The idea of turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing is not new. During the past five years, a large number of clothing companies, businesses and environmental organizations have started turning plastics into fabric to deal with plastic pollution. But there’s a problem with this method. Research now shows that microfibers (微纤维) could be the biggest source of plastic in the sea.
Dr. Mark Browne in Santa Barbara, California, has been studying plastic pollution and microfibers for 10 years. He explains that every time synthetic (合成的) clothes go into a washing machine, a large number of plastic fibers fall off. Most washing machines can’t collect these microfibers. So every time the water gets out of a washing machine, microfibers enter the sewer and finally end up in the sea.
In 2011, Browne wrote a paper stating that a single piece of synthetic clothing can produce more than 1,900 fibers per wash. Browne collected samples (样本) from seawater and freshwater sites around the world, and used a special way to examine each sample. He discovered that every single water sample contained microfibers.
This is bad news for a number of reasons. Plastic can cause harm to sea life when eaten. Studies have also shown that plastic can absorb (吸收) other pollutants.
Based on this evidence, it may seem surprising that companies and organizations have chosen to turn plastic waste into clothing as an environmental “solution”. Even though the science has been around for a while, Browne explains that he’s had a difficult time getting companies to listen. When he asked well-known clothing companies to support Benign by Design, his research project that seeks to get clothes that have a bad effect on humans and the environment out of the market, Browne didn’t get a satisfying answer. Only one women’s clothing company, Eileen Fisher, offered Browne funding.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The use of plastic bottle has been reduced in the past five years. |
| B．Turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing hasn’t been put into practice. |
| C．New microfibers have been discovered. |
| D．Making clothes from plastic bottles can’t reduce the pollution. |
| A．The relationship between plastic pollution and microfibers. |
| B．How microfibers end up in the sea. |
| C．How to wash synthetic clothes. |
| D．How to prevent plastic pollution. |
| A．It has achieved great success. | B．It is facing some difficulties. |
| C．It is known to very few people. | D．It hasn’t got anything done. |
| A．Microfibers, the biggest source of plastic in the sea |
| B．Recycled plastic clothing: solution or pollution? |
| C．Environmental protection : moving forward or backward? |
| D．Turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing, a new step in environmental protection |
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【推荐1】Plastic waste has polluted the Arctic. Two new studies have spied bags, fishing rope and tinier bits of rubbish in the Barents Sea. This sea sits north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. It mixes with the Arctic Ocean, which is even farther north.
Plastic waste in the Arctic could harm wildlife and may hint that large volumes of human rubbish are collecting there, says Melanie Bergmann. She is one of the scientists who spotted the waste. She studies Earth’s oceans at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, Germany. She first started counting bits of plastics in the Barents Sea because she kept spotting signs of the stuff there in images taken with deep-sea cameras.
Bergmann and her colleagues counted pieces of plastic from an icebreaker, a boat designed to break through large blocks of ice in very cold waters. They also tracked plastic pieces they saw during helicopter rides over Arctic waters. The team found 31 pieces of plastic. “That doesn’t seem like much, but it shows us that we’ve really got a problem, one that extends even to this remote area, far from civilization,” Bergmann says. She and her colleagues described their findings October 21 in Polar Biology.
Another team has also been counting plastics in the area. Those scientists took water from the Barents Sea and counted the number of smaller bits of plastics, called microplastics.
Plastic in the ocean is dangerous to animals. Some may get caught in rope or bags. And wildlife may swallow bags and other plastic bits. That makes them feel full. But some may eventually starve because they are not getting the nutrients they need to live. Sometimes plastics also may break down in an animal’s body and release poisonous chemicals. If another animal later eats the one that swallowed plastic, it too can end up with poisonous chemicals in its body. This, in turn, can travel up the food web, endangering predators (肉食动物) — even people.
