Bad environments kill many
IT has become common sense that bad environments do harm to human beings and that’s why we need to protect our environment. But what damage could a worsening environment do to our health?
Nearly one in four deaths worldwide have been linked to unhealthy environments and are avoidable, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released on March 15.The report suggests that environmental risks now contribute to more than 100 of the world’s most dangerous diseases and injuries, and kill 12.6 million people a year.
Environmental risks include pollution, climate change, fast urbanization (城市化), unsafe use of chemicals and access to weapons (武器). If we don’t take action, millions will continue to die, said Margaret Chan, the WHO’s Director-General.
How I helped out abroad
I’VE learned that you have to take the initiative if you want to get anywhere. If you just let other people decide what is going to happen for you, then all your goals and dreams may never be achieved.
Everyone always says that studying abroad in college can change your life. I made the decision to experience it for myself during my junior year【大三】. I chose to study in the Dominican Republic. As 【随着】it got closer to the deadline, an advisor told me I had received a scholarship from an alumni (校友) family foundation (基金).
During my first semester in the country I fell in love. I was becoming bilingual (双语的) but also learning so much about a new culture. I had begun working with a local grassroots (草根) organization, taking part in a project supporting an underdeveloped community just outside the city. My main role was to become aware of the issues facing populations such as these and support community education. I was in no way ready to leave this new life. I felt as if I needed more time to get what I wanted.
As the next semester began, I realized again that I needed to take a chance. I got involved with a local boarding school for girls living in poverty. I first approached the head of the school to volunteer to teach music classes, asking for money from my college church. I could have never predicted the results of this small action. Another volunteer and I were able to put together a benefit (义演) to show off what the students had learned. We invited community members, friends and other students from local universities to support the girls. We also sold art that the students themselves had created to increase the funding (资助) of the arts program. I felt good when I left, knowing that I had laid the foundation for a good cause and bettered the lives of young girls.
There will always be people that think they know what is best for you, but you ultimately know what you want in life. My time in the Dominican Republic changed my life by giving me the realization of how fortunate I am and the fact that there is always a chance to give back. You have to go after anything and everything you desire or there may be a missed opportunity. My trip to Santo Domingo taught me to take advantage of new possibilities.
By Melissa Chapman,
Tribune News Service
Choose the best answer:
1. The article mainly tells us ______.
A. how the author helped poor girls in a local boarding school
B. that studying abroad gave the author life-changing opportunities
C. that the author chose to study abroad to follow other people’s examples
D. how the author learned about the issues facing people in the Dominican Republic
2. In her first semester in the Dominican Republic, the author ______.
A. couldn’t fit in well with the school or life there
B. started a project in an underdeveloped community
C. was unsure if she should stay for another semester
D. became absorbed in a new culture and a new language
3. From Paragraph 4, we can learn that ______.
A. the results of her voluntary work were beyond her expectations
B. the students organized an event to raise money all by themselves
C. the author was appointed as a music teacher in a girls’ boarding school
D. the author set up a foundation with the funding of her college church
4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. The author feels pity for people who live in the Dominican Republic.
B. The author will live in the Dominican Republic in the future.
C. The author is grateful for her experience in Santo Domingo.
D. We should accept others’ advice if they think they know what is best for us.
Will AI rule us all?
Humans and robots may work together in the future.AP
“人机大战”引热议：人工智能会取代人类吗？
擂 场：东北师范大学附属中学
指导老师：王春莹
组织学生：赵文轩
EDITOR’S note: On March 15, the matches between AlphaGo, an artificial intelligence (AI, 人工智能) machine built by Google, and South Korean Go (围棋) grandmaster Lee Se-dol ended. The machine defeated Lee 4-1. The competition inspired many people to think about this question: Will AI replace humans in the future? What do you think?
YES
Li Haoming, 18:
I think that AI will replace humans one day. First, as technology advances, AI will become smarter and smarter. Second, without emotions, AI is stricter and more accurate in its work, making it far superior to humans. If there were conflicts between AI and humans, it would be likely that AI would win.
Zhao Wenxuan, 18:
I predict that AI will replace human beings. First, some scientists’ arrogant (傲慢的) attitudes toward AI may cause them not to work wholeheartedly. Second, it’s possible for AI machines to reproduce themselves and form their own society. It could be really difficult for humans to control AI.
NO
Li Heming, 17:
Although AI is good at rational (理性的) actions such as calculating, humans’ emotions such as love and compassion can never be replaced by AI. What’s more, AI machines rely heavily on resources like electricity, which could limit their activities.
