In the latest attempt to deal with what academics and news call a “masculinity crisis”, the Education Ministry has proposed emphasizing the “spirit of yang”, or male qualities, by hiring more sports instructors and redesigning P.E. classes in schools.
Some social media users expressed support for the proposal, with one writing, “It’s hard to imagine such womanly boys can defend their country when an outside attack happens.” But others saw evidence of sexual discrimination and gender stereotypes (刻板印象).
Even state news media CCTV wrote on its Weibo account: “Education is not simply about cultivating ‘men’ and ‘women’. Strong inner qualities come first.”
CCTV also offered a general understanding of yang, writing, “Men show ‘the spirit of yang’ in manners, spirit and body shape, which is a kind of beauty, but ‘the spirit of yang’ does not simply mean ‘masculine’ (男性的) behavior.’ It should focus on a willingness of taking responsibility”.
The proposal was first made by Si Zefu, a deputy minister. He proposed that “many, many more” men should be hired as P.E. teachers to power a “masculine influence” in schools.
Mr. Si said the commonness of female teachers in schools and the popularity of “pretty boys” or “little fresh meat” had made boys “weak, fearful and shy,” adding that boys no longer wanted to become war heroes, warning that such a trend could endanger the Chinese people.
While the proposal did not include different treatment for boys and girls, educators like Liu Wenli, a professor at Beijing Normal University, see some risks. She said that even the reference “feminization of male youths” in the proposal could lead to more bullying of students because of their gender expression.
“Educators cannot call for the prevention of bullying in schools while developing the soil for bullying in schools,” she wrote on Weibo.
1. What does “masculinity crisis” refer to in the text?| A．The more bullying of boy students. |
| B．The lack of professional physical instructors. |
| C．The trend of womanly features shown in boys. |
| D．The sexual discrimination and gender stereotypes. |
| A．The beauty of manners. |
| B．The typical male image. |
| C．The quality of being responsible. |
| D．The expectations to be a P.E teacher. |
| A．treat boys and girls differently |
| B．prevent the school bullying |
| C．try to understand womanly boys |
| D．employ more male P.E. teachers |
| A．Concerned. | B．Approving. | C．Neutral. | D．Ambiguous. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas has issued a recent report in order to recommend ways to increase food donations, reduce food waste, and fight hunger, which may help Kenyan leaders meet 2030 food waste reduction goals.
Food donation can reroute eatable food — that would otherwise give off greenhouse gasses in a landfill — to those experiencing hunger. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, 3.5 million Kenyans, roughly 37 percent of the population, face severe hunger. At the same time, the Policy Atlas reports roughly 40 percent of food produced within Kenya goes to waste. But Broad Leib, Deputy Director of Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), sees some promising changes. “While progress is not happening as quickly as needed, Kenya’s food loss index has been steadily (稳步地) reduced from 1,744 metric tons in 2017, to 1,531 in 2018, to 1,446 metric tons in 2019, indicating a steady improvement and national commitment to food loss reduction,” reports Broad Leib.
According to the Policy Atlas, motivating food donation with rewards is particularly important, which helps food donors and food recovery organizations make up for costs necessary for recovery, storing, processing, and transporting food for donation.
“A major driver of food waste is inconsistent or unclear date labels that cause confusion among all actors along the value chain and limit the ability of businesses to donate food. This increases the likelihood that much safe food will go to waste,” Broad Leib tells Food Tank. However, he acknowledges Kenya’s current dual (双的) date labeling laws. While food may lose its freshness over time, it is still edible before expiration (到期). Dual date labeling on packaged foods reduces confusion by defining dates for both safety and quality. This helps reduce considerable waste and responsibility for donors.
Broad Leib believes that the private sector can also play a significant role in decreasing food waste in Kenya. It is vital for consumer education campaigns. FLPC’s research shows that public-private initiatives can help raise awareness among consumers and donors around issues of food waste and food donation.
