“Eat local. ” It’s one way to reduce human effect on the planet. Eating local means to try to buy and consume foods that are grown in places close to home. However, most of the food sold at supermarkets is not locally grown or produced. Trucks and planes deliver these foods from hundreds or thousands of miles away. During the transportation, greenhouse(温室)gases are produced, causing global warming. So the shorter the distance your foods must travel, the less the harm is done to the environment.
But how do you get local food if you live in a large city, hundreds of miles away from farms？Environmental health scientist Dickson Despommier and his students came up with the idea of a “vertical(垂直的) farm”. 
A vertical farm is a glass-walled structure that could be built as tall as a skyscraper(摩天大楼). Since the garden is built upwards, rather than outwards, it requires much less space than an ordinary farm. The world is quickly running out of room for ordinary farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. Despommier imagines a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor. The walls of the building would be clear, to allow crops to get as much sunlight as possible. Depending on a city’s water resources, Despommier thinks hydroponic(水培的) farming is another method for the vertical farm which needs no soil to grow plants.
Despommier says the hydroponic greenhouses would use a system that would use a city’s waste water and fill it with nutritions to make the crops grow. If this method works, it would provide food to a city and save millions of tons of water.
The idea of a vertical farm has attracted the attention of government officials around the world. Scott Stringer, a government official from New York City, thinks the city is suitable for the vertical farming. “Obviously we don’t have much land left for us,” Stringer said. “But the sky is the limit in Manhattan. ”
Despommier admits that there is still a lot of work to do to make vertical farms a reality. “But I think vertical farming is an idea that can work in a big way,” he says.Why are people advised to eat local?
| A．Because it means convenience(方便) to people. |
| B．Because it can help people save a lot of money. |
| C．Because local food has more nutrition. |
| D．Because it is environmentally friendly. |
Which is one of the vertical farm’s benefits when compared with ordinary farming?
| A．It produces healthier food. |
| B．It does less harm to the cities. |
| C．It needs less space of the city. |
| D．It requires less transport costs. |
By saying “the sky is the limit in Manhattan”, Stringer means _____.
| A．people can make full use of vertical space of Manhattan |
| B．there is a limit for using empty land in Manhattan |
| C．the height of buildings in Manhattan is limited |
| D．Manhattan can spread as far as possible |
I love seeing Europeans line up in airports to applaud arriving refugees. But humanitarianism (人道主义) will not guide policy for long. We liberals need to argue from Europe’s self-interest: our continent has the need, the space and the ability to accept people.
Many European countries are gradually turning into old people’s homes. Germany, Italy, Spain and others have some of the lowest birth rates in human history. It is predicted that about one-third of their populations will be aged over 65 in 2050. Germany needs to import at least 350,000 people a year to keep its workforce stable. Suddenly, young ambitious workers are pouring into the country as if called by a genie (精灵) with a lamp. No wonder Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, has been more welcoming than David Cameron, British Prime Minister. But all over Europe, carers for old people are already in need. Norway found oil under the seabed but it would have been better off if it had discovered 50,000 nurses there instead.
Many rightwingers think we have reached our limits. This feeling is widespread. And it’s true that Western Europe is one of the most densely populated regions on earth. Indeed, density has long been Europe’s unique selling point: with so many people of different nations closely packed together, we have always traded goods and exchanged ideas fast. That’s why the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries happened here.
But we have plenty more room. Many European cities aren’t dense enough. Now east Germany, north-western Spain and gorgeous mountain villages in Italy are losing people. Lots of cities have unused industrial land.
Humans inhabit a slice of the EU’s territory. Only about 2.5 per cent of the EU’s land is used for housing, estimates the European Commission. By contrast, a whopping 43 per cent was used for agriculture in 2009, it says. That’s too much. We could turn more land into forest or into green landscapes where people can relax and play. Making that transition is feasible because we now use agricultural land inefficiently.
Migrants often spend years locked up together in serious government-funded “migrant centers”. However, the way to learn a new country’s language, make friends and find work is to live with a local. This crisis has shown that lots of Europeans are willing to take refugees into their homes. After Iceland’s government said it could take only 50 Syrian refugees, many Icelanders came forward offering to take a far greater number into their own homes. People aren’t just sitting around waiting for government to do something.
