Plastic is one of the most important technological discoveries of the 20th century.However，it may soon be replaced.The new development—liquid wood—can replace plastics in all branches of modern industries.
Plastic as a material enjoys the biggest demand in the modern world，but it does have a number of drawbacks.First and foremost，plastic isn’t recyclable.Secondly，it contains toxins (毒物) helping develop cancerous diseases.Finally，it’s made of oil and oil reserves aren’t endless.
The liquid wood technology is likely to replace plastic and provide mankind with new materials for many years ahead.Norbert Eisenfreich，a senior researcher at the Faunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Germany，said that arboform，the new material，is made of lignin (木质素)，which can be obtained from soft tissues of wood.Once mixed with several other materials，it turns into solid and nontoxic alternative for plastics.
ICT team leader Emilia Regina InoneKauffmann said the woodworking industry separates wood into three basic components，including lignin.Lignin isn’t used for the production of paper.Specialists of ICT mixed lignin with several natural materials and thus invented the material which could be melted and molded (铸型)．
When solid，arboform looks like plastic and possesses the qualities of polished wood.It can be used for the production of any items.Arboform is already used for the production of car parts which require extra strength.In addition，liquid wood can be recycled repeatedly.The material preserved all of its qualities even if it’s reprocessed ten times.
However，the new invention doesn’t enjoy an extensive use due to the high content of sulphur (硫) in it.German researchers are sure to reduce the amount of sulphur by 90 percent very soon to make arboform usable for home needs.According to the passage，plastic________.
| A．plays a big role in the modern world |
| B．helps to protect our environment in some way |
| C．has been replaced by the newly discovered material |
| D．helps us to reduce the use of petrol |
What’s the advantage of arboform over plastics?
| A．It is easily made from natural oil. |
| B．It is more widely used in household. |
| C．It is recyclable and friendly to the environment. |
| D．It contains no poisonous materials. |
It can be concluded that German researchers will focus their future work firstly on________.
| A．the material’s extensive use |
| B．the content of sulphur in arboform |
| C．the production cost of arboform |
| D．the qualities of liquid wood |
The main purpose of the passage is to________.
| A．advertise the new material—arboform |
| B．introduce liquid wood which will replace plastic |
| C．advertise new products made of arboform |
| D．show readers how to produce arboform |
In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week. Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content across multiple platforms.
Now, NBC Universal is proud to present Green Week 2009. With a new theme and message of "Green Your Routine," Here at NBC and NBC.com we celebrate our talent in the "The More You Know" PSA campaign, presenting green-themed tips in several of our daytime life, among several other features here on the "Green Your Routine" site.
Fashion & Beauty
Throw a clothes swap party! Dying for that sweater your friend wore the other day? Well, maybe she'll trade for that old T-shirt you have. Here's a website that helps you organize a swap party (www.swapstyle.com), or just plan your own!
Go natural with organic make-up. Applying unnatural products directly on your skin wasn't exactly what nature intended. Try switching to a line of organic make-up and cosmetics for a different way to bring out your natural beauty.
Home
Drop a brick in your toilet tank! Literally! According to the EPA, flushing makes up 30 percent of a household's water use (about three to six gallons per flush). By placing a brick in your toilet tank, you can help to conserve the amount of water used during each flush.
Wash clothes efficiently. 90 percent of the energy used in washing clothes is to heat the water. You can reduce your energy bill by washing in cold water and hanging items to dry.
Work
Print smarter. Printing and copying can be one of the most costly operations in any office. To save on ink and paper costs, print double-sided and try to fit more than one page on a sheet. More printing tips can be found here: lifehacker.com
Turn off your computer. Do you leave your computer on overnight? If so, you're using up a good amount of electricity. When you can, try turning off your computer and the power strip it's connected to. If you can't, at least shut off your monitor. Remember, screen savers don't save energy.
Transportation
Organize a carpool. There are many benefits to carpooling. You save on gas, reduce wear and tear on your car, and you get to ride in the HOV lanes. Get connected with your neighbours and co-workers to start sharing rides and check out this website for more tips: www.erideshare.com.