1. What changes does Broad Leib see?| A．People in Kenya no longer suffer hunger. |
| B．Kenya has gradually reduced its food waste. |
| C．Kenya is not committed to reducing food loss. |
| D．Progress in reducing food waste is happening quickly. |
| A．Delicious. | B．Convenient. | C．Eatable. | D．Affordable. |
| A．By increasing storehouses. |
| B．By fighting hunger with rewards. |
| C．By reducing food produced within the country. |
| D．By using double date labeling on packaged food. |
| A．Private and public joint efforts matter around food issues. |
| B．Consumer education campaigns are the most important. |
| C．Only the private sector is helpful in reducing food waste. |
| D．Broad Leib doesn’t agree with FLPC on food waste reduction. |
【推荐2】American high school students who slept less than seven hours each night during the pandemic were more likely to struggle in school. That finding comes from a recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
For the study, the CDC questioned 7,705 students about their sleep schedules and success in school. More than two-thirds of the students said they experienced more difficulty in their schoolwork during the pandemic than before the pandemic. About 75 percent of the students did not sleep enough during the pandemic, the study found students who reported poor mental health during the pandemic were also more likely to get less sleep. Overall, 37 percent of the students said they struggled with their mental health during the pandemic. But about 50 percent of the students who slept five hours or less each night said they had poor mental health.
As students recover from learning loss due to the pandemic, “schools can consider including policies and practices known to improve sleep duration (持续时间)” the CDC said. Teenagers experience many physical changes when they go through puberty (青春期). A good sleep schedule can improve test performance. As children get older, there is a change in their body’s natural clock. Before puberty, children may feel sleepy around 8 or 9 at night. But when they become teenagers, the body’s clock changes to make them tied much later around 10 or 11 at night. Because of this, many teenagers may experience an inability to sleep.
Some school systems around the U.S. are pushing back start times for high schools so students can get more sleep. Usually, high schools start the earliest compared to middle and primary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics says the average start time for U.S. high schools is 8 a.m. But the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a start time of 8:30. The organization Start School Later supports pushing back school start times. It says at least 13, 000 school systems in the United States have pushed back start times.
1. What can we know from Paragraph 2?| A．The sleep duration can affect mental health. |
| B．Students worked harder during the pandemic. |
| C．Half of the students have mental health problems. |
| D．Two-thirds of the students did not sleep enough in 2020. |
| A．The academic stress changes their sleep patterns. |
| B．The bioclock keeps them fresh until late at night. |
| C．They can’t arrange a good sleep schedule on their own. |
| D．They go through many physical changes during puberty. |
| A．When is the best time for students to go to school. |
| B．Why high schools start classes at the earliest time. |
| C．How pushing back school start ties affects school. |
| D．What school systems did to improve students’ sleep. |
| A．In a school report. | B．In a children’s book. |
| C．In a health magazine. | D．In a pandemic guide. |
【推荐3】The world's top automakers(汽车制造商)are increasingly offering more electric car models. This growth is expected to continue, with more people choosing to hit the road with clean- running electric cars.
Environmentalists have praised the automakers for taking major steps to limit harmful pollutants linked to worldwide climate change. But electric cars are also known for not producing another kind of pollution - noise. They run on batteries instead of fuels, and can operate in silence.
While many people might consider this a good thing, quiet cars can also cause problems. The main danger is that people around electric vehicles face a greater risk of being hit if they cannot hear the cars coming.
Governments in the United States and Europe have recognized this problem. So they have set requirements for automakers to add warning sounds to electric vehicles. The U.S. Department of Transportation finalized its rules a year ago. The rules require electric and hybrid (混合物) cars to be equipped with some warning sounds when moving at a speed of up to 30 kilometers per hour. The rules are aimed at preventing injuries among people walking or riding bicycles and protecting the blind.
