The amount of plastic pollution in the oceans is rapidly increasing. This is problematic, as at least 700 kinds of ocean animals — including sharks, whales, seabirds and turtles — can become caught in the stuff or mistake it for a tasty snack.
While we know that some ocean animals seem to cat plastic because it looks like jellyfish or some other food sources, less research has been carried out into what plastic smells like to ocean animals. But now, a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found the coating that naturally builds up on ocean plastics causes the rubbish to give off the smell of food.
The researchers took 15 turtles, each around five months old, and placed them in a lab aquarium. They then piped in smells of clean water, clean plastic, turtle food, and plastic that had been soaking in the ocean environment for five weeks. The turtles showed no reaction to the smells of clean water or clean plastic. But when facing ocean soaked plastic or turtle food, they stuck their noses out of the water and showed increased activity.
“This finding is important because it’s the first proof that the smell of ocean plastics causes animals to eat them,” said Dr. Kenneth J Lohmann, who took part in the study.“It’s common to find a turtle with its stomach full of plastic materials. There are also increasing reports of sea turtles that have become ill and stuck on the beach due to their taking in plastic.”
According to the researchers, areas of the ocean with much plastic may trick turtles and other animals into thinking that there are plenty of food sources, when the opposite is true. “Once these plastics are in the ocean, we don’t have a good way to remove them or prevent them from smelling like food,” said Lohmann. “The best thing we can do is to keep plastic from getting into the ocean at all.”
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To show the findings of the research to the readers. |
| B．To inform the readers of the main idea of the passage. |
| C．To explain the reason for the increase of ocean pollution. |
| D．To provide some background information of the research. |
| A．Sea water. | B．Clean water. | C．Clean plastic. | D．Ocean-soaked plastic. |
| A．Turtles seem to eat plastic because it looks like food. |
| B．Turtles have become ill due to their taking in plastic. |
| C．Turtles eat plastic because it gives off the smell of food. |
| D．Turtles with their stomachs full of plastic were studied. |
| A．Keep away from the polluted ocean. | B．Stop people feeding turtles plastic. |
| C．Remove plastic from the ocean. | D．Maintain a plastic-free ocean. |
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【推荐1】British birdwatcher are used to bad news. House sparrow numbers have fallen from an estimated 30m to 10m since 1966. Curlews （杓鹬）have become a rare sight, their numbers sharply declining by 50% in 15 years. Cuckoos（布谷鸟）， once-frequent visitors from Africa, have decreased by 63% in the south-east in the past two decades. Earlier springs that confuse migrant birds, more efficient farming and the transformation of ruined buildings (good for nesting) into modern homes have all contributed to these woes.
But data released by the British Trust for Ornithology(BTO), a research charity, suggest some are rising. Tracking bird populations by means of regular surveys, the figures give the clearest picture of 49 species across Britain.
Blackcaps（黑顶林莺）, small woodland birds native to Germany and eastern Europe, are unwilling to return after their summer short visits: Since 1967 numbers have increased by 177%. The little egret（小白鹭）, a white heron-like bird, arrived from continental Europe in 1989 and now numbers over 5,000. Wood pigeons（斑尾林鸽）, once found shyly singing in forests, have bravely moved into cities and suburbs.
Environmental and agricultural changes have helped as well as confused birds. Modern farming techniques allow grain to be planted in the autumn rather than the spring; that helps wood pigeons feed in winter. Warmer winters mean rivers and ponds are less likely to freeze, providing the little egrets with food. James Pearce-Higgins of the BTO says that blackcaps benefit particularly from the increasing popularity of berry bushes in people’s gardens.
Birders complain nonetheless. Some of the species booming, such as carrion crows（食腐乌鸦）and buzzards（秃鹰）, are disliked. And migrant birds that extend their visits may provide competition for some bird natives. They are “muscling in and getting the first claim on breeding sites”, says Richard Cowser of the Sussex Ornithological Society. I like their human counterparts（同行）, residents of a small island stricken by global winds, British birds will have to learn to compete.
1. The underlined word “woes” in Paragraph 1 probably means____________.| A．Tragedy | B．construction | C．damage | D．migration |
| A．The access to people’s gardens. | B．Modern farming methods. |
| C．The different environmental patterns. | D．Rebuilding of abandoned houses. |
| A．All bird lovers are satisfied with the situation of birds increasing. |
| B．Migrant birds lengthening their stays cause threat to the local birds. |
| C．Black caps whose home is Germany and eastern Europe refuse to stay in Britain. |
| D．More than 5000 little egrets arrived in Britain from continental Europe in 1989. |
| A．A travel brochure. | B．An annual report. |
| C．A personal journal. | D．A magazine article. |
August 22 was a day of joy and excitement for giant panda lovers. Mei Xiang, a 22- year-old giant panda gave birth to a cub at the U. S. Smithsonian's National Zoo. It is the seventh baby panda since she and male giant panda Tian Tian began living in the zoo in Z00. Three of her cubs have survived to adulthood. Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai extended his congratulations to Mei Xiang and the National Zoo on the birth of the new giant panda cub.
