Composite image of Europe and North Africa at night， 2016． Credit： NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens， using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Roman， NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center． Artificial light is often seen as a sign of progress： the march of civilization shines a light in the dark； it takes back the night； it illuminates． But a chorus of scientists and advocates argues that unnaturally bright nights are bad not just for astronomers but also for nocturnal （夜间活动的） animals and even for human health．
Now research shows the night is getting even brighter． From 2012 to 2016 the earth's artificially lit area expanded by an estimated 2.2 percent a year （map）， according to a study published last November in Science Advances． Even that increase may understate the problem， however． The measurement excludes light from most of the energy﹣efficient LED lamps that have been replacing sodium﹣vapor technology in cities all over the world， says lead study author Christopher Kyb， a postdoctoral researcher at the German Research Center for Geosciences in Potsdam．
The new data came from a NASA satellite instrument called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite （VIIRS）． It can measure long﹣wavelengths of light， such as those produced by traditional yellow﹣and﹣orange sodium﹣vapor street lamps． But VIRS cannot see the short﹣wavelength blue light produced by white LEDs． This light has been shown to disrupt human sleep cycles and nocturnal animals' behavior．
Credit： Mapping Specialists： Source： "Artificially Lit Surface of Earth at Night Increasing in Radiance and Extent．" by Christopher C． M． Kyba et al． in Science Advances， Vol． 3． No 11， Article No， E1701528； November 22， 2017．
The team believes the ongoing switch to LEDs caused already bright countries such as Italy， the Netherlands， Spain and the U． S． to register as having stable levels of illumination in the VIIRS data． In contrast， most nations in South America， Africa and Asia brightened， suggesting increases in the use of traditional lighting． Australia actually appeared to lose lit area but the researchers say that is because wildfires skewed the data．
"The fact that VIIRS finds an increase （in many countries）， despite its blindness in the part of the spectrum that increased more， is very sad，" says Fabiofalchi， a researcher at Italy's Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute， who did not participate in the study． In 2016 Falchi， along with Kyba and several other members of his research team， published a global atlas of artificial lighting that showed one third of the world's population currently lives under skies too bright to see the Milky Way at night．
The data also cast doubt on the idea that the LED lighting revolution will lead to energy cost savings． Between 2012 and 2016 the median nation pumped out 15 percent more long﹣wavelength light as its GDP increased by 13 percent． And overall， countries' total light production correlated with their GDP． In other words， Kyba says， "we buy as much light as we are willing to spend money on．"
（1）Which is not true about the spread of lit areas？
| A． |
Lit area expanded by an estimated 2.2 percent a year． |
| B． |
Artificial light is often seen as a sign of progress． |
| C． |
The increase in GDP is due to the increase in light． |
| D． |
It is bad for nocturnal animals and even for human health． |
（2）Which of the following about VIIRS is NOT true according to the passage？
| A． |
It is a kind of NASA satellite device． |
| B． |
It can record and analyze long﹣wavelength light． |
| C． |
The blue light generated by white LEDs can disrupt human sleep cycles． |
| D． |
VIIRS has found an increase of traditional lighting in lots of nations． |
（3）According to the article， what we can know about the LEDs？
| A． |
Artificial LED lights at nights are harmful to people's health． |
| B． |
It is a sign of civilization in modern society． |
| C． |
The blue light disrupts human and animals' life cycles． |
| D． |
Artificially lit surface of Earth increasing because of LEDs． |
（4）The author writes this article to ．
| A． |
show the VIIRS data from NASA |
| B． |
demonstrate the significance of VIIRS for its measurement of wavelengths |
| C． |
reveal the relationship between wavelength light and GDP |
| D． |
arouse people's awareness of light pollution |
Some young Cambodians are learning a new sport — skateboarding. The country’s first skateboard park is located on the grounds of a local charity group at the edge of Phnom Penh, the capital.
Sports like Khmer boxing and soccer are wildly popular in Cambodia. But Chea, who has been skating for 6 months, says skating has already become his favorite sport.
The skaters are learning tricks like launching off a jump or half-pipe and flying through the air on their narrow wooden boards.
