See a cell phone cover that you like on Taobao? Forget about placing an order, paying the bill online and waiting for days for it to be delivered to you. In the near future, you'll be able to get it in minutes just by hitting "print" on your computer.
You might find it hard to believe that you could actually "print" an object like you would a picture. But it is not that hard to understand how it would work. Just as a traditional printer sprays (喷) ink onto paper line by line, modern 3-D printers spread material onto a surface layer by layer, from the bottom to the top, gradually building up a shape.
Instead of ink, the materials the 3-D printer uses are mainly plastic, resin (树脂)and certain metals. The thinner each layer is --- from a millimeter to less than the width of a hair --- the smoother and finer the object will be.
This may sound like a completely new technology, but the truth is that 3-D printing has been around since the late 1980s. Back then, it was hardly affordable for most people, so few knew about it.
Last year, though, saw a big change in the 3-D printing industry--- printers became much cheaper. For example, 10 years ago a desktop 3-D printer might have cost £20,000 (200,000 yuan), while now they cost only about £ 1,000, according to the BBC.
Taken out of the factory and introduced to more diverse and common uses, 3-D printing can create just about anything you can think of ---flutes (笛子), bikinis, jewelry, aircraft parts and even human organs. In fact, scientists from Cornell University in New York have just made an artificial ear using a 3-D printer, according to Science Daily. The fake ear looks and acts exactly like a natural one.
However, as 3-D printing becomes more common, it may bring about certain problems --- such as piracy(盗版). "Once you can download a coffee maker, or print out a new set of kitchen utensils (餐具) on your personal 3-D printer, who will visit a retail (零售的) store again?" an expert in 3-D printing told Forbes News. Even more frightening, what if anyone in the world could use a 3-D printer to print out a fully functioning gun?
According to the article, in the future, the 3-D printing technology will ___.
| A．enable people to make better purchases online |
| B．be applied as widely in our daily lives as computers |
| C．change the way we make many products |
| D．shorten the time it takes for people to get what they buy online |
What was the big event happening in the 3-D printing industry last year?
| A．The 3-D printing technology was taken out ofthe factory. |
| B．The 3-D printer became more affordable forconsumers. |
| C．The 3-D printer was used for medical treatmentfor the first time. |
| D．3-D printing technology began to be used invarious fields. |
How is the last paragraph developed?
| A．By analyzing a cause and an effect. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By presenting research findings. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Printing out everything | B．Technology in the future |
| C．Online shopping disappearing | D．Great demand for 3-D printers |
What is the most popular food in western countries? If you are not sure, statistics might give you the answer.
Every year，some 20 million people walk into restaurants and buy 2 billion sandwiches. Americans alone eat more than 1 billion sandwiches annually. If you lined up all the sandwiches Westerners eat in a year, they would go around the world 13 times!
When John Montagu made the very first sandwich in England in 1762, he couldn't have imagined that it would still be very popular almost 250 years later. There is a campaign starting this month in the US to find the healthiest and best tasting sandwich in the country.
Sandwiches are commonly carried to school or work in lunch boxes or brown paper bags to be eaten for lunch. They are also taken on picnics and hiking trips. Their longlasting popularity lies in their convenience and fast preparation time.
You can put everything you want inside a sandwich. They are easy to clean up after, nutritious and come in hundreds of different kinds.
Wellknown American chef Dave Lieberman adds another reason.“I think people like to touch their food, kids especially. It's just a natural instinct. You don't have to use a knife and fork to eat a sandwich，” he said.
Sandwiches can be hot or cold with almost any kind of filling. One of the most popular kinds is the BLT—bacon，lettuce and tomato. Although it is a simple food, it can still be creative. Sandwiches can be served openfaced, with sushi inside or grilled with delicious fillings.The author intends to________.
| A．tell us the history of sandwichmaking |
| B．introduce a popular food in the West |
| C．show how sandwiches are made |
| D．explain why westerners like sandwiches |
What is the main reason for the popularity of sandwiches?
| A．They are healthy and delicious. |
| B．They have a history of about 250 years. |
| C．They are fast and convenient. |
| D．They can be served either hot and cold. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Sandwiches are usually eaten with a knife and fork. |
| B．Children don't like sandwiches so much as the adults. |
| C．Americans started a campaign against sandwiches. |
| D．People are trying to make sandwiches more nutritious. |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．There are many kinds of sandwiches. |
| B．The sandwich is a simple food. |
| C．The BLT is the most popular. |
| D．Sandwiches are mostly openfaced. |
“The U．S.Food and Drug Administration(FDA)is considering to put stricter limits over tanning salons(晒黑廊)and wants to ban anyone younger than 18 years of age from using a tanning bed，”an advisory panel(专家团)announced last week.