Sun Zheng, 18:
Though I have to admit that AI is unbelievably strong, I still believe that human beings are more creative and imaginative than AI. The perfect move made by Lee Se-dol in the fourth match fully proved that humans’ wisdom can’t be replaced by AI. Humans have the ability to think and create, and that is what AI cannot achieve.
Amazing girls take part in contest
高中校园里多姿多彩的女生节活动。
A FEW days ago, our school, The Attached High School to Nankai University, held the Ninth Contest for Girls on International Women’s Day.
There were many well-designed games waiting for girls to take part in. My favorite game was Go Ahead, a quick quiz. After early selections, two or three girls from each class qualified (具有资格) to participate in the final match. Let me tell you what happened.
In the first round, a player from Class One impressed me most with her confidence and knowledge, as she could shout out correct answers within two seconds.
“Where was The Fast and the Furious 3 made?” “Oh! I know! Tokyo!” We were disappointed when the player from Class Eight beat her in the end.
In Round Two, the competition became fiercer. Another player from Class 10, who was also quick-minded, drew our attention.
“Which film directed by Ang Lee won an Oscar?” “Brokeback Mountain!” “Where’s Baotuquan?” “In Jinan!” Unfortunately, she failed when she couldn’t name the capital of Brazil.
The player from Class One, together with the player from Class Eight, eventually won first prize in the contest by giving the name of an actor in the Twilight saga. All the judges and audience members applauded the competitors, showing their appreciation of the contest.
Other games like Write In Pen also attracted many players and audience members, showing off the intelligence of the girls. Because of these activities, all the students in our school realized the power of girls and respected them more than ever.
By He Jieru,
The Attached High School to Nankai University, Tianjin
Day 5 Cloze
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳答案。
The other night, I was eating a plate of noodles and enjoying it. I was out to 1 with a friend. The restaurant was newly opened and highly regarded. Life was good. And the food was 2 .
But then it happened. Again.
“Are you done with that?” the 3 asked, fingers already comfortable with the rim (边缘) of my 4 . “Can I get it out of your way?”
Yes, I had 5 eating; there was no food left in front of me. 6 my friend had not. His meal was only half-consumed.
“No,” I said. “We’re not done eating.”
Without my permission, restaurants have abandoned, or simply overlooked, a classic principle of service etiquette (礼仪). Rather than clear plates once 7 at the table has finished the meal, which has long been the 8 , servers instead hover over diners, until the very instant someone puts down a fork. Like vultures (秃鹫), they then quickly pick up the silverware – along with everything else in front of the 9 .
Those who are still eating are made to feel as though they are holding others up; those who are not are made to feel as though they have 10 the meal. What was originally a group dining experience becomes a group exercise in 11 .
Why the restaurants tend to 12 the service etiquette is unclear. It’s possible that there’s an 13 impetus (推动力) behind it. “The price of land is going up, which pushes up the 14 of each table,” said Cowen. “That makes moving people along more important.”
A similar trend, after all, sees many restaurants hoping that diners don’t 15 dessert, because the course isn’t terribly profitable and it 16 people to hang around. But maybe waiters are clearing individual plates because they 17 that’s what customers want. I have heard as much from servers and restaurateurs.
No excuse, however, should be enough. 18 ,
restaurants might argue that they are trying to avoid clutter (混乱); privately, they might encourage waiters to speed tables along; but what it amounts to is an 19 dining experience.
I might go back for those noodles, because they were delicious. But don’t expect me to talk up the 20 to anyone. It was just okay.
