CORVALIJS. Ore.-- Engineers at Oregon Suite University have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial (微生物的)fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater，opening the door to a future in which waste treatment plants not only will power themselves, but will sell extra electricity.
The new technology ,developed at OSU, can now produce 10 to 50 more times the electricity, per volume, than most oilier approaches using microbial fuel cells,and 100 times more electricity than some.
Researchers say this could eventually change the way that wastewater is treated all over the world, replacing the widely used “activated sludge (泥浆) ” process that has been in use for almost a century. The new approach would produce significant amounts of electricity while effectively cleaning the wastewater,
“If this technology works on a commercial scale the way we believe it will ,the treatment of wastewater could be a huge energy producer, not a huge energy cost.” said Hong Liu ，an associate professor in the OSU Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering. “This could have an impact around the world, save a great deal of money, provide better water treatment and promote energy sustainability.”
The biodegradable (能降解的）characteristics of wastewater, if developed to their full potential, could theoretically provide many times the energy that is now being used to process them, with no additional greenhouse emissions.
OSU researchers reported several years ago on the promise of this technology, but at that time the systems in use produced far less electrical power. With new concepts, the technology can now produce more than two kilowatts per cubic meter of liquid reactor volume.
The new system also works better than an alternative approach to creating electricity from wastewater, based on anacrobic (臭氧的）digestion that produces methane (甲烷）.It treats the wastewater more effectively, and doesn’t have any of the environmental drawbacks of that technology, such as production of possible release of methane, a significant greenhouse gas.Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
| A．The treatment of wastewater is a huge energy cost. |
| B．Wastewater is being treated differently over the world. |
| C．Waste treatment plants have found a new way to power themselves. |
| D．Microbial fuel cells will produce more electricity from wastewater. |
What can we learn about the new technology from the passage?
| A．It can produce 100 times more electricity than any approach used today. |
| B．Through it more electricity can be created and water can be cleaned better. |
| C．It has already changed the way that wastewater is treated all over the world |
| D．It has opened the door to put microbial fuel cells to productive use. |
What attitude does Professor Liu hold towards the new technology?
A. Supportive. B. Critical. C Unconcerned. D. Curious.According to the last paragraph, why does the new system work better than the alternative approach?
| A．Because it is co-friendly and treats wastewater more effectively. |
| B．Because it can make full use of anaerobic digestion producing methane. |
| C．Because it may produce less methane than the alternative approach. |
| D．Because it can produce 10 times the energy than the alternative approach. |
Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted (预测) in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains (链条) and ecosystems.（生态系统）
Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns, scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen (氧气), while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researches of several U.S. universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated (低估) the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing（长出叶子） by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments under-predicted the speed of the advance —for both leafing and flowering —that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change, it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions (排放) of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond（超出） 2℃ this century —a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
| A．Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystems. |
| B．The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation. |
| C．Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns. |
| D．Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather. |
We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that __________.
| A．plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing |
| B．there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents |
| C．scientists should improve the design of the experiments |
| D．the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change |
Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because __________.
| A．they can prove the climate change clearly |
| B．they are very important in the food chainsA |
| C．they play a leading role in reducing global warming |
| D．they are growing and flowering much faster than before |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
| A．It has risen nearly 0.2℃ since 1979. |
| B．Its change will lead to weather extremes. |
| C．It is 0.8℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1900. |
| D．It needs to be controlled within 2℃ in this century. |
Making friends is a skill like most skills. It improves with practice. If you want to meet people and make friends, you must be willing to take some action. You must first go where there are people. You won’t make friends staying home alone.
Joining a club or a group, talking with those who like the same things as you do is much easier. Or join someone in some activity.
Many people are nervous when talking to new people. After all meeting strangers means facing the unknown. And it’s human nature to feel a bit uncomfortable about unknown. Most of our fears about dealing with new people comes from doubts about ourselves. We imagine other people are judging us, finding us too tall or too short, too this or too that. But don’t forget that they must be feeling the same way. Try to accept yourself as you are, and try to put the other person at ease. You’ll both feel more comfortable.
Try to act self-confident even if you don’t feel that way. When you enter a room full of strangers, such as a new classroom, walk tall and straight, look directly at other people and smile.
If you see someone you’d like to speak to, say something. Don’t wait for the other person to start a conversation.
Just meeting someone new does not mean that you will make friends with that person—friendship is based on mutual liking and “give and take”. It takes time and effort to develop. The best topic of the passage may be ________.
| A．Friendship | B．Making friends |
| C．Meeting New People | D．Facing the Unknown |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?
| A．Making friends needs practicing. |
| B．Making friends needs to be more active in getting in touch with people. |
| C．When meeting someone, make him feel nice and easy. |
| D．Before making friends with someone, judge him if he’s too this or too that. |
The development of friendship needs ________.
| A．a lot of money | B．lots of conversation |
| C．time and effort | D．carefully judging |
A Koala Isn’t a Bear
Koalas remind people of teddy bears．They have thick fur and large ears．Their broad, flat nose makes them look cute, similar to teddy bears．In fact koalas aren’t cute．They have sharp teeth and very sharp claws! Koalas are marsupials．This means the mother carries her baby in a pocket while it develops, similar to a kangaroo．The baby koala lives in its mother’s pocket for the first six months of its life．
The name “koala” comes from a native Australian word that means “no drink”. The koalas get almost all their water from the eucalyptus(桉树) leaves they eat．That’s where they get their food too．Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, and only the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees．The eucalyptus trees are where the koalas live．It’s also where they sleep．Koalas sleep about nineteen hours a day!
