A researcher with the Australian Antarctic Division left a camera near a large group of emperor penguins. Then two of the birds walked over to check the camera out. The camera was rolling when the penguins started to look into its lens (镜头), resulting in a very cute penguin "selfie (自拍)". That's according to Amy B. Wang of the Washington Post.
Explorer Eddie Gault placed the camera near the Auster Rookery during his visit to Australia's Mawson research station. The Australian Antarctic Division posted a short video from the camera—happy penguins on its social media pages. They wrote that it offered a "bird's eye view of life in Antarctica"!
At the start of the video, we can only see the feet of a penguin. It appears to kick the camera over so its lens faces the sky. As the penguin looks into the camera, another comes into view. The buddies come towards the lens and cock their heads. Then they straighten up and shake their heads. It is as though they have decided that this strange object is not worth their time.
Penguins are "naturally curious" animals, the Australian Antarctic Division writes on its Facebook page.
Other animals have also been known to get involved in the art of the selfie. An eagle in Western Australia once picked up a camera that was supposed to be recording fresh-water crocodiles. It filmed itself flying and touching at the lens.
Then there is a monkey that accidentally started a year-long lawsuit (诉讼) when it took a funny photo of itself with a camera owned by David Slater. He is a British wildlife photographer. Slater published the image of the monkey in a book, which caused People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to take him to court for breaking the copyright of the so-called "selfie monkey".
Slater said himself that the monkey had pressed the shutter on his camera, which proved to be the heart of the case against him.
As for the Antarctic penguins, the camera was already rolling when they decided to "strike a pose", so the Australian Antarctic Division should be able to avoid a possible lawsuit. But if you happen to be in the Antarctic and see two penguins taking top-down Instagram shots of their latest meal, you know who is responsible.
1. The underlined word "rolling" in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.| A．flashing | B．moving | C．recording | D．turning |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．he used the monkey's selfie in a book |
| B．the monkey pressed the button on his camera |
| C．the monkey took a photo of him with his camera |
| D．he published a photo of the monkey on the Internet |
| A．In a law book. | B．In a research report. |
| C．In a photographer's diary. | D．In a wildlife magazine. |
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【推荐1】Golden eagle populations in the UK are set to increase as some chicks are reintroduced to the north of England. Ten birds will be released (释放) from south of Edinburgh in summer 2018, with the hope of bringing the species back from disappearing in England. More eagles will be released in the summertime of the next five years.
The project received £ 1.3 million of lottery funding in March and has now been awarded a further £ 150,000 to employ workers to run the operation. Project manager Cat Barlow said: “This is a really exciting time as the project is now starting to happen and we will soon start to see its benefits. Work will start next summer, when we will collect a number of golden eagle chicks in the Highlands and bring them south to be reared and released from an already selected place.”
The birds will be released with satellite tracking tags that will allow the scientists to gather information about their behavior and find if they suddenly go offline.
Recently, golden eagles have died out in England as the last known individual is believed to have died. Due to the popularity of shooting birds of prey (食肉猛禽), those birds in the wild struggle to survive. Main causes of death are systematic poisoning, shooting and nest disturbance by gamekeepers.
It is hoped that the newly released birds will move further south in search of new living areas and food supplies. The project expects to see the number of wild birds in Scotland and England increase as the range of the animals develops. While the birds were gone in England, in the Highlands of Scotland the number of golden eagles rocketed with up to 500 breeding pairs, the chicks will be sourced from here. It is hoped that golden eagles may finally return to the north of England, and if all goes well, numbers should grow steadily.
1. Why will some golden eagles be set free from south of Edinburgh?| A．To keep the balance of nature. | B．To encourage more birds to live in the wild. |
| C．To bring back the number of other species. | D．To prevent eagles from dying out. |
| A．Sold. | B．Stored. |
| C．Raised. | D．Exhibited. |
| A．Reasons for golden eagles’ dying out. |
| B．Why animal hunting should be forbidden. |
| C．Harmful effects of shooting birds. |
| D．The difficult situation golden eagles face. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Hopeful. |
| C．Sceptical. | D．Cautious. |
【推荐2】A new study involving the Chinese mountain cat of the Tibetan Plateau has determined that this type of wildcat did not give rise to a separate lineage (血统) of domesticated cats in Asia, as some researchers had supposed, reports David Grimm for Science. The finding supports the conclusions of previous research that suggested all modern domesticated cats originated from the African wildcat, a subspecies of wildcat that appears to have first been domesticated in the Middle East around 6,400 years ago.