So what kind of sound can we expect to hear from the next generation of electric cars? One of the easiest solutions would be for carmakers to reproduce the sound of a traditional car running on fuels. But many industry officials believe this would be a mistake. They say this would not support electric cars' true identity. Frank Welsch, the head of technical development at Volkswagen, said that finding the perfect sound mix is not an easy process. He said, "It cannot be too annoying. It cannot sound like anything we had in the past." An official from Mercedes-Benz said the sound was designed to provide a safe warning without annoying passengers inside the car. He said the goal was to create a car that remains completely quiet inside.
It might seem strange to think that part of our automotive future is currently being developed in the same kinds of recording studios used by musicians. But that is exactly what is happening.
1. What's Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The main advantages of electric cars. | B．The useful ways to improve electric cars. |
| C．The automakers' effort to limit pollutants. | D．The effect of climate change on the car industry. |
| A．To add functions. | B．To increase sales. |
| C．To prevent injuries. | D．To make cars smarter. |
| A．The sound similar to that of a traditional car. | B．The sound not troubling people inside cars. |
| C．The sound matching cars' identity. | D．The sound chosen from recorded ones. |
| A．A newspaper. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A science report. | D．A research plan. |
【推荐1】Online games are very popular among people. They make a large amount of money and have a large user base, including lots of teenagers. But now, new rules on online games have been introduced, which are aimed at fighting against addiction (成瘾) among underage players.
Adult players need to spend most of their time paying attention to work and family, and cannot play games as often as they want. However, underage players have more spare time, but less responsibility and self-control. Children without a clear purpose in life, where there is less family education and school management, might easily become addicted to all kinds of online games and online novels.
The most direct impact of an addiction to online games among underage players is on their psychological (心理) health. According to psychologists, people seriously addicted to games can become anxious, bad tempered, and avoid responsibility.
However, Chinese parents are more worried that their children will lack interest in studying if they become addicted to online games, as academic success is important for students. Additionally, when their children become addicted to such games, most parents do not know how to deal with the situation.
To carry out the new rules to the best effect, more specific issues need to be solved, such as managing foreign online games, ensuring that facial recognition technologies used by games companies have the wanted effect or making sure online game providers can only offer one-hour services to underage players on Saturdays and Sundays. While there are always loopholes (漏洞) in new rules, authorities should act quickly to close them.
There is no doubt that online games have harmful effects on young people. It is not acceptable for a large number of teenagers or those even younger, to become addicted to these games.
1. What’s the purpose of the new rules on online games?| A．To raise awareness of Internet safety. |
| B．To bring in new computer programs. |
| C．To reduce the grown-up user base. |
| D．To prevent the teenagers’ addiction. |
| A．They can learn more knowledge on the Internet. |
| B．They have more free time and less self-control. |
| C．They have purposes in life but lack higher education. |
| D．They maintain a sense of curiosity about the Internet. |
| A．How to reduce parents’ anxiety about kids’ study. |
| B．How to find loopholes in the popular online games. |
| C．How to control the service time of online game providers. |
| D．How to invent a facial recognition game for young players. |
| A．Confused. | B．Negative. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Uninterested. |
【推荐2】It’s apparently become a trend in schools around the world to ban students from using the term, “best friends,” according to psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg. The movement, which is believed to have started in Prince George's school in South London, isn't intended to discourage close friendships, but rather encourage a wider friend group, Greenberg says.
“Let’s face it. You can’t ban somebody from having a close relationship, and you can’t really ban somebody from having a best friend but what the schools are trying to do is foster the idea of kids having more than a single friend,” Greenberg said.
The idea is to increase the number of interactions a student may have with different members of his or her peer group. “I see kids come in all week long who are feeling awful because they are either nobody’s best friend or their best friend has moved on,” Greenberg says.
