to earth was the same as the force that holds the moon and planets in their orbits. Stephen’s revolutionary idea about a link between gravity and quantum(量子) theory has still not been tested. However, it has been hugely influential; indeed, one of the main achievements of string theory(弦理论)has been to confirm and build on his idea. He has undoubtedly done more than anyone else since Einstein to improve our knowledge of gravity and he is one of the top-ten living theoretical physicists.
What impressed the author most about Stephen Hawking?
| A．His brilliant research. | B．His bestselling books. |
| C．His serious disease. | D．His defeating hardship. |
What made Stephen Hawking start his research career at Cambridge?
| A．His death sentence. |
| B．His “lazy” attitude. |
| C．His above-average talent and ability. |
| D．His rich experience. |
It can be inferred that Stephen Hawking was born.
| A．in the early 1940s | B．in the late 1940s |
| C．in the early 1930s | D．in the late 1930s |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Hawking’s theory was proved years ago. |
| B．Hawking was not as successful as Newton. |
| C．String theory built on Hawking’s idea. |
| D．Hawking’s theory has had little influence on others. |
Which of the following is Not True according the passage?
| A．He achieved one success after another in his career despite his disease. |
| B．He couldn’t walk when the author first met him at Cambridge. |
| C．He not only survived his disease but contributed greatly to science. |
| D．He is among the greatest scientists to improve the knowledge of gravity. |
Sina Weibo, one of the country’s most popular micro-blogging sites, has launched a paid service. For a 10 yuan ($ l.57) monthly fee, users get a membership on their Sina Weibo accounts.
According to Xu Yuanyuan, a member of the marketing team at Sina, the move is to guarantee a more convenient and safer environment for users. But despite the company’s efforts to increase income, it seems that most of its 300 million users still prefer the free version.
The premium membership (高级会员) plans ,announced by the company on Monday, brought about negative comments from its users .
“The current service is good enough for me”, said a Beijing-based micro-blogger. “I don’t really need those value-added services and it might be a waste of money. I might consider paying for it if some more features are added.”
Dong Xu, an analyst with consulting firm Analysys International, said that Sina shouldn’t expect a great increase in income brought by the new services. The free services are enough for most users, Dong said. “The company has been making attempts at different profit models since last year. A potential source of income could be gaming. Games and advertisements are so far the two biggest sources of income.” she said.
Other micro-blogging service providers have not yet followed suit. Fang Gang, vice-president of rival Sohu, said via e-mail on Tuesday that Sohu’s micro-blogging service will never charge users. “It’s good news for us. Users can come to our website if they have to pay for services (at Sina).” Fang said.
Most of Sina Weibo’s users______.
| A．aren’t satisfied with its free version |
| B．show no interest in its paid services |
| C．are looking forward to new services |
| D．think highly of its new paid version |
What’s Dong Xu’s attitude towards Sina Weibo’s new services increasing income?
| A．Negative. | B．Confident . |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Positive . |
Why did Fang Gang consider Sina Weibo’s charging its users good news?
| A．Because Sina will make more money. |
| B．Because Sina will lose the whole Weibo market. |
| C．Because Sohu will attract more users. |
| D．Because Sohu will offer free services. |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．Most of Weibo websites will charge their users. |
| B．Sina Weibo’s new move will be a great success. |
| C．Sina Weibo’s users will enjoy more services. |
| D．A large number of Weibo users like playing games. |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Sina Weibo Faces Great Challenges |
| B．Sina Weibo Launches Paid Services |
| C．Sina Weibo Expects Income Increase |
| D．Sina Weibo Becomes More Convenient |
As more people use smart phones to pay bills and store personal information, strict password security has become more important than ever. A new study shows that free - form gestures – sweeping fingers in shapes across the screen of a smart phone—can be used to unlock phones. These gestures are less likely to be observed and reproduced by others than traditional typed passwords.
“All that it takes to steal a password is a quick eye,” said one of the researchers of the study. “With all the personal information we have on our phones today, improving their security is becoming increasingly necessary.” In developing a secure solution to this problem, the researchers studied the practicality of using free - form gestures. With the ability to create any shape in any size and location on the screen, the gestures were popular as passwords. Since users create them without following a template, the researchers predicted these gestures would allow for greater complexity.
