Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to electronic products that are no longer usable. This can include TVs, cell phones and computers and other office electronics, electronic toys and videos machines. Today, the average turnover(更换)rate for a computer in the United States is every two years, according to the environmental group, Greenpeace.

The group's Dai Yun says e-waste is a global problem. "The electronic industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The high speed of growth in this industry means more and more electronic products are being wasted and thrown away. If no one decides to retrieve the old products and process them properly, the electronic waste will sweep over the earth like the huge wave behind me and pollute the Earth seriously."

Greenpeace works out that 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are produced globally each year. The components(部件)in many electronic products contain harmful chemicals that pollute ground water and the environment.

At present , the U.S. has no federal law for the disposal (处理) of e-waste although a few states have e-waste recycling programs in place, but there is no law. The U.S. exports much of its e-waste to third world countries, such as India and China, where workers took apart computers for valuable parts, hoping to sell them for money. But harmful wastes expert, Dr. Bakul Rao, says that's a dangerous practice. "From now on, the recyclers are not very educated. All they know is they can retrieve copper or gold out of it. So, the easiest way to do that is leach (过滤) it out in an acid or burn it off to retrieve it. So, that's where they don't know how to deal with it, neither do they have any health systems in place. So, their exposure is more."

What does the underlined word "retrieve" (paragraph 2) probably mean?

A. look into   B. take apart   C. get back   D. throw away

What of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. The U.S. has strict national laws for dealing with e-waste.

B. Third world countries import e-waste to get valuable parts, which is a safe and easy way to make money.

C. The way uneducated workers deal with old computers does great harm to the environment as well as to their own health.

D. More and more electronic waste is being wasted and thrown away mainly because of people's bad habits.

What is the purpose of writing the passage?

A. To attract more people's attention to e-waste.

B. To call on people not to throw away e-waste anywhere.

C. To tell people what e-waste is and how to deal with it well.

D. To warn people to break away from the electronic industry.

The next paragraph probably concerns ___.

A. how to deal with e-waste properly

B. how to protect ourselves from harm by e-waste

C. How to slow down the development in the electronic industry

D. how to make full use of e-waste

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.

"I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生)," said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. "I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate".

At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术)make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. "There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years," he said. "Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years."

However, many scientists who specialize in ageing are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.

Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. "It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?" said Leonard Pooh, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology(老龄学) Center. "At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all."

1.By saying "we are knocking at the door of immortality", Michael Zey means ________.

A.they believe that there is no limit of living

B.they are sure to find the truth about long living

C.they have got some ideas about living forever

D.they are able to make people live past the present life span

2.Donald Louria's attitude towards long living is that ________.

A.people can live from 120 to 180 years

B.it is still doubtful how long humans can live

C.the human body is designed to last about 120 years

D.it is possible for humans to live longer in the future

3.The underlined "it"(paragraph 4)refers to ________.

A.a great push

B.the idea of living beyond the present life span

C.the idea of living from 200 to 300 years

D.the conservative estimate

4.What would be the best title for this text?

A.Living Longer or Not

B.Science, Technology and Long Living

C.No Limit for Human Life      

D.Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living

 

“Just take a deep breath.” “Don’t think about it.” “You’re more likely to die in a car wreck on the way to the airport than you are in a plane crash.” These are just some words given to people with a fear of flying. But as Tom Cruise, playing Lt. Daniel Kaffee in the movie A Few Good Men, said, “I get sick when I fly because I’m afraid of crashing into a large mountain. I don’t think Daniel will help.”

But there’s a new application that just may. Today, the VALK Foundation, a Dutch group that’s a partnership between KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the University of Leiden, launches the app in the US. The VALK Foundation was one of the first centers for research and fear-of-flying treatment in the world and is the organizer of three world conferences on fear of flying.The foundation said the app, called Flight App VALK, is the first scientifically-developed, web-based treatment for people who suffer from mild to moderate fear of flying.

