If the world wants to control global warming, water shortage and pollution, then we all need to welcome “flexitarian” diets, say scientists.
This means eating mainly plant-based foods, and is a key step toward an environment friendly future for all in 2050, they say. Food waste will need to be halved ad farming practices will also have to improve, according to the study arid out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Without action, the influence of the food system could increase by up to 90%
The authors say that he present food industry has a number of considerable environmental effects including being a great driver of climate change, using up freshwater and causing pollution through heavy use of chemical fertilizer. The study says that thanks to the population and income growth expected between 2010 and 2050, these effects could grow between 50-90%. This could push our world beyond is planetary boundaries, which the authors say represent a “safe operating space for humanity and the international community”.
However, the study finds that no single solution will avoid the dangers, so a combined approach is needed. So when it comes to climate change, the authors looked at what they called a “flexitarian” diet.
“We can eat a range of healthy dies but what they all have in common, according to the latest scientific evidence, is that they are all relatively plant-based,” said Dr. Marco from the University of Oxford. “You can go from a diet that has small amounts of animal products (some might call it a Mediterranean-based diet; we call it a flexitarian diet) over to a vegetarian(素食的) diet—we tried to stay with the most traditional one of these which in our view is the flexitarian one, but even this has only one serving of red meat per week.”
If the world moved to this type of diet, the study found that greenhouse gas emissions(排放物) from farming would be reduced by more than half.
Dr. Marco says that all measures combined can result in keeping both the planet and people healthy.
1. What is the IPCCs study about?| A．The role of modern farming practices. |
| B．The differences between various diets. |
| C．The effects of food industry on the planet. |
| D．The harmful consequence of global warming. |
| A．It is far too wasteful. |
| B．It has raised farmers’ income. |
| C．It contributes to the development of farming. |
| D．It is a key step to an environment-friendly society. |
| A．Eating a variety of food. |
| B．Eating a lot of animal products. |
| C．Eating vegetables grown without fertilizer. |
| D．Eating mostly plant-based meals and some red meat. |
| A．The water pollution will be controlled in 2050. |
| B．Less greenhouse gas will be produced. |
| C．Food waste will be reduced by half. |
| D．Much more money will be saved. |
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【推荐1】Marco Springmann and his colleagues, at the Oxford Martin School’s Future of Food Programme, built computer models that predicted what would happen if everyone became vegetarian by 2050. The results indicate that if the world went vegan (严格的素食主义者), the greenhouse gas emissions declines would be around 70%.
In the US, for example, an average family of four emits more greenhouse gases because of the meal they eat than from driving two cars---but it is cars, not steaks, that regularly come up in discussions about global warming.
Food, especially livestock (牲畜，家畜) also takes up a lot of room. 68% of agricultural land in the world is used for livestock. When these lands become grasslands and forests, they would capture carbon dioxide and further ease climate change.
However, if the whole world went vegan, there would be negative effects too. First, it is necessary to keep livestock for environmental purposes. “I’m sitting here in Scotland where the Highlands’ environment is very man-made and based largely on grazing by sheep,” says Peter Alexander, a researcher in socio-ecological systems modeling at the University of Edinburgh. “If we took all the sheep away, the environment would look different and there would be a potential negative impact on biodiversity.”
Plus, meat is an important part of history, tradition and cultural identity. Numerous groups around the world give livestock gifts at weddings, celebratory dinners such as Christmas with turkey or roast beef.
And nowadays, moderation in meal-eating’s frequency and portion size is key to solving these conflicts. “Certain changes would encourage us to make healthier and more environmentally friendly dietary decisions,” says Springmann, “like putting a higher price lag on meat and making fresh fruits and vegetables cheaper.”
In fact, clear solutions already exist for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock industry. What is lacking is the will to carry out those changes.