The panel is calling for tighter controls on the industry such as requiring teenagers to get the approval from their parents before using tanning beds or limiting the use of artificial tanning to a certain age.“Given the absence of any demonstrated benefits，I think it is an obligation for us to ban artificial tanning for those under 18，”said panelist Dr.Michael Olding.
Along with a possible ban for teenagers，the panel also recommended that visible warning labels should be placed either on the tanning machines or in the salons in order to caution tanners of the possible dangers.In addition，the committee decided that stricter regulations and classifications were critical to make the machines safer.At this time the machines are categorized as FDA Class 1 devices，the ones that are least likely to cause harm.In case the FDA decided to change their classification from Class 1 to Class 2，as advised by the panel，the FDA could limit the levels of radiation the machines emit.Class 2 devices include Xray machines and powered wheelchairs.
Getting a tan，whether from a tanning bed or the sun，increases the risk of developing skin cancer.Last year，the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)declared tanning beds as “carcinogenic(致癌的)to humans”．It was discovered that young individuals in their teens and 20s who use tanning beds on a regular basis have a 75 per cent higher risk of suffering from melanoma(黑素瘤)，the deadliest form of skin cancer.According to the American Cancer Society，melanoma accounted for nearly 69,000 cases of skin cancer in 2009 and will account for most (about 8,650)of the 11,590 mortality cases due to skin cancer each year.According to the passage，what measures will U．S.FDA most probably take?
| A．Banning tanning salons. |
| B．Posing heavier tax over tanning salons. |
| C．Having tighter controls over tanning salons. |
| D．Limiting the number of tanning salons in every state. |
Which of the following suggestions for making tanning salons safer is NOT mentioned?
| A．Visible caution. |
| B．Setting age limit. |
| C．Professional personnel. |
| D．Parental approval for teenagers. |
What does the writer want to express in the last paragraph?
| A．Tanning in one's youth may mean death. |
| B．Tanning in the sun is safer than on the tanning bed. |
| C．People should get tanned without getting melanoma. |
| D．Getting tanned is only a good idea for those above thirty years old. |
What will most probably happen，if the advisory panel's suggestions are adopted and put into practice?
| A．Fewer people will suffer from skin cancer. |
| B．Tanning salons will have more customers. |
| C．Getting a tan in a tanning salon will cost less. |
| D．Parents will be more anxious about their tanning children. |
The hottest“green”toy in Germany isn't made of organic or recycled materials.This one has a solar panel and only runs if kids remember to insert bright red “energy stones”that power the space station.Germany，a pioneer in many renewable energy initiatives，is also at the forefront of creating environmentfriendly toys aimed at making kids think about where energy comes from and how much of it they can use，raising awareness through play.A number of hightech green toys are on display at this year's Nuremberg toy fair，which runs through Sunday.
Among them，there are hydroelectricpowered(水电动力的)toy cars，and doll houses with wind turbines and rainwater catchers.The bright green “Future Planet”space station features an inner atrium(中庭)with a fan that is powered by a functioning solar cell.Its aim is to get kids to use their imagination about how energy will be created in the future.
Makers and retailers believe such toys will play an increasingly important role in their future—and that of our kids.“Energy is the question of the future and we are definitely thinking about this as we move ahead，”said Judith Schweinitz，a spokeswoman for Playmobil，maker of the solar panelfitted space station.“It is increasingly being brought into our play concept.”Green toys—which range from those made of sustainable materials to ones like the space station that just raise environmental awareness—make up only a sliver of the $ 84 billion international toy market，but their share is growing，studies indicate.Environmental research firm Earthsense，based in Syracuse，New York，predicts that green toys will account for about $ 1 billion，or 5 percent of U．S.toy sales in the next five years.Parents are smart and they want information about what's in the product.That's what's really driving the market.The hottest “green”toy in Germany is ________.
| A．made of rubbish |
| B．made of organic or recycled materials |
| C．equipped with a solar panel |
| D．driven by an advanced motor |
The purpose of making the green toys is to ________.
| A．raise kids' awareness about energy and environment |
| B．improve kids' imagination |
| C．give kids the knowledge of technology |
| D．improve the safety of toys |
We can infer from the last paragraph that the green toys ________.
| A．can help save little energy |
| B．are not accepted by parents |
| C．will sell well in the future |
| D．have not been produced |
Which of the following BEST describes the opinion of Earthsense about green
toys?
| A．Doubtful. |
| B．Optimistic. |
| C．Disappointed. |
| D．Proud. |
Americans gave nearly $300 billion away last year. Do you know the reason? Beyond the noble goals of helping others, it is that giving will make them happier.
