I went to a nearby car factory today with my uncle, who works there. One thing I noticed was that most of the work was done by robots. Welding (焊接), painting, testing and many other jobs are performed by robots. The whole dashboard (仪表板) is put into a car by a robot. It would have taken two men to do so in the past, and it would have hurt their backs quite a bit.
It got me thinking: Is it a good thing that robots are replacing factory workers? On the one hand, robots generally do a more accurate job than people. They are not likely to make many mistakes. If something goes wrong with one car, an alarm goes off. They do exactly the same thing every time, but a human worker is unable to do so. On the other hand, robots reduce costs for companies. Companies don’t have to pay robots wages or injury compensation (补偿) if they’re broken. If something in a robot does go wrong, it won’t have to take time off work for a year, or even forever, as could happen to a real person if he breaks his back or burns himself while welding.
The obvious downside is that robots increase unemployment rate, which in turn increases taxes. We don’t want to pay for those who are out of work just because a company has replaced them with robots.We can learn from the first paragraph that _______.
| A．all the workers have been replaced by robots |
| B．robots do most of the work in the car factory |
| C．there are no workers with back strain now |
| D．the author’s uncle designs robots in the factory |
The second paragraph is mainly about ________.
| A．the author’s experience in a car factory |
| B．the advantages of robots over human workers |
| C．the advantages of human workers over robots |
| D．the management of factory workers |
The underlined word “downside” in the last paragraph means _______.
| A．weakness | B．favor |
| C．assistance | D．Advantage |
It can be inferred from the passage that________.
| A．companies refuse to pay for workers. |
| B．robots have completely replaced workers. |
| C．robots can help solve the problem of unemployment. |
| D．people have to pay more taxes for unemployment. |
San Diego resident Rob Greenfield just reached his goal of going a year without showering. And, surprisingly, he says it wasn’t that hard.
The founder of an environmentally friendly marketing company, Greenfield started his project with a bike ride across America.
Greenfield set a few rules for himself on his ride, meant to promote sustainability and eco-friendly living: He could only harvest water from natural sources like rivers and rain, or from wasted sources like leaky faucets. He also had to keep track of exactly how much he used, hoping to show just how little he needed to get by.
Over his 100-day bike trip, Greenfield was able to use less than two gallons of water a day, or eight Nalgene bottles.
After making it through the 100-day bike ride without a shower, Greenfield decided to try to go six months. Once that passed, he figured he might as well go a full year.
All he used was organic soap, toothpaste, and essential oils.“Nobody thought that I smelled at all,” he wrote on his blog. “And I surprised myself at how clean I was, just like everyone else.” Greenfield says he had no lack of friends, and sometimes they’d even join him.
He even had a few romances, which he says were the times he felt the most challenged.
“The hardest part were the times when a beautiful girl wanted me to get in the shower with her and I had to say no,” he told BuzzFeed. “A few times I almost got in and then remembered I was aiming for a year without showers.”
He said it was also difficult when the temperature dropped in San Diego, and he didn’t feel like having to go to the Pacific Ocean for a dip. But he still did it.
“I realized that water doesn’t have to come from a shower head to get me clean,” he wrote.
In Brooklyn, for example, he found a bath in a leaky fire hydrant.
For people who don’t live near bodies of water but want to be more eco-friendly, Greenfield recommends trying to be conscious of water usage, taking shorter or fewer showers, and turning off your faucet.
The world traveler told BuzzFeed his biggest takeaway from the project has been abolishing stereotypes.
“A short time ago I would have thought it crazy to forgo conventional showers,” he said. “Turns out it’s not really a big deal at all. We have a tendency to make instant character judgments based on clothing, style, race, sexual preference, political affiliation, and even bathing habits, and most of the time we’re just absolutely wrong.”
So is he done showering forever? He’s not sure, but it sounds like he’s not ready to throw in the towel (pun intended) just yet.
