【推荐1】On a September night almost anywhere in southern Europe, you might see beech trees rustle (发出沙沙声) with activity. If you shine a light into the branches，you may see animals with large eyes and bushy tails.

They are called fat dormice. Despite their name, all types of dormice are more closely related to squirrels than mice. That explains their bushy tails and why they hang out in trees and bushes. But most squirrels are active during the day. Like other dormice, fat dormice come out at night.

Once the sun sets, fat dormice go to work filling themselves with beech seeds until they grow fat. These animals add at least half their body weight in just a few weeks. They’re preparing for a winter sleep. Lots of animals hibernate (冬眠),but fat dormice do so for seven or eight months. After putting on plenty of eight, a fat dormouse makes a nest. There it will spend the winter. Its body uses the stored fat for energy while it hibernates. But seven months is a long time,so the dormouse needs to use its energy slowly.

Everything in a fat dormouse’s body slows down when it hibernates. That’s true of all hibernating animals. They breathe more slowly and their hearts beat less often. Those changes help the animals survive several months without eating. But in fat dormice, the bodies slow down even more than the bodies of other hibernating animals that live in similar environments. At temperatures well above freezing (15℃), hibernating fat dormice may breathe only once every 10 minutes. During a midwinter freeze, they breathe only once an hour. Hibernators such as little brown bats and squirrels breathe more often. Their hearts beat more often, too. But those animals hibernate for only five or six months. Fat dormice have to stretch their energy supply for two or three months longer.

Over seven or eight months, the fat dormouse slowly uses up the fat it stored in the fall. In May, it finally wakes up. It is much thinner, very hungry, and ready to make the most of its short summer before it is time to hibernate again.

1. What is a characteristic of fat dormice?

A．They feed on insects.	B．They look the same as mice.
C．They enjoy staying underground.	D．They are active during the night.

2. Why do fat dormice add half their body weight quickly?

A．To fight against enemies.	B．To protect their families.
C．To survive during the winter.	D．To feed baby fat dormice.

3. What can we infer from the figures in Paragraph 4?

A．Fat dormice are super energy savers.

B．Fat dormice are good food searchers.

C．Fat dormice store more energy than other hibernators.

D．Fat dormice breathe more quickly in midwinter than in summer.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To compare several kinds of animals.

B．To introduce a champion of hibernation.

C．To explain how fat dormice earned their name.

D．To show how hibernating animals spend the winter.

【推荐2】The current population of oysters (牡蛎) is only a small part of their historic levels.     1    . To help maintain existing habitats, the state requires licenses for the harvesting of shellfish and controls where and when the harvesting activity can take place. South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources has also planned to recycle and replant oyster shells.

    2    . They serve as anchors to which babies can attach themselves. Returning shells to the state’s rivers ensures that any larvae (幼虫) looking for a home can find something to which they can be attached.

The critical nature of oysters in the ecosystem is difficult to overstate. Along the Atlantic shoreline of the United States, the Eastern Oyster is considered a foundation species. Oysters gather together as part of their natural life cycle, forming reefs that provide the habitat for fish, crabs, and other small ocean creatures.     3    .

In addition to being the bedrock of many underwater communities, oysters also help maintain the cleanliness of South Carolina’s coastal waters. Dirty water comes in from the ocean and gets filtered by oysters. Water goes back out cleanly.     4    . Tourists want to go to beautiful and clean beaches, come out on boat trips, and see dolphins.

South Carolina is working hard to rebuild coastal reefs that will support and sustain future oyster populations. It’s worth keeping in mind that every shell removed from the river could be the base for the next year’s new oysters.     5    , it’s going to be a long time before we get enough recruitment (增长) in the oyster population to keep it sustainable.

A．Once we lose that natural shell base

B．These little tiny fish need somewhere to hide

C．Because it is important to recycle the oyster shells

D．Even the local tourism industry relies on this effect of oysters

E．The best place to settle is going to be where there are adult oysters

F．South Carolina is actively working to restore and sustain its wild oysters

G．Oyster shells, both live and dead, provide the main habitat for the next generation

【推荐3】For the past five years, researchers in Hawaii and Australia have been engineering corals (珊瑚) inside a lab to see if they could better resist the effects of climate change.

The scientists say climate change linked to human causes has led to warming oceans that can harm sea life. The team tested three methods for making corals that would be strong and healthy in nature. One was selective breeding. It involves scientists choosing parents with desirable characteristics for reproductive purposes. The goal is to produce babies with the same desirable characteristics. A second method subjected the corals to increasing temperatures to condition them to be able to survive in warm ocean environments. The third involved making changes to the algae (藻类) that provides corals with necessary nutrients.

The leader of the project, University of Hawaii researcher Kira Hughes, said all the methods proved successful in the lab. She told The Associated Press that some scientists might worry such methods go against the natural processes of nature. But with the planet continuing to warm, she does not see any better options.“We have to intervene in order to make a change for coral reefs to survive into the future,” Hughes said.

