Bei Bei’s 2019 departure from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, to join the giant panda breeding program in China’s Wolong Nature Reserve, left a big blank for fans. What made the loss of the adorable panda even more upset was the belief that his mother, Mei Xiang, was too old to have more cubs. However, on August21, 2020, the 22-year-old proved experts wrong by giving birth to a healthy cub.
“Giant pandas are an international symbol of endangered wildlife, and with the birth of this precious cub we are thrilled to offer the world a much-needed moment of pure joy,” said Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “Because Mei Xiang is of advanced pregnant age, we knew the chances of her having a cub were slim. However, we wanted to give her one more opportunity to contribute to her species’ survival. I am incredibly proud of our animal care and science teams, whose expert knowledge and skills in giant panda behavior were vital to this conservation success.”
The zookeepers, who witnessed the “miracle” birth on the live panda camera, say Mei Xiang took to her new cub instantly and has since been seen lovingly caring for it. Nutrition is significant for the survival of the precious cub. Newborn pandas, which weigh just three to five pounds at birth, are unable to crawl or see for about two months. They, therefore, entirely rely on the mother’s warmth, milk, and protection. It will be several days before the cub, whose sex is still unknown, can be brought out from its mother for a thorough physical exam. However, thus far, the cub, which can be heard squawking on the live camera feed, appears to be perfectly healthy.
The newborn’s parents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, are part of the Zoo’s cooperative breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. Similar to its brothers and sisters-Tai Shan, Bao Bao, and Bei Bei-upon turning four, the new baby panda will be sent to China to try to increase the numbers of the endangered species, which currently total just 1,864 specimens in the wild.
1. Why was Bei Bei sent to China in 2019?| A．To reunite with his mother Mei Xiang in China. |
| B．To satisfy fans' desire in Wolong Nature Reserve. |
| C．To give birth to a cub in Wolong Nature Reserve. |
| D．To make contributions to the breeding of its species. |
| A．Mei Xiang's advanced age. | B．Mei Xiang's good physical health. |
| C．The efforts of the science team. | D．Careful management of the zookeepers. |
| A．The cub was blind due to an unexpected rare illness. |
| B．The cub’s parents were looking after it at present. |
| C．Panda lovers saw the birth of the cub on a live camera. |
| D．The zookeepers were not sure about the sex of the cub. |
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
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【推荐1】It’s 4:30 in the morning. Behind a forest, the sun begins to lighten the sky with bright and warm tones. The national bird of Honduras, scarlet macaws (红金刚鹦鹉), which have colorful feathers, groom (理毛) each other as they wait for Anayda Pantin Lopez who has devoted the last 12 years to protecting them.
Pantin and her husband. Santiago Lacuth Montoya, live in a small village called Mabita. where most of its villagers protect these birds and the rest of the wildlife surrounding them. Twice a day, Pantin prepares food for 40 to 60 scarlet macaws that come to her village for feedings. She also cares for several other birds at a rescue center, or chicks that fall down from their nests, until they can fly freely.
Years ago, Lacuth supported the family by selling mac aw eggs and chicks as pets—not realizing it would have a detrimental impact on the bird population. At that time, the hunting and sale of wild species was legal and thousands of scarlet macaws disappeared.
However, when Lacuth learned the number of scarlet macaws was sharply decreasing, he decided to become a guardian of them. He tried to convince other hunters to follow in his footsteps. Eventually, other Mabita residents joined Lacuth and Pantin’s efforts. “For many years the scarlet macaws helped me provide for my family. Now it was my turn to help them.” Lacuth said.
“The Mabita project is very impressive because of the commitment of Pantin and Lacuth and the entire community,” says LoraKim Joyner, founder of One Earth Conservation. In 2014, additional funds came from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and England’s Darwin Foundation stepped in to support the conservation and community engagement efforts.
Since the project began, the scarlet macaw population has grown from 500 to more than800. “Now we have seen that the number of these birds has increased,” said Pantin. “But that does not change our goal, which is to continue caring for them so that our children and grandchildren can have the opportunity to enjoy everything that nature gives us.”