1. What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?| A．Driving cars is more dangerous than eating steaks in the US. |
| B．Our dietary choices affecting climate change is often underestimated. |
| C．People compare the greenhouse gas emissions of the cars and steaks. |
| D．Cars affect the global warming more seriously than the steaks. |
| A．It is hard to please all. |
| B．Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. |
| C．One cannot see the wood for the trees. |
| D．Everything is a double-edged sword. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A health magazine. |
| C．A scientific journal. | D．An educational review. |
【推荐2】Authorities have moved to tighten oversight of the rapidly expanding semi-prepared food industry, ironing out definitions of precooked dishes and rolling out rules on the use of additives in the sector to ensure food safety. Restaurants are also being encouraged to identify dishes on their menus that include semi-prepared ingredients, a move that experts say will help customers make informed decisions.
The reforms, led by the State Administration for Market Regulation, which oversees product quality and consumer rights, were outlined in a circular issued on Thursday by six government agencies.
Share (股票) prices of companies involved in the semi prepared food sector fell by an average of 2 percent on the A-share market on Monday because of the strengthened oversight Industry insiders said the rules were the first to clarify the definition of semi-prepared food and set out safety and quality standards for the multibillion yuan industry.
China has more than 70, 000 companies making food items that have undergone some preparation but are not fully cooked or ready to eat, according to Xinhua News Agency. Their output value topped 500 billion yuan ($69.4 million) last year and is on track to surpass 1 trillion yuan in a few years, it said.
The new rules differentiate between semi-prepared food-also known as prepackaged meals — and other food items, such as instant noodles, frozen dumplings and salads. They say semi-prepared food must be a dish that can be consumed after simple preparations such as heating or boiling.
Experts said makers of frozen foods such as dumplings and hamburgers will no longer be regarded as being semi-prepared food businesses, and will be unable to ignore regulations in their own sector or enjoy preferential policies tailor-made for semi-prepared food makers. They said the generalization of the concept of semi prepared food had previously created regulatory difficulties.
1. Why is it necessary to oversee the semi-prepared food industry?| A．To raise people’s awareness of food safety concerns. |
| B．To ban the use of semi-prepared prepared ingredients. |
| C．To guarantee food safety through strengthened regulations. |
| D．To encourage restaurants to identify dishes on their menus. |
| A．Rules aiming to define semi-prepared food. |
| B．Great loss suffered by semi-prepared food sect on. |
| C．Safety and quality standards imposed on food industry. |
| D．Effects on semi-prepared food industry made by the new rules. |
| A．Semi-prepared food can be directly consumed. |
| B．Instant noodles are considered as semi-prepared food. |
| C．Semi prepared food makers enjoy preferential treatment. |
| D．Output value of semi-prepared food is decreasing in China. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Positive. | C．Objective. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐3】Children make quicker decisions to eat “tasty” food and reward centres in their brains light up after watching food commercials on television, compared to nonfood commercials, a small study finds.
The researchers studied 23 children aged 8 to 14 who gave taste and health ratings for 60 food items. Afterwards, kids chose whether to “eat” or “not eat” each food item—without actually eating them—while undergoing brain scans. The scans measure changes in blood flow within the brain, which is thought to reflect the activity of brain cells.
While the kids were making their decisions, they were periodically shown TV commercials, some for fast food outlets and some for nonfood businesses. Each set of commercials was followed by a set of 10 food choices.
In general, kids did not choose foods based on their health ratings and chose based on taste. But after watching a food commercial, taste seemed even more important to them and they made their choices faster. The area of the brain involved in reward valuation was more active during food decisions after watching foodrelated commercials than after nonfood commercials.
“What we know from studies like this one is that foo
d marketing has effects that go beyond simply increasing our liking or wanting of the product being advertised and actually affect our preferences for all foods in that category，” said Emma Boyland of the University of Liverpool.
“Parents should be aware of these results so that they can put limits on screen time that involves food advertising，” Bruce said. “They should also discuss with children the importance of thinking about commercials properly.” “But commercials are almost everywhere—television, online, radio, clothing. As adults, we have to work to teach children that a real healthy diet to support a full and active life contains very little of the food they see advertised，”Boyland said.