Why do they sleep so much? Some people think it’s because they’re lazy．But koalas aren’t lazy．They sleep so much because there isn’t much nutrition in eucalyptus leaves．Koalas store hardly any fat, so they must save their energy．One way to do this is to move slowly and sleep a lot.
After a day of sleeping they like to move around and eat just after sunset．They live alone most of the time．Koalas are very protective of their trees．If a koala sees another koala eating in its favorite tree, it might tell the other koala to leave by “barking” at it．Koalas do “talk” to each other．Besides barks, the males make a deep grunting sound．The mothers and babies talk in soft clicking sounds．If they get scared they may scream like a baby.According to the article, how are koalas and kangaroos alike?
| A．They both have thick fur. |
| B．They both have sharp teeth. |
| C．They both eat eucalyptus leaves. |
| D． They both carry their young in a pocket. |
The word “koala”comes from a word that means _______.
| A．no drink | B．moving slowly |
| C．large ears | D．barking loudly |
Why do koalas sleep a lot?
| A．Their babies need to get much rest. |
| B．They get tired from playing so much. |
| C．Their food does not give them much energy. |
| D．They do not like to be awake when it is warm. |
If an adult koala screams like a baby, he may get ________.
| A．worried | B．scared | C．hungry | D．sleepy |
Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.
| Electronic Village Program (Thursday, June 18, 2015) |
|
| Nearpod 9:00 am to 10:00 am Room 501 Nearpod is a software program that creates a rich context(语境) for students to learn vocabulary. The presenter will show how to use it. |
TEO 2:00 pm to 3:00 p m Room 502 Our students come from different backgrounds but have the same desire to learn on-line. The presenter will use examples from his first on-line class to explain how any teacher can begin teaching on-line with TEO. |
| Kahoot 10:30 am to 11:30 am Room 601 Kahoot software can be used to create grammar tests which can be graded on a network. It can provide students with instant feedback(反馈), including resports about their strengths and weaknesses. |
Prezi 3:30 pm to 4:20 pm Room 602 Uses of Prezi in listening and speaking courses draw students’ attention to speaking more fluently. The presenter will show how students can use Prezi to confidently present on a variety of topics, including introducing family, friends, and hobbies. |
Nearpod can be used to ______．
| A．offer grammar tests |
| B．teach listening on-line |
| C．help vocabulary learning |
| D．gain fluency in speaking |
If you want to improve your speaking skills, you can go to____________．
| A．Room 501 | B．Room 502 |
| C．Room 601 | D．Room 602 |
Which of the following can assess your grammar learning?
| A．Nearpod． | B．Kahoot． |
| C．TEO． | D．Prezi． |
A teacher who wants to learn on-line teaching is expected to arrive by ______．
| A．9:00 am | B．10:30 am |
| C．2:00 pm | D．3:30 pmB |
My 11-year-old son and I rides bikes to and from his school every day. I accompany him on the 20-minute ride through Manhattan, drop him off and return at the end of day to pick him up. We always ride together; sometimes he leads; sometimes I do. And as we ride, we communicate the ways to minimize (使减少或缩小到最低限度) the dangers: Don’t go too fast, and watch out for doors suddenly swinging out from parked cars and jaywalking pedestrians, etc. Some friends worry about the risk of riding in traffic, but is there a better way to let my son know how to deal with traffic dangers?
But recently he requested me to start hanging back a half block or so. This way he could enjoy the feeling of riding on his own, with the security of knowing that I was nearby in case he needed me. This is healthy, of course, as my son needs space to develop independence in preparation for his inevitable (不可避免的，必然发生的) departure from home. However, that means soon he will want to ride to school on his own, and I will no longer have this wonderful routine. “Let your children go if you want to keep them.” I understand this and am trying to let my son go in age-appropriate phases, but I still suffer. It’s one of the most troubling experiences of parenthood — recognizing that your presence is becoming less welcome.
My dilemma as a husband mirrors the concern I feel as a parent. My wife has just left on a six-month mission to cover the situation in Libya. In the days leading up to her departure, we spoke openly about the possibility, however unlikely, that she might be killed. But while I influence her decisions, I do not control them. Finally, it was her decision. I know that letting go is the wisest path in this case too.
As we travel through life’s phases, we must let go of so much. And I don’t think it gets easier with practice. But maybe just accepting that eventually we will have to let go is the secret to living a full life.Why does the writer accompany his son on his daily ride to school?
| A．To build up his strength. |
| B．To teach his son to ride in traffic. |
| C．To tell his son the way to school. |
| D．To communicate more with his son. |
Although he thinks his son’s request understandable, the writer ________.
| A．is worried about his son’s safety |
| B．is angry for his son’s leaving alone |
| C．feels upset for being rejected by his son |
| D．feels sorry for not giving his son enough space |
What does the writer’s wife do?
| A．She is a soldier. | B．She is a politician. |
| C．She is a media person. | D．She is a businesswoman. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Letting go. | B．Father’s love. |
| C．Living a full life. | D．Lessons from riding. |