When most people go to the famous amusement parks in Orlando, Florida, they miss some of the natural wonders the State has to offer. It was in Citrus County on the beautiful west coast of Florida that we went to see the manatee (海牛), which occupies coastal waters and rivers.
Our days started early in the morning at Homosassa Springs. We boarded a boat with Captain Traci Wood from Native Vacations. Having spotted two manatees just below the water, Captain Traci stopped the boat as they slowly swam toward us. They used their tails to drive themselves, steering with their flippers(脚蹼), gracefully moving their bodies through the water in our direction. Our boat was soon surrounded by other members of this gentle species.
Soon we continued our journey. Within a few minutes Captain Traci stopped the boat again and we were given instructions. Whatever you do, she said, remember the three golden rules: minimize splash (拍水) noise; act with very slow movements; and when you touch one of these friendly, gentle grey giants on the back or stomach, never touch with more than one hand at a time. The Endangered Species Act forbids touching a manatee unless it touches you first, and they will let you know. The protection of this endangered species is taken very seriously. But this won’t affect the experience in the least. Most Homosassa manatees are very social and will come to you.
Manatees feed strictly on plants, and they eat a great variety of species, including hyacinth and water lettuce. They’re very big, measuring 3 to 5 metres and weighing as much as 1,600 kilos. Despite this, they look very cute. Manatees are of course wild creatures, although when face to face with them, you’re unlikely to feel any fear.
From December to March, groups of manatees escape the cold winter ocean and bathe in the warm waters near power plants and coastal springs that stay about 23 degrees year-round. Divers and swimmers come to Florida from all over the world for a chance to swim or interact with the manatee in its natural environment, rich in marine vegetation. This rich source of food makes this area an ideal place for the manatees. So the manatees arrive every year by the hundreds to find warmth, nourishment(营养) and maybe, just maybe, to visit us, the curious humans.
1. According to Captain Traci, those who swim with manatees mustn’t________.| A．be under the age of twelve | B．make any noise to annoy them |
| C．swim so slowly as to be caught by them | D．touch them with both hands at the same time |
| A．They live on other sea animals. | B．They are not dangerous to humans. |
| C．They remain curious about humans. | D．They are among the biggest sea animals. |
| A．To stay away from the cold weather. | B．To interact with human beings. |
| C．To give birth to their babies. | D．To clean their bodies. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】FREE MUSEUMS
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
BEST FOR: ALL
From December, the new exhibition Worlds of Wonder will explore the science behind Doctor Who. Meanwhile, come for exhibits about the natural and human worlds, including a whale skull, the remains of Dolly the Sheep, and rooms for, showing works of art for different ages.
nms.ac.uk
Big Pit National Coal Museum, South Wales
BEST FOR: AGES 10-PLUS
Once a working coal mine, this museum excites children and adults with its underground tours, which allow visitors to have a guided walk, 295ft below ground. Head on to the former pithead baths for an exhibition that shows the difficulties and costs of extracting coal from the earth.
museum.wales
The Norfolk Suffolk Aviation Museum, Suffolk
BEST FOR: AGES SEVEN-PLUS
This low-key choice near the former airfield at RAF Bungay has volunteers who like to bring history to life for visitors, offering the chance to find out about the Anderson shelter. There’s the chance to follow the lovely Adair Walk—a raised boardwalk through the wetlands to the River Waveney.
aviationmuseum.net
Falmouth Art Gallery, Cornwall
BEST FOR: TEENS
This museum on the Cornish coast was quite great when it comes to the quality and range of the exhibitions, including pieces by Old Masters, as well as children’s illustrators and other painters. The place is especially great for art-loving teens, but free family workshops are great for babies.
falmouthartgallery.com
1. Which website may a science-lover visit?| A．falmouthartgallcry.com. |
| B．aviationmuscum.net. |
| C．museum.wales. |
| D．nms.ac.uk. |
| A．The Norfolk Suffolk Aviation Museum. |
| B．Big Pit National Coal Museum. |
| C．National Museum of Scotland. |
| D．Falmouth Art Gallery. |
| A．Learn to create high-quality paintings. |
| B．Apply for exhibiting artworks. |
| C．Enjoy pieces by great artists. |
| D．Talk with illustrators. |
【推荐2】Four Best Outdoor Winter Activities Around the Midwest
Don’t let winter freeze you out. When the outside ices over, Midwesterners should take advantage of it. Look through our list and find the season’s coolest activities.