Jay Jacobs, who operates Timber Lake Camp in New York, stresses the downside of not fostering multiple relationships at a young age, for exactly that reason. “I think that there are problems in just having one friend,” Jacobs says. “Remember as you grow up, interests change, and children go in different directions.” Jacobs adds that teachers at Timber Lake, which changes positions between Glen Cove in winter and Shandake in summer, have made it a point to promote a more inclusive environment for years.
Jacobs reminds people that, “As you grow up, interests change, and children go in different directions,” so having only one friend can be risky. He holds the belief that children will be better set up for success later in life if they get used to having a wider friend group at a young age. “It’s about promoting kindness, looking to children to be kind to one another and to be aware of what it looks like when you’re not,” Jacobs says.
1. Why do schools ban the term “best friends”?| A．To make students concentrate on their studies. |
| B．To encourage students to make more friends. |
| C．To prevent students from falling in love at a young age. |
| D．To discourage students from having a close relationship. |
| A．Their best friends have moved house. |
| B．They are banned from making best friends. |
| C．They are under great pressure from study. |
| D．Their best friends have started new friendships. |
| A．Mistake. | B．Difficulty. |
| C．Drawback. | D．Burden. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Opposed. | D．Unconcerned. |
【推荐3】Once I told someone I wanted to get a master’s degree of fine arts in creative writing and they told me it was the second-to-worst post-graduation plan they’d ever heard from a student. Arts degrees — especially fine arts degrees, which usually come in the form of music, studio art, creative writing and theater — have been, over the years, labeled useless.
It’s true that for the most part, STEM degrees lead to higher paying jobs than liberal and fine arts degrees, and it’s understandable why young people care about a higher starting salary and financial security. Student loan debt is playing a role in the physical and mental stress of young people.
And while STEM majors usually have starting salaries that are $20,000 higher than those of liberal arts majors, by the time people reach the age of 40, the salaries between those who majored in the liberal arts and those who majored in STEM are virtually the same. For example, women who major in STEM earned nearly 50% more than social science and history majors at ages 23-25, but only 10% more by ages 38-40, a New York Times analysis reported. So even in terms of salary, which doesn’t solely determine whether or not a degree is useful, liberal arts degrees aren’t all that far behind STEM.
It seems too that since people nowadays are going to have to work longer, it’s more important than ever that we actually like and care about what we’re doing. Pursuing something enjoyable, or else a passion, is continuously found to be a key factor in maintaining healthy relationships, mental health, physical health and energy. In other words, not useless.
Art is also a method of communication. It allows people from different backgrounds, from different walks of life to communicate with each other. In a world where borders and division seem to be all over the place, we need art more than ever. We need liberal arts majors. And more than anything, we need to be able to pursue what we love with confidence, and we need to not get caught up in the “usefulness” of what we love.
And just because someone’s primary job isn’t in their field of study — a writer who teaches high school for example— doesn’t make the degree useless. It just means that their way of finding a stable income is different. The same goes for artists who have to work multiple jobs to support themselves. They might have to find other means of supporting themselves and their artistry. It might be copy editing or it might be tutoring.
So I am going to graduate school, and I am going to graduate school for writing. I might be paying rent by way of overnight restaurant shifts — there’s so much I’m not sure of. But one thing I am sure of is this — I would rather be a writer working two jobs to pay my bills than be no writer at all.
