Each one of us shares this planet with seven billion others. And we all need 1 . People and products need to move from city to city and country to country. However, we all know2 most cars, motorcycles boats and planes cause air pollution. They are also 3 . This is a serious problem in many cities. 4 inventors are coming up with creative ideas to try to reduce the pollution and noise.
In many cities around the world, motorcycles are very 5 . Now Vietnam has around 33 million motorcycles and China has almost 120 million. Motorcycles are a faster and cheaper way to get around a city than6. Yet air pollution is a growing problem. In large cities, people 7 it is difficult to breathe. To solve these problems, a US company designed an environmentally friendly motorcycle . It uses electricity as fuel( 燃料). As a result, there is 8pollution. It's also quiet and fast. This makes 9 a good choice for getting around a city.
The Italian city of Venice is a city with only a few10. There are no cars in the city center. 11 cars, water taxis and buses carry people along the city's canals （运河）. However, they cause pollution，12 to the water. English engineers Dick and Jem designed a solar-powered（太阳能 water taxi. The water taxi 13 run for a day after being recharged(充电).
Planes also cause air and noise pollution. Designing an environmentally friendly airplane is a real 14 . Some airplane companies have 15 to solve the problems. Swiss engineers have gone one step further. They developed a solar airplane. This plane holds the world record for the longest solar-powered flight-1, 541 kilometers from Arizona to Texas in America.
Experiencing China
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Mike, Canada I spent three months with my host family(接待家庭) in China. It was a lifetime experience. I was able to experience Chinese living and culture, from basic Tai Chi to Beijing Opera. I even visited a famous traditional Chinese medicine hospital. Now I have a better understanding of Chinese culture. |
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Joanna, Australia I stayed with my host family for five months. My host mother is a Chinese teacher and she is really warm-hearted. With her help, my Chinese has improved a lot. And I have got used to a new culture. My favorite part of the experience was sharing my feelings in China with her. |
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Bill, America My host mother is a wonderful cook! She makes me all kinds of traditional Chinese dishes. They are tasty and I like them very much. Just like me, my host parents love to learn about different cultures. They often ask me questions about life in America. |
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Cindy, Germany Recently I took part in a program to study Chinese. I lived with a host family in China for six months. My host sister is a really hardworking student. It was amazing to see how she made progress in English. And a close relationship has developed between us. |
In 1987, a small company names Huawei was started in Shenzhen. After more than 30 years of development, the company has now beaten Apple and become the world's second-largest maker of smartphones behind Korea's Samsung. It has also become the world's largest supplier(供应商) of 5G.
But recently, Huawei faced some difficulties. The U. S. government ordered a ban() on its sales in America. American officials said Huawei gave information that it collected to the Chinese government. At the same time, the U. S. government planned to stop selling parts and services to Huawei, which was believed that Huawei's business would be hurt.
"We have never received such a request from the Chinese government and we have never tried to get into other systems to collect information. " Ren Zhengfei, Huawei's founder and president said. "This ban from the U. S. would have little effect on our company. Huawei has enough ability to deal with the problems. " Ren added.
In an interview several years ago, Ren Zhengfei said, "I started Huawei with only ￡4,000 at the beginning, but now it has become a $100 billion company. The experience was not as romantic(浪漫的) as you imagine. "
Facing the ban of the US, Huawei is growing. Huawei's smartphone sales around the world rose 50 percent compared to a year earlier in the first three months of 2019. At the same time ,sales from both Samsung and Apple fell. So far, Huawei has grown into the world s largest telecommunications equipment(电信设备) supplier, selling in17 O countries! It may beat Samsung as the largest smartphone maker in the near future.
At 8, 844, 43 meters high, Mount Qomolangma is the tallest mountain on Earth. While it is famous for its beautiful views, parts of the mountain are facing a problem: rubbish. Every year, thousands of visitors throw away tons of rubbish, such as bottles and plastic bags.
According to the UN, over 140 tons of rubbish has been left on the mountain. To reduce rubbish, China is limiting(限制) the number of people who are allowed to climb up the north side of the mountain. Only 300 people will be allowed to climb it, and only during spring.
Local people cleaned the mountain last year, removing rubbish at a height of 5,200 meters. They collected about 8. 4 metric tons(公吨) of rubbish。
This year, the local government plans to spend 4 million yuan on a new clean-up activity. The local government is also setting up stations to sort(分类), recycle and break down rubbish collected from the mountain. A group of artists will also try to turn the rubbish into art works. They will show these works of art to remind people not to leave rubbish when climbing the mountain.
In many countries, tattoos are in fashion (时尚). On TV you can often see a famous actor or musician with a tattoo on his arm or foot. Many sports players have them, too. In the US, tattoos are very popular. Forty percent of Americans aged between 26 and 40 have a tattoo, and 60 percent of customers in US tattoo parlors are women. These people are often professional people like doctor, teachers and lawyers.
However, tattoos are not modern. In fact, they are very old in human history. For example, archaeologists (考古学家) found a human in ice from 5,000 years ago. He had 57 tattoos on his back, ankles, legs, knees and feet. Tattoos were used for many different reasons. In ancient Egypt, people got tattoos because they were "beautiful". But in ancient Rome, tattoos were negative (负面的) and put on criminals and prisoners. In India, tattoos were religious (宗教的).
