相关试卷

What to do about climate change?

With scientists warning that 2023 could be the warmest ever, and destructive wildfires tearing through communities, the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. Listed below are 3 things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint and save yourself from climate despair (绝望).

. Using energy with wisdom is one way to cut your carbon footprint. . Setting timers for appliances to run through the night, when demand is low, or during the brightest part of the day, to use solar, can help.

Avoid the skies. Aviation (航空) brings a significant challenge in achieving net-zero emissions (排放). Despite accounting for just three percent of global emissions, it is a rapidly growing source and difficult to decarbonize (碳减排). No-fly travel companies are making overland travel more attractive. There is also a recovery of Europe's night trains for low-carbon travel.

. Whether you have a windowsill or a smallholding, growing your own herbs, flowers or vegetables can be beneficial. Not just to pollinators (传粉昆虫), which can feed off the plants, but to your mental health. . But it will help you reconnect with nature, which research suggests is good for our mental health—particularly amid alarming news about the climate.

A. Grow your own

B. Use energy widely

C. Use energy wisely

D. Cultivating a garden to absorb carbon

E. Sure, cultivating a garden isn't going to absorb much carbon

F. It's not just about how much energy you use, but when you use it

G. Reducing air travel is recommended until battery and hydrogen planes become practical

The topic of photo copyright has been widely discussed recently. It started with a photographer called Dai Jianfeng receiving an email from the Visual China Group (VCG), saying that he used photos from VCG without permission (许可). However, the photos were taken by the photographer himself. It turned out to be a misunderstanding. Dai's photos were then removed from the VCG website.

Copyright protects an author's original works. Works are original when they are independently created by a human author and show creativity.

"In a sense, companies like VCG protect photographers' rights," said Shen Ran, a 26-year-old photographer who knows Dai. After signing with photographers, these companies sell the rights to use the images on their platforms. They may keep up to 70 percent of the pictures' proceeds (收益). Users also need to follow certain rules when using the images.

If companies find out that people are using their copyrighted images without permission, then "they can file lawsuits (诉讼)," Shen said. In this way, the platforms enforce (执行) photographers' ownership rights. Without the help of these companies, it can be difficult for photographers to know if their pictures are being misused and even harder for them to take legal (法律的) action in response.

Meanwhile, there are many cases of people using photographers' pictures without permission on online platforms. And the platforms' attitude sometimes makes it worse. "There used to be a fake (虚假的) account claiming to be me on Douyin," said Ji Zixuan, a 17-year-old photographer in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. "Because I don't have an account there, Douyin refused to remove the fake account at first."

A lack of effective online content moderation (内容审核) means it can be time-consuming for photographers to defend their rights. It leads to many photographers feeling apathetic (无动于衷的) about the copyright of their pictures.

Do you speak a dialect (方言) in daily life? While many Chinese people speak Mandarin (普通话), some local dialects are in danger of disappearing. To save them, the Chinese government started the Chinese Language Resources Protection Project (中国语言资源保护工程) a few years ago.

This project looks at how people talk in 1,712 places. Their languages include 103 dialects that are almost gone. It has helped China to build the largest language resource library in the world. There's an online library where people can learn dialects from over 5.6 million audio clips (音频) and over 5 million videos.

Why is it important to protect the dialect culture? According to British linguist Harold Palmer, dialects are a key to store local cultures. Language faithfully shows the history, the beliefs and the biases (偏见) of an area, he said.

Scholar Zhang Hongming talked about his concerns of the disappearing of dialects, "For about over 10 years, in the Wu dialect areas such as Shanghai and Suzhou, children aged 6 to 15 can understand but hardly speak the dialect. Meanwhile, young people above 15 years old sometimes speak it, but not very well. If this keeps happening, the dialect might disappear," he said.

So how did China make this big library? "A big national effort has been put into the project to make it happen," said Cao Zhiyun, chief expert on the project. Over five years, more than 350 universities and research groups joined in, along with over 4,500 experts and more than 6,000 dialect speakers.

The project is now entering into its second part. This includes creating digital tools like apps and mobile dictionaries to help people learn dialects.