1. A New York Times analysis report is mentioned in Paragraph 3 to ______.| A．analyse the potential value of different majors |
| B．put forward the opinion on majors by example |
| C．prove the argument against arts degrees wrong |
| D．demonstrate the link between majors and incomes |
| A．Following one’s dream of arts keeps one in good condition. |
| B．Doing what one loves builds up one’s self-confidence in arts. |
| C．Mastering arts improves one’s understanding of different jobs. |
| D．Developing a love for arts helps one maintain passion for work. |
| A．unavoidable | B．common |
| C．traditional | D．acceptable |
| A．Students learning arts are more concerned about the value of life. |
| B．People tend to place income in the first place when choosing majors. |
| C．The man who doesn’t love his work won’t stick with the job for long. |
| D．Graduates can find a broader space of development in the field of arts. |
【推荐1】Global health experts say that each year some of the 1.5 million people die from vaccine-preventable diseases due to gaping holes in medical record-keeping, especially in developing countries where resources to properly document immunizations（免疫接种）may be lacking．
To solve that problem, researchers headed by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Techmology（MIT）have invented a way to deliver vaccines（疫苗）through a microneedle patch（贴片）that is buried in the skin．It's a record that can't be seen, written in quantum dots（量子点）that contain vaccination history and give off light only readable by a specially equipped smartphone．The scientists say it doesn't require any link to a database and it doesn't tie into any personal information．
For now, the patch can only contain a handful of simple shapes．But adding more microneedles could make the designs more complex, potentially conveying information about a vaccination's date, dosage and more．From there, reading the dots becomes a lot like scanning a QR code（二维码）．These designs could be scanned and interpreted by smartphones, and someday allow health providers to access patients' past vaccinations without chaos of external records．
The next step, before trials in people, is to test its practicability among experts in the field．The researchers now plan to work with health care workers in developing nations in Africa to get input on the best way to carry out this type of vaccination record-keeping．
"Ultimately, we believe that this invisible 'on-body' technology opens up new possibilities for data storage and biosensing applications that could influence the way medical care is provided, especially in the developing world," the researchers conclude．
1. What do the underlined words "that problem" in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Few medical resources． |
| B．Wrong ways to deliver vaccines． |
| C．Lack of vaccination record-keeping． |
| D．No vaccinations required in developing countries． |
| A．They keep a record of the vaccination． |
| B．They need to be connected to a database． |
| C．They give away one's personal information． |
| D．They can read light produced by smartphones． |
| A．By reading the QR code． | B．By scanning the design． |
| C．By interpreting external records． | D．By increasing microneedles． |
| A．It will be cost-saving． | B．It will hit the market soon． |
| C．It may ensure the accuracy of data． | D．It may bring changes to medical care． |
【推荐2】Tour operators have seasonal deals on holidays to Australia and other countries in a new year.
Austravel
Holidaymakers can save up to 30% on a trip to Australia with the Austravel sale, which runs for about a month. It also includes a fourteen-day-long trip to Perth and a west coast self-drive trip from £795 per person including flights in May or July.
● austravel. com
Thomson and First Choice
Some deals are being launched this week by Thomson and First Choice, with early booking offers including free places for kids, lower deposits (押金) and up to £300 off per couple on a lot of destinations.
● thomson. co. uk, firstchoice. co. uk
Eurocamp
The camping company is offering thousands of Easter and May half-term holidays for under £350, such as an Easter break at La Baume on the French Riviera for just £25 a night, based on a stay in a two-bedroom holiday home. Early bookers can save up to 25% and secure a holiday with a deposit of just £99.
● eurocamp. co. uk
Kuoni
Running from Christmas Eve, the Kuoni sale includes a wide range of offers. These offers include ten nights full board in the Maldives from £1,599 and seven nights in Phuket, Thailand from £999 per person—both including flights and transfers (换乘).
● kuoni. co. Uk
1. How long may you stay in Perth with Austravel?| A．One month. | B．Two weeks. | C．One week. | D．Four night. |
| A．It requires no deposit. |
| B．It offers cheap return flights. |
| C．It is suitable for family travel. |
| D．It can save up to £300 per person. |
| A．Austravel. | B．Thomson and First Choice. |
| C．Eurocamp. | D．Kuoni. |
| A．Both have various offers. |
| B．Both include flights. |
| C．Both offer a discount for early booking. |
| D．Both need a deposit to secure a holiday. |
【推荐3】Hayley Arceneaux, 29 will be the youngest person to go to space when she joins Inspiralion4, a private mission led and funded by Jared Isaacman, a- billionaire businessman and pilot. The mission which is scheduled to launch in October from Cape Canaveral, Florida, will be the first mission to include non-professional astronauts. For that , the crew are receiving training in areas such as the operations of the spacecraft and the rocket that will launch it, working in microgravity, emergency preparedness and mission simulations (模拟).
