【推荐1】Mice are used in lab tests all over the world. But why should they suffer this pain?

In the United States alone, more than 100 million lab mice are killed every year. Some of them are slowly poisoned (毒害) to death. Some are placed on hot plates, heated to 60 ℃, to see how long it takes for them to respond to the heat. Some are given deadly diseases. Some have holes drilled into their skulls (头盖骨) for brain experiments. And in some experiments, mice's tails are cut off without painkillers.

Mice are mammals (哺乳动物).They have nervous systems similar to ours. They also feel pain, fear and loneliness — just as we do. Mice are social animals. They also love their families. They “talk” with each other using sounds that the human ear cannot hear.

Although lab mice suffer as much as lab dogs and lab cats, they are not given as much protection as the dogs and the cats are. Labs can use as many mice as they want to. They don’t even have to count the mice they kill. Few of them are looking for modern alternatives.

Perhaps you can help make a difference. Do not support companies that test on mice or other animals. You can let more people know the facts about lab mice by setting up open classes in your neighborhood. Also, you can ask the local labs to think twice before doing experiments using mice.

1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “respond”in Paragragh 2?

A．Explain.

B．React.

C．Recover.

D．Answer.

2. We can learn from the third paragraph that _______.

A．both human beings and mice have the same nervous systems

B．mice can talk with each other, but human beings cannot hear their talks

C．mice are often given painkillers before painful experiments

D．many labs have realized that mice should be given more protection

3. According to the author, we can do all of the following to “make a difference” EXCEPT _______.

A．stopping supporting companies that test on mice

B．letting more people know the facts about lab mice

C．supporting companies that test on animals except mice

D．asking the local labs to think twice before testing on mice

4. By writing this article, the author mainly wanted to ________.

A．explain why labs around the world used mice in experiments

B．introduce his experiences of saving mice from painful experiments

C．tell people that mice had played an important role in scientific development

D．encourage people to do something to protect lab mice

【推荐2】North America's birds are disappearing from the skies at a rate that's shocking even to ornithologists （鸟类学家）.Since the 1970s, the continent has lost 3 billion birds, nearly 30% of the total, and even common birds such as sparrows and blackbirds are in decline, U.S. and Canadian researchers report this week online in Science. The findings raise fears that some familiar species could go the way of the passenger pigeon, a species once so abundant that its extinction in the early 1900s seemed unthinkable.

The results, ever done to North American birds, point to ecosystems in disorder because of habitat loss and other factors, researchers say. Yet ecologist Paul Ehrlich at Stanford University, California sees some hope in this new bad news: “ It might encourage needed action in view of the public interest in our feathered friends. ”

In past decades, Ehrlich and others have recorded the decline of particular bird groups, including migratory songbirds. All together, they studied 529 bird species, about three-quarters of all species in North America, accounting for more than 90% of the entire bird population. Rosenberg and his colleagues report Grassland birds have declined by 53% since 1970—a loss of 700 million adults in the 31 species studied. Habitat loss may be to blame.

The familiar birds that flock by the thousands in suburbs were not exempt（例外）. “There's a decline of the numbers of common birds,” Rosenberg says. His team determined that 19 common species have each lost more than 50 million birds since 1970. Twelve groups, including sparrows, warblers, finches, and blackbirds, were particularly hard hit. Even introduced species that have increased in North America, such as starlings and house sparrows, are losing ground.

1. What is happening to North America's birds?

A．Most of them are dying out.	B．Some of them are decreasing.
C．They are disappearing quickly.	D．They are raising fears to humans.

2. What does Paul Ehrlich mean?

A．The bad news will bring interest to the birds.

B．The bad news might alarm people to take action.

C．North America's birds need our help.

D．North America's birds suffered great loss.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Some common birds are also decreasing.

B．Some birds die from losing their habitat.

C．The research team found some unusual things.

D．The research team studied birds in North America.

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

A．Environment.	B．Health.
C．Education.	D．Science.