The new study, published last week in the journal Science Advances, collected and sequenced the genetic (基因的) material of 27 Chinese mountain cats, 239 Chinese domestic cats and four Asiatic wildcats. The Chinese mountain cat is so rare and hard to find that the researcher’s samples all had to come from museum specimens (样本), roadkill and zoo animals, reports Jaime Chambers for Science News.
The curiosity as to whether the Chinese mountain cat might have contributed genes to at least some populations of modern domestic cats comes partly from the deep 5,300-year history between humans and cats in China and partly because the Chinese mountain cat had never been included in past comparative genetic studies, according to Science News.
The genetic results suggest that the Chinese mountain cat is a subspecies of wildcat rather than its own separate species. This could have a negative impact on the conservation of the Chinese mountain cat, which is listed as “vulnerable (易危)” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is estimated to have a global population of fewer than 10,000 individuals. Per the IUCN, the cat’s population is in decline, largely due to habitat loss, poisoning and illegal hunting for its coat.
While there remains a lot of argument over how exactly to classify the Chinese mountain cat, Jim Sanderson, a wildlife ecologist with the conservation organization Re: wild, has argued for the Chinese mountain cat to be declared its own species. “The belief is that if it’s not a separate species, nobody cares. We ‘re living in an age of extinction,” Sanderson tells Science. “The Chinese mountain cat deserves every bit as much attention as the panda.”
1. In which way is the new study different from previous ones?| A．The time it has taken is much longer than before. |
| B．Most of the researcher’s samples are from zoo animals. |
| C．More Chinese domestic cats and wildcats are included. |
| D．The Chinese mountain cat is involved in genetic testing. |
| A．It is likely to die out in the near future. | B．It is being caught and sent to Africa. |
| C．It is damaging the local ecosystem. | D．It is now a threat to domestic cats. |
| A．To distinguish it from the other cats. | B．To end the argument over its classification. |
| C．To draw more tourists to the Tibetan Plateau. | D．To raise public awareness about its protection. |
| A．To make the true facts of certain cats clear. | B．To identify cat species from around the world. |
| C．To explore the history between humans and cats. | D．To report a new study on cats in the Middle East. |
【推荐3】Finding fish is going to get harder as climate change continues to heat the world's oceans. A new study finds that warming seas over the past 80 years have reduced the sustainable catch of 124 species of fish and shellfish. Sustainable catch refers to the amount that can be harvested without doing long-term damage to the health of populations of some species.
Overfishing has made that decline worse, researchers say. Overfishing refers to catching so many fish that the size of the population falls. In some parts of the world, such as the heavily fished Sea of Japan, the decrease is as high as 35 percent. That's a loss of more than one in every three fish.
Researchers examined changes in 235 populations of fish and shellfish between 1930 and 2010. Those fish populations spread far apart across 38 ocean regions. Temperature changes vary from one ocean site to another. But on average over that time, Earth's sea-surface temperatures have risen by about half a degree Celsius.
On average, that warming has caused the sustainable catch to drop by 4.1 percent, the study found. About 8 percent of the fish and shellfish populations the team studied saw losses as a result of the ocean warming. However, about 4 percent of some populations increased. That's because certain species have thrived in warmer waters. One example is a kind of black sea fish. It lives along the northeastern U.S. coast. As warming continues, these fish will reproduce faster until they reach their limit.
About 3.2 billion people worldwide rely on seafood as a source of food. That means it's urgent for commercial fishing fleets and regulators to consider how climate change is affecting the health of all of those fish in the sea.
1. What does the new study discover？| A．Overfishing is to blame for fish health. |
| B．Warming seas cause fewer fish and shellfish. |
| C．Seafood matters to people's health worldwide. |
| D．The living regions of fish and shellfish are different. |
| A．Survived narrowly. | B．Disappeared soon. |
| C．Decreased sharply. | D．Developed quickly. |
| A．About 8 percent of them suffered from a great loss. |
| B．About 35 percent of them survived in the Sea of Japan. |
| C．About 3.2 billion species have been saved up to now. |
| D．About 80 species have died out because of warming seas |
| A．Satisfied | B．Not interested |
| C．Worried | D．Terrified |
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as “the entertainment industry " or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system creates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business—referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing—the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high—creates feelings of insecurity for many.
