B
Showering typically sends water down the drain, but a new space-age shower could change that. The design, inspired by NASA, saves water and money.
Astronauts have no choice but to recycle the water they use in space. Now theOrbital Systems Shower of the Futurebrings that concept down to Earth. This futuristic shower comes from Orbital Systems, a Swedish advanced technology company. Its CEO, Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, invented the product.
"The shower of the future is a water-recycling shower, thus enabling water savings up to 90 percent, energy savings up to 80 percent, at the same time increasing comfort and hygiene. The water is being collected in the drain, it's being analyzed, purified and then pumped back up to the shower head. So what is so special about the purification technology? Well, it's based on a patented purification capsule system that makes sure that the water is always crystal clear," he explained.
Mahdjoubi was inspired by a project between NASA and Sweden's Lund University to come up with designs for a mission to Mars. He adapted the closed-loop system that allows astronauts to re-use shower water again and again.
The product already has been tested in Sweden, where it saved up to 100,000 liters of water over four months. Based on those results, Mahdjoubi is confident his company can distribute the shower system worldwide.
"Our market is anyone who takes a shower, actually, and the biggest benefit it gives is to the market segment where the water consumption is the highest, such as bathing establishments, gyms, sports centers. Also, private households where the water consumption and the prices are high," said Mahdjoubi.
The "out of this world" design has won several business and innovationWhat does the underlined sentence mean in paragraph 2?
| A．Astronauts bring the space water to the earth. |
| B．There’s need for the astronauts to save water any more. |
| C．People on the earth can do the same like the astronauts. |
| D．People have to recycle water on the earth. |
What’s the order of working procedure of the new shower?
①collect the water; ② purify the water;
③analyze the water; ④pump back the water
| A．①②③④ | B．①③②④ |
| C．①④②③ | D．①②④③ |
What’s Mahdjoubi’s attitude towards the new product?
| A．Optimistic | B．Uncertain |
| C．Negative | D．Indifferent |
Why does the author write the passage?
| A．To introduce a new technology |
| B．To find a way to save energy |
| C．To promote a new product |
| D．To seek for investment |
In my procession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life. They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages. Let me tell you about Tyler.
Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected. From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive. When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest. This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back. Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream. At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing.
Tyler wasn’t willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine-laden backpack and dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. All of us who knew Tyler marveled at his pure joy in being alive and the energy it gave him. Tyler’s mom often teased him by telling him that he moored so fast she needed to dress him in red. That way, when she peered through the window to check on him playing in the yard, she round quickly spot him.
This dreaded disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV-infected mother. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to survive, Tyler's mom talked to him about death. She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven.
A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, “I might die soon. I’m not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised she’s coming to heaven, too. I’ll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me.” What is the boy Tyler’s attitude towards death?
| A．pessimistic. | B．optimistic. | C．sorrowful. | D．fearful. |
Tyler requested the writer to dress him in red when he died simply because .
| A．red is a lucky color. |
| B．red right help to cure him. |
| C．his mom could spot him easily |
| D．he could find more mates by wearing red. |
Which of the following might serve as a possible title far this passage?
| A．My unusual profession. | B．A caring mother. |
| C．Mother and son. | D．Dying in red. |
The underlined word dynamo in the fourth paragraph here means .
| A．a promising and helpful youth | B．an extremely energetic person |
| C．a rare and beautiful flower | D．a magic and understanding superstar |
For years I wanted a flower garden. I’d spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.
But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.
I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean, no-frills budget.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by. I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on - and I couldn't believe what I saw. There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin."
Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children bought me tools, ornaments, a trellis (棚架), a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and weed or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.
I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes - every time.
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!By saying “Do you see a money tree outside .….,” the mother actually means “ ”
| A．Observation is the best teacher. |
| B．Seeing is believing. |
| C．The outsider sees the most of the game. |
| D．It is not easy to gain money |
The best title for the passage would probably be .
| A．My flower garden | B．Marvin helps to realize my dream |
| C．Love in Michigan | D．Money grows on trees |
The underlined word “no - frills” in the fifth paragraphs is similar in meaning to .
| A．wasteful | B．tight | C．absurd | D．helpful |
From the last but the third paragraph we can infer that the mother is .
| A．divorced when she was young | B．not caring for her kids any longer |
| C．alone but not at all lonely | D．prouder with her garden than with her kids. |
Every people has its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are on colors.
Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pick when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song – Mood Indigo – about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song: “You ain’t been blue till you’ve had that Mood Indigo.” Someone who is blue is very sad.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.
The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.If you had your wallet stolen while doing some shopping, you may call it .
| A．a white day | B．a black day | C．a red day | D．a green day |
Suppose a Mr. Brown says he is very happy because his three children are all in the pink, this means all his children are .
| A．lucky and wealthy | B．gentle and modest |
| C．fit and healthy | D．creative and energetic |
When she got home and found nothing had been done by her husband, Jane was really .
| A．red hot | B．green | C．blue | D．black |
In the following paragraph, the writer might tell the reader something about .
| A．unpopular polarizations in the world |
| B．people’ response towards a black day |
| C．the influence of the traditional blues |
| D．more words about color, such as brown |
For years Tom Anderson’s life was withered up(枯萎) by the memory of his part in a fraternity(友爱，互助会) adventure that resulted in the death of one of his classmates. He and his wife separated after six years of marriage. Then the news about Tom changed. His wife Betty came back; he earned a fine position. One day he told me what had changed his life. “I used to think, ‘Nothing can undo what I have done.’ The thought of my guilt would stop me in the middle of a smile or a handshake. It put a wall between my wife and me.”