It is a fact that givers are happier people than non-givers. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a survey of 30,000 American households, people who give money to charity are 43% more likely than non-givers to say they are “very happy” about their lives. Similarly, volunteers are 42% more likely to be very happy then non-volunteers.
The happiness difference between givers and non-givers is not due to differences in their personal characteristics, such as income or religion. Imagine two people who are identical in terms of income and faith, as well as age, education, politics, sex, and family circumstances, but one donates money and volunteers, while the other does not. The giver will be, on average, over 40 percentage points more likely to be very happy than the non-givers.
A number of studies have researched exactly why charity leads to happiness. The surprising conclusion is that giving affects our brain chemistry. For example, people who give often report feelings of euphoria, which psychologists have referred to as the “Helper’s High”. They believe that charitable activity produces a very mild version of the sensations people get from drugs like morphine and heroin.
Of course, not only does giving increase our happiness, but also our happiness increases the possibility that we will give. Everyone prefers to give more when they are happy. Researchers have investigated this by conducting experiments in which people are asked about their happiness before and after they participate in a charitable activity, such as volunteering to help children or serving meals to the poor. The result is clear that giving has a strong, positive causal impact on our happiness, so does happiness on givingAccording to Paragraph 2. We can learn that .
| A．only those people who gave money to charity will be happy |
| B．more givers say they feel having happy lives than non-givers |
| C．those who donate money are happier than those who volunteer |
| D．42% of the volunteers say they are as happy as the non-volunteers |
What causes the happiness difference?
| A．Income. | B．Faith. |
| C．Education. | D．Donation. |
The underlined word “euphoria” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .
| A．relaxation | B．uncertainty |
| C．nervousness | D．pleasure |
If a person feels happy, he may .
| A．ask for more donations |
| B．stop charitable activity |
| C．be likely to give more |
| D．cook food for the poor |
Which of the following is the main theme of this passage?
| A．Giving brings happiness. |
| B．Americans love donating. |
| C．The happiness difference. |
| D．Feelings of volunteers. |
Finding a friend doesn’t seem like a difficult job. However, bad friends are easier to find than good friends these days. If you’re sitting there and wondering if you have a bad friend, let me define it for you.
A bad friend is someone whose jealousies and insecurities outweigh their love for someone. They night want to be a good friend but they’re too messed up in their own head to ever actually do it. They wonder if their friends are going out without them or if they’re being forgotten and left behind. People who are violently insecure don’t have what it takes to be the quality of a friend.
Bad friends are narcissistic(自恋的).They look for any opportunity to bring the conversation back to them. Worse, they might not even be aware that they’re doing it. In their mind, they might think they are the best friend ever, which is truly frightening.
Bad friends are quick-change. They’re by your side when you’re fun and you have something to give them but as soon as you’re going through a difficult time, they will become indifferent quickly. They won’t bring you cold medicine. They won’t give you a ride to the doctor, everything they do is self-serving.
If you find a friend who has these same characteristics, send them to your bad friend list immediately. Your friends are supposed to be the solution to your problems, not the source.
I believe your twenties are a time when you need positive and helpful friends. In such a time, friendships aren’t easy to maintain like they once were in school. Now we actually have to put work into it, we have to make a conscious effort to keep the friendship going. You need to ask yourself, “Is this person worth it? Do they treat me like a fool or what?” if your have doubts, try to make them clear by considering the past experiences. Toxic(有毒的) friendships do nothing but drag you down. My point is that you have to take care of yourself and stop getting in touch with your bad friends. Only surround yourself with people who bring out the best qualities in you. It may sound cruel but it’s true,.The author believes that we can easily find a .
| A．close friend | B．poor friend |
| C．good friend | D．bad friend |
Bad friends give the author the following impressions EXCEPT being .
| A．outgoing | B．insecure |
| C．narcissistic | D．self-centred |
We can infer from the passage that a bad friend will when you have trouble.
| A．feel worried as you do | B．try hard to help you out |
| C．do nothing but leave you | D．pay more attention to you |
In the last paragraph, you are advised .
| A．not to treat your friends like fools |
| B．not to keep a terrible friendship |
| C．not to be a bad friend of others |
| D．not to doubt but ask yourself |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To tell us finding a friend is not an easy job for everyone. |
| B．To help us know about bad friends and get rid of them. |
| C．To encourage us to make more friends in school. |
| D．To advise us not to treat our close friends badly. |