1. What were the children asked to do in the research?| A．Select favourite commercials. | B．Decide whether to eat or not to eat. |
| C．Observe the activity of brain cells. | D．List health ratings for some foods. |
| A．The reward centres in their brains acted actively. |
| B．They made food choices based on health ratings. |
| C．They confused taste rating with health rating of the foods. |
| D．They had a good command of the methods to choose foods. |
| A．Food marketing should be strictly controlled. |
| B．It's hard to stop kids being exposed to food advertising. |
| C．Parents should forbid children to watch food commercials. |
| D．Children should be warned not to eat the advertised foods. |
| A．Children make decisions quickly when watching commercials. |
| B．Children's bad eating habits are mainly caused by food commercials. |
| C．Parents are concerned about the effect of food advertisements on kids. |
| D．Food advertisements can have a great effect on children's eating habits. |
【推荐1】Beast from the East Causes Chaos
Anyone expecting the arrival of spring was bitterly disappointed last week, as freezing temperatures and disruptive (破坏性的)snow swept across the UK.
Normally, most people would be expecting to see signs of spring blossoming in the first week of March. Incredibly, in spite of the cold weather and official warnings, spring has actually sprung in Cornwall. The head gardeners of six major gardens in the county have reported blooms on their magnolia trees--a sign that the season is changing-even if it doesn’t feel like it.
| A．A red weather warning--the most extreme-was issued as conditions became dangerous. |
| B．It was all thanks to the so-called Beast from the East. |
| C．There is further heavy snow forecast overnight for the north east and eastern parts of England and isolated showers elsewhere. |
| D．For everyone else, however, the Beast from the East means winter won't be loosening its grip for at least a few days yet. |
| E．Hundreds of trains and dozens of flights were cancelled as London’s transport services were thrown into total confusion. |
| F．There, a rise in air temperature weakened the jet stream (喷射气流), which is a band of strong wind that moves weather around the planet. |
【推荐2】The major drivers of climate change are collective enterprises such as power grids (电力公司), industry, large-scale agriculture and transportation systems. About half of all greenhouse gas emissions comes from electricity generation and industrial fossil-fuel use. Substantial (大量的) emissions reductions in these settings most likely will not come from personal actions; they will come from laws and policies such as carbon-pricing systems, revised building codes and supports for green investment. But one effective act is to consume less meat.
Cutting meat consumption is a powerful and personal thing most Americans can do to tackle (解决)the climate crisis, and they can do it immediately. About 40 percent of greenhouse gases come from agriculture, deforestation and other land-use changes. Meat-particularly beef-drives climate change in two ways: first, through cows’ emission of methane(甲烷), a strong greenhouse gas, and second, by destroying forests as they are changed into grass land.Despite the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病), atmospheric greenhouse gas levels continued to rise in 2020, in large part because of an emissions increase in the Amazon as rain forests were changed into land for cattle to satisfy the global demand for beef. By eating less beef, we can start to decrease that demand.
You do not have to become a vegan (素食主义者) to do this. According to one recent study, if every person in the U.S. cut their meat consumption by 25 percent, it would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1 percent. That might not sound like a lot, but it would help protect the rain forest, so the positive effects-including reduced water and fertilizer use, improved biodiversity and safeguarded rights of local peoples-would be amplified (放大).
Perhaps, social action is kind of infectious (有感染力的) in a good way. If lots of us begin to eat less meat and if we talk about it constructively, we will likely influence others. Pretty soon the 1 percent reduction becomes 2 percent or more. Reduced demand for meat could motivate my local supermarket to carry better produce, making it easier for me and my neighbours to prepare a few more satisfying meat-free meals. Ultimately changes in demand will influence industry. Forty years ago few mainstream supermarkets carried organic (有机的) products; now nearly all do. Consumer demand did that.
Above all, cutting back on red meat also has the added benefit of being good for your health.
1. What may substantially reduce greenhouse gas emission?| A．Encouraging personal efforts. |
| B．Making favourable laws and policies. |
| C．Reducing various power plants. |
| D．Investing large transportation systems. |
| A．The effects of COVID-19 pandemic. |
| B．The slow pace of economy. |
| C．The destruction of forests for cattle. |
| D．The quick development of agriculture. |
| A．remind people to buy organic food |
| B．prove one’s action can influence others |
| C．call on supermarkets to sell organic products |
| D．show demand has impact on production |
| A．Less Beef, Much Healthier |
| B．To Eat Less Meat for Climate |
| C．Small Personal Actions Have a Big Impact |
| D．Cattle Are Partly Responsible for Climate Crisis |
【推荐3】Old Problem, New Approaches
While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life, global warming will continue for some decades after CO2 emissions peak. So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today, we would still face the challenge of adapting to climate change. Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation.