1. What can be learned from Para 1?| A．Europe is surrounded by the Arctic Ocean. |
| B．The Barents Sea is to the north of the Arctic. |
| C．The Arctic Ocean is polluted by plastic rubbish. |
| D．European countries are to blame for the pollution. |
| A．Human rubbish dumped in the sea. |
| B．Pictures taken by deep-sea cameras. |
| C．Sea water taken to the laboratory. |
| D．Wildlife spotted by helicopter. |
| A．Plastic is found in the remote sea. |
| B．The sea is covered with plastic. |
| C．Advanced tools are in great need. |
| D．People suffered from bad weather. |
| A．Animals may get choked by bags or plastic bits. |
| B．Animals may die of hunger if they swallow bags. |
| C．Plastic can release harmful gases to kill animals. |
| D．It is hard for plastic bags and bits to break down. |
【推荐2】Scientists have calculated the total amount of plastic ever made: 8.3 billion tons. Looked at another way, that's as heavy as 25,000 Empire State Buildings or one billion elephants. And incredibly, almost all of it has been made in the last 65 years.
So what's the problem? Much plastic is in the form of packaging which is used just once and then thrown away. According to a major new study from the University of California, 9% of this is recycled, 12% is completely burnt and 79% goes to landfill. And because most plastic is not easily disposed of, once it's in the ground, it stays there.
It's a situation that has led the paper's lead author, ecologist Dr. Roland Geyer, to say that we are “rapidly heading towards ‘Planet Plastic’”. The team behind this report also estimate that eight million tons of plastic waste are escaping into the sea every year. This has caused concern that plastic is entering the food chain, through fish and other sea life which swallow the smaller fragments.
Of course, the reason why there's so much plastic around is that it's an amazingly useful material. It's durable and adaptable, and is used for everything from yoghurt pots to spaceships. But it's exactly this quality which makes it a problem. The only way to destroy plastic is to heat or burn it -although this has the side effect of harmful emissions.
So what's the alternative, other than using less plastic? Oceanographer Dr. Erik van Sebille from Utrecht University says we're facing a “tsunami” of plastic waste, and that the global waste industry needs to “get its act together”.
Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist from Plymouth University, says it's poor design that's at fault. He says that if products are currently designed “with recyclability in mind”, they could be recycled around 20 times over.
1. Where does most plastic waste go?| A．It is completely burnt. | B．It ends up in landfill. |
| C．It is thrown away randomly. | D．It stays in the ground. |
| A．By getting into the deep sea. | B．By being used as useful materials. |
| C．By getting into the food market directly. | D．By being eaten and absorbed by fish. |
| A．Plastic waste has caused tsunami. |
| B．Plastics are currently recycled over 20 times. |
| C．The design of products should be environmentally friendly. |
| D．Global waste industry is to blame for the plastic waste problem. |
| A．Planet Plastic | B．Global Waste Industry |
| C．Recyclability of Plastics | D．Plastic Waste into the Sea |
【推荐3】When you think of the Arctic, you imagine an icy land of pure white snow. Others imagine it as the last really clean place left on earth. We have polluted the deepest oceans with plastic rubbish. “And now”, CNN says, “It's the Arctic's turn.”
German scientists have recently found microplastics (微塑料) in Arctic snow. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Sadly, the scientists found 1800 pieces of microplastics per liter of snow.
How is plastic pollution reaching the Arctic? According to scientists, “It's clear that most of the microplastics in the snow come from the air.” They fall off the plastic objects and are moved by the wind, just like dust. They mix with ice in the air and fall to the ground as snow. Finding these plastics in Arctic snow means that we may breathe them in.
Are they bad for us? Scientists cannot answer this question for now, according to the WHO. We do know that our bodies cannot take in “large” pieces of microplastics. However, if the plastics are small enough, they can find ways into our bodies and stay there for a long time, which can be bad for our health. What's more, earlier studies have shown that microplastics may contribute to lung cancer risk.