1. A. dinner B. journey C. work D. exercise
2. A. strange B. great
C. enough D. expensive
3. A. server B. friend C. manager D. cleaner
4. A. chair B. table C. fork D. plate
5. A. kept B. started C. finished D. enjoyed
6. A. While B. But C. And D. Still
7. A. someone B. everyone C. anyone D. no one
8. A. law B. trend C. fact D. custom
9. A. customer B. guest C. visitor D. waiter
10. A. paid B. disliked C. skipped D. rushed
11.A. regret B. anger C. guilt D. surprise
12. A. ignore B. improve C. support D. practice
13. A. natural B. environmental C. economic D. social
14. A. size B. value C. benefit D. function
15. A. share B. order C. ask D. book
16. A. shows B. requests C. reminds D. encourages
17. A. doubt B. understand C. believe D. discover
18. A. Publicly B. Officially C. Honestly D. Generally
19. A. interesting B. expensive C. unforgettable D. uncomfortable
20. A. menu B. service C. dessert D. environment
D3：
1. B。本文介绍了作者在多米尼加共和国的留学经历，从事多项志愿者活动及收获。
2. D。根据During my first semester in the country I fell in love. I was becoming bilingual (双语的) but also learning so much about a new culture. 可知。A。B错在started。C根据第三段最后两句可以排除。
3. A。从文中I could have never predicted the results of this small action.可知。B项是我们组织慈善表演活动而非学生自发的；C项作者是毛遂自荐而非被委任为教授音乐； D项基金会不是由教堂支持的，而是多方筹集。
4. C。最后一段讲述了作者留学的收获与感悟，不难推断作者对于在多米尼加共和国的留学经历是很感谢的。
D5:
1. A。由文章的第一句” The other night, I was eating a plate of noodles and enjoying it”看出作者是外出就餐，且全篇也是围绕着当今餐馆里新的变化所讲的，因而选择A选项dinner。
2. B。由文章中的第一句中”enjoying it”看出作者很享受他的食物，因而判断出食物很不错，选择B选项great。
3. A。从后文第六段可以看出现在餐馆里的服务员不等顾客用晚餐就急着收餐具，且后文第六段有对应词”server”，故选择A选项。
4. D。此空的后文” Can I get it out of your way?”中的it是该空对应的。从第六段第二句” Rather than clear plates…”看出餐厅服务员清理的是餐盘，因而选择D选项plate。
5. C。从此空的后面一句” there was no food left in front of me”看出作者已经用完餐了”finished eating”，因此选择C选项。
6. B。此空需要选择一个连词，且前后两句的逻辑关系为转折，因而选择B选项But。While表示“然而”时一般用于对比。Still表示“然而，尽管如此”时一般放在句首，有让步的意味。
7. B。根据前后文的理解可判断出餐厅以前的做法是等所有人都吃完了以后再清理餐具，因此选择B everyone（每个人）。A选项someone表示某个人，C选项anyone表示任何一个，通常用于否定句和疑问句中。
8. D。此空对应第六段第一句中的”a classic principle of service etiquette (礼仪)”，等一桌的客人都吃完再收拾餐具是惯例，因此选择D选项custom。
9. A。从此空前一句”dinner”看出服务员收走的是“用餐者”，即“顾客”的盘子，因此选择A选项customer。B选项guest是客人的意思。C选项visitor表示参观者。
10. D。此空所在的句子和前一句是并列关系，将用晚餐的人和没用晚餐的人的心理状态进行了对比。没用完餐的人感觉耽误了别人的时间，推断出用晚餐的人应当感觉自己加速了用餐速度。”rush”表示“催促，使感到时间紧迫”，因此选择D选项rushed。
11. C。从此空的前一句“没用完餐的人感觉耽误了别人的时间……”判断出，在新的餐厅服务趋势下，顾客是心怀愧疚的，因此选择C选项guilt（内疚的）。
12. A。从第六段第一句可找到对应词”overlook”（忽视），因此选择A选项ignore。
13. C。从此空的后一句” The price of land is going up” （土地费用上涨……）可以看出有经济因素在起作用，因此选择C选项economic。
14. B。从此空的前半句” The price of land is going up” （土地费用上涨）推断出每桌的value（价值）上升了，value与price对应，因此选择B选项value。C选项benefit是好处的意思。
15. B。从此空的后半句可以看出甜点盈利不多，判断出餐馆不希望顾客点甜点，因此选择B选项order。点（饭菜、饮料等）用order，D选项book表示预定（旅馆房间、票等）。
16. D。encourage sb to do 表示鼓励某人做某事，放在文中表示甜品促使顾客在餐馆逗留更长的时间，最符合前后文的语境，因此选择D选项encourages。
17. C。从此空的后一句” I have heard as much from servers and restaurateurs”可以看出作者是听服务员和餐馆老板说的，因此选择C选项believe（相信）最恰当。
18. A。此空所在分句与后一个分句形成对比，推断应为privately（私下地）的反义词，因此选择A选项Publicly。B选项Officially表示官方地。C选项 Honestly表示真诚地。D选项 Generally表示普遍地。
19. D。根据对前文的理解，以及一些关键词例如第二段”Again”（又一次），第六段” Without my permission”（没有经过我的允许）等，判断出餐厅现在的做法给用餐者是负面的体验，因此选择D选项uncomfortable（不舒服的）。
20. B。统观全文，作者讨论的是餐厅在服务方面的变化，且第六段、第八段都提到了”service etiquette”，因此选择B选项service。
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