“Pandas are an endangered species, so every panda on the planet means something, and it is important," said Brandie Smith, the zoo's director. As an endangered species, the birth of every panda in the world holds special meaning. “This is part of our bigger program, where it's not just about keeping cubs in zo0s and educating people about giant pandas, but it's also about protection work we do in the wild,” she added.
According to Smith, the birth of Mei Xiang means the people-to-people cooperation and wildlife protection between the countries have been going well. “Our colleagues in China were the first people we contacted when the cub was born. They have a lot of experience given that there are so many pandas that are born in China. So we always look to them for advice and assistance,” Smith said.
For decades, the animal has never failed in its duty as China's ambassador of friendship and has won hearts of thousands of fans worldwide.
A 2012 BBC documentary titled Wild about Pandas presents the story of two giant pandas traveling from China to Britain. These two adorable giant pandas are loved by the British people and represent the friendship between these two countries.
Since 2008, the movie series Kung Fu Panda has become more and more popular around the world. It has also boosted China's international image, as Kung Fu Panda represents Chinese wisdom and courage.
Last year, Bing Dwen Dwen, a cheerful giant panda was introduced to the public as the official mascot for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. The mascot is expected to connect and bring joy to people taking part in and watching the Olympic Winter Games from all over the world.
1. What did Smith and her workmates do after the birth of the baby panda?2. What important role have pandas played in the past decades?
3. Is sending pandas abroad a good way of cultural exchange? Why or why not? ( no more than 40 words)
【推荐3】Ants know when an earthquake is about to strike, researchers have discovered. Their behavior changes significantly prior to the quake and they resume normal functioning only a day after it. Gabriele Berberich of the University Duisburg-Essen in Germany presented these findings on Thursday at the European Geosciences Union annual meeting in Vienna according to LiveScience.
Berberich and her colleagues discovered that red wood ants preferred to build their colonies right along active faults in Germany. They counted 15,000 mounds （土堆)）lining the faults. These faults are the places where the earth violently bursts in earthquakes.
Using a special camera that tracked changes in activity. Berberich and her colleagues tracked the ants round the clock for three years, 2016 to 2019. They found that the ants' behavior changed only when the quake was over magnitude （级数）2. There were 10 earthquakes between magnitude 2.0 and 3.2 during this period, and many smaller ones. Humans can also sense quakes of over magnitude 2 only.
According to Berberich, normal ant activity consists of going about collecting food etc,during the day and resting in the night But before an earthquake, the ants didn't go back to their mound in the night and moved around outside it. This strange and abnormal behavior continued till a day after the earthquake, Berberich told a news conference, according to Livescience.
How do ants know an earthquake is coming? Berberich suggested that they could either be picking up changing gas emissions or noting tiny changes in the Earth's magnetic fields （磁场）. "Red wood ants have special cells which can detect changes in carbon dioxide levels. They also have special cells for detecting electromagnetic fields." she said. Berberich and her colleagues are planning to continue the research in areas where there are more and bigger earthquakes
1. What's the meaning of the underlined word "resume" in Paragraph 1?| A．Form. | B．Avoid. |
| C．Recover. | D．Improve. |
| A．To lead to the main topic. | B．To describe a new species of ant, |
| C．To introduce a famous researcher | D．To tell how to predict an earthquake. |
| A．They have no appetite. | B．They are too excited to rest. |
| C．They get lost on their way home. | D．They refuse to go inside their nests. |
| A．Ants can only detect smaller earthquakes. |
| B．The result of the research is completely reliable. |
| C．Ants may have two ways to predict earthquakes. |
| D．Researchers don't know how ants predict earthquakes. |
【推荐1】There’s no need to be ashamed about dozing off in class. It is actually a natural phenomenon. Studies have shown that people can only stay completely focused on something for a maximum of 10 minutes.
Scientists have found that avoiding overeating before class is one of the most effective ways to beat class sleepiness. Most people have experienced “food coma (昏迷)” after eating a large meal. Eating too much results in a feeling of heaviness that uses up your energy. This happens because the body releases chemicals that signal drowsiness after eating.
Carbohydrates (碳水化合物) release more serotonin (血清素) from the brain, which makes you feel good.
Also, avoid heavy foods and choose healthy, balanced meals instead.
| A．Finally, it helps deliver oxygen to your vital organs. |
| B．However, too much serotonin can lead to drowsiness. |
| C．Unfortunately, most classes last longer than 10 minutes. |
| D．Falling asleep in class can cause poor academic performance. |
| E．A healthy meal should include fruit, vegetables and healthy fats. |
| F．This is particularly true if you eat a meal that is high in carbohydrates. |
| G．It is recommended that you keep a stable level of energy by eating smaller meals. |
【推荐2】You never see them, but they're with you every time you fly. They record where you are going, how fast you're traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to withstand (抵挡) almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. They're known as the black box.