Walk on (Not) Thin Ice, Wisconsin
Once you walk, the ice talks, or rather, sings. When you step onto a frozen lake (remember, the ice must be at least 4 inches thick), it responds with different sounds. Even in the stillness of winters, the lake reminds you it’s still here—and still alive.
Let It Go, Minnesota
To all Queen Elsa’s fans: Your palaces are waiting for you. Ice artists here have carved walk-through castles with underground passages, slides and frozen fountains looking like natural formations. At night, colorful LEDs light up the ice. Take a seat on an ice throne—the cold never bothers you anyway.
Sled(乘雪橇) like an Olympian, Muskegon, Michigan
Live out your Beijing 2022 fantasies at the Muskegon Luge Adventure Sports Park. Three-time Olympian Frank Masley designed an 850-foot long track where green hands are accepted. Sleds can reach speeds of up to 30 mph on it. Come and enjoy this unique experience!
Fly a Kite, Clear Lake, Iowa
In the clear blue sky, a school of fish is streaming in the wind, tailed by a hungry, fierce dragon. Look up, and you’re floating in a fantasy world. Look down, and you realize you’re grounded—on solid ice. Clear Lake’s Color the Wind kite festival began about 20 years ago to brighten up dull winter days.
1. What do Activities 1 and 4 have in common?| A．They feature the beauty of winter. | B．They make the lake more attractive. |
| C．They are done on the ice. | D．They include a special festival. |
| A．In Minnesota. | B．In Wisconsin. | C．In lowa | D．In Michigan. |
| A．Sled with an Olympian. | B．Design their own track. |
| C．Celebrate the Winter Olympics. | D．Try sledding with no experience. |
【推荐3】Isle of Skye
With its steep coastline and mountainous interior (内地), the island attracts walkers and climbers to the Cuillin and Trotternosh while those seeking adventures a little less extreme head here to spot the island’s abundant wildlife, with sea eagles, whales and dolphins among the species that call Skye home.
Saint John Island
Life moves slower here. Wildlife abounds (大量存在) and all is at peace. The National Park dominates here, covering more than half of the island. With countless bird species and dolphins and turtles to spot, it’s no surprise that this is a destination that draws nature lovers again and again. This is a place to rest and relax. Peace and quiet are abundant.
Grand Cayman
Breathtaking beaches attract visitors to Grand Cayman, but there’s far more to experience here. Hit the shops in George Town where all the best designer brands can be found before checking out the cultural and historic highlights. Need to kick back after all that sightseeing? You’ll be spoilt for choice. On the island’s west side is the most obvious destination for those seeking paradise. Great food, great weather and great tourist attractions for all.
Dalmatian Islands
Dalmatian Coast runs along the western edge of the country and is a unique destination made of picturesque islands and seaside towns. No matter which island you pick, you’ll come back with amazing memories. Our favourite island is Cres, known for its population of griffons (狮身鹫首的怪兽), where you can wander in forests, admire the cliffs standing along the sea and rest on quiet beaches.
1. What is special about Saint John Island?| A．It has historic sites. | B．There’re abundant sea eagles. |
| C．It is peaceful and quiet. | D．It offers breathtaking beaches. |
| A．George Town. | B．Cres. | C．Cuillin. | D．Trotternosh. |
| A．To compare some travel destinations. | B．To attract visitors to these destinations. |
| C．To introduce four national parks to readers. | D．To appeal to the public to protect the environment. |
【推荐1】My brother belongs to a strange group known as birders. Together with his three friends who are likewise into the hobby of birding, they march on landfills, and hike through the wooded lands, each of them armed with a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜), a digital camera, biscuits, and water. One of them carries a telescope which comes in handy in case they want to take a look at a bird up close.
Understandably, their clothing is light; their shoes are designed for comfort, and they never fail to bring with them hats. Moving at a slow pace, they go in search of birds. And, yes, they carry a field guide --- a manual for identifying birds.
It is interesting to note how my brother and his co-birders go through their hobby: first, they look for a bird (either with the naked eyes or with the help of their binoculars); when they find one, they identify it; they then write it down. In case they are unable to determine the bird’s identity, they search for it in the field guide. If the bird is not in the handbook, they take down notes, make a rough drawing representing the chief features of the bird, or even take a picture of it to be used as a future reference.