“The fear of flying application we have created aims to transfer all of the knowledge we have developed through our program into a mobile application that will help ease travelers’ fears,” said Dr. Lucas van Gerwen, director of the VALK Foundation. Dr. van Gerwen is also a psychologist and professional pilot with more than 30 years experience.

The foundation said up to 30% of adults are fearful fliers. The Flight App is designed to help relax passengers before and during flights by educating users about flight safety and turbulence. It explains the sounds and sensations they can expect during departure, flight and landing. And, if a passenger’s flight stress reaches a panic level, they press a special panic button which provides audio and written information to help decrease stress levels. Most importantly, the Flight App can be used during the flight in the airplane mode. Once downloaded, the program does not require Internet connection in the air.

1.By saying the words at the beginning of the passage, people are expected to ______.

A.decrease their fear of flying

B.get rid of their doubt about plane

C.have a good time on their flight journey

D.use some medicine to cure their fear of flying

2.Flight App VALK is aimed to ______.

A.help passengers experience the fear of flying

B.help relax passengers before and during flights

C.treat people who suffer from mild fear of flying

D.teach people the basic knowledge of taking flight

3.According to the passage, the VALK Foundation ______.

A.is a group focusing on psychology on the flight

B.was the first center to do research into fear of flying

C.organize the world conferences on fear of flying annually

D.focuses on researching and offering treatment on fear of flying

4.What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A.Many adults are suffering from fear of flying

B.It’s convenient for people to use the Flight App

C.Many planes will be installed with the Flight App.

D.The Flight App can decrease stress levels effectively

5.In which column of a newspaper can we read this passage?

A.Culture           B.Entertainment      C.Technology        D.Education

 

Grace Kane hangs onto an Olympic dream of clinging to a granite (花岗岩) wall by her fingertips 70 feet from the ground. The fearless girl is only 10, but already has scaled great heights in the sport of rock climbing.

Last week, Kane won a bronze in the 11­and­younger sport class at the USA Climbing Youth National Championships in Atlanta. She was the only competitor of the 31 there with no climbing coach or top­flight facilities in which to train. Climbing will become an exhibition at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. The hope of enthusiasts is that the sport will gain full status in 2020.“I’m already training for that,” said Kane. “Climbing is my passion, my love, and I want to make something of it.”

Her dad took her to climb rocks on her fourth birthday for the first time and today he can’t keep up with her, “It’s the freedom to let loose,” she said. “When I’m up there, I’m so focused and don’t hear anything. I always feel comforted knowing people are supporting me.”

The bronze in Atlanta qualified Kane for the USA team and November’s International Championships in Ecuador. That’s a trip she might have to miss because it’s too expensive.

Kane held a backyard music concert---she played the guitar and the piano and wrote inspirational songs---and raised $600 for her $1,500 trip to Atlanta. She’s also been sponsored by a shoe company, but must rely heavily on donations from family and friends for travel expenses.

Her mom Heather Kane said the family has chosen “to do whatever we need to help her achieve her goals”. One of Grace’s biggest challenges is finding balance in her life. There’s school, her music and church to fit around climbing.

“Climbing is going to mean sacrificing things other kids might pursue,” Grace said. “But it doesn’t bother me. It’s like playing the piano; you can’t take a break or you’ll lose your touch.”

1.What would be the best title of the passage?

A. Rock climbing gains popularity

B. Grace Kane likes challenges

C.A young climber follows her dream

D. An amazing victory for a young rock climber

2.We can learn from the second paragraph that rock climbing ________.

A. is not an exhibition at the Olympics now

B. is an official event at the Olympics now

C. is not open to children

D. will gain full status in 2020

3.Which of the following is TRUE about Grace Kane?

A. She is only interested in rock climbing.

B. She is a girl with many talents.

C. Rock climbing has affected her study.

D. She has won gold medals in several matches.

4.One of Grace’s biggest challenges is to ________.

A. find a capable coach for her

B. get qualified for the USA team

C. raise enough money for International competitions

D. keep balance between rock climbing and other activities

 

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