A non-governmental organization called Skateistan Cambodia organizes weekly programs at the park. Skateistan started its work in Afghanistan years ago. Rory Burke is working with the group which expanded to Cambodia last year.
Rory Burke points out, “Yeah, it’s definitely not a typical Cambodian pastime (消遣). And I think the idea of ‘why skateboarding’ is that it’s not been done before here. We want to use skateboarding as something saying, ‘Hey, this is new, this is something different.And that kind of itself becomes a little bit of hook. People see it and they think and they say, ‘Wow, what is that?’ and they want to get involved. ”
Skateistan partners with local groups that work with young people. The park is on the grounds of the group known as PSE, where children attend school and learn a trade. There are almost one hundred twenty participants. They all come from troubled lives.
Seventeen-year-old Sang Rotha is a student at PSE. “Sometimes I don’t do well in subjects like math,” he says, “I feel bad when I find it hard to keep up with my lessons. So that is why I skateboard ---to improve my bad feelings. ’，
He says he began skateboarding more than a year ago. Before he started training, it seemed very easy. But it was very difficult to learn tricks, and he got hurt a lot from falling off.
Rory Burke says learning to deal with the difficulties is part of the lesson for these young skateboarders. According to the passage, PSE is a group ______.
| A．that works with Cambodian students |
| B．for young Cambodians to learn a trade |
| C．for young Cambodians in troubled lives |
| D．for young Cambodians taking skateboarding |
What is said about skateboarding in the passage?
| A．It was born in Afghanistan years ago. |
| B．It is easy for young Cambodians to learn. |
| C．It is as popular as Khmer boxing in Cambodia. |
| D．It is a good sport to help get good feeling again. |
The underlined part alittle bit of hook probably means ______.
| A．something strange |
| B．something quite new |
| C．something different |
| D．something attractive |
It can be inferred from the passage that skateboarding is becoming ______.
| A．a sport liked by most young Cambodians |
| B．an increasingly popular sport in Cambodia |
| C．a sport used to better young Cambodians’ life |
| D．a good way to train young Cambodians’ learning skills |
If Confucius were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy. Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is. The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _________.
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students_________.
| A．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
| B．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| C．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| D．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
The passage is likely to appear in _________.
| A．a biography | B．a history paper |
| C．a newspaper | D．a philosophy textbook |
Finally, a cell phone
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“Well, I finally did it. I finally decided to enter the digital age and get a cell phone. My kids have been annoying me and the last straw was when my car broke down，and I was stuck by the highway for an hour before someone stopped to help. But when I went to the cell phone store, I almost changed my mind. The phones all have cameras, computers and a "global-positioning" something or other that's supposed to spot me from space. Goodness, all I want to do is to be able to talk to my grandkids! The people at the store weren't much help. They couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want a phone the size of a postage stamp. And the rate plans! They were confusing, and expensive ... and the contract (合同）lasted for two years! I'd almost given up until a friend told me about her new Jitterbug phone. Now, I have the convenience and safety of being about to stay in touch --- with a phone I can actually use. ”
Affordable plans that I can understand一and no contract to sign (签订）！ Unlike other cell phones，Jitterbug has plans that make sense. Why should I pay for minutes I'm never going to use? And if I do talk more than I plan, I won't find myself with no minutes like my friend who has a prepaid phone. Best of all, there is no contract to sign—so I'm not locked in for years at a time. The US-based customer service is second to none. And the phone gets service anywhere in the country.
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100 |
| Monthly Rate |
$14.99 |
$19.99 |
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No additional charge |
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| Friendly Return Policy |
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Call now and receive a FREE gift when you order. Try Jitterbug for 30 days and if you don't love it, just return it! Why wait, the Jitterbug comes ready to use right out of the box. If you aren't as happy with it as I am, you can return it and get your money back. Call now, the Jitterbug product experts are ready to answer your questions. Call 1-888-809-8794 or visit www. jitterbugdirect.com. What made “I” finally think of getting a cell phone?