【推荐1】A small piece of fish each day may keep the heart doctor away. That’s the finding of a study of Dutch men in which deaths from heart disease were more than 50 percent lower among those who consumed (消耗) at least an ounce (盎司) of salt water fish per day compared to those who never ate fish.

The Dutch research is one of three human studies that give strong scientific support to the long held belief that eating fish can provide health benefits, particularly to the heart.

Heart disease is the number-one killer in the United States, with more than 550,000 deaths occurring from heart attacks each year. But long before researchers have noticed that the incidence (发生率) of heart disease is lower in cultures that consume more fish than Americans do. There are fewer heart disease deaths, for example, among the Eskimos of Greenland, who consume about 14 ounces of fish a day, and among the Japanese, whose daily                    fish consumption (消费) averages more than 3 ounces.

For 20 years, the Dutch study followed 852 middle-aged men, 20 percent of whom ate no fish.

At the start of the study, average fish consumption was about two-thirds of an ounce each day, with more men eating lean fish than fatty fish.

During the next two decades, 78 of the men died from heart disease. The fewest deaths were among the group who regularly ate fish, even at levels far lower than those of the Japanese or Eskimos. This relationship was true regardless of other factors such as age, high blood pressure, or blood cholesterol (胆固醇) levels.

1. We can infer from the passage that there are fewer heart disease deaths __________.

A．in highly-developed countries

B．in countries of the yellow-skin race

C．in the countries with good production of fish

D．in the countries with high consumption of fish

2. The phrase “this relationship” in paragraph 6 refers to the connection between __________and the level of heart disease.

A．the amount of fish eaten	B．regular fish-eating
C．the kind of fish eaten	D．people of different areas

3. In which section of a newspaper can we read this passage?

A．Movies	B．Advertisements
C．Health and Diet	D．Entertainment

4. The passage is mainly about __________.

A．the changes in people’s diet in the United States

B．the effect of eating fish regularly on people’s health

C．the high incidence of heart disease in some countries

D．the daily fish consumption of people in different cultures

【推荐3】Wheat is a main source of food for people across the planet, accounting for a fifth of the calories consumed globally. But as a result of climate change, scientists believe most parts of the world where the crop is grown will be hit by water shortages by the end of the century. And the US could be among the countries worst affected, the authors of the research published in the journal Science Advances told Newsweek.

If climate change isn't dealt with, by the year 2100, 60 percent of areas that grow wheat will be hit by water scarcity — up from the current level of 15 percent, according to the international team of scientists.

Co-authors Miroslav Trnka and Song Feng told Newsweek that in their previous research, they had shown climate change may cause soil to become less moist (湿润的) across most mainland US states, including those where wheat is grown. As a result, the US could be “one of the top most affected wheat producers” in terms of the increase in areas affected by severe droughts, they said in a joint statement.

Worryingly, existing research has predicted a 4.0 to 6.5 percent drop in global wheat production per 1 degree Celsius of warming if climate change isn't eased. And it's unlikely that wheat can be replaced if water becomes scarce, as it's not as thirsty as other crops and can do without water for a relatively long period of time.

“If multiple regions are affected by drought at the same time, it might be difficult to meet the demand even if the trade routes stay open and are not restricted by governmental measures,” warned Feng. However, he said, “Studies show that if we continuously improve the sustainability and technologies in the coming decades and allow for international trade, we may overcome the negative impacts of climate change.”

1. How will climate change hurt wheat production?

A．By lowering the temperature.

B．By reducing the water supply.

C．By polluting the soil.

D．By flooding the field.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Wheat production caused droughts in most mainland US states.

B．The United States is the biggest wheat producer in the world.

C．The United States will suffer a lot from climate change.

D．Climate change is closely watched by American scientists.

3. Why is wheat unlikely to be replaced by other crops in a drought?

A．It is the primary food for most countries.

B．It is not influenced by global warming.

C．It is widely grown in most countries.

D．It needs less water than other crops.

4. What's Feng's attitude towards the wheat production in the coming decades?

A．Negative.	B．Objective.
C．Ambiguous.	D．Unconcerned.