In the 16th and 17th century, European sailors (船员) arrived on the islands of Polynesia. They saw tattoos for the first time. The people on the islands had tattoos on their shoulders, chests, backs and legs. Often the tattoos were of animals or natural features like a river or a mountain. The European sailors liked them and made their own tattoos, so the idea traveled to Europe. Tattoos in Polynesia are still important today. They show information about a person's history, their island or their job.
So is there a connection (联系) between traditional tattoos and fashionable tattoos? And can you call tattoos a fashion? Chris Rainier is an expert in tattoos and his book Ancient Marks has photos of tattoos from all over the world. He thinks people in modern societies often have tattoos because they are a connection to the traditional world. But tattoos aren't a fashion like clothes or a haircut because you can't put them on and take them off again like a jacket or a hat. They are permanent (永久的) and for life.
The Internet is shaping our Lives. We already have online shopping services and mobile payment. However, this is just a start. The world's leading tech companies are planning to build smarter online communities. It was held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang last year. The development of artificial intelligence（AI，人工智能）was a hot topic at the conference（会议）. If a machine can learn and solve problems as humans do, it can be called AI.
The company Alibaha uses AI technology in its unmanned supermarket in Wuzhen. There is no sales person in the supermarket, just a tablet on a desk that says "please smile". The bigger your smile is, the more discounts (折扣)you will get. Payment is done automatically（自动地）through your Alipay（支付宝）account. When you first enter the supermarket, the supermarket's AI recognizes your face and your account.
There is also AI that can read lips. It recognizes your mouth's movements and turns them into voices or text messages. This could be very useful when you are trying to talk to someone on your phone in a noisy place. Police could also use the technology to help them find criminal suspects by lip-reading recordings from video cameras.
Microsoft's chatbot XiaoIce can not only provide useful information, but also chat with people like a real friend. XiaoIce has a WeChat account. After following the account, users can start talking with her. She keeps improving herself by talking with users.
These technologies are being put into wider use. We may see a smarter world and better lives in the near future.
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A. She knows when to comfort you or tell jokes. B. They discussed this at the World Internet Conference. C. Sougou brought its lip-reading system to the conference. D. If you smile, it will give you a special discount for your goods. E. Another type of AI focuses on understanding human emotions. |
A.height B. menu C. nervous D. enough E. prepared F. habits
A big company wanted to find someone to work for them. Lots of young college students came to (求职) for the job，but only a small part of them were left. And this time, the company didn't plan to choose the right persons as usual.
Here came the day when they took the final interview. A big box （装潢）of papers was placed on the way to the interview room, and a few papers were lying around the box.
The first student came. He hurried along the way to take the interview. "Who put this box in the middle of the road?" the student said to (他自己), but he did not try to move the box away. Instead, he passed around the box and continued his way.
The second student came along and did the same thing. Then another came, and another. All of them complained （抱怨） about the box but （没有一个）of them tried to move it. What's worse, someone even stepped （踩） on the papers and left without having a look at the things on the ground.
Half an hour later, a thin young man with (眼镜) came. He was also among those who were left to take the interview. He saw the box and the papers around it. Without thinking twice, he （停止）and began to pick up the papers and put them into the box. Then he managed to move the box to the side. To his great （惊讶）, he found an invitation under the box. On it were the following words, "Congratulations, young man!You are the （合适的）person we are looking for!Would you like to join us?"
Sometimes, you see, （帮助）others is helping yourself.
Why Short Stories Are Best for English Learning
You get more time to focus on words. When a text is short, you can have more time to learn how every single word is used and what importance it has intext. This is more useful for thoseare beginners of English.
You can read a whole story at a time. Attention length is very important for learning. And the ability to finish story gives you more time(understand) it. Short stories are written to give you(much) information with less effort.
It is best for consistency (一致性). It is much easier to read one story every day than trying to read a big novel that never(seem) to end.
You can share them easily in a group. Since short stories can(read) in any place, they are perfect for book clubs and learning circles. Most of the time these groups do not work because members have no time to read. Short stories are perfect way for them.
You can focus more on ideas. Language is less about (word) and more about the meanings behind them. If you spend all your time (learn) vocabulary and grammar, you will never be able to speak a language (smooth) because you will have little to talk about. Short stories give you the chance to understand big ideas in a short text.
In a word, short stories will not only improve your English reading comprehension (理解力) also open your mind to different worlds.
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值日见闻 |
⒈校园不整洁，有学生乱扔垃圾，乱涂乱画，摘花，踩草坪； ⒉有学生吃垃圾食品，课后大声喧哗，互相打闹，离开教室时忘记关灯； ⒊考生自拟1-2点校园不文明行为。 |
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建议 |
考生自拟至少两点。 |
要求：⒈可以适当发挥，信中不得出现真实姓名和学校名称；
⒉语言通顺，意思连贯，条理清楚，书写规范；
⒊词数：80-100词左右。书信的开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Headmaster,
I was on duty yesterday.
Sincerely,
Li Lei
