Organic farms use no man-made chemicals to increase crops or control insects and disease and organic fields produce fewer crops, on average, than other fields. However, agricultural scientists in Switzerland have displayed the long-term effect of organic farming methods, that is, the organic methods improved the health of the soil and used half as much energy.
The Swiss scientists compared the effects of organic and traditional farming methods over a period of more than twenty years. They grew crops on four fields of land in Switzerland. Two fields were grown using traditional farming methods. The others were grown using organic farming methods. The crops and soil use were similar in all the fields studied.
The study found that the organic fields produced about 20% fewer crops than the other fields. However, the farmers used less fertilizer (化肥) and energy on the organic fields. They found the organic fields were healthier.
The scientists say the organic fields have more nutrients in the soil. The soils in the organic fields also have more biological activity than the other fields. The organic fields have more helpful organisms and a larger number of different organisms. The organic fields have almost two times as many insects, including helpful insects. In traditional farming, chemicals designed to kill harmful insects also kill helpful ones.
The researchers say the findings show that organic crop production rates change little over time, and that soil fertility increases. They say the findings suggest that organic farms can help the environment by increasing soil fertility.
Organic farming is becoming increasingly popular in some countries. Many people believe that eating organic food is more healthful than eating food grown with chemicals. Some people are willing to pay more money to buy organic food.
1. What does the study show about the organic methods?A.They have more output than other fields. |
B.They use more energy than traditional ones. |
C.They benefit human health and nature. |
D.They can control diseases without using chemicals. |
A.Selecting the best seeds. | B.Applying different methods. |
C.Using the latest technology. | D.Planting crops in special soils. |
A.Its shortage. | B.Its products. | C.Its application. | D.Its strengths. |
A.Organic farming is environment-friendly. |
B.No insects exist in organic fields. |
C.People can’t afford organic food at present. |
D.Organic crop production rate increases rapidly. |
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【推荐1】Pigeons (鸽子) may be considered mice of the sky, but some scientists have found greater value in these urban birds: the blueprint for a new generation of flying machines.
Birds can transform the shape of their wings by fanning out their feathers or moving them closer together. Those adjustments allow birds to cut through the sky more flexibly than rigid drones (无人机). Now, using new insights into exactly how pigeons ‘joints control the spread of their wing feathers, researchers have built a robotic pigeon. This research paves the way for creating more light aircraft, says Dario Floreano, a roboticist in Switzerland not involved in the work.
“What’s really cool about this robot is that you can make adjustments in a robotic wing that you could never do when studying flight in a bird”, says David Lentink, an engineer and biologist at Stanford University. A controllable robotic pigeon solves that problem. In flight tests, Lentink’s team observed that bending only the fingers of one wing eased the robot into a banked turn-offering the first evidence that birds may sometimes use just their fingers to direct in flight. In a second study, Lentink’s group used their robotic wing design to confirm another insight into bird flight: how gaps are prevented from forming between feathers on extended wings.
This is the best set of robotic wings yet for testing how birds adjust their flight feathers to move through the air, says Tyson Hedrick, a biomechanist. But “there’s plenty of room for improvement.” For instance, a future flying robot could include a shoulder joint to investigate how waving a bird’s wings up and down influences flight, he says.
1. What is the newly-found worth of pigeons?A.They help study other species. |
B.They protect other urban birds. |
C.They provide proof of mice’s harm. |
D.They inspire a new aircraft. |
A.Negative. | B.Positive. |
C.Neutral. | D.Critical. |
A.Pigeons in flight can hardly be observed. |
B.People can’t make adjustments in birds’ wings. |
C.It is difficult for pigeons to make a banked turn. |
D.Pigeons fail to control the spread of their wing feathers. |
A.A travel journal. |
B.A travel brochure. |
C.A science fiction. |
D.A science magazine. |
【推荐2】Scientists at the University of Chicago have discovered that a compound (化合物) in red meat, dairy and other products might help your body fight against cancer. The compound, known as trans-vaccenic acid or TVA, seems to activate the T cells in your body, which help your immune (免疫) system protect you from disease.
