Most artists have a favorite material they like to work with．For 28-year-old Kristen Alice, it happens to be garbage．The eco-friendly designer uses her incredible talent to transform garbage like empty drink bottles and candy wrappers into charming dresses that sell for thousands of dollars．
Kristen says the idea came to her after she saw how much vaster she and her three college roommates generated on a daily basis．The Fine Arts student began to dream about transforming the deserted bags and packages into beautiful garments．
Her first dress’ made from plastic bags and rolled magazines was strange, fun and even charming．However, she only made it to test her creativity．
The young designer did not consider starting a commercial venture（企业）until she spent a week working at Couture Fashion Week in New York City．There she observed the excitement generated by new and vintage（复古的）looks and decided to see if her unusual idea would result in as much enthusiasm．She began by creating a line of 12 garbage-inspired dresses．They were a huge success．
Today her company that has offices in Palm Beach, Florida and New York City, produces a wide variety of dresses ranging from cocktail dresses to ball gowns （礼服）．Kristen, of course, doesn't search garbage cans for her material anymore．Instead, she seeks it from companies that have produced more than they need and are planning to throw away the extras．
However, if you think the garbage-inspired dresses come cheap, think again．The price for ready-made creations retails（零售）from $500 to $1,500．Though that may appear expensive, the designer says she has no shortage of customers．In fact she now even has garbage-inspired clothing for men that includes jackets, ties, trousers and even board shorts! While most of the clothes are strong enough to resist multiple wears, whether they can be cleaned is a little unclear:
What made Kristen think of using trash as her favorite material?
| A．Her poor living conditions at college． |
| B．The education from her parents not to waste anything useful． |
| C．Her roommates' advice of using garbage to replace ordinary material． |
| D．Her consciousness of environmental protection and trained eyes． |
Kristen decided to start a commercial venture because ．
| A．she just wanted to test her creativity． |
| B．she was inspired by the enthusiasm caused by new and vintage dresses． |
| C．she was driven by the huge profits brought by new fashion． |
| D．she found there were no unique-looking but affordable clothes in New York． |
The last two paragraphs are mainly about _ .
| A．the success of Kristen's career |
| B．the advantages and disadvantages of the garbage-inspired clothing |
| C．what clothing Kristen mainly designed |
| D．where Kristen got garbage for her clothing |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．New Use of Garbage |
| B．A New Trend of Fashion |
| C．A Talented and Ambitious Fashion Designer |
| D．Transforming Trash into Wonderful Garments |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
| Earn Money This Summer with Sunny Libraries! Do you have too much free time this summer vacation? Do you need a summer job to earn extra money? Do you want to be involved in your community (社区)? Sunny Area Library System (SALS) has job opportunities for high school students. These are good chances to get work experience. |
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| Book Theater brings children' s book stories to life. It has shows at all Sunny Libraries. Applicants should enjoy performing in front of an audience and working with young children. Work Hours: Practice: Fridays 4:00 pm — 6:00 pm Performance: Tuesdays 10:00 am Rate of Pay: $16/performance |
Computer Tutor helps guests to deal with technology problems, involving Internet searches and using the SALS Website to find materials. Applicants should have computer skills. Work Hours: Monday—Friday 9:00 am—5:00 pm Rate of Pay: $ 8/hour |
| Bookmobile helps the driver find the routes to libraries. The truck you work in is air-conditioned, and the driver is friendly. Applicants must be able to lift heavy boxes. Work Hours: Sunday and Friday 9:00 am — 4:00 pm Rate of Pay: $10/hour |
Reader Desk provides service with a smile while checking materials in and out to guests. Friendly attitude and ability to work on library data system required. Work Hours: Monday—Tuesday 8:00 am—4:00 pm Rate of Pay: $ 7.50/hour |
If you are interested in acting, should be your choice.
| A．Book Theater | B．Bookmobile |
| C．Computer Tutor | D．Reader Desk |
If you get the job of "Bookmobile", you are expected to .
| A．work with young children | B．lift heavy boxes |
| C．check materials for guests | D．repair computers |
The purpose of the advertisement is to .
| A．attract students to libraries | B．raise money for libraries |
| C．introduce new books | D．offer job opportunities |
Boredom and Creativity
Most of us think of being bored at work as a negative experience, but a new study suggests it can have positive results including an increase in creativity because it gives us time to daydream.