Microplastics have also been found in rivers and oceans around the world. Earlier research has found that they flow over long distances and into our oceans, hurting ecosystems along the way. They start in our wastewater, then flow into rivers and out to the sea, where they are eaten by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we're eating the plastic as well.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?| A．The Arctic has been polluted by plastic rubbish |
| B．The Arctic is an icy land of pure white snow. |
| C．The Arctic is a beautiful icy land with clean air. |
| D．The Arctic is the last rally clean place left on earth |
| A．From water. | B．From air. | C．From wind. | D．From food. |
| A．Reduce. | B．Donate. | C．Cause. | D．Help. |
| A．By advising us to drink clean water. |
| B．By asking people not to eat sea animals. |
| C．By showing the beauty of Arctic. |
| D．By telling the seriousness of plastic pollution. |
【推荐1】You may have read that to stay fit and healthy, you need about 30 minutes of exercise each day, at least five days a week. New research suggests that the time we need to spend on daily workouts could be less than that.
Edvard Sagelv, a researcher at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, was part of a team that found being sedentary (久坐的) more than 12 hours a day was associated with a 38 percent higher death risk. This was only the case for individuals who managed less than 22 minutes of medium to high intensive physical activity a day, however, and it is relatively easy to achieve that minimum by taking a brisk (轻快的) walk.
“In research on physical activity, fast walking is estimated to be four kilometres an hour,” he said. Although it may not seem like a lot, it depends on a person’s fitness level. “It is interesting that 4 km/h — a pace achievable for the vast majority of the population — is what it takes to really invest in your physical health,” he added.
For a walk to positively affect your heart, which will then impact your brain and your circulation, you need to “feel it”. To feel the work your body is doing, you need to walk at 4 to 6 kilometres an hour. If you wear a fitness tracker, aim for more than 100 steps a minute.
A recent study published by researchers at the Cambridge University found that just 11 minutes a day of moderate-intensity physical activities — a brisk walk — was enough to lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers.
Lead author Soren Brage was not surprised by the findings. “Doing some physical activities is better than doing none. This is also a good starting position — if you find that 75 minutes a week is manageable, then you could try stepping it up gradually to the full recommended amount,” he said. The point is that a relatively short period of high-intensity exercise isn’t just better than nothing; it has a measurable and positive impact on health.
1. What is the recommended pace for fast walking?| A．7 kilometres per hour. | B．8 kilometres per hour |
| C．9 kilometres per hour. | D．4 kilometres per hour. |
| A．By putting into more effort. | B．By wearing less clothing |
| C．By walking at a quick pace. | D．By joining a group. |
| A．People should exercise 75 minutes a week. |
| B．It pays to increase the intensity of workouts. |
| C．People should stop being sedentary immediately. |
| D．It's important to measure the impact of exercise. |
| A．Reflect the influence of a new study. | B．Share the findings of a new research. |
| C．Assess a research process. | D．Clarify a research method. |
【推荐2】Every so often, a Chinese fashion symbol unknowingly turned the fashion landscape upside down. This time, we unearth the imperial tomb of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi(慈禧)(1835-1908)and find her great passion for luxurious nails.
Ancient Chinese nobles started growing long nails during the Warring States Period to show that they weren’t manual laborers, but it wasn’t until the Ming Dynasty that long nails and nail guards became an important symbol of material prosperity. And the trend reached its peak in the Qing Dynasty, with Cixi as its poster woman. Cixi nurtured a nail length of roughly 20 cm on her ring and pinky fingers and took care of them in gem-laden(镶满宝石), colorful nail guards. During the day, Cixi usually wore nail guards made of gold or silver. According to the memoirs of her maid, before bed, she would switch them into nail pockets made of bright yellow satin(缎子), probably in a motherly manner similar to covering her nail babies into their sleeping bags.
The origins of nail guards began in the Han Dynasty more than 1000 years prior to their mainstream glory. At that time, they weren’t particularly decorative. It wasn’t until the Qing Dynasty that they became as expensive and delicate as people today know them to have been. Common design patterns included plants, flowers, and calligraphy art. Cixi, on the other hand, had unique rights to dragon and phoenix(凤凰)carvings on her nail guards. Needless to say, she didn’t skimp on exercising these rights.