When it comes to adaptation, it is important to understand that climate change is a process. We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard, but to a constantly shifting set of conditions. This is why, in part at least, the US National Climate Assessment says that, “There is no ‘one-size fits all’ adaptation.” Nevertheless, there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost.
Around the world, people are adapting in surprising ways, especially in some poor countries. Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades. Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster. His not-for-profit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries, schools, and health clinics, and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities. Rezwan is creating floating connectivity（连体） to replace flooded roads and highways. But he is also working at a far more fundamental level: his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds prevent starvation during the wet season.
Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken. Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India, where he is known as the Ice Man. The loss of glaciers there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture. Without the glaciers, water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops. Norphel’s inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉) water. Having created nine such ice reserves, Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200, 000m3of water. Climate change is a continuing process, so Norphel’s ice reserves will not last forever. Warming will overtake them. But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will, perhaps, be able to find other means of adapting.
Increasing Earth’s reflectiveness can cool the planet. In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses (which reflect light back to space) has changed the warming trend locally, and actually cooled the region. While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly, temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased. This example should act as an inspiration for all cities. By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process.
In Peru, local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life-giving ice. The outcome is still far from clear. But the World Bank has included the project on its list of "100 ideas to save the planet”.
More ordinary forms of adaptation are happening everywhere. A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria. Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping. But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops. Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—either by growing new produce, or by growing the same things differently. This is common sense. But some suggestions for adapting are not. When the polluting industries argue that we’ve lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it’s a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual.
Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways. But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution. After all, if we adapt in that way, we may avoid the need to change in so many others.
1. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 implies____ .| A．adaptation is an ever-changing process | B．the cost of adaptation varies with time |
| C．global warming affects adaptation forms | D．adaptation to climate change is challenging |
| A．The project receives government support. |
| B．Different organizations work with each other. |
| C．His organization makes the best of a bad situation. |
| D．The project connects flooded roads and highways. |
| A．Storing ice for future use. | B．Protecting the glaciers from melting. |
| C．Changing the irrigation time. | D．Postponing the melting of the glaciers. |
| A．Setting up a new standard. | B．Reducing carbon emission. |
| C．Adapting to climate change. | D．Monitoring polluting industries. |
【推荐1】Based on new analysis, we are rapidly approaching major climate change and the effects on society and the environment could be quite severe. Geographers predict that within the next eighty years, current world climate zones could shift and some could completely disappear. Polar regions will get colder while tropical regions will get even hotter, forcing animals to migrate (迁徙) north.
Climate changes like these could lead to the spread of diseases. Tropical storms and hurricanes will not only increase but may also become more intense. If the changes come too quickly, animal and plant species may not be able to adapt fast enough and could disappear.
According to Science Daily, a new study predicts that by the year 2100, many of today's familiar climates will be replaced by climates unknown in today's world. It is urgent that we reduce the risks of these farreaching consequences for the whole world. The planet itself has been showing signs of change. In 2004, a serious tsunami created by a major earthquake killed thousands in Sumatra and in 2008, thousands died in China because of another severe earthquake. Egypt was hit in 2009 with a major earthquake and Haiti was devastated in 2010 by yet another massive earthquake.
Within just the last few months, new reports from around the world have been coming in and most agree that our climate situation is much worse than previously thought. At this point, it doesn't matter what is causing it, but rather, what can be done about it. What's more, our world is getting more and more unstable every year. There is war and threat of war everywhere. Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and serious.
However, other planets are experiencing global warming as well as our own and some scientists believe there may be some connection between this. No one knows anything for sure at this point because there is simply not enough data.
