“We haven’t found anything that we can’t recycle!”

Cigarette ends are everywhere—littering our streets and beaches—and for decades they’ve been thought of as “unrecyclable”. But a New Jerseybased company, called TerraCycle, has taken on the challenge, and has come up with a way to recycle millions of cigarette ends and turn them into industrial plastic products. Its aim is to recycle things that people normally consider impossible to reuse.

Obviously it would be even better for the environment if everyone just stopped smoking, but the statistics show that although there has been an increase in anti-smoking ads and messaging, between 2000 and 2014, global sales of cigarettes increased by 8 percent, and a whole lot of those cigarette ends are ending up as trash. Since most of our litter eventually ends up in waterways, cigarette ends can surely pollute the surrounding environment. “It only takes a single cigarette end to pollute a liter of water,” TerraCycle founder, Tom Szaky, said. “Animals can also mistake littered cigarette ends for food.”

So how do you go about turning all those poisonous ends into something useful? TerraCycle does this by first breaking them down into separate parts. They mix the remaining materials, such as the tobacco and the paper, with other kinds of rubbish, and use it on non-agricultural land, such as golf courses. The filters (过滤嘴) are a little harder. To recycle these, TerraCycle first makes them clean and cuts them into small pieces, and then combines them with other recycled materials, making them into liquid for industrial plastic products.

They’re now also expanding their recycling offerings to the rest of the 80 percent of household waste that currently can’t be recycled, such as chocolate packaging, pens, and mobile phones. The goal is to use the latest research to find a way to stop so much waste ending up in landfill (垃圾填埋), and then get companies to provide money for the process. And so far, it’s working.

“We haven’t found anything that we can’t recycle,” communications director of Terra Cycle, Albe Zakes, said. “But with the amount and variety of packaging and litter in the world, we are always looking for new waste streams to address.”

1.What does Terra Cycle intend to do?

A. Search for recyclable materials for use.

B. Deal with as many cigarette ends as possible.

C. Produce new kinds of industrial plastic products.

D. Recycle what used to be considered unrecyclable.

2.The underlined word “trash” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.

A. rubbish B. poison

C. disaster D. ruin

3.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A. The effective use of cigarette ends.

B. The process of recycling cigarette ends.

C. The difficulty in recycling cigarette ends.

D. The reason for breaking down cigarette ends.

4.What Albe said in the last paragraph implies that ______.

A. there is more and more waste to be recycled

B. it is difficult for TerraCycle to recycle everything

C. TerraCycle is trying to meet the challenge of new waste

D. TerraCycle has successfully recycled a large amount of waste

The Benefits of Keeping a Journal

If you want to grow, one important thing you should do is keeping a journal. It may seem simple, but it can make a big difference in your life. I have been keeping journals for years. Writing all the lessons I learn and all the ideas I get has become a habit for me. And to be honest, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without it.1.

It prevents you from losing an idea. Have you ever got an idea only to lose it later because you didn’t write it down? 2..But then I developed the habit of writing down every idea that came into my mind as soon as possible. If I’m away from my computer, I usually write it down on a piece of paper that I bring wherever I go. I will then transfer the idea to the journal in my computer.

It helps you review all the lessons you’ve learned. By reviewing your journal, you can quickly see the lessons you’ve learned and the ideas you’ve got. 3. You can use the ideas to push yourself forward.

4.After keeping a journal for years, you can look back at it and see how far you’ve gone. Things that were big problems in the past might seem small today. The raw ideas you had in the past might have been realized today.

It helps you expand your idea. When you try to come up with a sentence to express an idea, you are thinking actively about it. 5. In the end, you will expand your ideas.

A. I often experienced that myself.

B. It trains you to express your thoughts.

C. It allows you to see your progress over time.

D. Just use whatever tool you feel comfortable with.

E. Here are some benefits you will get by keep a journal.

F. Thinking actively helps you connect your idea to another idea.

G. Then you can do whatever necessary to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Red wolves used to be a common sight across the southeastern United States.But today,there are just 50 left in the wild.

The red wolf is one of the most endangered wild canine species(犬科动物)in the world.In the past five years, the species' population in the wild has dropped by half.The US Fish and Wildlife Service had been working for decades to reintroduce the species into the wild,but the organization recently put the program on hold.

According to Cindy Dohner,the southeast regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service,the agency is focusing on "our commitment to get the science right and rebuild trust with our neighbors in those communities as we address problems regarding the recovery of the red wolf."But the animal-rights group Defenders of Wildlife said on its website that the decision made by the Fish and Wildlife Service "falls well short of what is needed to continue red wolf recovery."

The red wolf was declared an endangered species in 1967.By 1980,it had been hunted to extinction(灭绝)in the wild.Some hunters thought the red wolves were coyotes(土狼), so most people killed them because they believed wolves were dangerous and would attack people.This wrong belief has made it difficult to restore the species, because people are afraid to have red wolves reintroduced near human communities.

Experts say that one way to fight these fears is simply to teach people about red wolves.In reality,they are shy animals that they don't get close to humans and hunt mostly at night.According to the Fish and Mildlife Service, captive breeding centers in the US are home to about 200 red wolves.But without continued efforts from the government and private groups,red wolves will continue to suffer.

1.The underlined phrase "put...on hold" in Paragraph 2 probably means “ ”.

A. paused B. promoted

C. overlooked D. accomplished

2.What does Defenders of Wildlife think of the Fish and Wildlife Service's decision?

A. Practical. B. Annoying.

C. Satisfactory. D. Disappointing.

3.The trouble in reintroducing red wolves near human communities lies in____.

A. humans' over-hunting

B. fears in human beings

C. shortage of food in the wild

D. lack of governmental support

4.What can we know about red wolves from the text?

A. They don't hunt in the daytime at all.

B. Their total population in the world is only 50.

C. They keep away from humans due to shyness.

D. They are dangerous because they attack people.

Ways to be safe in school

School safety issues involve more than violence. It may also address such concern as natural disasters, illness, fire and local emergencies. 1.

Have a plan

Teachers and students should know where to go and what to do in case of a school security situation. 2. Schools can also post guidelines in each classroom with simple pictures pointing out emergency exits, fire extinguishers (灭火器), and other emergency equipment.

Screen visitors

3. Give school visitors temporary badges (证章) to identify them. Install cameras at all entrances and restrict access as much as possible. Ask teachers and hall monitors to stop anyone in the halls without appropriate identification.

Panic buttons

Provide teachers with panic button in classroom so they can ask for help immediately. Provide clear and brief instructions about use and immediate response when .started. 4.

Establish a hotline

Establish a hotline so students can report crimes and threats anonymously (匿名地). Post the number in obvious locations so students can see it on a regular basis. 5. Establish a student disciplinary committee, and develop peer counseling programs for newcomers and victims of bullying (欺负).

A. Teachers and students should be certain that immediate help will arrive.

B. Visitors are not allowed to enter schools.

C. Students may report crimes and threats more quickly without being identified.

D. Require that all visitors enter the security office and explain why they are there.

E. It is said that about 16,000 students die in school accidents every year in China.

F. So what can we do to make the school a safer place?

G. Just as schools practice fire drills, they can conduct safety drills.

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