“Maybe I never will again or maybe I’ll shower tomorrow,” he said. “All I know is that I feel really darn good right now and I’m having a positive impact on our society.”495From the paragraphs， we can infer that__________.
| A．Greenfield had lack of friends because he didn’t showered. |
| B．Rob Greenfield hasn’t bathed in the past year. |
| C．Greenfield was able to use less than two gallons of water a day. |
| D．Greenfield has showered using water from natural sources in the past year. |
Greenfield didn’t get in the shower with a beautiful girl because________.
| A．he didn’t like girls. |
| B．there is no enough water to use. |
| C．he wanted to save some water. |
| D．he meant what he said. |
What does the underlined word “faucet.”mean？
| A．light |
| B．tap |
| C．gas |
| D．water |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Greenfield is the founder of an environmentally friendly marketing company. |
| B．Greenfield has a positive impact on the society. |
| C．Greenfield made a full year plan of no showering at the beginning. |
| D．Over his 100-day bike trip, Greenfield was able to use less than eight Nalgene bottles of water a day. |
The author writes this story to tell us that_________.
| A．Greenfield is a determined man. |
| B．we should save water as much as possible. |
| C．we should mean what we said. |
| D．Greenfield hasn’t showered for a full year. |
Now we go to the northern Indian state Himachal Pradesh to look at the effects of rising temperatures right now. The town of Manali is in the Kullu Valley. It is economically dependent on the thousands of people who travel up the Himalaya Mountains every year to escape the heat of the Indian plains.
D.S. Aditya is manager of Sterling Resorts in Manali. He says many people like to visit a snow-covered pass that lies about 50 kilometers up one mountain.
"Wherever you go like there's one destination, this is famous. If you visited Manali, Rohtang is main attraction. Because of the snow."The Rohtang Pass has many more visitors now than it did 10 years ago, thanks partly to the growing financial success of India's middle class. In summer months, more than two thousand vehicles crowd the narrow mountain road.
Ravi Thakur of Himalayan Caravan Adventure has lived in Manali since he was a child.
"Twenty years ago, we could count how many cars are here in Manali. Now, if you come in season time, we do have traffic jam for four, five, six kilometers on the Rohtang Road."
Visitors enjoy the beauty of the pass. But environmentalists are warning about the increasing traffic on mountains and glaciers.
J.C. Kuniyal is a scientist at the GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development. He is studying temperature changes in the Rohtang area. He says temperatures in the Kullu Valley have risen about six-tenths of a degree Celsius. That is about the same as the average increase worldwide.
But, what worries him is the effects of uncontrolled tourism on the mountain ecosystem.
"I have seen that the regions which are facing a high influx due to floating population or human activity, there aerosols（气态悬浮物） are increasing. These are supposed to be the main causes to melt the Himalayan glaciers."
The aerosol gases come both from diesel-powered vehicles and burning of wood for cooking by local people. The smoke leaves thick black ash on the glaciers. This causes them to absorb, or take in, more heat.
Local people are witnessing the effects of climate change and human activity on glaciers. Ravi Thakur has been walking the mountains since childhood. He says he has seen a loss of mountain snow and glacial ice.
"We keep going every year, almost to the same routes, and I have seen that glaciers, they are receding. In 15 years I have seen that big change."
That has raised concerns. The area's local glaciers are the headwaters for rivers like the Indus and the Ganges. The two rivers are the source of fresh water for millions of people in South Asia.
Pradipto Ghosh is a director at the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi.
"If the present trend of gradual loss of net glacial mass continues, then over time the flow from the glaciers would reduce."
Scientists say there is serious concern about water for agriculture on the Indian plains. Arun Shrestha is a climate change specialist at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal.
"Those communities, their agricultural system relies quite heavily on melt water."
Some people, like mountain guide Ravi Thakur, worry about possible changes in the future.
"Till I leave my life, we won't be facing those scarcity of water, but later on, the coming generation, they will have problems."
Environmentalists will continue trying to establish how deep those problems might become.Why does the Rohtang Pass have many more visitors than before?
| A．because the Indian people have more vehicles. |
| B．because it is becoming hotter and hotter in the Indian plains. |
| C．because India's middle class is becoming rich. |
| D．because the Rohtang Pass is more famous than before. |
Which of the following statements is not the reason why aerosols（气态悬浮物） are increasing?
| A．The flowing population is becoming larger. |
| B．The human activities here are more frequent. |
| C．More vehicles come here and local people burn wood for cooking. |
| D．The melt water is becoming less and less. |
What does the underlined word “receding”mean in the twelfth paragraph？
| A．become weaker and smaller. |
| B．move back. |
| C．become larger. |
| D．change greatly. |
Why do the Scientists care about water for agriculture on the Indian plains?