| A．Being stuck by the highway. |
| B．Being urged by his grandkids. |
| C．Being persuaded by cell phone salespersons. |
| D．Being attracted by the friendly return policy. |
On the monthly basis of 100 minutes, the Jitterbug weekly rate is about _______.
| A．$3.75 | B．$4.99 | C．$14. 99 | D．$19.99 |
An advantage of Jitterbug mentioned in the passage is _______.
| A．its discount price with a free gift |
| B．its reasonable rate plans without a contract |
| C．its good customer service all over the world |
| D．its “global-positioning” system with 911 access |
The main purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．tell a customer's story of Jitterbug |
| B．provide two ways to order Jitterbug |
| C．give a brief introduction of Jitterbug |
| D．attract potential customers to Jitterbug |
A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? But he discovered that it was a rattrap (捕鼠夹）.
Going back to the farmyard, the rat started to give a warning.
The rat turned to the pig and told him:“There is a rattrap in the house, a rattrap in the house!”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Rat,” said the pig, “I can only say this is something terrible to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered with it.”
The rat turned to the cow. But the cow said, “Like wow, Mr. Rat? A rattrap? I am in danger, Huh?”
The rat returned to the house, head down and dejected. So the rat had to face the farmer's rattrap alone.
That very night, a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rattrap catching its prey (猎物). The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught.In the darkness, she did not notice that it was a poisonous snake whose tail had been caught by the trap. The snake bit her.The farmer rushed her to hospital. She returned home with a fever. Everyone knows that a fever could be treated with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his knife to the farmyard for the soup. However, his wife's sickness continued.
The farmer's friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer killed the pig. But she didn't get well. Finally, she died, and so many people came for the last sight that the farmer had the cow killed to provide meat for all of them.
So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that the whole farmyard is at risk when there is a rattrap in the house.From the passage we know that ______.
| A．the pig helped the rat get rid of the trap |
| B．the cow strongly believed in what the rat said |
| C．no animals showed concern over the rat's warning |
| D．the snake was killed immediately after being caught |
The underlined word ‘‘dejected” is the closest in meaning to _______.
| A．disappointed | B．surprised | C．irritated | D．excited |
We can learn from the article that _______.
| A．the farmer had planned to kill the rat |
| B．the rat was very clever in avoiding the trap |
| C．the farmer's wife got good treatment in hospital |
| D．the rat had expected what would happen to the pig and cow |
What message does the story intend to pass?
| A．We should mind our own business. |
| B．Everything is related to something else. |
| C．We'd better treat animals in a friendly way. |
| D．The farmer couple and their friends are all foolish. |
Poverty today is a major global issue．Although there are all kinds of definitions used to explain it, in simple words, it means the inability of a person to even get his basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, safe drinking water, health and education．Poverty can be found in each and every comer of the world, although the causes may differ from country to country．Given below are the main causes of poverty in the world today．
Overpopulation is one of the main causes behind the threatening of poverty on an individual level as well as a social level．This is simple math: If there are more mouths to feed and less income, definitely much will remain poor．
Another theory which is used as an explanation for poverty is lack of education．If you look at any of the underdeveloped countries, you will find that the level of education there is very low．Lack of education means lack of employment opportunities, thus leading to unemployment coupled with poverty in the future．
Moving away from one's own homeland to another city or country in search of employment leads to poverty too．It may take these people a lot of time to find jobs．Meanwhile they live in bad conditions．The cost of living in the city or country is most of the time too high for them．
There may be other causes of poverty like the change in business．For example, in America, a couple of decades ago, heavy industry flourished, which employed a lot of African-American people．But now, the focus is more on information technology and health care, both of which employ only skilled and trained people．This has led to unemployment among African-Americans．
Poverty has many ill effects on society．That's why steps should be taken to get rid of it!What's the meaning of the underlined word "flourished" in Paragraph 5?
（No more than 5 words）Why is overpopulation a cause of poverty today? （No more thanl2 words）
What's the situation of education m underdeveloped countries? （No more than 8 words）
What does the passage mainly talk about?（No more than 10 words）
In your opinion, what's the most significant cause of poverty today? Please give your reason．（No more than 25 words）
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