Lose the car, get a bike. If you live close to where you work, try taking a bike instead of driving. You'll keep in shape and save on gas!
Every small step and effort makes a difference! Be sure to GREEN YOUR ROUTINE!NBC Universal holds Green Week activities ___________.
| A．in a university | B．in a park | C．in an office | D．on the internet |
This year, Green Week welcomes ____________.
| A．advice on how to improve the website |
| B．suggestions about how to make their activities more interesting |
| C．tips on what to do to make our life greener |
| D．opinions on whether we should have campaigns |
If you want to carpool with somebody, you can find more advice and information at______.
A. www.swapstyle.com B. www.erideshare.com
C. www. lifehacker.com D. www. NBC.comWhich is NOT recommended(推荐) by Green Week this year?
| A．Using things like cucumbers to beautify your skin. |
| B．Reducing the room of your toilet tank to save water when flushing. |
| C．Giving away your old clothes to those in need of them. |
| D．Printing and using computers in an economical way. |
If you struggled to get up for work on Wednesdays, there could be a good reason--it is the day our mood reaches its lowest point. Monday has traditionally been thought of as the most depressing day of the week but according to psychologists, midweek gives more cause for concern in reality. Wednesday represented the lowest point in the week as people were furthest away from the weekend that has either just gone or is coming up and often feel too tired to go on with work.
However, psychologists have found that, on average, people's moods remain about the same on each day throughout the week.
To start their research, the University of Sydney scientists asked around 200 people what they thought their mood would be on each day of the week.
Most said their worst moods were on Monday mornings and evenings but they became increasingly cheerful as the week went on, with their best moods falling on Friday and Saturday mornings and evenings.
When asked why they believed that Friday and Saturday were best, respondents said they saw them as less-structured days when they could choose how to spend their time.
The psychologists then asked a further 350 people how they felt each day.
They found that, on average, people's moods remained about the same on each day throughout the week.Mondays were not as depressing as they had feared and Fridays and Saturdays were not as exciting as predicted.
Professor Charles Areni, who led the study, said the day-of-the-week stereotypes (陈词滥调) stem from a cultural belief that people are generally happier when they are free to choose their activities compared to when they are engaged in paid work.
In reality, he said, weekends do not often see moods change because they are frequently dominated by productive activities that may require large amounts of energy and begin to feel tired like work. "Day-of-the-week stereotypes like Monday morning blues and Thank God It's Friday are largely illusions," he said. _________ has always been thought as the unhappiest day of a week.
| A．Monday | B．Wednesday | C．Friday | D．Sunday |
People don’t like Wednesday because ________.
| A．work seems to be endless on Wednesday |
| B．it is the most-structured day of a week |
| C．they have just had their weekend |
| D．weekend is still a couple of days’ away |
Which of the following is the finding of the research mentioned in the passage?
| A．All of the people asked admitted that on Monday they had the worst moods. |
| B．Saturday and Sunday were the best because people could plan their time freely. |
| C．There was no sharp difference in people’s moods between each day of the week. |
| D．Different people had different ideas about which day was the worst in a week. |
Charles Areni believes that the day-of-the-week stereotypes results from________.
| A．the productive activities requiring a large amount of energy |
| B．the cultural belief that doing paid work is usually less pleasant than doing freely chosen work |
| C．the illusions of day-of-the-week stereotypes |
| D．the days in a week when our mood reaches its lowest points |
Freda Bright says, "Only in opera do people die of love." It's true. You really can't love somebody to death. I've known people to die from no love, but I've never known anyone to be loved to death. We just can't love one another enough.
A heart-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her employer. To her delight, the boss agreed to a raise.
The woman arrived home that evening to a beautiful table set with their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come home early and prepared a festive meal. She wondered if someone from the office had tipped him off, or... did he just somehow know that she would not get turned down?
She found him in the kitchen and told him the good news. They embraced and kissed, and then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the woman found a beautifully lettered note. It read, "Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you."
Following the supper, her husband went into the kitchen to clean up. She noticed that a second card had fallen from his pocket. Picking it off the floor, she read, "Don't worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you."