| A．because the area's local glaciers are the headwaters for rivers like the Indus and the Ganges. |
| B．because gradual loss of net glacial mass continues, the water for agriculture from the glaciers would reduce. |
| C．because people there face the scarcity of water now. |
| D．because we should be responsible for our coming generation. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The Rohtang Pass has many more visitors now than it did 10 years ago. |
| B．Scientists care about water for agriculture on the Indian plains. |
| C．The temperature is rising and the human activity is the main cause. |
| D．The mountain snow and glacial ice are reducing. |
What type of writing is the article likely to be?
| A．Science report | B．A medical report |
| C．A news report | D．Advertisement |
California Prisoners Fight Fires
The western state of California is known for wildfires. This year the fire season has been extremely active. California has some of the most experienced firefighters in the country because of its high risk of fire. Prisoners in California also take part in firefighting efforts. Mario Ritter tells us how and why.
Every morning prisoners in orange clothing go to their jobs as fire fighters. If there is no fire at the time, they carefully clean all the tools needed to make firebreaks. Firebreaks are barriers made of grass or land that slow or stop the spread of fire.
In California, prisoners who have no history of violent crime and are in good physical condition may train and work as firefighters. They may get their prison sentences reduced in exchange for their help fighting fires. But that is not the only appeal of the work program, says Louie Orozco, who was sentenced to prison for robbery.
"It's pretty exciting. It's an adrenaline rush, it's fun at the same time. You're expected to go out there and fight fires. Climb thousands of feet up hills, rocky terrain, and sometimes sandy terrain, with tools you got anywhere between30 and 50 pounds of gear on your back."
Prisoners in California have been working as firefighters for more than 60 years. They also serve the community in other ways, says Captain Mike Mahler of the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"Our crews are used during floods, search and rescue operations. They put in about 2.5 million hours a year just in emergency response alone."
More than 4, 000 California prisoners work as firefighters. California is not the only state that uses prisoners this way. But, the state's program is seen as a national model.
The prisoners often work side-by-side with professional firefighters. Captain Kevin Krauss has been supervising prisoner firefighters for seven years.
"I treat them like firefighters. I demand they act like firefighters and I tell them if they want to be heroes, they can be out here, if they want to be zeroes they can go back and they can be incarcerated inside. It's their choice."
Captain Krauss says most of them choose to stay with the difficult and often dangerous job, instead of spending their days behind prison walls.
"They get baptized by the devil out on the line. It's hot, it's dry, it’s physically demanding. (There is) Sleep deprivation."
The prisoners receive a small wage. The program began as a way to reduce the cost of fighting fires. Now, however, the program helps rehabilitate prisoners, providing them with skills helpful in ways beyond firefighting.
Louie Orozco says this experience has helped him believe in himself.
"Mentally I see that I can do things I never thought possible. Climbing thousands and thousands of feet up a mountain with gear on your back."
The prisoner firefighter will turn 40 this year. He will be released from prison in six months. He says he is too old to keep fighting fires. But Mr. Orozco also has some graphic design skills he learned from another prison program. He plans to use that skill to start a new life.
And he will know that after fighting wildfires, he can face any problems that might come with life after prison.What does the underlined word mean in the second paragraph？
| A．灭火器 | B．防火障 | C．消防员 | D．消火栓 |
In California, what kind of prisoners can be trained as firefighters？
| A．prisoners who have history of violent crime and are in good physical condition. |
| B．prisoners who have no history of violent crime and are strong. |
| C．prisoners who was sentenced to prison for robbery and are not in good physical condition.. |
| D．prisoners whose prison sentences reduced and who are in good physical condition. |
According to the passage , we know about Louie Orozco EXCEPT__________.
| A．Louie Orozco was sentenced to prison for robbery. |
| B．He has been released from prison for six months. |
| C．He will turn 40 this year. |
| D．He is too old to keep fighting fires. |
From the passage，we can infer from the passage that__________.
| A．The prisoners often work side-by-side with professional firefighters without being supervising. |
| B．The prisoners are forced to trained as firefighters. |
| C．More than one state in America uses prisoners as firefighters. |
| D．All the prisoners in California like to work as firefighters. |
The World Health Organization says reducing salt or sodium use can reduce your risk of heart disease, kidneyfailureor stroke. But researchers say the risk would be reduced even more if the amount of dietary potassium was increased at the same time.
