The Dead Sea

At 430 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is Earth's lowest point on land. It is popular for its wonderful buoyancy*. The high salt content makes swimming more like floating.

Now the Dead Sea is actually dying. People are using water from the Jordan River, which takes water away from the Dead Sea. Since 1930, its surfing area has reduced by almost 40 percent.

Venice, Italy

With waterways instead of streets. This "Floating City" has attracted visitors for centuries. But no visit to Venice is complete without a ride on one of its famous gondolas, human powered water taxis. Water creates Venice. But water will also kill the city.

Built on soft earth, Venice has slowly been sinking for centuries. Now, with

rising sea levels caused by human activities, it's sinking faster. The city may disappear in the next 100 years.

Great Barrier Reef

Covering more than 2,300 kilometers of Australia's northeast coast, Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest reef ecosystem, and an ideal place for scuba divers*. Thousands of colorful coral and fish make homes in the blue sea water. It's like a big underwater party!

Sadly, the party might be over soon. The reef is dying. Human activities are

changing the weather. Warming ocean water kills the coral, and this causes problems up the food chain. The reef system might be gone by 2030.

【1】If you swim in the Dead Sea, it’s easy to _______?

A.Float in the water .B.Sink in the water.

C.Disappear in the water.D.Kill in the water.

【2】Which of the following is the shared cause of the problems all the three places are facing?

A.Water loss.B.Sea pollution.

C.Warming seas.D.Human activities.

【3】If Tom wants to visit all the following places before they are gone, and he can only afford one in the next 10 years, where must he go?

A.The Dead Sea.B.Venice.C.Italy.D.Great Barrier Reef

To help people figure this out, China’s tech companies are giving a hand. For example, if you want to know which bin your wet wipes (濕巾) should go in, you can just open a mini app (小程序) in WeChat or Alipay and look for “wet wipes”. The app will give you the answer right away. Soon, you might do it in an easier way. Maybe you can just take a photo of the garbage and then be told where it should go.

This kind of technology is called image recognition (圖像識別). It uses artificial intelligence (AI, 人工智能). Many companies around the world are making garbage-sorting robots that use this technology. For example, AMP Robotics in the US has made a robot that can sort food and drink packages . By “seeing” pictures on the packaging, the robot will pick up the trash and put it in the right place.

The future of garbage-sorting looks good. But it’s not the best way. The best thing we can do is to make less garbage in the first place.

Four kinds of garbage in Shanghai

【1】Why is the question “Which is the right bin for my garbage?” the most asked one in Shanghai?

A.Because Shanghai has the most garbage in China.

B.Because Shanghai started a new garbage-sorting program in 2019.

C.Because people in Shanghai are fond of asking questions.

D.Because people in Shanghai don’t know about garbage.

【2】Which of the following is true?

A.Dog waste and paper are wet garbage.

B.Peel and batteries are harmful garbage.

C.Lamp and plastics are recyclable.

D.Clothes and glass bottles are recyclable.

【3】If you are confused about how to sort garbage properly, you may ________.

A.Go to China’s high tech companies and ask for help.

B.Take a photo of it and send it to the high-tech company.

C.Open a mini app in WeChat or Alipay and look for answers

D.Buy a robot and ask him to do it for you.

【4】According to the writer, the best way to deal with the garbage problem is ________.

A.to make less garbage

B.to sort garbage in a proper way

C.to educate people to know the types of garbage

D.to develop high technology to sort garbage

【題目】— What's it in the bottle?
— It is full of water.
A.is interested in
B.is friendly to
C.is filled with

A. comes B. came C. will come D. come

A. or B. so C. but D. and

【題目】I don't think he is stupid. On the contrary, he is clever.
A.foolish
B.wise
C.kind

—Not really. I just stayed at the hotel and watched TV.

A. something special B. special something C. anything special

—I think Jim is.

A. stronger B. strongest C. the strongest

—I love her. She is really ______. She always has a smile on her face.

A. funny B. friendly C. Serious

Chinese video sharing APP, Douyin is denying reports that British cartoon character Peppa Pig has been cancelled from the platform（平臺）because of some bad influences, reports China National Radio. The Peppa Pig cartoon has been a big hit since it first landed in China in 2015. Episodes（片段） of the show have been watched billions of times on television.

News 2

On Wednesday, China announced plans to increase taxes（稅）on $50 billion of U.S. goods. The Chinese measures would increase tariffs（關(guān)稅）by 25 percent on 106 products, such as soybeans,airplanes and cars. The Associated Press（美聯(lián)社）said the list includes the biggest U.S. exports to China.

News 3

Wildlife researchers in Georgia and Florida are concerned（關(guān)心）about the population of endangered whales（鯨）. The winter birthing season just ended, but no newborn whales have been reported. There are about 450 North Atlantic whales.

Since last December, researchers have been looking for newborns off the coasts of Georgia and Florida. Each winter, female whales swim to the area to give birth in warmer waters, usually from early December to late March.

News 4

An American company says it has completed the first allowed 3D printed homes in the United States. The home was shown to reporters and visitors at the South by Southwest technology meeting and music festival. The event took place earlier this month in Austin,Texas.

【1】What is Peppa Pig according News 1?

A.A Chinese cartoon character.B.A British cartoon character.

C.A British book.D.A pig from Britain.

【2】What is the meaning of exports in Chinese?

A.進(jìn)口B.出口C.贈送D.投資

【3】How long will female whales give birth each year?

A.Three months.B.One month.C.Two months.D.Four months.

【4】Which of the following is TRUE according to these news?

A.Peppa Pig is not popular in China at all.

B.People can see the 3D printed homes everywhere in the U.S..

C.The population of endangered whales may be smaller than before.

D.All the goods from the U.S will be more expensive in China than before.