1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage ?| A．Ways to protect our planet | B．Solutions to climate change |
| C．Be prepared for climate change | D．Climate change and its effects |
| A．To show the damage earthquakes caused. |
| B．To remind people to prevent future earthquakes. |
| C．To show major changes are taking place on the planet. |
| D．To tell us more earthquakes will happen in the future. |
| A．separated. | B．destroyed. | C．removed. | D．affected. |
| A．Animals and plants won't die out as long as climate changes slowly. |
| B．There's enough data for us to predict the future of climate change. |
| C．The world is getting more unstable because of animal migration. |
| D．The earth is not the only planet that is experiencing climate change. |
【推荐2】In 2022, campaign group Fashion Revolution Chelsea dye a garden for its Chelsea Flower Show presentation. An ancient craft, natural dyeing is a practice whose time has come again, with hand tie-dyed fashion also making a comeback in recent years.
The revival has been encouraged by Covid lockdowns, “which allowed people to explore the craft at home, says natural-dyeing enthusiast and teacher Susan Dye. It’s unlikely, though, that the practice would have caught on in quite the same way if not for a continually growing discomfort about fashion’s heavy footprint. From carbon emissions to animal cruelty, fashion is under considerable inspection. “Put it this way, 97% of dyes used in the industry are petrochemically (石油化学产品) based,” says sustainable fashion consultant Jackie Andrews, who helped advise the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative. We’ve got net zero targets which mean we’re going to have to remove all those petrochemicals from the manufacturing cycle.
Fashion is a huge polluter. According to the UN Environment Program, the industry is responsible for up to one-fifth of all industrial water pollution—due to the fact that most clothes today are produced in poorer countries where regulation is weak and enforcement weaker. Waste water is dumped directly into rivers and streams, poisoning the land as well as the water sources of people and animals who rely on them.
It’s easy to see why someone who cares about people, planet and animals, as well as clothes, might turn to natural plant dyeing. From the beauty of the raw materials—often wild plants-to the property of only bonding with natural fiber like cotton and linen (亚麻布) from the minor footprint of recycling old clothing that has grayed or faded over time to the vibrant and long-lasting dyeing results, plant dyeing feels like a quiet act of rebellion. This is why, while beginners start with simply changing their clothes’ color, new worlds open. Many of today’s natural dyers grow their own dye plants, run local community workshops, and advocate for change in industrialized fashion systems and beyond.
1. What is the main reason for the growing discomfort mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．The adoption of petrochemical-based dyes |
| B．The disturbing consequences of the fashion industry. |
| C．The fashion industry’s focus on luxurious designs. |
| D．The challenging net zero targets to be achieved. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By listing numbers |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By introducing a new topic |
| A．A protest against turning to natural fiber. |
| B．An objection to recycling old clothing |
| C．A resistance to vibrant colors in natural dyeing |
| D．A struggle for a sustainable fashion industry |
| A．The Environmental Impact of Natural Dyeing |
| B．The Return of Natural Dyeing with Ethical Appeal |
| C．Fashion Revolution’s Dye Garden Presentation |
| D．The Petrochemical Dye Industry and Its Challenges |
【推荐3】When I first aspired to become a science writer, I imagined each day would be filled with inspiration and creativity. The reality, of course, is far less enjoyable than my fantasies. Researching a story, for example, often involves reading lots of dry and technical papers before I finally strike gold with the information that I seek.
Most professions, I imagine, include challenging but necessary tasks that sap enthusiasm. But a recent paper from Edward Lai at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and his colleagues may offer us all a way to boost our motivation. It is called the "easy addendum effect", and, as the name suggests, it involves ending each work session with a more pleasant task that will be relatively straightforward to complete.
The strategy was inspired by a phenomenon known as the "peak-end rule", which means we often judge events by the way they finish, rather than the overall experience. In one experiment, Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues asked participants to plunge their hands into water at unpleasantly cold temperatures, the first group simply in 14℃ water for 60 seconds, while the second one were given a further 30 seconds in water at 15℃. Surprisingly, most preferred the second option. It seems their memory of the experiment only focused on the last moments, which was slightly more pleasant in the 90-second set-up.
The research suggests that our impressions of work fall prey to the same preference — and we can use that to our advantage. Lai's team gave participants a series of dull tasks — from flexing their muscles against heavy weights to sorting books into alphabetical order or answering customer complaints. In each case, participants performed the tasks with or without an "easy addendum" attached to the end of the job. Those testing their strength were given a few extra rounds of lighter weights while those answering customer queries with some more straightforward requests.