1. What phenomenon is described in the first paragraph?| A．The young birds are waiting for their mother. |
| B．The trees in the forest grow very well. |
| C．Scarlet macaws live comfortably and safely. |
| D．Scarlet macaws are trying to feed themselves. |
| A．Meaningful. | B．Harmful. |
| C．Possible. | D．Small. |
| A．To protect other hunters from harm. |
| B．To encourage other villagers to live better. |
| C．To improve the quality of life for his family. |
| D．To stop the number of scarlet macaws decreasing. |
| A．Its efforts have paid off. | B．Its goal has changed. |
| C．It will attract more volunteers. | D．It will continue to build schools for children. |
【推荐2】Some people sit outside for hours without getting bitten by mosquitoes, but it always seems like you’re being eaten alive within minutes of stepping outdoors.
A popular belief claims that mosquitoes prefer certain blood types.
While flying along, mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find possible targets. They find victims by smelling the carbon dioxide(CO2) breathed out by humans and animals. Joop van Loon, an entomologist at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, told Live Science, “Mosquitoes start aiming themselves to CO2 and keep flying upwind(逆风) as they sense higher thickness.
| A．If this is you, you are not alone. |
| B．You’re the most unfortunate one. |
| C．The two most important reasons attracting a mosquito are smell and sight. |
| D．But the fact is that they simply can’t tell your blood type from a faraway place. |
| E．Besides carbon dioxide, the color of the clothes you wear also plays a role in attracting mosquitoes. |
| F．Generally, scientists recommend that we use chemicals and wear light-colored clothing to keep off mosquitoes. |
| G．Therefore, larger people, who simply breathe out more of the gas over time tend to attract more mosquitoes. |
【推荐3】Global animal populations are declining, and we’ve got limited time to try to fix it. That’s the outcome of a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which analyzed years of data on wildlife populations across the world and found a downward trend in the Earth’s biodiversity.
According to the Living Planet Index, animal populations across the world decreased by 69% between 1970 and 2018. Not all animal populations decreased, though, and some parts of the world saw more dramatic changes than others. But experts say the loss of biodiversity is a worrying sign of what’s to come for the natural world. “The message is clear and the lights are flashing red,” said WWF International Director General Marco Lambertini.
According to the report’s authors, biodiversity loss mainly results from land-use changes driven by human activities, such as infrastructure (基础设施) development, energy production and deforestation. But the report suggests that climate change — which is already causing wide-ranging effects on plant and animal species globally — could become the leading cause of biodiversity loss if rising temperatures can’t be limited to 1.5℃.
Lambertini said the crisis of biodiversity loss and climate change is already responsible for plenty of problems for humans, including less access to food and water and a rise in the spread of diseases. He said world leaders should take major steps to deal with environmental damage. They are locked in old-world thinking, with no sign of the brave action needed to achieve a nature-positive future.
WWF chief scientist Rebecca Shaw told a radio station that humans have the opportunity to change how they do things to benefit nature. “We don’t have to continue the patterns of development we have now. And we have an opportunity to change the way we produce, what we cat and how we consume food and what we waste when we consume our food,” Shaw said. “Little things that we can do every day can change the direction of animal population declines.”
1. What does the new report indicate about the animal populations?| A．The drop in animal populations began in 1970. |
| B．The degree of the decrease is relatively low. |
| C．All species on Earth have witnessed a drop in population. |
| D．Global animal populations are declining at an alarming speed. |
| A．Land-use changes. | B．Deforestation. |
| C．The climate change. | D．The high temperatures. |
| A．Critical. | B．Favorable. | C．Tolerant. | D．Neutral. |
| A．How to develop economy. | B．How to prevent food waste. |
| C．How to maintain sustainable diets. | D．How to stop animal population decline. |
【推荐1】Studying how people move to music is a powerful tool for researchers looking to understand how and why music affects us the way it does. Over the last few years, researchers at the Center for Interdisciplinary Music Research in Finland have used motion capture (运动捕捉) technology to learn that your dance moves say a lot about you, such as what mood you happen to be in, and even how much you understand other people's feelings. Recently, however, they discovered something amazing.
In fact, we weren't looking for this result, as we set out to study something completely different, explains Dr. Emily Carlson, the first author of the study. “Our original idea was to see if we could use machines to identify which category of music our participants were dancing to, based on their movements.”
