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Highlights of the Current Affairs
Loneliness economy
China’s younger generations are driving up the value of the country’s industry. In recent years, businesses built around loneliness have appeared and boomed in China, presenting single people with the services they need. As furry animals occupy the personal lives of more and more people, the industrial chain established around pets is starting a market that might soon be worth hundreds of billions of yuan.
Following the catering industry, shopping and housekeeping services which turned to the Internet for modern solutions, the pet industry is also offering creative services, such as a call-out vet (兽医) service.
Alipay adds beauty filters (美颜) to face-scan
The Chinese mobile payment application, Alipay launched a new update that included “beauty filter” into its face-scan payment system. The “beauty filters”, which beautify users when they make payments via the application, have been well received by the market.
A survey run by news portal Sina Technology showed that more than 60% of respondents think they look uglier through the face-scan payments method than on a regular camera. The number of women users, in particular, increased by 123 percent after this technique appeared.
Future pocket money
Research has found that 84% of British parents currently give notes and coins to their children. But banks predict that by 2028 only one in ten businesses will be with cash. Children may not understand the value of cash because they never see it. Parents face a dilemma —— finding a new way to offer pocket money, or maybe not bothering to pay it at all. But whatever method a parent chooses to adopt, they need to teach their kids that money doesn’t grow on trees!
1. What’s the purpose of the passage?A. To introduce the latest news. B. To attract attention to Alipay.C. To predict the disappearance of cash. D. To promote the economic development.2. With the economy booming, which of the following can be available?A. Beauty filters can make women more beautiful.B. Youngsters can ask for a call-out service for pets.C. Single people can get furry animals treated for free.D. Alipay can be turned to for getting rid of loneliness.3. How can parents help their kids learn about money?A. Encourage children to visit banks.
B. Give notes to their children as pocket money.
C. Teach children healthy attitudes to money.
D. Guide children to use Alipay face-scan payment.
B
One year, a newspaper of the United States published an announcement—the Horticultural ( 园 艺 ) Institute offered a reward at a high price for the pure white marigold (金盏花). The high reward attracted so many people, but in nature besides being golden, the marigold is brown; it is not easy to create the white one. So after they were excited for a time, many people forgot that announcement.
One normal day after 20 years, the Horticultural Institute accidentally received a letter and 100 seeds of pure white marigold. On that day the news spread like wildfire. The person who did that turned out to be an old woman of over 70 years old. The institute had always been hesitating over the fact that the letter stated with certainty that the seeds could bloom(开花) and the flowers were the pure white marigolds.
Those seeds finally took root in the earth. The wonder appeared after one year: large fields of the pure white marigold swung in the light wind. As a result, the old woman became a new focus.
Originally, the old woman was just a flower-lover. When she happened to read the announcement 20 years ago, her heart kept beating wildly. But her eight children all opposed her decision. After all, a woman who never knew the seed genetics(遗传学) couldn't complete what the experts could never accomplish! Still, the old woman didn't change her mind and went on working without hesitation. She planted some of the most common seeds and took good care of them. A year later, when the marigold bloomed, she chose the lightest one from those golden and brown flowers and made it wither (凋谢) naturally in order to get the best seed. The next year, she again grew them and chose the lightest from these flowers to plant ... Year after year, through many cycles of spring sowing and autumn harvest, the old woman's husband died; her children flew far and high; a lot of things happened in her life but only the desire to grow the pure white marigold took root in her heart. Finally, after 20 years on the day we all know, in the garden, she saw a marigold, which was not nearly white but as white as silver or snow.
Such a difficult problem as even experts couldn't cope with was readily solved by an old woman who didn't understand genetics. Was it a wonder? Make it take root in the heart and even the most common seed can grow into a wonder!
4.Why was a great reward offered by the Horticultural Institute?
A.It was very difficult to develop the pure white marigold
B.The pure white marigold was more beautiful in nature
C.White flowers could be sold at a higher price
D.Scientists wanted to know how the marigold grew in nature
5.What can we know about the old woman from the passage?
A.She was 70 when she first read the announcement.
B.She sent pure white marigold flowers to the institute.
C.She got professional support from scientists.
D.She kept trying for years before she succeeded.
6. The underlined word “readily” in the last paragraph probably means “ ”.
A. honestly B. quickly C. easily D. luckily
7.What is the best title for the text?
A. Seeds Take Root in the Heart B. White Marigold is Never Alone
C. Marigolds Grow from Bravery D. White Flowers Bring Success
