The first time I entered the busy Chinese hotpot restaurant, I was immediately impressed by the delicious smells and lively chatter. The waiter handed me a menu, but it was mostly written in Chinese,
As the bubbling pot was set
The moment of truth came
I continued to experiment, trying various ingredients and
My beloved grandma, had never left Australia and now never would due to cancer.
Planted
My Nanny has cancer and she will never see the world. Please send her postcards so she can see the world from her armchair. I can offer nothing but gratitude.
I
Finally, about six weeks after my post, a dog-eared,
In the months that followed, thanks to those cards, my Nanny had a private “flight” to board, travelling far and wide, satisfied and
I have
A.calmly | B.anxiously | C.steadily | D.helplessly |
A.swallowed | B.expressed | C.shared | D.forgot |
A.impressed | B.comforted | C.touched | D.hit |
A.put out | B.looked through | C.showed off | D.picked up |
A.agreed | B.regretted | C.resolved | D.promised |
A.tolerance | B.disappointment | C.annoyance | D.anxiety |
A.made up | B.mixed up | C.led to | D.turned to |
A.travel-worn | B.brand-new | C.threatening | D.puzzling |
A.station | B.destination | C.museum | D.shop |
A.accepting | B.accommodating | C.delivering | D.attracting |
A.patient | B.confident | C.grateful | D.peaceful |
A.survived | B.sped | C.failed | D.departed |
A.companion | B.consultant | C.attendant | D.guide |
A.heard | B.collapsed | C.emerged | D.benefited |
A.expectations | B.blessings | C.congratulations | D.cheers |
Biodegradable(可降解的) food packaging is designed to detect to what degree the food has gone bad by changing its color. Best-before labels are often poor predictors of when food becomes dangerous to eat, which can lead to waste and food poisoning, says Benedetto Marelli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. So he and his colleagues tried to create the package that can react to changes in food.
They made four films(膜) similar to plastic package, each consisting of two layers. One layer was made from a protein extracted from silkworm silk, while the other was made of one of four so-called covalent organic frameworks (COFs). These materials contain carbon and hydrogen, as well as atoms like oxygen or nitrogen, all arranged in a network that allows air and water to go through easily.
After checking the films were non-toxic and strong, the researchers tried to compost(堆肥处理) them. For the best performing film, 50 percent of it degraded after being placed in soil for 30 days, which is comparable to existing biodegradable plastics.
The material also changed colour when immersed in water with different pH values, due to the COF layer’s interaction with the liquid. Because the pH of food increases as it spoils, the researchers tried to use a piece of the film as a colour-changing label attached to a packet of raw chicken. The label started off orange but turned yellow and got 17 percent lighter after 20 hours at 30℃, indicating that the meat had begun to spoil. The researchers also loaded the COF layer with a chemical. After 15 days, so ya beans packaged in the film and left in high heat and humidity went bad, but only a third as much as beans wrapped in traditional plastic.
“For a successful market entry, the material will need to be affordable and easy to produce. The standard for competing with plastic production is very high.” says Marelli.
1.Why did Marelli decide to create the package?A.To improve the biodegradability of food. |
B.To compete with plastic for market share. |
C.To make a breakthrough in biotechnology. |
D.To tackle food waste and enhance food safety. |
A.The functions of films. | B.The categories of films. |
C.The application of films. | D.The composition of films. |
A.It prevents food from spoiling. | B.It shows sensitivity to chemicals. |
C.It has incomparable biodegradability. | D.It is unaffected by unfavorable conditions. |
A.Realistic. | B.Hopeless. | C.Optimistic. | D.Indifferent. |
If someone asked whether you like the arts, you’d probably say you do—at least in theory. According to a survey, more than two-thirds of U.S. adults say the arts “lift me up beyond everyday experiences.” However, only 30 percent attended a concert of any type in 2017; 23 percent went to an art museum. Fewer than half actively created art of any kind.
The mismatch can boil down to the fact that we are weighed down by our day-to-day responsibilities, leaving our schedule packed. Maybe you like to play a little background music while you work or do the chores, but even before the pandemic, most of us rarely, if ever, saw a live performance, let alone visited a gallery or watched a play.
Too often, we let the dull reality of life get in the way of the arts. But this is a mistake. The arts are the opposite of an escape from reality; they might just be the most realistic glimpse we ever get into the nature and meaning of life. If you make time for consuming and producing art—the same way you make time for work and exercise and family commitments—I assure you that you’ll find your life getting fuller and happier. Think of a time when you heard a piece of music and wanted to cry. Or maybe your dizziness as you emerged from a narrow side street in an unfamiliar city and found yourself in a beautiful town square as if in a fantasy. They probably stimulated a sudden awakening, much like the shock from a lungful of pure oxygen after breathing in smoggy air.
If you are among the people who feel that art is pure pleasure to experience and participate in, you might see it as a luxury item, while a preferable attitude is to treat art less like a distracting pleasure, and more like exercise or sleep, a necessity. Then draw up a schedule of your art exposure journey, and gradually weave art into your everyday life.