When planes fall from the sky, as a Yemeni airliner did on its way to Comoros Islands in the India Ocean June 30, 2009, the black box is the best bet for identifying what went wrong. So when a French submarine detected the device's homing signal five days later, the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed.
In 1958, Australian scientist David Warren developed a flight-memory recorder that would track basic information like altitude and direction. That was the first mode for a black box, which became a requirement on all U.S. commercial flights by 1960. Early model, often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the device was completely redesigned and moved to the rear of the plane — the area least subject to impact — from its original position in the landing wells (起落架舱). The same year, the Federal Aviation Authority required that the boxes, which were never actually black, be painted orange or yellow to be visible.
Modern airplanes have two black boxes: a voice recorder, which tracks pilots' conversations, and a flight-data recorder, which monitors fuel levels, engine noises and other operating functions that help investigators reconstruct the aircraft’s final moments. Placed in an insulated（隔绝的）case and surrounded by a quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel, the boxes can withstand massive force and temperatures up to 2,000℉. When submerged (潜入水中), they’re also able to emit signals from depths of 20,000 ft.
Experts believe the boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed near Brazil on June 1, 2009, are in water nearly that deep, but statistics say they’re still likely to turn up. In the approximately 20 deep-sea crashes over the past 30 years, only one plane’s black boxes were never recovered.
1. What information could be found from the black box on the Yemeni airliner?| A．Data for analyzing the cause of the crash. |
| B．The total number of passengers on board. |
| C．The scene of the crash and level of the damage. |
| D．Homing signals sent by the pilot before the crash. |
| A．New materials became available by that time. |
| B．Too much space was needed for its installation. |
| C．The early models often got damaged in the crash. |
| D．The early models didn't provide the needed data. |
| A．To distinguish them from the colour of the plane. |
| B．To caution people to handle them with care. |
| C．To obey international standards |
| D．To make them easily seen. |
| A．There is an urgent need for them to be reconstructed. |
| B．There is still a good chance of their being recovered. |
| C．They have stopped sending homing signals. |
| D．They were destroyed somewhere near France. |
【推荐3】Scientists in China found a fossil（化石）from a giant panda that lived 22,000 years ago. Until they dug the fossil out, rebuilt it and analyzed its mitochondrial DNA, biologists had no idea this panda lineage（家系）even existed. It’s now considered the oldest DNA from giant pandas to date, the researchers said.
The panda fossil turned up in Cizhutuo Cave in Guangxi. No pandas live there today, the researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences wrote in a paper in the journal Current Biology. An unexpected giant-panda fossil find was exciting, they wrote, because researchers don’t have a good sense of the history of the 2,500 giant pandas alive in the world today. Researchers know that 20 million years ago, the current group of living giant pandas split away（分离）from all other bears. They don’t know much about their lineage since.
This fossil, the researchers showed, came from a creature that separated from living giant pandas much more recently: about 183,000 years ago.
Before the researchers could determine that timeline, though（and, in fact, before they were certain the fossil came from a different species）, they had to rebuild the tiny pieces of mitochondrial DNA that remained in the cave. To pull that off, researchers fit 148,329 pieces of DNA together like puzzle pieces, using a living giant panda’s mitochondrial DNA as a guide. All of the pieces came from one individual, and all together, the researchers were able to use them to analyze the animal’s lineage.
The DNA also had dozens of transformations（改变）that would have changed how the animal developed, the researchers said. They suggested those transformations may be the result of adaptation to the cooler climate during the ice age 22,000 years ago.
1. What could scientists do with the help of the giant-panda fossil?| A．Find more of the old giant pandas in Cizhutuo Cave. |
| B．Understand the living giant pandas’ lineage better. |
| C．Know why just 2,500 giant pandas are alive at present. |
| D．Publish more papers in the journal Current Biology. |
| A．2,500. | B．22,000. |
| C．148,329. | D．183,000. |
| A．As a way to analyze the mitochondrial DNA. |
| B．As a guide to rebuild the mitochondrial DNA. |
| C．As a tool to dig the fossil of the creature. |
| D．As a timeline to track the history of living giant pandas. |
| A．To develop stronger and taller. | B．To show the lineage to scientists. |
| C．To live through the severe climate. | D．To split from current living pandas. |
【推荐1】Too much TV - watching can harm children's ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs.
A second study ,looking at nearly 1000 grown - ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26 - year - olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don't ride out (排除) that already poorly motivated youngsters may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26 - year - olds between ages 5 and 15. These with college degrees had watched an average of less than two hours of TV per week night during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating (积累) findings that children shouldn't have TVs in their bedrooms.