"Small Acts of Kindness" really made me think outside the box. Dr Max is right, "it takes nothing to be nice".

I was in New Zealand in January visiting my son and grandson. I only had a small amount of cash on me as we stopped for a drink and cake, but the shop wouldn't take cards. As I counted out my coins and realized I needed $2 more to pay for the cake, two boys waiting on bikes behind me observed this scene and one boy spoke up, "I can pay the extra amount." It shocked me that a boy who didn't even know me could be so kind. I politely refused his offer and just had the drink, but I thanked him a lot.

I "paid this forward" when I arrived in the UK. This expression for describing the beneficiary (受益者) of a good deed repaying the kindness to others instead of the original benefactor (although the concept may be old) may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book, In the Garden of Delight. At the chemist's, a young lady didn't have enough cash to pay for a hair band that her daughter was keen to have, so I paid the bill for her. It was only £2.99 but it made me feel good about myself and I hope it also made this mum and daughter's day!

With tiny gestures, we can give people a reason to keep on living. I intend to do this much more in the future.

Famous for its sunny beaches and natural wonders, Miyako Island welcomes many visitors during holidays.

Unique beaches

Yonaha Maehama Beach is the most famous beach in Miyako Island, where white sand stretches for seven kilometers. The ocean is colored in bright blue, attracting visitors with its beauty. Compact Sunayama Beach, known for its arch-shaped rock (拱形石), is well hidden in a small cove (小海湾), and is accessed by walking through a narrow tunnel (隧道) of trees.

Diverse and colorful fish

Snorkeling (浮潜) is a must-try in Miyako Island. Dense coral reefs, schools of tropical (热带的) fish, sea turtles and plenty of space to free dive to depths of 8 to 15 meters close to the shore are standout features. For beginners, Aragusuku and Shigira are a good choice, but advanced snorkelers may see Imgyo Marine Garden, Waiwai Beach and Shimojishima as their ultimate spots.

Scuba diving

Miyako Island is a popular diving place, with a wealth of dive sites to explore, including many underwater caves. Even those without a diving license need not be held back. Dive shops and tour operators also offer tours for beginners to explore Miyako Island's rich underwater environment.

The bridges

Irabu Bridge is the longest toll-free bridge in Japan. It connects Miyako Island and Irabujima, stretching for 3540m, drawing a gentle curve. The length of the bridge can also be read as "sango no shi ma," meaning coral island in Japanese. Smaller bridges connect Irabu and Shimoji islands, giving visitors additional beach options.

The whole class burst out laughing as Bruce rushed into the classroom. He was a strange sight. His half-buttoned white shirt revealed a red pajama top(睡衣上衣) underneath and instead of white school shoes, he had on a pair of bright green shoes that were two sizes too big. 

Bruce said quietly, "Sorry teacher"and walked to his seat. Mr. Tan looked at the rest of the students. The laughter quickly turned to silence. Bruce's classmates always looked forward to Mondays. Nine times out often, they would be entertained by Bruce's late arrival and his odd appearance which usually included inappropriate clothing.

Bruce lived just a street away from the school. He walked to school daily. Students passing by in buses would shout his name together just to see him jump and stop in his tracks. When he spotted the merry bunch in the bus, he would wave good-naturedly. Although Bruce was likable, he was too lost in his own thoughts to make friends. His classmates found him amusing but they ignored him most of the time. Only Tom, who sat next to Bruce, tried to be his friend. 

The following Monday, Bruce did not turn up at school. His classmates were a little disappointed but quickly forgot about him. After school, Tom decided to walkover to Bruce's house to check on him. As he approached the gate, he could hear violin music. Bruce must be listening to music, he thought. The gate was not locked. Tom let himself in. He called Bruce's name a few times but there was no response. The music played on. Tom looked in through a window. His eyes widened in surprise. In the middle of the living room, Bruce was playing the violin. His eyes were closed in concentration as he drew the bow (琴弓) over the strings expertly. He played beautifully, so much so that it sounded like a recording. Tom left quietly.

注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

When Teachers' Day came around, Tom had a plan.

