Plastic-Eating Worms
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(垃圾填埋场), and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.
Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms' chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass - apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms' stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biologyin 2017.
Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms' ability to break down their everyday food - beeswax - also allows them to break down plastic. ＂Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, ＂she explains, ＂The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. ＂
Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team's findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process - not simply ＂millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.＂
（1）What can we learn about the worms in the study?
| A． |
They take plastics as their everyday food. |
| B． |
They are newly evolved creatures. |
| C． |
They can consume plastics. |
| D． |
They wind up in landfills. |
（2）According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to .
| A． |
identify other means of the breakdown |
| B． |
find out the source of the enzyme |
| C． |
confirm the research findings |
| D． |
increase the breakdown speed |
（3）It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might .
| A． |
help to raise worms |
| B． |
help make plastic bags |
| C． |
be used to clean the oceans |
| D． |
be produced in factories in future |
（4）What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A． |
To explain a study method on worms. |
| B． |
To introduce the diet of a special worm. |
| C． |
To present a way to break down plastics. |
| D． |
To propose new means to keep eco-balance. |
A
The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life.
My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life — everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my utilities were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me — a young woman with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people’s children, too. I have since moved 300 miles from Boise, Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don’t know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I’d like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity.
If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about.
Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one…it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two…it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner (哀诉者).The underlined word “utilities” refers to __________ in the passage.
| A．water and gas supplies | B．gas and electricity supplies |
| C．shower equipment and water supply | D．heating and TV signals |
The writer was grateful mainly for ___________.
| A．his neighbor’s donation | B．his community |
| C．having got the job | D．others’ trust |
The writer’s personal story in the second paragraph tells us that __________.
| A．to be grateful will get you nowhere but away from home |
| B．a grateful person is most likely to be successful |
| C．we need to be grateful to be helpful and useful |
| D．the fragrance (芳香) stays in the hand that gives the rose |
The best title for the passage would be ____________.
| A．A Thank-You Note to Trusting Neighbor |
| B．You Are a Winner, Not a Whiner |
| C．Be Grateful to Life in Advance |
| D．Gratefulness Brings a Great Fullness to Life |
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life to the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “Well, I guess I’ll have to face the music.” It does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, any why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At some time or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Cooper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that is exactly what they did- facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” came to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about hw well they looked. Was their equipment clean, whinny enough to pass inspection? Still the men had to go out, and face the music of the band, as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example, when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.According to the passage, how many ways does the phrase “to face the music” come from?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
| A．To face something far less pleasant. | B．To face the stage. |
| C．To face the back of one’s horse. | D．To face one’s leader. |
The underlined word “hostile” in Paragraph 3 means “”.
| A．unfriendly | B．dislike | C．unimportant | D．unnecessary |
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird, which was very curious about hell. When she was little, her mother always told her that if she didn’t master the flying skills, she would go to hell. She was so curious about hell that she always asked others what hell looked like, but no one was sure, because none of them had ever been there. Some said hell was a place full of water, and others told her that hell was full of burning fire. However, the bird knew they were lying. She wanted to find out what hell was.
When other birds were learning flying skills, she always hid herself and watched them. She thought in this way she could go to hell and see what hell looked like. However, she spent so little time learning flying skills that one day she was caught by a little boy. The little boy gave her to his grandpa in the countryside as a gift. The old man liked her very much. He made a delicate cage and put her in it. The bird was very worried because she thought she couldn’t find out what hell was like staying in this small cage. However, she couldn’t escape. Day after day, she just stayed in the cage, watching other birds flying. She lost her freedom and she became sadder and sadder. At last, she became ill. The old man finally opened the cage, but she was too weak to fly. Lying no the ground, she thought of the question that she ever asked all the time.
“What does hell look like?”
“Hell is a small well-decorated cage.” Before she closed her eyes forever, she finally answered that question herself.What does the underlined word “master” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Miss. | B．Finish. | C．Follow. | D．Learn well. |
Why did the bird hide herself when other birds were learning flying skills?
| A．Because she was lazy. |
| B．Because she didn’t like learning flying skills. |
| C．Because she thought she could go to hell by doing this. |
| D．Because she thought she didn’t have to learn flying skills. |
According to the passage, the bird at last found that.
| A．hell was a place full of water. | B．hell was a place full of burning fire |
| C．there was no hell | D．hell was a small well-decorated cage |
“If there is one thing I’m sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we will still be reading newspapers. It is not that newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of their news from television or radio. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people reading a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The nature of what is news may change. What basically makes news is what affects our lives-the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic（基因的）engineering. In the future, I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as w
e do-as we develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspapers will be transmitted electronically from Fleet Street and printed out in our own home. In fact, I’m pretty sure that it will happen in the future. You will probably be able to choose from a menu, making up your own newspaper by picking out the things you want to read-sport and international news. etc.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about competition between the different media（媒体）. They actually feed off each other. Some people once foresaw that television would kill off newspapers, but that hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page lasts longer than pictures on a screen or sound lost in the air. And as for the Internet, it’s never really pleasant to read something just on a screen.In the writer’s opinion, in the future, .
| A．more big political affairs, wars and disasters will make news |
| B．newspapers will not be printed in publishing houses any longer |
| C．newspapers will cover more scientific research |
| D．more and more people will watch TV |
From the passage, we can infer that.
| A．newspapers will win the competition among the different media |
| B．newspapers will stay with us together with other media |
| C．television will take the place of the newspaper |
| D．the writer believes some media will die out |
The phrase “feed off” in the last paragraph means “”.
| A．depend on | B．compete with | C．fight with | D．kill off |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Best Way to Get News. | B．The Changes of Media. |
| C．Make Your Own newspaper. | D．The Future of Newspaper. |
There is a definite possibility that the climate of the world may be changing. Some scientists imagine that this could even mean the beginning of another ice age. The effects of such a change in climate on the human population of the world would be startling（惊人的）.
Recent research suggests that the general warming trend of the past hundred years or so may be coming to an end. During the past ten years, meteorologists tell us the average temperature of the Earth has dropped about one degree Fahrenheit. This does not seem like much, but it could have effects on wind and rain patterns which influence the overall weather picture. If these patterns change a lot, it could mean that certain regions of the world may continue to have long droughts while others will possibly suffer from widespread flooding.
What regulates（调节）the climate is not exactly known. Meteorologists believe that clouds may be an important factor in regulating the amount of solar heat held by the Earth, which in turn determines the temperature of the planet. Another possibility is that man’s industrial and agricultural methods may be affecting the natural weather patterns. However, the weather is not understood well enough for scientists to say for certain what is happening to the climate and what side effects this will actually have on the world’s population.According to the passage, the climate of the world seems to.
| A．be getting colder | B．be getting warmer |
| C．remain the same in the past ten years | D．have good effects on the world’s population |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Man’s activities have no effect on the climate. |
| B．Another ice age will come soon. |
| C．People don’t care about the changing climate. |
| D．Scientists are not yet sure about the reason for the changing climate. |
A meteorologist is a person who.
reads weather forecasts on radio or television
B. thinks there will be another ice age
C. studies and knows about the weather
D. believes there will be widespread flooding Which of the following may be the factor(s) that affect(s) the natural weather patterns?
| A．Clouds. | B．The amount of heat the Earth receives. |
| C．Man’s industrial and agricultural methods. | D．All of the above. |
The best title for the passage would be.
| A．Droughts and Floods. | B．Meteorologists |
| C．The Changing Climate | D．Solar Heat |