Much like the ice-bath experiments, there was no logical reason why loading on additional work to an existing task should make it more pleasant overall. But the researchers found that the "easy addendums" significantly reduced the anticipated difficulty and increased participants` satisfaction with their jobs.
Since learning about Lai's research, I have tried applying this strategy to my own work. Writing is still my favourite part of the job, and so this article was a pleasant addendum to an otherwise demanding day of research for another one. By putting these words on the page, I feel far more energised about the work behind me — and readier to enjoy the evening ahead.
1. Which is the author's initial aspiration as a science writer?| A．To enjoy a challenging and enjoyable career. |
| B．To have a daily routine filled with creativity. |
| C．To conduct research and write technical papers. |
| D．To strike gold with every story they research. |
| A．Weaken. | B．Boost. | C．Inspire. | D．Refuse. |
| A．Participants could not bear 14°C longer than those could in 15℃. |
| B．Participants were unwilling to be loaded on additional work. |
| C．Participants usually cared more about the end of events. |
| D．Participants performed the tasks with an “easy addendum”. |
| A．No man is content if he or she is given more work. |
| B．“Easy addendum” can reduce difficulties in jobs. |
| C．One's pleasure comes through suffering in jobs. |
| D．“Easy addendum” can increase job satisfaction. |
【推荐1】Imagine a world where you move around in front of a personal computer in your own sound space. You listen to your favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie — all without other people hearing the sound and without headphones.
That is the possibility presented by “sound beaming”, a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company. On Friday, the company introduced a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones or a special receiver.
Noveto Systems gave The Associated Press (AP) a chance to test its SoundBeamer 1.0 before its introduction. The AP’s Louise Dixon writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie.The sound seems so close that it feels like it is inside your ears while also in front, above and behind them.
Noveto expects the device will have many uses. Office workers could listen to music or conference calls without others hearing. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Because the device does not use headphones, it is possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly.
The device uses a 3-D sensing module that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic waves (超声波) to create sound pockets by the user’s ears. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener, therefore the listeners feel completely transported into the scene.
By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when he moves his head. It is also possible to move out of the sound beam's path and hear nothing at all.
While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to launch the technology.
According to the chief executive officer Christophe Ramstein, a “smaller” version of the device will be ready for release to consumers next year.
1. What does the underlined word “possibility” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The listener may put on music to block out other sounds. |
| B．The listener may hear sound only for him or her without using headphones. |
| C．The listener may enjoy songs or movies without being interrupted by others. |
| D．The listener may have the ability to pick up some special sounds. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Impossible. |
| C．Strange. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．It places the listener on the scene to hear the sound. |
| B．It fixes a sound beam’s path which can not be changed. |
| C．It follows the listeners around to send and receive sounds. |
| D．With 3-D tracking technology, it sends ultrasonic waves to the target listener. |
| A．To promote the SoundBeamer. | B．To introduce a new sound device. |
| C．To recommend new headphones. | D．To explain a technical phenomenon. |
【推荐2】You can’t see it with your own eyes，but your smart-phone is likely to be covered with bacteria- perhaps even more so than your toilet seat. That's a lot of dangerous microbes（微生物）floating around, and yes, it is terribly dirty.
In this age of global travel and trade, it’s more important than ever to cut down on possible routes of infection and to stop bacteria and viruses spreading from person to person. Part of that means making sure your phone isn’t sending anything more than data.
And besides the potential health risks of a dirty phone, there's also the simple annoyance of looking at a screen that’s covered in fingerprints and other oily spots that are part of life with a smart-phone.
In short, you’ve got plenty of reasons to regularly give your phone a thorough clean. Not just during a pandemic（大流行病），either-we should be thinking about keeping our phones bacteria free all the time, says microbiologist Paul Turner, a professor at Yale University.
After all, we touch our phones all the time and many of us are relatively careless about cleaning them. “It sets the stage for kind of concern,” Turner says. “People could be handling phones and picking up any bacteria or virus that can attach to a surface and survive for a period of time.”