Arceneaux underwent treatment for bone cancer from the age of ten in St Jude Children's Hospital in Tennessee. She endured a dozen rounds of chemotherapy (化疗) and surgery to replace her left knee and thigh bone with titanium (钛) implants after her diagnosis nearly 20 years ago. She now works at the hospital as a physician's assistant.
“Honestly, I'm not nervous at all — I am just so excited," said Arcencaux, "I think having cancer made me tough." Dr. Michael Neel, who operated on Arceneaux, said, “Hayley's story will show people that not even the sky is the limit for what you can do, whether it's in medicine, commerce or life in general."
"Right now we are at step zero. The door is closed to persons with disabilities. With this pilot project, we have the ambition to open this door and make a leap, to go from zero to one,"the European Space Agency said.
1. What can we learn about Inspiralion4?| A．Arcencaux will command the mission. |
| B．The mission will be launched privately. |
| C．The crew prepare themselves in many areas. |
| D．The mission includes no professional astronauts. |
| A．Confidence. | B．Honesty. | C．Ambition. | D．Toughness. |
| A．A leap. | B．A step. | C．A solution. | D．A chance. |
| A．Inspiration4 is to be launched in October from Cape Canaveral, Florida： |
| B．A cancer survivor is chosen as the youngest person to travel to space. |
| C．The ESA promises to employ professional astronauts with disabilities. |
| D．Jared Isaaeman funds a private spacecraft to travel in space. |
It seems both Parisians and tourists are taking advantage of the program. Since its launch a little over two weeks ago, Vélib has already seen almost half a million rentals. And, with the addition of 10,000 more bikes and 700 more stations in the next 12 months, city officials expect at least 200,000 regular users by year end. Parisian Olivier Bioret has already gone for a spin on one of Vélib’s vehicles and plans to make use of them more often.
“It’s a real pleasure—when, like me, you don’t have space enough in your flat to have your own bike—to be able to discover, to cross Paris and not have to take the subway. ”he said．
As a socialist and longtime green activist, Mayor Bertrand Delanoe regards Vélib as just a part of his plan to reduce car traffic and, thus, lower pollution by 2020.
Apart from its environmental benefits, Vélib is also being praised as a way of collecting money for the city, for all the money from rentals goes to the city government.
Paris is not alone in its attempt to profit from the power of the bicycles.
Across the globe, cities such as Barcelona, which stated its bike-share program in March with 1,500 vehicles and 100 stations, and New York, which launched a five-day trial program last month, are using bicycles as a way to cut back on both traffic and pollution.
However, it remains to be seen whether people’s acceptance of these programs is simply a passing fashion or whether this movement has the power to take root and transform the face of public transportation around the world.
1. The real purpose of Vélib is________.| A．to help people save money and space |
| B．to make some money for the city government |
| C．to provide convenience to both Parisians and tourists |
| D．to reduce traffic and pollution in the city |
| A．There will be 700 stations in one year’s time . |
| B．There will be over 20, 000 bikes in use in a year. |
| C．In the first two weeks there were nearly a million rentals. |
| D．There will be 200, 000 regular rentals each day by year end. |
| A．other cities also have such programs |
| B．Parisians can use the bicycles free of charge |
| C．Paris sets an example to many other cities |
| D．Paris is the first city to start such a program |
| A．critical | B．optimistic | C．uncertain | D．negative |
Since 1983 the workshop has offered teens the opportunity to explore new directions in their writing. The workshop sections are small(12 teen students). Fostering the sense of belonging to a learning community, trusting one’s own language and voice·and learning to think for other-these are the qualities and skills that the workshop strives to develop.