Someone has said that the measure of love is when you love without measure. What this man feels for his wife is total acceptance and love, whether she succeeds or fails. His love celebrates her victories and cure her wounds. He stands with her, no matter what life throws in their direction.
Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said, "What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." And love your friends. Love them without measure. By saying "Only in opera do people die of love.", the writer wants to tell us that ______.
| A．giving love is better than receiving love |
| B．love in opera is better than that in real life |
| C．people are too greedy to have enough love |
| D．to die from love is no better than to die from no love |
From the passage we can infer that ________.
| A．the woman must have thought about asking for a salary raise for a long time |
| B．the boss of the woman must be a kind person |
| C．the woman was a courageous person |
| D．the husband must have got the news before his wife got home |
The husband prepared a festive meal in order to _______.
| A．show how good he was at cooking |
| B．celebrate her wife’s success in raising the salary |
| C．thank her wife’s boss for raising her salary |
| D．show how deeply he loved his wife |
What Mother Teresa said means that _________.
| A．loving your family is more important than promoting world peace |
| B．loving your friends is to promote the world peace |
| C．everybody can promote the world peace by loving his own family without measure |
| D．no matter what life throws in our direction, our family is always our first concern |
One day my teacher said, “ Life is a game of chess, and the other player is time.” From that moment, I knew I had to enjoy my life. Do not waste time, because, you know, time will not come back. You cannot buy it. It is one of those things in life that you must really, really value.
When you see an opportunity, take it. You might not get it back. Never let an opportunity pass. And if it is too hard, remember that in the middle of every difficulty lies an opportunity.
Remember, you cannot choose how you' re going to die, or when. You can only decide how you' re going to live. Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Don' t just think of the present, but also think of your future. Your future is yet another chapter in your life and another way to live it.
Every single living thing has a purpose in life. "The purpose of life is a life of purpose," said Robert Byme.
Learn to use time wisely, take opportunities, and enjoy life. We can discover the meaning of life in three different ways: (1) by doing a deed; (2) by experiencing a value; (3) by suffering life. So, what are you buying with yours? The underlined part suggests that___________.
| A．if life is a game of chess, time is also a game of chess |
| B．if life is a game of chess, both you and time are the players |
| C．if life is one player in a game of chess, time is the other player |
| D．if time is a game of chess, both life and you are the players |
According to the author, what can you decide?
| A．How you die. | B．How you live. | C．When you die. | D．When you succeed. |
This article is most probably from__________.
| A．an explanation of time in the universe |
| B．an essay about time and life |
| C．an argument that time is the most important thing in life |
| D．a description of an important class |
Two teachers are needed in jiangsu Province ASAP!
7000-8000 RMB / month (20 lessons / week) plus benefits!
The school is located in Sihong Town, which is only two hours away from Nanjing City by bus.
Requirements:
Native English speakers from Australia, Canada, UK, etc. Bachelor' s degree and teaching experience
We offer:
Airfare reimbursement & Travel bonus
A spacious, private and on-campus apartment with the following items included:
Computer with free Internet access; Telephone; Color TV; Heater; Washing machine; Refrigerator; Microwave; Cooking facilities (plates, glasses, cups, pots and pans, etc.)
Water dispenser; Western-style toilet; Bath-tub; Non-stop hot water
To apply for the job, please send your resume to zlO120@163.com.
Application:
To apply for the job, please don’t forget to include the following information:
Personal data (age, place of birth, etc.)
Description of your academic history and teaching experience
A recent picture
Scanned documents, such as diploma(s), passport and current visa (if already in China)
A phone number where we can reach you
For inquiries, call +86 (871)3803085; 13700641813 This advertisement is about____________.
| A．introducing a school | B．taking on English teachers |
| C．attracting foreign students | D．arranging the subjects |
What is Not needed for you to apply for the job?
| A．your resume | B．your personal data | C．your academic history | D．a recommendation letter |
If you are employed, you may___________.
| A．live far away from the campus | B．share a room with another teacher |
| C．surf the Internet for free | D．enjoy three free meals every day |
Where can you mostly read the advertisement?
| A．In a telephone book. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a travel guide. | D．In a textbook. |
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