Taj Mahal, Agra, India
As many as 28 different varieties of precious stones were used to decorate the outside of the Taj Mahal. Construction took around 20 years. The building, which was made from white marble from the quarries(采石场) of Rajasthan, appears pink in the morning, white in the day and golden in the moonlight.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Akashi Strait, Japan
It took 10 years to construct the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It connects the city of Kobe, on Japan’s mainland, with Iwaya on Awaji Island. Before it opened, the only way to get between the two cities was by ferry. However, the waterway was at the mercy of severe storms and when two ferries overturned in 1955, killing 168 people, public anger convinced the government of the need for a bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a length of 1,991 meters.
Panama Canal, Panama
More than 4. 5 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of this canal’s locks and dams. The Panama Canal is a 47-mile long waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earth and rubble dug to make way for it was enough to bury Manhattan to a depth of four meters. A series of locks allows ships to pass through the water. Each lock door weighs 750 tons and each lock fills with 52 million gallons of water to accommodate the 15,000 ships that use the canal every year.
Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona
The Skywalk’s foundation is strong enough to support 71 million pounds , Located 1,219 meters above the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon's Sky Walk consists of one million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass. It was the creation of Las Vegas businessman David Jin, who approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon in 1996. The Sky walk was assembled on site.The Japanese government decided to build the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge ___________
| A．in the year of 1955 |
| B．following public opinion |
| C．to show its national power |
| D．to develop Japan’s economy |
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is probably a real challenge for those who __________
| A．are airsick |
| B．hate rock climbing |
| C．have a fear of height |
| D．feel ill traveling in boat |
In which section of a book can the text probably be seen?
| A．Science | B．Agriculture | C．Technology | D．Geography |
C
A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel.
The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane’s wings stretch 72 meters across.
Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun’s energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot.
The scientists say they are not trying to change the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible.
“We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel,” Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot’s seat is also a toilet.
The plane’s route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.Which of the following is the plan stops of the tour made by the solar-powered plane?
| A．Abu Dhabi---Oman---China---the United States--- southern Europe ---the United Arab Emirates |
| B．the United Arab Emirates--Oman--- India---the United States--- North Africa--- Abu Dhabi |
| C．the United Arab Emirates--Oman--- India ---China---southern Europe --- Abu Dhabi |
| D．Abu Dhabi--Oman--- India ---China---the United States--- the United Arab Emirates |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The plane’s wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun’s energy. |
| B．The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are narrower than a Boeing 747. |
| C．Bertrand Piccard is one of the co-builders of the plane. |
| D．The scientists are trying to change the airplane industry. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Solar Powered Plane Starts World Tour |
| B．A Plane Powered By Solar Energy |
| C．A Plane’s Route Begins in the United Arab Emirates |
| D．A Tour Around the World |
B
It’s reported that powerful Cyclone Pam has impacted at least half the population of Vanuatu, which is a South Pacific island nation.
“Vanuatu is used to disasters but the indications are that Cyclone Pam has caused unprecedented damages,” said President Baldwin Lonsdale in a press release.
The leader of the island nation noted that following a direct hit from the Category 5 storm on Friday, at least two deaths have been confirmed and over 30 injured people are being treated in the Central Hospital in the capital, Port Vila where many people are now homeless and torrential rain has led to severe flooding. He also said bridges which link the capital with the rest of the island have been destroyed.
Mr. Lonsdale made his appeal from Sendai, Japan, where he has been attending since Sunday the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. The Conference has drawn thousands of Government and civil society delegations to craft a new framework for managing disaster risk which will reduce mortality and curb economic losses.
The country is already threatened by coastal erosion and rising sea levels in addition to five active volcanoes and earthquakes. "This is why I am attending this Conference and why Vanuatu wants to see a strong new framework on disaster risk reduction which will support us in tackling the drivers of disaster risk such as climate change."
Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that it is estimated that at least half the population of Vanuatu has been affected by cyclone Pam. Of these, at least 54,000 are children.
Many homes in Vanuatu have likely been destroyed as they are built with natural and local materials such as thatched and corrugated roofs that are vulnerable to strong winds and floods.
Other Pacific Island countries have been severely impacted as well, including the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Kiribati.