The 73 participants in the study were motion captured dancing to eight different categories. The only instruction they received was to listen to the music and move any way they felt natural. The researchers then analyzed their movements using machine learning, trying to distinguish between the different kinds of music. Unfortunately, their computer algorithm (算法) was able to identify the correct kind less than 30% of the time. They were shocked to discover, however, that the computer could correctly identify which of the 73 individuals was dancing 94% of the time. Left to chance (that is, if the computer had simply guessed without any information to go on), the expected accuracy would be less than 2%.
“It seems as though a personas dance movements are a kind of fingerprint,” says Dr. Pasi Saari, co-author of the study and data analyst, “Each person has a unique movement signature that stays the same no matter what kind of music is playing.” Some kinds, however, had more effect on individual dance movements than others. The computer was less accurate in identifying individuals when they were dancing to Metal music.
1. What did the researchers originally intend to find?| A．What dance moves could say about people. |
| B．Whether computers could tell dancers' music category. |
| C．How dance movements reflected one's personality. |
| D．What effects music category had on dance moves. |
| A．Dance movements depend on the kind of music. |
| B．All participants don't have their specific dance moves. |
| C．Computers are better at recognizing music category. |
| D．A person's dance style almost remains unchanged. |
| A．To inform readers of the finding of a study. |
| B．To explain the link between dance and music. |
| C．To tell the differences in various music dances. |
| D．To show how powerful the computer is. |
| A．A scientific magazine. | B．A biology textbook. |
| C．A book review. | D．A health newspaper. |
【推荐2】Every morning in graduate school, Christy would wave to the woman selling hot dogs outside her building. “If she wasn’t there on a given day, things didn’t feel right. I missed her,” says Christy, now a psychology (心理学) expert at a university in the U.K. “It was this huge source of comfort and safety, and it was with someone I never talked to.”
That connection satisfied a deep, bodily need for Christy, just like water relieves thirst. Humans are intensely social animals, and research increasingly suggests that losing our connections to others can negatively impact our health. A 2023 report called widespread loneliness in the U.S. a deadly health risk comparable to smoking up to15 cigarettes (香烟) a day. On the other hand, a Harvard study found that having strong relationships is key to living a long and happy life. The study also showed that people between 80 and 89 years old in happy marriages reported that their happiness remained stable even on days when they were in greater physical pain.
But close relationships aren’t the only social ties that matter. Chatting with a stranger, giving a smile of recognition to the waiter in your local coffee shop, or waving to the people you see every day at the park creates a much-needed sense of community. “We can’t achieve happiness by ourselves. We simply cannot survive or live well without feeling like we are accepted,” says Christy.
These “weak tie” relationships aren’t a replacement for the deeper, more meaningful connections we also need. But Christy says we should recognize and celebrate their importance, and push ourselves to engage in them because they’re so beneficial to our sense of well-being. “I am not outgoing,” she says. “And, at the same time, I love talking to strangers. I believe that anyone can do it.”
1. How did Christy feel when she couldn’t see the woman as usual?| A．Safe. | B．Disappointed. | C．Angry. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．Older adults feel happier in marriages. |
| B．Physical pain negatively affects happiness. |
| C．Close relationships lead to long-term well-being. |
| D．Happiness has little to do with social connections. |
| A．They contribute to our happiness. | B．They help us to be outgoing. |
| C．They replace close relationships. | D．They push us to communicate. |
| A．Advantages of Being Lonely | B．Influence of Meeting New People |
| C．Value of Strong Social Connections | D．Importance of “Weak Tie” Relationships |
【推荐3】Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims（声称）as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting（筑巢）season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language of their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.
1. Some scientists believe that most of the time birds’ singing is actually ______.| A．an expression of happiness | B．an expression of anger |
| C．a way of greeting | D．a way of warning |
| A．By comparing birds with human beings. |
| B．By telling a bird’s story. |
| C．By reporting experiment results. |
| D．By describing birds’ daily life. |
| A．An area for which birds fight against each other. |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
| C．An area which a bird considers to be its own. |
| D．A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
| A．Because they want to find outsiders around. |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
| C．Because they want to invite more friends. |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
【推荐1】The fire at Notre-Dame de Paris has been put out, but its spire and a large part of its wooden roof have been damaged. The terrible damage causes a sudden pain for people all over the world. What a pity that we cannot see the damaged parts of the wonder anymore.