Long nails may no longer be front and center on the fashion stage today. Yet the period drama series like Empresses in the Palace (2011), Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace (2018), and Story of Yanxi Palace(2018)brought in the popularity of the Morandi color palette(莫兰迪调色盘)in China’s nail art circle. Inspired by Italian painter Giorgio Morandi, the manicure(美甲)industry today also adopts a more softened color scheme that gives off a feeling of balance and elegance.
1. What does the writer mainly tell us?| A．The legend of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi. |
| B．The history of long nails and nail guards. |
| C．Long nails plays an important role in period drama series. |
| D．Women in ancient times should wear long nails and nail guards. |
| A．Cixi took off nail guards when she went to bed. |
| B．Nail guards can show the status on the royal ladder in the Han Dynasty. |
| C．Ming and Qing Dynasties had lower degree of acceptance of long nails. |
| D．Cixi can only wear nail guards with dragon and phoenix carvings. |
| A．subscribe to | B．delay | C．be mean with | D．practice |
| A．Fashion nail art will permanently be on the fashion stage. |
| B．The period drama series are very popular today. |
| C．Morandi is a great master in period drama. |
| D．There is still a market for nail art. |
【推荐3】You must have heard about animal migration (迁徙),such as Wildebeests dash across Africa; Monarch butterflies fly across the Americas... But did you know that forests migrate, too?
In his new book The Journeys of Trees, science writer Zach St. George explores an extremely slow migration, as forests creep inch by inch to more pleasant places.
“The migration of a forest is just many trees sprouting (发芽) in the same direction,” St. George writes. “Through the fossils that ancient forests left behind, scientists can track their movement over thousands of years. They move back and forth across continents, sometimes following the same route more than once, like migrating birds or whales.” This has happened over thousands of years, and climate change tends to be the driving force.
Of course, today, climate change is speeding up, and trees can’ t keep pace. Take California for example: It’s getting hotter and drier and scientists estimate that before too long, Sequoia National Park may not be able to keep giant sequoias (巨杉).
“The scientists there had never seen anything like it” St. George says. “They worried, and I think at some point we will lose these ancient trees and that we will have to think about what we do with the places, and whether we should plant new groves where they are easy to grow.”
This is known as “assisted migration” —humans planting trees in other places where they’ re more likely to flourish. But this process carries risks—people can accidentally introduce insects and diseases to new places, where they may wipe out entire native populations. So, St. George writes, there’ s a debate among conservationists and foresters today: Should humans help the trees escape?
“There may be cases where people are probably going to step in and help species move to places where they’ll be more suitable in the future,”St. George says.“So far, there are no huge movements of citizen groups moving trees north. But that is kind of one vision of the future that the people I interview hope to see.”
1. What can be learned about the forest migration?| A．It is very difficult to track the migration. |
| B．It takes several decades to complete it. |
| C．It is mainly the result of climate change. |
| D．It often follows certain migrating species. |
| A．To prove the assisted migration carries risks. |
| B．To stress the park is able to keep giant sequoias. |
| C．To state scientists are hopeful about the environment. |
| D．To show trees fail to adapt to climate change. |
| A．Grow well. | B．Become valuable. |
| C．Develop rapidly. | D．Escape diseases. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Objective. |
| C．Skeptical. | D．Disapproving. |
【推荐1】Cigarette ends are everywhere--littering our streets and beaches--and for decades they've been thought of as “unrecyclable”. But a New Jersey-based company, called Terracycle, has taken on the challenge, and has come up with a way to recycle millions of cigarette ends and turn them into industrial plastic products. Its aim is to recycle things that people normally consider impossible to reuse.
Obviously it would be even better for the environment if everyone just stopped smoking but the statistics show that although there has been an increase in anti-smoking ads and posters, between 2000 and 2014.global sales of cigarettes increased by 8 percent, and a whole lot of those cigarette ends ended up as trash: Since most of our litter eventually ends up in waterways, cigarette ends can surely pollute the surrounding environment. “It only takes a single cigarette end to pollute a liter of water,” Temacycle’s founder, Tom Swak, said. “Animals can also mistake cigarette ends littered for food.”