When Bruce started to play, the audience fell silent. 

注意：1. 写作词数应为80左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Dear Tom, 

Yours, 

Li Hua

Have you ever heard some (inspire) stories of the disabled? Helen Keller is one deserves to be mentioned. Helen, a well-recognised female author, had several strong (restrict) to her body. She could not read or write at her early age, but later she mastered several languages. Anne Sullivan, a teacher at a school for the disabled, played an irreplaceable role in Helen's growth and achievements. Anne adopted simple approaches teaching, (repeated) spelt new words by writing on Helen's hands, and asked her to imitate. In other words, she would not learn the words they could be touched, such as water, dolls etc. Gradually, her interest grew and she explored complicated and abstract words. In the process of learning the word "think", she struggled a lot and made breakthroughs by accident when (finish) small tasks. As for the word "love", she (discourage) from trying many times without understanding it. Despite many failures, Anne kept on encouraging her (try) while Helen carried on thinking and suddenly realised it was as beautiful as the sun and clouds. It is Anne that (enlighten) Helen's mind and brings a broad world to her.

Best Language Learning Methods

Are you struggling(斗争)to pick up a foreign language? Or probably looking for language learning methods?  Read on to find the best way that can help you with language learning!

Learn a language by using the 80/20 Rule. What is the 80/20 Rule? It is a rule that suggests 20 percent of your efforts will bring about 80 percent of your results. Or 80% of our efforts get only 20% of the results.  It can help you know the most important and high result-oriented(高导向的)activities in your life while quitting the unnecessary, low result-oriented activities. It will also free up more time for language learning. 

Break down your learning materials into smaller pieces. If you have enough time to learn your new language, you should make good use of it. For example, there are ten short stories of 100 words each and a story of 1000 words. Which would be easier to memorize? Of course, it's number one, if you guess correctly.

Most people master a new language by translating. It is one of the causes of failure in learning a second language. Instead of translating everything you listen to, think in the language you're learning. You'll discover your most important words, expressions, and sentences quickly if you continually think about them.

Don't forget listening and speaking. Learning a new language includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing. However, people usually struggle most with listening and speaking. Keep in mind we learn a language just for practical use. So do master these two skills!

A. It is very simple but useful. 

B. These skills are all very important. 

C. Start by translating when you study. 

D. Learn to think in the foreign language. 

E. In fact, short reading materials are easy to get. 

F. What is the most effective way to learn it well?

G. Try dividing the learning materials into smaller parts. 

I grew up with a four-year gap between myself and my younger brother. It was a distance (距离) in age to keep us close as we got older, but also an age gap to make sure we lived our own lives in completely different ways. Having a younger brother while I was a girl was a lot of work, for there was a lot of fighting. 

However, as we've got older, we've become closer, and I've learned several things in life from my younger brother that I didn't realize I needed before.

My younger brother is one of the most talented and creative souls (灵魂) I've known. He's continually feeding his creativity with new art forms and new instruments. He always seeks to understand and learn more about the world around him. He's helped remind me through his actions and words that giving up on creativity is something a person should never do.

My younger brother has also been through hard times, but he's able to focus on learning from the hard times, unlike me, who tends to hold on to every little thing from my life. It's always been difficult for me to let things go and move on, but my younger brother has been an inspiration (灵感来源) for me to try harder at letting go.

My younger brother has always been a more introverted type, and if you speak to him, you're lucky to get over three words out of him at a time. Because of this, he's certainly learned the whole "actions speak louder than words" thing. But, I've realized from my brother that I needn't speak to fill the silence. Sometimes, it's necessary to spend some of your time in silence and reflect in it.

Every day in the morning I make different sounds, starting with an "oomph" as I move to an upright position, then an "ahhh" as I swing my legs off the bed, followed by an "arrrrrrrgh" as I get to my feet. Then there's an "oh God" as I realize that my knees are unequal to the task they've been set.

My wife Jocasta believes in positive thinking. "All sighing and complaining will simply make you feel worse," she says. "If you act like a young gazelle (羚羊), then you'll feel like a young gazelle. "I'm guessing Jocasta doesn't know many young gazelles, at least not ones with aching knees and tired ankles. I then decide to follow her instructions, but to the power of ten.

