Cambridge Dictionary has named 'up cycling' as its Word of the Year 2019.
Upcycling was chosen as the 'Word of the Day' which resonated （共鸣）most strongly with followers on the Dictionary's Instagram account. The noun— explained as the activity of making new furniture, objects, etc. out of old or used things or waste material — received more likes than any other 'Word of the Day' when shared on 4 July 2019. The number of times upcycling has been looked up on the Cambridge Dictionary website has risen by 181% since December of 2011, when it was first added to the online dictionary, and searches have doubled in the last year alone.
"We think it's the positive idea behind upcycling that appeals more than the word itself," said Wendalyn Nichols, Publishing Manager of the Cambridge Dictionary. "Stopping the progress of climate change, let alone turning it around, can seem impossible at times. Upcycling is a specific action a single human being can take to make a difference. "  "Lookups of upcycling reflect the trend around individual actions to combat climate change—the youth activism started by Greta Thunberg； the growing trends of vegan and plant-based diets； reading and following the handbook There is No Planet B ； or fashion designers upcycling clothes to create their latest collections."
Other words on the shortlist for Word of the Year 2019 reflect the same concern with the effects of climate change, such as carbon sink （碳汇）and compostable （可降解的）.
The Cambridge Dictionary editors use data from the website, blogs, and social media to identify and rank new additions to the Dictionary. They recognized upcycling as a word to include after noticing a sharp rise in searches for the word in 2010. Cambridge University Press has been publishing dictionaries for learners of English since 1995. Cambridge Dictionary began offering these dictionaries completely free of charge online in 1999.
28. What does the word "upcycling" refer to?
A. The activity of reusing old things or waste material.
B. The activity of making new items out of old or used things.
C. The activity of preventing the global climate change.
D The activity of collecting old or used things from individuals.
29. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A. Upcycling is about some measures to change the climate.
B. Lookups of upcycling is the trend to change the climate.
C. Upcycling tells people how to protect environment.
D. Upcycling and searches for the word show a positive idea or trend.
30. What does the underline word "combat" mean in the third paragraph?
A. Fight against.        B. Follow.       C. Observe.           D. Increase.
31. Which of the following is TRUE about the Cambridge Dictionary?
A. It is free of charge for learners of English since 1995.
B. It chose more than one word as its Word of the Year 2019.
C. Upcycling was added to it as a new word after 2010.
D. It means to include all the words related to environment.
 
【解析】
【分析】
本文是一篇说明文，讲述了《剑桥字典》将“upcycling”命名为2019年度词汇的原因和过程以及背后反映的深层社会背景。
【28题详解】
词义猜测题。第一段“The noun— explained as the activity of making new furniture, objects, etc. out of old or used things or waste material — received more likes than any other 'Word of the Day' when shared on 4 July 2019.” 这个名词被解释为用旧的或用过的东西或废料制造新家具、物品等的活动，在2019年7月4日被分享时，比任何其他的“每日词汇”都受到更多的喜爱。可知“up cycling”的意思是用旧的或用过的东西做新东西的行动。故选B项。
【29题详解】
主旨大意题。第三段第一句“"We think it's the positive idea behind upcycling that appeals more than the word itself," said Wendalyn Nichols, Publishing Manager of the Cambridge Dictionary. "” 我们认为，正是upcycling背后的积极理念，比这个词本身更有吸引力。可知本段主要讲述了upcycling和搜索单词显示一个积极的想法或趋势。故选D项。
【30题详解】
词义猜测题。第三段前文提到“Stopping the progress of climate change, let alone turning it around, can seem impossible at times.” 停止气候变化进程，更不用说扭转它，有时似乎是不可能的。可知人们对待气候变化的态度是敌对的，是希望应对阻止气候变化的，再根据选项，可以推断combat的意为对抗。故选A项。
【31题详解】
细节理解题。根据最后一段“The number of times upcycling has been looked up on the Cambridge Dictionary website has risen by 181% since December of 2011”可知在2010年之后，upcycling作为一个新词被加入其中。故选C项。
【点睛】在阅读中我们经常会考查猜测词义题。事实上，阅读材料中的每个词与它前后的词语或句子甚至段落都有联系。运用逻辑推理猜测词义是使用最广考查最多也最易失分的猜词方式,这要求考生具备整合分散、复杂信息的能力,充分利用上下文(各种已知信息)并结合具体的语境推测、判断某些词或短语的词义。如第3小题,第三段前文提到“Stopping the progress of climate change, let alone turning it around, can seem impossible at times.” 停止气候变化的进程，更不用说扭转它，有时似乎是不可能的。可知人们对待气候变化的态度是敌对的，是希望阻止气候变化的，再根据选项，可以推断combat的意为对抗。故选A项。