So how do you go about turning all those poisonous ends into something useful? Terracycle does this by first breaking them down into separate parts. They mix the remaining materials, such as the tobacco and the paper, with other kinds of rubbish, and use it on non-agricultural land, such as golf courses. The filters (过滤嘴) are a little harder. To recycle these. Terracycle first makes them clean and cuts them into small pieces, and then combines them with other recycled materials, making them into liquid for industrial plastic products.
They’re now also expanding their recycling offerings to the rest of the 80 percent of household waste that currently can’t be recycled, such as chocolate packaging, pens, and mobile phones. The goal is to use the latest research to find a way to stop so much waste ending up in landfills, and then get companies to provide money for the process. And now, it works well.
“We haven't found anything that we can’t recycle,” communications director of Terracycle, Albe Zakes, said. “But with the amount and varieties of packaging and litter in the world, we are always looking for new waste streams to address.”
1. What does Terracycle intend to do?| A．Search for recyclable materials for use. |
| B．Deal with as many cigarette ends as possible. |
| C．Produce new kinds of industrial plastic products. |
| D．Recycle what used to be considered unrecyclable. |
| A．Rubbish. | B．Poison. | C．Disaster. | D．Ruin. |
| A．The effective use of cigarette ends. |
| B．The process of recycling cigarette ends. |
| C．The difficulty in recycling cigarette ends. |
| D．The reason for breaking down cigarette ends. |
| A．There is more and more waste to be recycled. |
| B．It is difficult for Terracycle to recycle everything. |
| C．Terracycle is trying to meet the challenge of new waste. |
| D．Terracycle has successfully recycled a large amount of waste. |
【推荐2】Sometimes two very different individuals become the best friends. For example, who could have thought that a spider (蜘蛛) would become friends with a pig? But in American writer E. B. White’s novel Charlotte’s Web, this is exactly what happens.
Wilbur the pig grows up in a barn (牲口棚) and makes many friends, including a spider called Charlotte. One day a sheep tells Wilbur that he will finally be served up as dinner. But Charlotte decides to save her friend. To help Wilbur, Charlotte writes words like “terrific” “radiant (喜悦的)” and “humble (谦逊的)” on her web to praise Wilbur. This makes the farmer believe that he is too important to kill. Wilbur is saved, but Charlotte is so tired that she dies.
The book was first published in 1952. In over 60 years Charlotte has become one of the most famous spiders of all time. She teaches us about love and promise. “She is very, very loving under that ugly look,” said Peter F. Neumeyer, writer of The Annotated Charlotte’s Web.
The book’s success drew the attention of Hollywood film-makers. However, they wanted a happy ending. White was strongly against this idea and as a result the film, like the book, ends with Charlotte’s death.
Jen Doll, a reporter of The Atlantic, believes that “death is part of life”. She says this is one of the main messages of the book.
As Charlotte tells Wilbur, “You have been my friend. That in itself is a wonderful thing. I wove (织) my webs for you because I like you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while and then we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a little. God knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”
1. Which of the following about the story is TRUE?| A．It’s a good example of how different creatures live in peace. |
| B．Though ugly, Charlotte is loving and helpful. |
| C．It encourages children to love their family and friends. |
| D．The farmer kills Wilbur as dinner. |
| A．the fate of Wilbur. |
| B．how to close story. |
| C．who was to play Charlotte. |
| D．the way Charlotte makes friends with Wilbur. |
| A．life is like a web |
| B．friendship is more important than life |
| C．life could be boring and troublesome |
| D．dying for a good cause is worthwhile |
【推荐3】Hi! My name is Jeanette. I’m a 34-year-old lady. I’m looking for a full or part-time babysitting job. I have worked with babies for about 15 years. I have experience in daycare setting as a nanny(保姆). I’m willing to do housework and cook if needed. Please e-mail me to:Jeanette Janzen @ sasktel.net. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Hi! My name is Kristen. I work nights so I am able to babysit during the day. I have a daughter who will be one year old in March. I live in Sutherland/Forest Grove. I am completing my Early Childhood Education through distance. I charge
5 an hour. Please e-mail me with any questions. Thank you!