The researchers carried out a create - test - retest experiment where 63 people were asked to create a gesture, recall it, and recall it again 10 days later. The gestures were captured on a recognizer system designed by the team. Using this data, they tested the complexity and accuracy of each gesture using information theory. The result of their analysis is that people are favorable to use free - form gestures as passwords.
To put their analysis into practice, the researchers then had seven students in computer science and engineering, each with considerable experience with touchscreens（触摸屏）, attempt to steal a free - form gesture password by observing a phone user secretly. None of them were able to copy the gestures with enough accuracy. The gestures appear to be extremely powerful against attacks.
Though the testing is in its early stage and widespread adaptation of this technology is not yet clear, the research team plans to continue to analyze the security and management of free – form passwords in the future. They believe this is the first study to explore free - form gestures as passwords. They will soon publish their findings.What can we learn about free - form gestures?
| A．They are improving mobile security in a way. |
| B．Users will have to make use of simple gestures. |
| C．They will never be copied by others. |
| D．Users must move their fingers in fixed shapes. |
The experiment in paragraph 4 is to test _________ of free - form gestures.
| A．template | B．application |
| C．accuracy | D．security |
According to the text, the researchers think that ________.
| A．it is easy to steal any password with a quick eye |
| B．better ways of setting passwords should be developed |
| C．people had better not use smart phones to pay bills |
| D．personal information should not be stored in a phone |
The main purpose of the text is to ________.
| A．advise people to use free - form gestures |
| B．discuss whether smart phones are safe |
| C．talk about the practicality of passwords |
| D．introduce the study of a new password |
2014 saw that the Ebola virus reappeared in Guinea and soon spread into neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, killing over 7,800 people by the new year of 2015. It leads to viral hemorrhagic fever, which is characterized by high fever and internal bleeding etc.
Ebola is named after the Ebola River, where it was first discovered in 1976. There are five different types of the Ebola virus, each named after where they first happened: Sudan, Ivory Coast, Reston, Bundibugyo, and Zaire. The deadliest of the five, Zaire, was responsible for the 2012 out- break, and is believed to be attacking Guinea.
Ebola is naturally found in fruit bats, which pass on the virus to other animals by biting or sucking on their blood. Humans who are suffering from the Ebola infection might have touched the bodily fluids of the infected animals. Once infected, a human becomes a carrier of the deadly virus.
Unfortunately, there are no disease - specific treatments for Ebola. Health - care workers only supply the infected people with physiological saline（生理盐水）to keep them in good condition. Ebola can kill 90% of those infected, especially in underdeveloped societies like those in Africa. Since there have been many cases of nurses catching the disease from patients, they are forced to wear strict protective clothes, and in some cases, not even allowed to get close to the infected. The fact that there is no cure for the Ebola virus is what makes the outbreak a challenging one to control.
What’s worse, since we live in an interconnected world, where the situation in one country can affect us all, the influences of Ebola are huge: damaging trade relations, affecting foreign visitors, and weakening entire countries. It is feared that the disease may spread throughout west African countries. For every country, a strong health system can decrease the risk of health attack and lessen the impact of Ebola.What is the function of the first paragraph in the whole passage?
| A．To arouse the reader’s concern. |
| B．To summarize the whole passage. |
| C．To give a detailed description of Ebola. |
| D．To introduce the theme of the whole passage. |
What can we infer about the Ebola virus?
| A．It has caused a panic in many countries. |
| B．It is the most dangerous virus in the world. |
| C．A strong health system is important to fight against Ebola. |
| D．Anyone who was infected Ebola will die. |
Paragraph 3 mainly tells us _________.
| A．What the Ebola virus is |
| B．How the Ebola virus spreads |
| C．How the Ebola virus is treated |
| D．How the Ebola virus affects the life |
Which of the following is true?
| A．There are no effective drugs to treat Ebola by far. |
| B．Ebola is now very common in Guinea. |
| C．Those with a fever must be infected by Ebola. |
| D．Females are easier to be infected by Ebola. |