That is the finding of Dr. Sandi Mann from the University of Central Lancashire. Dr. Mann conducted two studies. In the first experiment, 40 people were asked to carry out a boring task. They were told to copy numbers out of a telephone directory for 15 minutes. After that they were asked to complete another task. A pair of cups were given to each of them. Everyone tried to come up with different uses of the cups, and was given a chance to display their creativity. Meanwhile, another group of 40 people were just asked to come up with uses for the cups without doing any boring tasks before. It turned out that the 40 people who had first copied out the telephone numbers were more creative than the control group(对照组).
To see if daydreaming was a factor in this effect, a second boring task was introduced that allowed even more daydreaming than the boring writing task. This second study saw 30 people copying out the numbers as before, but also included a second group of 30 reading rather than writing them.
Again the researchers found that the people in the control group were least creative, but the people who had just read the names were more creative than those who had to write them out. This suggests that more passive boring activities, like reading or perhaps attending meetings, can lead to more creativity. Compared with reading, writing reduced the scope（范围） for daydreaming. As a result, it reduces the effects of boredom on creativity.
Dr. Mann says: “Boredom at work has always been seen as something to be avoided, but perhaps we should accept it in order to promote our creativity. What we want to do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are. Do people who are bored at work become more creative in other areas of their work -- or do they go home and write novels?” Who proved to be the most creative in the two studies?
| A．The people who attended meetings. |
| B．The people who did the reading task. |
| C．The people who invented uses for cups. |
| D．The people who copied telephone numbers. |
The studies conducted by Dr. Mann indicate that creativity results from _______.
| A．creative tasks |
| B．controlled activities |
| C．the range of daydreaming |
| D．reading and writing ability |
What is Dr. Mann’s attitude towards boredom at work?
| A．Positive. |
| B．Skeptical. |
| C．Subjective. |
| D．Disapproving. |
What will Dr. Mann probably continue to research in their study?
| A．The real causes of creativity. |
| B．The actual use of boredom. |
| C．The practical reasons of boredom. |
| D．The writing ability improved by boredom. |
Going Green
For career（职业） changers thinking about growth and advancement potential, forget the blue-collar and white-collar categories: Green is the way to go. According to Bracken Hendricks, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Progress, careers that promote environmental responsibility will become main stream within a decade. “The growth in green careers will be like the Internet boom, which not only created new jobs, but also had an influence on the overall economy（经济）,” he says.
The increasing environmental problems and need for eco-friendly products and services are creating a new job section of green-collar jobs. Many countries of the world have realized the importance and need for energy-saving products and services. It is expected that by 2025 about 25% of the jobs in developed countries will be of green-collar jobs. Doesn’t the data look promising for the future?
Green-collar jobs have become a bright career chances for all. And jobs will pop up at every income level, from environmental manager to gardener. For example, many countries including the United States have understood that fossil fuels have negative effect on the environment which can later become a serious danger to mankind. As a result, possibilities are being explored to find alternatives to satisfy demands in a better way. The increasing demand of newer resources（资源） has creating the need for experts and researchers who can find better ways to deal with the ongoing needs. In addition, in order to meet the increasing demands of environment-friendly equipment, both green product designer and educated and trained workers are needed. Management of environmental organizations also demands a large number of environmental managers.
Where can you find green-collar jobs? Internet is undoubtedly the best way to find information on almost any matter. Nowadays, different kinds of jobs are being posted online. Search through a couple of job websites to look for a bright future in energy conversion and recycling of waste management. Check regularly and find the right work for yourself. People who read newspapers can also find different kinds of green-collar jobs.Why does Bracken Hendricks mention the Internet Boom in Paragraph One?
| A．To explain the importance of technology. |
| B．To provide evidence of his recent research. |
| C．To indicate the bright future of green careers. |
| D．To inform us of the way of finding green-collar jobs. |
Which of the following probably creates green-collar jobs?
| A．Promoting services. |
| B．Training employees. |
| C．Consuming fossil fuels. |
| D．Developing new resources. |
What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
| A．The requirements for green employees. |
| B．The development of the green industry. |
| C．The economic influence of green careers. |
| D．The job chances in the environmental industry. |
The passage is written to _______.
| A．discuss eco-friendly services |
| B．introduce promising career chances |
| C．suggest ways of saving energy at work |
| D．explain the best method of finding jobs |
Museums in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia is a great place for visitors seeking a little culture. There are Atlanta museums of all kinds, to interest adults and children. The history of the area is a fascinating one and it is documented in many of the museums. There are also collections of art and science based institutions and displays from the natural world.