We need migrants, and we can accommodate them. If opponents just don’t like foreigners, they should say so instead of pretending to be hardheaded pragmatists (实用主义者).Why is Angela Merkel willing to take in refugees according to the passage?
| A．Germany has already stepped into aged society. |
| B．Birth rates in Germany are the lowest in history. |
| C．She is kind and shows sympathy for homeless people. |
| D．Refugees can make up the shortage of labor in Germany. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．No other region is more densely populated than Western Europe. |
| B．Density has become Europe’s most outstanding characteristic. |
| C．All European cities are not crowded together in great numbers. |
| D．Large quantities of unused industrial land will turn into forest. |
It can be inferred that _______.
| A．nurses are more badly needed than petrol in Europe |
| B．liberals always do something for the Europe’s benefit |
| C．aging problem in Germany is the worst in Europe |
| D．Europeans have already made intelligent use of the land |
What is the last paragraph but one mainly about?
| A．Migrants can privately be accommodated. |
| B．Migrants had better not live in migrant centers. |
| C．Everyone can live with migrants to help them fit in. |
| D．Everyone has done their own part to help migrants. |
An oral drug, named ERDRP-0519, was invented. It is specifically designed to protect people who got infected measles(麻疹) from spreading the virus to others. Like the flu, measles spreads through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. There is typically a time, about two weeks, between becoming infected with the virus and the beginning of symptoms like skin rash(皮疹), runny nose, heavy cough and high fever.
“This therapy application determines the desired characteristics of the drug, which are orally available, cost-effective manufacture and high stability,” Richard Klemperer, professor of Georgia State University, told reporters last Wednesday.
“With these criteria in mind, we have developed a small drug that blocks the measles virus over the past years, which is essential for copy of the virus.”
The researchers tested the drug in rats infected with canine distemper virus(犬瘟病) , which is a close relative of measles virus. They found that all of the infected rats treated with the drug survived the deadly infection, showed no clinical signs of disease and developed a strong protective immune response.
The drug could be used to treat friends, family and other social contacts of a person infected with measles virus, which have not developed symptoms yet but are at risk of having caught the disease, Klemperer said truthfully.
“The emergence of strong antiviral immunity(抗病毒免疫力) in treated animals is particularly encouraging, since it suggests that the drug may not only save an infected individual from disease but contribute to closing measles immunity gaps in a population,” Klemperer said.
The researchers emphasized the drug is not intended as a substitute for vaccination, but as an additional weapon to get rid of the measles. They planned to test the drug’s safety in larger animals, before moving into clinical trials in humans.
“If our next series of studies confirms that the human situation mirrors what we have seen in rats, then this drug may make a major contribution to getting rid of measles by preventing local outbreaks” Klemperer said.
Despite the existence of an effective vaccine, annual measles deaths worldwide have remained constant at around 150,000 since 2007. The reasons for this are the highly infectious nature of the virus, in the developing world largely due to issues of resources, and in many developed countries in particular in the European region due to parental concerns regarding vaccination safety. If a boy got infected by measles virus, he might NOT show the symptom like ________.
| A．runny nose | B．bad cough |
| C．high fever | D．sick stomach |
From what Klemperer said, we know that the drug _________.
| A．is only intended as a substitute for vaccination |
| B．can only save those infected individuals from disease |
| C．is cost-effective and high stability for curing measles |
| D．has the same effect on human as on larger animals |
The best title of the passage is_________.
| A．the Introduction of a New Oral Drug |
| B．the Desired Characteristics of Drugs |
| C．the Common Symptoms of Getting Measles |
| D．the Application of Post-exposure Therapy |
The Best Time to Visit Sydney
If you prefer the cold to heat, especially if seeking to escape the northern summer, the best time to visit Sydney could be in the Australian winter from June 1 to August 31.
The Sydney winter isn’t really harsh and the weather’s generally pleasant. It’s great for touring the city on foot and for bushwalking. And the ski slopes are not too far away.
Holiday time
You get the Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend in June and the school holidays in July. Aside from within those periods, accommodation costs in the city will generally be lower.
Winter weather
Expect generally cool conditions. The average temperature should range from around 8°C (46°F) at night to 16°C (61°F) in the daytime in mid-winter. Expect from 80mm to 131mm of rainin a month, with the most rain in June tapering into August.
Winter accommodation
Outside of the holiday periods, Sydney accommodation will usually be available and should be relatively cheaper.
Winter activities
The weather’s fine for a walking tour of Sydney. Visit The Rocks, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Hyde Park, Chinatown, Darling Harbour.
Go on a harbor cruise. At the very least, take a Sydney ferry and cross the harbor to Manly.
Take a daytrip north, south and west of Sydney.
Spot the whales as they travel north in the whale migration season.