When ocean temperatures rise, corals release algae that supplies nutrients and gives them color. This causes them to turn white, a process called bleaching. When his happens, corals can quickly become sick and die. But for years, scientists have been observing corals that have survived bleaching, even when others have died on the same reef. They are now centering on those healthy survivors and hoping to further increase their resistance to heat. Those corals were used as the parents for the newly created kinds.

“Corals are threatened worldwide by a lot of stressors but increasing temperature are probably the most severe.” said Crawford Drury, chier scientist al Hawaii’s Coral Resilience Lab

Rather than editing genes or creating anything unnatural, the researchers are just attempting to begin what could already happen in the ocean, Madeleine van Oppen added. In this way, she said, the team can center on a small area to keep and “enhance” what is already there.

1. What is the desirable feature of parents chosen for reproduction?

A．The resistance to increasing heat.

B．The access to necessary nutrients.

C．The prevention of the coral bleaching.

D．The interruption of the natural process.

2. What does the bleaching of corals mean?

A．It releases nutrients necessary for algae's growth.

B．It results in the decreasing number of corals.

C．It produces more strong and healthy corals.

D．It changes the genes of corals for survival.

3. What is the best title for the text?

A．Three Methods to Make Healthy Corals Are under Test

B．Researchers Edit Coral Genes to Improve Their Survival

C．Views Are Divided on the Development of Corals in Lab

D．Corals Are Created in Lab lo Better Resist Climate Change

【推荐2】I started considering the power of dogs during one of my daily walks around my neighborhood. Almost invariably, I’ll run into at least one person walking his dog. It’s a joyous moment to approach the dog and pet it. I always walk away from these exchanges feeling just a bit more relaxed and happy. And that got me wondering: Could these short interactions with other people’s dogs actually be good for me?

“Absolutely. I think it is safe to say that animals are beneficial to our mental and physical health,” says Nancy Gee, a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Gee says there’s some evidence that the act of actually touching a dog might be an important part of the calming effect. For instance, one study done in Canada found college students reported less stress and reduced feelings of homesickness after brief interactions with dogs, and that the effect was much bigger in those who actually got to pet the animals.

Now, the therapy (治疗) dogs used in research are screened for things like friendliness, good behavior and responsiveness to their handler’s cues (提示). And of course, not everyone is a dog person. “Pets are not a panacea (灵丹妙药),” Gee says. “They’re not necessarily going to be great for every single person. But for people who really connect with the animals, they can make a big difference.”

Research on the health benefits of human interactions with animals, especially with dogs, has exploded in recent years, thanks to the support of the National Institutes of Health and the Waltham PetCare Science Institute. Though the field is still young, Gee says the quality of the evidence is improving all the time, including more randomized controlled trials looking at short interactions. “We’re seeing really nice effects,” she says. “We actually saw those effects one month later. And there’s some evidence that they may exist six months later.”

1. Why does the author mention his interactions with dogs?

A．To praise his neighbor.	B．To erase people’s doubts.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To voice his views on life.

2. What did the study done in Canada find about the students interacting with dogs?

A．They disliked raising pets.	B．They enjoyed much respect.
C．They were very academic.	D．They became less homesick.

3. What can be inferred about the research on human-animal relationships?

A．It has seen sound development.	B．It cuts the cost of saving animals.
C．It ensures humans a bright future.	D．It makes some medicine affordable.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Walking Improves the Quality of Life	B．Petting Dogs Can Boost Your Health
C．Animals Might Lift Patients’ Spirits	D．Happiness Lies in Helping Others

【推荐3】It is believed that it’s dangerous to have plants in the bedroom. Plants take in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and produce oxygen (氧气) in the day.     1    . The build-up of CO₂ is a real problem for indoor air quality, which has been shown to influence health, so it is easy to see where the concern comes from. But to consider whether sharing our bedroom with our plants can harm health, we should consider three things.

Firstly, how much CO₂ do plants produce at night compared with what they take in during the day?     2     For the answer depends on everything from species to light levels and even room temperature.

Thankfully, in 2015, researchers at Turkey’s Kastamonu University found that large houseplants take in between six and eight times as much CO2 in the day as they produce at night.

    3     A single human breath contains around 40, 000 ppm of CO2, more than 10 times the effect a plant could have in 8 hours, so you might want to throw your partner out before your plants.

Finally, we don’t live in the sealed (密封的) boxes in which these studies are carried out.     4     The air is even exchanged when we move around. According to one recent review, we need houseplants to keep indoor air fresh, and to fight some pollution.     5    

Let’s enjoy houseplants whenever we like, because if sleeping near plants were bad for our health, camping in a forest would be deadly.

A．This is hard to answer.

B．So, they are quite necessary.