The city is famous for many reasons, one of them being the World of Coca-Cola Museum. It's a worldwide product with a long history and the collection contains memorabilia（大事记） and handmade objects. Some of the documents go back to 1905. Visitors can see how a bottling plant operates and there are films about the history of the company. This Atlanta museum has a Pop Culture Gallery that shows paintings with the Coca-Cola image. At the end of the tour, visitors can buy a souvenir at the gift store.
The Atlanta History Center，established in 1926, is most well-known for its civil war collection. There is also the exhibition of folk arts and the displays on the history of golf in the US.
The state is also proud of its famous daughter, novelist Margaret Mitchell. The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum was founded in the house that the author shared with her husband from 1925 until 1932. It was here that she wrote her great book, Gone with the Wind. Much of this Atlanta museum is focused on the 1939 Hollywood film of the book.
Families and school outings are fortunate in having the Fernbank Science Center. It serves the local educational community and the public also enjoys the displays. There are a wide variety of exhibitions, including a collection of dinosaur skeletons, an electron microscope and a Apollo spacecraft. The museum also has an impressive botanical collection.
The Georgia Aquarium(水族馆) is the largest one in the world and almost all the tourists place it high on their travel plan when visiting the city. There are numerous species to see and learn about. The highlights include whale sharks, electric fish, Japanese spider crabs, Californian sea lions and African black-footed penguins.
Atlanta museums have something for everyone and will never disappoint you. The underlined word plant in Paragraph 2 refers to _______.
| A．factory | B．movie | C．soft drink | D．handmade object |
Visitors interested in literature will probably go to _________.
| A．The Georgia Aquarium |
| B．Fernbank Science Center |
| C．The Atlanta History Center |
| D．The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum |
Visitors who go to Pop Culture Gallery can see _____.
| A．exhibition of folk arts |
| B．pictures of sea animals |
| C．collections of the civil war |
| D．paintings with the Coca-Cola image |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Coca-Cola is popular with young visitors |
| B．most tourists want to visit the Georgia Aquarium |
| C．Science Center was set up by the local community |
| D．Atlanta museums mainly focus on art and literatur |
Worlds of Fun
Location: Worlds of Fun is located off Highway 435 in Kansas City, Missouri.
History: Worlds of Fun was opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of 25 million dollars. Loosely themed around the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days, the park was founded by Hunt Midwest Company. In 1982, Hunt Midwest bought a nearby waterpark, Oceans of Fun. In 2013, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun were combined to a one ticket admission, providing all guests with access to 235 acres of amusement and water rides.
Hours: Worlds of Fun is open from April through Halloween.
Tickets: Buy and print online. Always try to buy your tickets in advance, to save time when you get to the park.
Reservations: Worlds of Fun sells “Fast Lane” cards that save riders’ time by allowing them to bypass the majority of wait for most of rides and attractions including Mamba, Prowler, and Patriot. Ride as many times as you want all day long.
Strategy(策略): Most visitors tend to begin the day with Prowler, the hottest attraction in the park. Use that tendency to your advantage and head to the Patriot first. After that, try the Dragons. Then work your way back to the Prowler. After riding the Prowler, there is only one coaster left, Mamba. Hit it next. If the park is not very crowded, you can ride Boomerang on the way to Mamba. After riding Mamba, head back for a ride on the Wolf. By then you will have tried most of the popular rides and attractions in the shortest possible time.
News: In 2014, Worlds of Fun is adding Steel Hawk, a ride that will take guests up 301 feet in the air and spin them at a 45-degree angle for a 60-second flight. Wait to have a try! When did Hunt Midwest’s two parks start to share one ticket?
| A．In 1973. | B．In 1982. | C．In 2013. | D．In 2014. |
With a “Fast Lane” card, the visitor can _________.
| A．save some money |
| B．buy tickets online |
| C．avoid lining up for long |
| D．enjoy all the rides for free |
What is talked about in the part of Strategy?
| A．The best visiting route. |
| B．The highest ride in the park. |
| C．The most popular tour season. |
| D．The hottest attractions in the park. |
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