TVA is found in the meat of animals such as cows, sheep and other animals, and their dairy products like milk, cheese, butter and cream. The study also finds that cancer patients who have higher levels of TVA in their blood had a better response to immunotherapy (免疫疗法). That discovery suggested to the researchers that TVA might be useful during cancer treatment.
To see that a single nutrient like TVA is so magical to strengthen the immune, the researchers started the research with a database of around 700 known metabolites, which are small molecules (小分子) that come from food. They then selected the metabolites for their abilities against cancer. After the top six compounds were chosen, scientists analyse their cancer-fighting abilities in human and mouse cells — TVA performed the best in fighting the development of cancer.
“It’s very difficult to understand the link between diet and human health because of the wide variety of foods people eat,” Jing Chen, a cancer researcher at the University of Chicago said. “By focusing on nutrients that can activate T cell responses, we found one that actually strengthen anti-cancer immunity by activating an important immune pathway.”
But — to the disappointment of many — the study authors didn’t advise people to eat more red meat and dairy. “There is a growing body of evidence about the negative health effects of consuming too much red meat and dairy,” Chen added, “so this study shouldn’t be taken as an excuse to eat more cheeseburgers and pizza.”
“There is early data showing that other compounds from plants have the same cancer-fighting abilities, so we believe in the future there is a high possibility that nutrients from plants can do the same thing,” Chen said.
1. What role does TVA play in the body’s immune system?A.It prevents the function of immune cells. |
B.It wakes up T cells to fight against diseases. |
C.It increases the risk of cancer development. |
D.It reduces the effect of immunotherapy. |
A.They conducted surveys among cancer patients. |
B.They did experiments on animals to measure the effect. |
C.They analysed the taste and flavor of different compounds. |
D.They tested the compounds’ abilities using human and mouse cells. |
A.Eat no red meat and milk. |
B.Increase the intake of red meat and milk. |
C.Take in suitable amount of red meat and milk. |
D.Take cheeseburgers instead of red meat and milk. |
A.Positive. | B.Disappointed. | C.Doubtful. | D.Unclear. |
【推荐3】Music is an important part of life today. It is a source of entertainment, and it is a way to express emotions. But music is not only all this, it is also something that can be used to create a strong focus while people are working and is generally beneficial to the human brain and specifically the adolescent brain.
Music can reduce anxiety and depression, as well as improving mood and memory. Adolescents represent a stage in development when stress levels are unsteady. An analysis shows that listening to music lowers the stress hormone in the brain. Ashford University also states that music has also proven to be effective across a variety of treatment ways for conditions ranging from premature birth to depression to Parkinson’s disease.
Music is also a way to stimulate (刺激) the brain and help increase productivity. In Elena Mannes’ study “The Power of Music”through National Public Radio(NPR), she declares the fact that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function. Tests have also shown that listening to background music can increase productivity, in majors we listen to music as we do our work, "says visual artist, Tow Engel, “It is super helpful because it allows us all to do our own thing to create more art.”
Research done by Dr. Jonathan Burdette, a professor at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Cater, further proves the benefit of music on the brain. Dr. Burdette conducted a study where he and his fellow investigators used a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging(FMRI), to find changes in blood flow in the brain. To summarize, Dr. Burdette’s research shows that listening to music that you like will improve brain connectivity, especially when doing independent work that requires a lot of internal thought and reflection. As adolescents spend a lot of time working on computers or even just doing work on paper done, music can help teens concentrate on their thinking
1. What’s the main idea of paragraph 2?A.Music is mind medicine. | B.Music is good for the brain’s growth |
C.Music helps adolescents free from stress | D.Music helps patients recover from cancer. |
A.It stimulates his body. | B.It helps her lower stress. |
C.It gives her more strength. | D.It can improve her creativity, |
A.It helps teens play on computer. | B.It lets teens get closer with each other. |
C.It helps teens focus on their thinking. | D.It improves the speed of teens reflection. |
A.Music Helps Students Get Rid of Stress | B.Music’s Benefit to the Adolescents Brain |
C.Music Makes Adolescents Fond of Art | D.Music’s Function on the Brain Development |
【推荐1】An educator with a passion for getting children emotionally invested in saving the ice caps gave a lesson to students as a polar bear stayed on his shoulder. The bear seemed to say “hi” to them about climate change.