TERP Young Scholars
The program welcomes talented teen students to an extraordinary learning opportunity at the University of Maryland. Participants benefit from its vast resources，including libraries, computer and labs. They also enjoy trips to nearby Washington, movie nights，activities at the student union，mixers, and more. It offers college courses that are at the cutting edge of theory，thought and technology. Upon successful completion，they can earn three college credits of this university.
Books Summer Program
It is a lively and warm camp for outstanding teens who love literature and ideas. In the past eleven years, it has gathered exceptional middle and high school students to read selections from the greatest works of literature, experience college-level discussions and have fun with others. You’ll also discuss the likes of Plato, Jefferson, Tolstoy, Borges and Vonnegut.
Zeal Travel
We offer our teens two-week and three-week long trips to Hawaii，Alaska, Australia, Costa Rica, and Spain. All trips include 15-25 hours of community service activities. Every trip also includes exciting outdoor pursuits like surfing, scuba diving，ice climbing, zip line tours, hiking, and more.
1. Which program will students attend to earn college credits?| A．Young Writers Workshop. | B．TERP Young Scholars. |
| C．Books Summer Program. | D．Zeal Travel. |
| A．Learn how to write stories. | B．Make friends with famous writers. |
| C．Play some games with others. | D．Read and discuss the greatest works. |
| A．Adventurous and meaningful. | B．Educational and inspiring. |
| C．Traditional and helpful. | D．Crazy and challenging. |
【推荐3】To many people, honey bees symbolize development, sustainability (可持续性) and environmentalism. But as a honey bee researcher, I have to tell you that only the first item on that list is reasonable. Although they are important for agriculture, honey bees also damage natural ecosystems by competing with native bees — some of which are species at risk.
The rise in honey beekeeping, now a popular activity for hundreds of thousands of Americans, followed strong awareness campaigns to “save the bees.” But as a species, honey bees are least in need of saving. Media attention unfairly covers them over native bees, and vague messaging has led many citizens — myself once included — to believe they are doing a good thing for the environment by putting on a beekeeper’s veil. Unfortunately, they are probably doing more harm than good.
“Beekeeping is for people; it’s not a conservation practice,” says Sheila Colla, an assistant professor and conservation biologist at Toronto’s York University, Canada. “People mistakenly think keeping honey bees, or helping honey bees, is somehow helping the native bees, which are at risk of extinction.” She is frustrated the ones in more neon on saving honey bees when, from a conservationist’s point of view, native bees are the ones in more need of support.
For some reason, maybe because they are small, honey bees are not generally viewed as the massively distributed livestock animal that they are. There are millions of honey bee colonies in North America, 2.8 million of which are in the U.S. Approximating around 30,000 bees per colony (the size of a pollination unit), that’s roughly a billion honey bees in Canada and the U.S. alone — almost triple the number of people. High densities of honey bee colonies increase competition between native bees, putting even more pressure on the wild species that are already in decline.
I used to believe that honey bees were a gateway species, and that concern over their health and development would spill over onto native bees, benefitting them, too. While this may have happened in some cases, evidence is increasing that misguided enthusiasm for honey bees has likely been to the native bees’ damage. Beekeeping doesn’t make me feel good, anymore. In fact, quite the opposite.
1. What makes bee keeping gain great popularity among Americans?| A．Several campaigns have been launched to advocate bee saving. |
| B．Citizens believe native bees are no longer in need of protection. |
| C．Little importance are attached to protecting the environment. |
| D．Citizens hope to make a fortune from the bee keeping business. |
| A．Objective. | B．Unfavorable. | C．Supportive. | D．Neutral. |
| A．The author’s attitude towards the beekeeping has changed. |
| B．People’s enthusiasm for keeping honey bees is increasing. |
| C．In some cases evidence has proved honey bees are in danger. |
| D．Keeping native bees is of great benefit to people’s health. |