A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team was expected arrive in Port Vila late Saturday. OCHA was also expected to deploy three staff with information management, public information and humanitarian coordination as well.From what President Baldwin Lonsdale said in the second paragraph, we can know that ______.
| A．Vanuatu is a beautiful South Pacific island nation. |
| B．Vanuatu wants to see a strong new framework on disaster risk reduction. |
| C．Vanuatu suffers from natural disasters a lot. |
| D．Vanuatu will have a bright future on tourism. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．At least 3 deaths have been confirmed and over twenty people injured. |
| B．Port Vila is the capital of Vanuatu. |
| C．The country is not yet threatened by coastal erosion and rising sea levels. |
| D．The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that half the children has been affected by cyclone Pam. |
What can we know from the last three paragraphs?
| A．Some international rescue teams are being under way. |
| B．Four other Pacific Island countries have been severely impacted by Cyclone Pam except Vanuatu. |
| C．Many houses in Vanuatu are still strong enough for people to live in. |
| D．A UN team was expected arrive in Port Vila late Sunday. |
Where was the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction being held?
A. In Vanuatu. B. In the USA.
C. In China. D. In Japan.
A
THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME
In June 1971, Helene Hanff travelled to London and visited the site of Marks & Co, the bookshop that had been dear to her for 20 years. While Hanff was very happy to finally step foot on British soil the visit carried with it a sad irony (讽刺), which she explained in a 1980 television interview with Dick Cavett: “It was very sad,” she said. “It was the bookstore manager Frank Doel’s death that made me want to write the story of our correspondence and when a publisher bought it, I went to London on the proceeds of the sale.”
Hanff spent the early part of her career trying to make a name for herself as a playwright. London-based writer Monica Porter, who met her in the 1980s, says that Hanff considered herself a “failed playwright” and that her 1961 book Underfoot in Show Business was an account of her failure to get her plays produced. A decade after 84, Charing Cross Road was published, James Roose-Evans adapted the book for the stage and the play was a West End hit.
It had a 16-month run and Hanff finally got to taste stage success, albeit (虽然；即使) in a circuitous (迂回的) way. In a piece that Porter wrote for the British weekly newspaper, The Stage, she says Hanff was led on stage at the end of the opening night performance to thunderous applause. “To get a standing ovation(热烈的鼓掌) like that, taking curtain calls before an enthusiastic audience, was something she must often have dreamt about,” Porter wrote.
The stage adaptation opened in the US a year later, but never lived up to its West End success. This was to Hanff’s great relief. According to Porter, she once recounted: “Being a celebrity for a week in London had been the most fun I’d had in my life, and wonderful for the ego (自我) - but only because I’d known I was coming home at the end of it, home to the quiet, orderly, solitary(独立的), unglamorous life I was made for.”
However, her peace was not to last: Hollywood came calling. The 1987 film of 84 Charing Cross Road, produced by Mel Brooks, won several awards.
Anne Bancroft starred as Hanff. Doel was played by Anthony Hopkins. Hanff died in New York in 1997 from diabetes-related complications. Today, the Marks & Co building is a restaurant with a plaque on its street frontage that commemorates(纪念) the author that made the site so famous. And Hanff’s unlikely bestseller remains in print.What made Helene Hanff want to write the story of their correspondence?
| A．The trip to the bookstore. |
| B．The death of the bookstore manager. |
| C．A decade after 84, Charing Cross Road was published. |
| D．Visiting the site of Marks & Co, the bookshop. |
It took Hanff the early part of her career to _______.
| A．finally step foot on British soil |
| B．commemorate the author that made the site so famous |
| C．try to make a name for herself as a playwright |
| D．get to taste stage success |
What made Hanff feel relieved?
| A．The stage adaptation that never lived up to its West End success. |
| B．The 1987 film of 84 Charing Cross Road winning several awards. |
| C．James Roose-Evans adapting the book for the stage. |
| D．A piece that Porter wrote for the British weekly newspaper, The Stage. |
Nowadays the Marks & Co building is _______.
| A．a famous bookstore |
| B．a restaurant in hour of the author |
| C．a theater where people can enjoy plays |
| D．a stage for West End hit |
D
Many people rely on a cup of coffee or two to wake them up in the morning or pick them up during the working day, but now a chemist has come up with a speedy alternative to crafting a cup of coffee.
U.S. biochemist Ben Yu has created `Sprayable Energy,` which claims to be the world`s first caffeine - based topical energy spray.He said tired workers can spray a `shot` of caffeine onto their skin without experiencing a strong buzz, loading up on unnecessary calories or being stuck with a nasty aftertaste like they might get from drinking energy drinks or coffee.
The patent-pending caffeine spray is an odourless liquid that is absorbed through the skin and distributed through the body over a number of hours to deliver a caffeine hit that apparently lasts longer than guzzling a cup of coffee.