The World Health Organization says high blood pressure affects one billion people worldwide. It leads to many deaths or permanent disabilities. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is called the silent killer because there are few apparent signs. Many studies have shown that reducing salt or sodium in the diet canlowerthe risk of strokeand other health problems.
Graham MacGregor is with the Barts and London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He and other researchers have examined earlier studies and organized their own.
“When you’re on the high salt intake you always have some extra salt in you and a slightly greatervolumeof blood. And that’s what puts up the blood pressure. I mean, if you wanted, an analogous thing would be really a centralheatingsystem. If you put more water into a closed system, the pressure will go up.”
He says the body does need salt, about less than half a gram each day. However, people in developing countries are eating about eight to 10 grams a day. Professor MacGregor says lowering salt can do a lot to reduce hypertension, but increasing potassium in the diet also helps. People in industrial nations eat about three grams of potassium a day through diet. Professor MacGregor says experts believe eating about four grams a day is the best choice.
Health officials have expressed concern about developing countries with growing economies. Those nations are increasingly turning to a western diet with its salty, sugary and fatty foods. Officials are predicting a sharp rise in heart disease and related problems.Which of following has nothing to do with having extra salt in you？
| A．heart disease | B．kidneyfailure | C．stroke | D．toothache |
The writer uses “a centralheatingsystem”to_________.
| A．give examples | B．introduce a new thing |
| C．compare the two things | D．contrast the two things |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is true？
| A．The body needs salt, about three grams each day. |
| B．Eating about four grams potassium a day is the best choice. |
| C．Lowering potassium can do a lot to reduce hypertension. |
| D．Reducing sodium in the diet canhigherthe risk of stroke. |
For as long as we can remember, we've heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But not only can it boost your energy and memory levels, it also can impact how long you live. Studies show that by eating certain foods, you can help slow the aging process. Here are just six amazing anti-aging treats you might want to go for first thing in the morning.
1. Blueberries
Although tiny, blueberries pack a huge anti-aging health punch. Rich in polyphenols, research suggests that a blueberry-rich diet not only improves your motor skills, but also can help fight diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Indeed one recent study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association showed that women who ate the most blueberries -- as well as their superfood cousin, strawberries -- enjoyed a 32 percent lower heart attack risk than women who only ate these berries once a month (or not at all).
2. Oatmeal
For years, research has shown a strong correlation between oatmeal and cholesterol reduction. Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber that gets rid of "bad" cholesterol. Oats also are packed with the antioxidants that do battle against cell damage. And that can help plump skin and reduce wrinkles.
3. Eggs
Eggs usually come under fire because of their high cholesterol content. But studies show that healthy men and women who consume an egg a day actually do not experience negative health repercussions. In addition, eggs contain all the essential B vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, choline, biotin, and folic acid. Choline has been shown to protect your memory, while two proteins in eggs -- lutein and zeaxanthin -- protect against vision loss.
4. Tea
Many teas are high in anti-aging antioxidants. But green tea is rich in an antioxidant known as EGCG, which helps fight wrinkles and rejuvenate skin cells. Green tea also may protect against cancer, control blood sugar levels, and help reduce inflammation associated with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
5. Pomegranate Juice
If tea's not your thing, try pomegranate juice instead. Studies show that a glass of pomegranate juice a day could help keep wrinkles at bay. Not only has pomegranate been shown to slow down the natural oxidation ("wear and tear") of DNA, it also has been linked to the prevention of heart disease and stress relief.
6. Grapefruit
In addition to helping you feel full, which in turn may assist with weight loss, grapefruit also can help lower "bad" cholesterol and triglyceride levels while also boosting “good” HDL cholesterol. Deep red varieties are best as studies show they can also help keep heart disease at bay.What is the purpose of this text?.
| A．To tell an interesting story. |
| B．To bring up a problem. |
| C．To present a research result. |
| D．To give practical advice. |
Which food may best help protect against vision loss?
| A．Grapefruit | B．Eggs | C．Blueberries | D．Pomegranate Juice |