My name is Ashley and I love babysitting children. I have experience with ages 7 months to 7 years. I do overnight stays on weekends. I also have 2 dogs. We call them gentle giants, but one is puppy 9 weeks old, very gentle, the other is gold retriever, so they’re very gentle and playful. If you are interested, you can contact me, either by e-mail(mail tojsorensen24@hotmail.com) or by phone 955-1680.Thank you.
My name is Kaitlyn. I am looking for a chance to care for a child full time with the right situation. I live in South Torrance. I stay at home with my 3-year-old daughter,and I am hoping to care for another child in my home. We live close to a park. I enjoy art,painting,writing,music and reading. I love kids. I have passion and patience. Please know I will not be driving,so parents must drop off and pick up. Location: Torrance/310/Southbay.
1. In Kristen’s advertisement her _____is not mentioned.| A．Family | B．experience |
| C．pay | D．education |
| A．likes to keep pets | B．loves babysitting |
| C．likes to stay up | D．is only a child |
| A．Jeanette | B．Kristen |
| C．Ashley | D．Kaitlyn |
【推荐1】The International Mother Language Day is on February 21st and it was created by the United Nations to help preserve indigenous(土著的) languages around the world.
Due to globalization, indigenous languages are increasingly under threat of extinction. Every two weeks a language disappears, taking with it an entire culture’s heritage and thus diminishing the world’s cultural diversity. At least 43 percent of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered, only a few hundred are formally taught and used and fewer than 100 are used in the digital world, according to UNESCO.
Like languages around the world, indigenous Australian languages are under increasing threat of extinction. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies understands that in Australia, there were more than 250 indigenous Australian languages, including 800 dialects, or local variations, at the time of European settlement in 1788. Today only about 13 indigenous Australian languages have enough young people speaking them for them to survive.
Indigenous languages everywhere are much more than just a way of communicating. Yuin woman Anne Martin, educator and former national NAIDOC Committee Co-Chair, described indigenous languages as “the breath of life”. “Indigenous languages are not just a means of communication, they express knowledge about everything: Law, geography, history, family and human relationships, philosophy, religion, anatomy, childcare, health, caring for country, astronomy, biology and food. Each language is associated with an area of land and has a deep spiritual significance, and it is through their own languages that indigenous nations maintain their connection with their ancestors, land and law,” she said in an interview published by La Trobe University.
International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000. In 2019, the theme is: “Indigenous languages matter for development, peace building and reconciliation(和解)”. One of UNESCO’s goals for that year’s International Mother Language Day is to collect proverbs in as many of the world’s indigenous languages as possible. The proverbs were compiled and the most appropriate ones published by the UN on its website and other publications. And the theme for International Mother Language Day 2020 is “Languages without borders”.
1. What does the underlined word “diminishing” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Decrease. | B．Add. |
| C．Create. | D．Replace. |
| A．The increasing number of indigenous languages. |
| B．The development of indigenous languages. |
| C．The endangered situation of indigenous languages. |
| D．The popularity of indigenous languages. |
| A．They are just used for communication with each other. |
| B．They are loosely connected with their ancestors, land and law. |
| C．They are very important for indigenous nations all over the world. |
| D．They are about not only communication but knowledge about all fields. |
| A．The Theme of International Mother Language Day. |
| B．An Introduction of International Mother Language Day. |
| C．The Protection of Indigenous Languages in the World. |
| D．The Decrease of Indigenous Languages in the World. |
【推荐2】It is not easy to excite New Yorkers. This is one reason why actors and other famous people move to the city. They can live quieter lives and escape the paparazzi(狗仔队)photographers who would follow then in Hollywood.
But New York has a new media star. And this star is not living so quietly.
The star is a colorful Mandarin duck. The bird first appeared this month in a small body of water in Manhattan's Central Park.