Gavin McCormack is trying to bring the “amazing natural phenomena” to the fingertips of children in an attempt to get them to help stop rising sea levels and become passionate about climate change, which is threatening the home of polar bears.
The primary school teacher decided to jump headfirst into his teachings and spent ten days on an icebreaker heading towards the North Pole. On the first day at sea, a polar bear climbed out of the water right in front of him and onto an island where it was attacked by a group of Arctic terns (北极燕鸥).
“Each day is different but so interesting,” McCormack said. “This week, my dream to teach children about the wonder of a polar bear with one right over my shoulder came true.”
The most memorable moment for him while in the Arctic was when his ship reached the pack ice. The ship crunched (嘎吱地响) through the ice as they reached 82 degrees north and the noise was deafening. Earlier this week he launched his new course “Be the Change”, which is free to all schools nationwide. “Be the Change” is designed to empower children, families and communities around the world to bring about changes and make global impacts. “It takes a course-related approach to improve the world in meaningful ways,” Mr. McCormack said.
McCormack hopes to teach the “leaders of tomorrow” to include nature and the climate in every decision they make. He is planning another course named “It Starts With You”, with the hopes of bringing purposeful education to as many children as possible.
“Working alongside teachers, schools and students, we believe that when children are empowered to make real choices about the future, the skills for life are developed not through listening to what others tell them, but through experience,” McCormack said.
1. Why did McCormack head to the North Pole?A.To observe an amazing natural sight. |
B.To measure the rate of sea level rise. |
C.To save polar bears from extinction. |
D.To educate children in a real situation. |
A.They are friendly towards human beings. |
B.Climate change causes the loss of their habitats. |
C.Arctic terns are their natural enemies. |
D.Hunger drives them out of water for food. |
A.To make a difference in improving the world. |
B.To change people’s decision-making methods. |
C.To teach students to think twice before making choices. |
D.To develop students’ life skills through experience. |
A.Climate Change — A Worldwide Concern |
B.New Ways of Teaching About Climate Change |
C.Join Hands and Say No to Global Warming |
D.An Interesting Trip to the North Pole |
【推荐2】Babusha, or “eight-step sands”, got its name because the desert was always just eight steps away from the farmers’ doors. Today, the desert’s southward movement has been stopped thanks to a green belt planted in the last 40 years by Guo Wangang and his colleagues. As a result, Guo was named a National Moral Model in 2020.
Guo is only part of the second generation of “soldiers” to fight against the desert. His father was one of the six men who first began planting trees in Babusha. When Guo’s father fell ill in 1983, he hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps.
Guo remembers being reluctant to give up his stable government job. “My father repeatedly stressed that we had to make sure our farms weren’t eaten by the desert,” Guo said, adding that he eventually agreed to work at the farm because he didn’t want to see the trees die.
However, it was the deadly sandstorm in 1993 that turned Guo into a determined “soldier”. The fast moving brown wall of dust reached high into the sky and turned day into night. Guo was working in the desert with his colleagues when it hit. They only managed to get home after trekking for six hours in darkness. Later, he learned that 23 students were found dead in a river as they tried to get home from school during the sandstorm.
Since then, Guo and his colleagues have continued planting trees every spring and fall, pruning (修剪) them in winter and watching out for fire. Their struggle continues. Today more and more young people have joined with scientific and innovative methods. For example, the farm now is subsidized (资助) by Ant Forest, a public welfare project launched by the e-commerce giant, Alibaba. It rewards users with virtual energy in exchange for low-carbon activities, which can then be used to do things, like having trees planted.
“We need more such young people to help us find other advanced and engineering methods for desertification control,” said Guo Wangang.