“Then I had an unexpected visit from the person I was most afraid to see — the mother of the college classmate who died. ‘Years ago’, she said, ‘I found it in my heart, through prayer, to forgive you. Betty forgave you. So did your friends and employers.’ She paused, and then said seriously, ‘You are the one person who hasn’t forgiven Tom Anderson. Who do you think you are to stand out against the people of this town and the Lord Almighty?’ I looked into her eyes and found there a kind of permission to be the person I might have been if her boy had lived. For the first time in my adult life I felt worthy to love and be loved.”
It is only through forgiveness of our mistakes that we gain the freedom to learn from experience. But forgiving our shortcomings doesn’t mean denying that they exist. On the contrary, it means facing them honestly, realistically.
Can a person be all-forgiving and still be human? A scientist I know spent four years as a slave laborer in Germany. His parents were killed by Nazi street bullies; his younger sister and older brother were sent to the gas chambers. This is a man who has every reason to hate. Yet he is filled with a love of life that he conveys to everyone who knows him. He explained it to me the other day: “In the beginning I was filled with hatred. Then I realized that in hating I had become my own enemy. Unless you forgive, you cannot love. And without love, life has no meaning.” Forgiveness is truly the saving grace.
67. Tom Anderson and his wife separated after six years of marriage probably because ______.
A. he had killed one of his classmates
B. he had cared more for his adventure than for his wife
C. his wife looked down upon his poor position
D. his life had been made in a great mess by his deep guilt
68. The key reason for which Tom’s life changed back to normal may be that ______.
A. his wife Betty came back to him
B. the mother of his college classmate asked Betty to forgive him for his guilt
C. he eventually learned to face his guilt honestly, realistically and forgave himself
D. he earned a fine position and finally made a lot of money
69. The underlined part in the second paragraph means that ______.
A. the mother of my college classmate permitted me to be a real person
B. even my college classmate would permit me to be what I used to be
C. I wouldn’t be a person unless my college classmate permitted me to
D. I might have been a successful person if my college classmate had lived
70. The best title for this passage could be ______.
A. Forgiveness: the saving grace B. Hatred: unrealistic way of living
C. Love: a meaningful worthy life D. Guilt: unforgivable mistake
A Low-Carbon Economy (LCE) or Low-Fossil-Fuel Economy (LFFE) is an economy which has a smallest output of greenhouse gas (GHG) release into the atmosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas CO2. Recently, most of scientific and public opinion has come to the conclusion that there is such an accumulation of GHG (especially CO2) in the atmosphere due to human-related activities that the climate is changing. The over-concentration of these gases is producing global warming that affects long-term climate, with negative impacts on humanity in the foreseeable future. Globally performed LCEs therefore, are proposed as a means to avoid catastrophic climate change, and as a forerunner to the more advanced, zero-carbon society and renewable-energy economy.
Some nations are low-carbon societies which are not heavily industrialized or populated. In order to avoid climate change at any point in the future, all nations considered carbon-thick societies and societies which are heavily populated, should become zero-carbon societies and economies. Several of these countries have promised to become ‘low carbon’ but not entirely zero carbon, and claim that release will be cut by 100% by offsetting release rather than stopping all release. In other words, some release will continue which will be offset, so they are not low-release.
Nations seek to become low-carbon economies as part of a national global warming reduction strategy. A comprehensive strategy to manage global warming is carbon neutrality, geoengineering and adaptation to global warming.
Nuclear power, or, the proposed strategies of carbon collection and storage (CCS) have been proposed as the primary means to achieve a LCE while continuing to exploit non-renewable resources; there is concern, however, with the matter of spent-nuclear-fuel storage, security and the uncertainty of costs and time needed to successfully carry out CCS worldwide and with guarantees that the stored release will not leak into the atmosphere. Alternatively, many have proposed renewable energy should be the main basis of a LCE, but, they have their associated problems of high-cost and inefficiency; this is changing, however, since investment and production have been growing significantly in recent times. Furthermore, regardless of the effect to the atmosphere by GHG releases, the growing issue of peak oil may also be reason enough for a change to a LCE.
63. Low-carbon economy is encouraged for the following reasons except that ______.
A. too much greenhouse gas CO2 is released
B. the over-concentration of greenhouse gases is producing global warming
C. it can avoid catastrophic climate change
D. low carbon and zero carbon nations and societies claim for it
64. The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means ______.
A. warning B. pioneer C. symbol D. guide
65. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
A. Nuclear power could act as one of the primary means to achieve a LCE.
B. There’s worry about spent-nuclear-fuel storage, security and the uncertainty of costs.
C. The stored release will be likely to leak into the atmosphere.
D. Renewable energy tends to become the only means to achieve a LCE.
66. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the writer’s attitude toward the proposal of adapting renewable energy is ______.
A. negative B. positive C. self-confident D. doubtful
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