Large crowds have gathered to see the duck. Reporters have been following its every move. The media attention on the duck has earned the name "quackarazzi"-a word combination of paparazzi and the sound a duck makes!
The duck has chosen to live in a costly pan of New York-just off Fifth Avenue, near the historic Plaza Hotel. There, hundreds of people turn up every day, hoping to see the bird show off its extremely colorful feathers.
Many people like the duck because its colors are like "sunsets," says New Yorker Joe Amato. He comes to the park nearly every day with his camera equipment.
Bird expert Paul Sweet heads a large collection of bird species at the New York-based American Museum of Natural History. He says there is nothing special about a Mandarin duck in Central Park. Central Park Zoo has its own Mandarin duck, he says. These ducks are often imported to the United States from Asia for use on private property.
Sometimes they escape, he said. Sweet said he believes this duck is an escapee. If it were wild, he added, traditional bird watchers-often called birders-would be "very excited." And they are not. "A lot of non-birders tend to see colorful birds as more beautiful," Sweet said. "But to me, it's no more beautiful than, say, a sparrow."
In this case, though, common New Yorkers get to decide what is beautiful. And they have clearly chosen this Mandarin duck.
1. What does paragraph 1 want to tell us?| A．Nothing can excite New Yorkers. |
| B．New Yorkers are hard to be attracted. |
| C．There are no actors or stars in New York. |
| D．Paparazzi photographers are popular in New York. |
| A．All New Yorkers. | B．Paparazzi photographers. |
| C．Reporters following the duck. | D．The bird experts. |
| A．This Mandarin duck is very special. |
| B．The birdwatchers are very excited. |
| C．The Mandarin duck got away from somewhere in U.S. |
| D．Paul Sweet believes the Mandarin duck is more beautiful than a sparrow. |
| A．Welcoming. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Resistant. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐3】Can a fish be depressed? This question has been on my head ever since I spent a night in a hotel across from a sad-looking fish. His name was Bruce Lee.
The pleasant woman at the front desk assured me that he was well taken care of. Was I incorrectly assuming his laziness was a sign of being upset?
When I sought answers from scientists, I assumed that they would find the question ridiculous. But they did not. New research has been totally shifting the way that scientists think about fish cognition (认知)，building a case that pet and owner are not nearly as different as many assume. The neurochemistry (神经化学）is so similar that it’s scary, said Julian Pittman，a professor. We tend to think of them as simple living things, but there is a lot we don't give fish credit for.
Dr. Pittman likes working with fish, in part, because they are so obvious about their depression. A zebrafish gets dropped in a new tank. If after five minutes it is hanging out in the lower half, it’s depressed. If it’s swimming up top, then it’s not.
Is depression the right word? There's the obvious issue that we cannot ask animals how they feel, says Dr. Diego A. Pizzagali . Neither fish nor rats can catch the entire range of depression as we know it.
There is a heated debate about whether anxious or depressed is a more appropriate term. But what has convinced Dr. Pittman, and others, over the past ten years is watching the way the zebrafish lose interest in just about everything: food, toys, exploration, just like clinically depressed people who are withdrawn. The same is true of fish.
One of the things we're finding is that fish are naturally curious and seek novel things out, said Dr. Braithwaite. In other words, your goldfish is probably bored. To help get rid of depression, she urges introducing new objects to the tank or switching up the location of items.
1. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?| A．Fish are considered simple living things. |
| B．Pet and owner are always assumed the same. |
| C．Scientists have learnt a lot about fish cognition. |
| D．Fish and human beings have something in common. |
| A．Quiet and shy. |
| B．Happy and excited. |
| C．Interested and careful. |
| D．Disappointed and surprised. |
| A．They need oxygen from the air. |
| B．They are not born to be curious. |
| C．They lack new things to explore. |
| D．They can’t locate the positions of items. |
| A．Fish Depression Is not a Joke. |
| B．Fish Can Be a Boring Pet. |
| C．Fish Need Better Care More. |
| D．Fish Cognition Does not Exist. |