1. According to the California study, the low - scoring group might ________ .| A．have watched a lot of TV | B．not be interested in math |
| C．be unable to go to college | D．have had computers in their bedrooms |
| A．Poorly motivated 26 - year - olds watch more TV |
| B．Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest |
| C．TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15 - year olds |
| D．The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain |
| A．More time should be spent on computers |
| B．Children should be forbidden from watching TV |
| C．TV sets shouldn't be allowed in children's bedrooms |
| D．Further studies on high - achieving students should be done |
| A．teachers | B．parents |
| C．TV sellers | D．education experts |
【推荐2】Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown meat, has been cleared for sale in the US.Actually，Lab-grown meat is made by feeding a mix of nutrients to animal cells in steel tanks in labs. The idea is to create an alternative to agriculturally raised meat. And unlike other meat substitutes which are made from plant proteins and other ingredients, lab-grown meat is real meat.
Upside Foods and Good Meat, two companies that make “cultivated chicken”, said that they have gotten approval from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to start producing their cell-based proteins. Good Meat said that production is starting immediately. Cultivated meat is grown in a giant vat (缸), much like what you’d find at a beer factory.
Last week both companies revealed that the USDA approved labels for their products. In March, Good Meat received a“no questions”letter from the FDA, confirming the product’s safety for sale in the US. Upside Foods also received one in November. Both the USDA and the FDA are overseeing the growing cultivated meat market. CEO of Good Meat, Josh Tetrick, described the approval as a major milestone for the company, the industry, and the food system. Upside founder Uma Valeti called the approval “a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future”.
Good Meat, which has been selling its products in Singapore, advertises its product as “meat without slaughter (屠宰)”, a more humane approach to eating meat. Supporters hope that cultivated meat will help fight climate change by reducing the need for traditional animal agriculture, which emits greenhouse gases. The company previously announced a partnership with chef José Andrés to introduce the product to a Washington DC restaurant, although the launch time remains uncertain. As production increases, Good Meat may explore cooperation with other restaurants or supermarkets.
Upside is planning to introduce its product at Bar Crenn, a San Francisco restaurant, but did not share a launch date yet. Selling at Bar Crenn should help Upside learn more about how chefs and diners feel about the product. Eventually, the company plans to work with other restaurants and make its products available in supermarkets. For now, it is holding a contest to allow curious customers to be among the first to try the product.
1. What do Upside Foods and Good Meat have in common?| A．Both have partnerships with international chefs. |
| B．Both are involved in producing lab-grown meat. |
| C．Both declared a launch date of their cultivated meat. |
| D．Both received FDA approval for worldwide distribution. |
| A．Higher safety for eating. |
| B．Lower costs for restaurants. |
| C．Improvements in traditional animal agriculture. |
| D．Positive impacts on climate change. |
| A．Diners have access to free products from Upside. |
| B．Curious customers will become the main force of buying. |
| C．Upside will evaluate the responses of chefs and diners to its product. |
| D．Upside will conduct a survey among diners about their paying ability. |
| A．The benefits of cultivated meat. |
| B．The research on cultivated meat. |
| C．The history and processing of cultivated meat. |
| D．The approval and prospect of cultivated meat. |
【推荐3】Astronomy is the oldest science known to man.Thousands of years ago man looked at the stars and wondered about the heavens.But man was limited by what he could see with his eyes alone.
The Greeks studied astronomy over 2,000 years ago.They could see the size，color，and brightness of stars.They could see their places in the sky.They watched the stars move as the seasons changed.But the Greeks had no tools to help them study the starry heavens.
Each new tool added to the files of astronomy；it helped man reach out into space.Until there were telescopes(望远镜)，man knew little about the moon.They did not know that the planet called Saturn(土星) has rings around it.Their sight was so limited that they could not see all the planets.In the early 1700s，people thought there were only six planets.
Before the spectroscope(分光镜)，man did not know what kind of gases are in the sun or other stars.Without the radio telescope(电波望远镜)we did not know that radio noises come from far out in space.
Today，astronomy is a growing science.We have learned more in the last fifty years than in the whole history of astronomy.
1. The passage mainly tells us ________.| A．the spectroscope helps man know what kind of gases are in the sun and other stars |
| B．there are eight planets in space |
| C．there was much noise in space |
| D．science can’t grow fast without modern technology |
| A．man watched the stars with their eyes |
| B．telescopes helped man to study the stars |
| C．man knew nothing about the sky |
| D．man knew Saturn has rings around it |
| A．the color of the stars |
| B．the size of the stars |
| C．the movement of the stars |
| D．what the stars were made of |
| A．the moon has rings around it |
| B．there are six planets |
| C．Saturn’s rings can be seen by human eyes |
| D．radio noises come from far out in space |