Take SARS-CoV-2, the corona- virus（冠状病毒）that causes the COVID-19, for example. Scientists are still trying to get solid evidence, but early research suggests that it can survive on plastic or stainless steel（不锈钢）surfaces for two or three days. That means you could be washing your hands perfectly well, but immediately picking the virus up again as soon as you reach for your phone.
You could be doing everything right（like washing your hands and staying away from people），but
if there’s a contaminated surface in your home or your pocket, you could expose yourself to the virus anyway, Turner says.
1. Why does the author mention the toilet seat?
| A．To draw a vivid picture of a dirty phone. |
| B．To show how dirty a toilet seat is. |
| C．To add some background information. |
| D．To introduce a topic for discussion. |
| A．Simply washing our hands is not enough. |
| B．Scientists have got solid evidence of the COVID-19. |
| C．The corona-virus can survive on smooth surfaces for 2 or 3 weeks. |
| D．The author suggests washing our hands before using our phones. |
| A．A stainless steel. | B．A deadly virus. |
| C．A clean phone. | D．An infectious phone. |
| A．You may get infected with your dirty phone. |
| B．You are supposed to wash your hands. |
| C．You’d better clean your dirty phone. |
| D．You’d better throw away your dirty phone. |
【推荐3】In autumn of 1975, two mothers in Lyme, Connecticut, were desperate for answers their doctors could not provide. Their families and others in the Lyme area were suffering from a mysterious(神秘的)illness. Two doctors from Yale, Allan Steere and Stephen Malawista, began an investigation that would result in a groundbreaking medical discovery.
The doctors began by conducting individual examinations of each patient. They found patients of all ages were suffering from a set of symptoms (症状) rarely observed together. Blood samples revealed no virus that offered a clue about the cause. However, they found fruitful information in their interviews with patients: one quarter of them recalled a skin rash (皮疹) with a bull’s-eye pattern about four weeks before other symptoms arose.
Armed with this new clue, the Department of Health worked with the Yale doctors, conducting surveys to learn where the disease was most widely seen. It seemed that the majority of patients lived in heavily wooded areas, who spent a good deal of time outdoors, gardening, landscaping, or playing. The symptoms were nearly always experienced for the first time during summer. Crucially, some recalled having been bitten by a tick (蝉), which feeds mostly on the blood of mammals and birds.
By 1977, investigators confirmed that the deer tick was responsible. But no one could say why it was causing the illness or how patients could be treated. In 1982, a scientist named Willy Burgdorfer discovered a specific type of bacteria (细菌), carried by the deer tick, which was causing the disease. But how did the deer tick acquire the bacteria in the first place? Finally, scientists determined that the ticks picked up the bacteria from their hosts. As its name suggests, the deer tick often feeds on deer, carriers of the Lyme disease bacteria. Scientists concluded that the bacteria passed from wildlife to ticks to humans. All lived closely among one another in the area.
How could a disease from a common parasite（寄生虫）spring up so suddenly? Many areas of the northeast, including Lyme, were once farmland. The farmland was replanted with trees. After the forest grew in, the area was then developed with houses. Gradually, neighborhoods pushed deeper into the habitat of deer ticks and, more importantly, the wildlife they fed upon. As humans encountered more ticks, they became more likely to contract the disease.
One of the remaining mysteries about Lyme disease is where and when it truly began. This puzzle may never be solved. Today, Lyme disease——if caught early—is easily treated with antibiotics, thanks to the hard work of many scientists, doctors, and patients.
1. Which of the following method helped Dr. Steere and Dr. Malawista most?| A．Conducting patient interviews. | B．Carrying out a field survey. |
| C．Studying patients’ blood samples. | D．Separating patients into age groups. |
| A．deer ticks were first carriers of the Lyme disease bacteria |
| B．patients’ remembrance of tick bites was vital to the medical discovery |
| C．Lyme disease spread because deer ticks and humans both fed on deer |
| D．Lyme disease is less common now because people spend less time outdoors |
| A．Worsen. | B．Return. |
| C．Appear. | D．Decrease. |
| A．A Desperate Need | B．An Unsolved Puzzle |
| C．A Medical Mystery | D．An Effective Treatment |