I draw the curtains open, allowing sunlight to flood the room. "What a beautiful morning!" I say in a too-cheerful voice. "I'm planning a pot of Sri Lanka's finest tea for you. It is picked on the cool slopes of the country's mountainous central district and will be served with milk given by a diligent young cow. "

"Oh, God! Can you give it a rest?" says Jocasta. "Sure, your knee aches, but you can still get around. Pull your shoulders back, lift your head high, and highlight the positive. The science about positivity is that the body responds to signals sent by your brain. When you spend 23 hours a day sounding like a miserable old man, you'll turn into a miserable old man. "

I take a sip of tea before raising another case. "Yes," I say, "but the research published in the Scandinavian Journal of Pain shows that people can bear pain if allowed to swear. So," I continue, "when I limp off to work, yelling ‘Oh God, my knee', I'm just acting on the latest science. " This is replied with Jocasta's dark looks. "I'm not anti-swearing; I'm just anti-complaining. "

There's enough tea in the pot for a second cup. It is somehow more delicious for the way I imagine out loud where it is picked and how the milk is produced. The sunlight streaming in, I find myself humming a happy tune when a "horrific" thought hits me—Jocasta seems to have made it!

Americans often try to say things as quickly as possible. So, for some expressions, we use the first letters of the words instead of saving each word. Many common expressions or long names are shortened this way. 

B-Y-O-B is a short way of saying, "Bring Your Own Bottle. " The letters BYOB are often found at the bottom of a written invitation to a simple social, event or gathering of friends. For example, let's say I had a New Year's Eve party. I might include on the invitation. "Please come to my party and BYOB. " The bottle each person brings is what the person wants to drink at the party or wants to share.

However, an invitation to a special event -such as a wedding-would never say BYOB. An invitation to an official or very special event often has other letters written at the bottom. The letters are R-S-V-P. These letters represent the French expression "Repondez S'il Vous Plait. " In English the words mean "Respond If It Pleases You. " Americans use the letters as a short way to say, "Please answer this invitation. "

Another expression usually used for business and not parties is A-S-A-P. So, a colleague might say she needs something done ASAP. It means as soon as possible. She might also need something done by C-O-B. That means she wants to finish it by "Close Of Business" or the end of the work day.

Beginning letters are often used to represent the names of universities. A famous one is MIT. That is short for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Another major university is UCLA. Almost no one ever says its real name, the University of California at Los Angeles. That takes way too long!

Top Summer Math Programs for High School Students

Canada/USA Mathcamp

This summer program offers gifted high school students the chance to "live and breathe" mathematics. Throughout the program, students explore undergraduate- and graduate-level mathematical topics. They design their own curriculum by choosing their own classes and learn from professional mathematicians in the process. Mathcampers also get the opportunity to go hiking, whitewater rafting(漂流), rock climbing and much more.

Cost: $4,500 (Financial aid is available, and the program is free for families with household incomes under $65,000)

Location: Ohio State University

Ross Mathematics Program

The program focuses on one central mathematical concept—number theory. Participants spend the entire summer solving problem sets related to integers(整数)and their properties. This process provides a great foundation for students interested in conducting mathematical research in the future. 

Cost: $6,000(Financial aid is available)

Location: two campuses (Columbus, Ohio 8. Terre Haute, Indiana)

Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)

For over three decades, PROMYS has been a place of mathematical exploration for talented high school students. Students in this program attend seminars on advanced mathematical topics. They also get the chance to participate in research projects under the guidance of professional mathematicians. 

Cost: $5,500 (Financial aid is available, and the program is free for US families with household incomes under $ 60,000)

Location: Boston University

Stanford University Math Camp (SUMaC)

Students in this program choose between two courses—algebraic topology(代数拓扑学)and abstract algebra &. number theory. Both to picsare major areas of modern mathematical research. In both courses, students engage in daily problem sets, work with Stanford graduate students and attend lectures from mathematicians. 

Cost: $3,250(Financial aid is available)

Location: online