1.What prevents people from enjoying the arts?A.Shortage of time. | B.Avoidance of duty. |
C.Lack of interest. | D.Art space inaccessibility. |
A.It explores mysteries of life. | B.It sparks emotional responses. |
C.It enhances physical well-being. | D.It offers a getaway from daily life. |
A.Ways to integrate art into routine. | B.Barriers to combine art and life. |
C.Forms of distracting pleasures. | D.Benefits of engaging with art. |
A.Art Journey: Refreshing Soul |
B.Art Pursuit: Transforming Dull into Full |
C.Embracing Art: From Luxury to Necessity |
D.Connecting with Art: From Reality to Fantasy |
I don’t remember when my love of the protected Great Bear Rainforest began — it’s something that’s always been there, even though I haven’t spent longer than a month there in one go. I grew up in a small village by the sea and planned to study marine biology and live out on the water. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, my lack of scientific talent quickly put paid to that idea, but the love of nature remained and has been an anchor (锚) in my life and in my writing.
The Great Bear Rainforest is vast, splendid and wild but also friendly, fun and diverse. I travelled there by myself at the age of 20, planning to spend my 21st birthday camping, and hiking in the forests.
I woke up on my birthday in a tent on the edge of the water. Behind me, the trees of this largely untouched wilderness emerged. Endless carpets of pointed trees reached right down to a thin rocky shore. It seemed there was no way in. This wilderness held its secrets close. Stepping from the beach into the forest, I immediately sensed the history of the area — it felt ancient, and it was impossible not to be humbled.
With a guide for safety, I hiked a few miles through the wilderness. The sounds of the forest were everywhere. Birds sang. Insects buzzed. Something bigger moved through the undergrowth and my guide stopped dead. Listened. My heart was in my mouth. Then, after some invisible signal, my guide relaxed, and we went on.
We continued the hike and emerged onto a cliff with the most breath-taking view I’ve ever seen. From terror to wonder in only a few hundred steps. It was that sense of unsettled ground — of shifting emotion, secrets and awe, beauty and fear — that’s fed my writing across four books, none more so than Children of the Sun, and implanted in me a lifelong love of the wild.
1.What does the underlined phrase “put paid to” in paragraph 1 mean?A.Stimulated. | B.Ended. | C.Supported. | D.Proved. |
A.I was awed by the powerful nature. | B.I became modest after my 21st birthday. |
C.I was attracted by the history of the area. | D.I got curious about the secrets of the forest. |
A.Conservative. | B.Considerate. | C.Practiced. | D.Indecisive. |
A.The passion for nature. | B.The feature of 4 books. |
C.An unforgettable travel experience. | D.A vivid description of mixed emotions. |
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A.Being a green hand. | B.Being stress-resistant. |
C.Being a communicative person. | D.Being available on weekends. |
A.Free dining. | B.Leave with pay. |
C.Stylish clothes. | D.Personalized training. |
A.Excellent hand skills. | B.A strong body. |
C.A tight working schedule. | D.Prior experience. |
What my father wore embarrassed me! I wanted him to dress like a doctor or lawyer, but he always dressed like my father, getting up before dawn every day to make breakfast for my mother and me.
We lived in South Texas, where my father worked as a repairman. He often wore a pair of jeans and a shirt, keeping his pencils, glasses and wrenches (扳手) in his breast pocket. His boots were those with steel toes that made them difficult to pull off his feet, which I sometimes helped him with when he returned from repairing cars — his job that also shamed me.
I blamed the way he dressed. I felt that my classmates laughed at me because they’d seen him mowing lawns (修剪草坪) in cut-off jeans and black boots. My classmates’ families paid men to beautify their lawns, while their fathers travelled in the bay wearing lemon-yellow sweaters and expensive shoes.
He preferred clothes that allowed him the freedom to move under cars. So even when taking part in a school trip with me, he was dressed in his repairman’s suit. On the school bus to the campsite, all students on the bus happily chatted with their parents except me, who lowered the head, avoiding spotting my classmates’ mocking glance (讥笑的眼光) or hearing their jokes, which I thought was about nothing else but what my father wore.
I regretted telling my parents the school trip, and I was very angry why my mother had no spare time while my father happened to have a vacation. But my father failed to read my mind. He was very happy, whistling a tune along the way.
Though my father didn’t sense my bad mood, the school bus seemed as sad as I was. It drove more and more slowly and finally it stopped on the roadside. The driver got out to check the bus but found nothing wrong. Students and parents on the bus began to whisper about what was happening, worried that the delay might spoil the journey.
When others were complaining, my father stood up.
The school bus restarted and everyone cheered.
The Science of Risk-Seeking
Sometimes we decide that a little unnecessary danger is worth it because when we weigh the risk and the reward, the risk seems worth taking.
The reason why any of us take any risks al all might have to do with early humans. Risk-takers were better at hunting, fighting, or exploring.
So why aren’t we all jumping out of airplanes then? Well, even 200,000 years ago, too much risk-taking could get one killed. A few daring survived, though, along with a few stay-in-the-cave types. As a result, humans developed a range of character types that still exists today. So maybe you love car racing, or maybe you hate it.
No matter where you are on the risk-seeking range, scientists say that your willingness to take risks increases during your teenage years.
As experts continue to study the science of risk-seeking, we’ll continue to hit the mountains, the waves or the shallow end of the pool.
A.It all depends on your character. |
B.Those are the risks you should jump to take. |
C.Being better at those things meant a greater chance of survival. |
D.Thus, these well-equipped people survived because they were the fittest. |
E.This is when you start to move away from your family and into the bigger world. |
F.However, we are not all using the same reference standard to weigh risks and rewards. |
G.New brain research suggests our brains work differently when we face a nervous situation. |
Yours,
Li Hua
Chinese screen, also known as pingfeng, is
With its roots in Chinese culture and ancient history, the screen is more than just a physical barrier or decoration. In addition to its decorative and practical
Today, Chinese screens are still treasured and employed for their multiple roles. Whether