Go bushwalking at the Royal National Park. Considering weather and accommodation, the best time to visit Sydney is in ________.
| A．June | B．July | C．August | D．December |
Which of the following activities is NOT recommended in the passage?
| A．Going skiing near Sydney. |
| B．Hunting whales in the Royal Botanic Gardens. |
| C．Touring Sydney on foot. |
| D．Bushwalking at the Royal National Park. |
Chinese e-commerce websites fail to pay more attention to older consumers, says a news report.
There’s been a thought that younger consumers have been the driving force of online buying. That may not be the case. According to a statement from Alipay, the average expenditure (支出) of Alipay users born before the 1960s was 31,000 yuan in 2012, much higher than 14,000 yuan of those born after the 1980s. It shows that online shopping has become a key part of people’s daily consumption, for both young and old.
Besides shopping, people pay bills such as water bill, electricity bill, and credit card repayment online. The middle-aged and senior consumers are also participating in that consumption revolution.
Liu Chen, 56, said that his online expenditure in 2014 was over 50,000 yuan, about half of the total annual expenditure. He always pays his telephone bill online. Clothes, electrical appliances and kids’ snacks are the main items he purchases online.
Liu’s shopping strategy is to find something good online first, then go to shops to check it out, and finally buy it online because it is cheaper. As quality concerns him, Liu only buys items that come with a guarantee.
Stories such as those from Liu are representative of millions of middle-aged and older Chinese, which show the great potential of the aged in the Chinese consumption market. Yet, the market seems not to be valued as it should be.
Some Chinese e-commerce websites such as jd. com, dangdang. com and amazon. cn don’t have a category for goods for the elderly on their main pages. Alibaba’s platform does have one, but the goods in it are not as abundant as other categories. Moreover, Taobao’s category is not really designed for elders, but their children.
Despite the seeming lack of commitment to older consumers, the Chinese market for the elderly is clearly huge, and e-commerce websites should take great efforts to develop it.The data in Paragraph 2 is used to prove that ________.
| A．young people have learned to save money |
| B．older people are crazy about online shopping |
| C．young people are the driving force of online shopping |
| D．both the young and the old have contributed to online shopping |
According to the passage, Liu Chen mainly spends money online on _______.
a. buying clothes
b. paying the telephone bill
c. paying the electricity bill
d. buying electrical appliances
| A．a, b, c | B．a, b, d | C．b, c, d | D．a, c, d |
Liu Chen chooses online shopping mainly because of its ________.
| A．low price | B．convenience |
| C．great potential | D．quality guarantee |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Online shopping |
| B．Older consumers in e-commerce |
| C．Chinese e-commerce |
| D．Huge e-commerce market for the elderly |
Pakistani youth activist Malala Yousafzai was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 10. She is the youngest Nobel winner in history. Malala shares the prize with Kailash Satyarthi, a 60-year-old man from India who has helped lead a movement to end child slavery around the world.
Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, the Swat District of northwest Pakistan to a Sunni Muslim family. When she was just 11 years old, she started blogging about the Taliban takeover of her hometown. Taliban members believe young girls should not go to school. Classrooms throughout the Swat district were closed for several months. Malala spoke publicly about her desire to go back to school. “All I want is an education,” she told one television broadcaster.
When the Pakistani government regained control, Malala was able to return to class. She continued to blog and speak out about girls’ right to education. But on October 9, 2012, the Taliban tried to silence her. A gunman boarded her school bus and shot her on the left side of her forehead. Malala survived, and showed great courage and optimism during her long recovery. Then she became a symbol of the struggle for girls’ rights all over the world.
Malala’s mission for peace is unstoppable. Nine months after she was shot, she gave a now-famous speech at the United Nations. “They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed,” she said. “And then, out of that silence came thousands of voice. Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.”
How old was Malala when she won the Nobel Peace Prize?
| A．11 years old. | B．14 years old. |
| C．17 years old. | D．60 years old. |
After classrooms throughout the Swat district were closed, Malala ________.
| A．started blogging about the event |
| B．expressed her desire for education publicly |
| C．made a now-famous speech at the UN |
| D．turned to famous television broadcasters for help |
What does the underlined part silence her in the third paragraph probably mean?
| A．Kill her. |
| B．Make peace with her. |
| C．Offer suggestions to her. |
| D．Communicate with her in silent ways. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Malala’s peace mission. |
| B．Malala’s courage and optimism. |
| C．Malala’s fight with the Taliban. |
| D．Malala’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize. |
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