1. The United States is a typical country ________.
| A．which encourages free trade at home and abroad |
| B．where people's chief concern is how to make money |
| C．where all businesses are managed scientifically |
| D．which normally works according to the federal budget |
| A．most newspapers are run by big businesses |
| B．even public organizations concentrate on working for profits |
| C．Americans of all professions know how to do business |
| D．even arts and entertainment are regarded as business |
| A．they can start profitable businesses there |
| B．they can be more competitive in business |
| C．they will make a fortune overnight there |
| D．they will find better chances of employment |
| A．working people are discouraged to fight for their fights |
| B．there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists |
| C．there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations and labor |
| D．public services are not run by the federal government |
| A．reduction in the number of employees |
| B．improvement of working conditions |
| C．fewer disputes between labor and management |
| D．a rise in workers' wages |
【推荐2】Think plants are just boring green things that you use for food and decoration? Think again! Plants are able to do some pretty awesome things that you’re probably totally unaware of.
Researchers have discovered that plants have the ability to communicate with an underground network made up of fungus (真菌) , which serves the plants in many ways. Tomato plants use the fungus web to warn each other of their own unhealthy conditions. Trees connected through the fungus network could move nutrients (养分) to and from each other. It is believed that larger trees move nutrients to smaller ones to help them to survive.
Not only that, but they can also damage unwelcome plants by spreading poisonous chemicals through the fungus. It sounds like the plant world had the Internet before we did.
Some plants have a rather impressive line of defense against being eaten. When sensing they are being swallowed, they give off a chemical into the air that attracts the insect’s natural enemy. The enemy attacks the bug, thus saving the plants. This is basically the plant kingdom version of getting your older brother to beat up that kid who steals your lunch money.
You might be aware that humans and animals have an internal clock. But did you know that plants also have this clock? This means they can prepare for certain times of day just like we do. Is it because they can react to light at sunrise? In a study, scientists found that plants use the sugars they produce to keep time, which help to regulate the genes responsible for the plant’s own internal clock. So, in a sense, ―wake up with petunias (矮牵牛) is just as valid as ―wake up with the chickens.
Nature is full of surprises. So for those of you who didn’t know the wonders of plants, now you do.
1. How many ways does the network of fungus serve the plants?| A．Two. | B．Three. |
| C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．The chemical given off by plants. | B．The insect’s natural enemy. |
| C．The bug attacked by the enemy. | D．The plant to be eaten by the insect. |
| A．The sugars produced by itself. | B．Its own genes. |
| C．The time of sunrise. | D．Its response to light. |
| A．To show his love of different plants. |
| B．To share his study on some awesome plants. |
| C．To introduce the unknown abilities of plants. |
| D．To make people aware of plant protection. |
A Love of Gardening
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” These words come from the author of the book The Secret Garden, first published in 1911. At that time, only the very rich in Britain had gardens. Very soon after this, homes with gardens began to be built. This is what started the British love of gardening！Today, millions of Brits like to say that they have “green fingers”, with around half the population spending their free time gardening.
For many people in the UK, their garden is their own private world. Each spring, children plant sunflowers and wait to see which one is the tallest. Expert gardeners know just the right corner for roses, and others spend hours trying to grow perfect vegetables to enter into competitions. And while many Brits like nothing better than spending their Sunday cutting the grass, some are happy just to sit under the branches of the trees and enjoy the beauty of the world around them.
But in cities, limited space has led to people looking for new solutions. Those without outside space can rent small pieces of land on which to grow things. Today, there are over 4,000 people in London waiting for such pieces of land. One recent idea has been to turn rooftops and walls into private gardens. These gardens have helped make the cities greener and improve air quality.
As well as being good for the environment, gardening is also good for the soul. What other free-time activity allows you to be at one with nature and create more beautiful living things? And if you’re in any doubt about this, take a moment to reflect on this line from The Secret Garden: “Where you tend a rose... A thistle cannot grow.”
1. What inspires a lot of Brits to create their own private gardens?| A．Their hobby for gardens. |
| B．Publishing of The Secret Garden. |
| C．The call of the government. |
| D．Release of working pressure. |
| A．They would like to enjoy their own private life. |
| B．They would like to enjoy their own flowers and perfect vegetables. |
| C．They all want to protect the environment. |
| D．They would like to share their happy time with others. |
| A．They are very competitive. |
| B．They want to have their own private space. |
| C．Gardening can provide a quiet environment for people. |
| D．Greening in Britain is already on the rise. |
| A．Great changes in London. |
| B．A love of gardening. |
| C．The importance of gardening. |
| D．The use of spare time. |