1. What was Guo Wangang’s first reaction to his father’s request?A.He advised his father to stop planting trees. |
B.He was unwilling to give up his stable job. |
C.He immediately agreed to work at the farm. |
D.He was determined to fight against the desert. |
A.Finishing the green belt. |
B.Winning National Moral Model title. |
C.Seeing his father’s falling ill. |
D.Experiencing a deadly sandstorm. |
A.To show young people’s creative methods. |
B.To advocate the low-carbon way of living. |
C.To praise Ant Forest’s unique contribution. |
D.To indicate Guo and his team’s difficulties. |
A.Well begun is half done. |
B.One tree doesn’t make a forest. |
C.Opportunity favours only the prepared mind. |
D.Nothing is too difficult if you put your heart into it. |
【推荐3】The International Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN) added the Chinese paddlefish (白鲟) to its list of threatened species in July, 2022. People will never see a living Chinese paddlefish again as it has been declared extinct. For many people in China, this might be the first time they had heard the name of the fish that was once a denizen(栖息者) of the Yangtze River Basin.
The fish is thought to have been around since about 200 million years ago. It was among the world’s biggest freshwater species and could grow up to 7.5 meters in length. The last time the fish was spotted was in 2003 in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in Yibin, Sichuan Province. It was an injured female sturgeon(鲟鱼). After local people treated its wounds, it was released into the river.
According to the IUCN, the global sturgeon reassessment found that 100 per cent of the remaining 26 sturgeon species in the world are now at risk of extinction, up from 85 per cent in 2009. Their decline over the past three generations is steeper than previously thought.
“The extinction of the Chinese paddlefish should be a warning to everyone,” said Zhou Fei, China’s chief program officer at the World Wide Fund for Nature. “It has provided an opportunity for conservation experts to raise public awareness about the urgency of protecting freshwater species in the Yangtze River Basin and educate the public on the need for more efforts to save other species living in the region from extinction,” he added.
To prevent further loss of freshwater species in China, people must act urgently. There is no time to waste. Also, long-term threats to their life and habitats must be eliminated by taking systematic protection measures. The protection of biodiversity will delay the extinction of some species. It’s not something that can be achieved by certain departments. Instead, it requires joint efforts from all sectors of society.
1. What did the IUCN announce in 2022?A.The extinction of the Chinese paddlefish. |
B.A ban on overfishing in freshwater lakes. |
C.A new list of freshwater fish species in China. |
D.The discovery of a rare species in the Yangtze River. |
A.To present the diversity of freshwater species. |
B.To stress the key role of sturgeon in the ecosystem. |
C.To offer some information about the Chinese paddlefish. |
D.To show the difficulty of protecting the Chinese paddlefish. |
A.It is challenging for the public to save endangered species. |
B.The loss of freshwater species results in serious consequences. |
C.The extinction of the Chinese paddlefish reflects the need to protect freshwater species. |
D.The number of sturgeon species has been decreasing sharply in recent years globally. |
A.Ignored. | B.Removed. |
C.Restored. | D.Protected. |
【推荐1】Like many other people, I love my smart phone, which keeps me connected with the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my laptop,because it holds all of my writing and thoughts. In spite of this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices and truly communicate with others.
On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the materials and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule—no laptop, ipads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy.
Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There’s a bit of truth to that. Some students assume that I am anti-technology. There’s no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it, so I can relate to my students.
The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversions and truly engage complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course materials and the class discussion.
I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course materials beyond the classroom.’
I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I’m sticking to my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.
1. Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with________.A.the course materials | B.the author’s class regulations |
C.discussion topics | D.others’ misuse of technology |
A.The author made the rule since he was against technology. |
B.The author made the rule mainly because of his unpleasant experiences. |
C.The author’s history class received low assessment. |
D.The students think highly of the author’s history class. |
A.allow students to get on well with each other |
B.improve teaching and offer more help |
C.help students to better understand complex themes |
D.prohibit students being involved in class |
A.The author will continue his plan until a good reason comes up. |
B.Some students will be punished according to the rule. |
C.More and more students will be absent in history class. |
D.The author will help students concentrate on what they learn. |
【推荐2】Ecology is a complicated thing. c Given the facts that elephant damage often kills trees and bush fires often kill trees, a combination of the two will make things worse. However, as research shows just published in Biotropica, by Benjamin Wigley of Nelson Mandela University, if a tree has already been damaged, fire can actually help to make things better.