Each small aluminum bottle of Sprayable Energy contains around 160 sprays - the equivalent amount of caffeine to 40 cups of coffee and the creators say it is a much cheaper way of getting a caffeine fix than popping to a cafe.The only active ingredient in the spray is caffeine, which can naturally enter the human body through the skin by passing through cell membranes as it is very similar to nicotine in structure.Each spritz of Sprayable Energy contains around a quarter of the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee, but apparently has the same effect as a full cup.
The website said: `The reason for this is our product not being ingested, isn`t almost entirely metabolised（新陈代谢） by the liver before entering your system and becoming available to your body.`
`Thus, a smaller amount of caffeine can have just the same effect as a very large amount of caffeine ingested through an energy drink or cup of coffee.`c`s website recommends that users apply the spray in places where they normally spritz perfume, such as the neck or wrists, but warns users not to exceed 20 sprays a day.
It claims that after spraying the product on the skin, users will feel `awake and focused without being over-stimulated,` which is common with coffee and energy drinks.What can we learn about Sprayable Energy from the passage ?_______.
| A．A bottle of Sprayable Energyis cheaper than 40 cups of coffee. . |
| B．Sprayable Energy lets users not worry about taking in unnecessary calories.. |
| C．Sprayable Energy can be used at least 20 sprays a day |
| D．The caffeine spray is a colorless liquid that is absorbed through the skin.. |
What does the fifth paragraph mainly tell us ?____
A,Sprayable Energy is taken by mouth...
B.Before Sprayable Energy is absorbed by body, the liver entirely metabolizes it
C.How Sprayable Energy acts on user’s body and how users use the product.
D.Sprayable Energy is convenient but expensive.We can conclude from the passage that ____
| A．Sprayable Energy can not be permitted to be used by people now. |
| B．Sprayable Energy has not already gone into mass production |
| C．each spritz of Sprayable Energy has the same effect as a full cup of coffee |
| D．Sprayable Energy is well received by flagging workers. |
The writer’s attitude towards Sprayable Energy ____
| A．negative. |
| B．positive |
| C．uncertain |
| D．indifferent |
C
A machine that takes sweat-laden clothes and turns the moisture into drinking water is in use in Sweden.The device spins and heats the material to remove the sweat, and then passes the vapor through a special membrane designed to only let water molecules get through.
Since its Monday launch, its creators say more than 1,000 people have "drunk other's sweat" in Gothenburg.They add the liquid is cleaner than local tap water.
The device was built for the United Nation's child-focused charity UNICEF to promote a campaign highlighting the fact that 780 million people in the world lack access to clean water.
The machine was designed and built by engineer Andreas Hammar, known locally for his appearances on TV tech show Mekatronik.He said the critical part of the sweat machine was a new water purification component developed by a company named HVR in collaboration with Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology.
"It uses a technique called membrane distillation(膜蒸馏)," he told the BBC."We use a substance that's a bit like Gortex that only lets steam through but keeps bacteria, salts, clothing fibers and other substances out."They have something similar on the International Space Station to treat astronaut's urine - but our machine was cheaper to build.Volunteers have been sampling the treated sweat since the start of the week in Gothenburg"The amount of water it produces depends on how sweaty the person is - but one person's T-shirt typically produces 10ml , roughly a mouthful."
The equipment has been put on show at the Gothia Cup - the world's largest international youth football tournament.MattiasRonge, chief executive of Stockholm-based advertising agency Deportivo - which organized the stunt(惊人的表演) - said the machine had helped raise awareness for UNICEF, but in reality had its limitations.
"People haven't produced as much sweat as we hoped - right now the weather in Gothenburg is lousy," he said."So we've installed exercise bikes alongside the machine and volunteers are cycling like crazy."Even so, the demand for sweat is greater than the supply. And the machine will never be mass produced - there are better solutions out there such as water purifying pills."Which of the following is the disadvantage of the machine?_______.
| A．The water processed by the machine is cleaner than local tap water . |
| B．The amount of water the machine produces is too small. |
| C．the machine is cheaper than the similar one on the International Space Station |
| D．The machine can help raise awareness of lacking water in the world . |
What is the main idea of the fifth paragraph ?
| A．How the machine works. |
| B．Who developed the machine. |
| C．How the machine was invented. |
| D．Why the machine was invented.. |
What does Mttias Ronge think of the machine?____
| A．The machine can solve the severe water shortage in the world.. |
| B．People do not like the water the machine processes |
| C．The machine should be used in rather hot areas in summer. |
| D．The machine is not worth popularizing.. |
The passage is most likely to be____
| A．a tourist brochure. |
| B．a book review |
| C．a news report |
| D．a blog. |