But the good news is that we can see them through a video game called Assassin’s Creed Unity. In this game, the player can travel to one city after another and enter the buildings exactly like what they are in reality, and see Notre-Dame as it was before the fire. Further, with virtual (虚拟的) reality technology one can even look around the undamaged Notre-Dame as if it were still there. Maybe digital technology could help to better protect the architectural cultural heritage.
The idea of making digital models of ancient buildings to save their data dates back to the 1990s and the necessary technology has continued to advance since then. By scanning (扫描) the ancient buildings, building 3D models with a series of images, as well as measuring (测量) everything accurately, engineers can make a copy as accurate as the real one.
As computers and smartphones are hugely popular, the digital model has great useful value. First, it allows tourists to feel the cultural relics without touching them. The virtual tour of the Mogao Caves in Gansu Province is a good example of this as tourists can view the paintings without standing near them. Furthermore, it can make the digitized cultural relics more famous through the Internet. In 2000, a virtual tour of the Great Wall became very popular at the Hanover World Expo, which increased the number of foreign tourists visiting the site in the following years. Above all, it preserves all the information of the cultural relics.
Of course, however accurate a model is, it is not the original (原件). Maybe we will have better technologies in the future, but digital technology offers a useful way to preserve the architectural cultural heritage at the moment.
1. What can we see about Notre-Dame in the game?| A．The big fire. | B．Its original look. |
| C．Its wooden shape. | D．The damaged Notre-Dame. |
| A．Build 3D models of full size. | B．Scan photos of the buildings. |
| C．Measure all their parts exactly. | D．Take apart the ancient buildings. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By classification. |
| C．By comparison. | D．By listing data. |
| A．Delighted. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unconcerned. |
【推荐2】Riding a London subway, a person from China will notice one major difference: in London, people do not look at each other. That's not rudeness-people are just too busy to bother(费心)looking.
Busy doing what? Well, they're certainly not using the time for reflection, nor are they reading a book. New technology has replaced quiet habits. Today the only acceptable form of book on the London underground is an e-book.
Apple must earn a fortune from London commuter(乘车上下班的人).Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, over 40, 000-yes, that's 40, 000-"apps"(programs downloaded for the iPhone) have been designed.
Commuters love them. One "app", called iShoot, is a game that features tanks(以坦克为特色). Another one, Tube Exits, tells passengers where to sit on the subway to be closest to the exit of their destination. ISteam clouds the iPhone screen when you breathe into the microphone(麦克风). You can then write in the "steam" on your phone screen.
For those without an iPhone, another Apple product, the iPod, may be another choice. It's not just teenagers who "plug in" to their music-iPods are a popular way to pass the time for all ages.
And if games, e-books and music aren't enough to keep you occupied, then perhaps you would prefer a film. The development of palm(手掌)DVD technology means many commuters watch their favorite TV show or film on the way. With all this entertainments, it's amazing that people still remember to get off the subway.
1. Why don't people in London make eye contact on the subway?| A．Because they are working. |
| B．Because they are reading books. |
| C．Because they are thinking about things. |
| D．Because they are playing games, reading e-books, listening to music or watching films. |
| A．ISteam. | B．iPod. | C．iShoot. | D．Tube Exits. |
| A．Busy. | B．Amused. | C．Delighted. | D．Controlled. |
| A．Apple has earned a lot of money from selling 40, 000 iPhones. |
| B．London commuters often forget to get off the subway. |
| C．London commuters are unfriendly to strangers. |
| D．Technology is changing the way London commuters spend their traveling time. |
【推荐3】Specialists say that it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock" is the term these specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. There are three stages of culture shock, say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more.
There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems-the telephone, post office, or transportation-may be difficult to work out. The most simple things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.
Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new self-image.
Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation(迷惘). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create and escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience-these are the long term solutions to the problem of culture shock.
1. When people move to a new country, they______| A．will get used to their new surroundings with difficulty |
| B．have well prepared for the new surroundings |
| C．will get used to the culture of the country quickly |
| D．will never be familiar with culture of the country |
| A．language communication | B．weather conditions and customs |
| C．public service systems | D．homesickness |
| A．the fewer difficulties you may have abroad | B．the more difficulties you may have abroad |
| C．the more money you will earn abroad | D．the less homesick you will feel abroad |
| A．to escape unfamiliar environment | B．to overcome the feeling of homesickness |
| C．to stay inside all the time | D．to get familiar with the new culture |