Since 1954,the Kruger National Park has been the site of experiments. Dr Wigley carried out these experiments by looking at trees in three different zones. In one of these zones, the vegetation (植被) was burned every year. In the second it was burned every other year. The third zone, by contrast, was actively protected from fire. To keep things consistent, he only looked at the fate of a single tree species, the marula (玛鲁拉树), whose bark is often eaten by elephants. In July 2016, he and his colleagues identified 20 marulas in every zone and used a hammer and a knife to remove a 5 cm circular section of bark from each of them.
To their surprise, damaged trees in the annual burnt zone regrew 98% of their lost bark during the two years of the study. Those living in the second burnt zone regrew 92% of it. But those in the zone where fires were banned regrew only 72%.
The researchers also found something else around the trees' wounds: ants. Ten of the 20 trees in the fire-banned zone developed ant colonies in their wounds. The ants were known to damage tissue healing. By contrast, only five trees in the second zone and three in the annual zone developed ants' nests in their wounds.
It looks, therefore, as if bush fires are burning trees'。wounds to kill the ants. Though such fires are surely harmful to healthy trees, it seems, in an example of two negatives making a positive, as if they are actually helpful to sick ones.
1. What is the finding of the research?A.More fire does good to trees. | B.Fire makes damaged trees. grow better. |
C.Ants always help trees gr8w well. | D.Elephants often damage tree barks. |
A.They were finished in one year. |
B.They were carried out in different parks. |
C.The damaged trees grew well as other trees. |
D.The trees chosen had been damaged by the researchers. |
A.To prove that ants are bad animals. |
B.To show the benefit fire brings to damaged trees. |
C.To express how ants influence trees' growth. |
D.To introduce the role ants play in ecology. |
A.Is Fire Totally Bad for Trees2 | B.How does Fire Destroy the Trees? |
C.The Balance of Trees and Ants | D.Trees, Animals and Disasters |
【推荐3】Imagine living in a cool, green city alive with parks and threaded with footpaths, bike lanes and buses which transport people to shops, schools and service centers in a matter of minutes.
This fancy dream is behind the idea of the 15-minute city, where all basic needs and services are within a quarter of an hour’s reach, improving public health and lowering vehicle emissions.
Artificial intelligence could help urban planners realize that vision faster, with a new study from researchers at Tsinghua University in China demonstrating how machine learning can generate more efficient spatial layouts (空间布局) than humans can.
Automation scientist Zheng Yu and his colleagues wanted to find new solutions to improve our cities which are fast becoming blocked. They developed an AI system to tackle the tough tasks of urban planning and found it can produce urban plans that outperform human designs by about 50 percent in three aspects: access to services, green spaces and traffic levels.
Starting small, Zheng’s team tasked their model with designing the urban area only a few square kilometers in size (about 3×3 blocks). After two days of training, the AI system searched for the ideal road designs and land use to fit with the concept of the 15-minute city and local planning policies and needs.
While the AI model has some capabilities that could extend its use for planning larger urban areas, designing entire cities will be more complex. Drafting a neighborhood consisting of 4×4 blocks contains twice as many planning decisions as designing 3×3 blocks, the researchers said. But automating even a few steps in the planning process can save huge amounts of time: the AI model can compute in seconds certain tasks that take human planners between 50 to 100 minutes to work through.
Rather than AI replacing people, Zheng and his colleagues think their AI system can work as an “assistant” to urban planners, who could generate concept designs optimized (优化) by the system, and reviewed, adjusted and evaluated by human experts based on community feedback.
1. According to the text, which of the following is NOT a benefit of the “15-minute city” concept?A.Better public health. | B.Lower vehicle emissions. |
C.Decreased access to green spaces. | D.Fast and convenient service. |
A.High levels of pollution. | B.Limited access to public services. |
C.Shortage of affordable housing. | D.Rising crowding and traffic problems. |
A.It can design entire cities efficiently. |
B.It takes longer to train for larger urban areas. |
C.It can complete tasks much faster than human planners. |
D.It is limited to planning only a few square kilometers at a time. |
A.Designing better cities with AI |
B.The 15-Minute City: A Dream or Reality? |
C.Improving Public Health with Greener Cities |
D.The Role of Machine Learning in Urban Design |