C．The question has more than one answer.

D．Besides, we often share a room with someone else.

E．Indoor air is being exchanged through doors and windows.

F．At night they compete with us for the air we breathe while asleep.

G．Secondly, compare the influence of a plant with that of a person sharing a room.

【推荐2】April 13, 2021 — The FDA and CDC on Tuesday recommended that use of the Johnson& Johnson COVID-19 be paused after reports of blood clots(血栓) in patients receiving the shot, the FDA and CDC announced Tuesday.

In a statement, FDA said the agency is looking into six reported cases of a rare and severe blood clot occurring in patients who received the vaccine.

The pause is intended to give time to warn the public to this “very rare” condition, experts said during a joint CDC-FDA media report Tuesday.

“It was clear to us that we needed to alert the public,” Janet Woodcock, MD, acting FDA officer said. The move also will allow time for the healthcare community to learn what they need to know about how to diagnose, treat and report any additional cases.

The CDC will hold a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization(免疫) Practices on Wednesday to review the cases.

Of the six reported cases linked to the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, all are in women between the ages of 18 and 48 years, one woman died and another ended up in critical(严重的) condition. “I know the information today will be very concerning to Americans who have already received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine,” said Anne Schuchat, MD, principal deputy director at the CDC. “For people who got the vaccine more than one month ago, the risk is very low at this time,” she added. “For people who recently got the vaccine, in the last couple of weeks, look for symptoms.”

Headache, leg pain, belly pain and shortness of breath were among the reported symptoms. All six cases arose within 6 to 13 days of receipt of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

“I know this has been a long and difficult pandemic, and people are tired of the steps they have to take,” Schuchat said. “Steps taken today make sure the health care system is ready to diagnose, treat and report any additional cases and the public has the information necessary to stay safe.”

1. Why did FDA and CDC advise pausing the use of J&J COVID vaccine?

A．People are tired of the steps they have to take during the pandemic.

B．The public need to be warned of the danger caused by the vaccine.

C．The CDC will hold a research to test the effectiveness of the vaccine.

D．The healthcare community has already known how to deal with the cases.

2. What can we infer from Paragraph 6?

A．Women may have a higher risk of blood clots aftering receiving the vaccine.

B．The vaccine can be safely used to prevent older people from having COVID-19.

C．Americans having already received vaccine needn’t care about the information.

D．People will suffer from blood clots whenever they get the vaccine.

3. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Long and Difficult Pandemic

B．FDA, CDC Urge Pause of J&J COVID Vaccine

C．The Communities Diagnose, Treat and Report Additional Cases

D．Blood Clots Caused by J&J Vaccine

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Education.

B．Health.

C．Culture.

D．Science.

【推荐3】Downing Street will receive a special delivery from postmasters this afternoon, the country’s biggest ever petition(请愿书) in modern times, Four million people have backed a campaign, urging the government to save Britain’s post offices. More than four thousand post offices have closed since 1999 for financial reasons; the rest are losing up to a quarter of a billion pounds a year.

The Saint Levan Valley Post Office near Plymouth faces closure. It is one of thousands that are not commercially practical and cost taxpayers over a hundred and fifty million pounds a year in subsidies. And yet the customers here don’t care if the post office makes money, they say it’s a social lifeline for the community.

“We’ve had people moved to tears here at the very thought of losing their post office. It s such a vital part of the community.” That’s why hundreds of postmasters have arrived in London this morning to remonstrate with what they call a death by a thousand cuts. The government has removed so many services from branches that many would be forced to close.

This afternoon they’ll hand in a petition signed by four million people which they hope would preempt (先发制人) any government announcement on cuts.

And at the top of the list of complaints: the planned withdrawal of the Post Office card account, used by millions to access pensions and benefits. There are many, many people who still want, and who budget on being able to get their money from their pension and other benefits each week in cash at post office, and that is the bottom line.

This industry wants reform and modernization, but not the ill-planned destruction of the network. “They have to be practical. What we wanna do is make sure that they can be practical. So in the same way as a pub used to be tied to one brewery, we want to free up post offices to have lots of products, so they can have a much better income flow, and therefore, stay open.”

1. Why has the government closed so many post offices?

A．The post offices fail to make a profit.

B．The government is forced to do so by the public.

C．The government decides to make it more commercial.

D．The post offices are of no use because of the Internet.

2. What does the underlined words “remonstrate with” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Negotiate with.	B．Vote for.
C．Stand by.	D．Protest against.

3. What is probably the key service of the post offices for common people?

A．To post letters.

B．To withdraw pensions.

C．To strengthen community bonds.

D．To protest against ill-planned cuts.

4. Why is “a pub” mentioned in the last paragraph’?

A．To predict the future of post offices.

B．To indicate the success of pub business.

C．To suggest a realistic way to keep post offices open.

D．To explain the connection between pubs and post offices.