A device, called the National Geographic’s Handheld Birds Personal Digital Assistant, is available for those who plan to take up birding in North America. This handy device is a digital field guide containing more than one thousand five hundred visual representations of birds. It has a searchable database of over eight hundred North American bird species.
For those seriously considering birding as a hobby but having second thoughts for fear of catching the terrible bird flu, it is important to know that you can take up the hobby and be safe from the fatal disease if you strictly observe the slogan of birders worldwide: just watch, don’t catch.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about birders?| A．Their clothing is light and they never bring hats with them. |
| B．They carry a telescope to have a close look at the birds. |
| C．After they find a bird, they usually put it into the cage. |
| D．They go to search for birds moving at a rapid pace. |
| A．To take down notes. |
| B．To take pictures of birds. |
| C．To find the correct route. |
| D．To refer to information of birds. |
| A．look for birds |
| B．look at birds closely |
| C．make a drawing of birds |
| D．recognize different birds |
| A．Avoid catching birds. |
| B．Keep away from birds. |
| C．Give up keeping birds. |
| D．Wear protective clothing. |
【推荐2】In a groundbreaking discovery, bumblebees (大黄蜂) have shown a previously unseen level of cognitive (认知的) ability. A new study, published in Nature, shows that they can learn difficult, multi-step tasks through social interaction, even if they cannot figure them out on their own.
Led by Dr Alice Bridges and Professor Lars Chittka, the research team designed a two-step puzzle (谜题) box requiring bumblebees to perform two separated actions to get a sweet reward at the end. Training bees to do this was no easy task, and bees had to be helped along by the addition of an extra reward at the end of the first step. This reward in the middle was finally taken away, and bees later had to open the whole box before getting their treat. Then some trained bees repeated the whole process for demonstration.
Surprisingly, while bees that worked on their own had great difficulty in solving the puzzle, those allowed to watch a demonstrator bee finished the two steps easily — even the first — while only getting a reward at the end.
This study shows that bumblebees have a level of social learning previously thought to be unique to humans. They can share and learn behaviors that are beyond their individual cognitive abilities. Professor Chittka further notes the implications, “This challenges the traditional view that only humans can socially learn difficult behavior beyond individual learning. It raises the amazing possibility that many of the greatest achievements of the social insects, like the nesting architectures of bees or the agricultural habits of ants, may have initially spread by copying clever innovators, before they finally became part of the species-specific behaviors.”
This groundbreaking research opens new possibilities for understanding animal intelligence and the development of social learning. It challenges longstanding assumptions and helps us learn more about the cognitive wonders of insects, even suggesting the exciting possibility of advanced culture amongst seemingly simple creatures.
1. What is the purpose of the study?| A．To learn how to train bumblebees. |
| B．To compare bumblebees with ants. |
| C．To develop puzzles for bumblebees. |
| D．To test cognitive abilities of bumblebees. |
| A．By breaking it into two steps. |
| B．By providing an extra reward. |
| C．By demonstrating the process. |
| D．By making the puzzle interesting. |
| A．Both bees and ants are intelligent creatures. |
| B．Only humans are capable of social learning. |
| C．Individual learning may not be that important. |
| D．Bees’ nest-building may be a learned behavior. |
| A．Bumblebees — willing learners |
| B．Bumblebees — smarter than you think |
| C．Social learning — intelligence indicator |
| D．Social learning — universal across species |
【推荐3】Roadkill is a worldwide problem. Every year: About 340 million birds are killed on roads in the United States; around 9 million mammals (哺乳动物) of average size are killed on Brazilian roads; and China is no exception.
To deal with this, a study of “roadkill” has been conducted by Professor Li Zhongqiu and his team from Nanjing University. The study was conducted in Nanjing, which has more than 9,700 km of well-built roads. Li and his teammates ran 26 roadkill monitoring (监测) activities over 224.27 km of roads, totaling 5,831 km during the research period. The nine roads chosen for the team’s research were monitored every two weeks over the course of a year.
The team recorded a total of 293 dead bodies. Among them, birds made up nearly half the total. As a main bird species in East China, blackbirds are usually attracted by flies or other insects to dead bodies of roadkill along the roads. “Specifically, cats, dogs and blackbirds were the three most commonly killed animals,” Li said. “This may be due to the large number of homeless cats and dogs in city areas. Pets thrown out of their homes are more likely to run into traffic.”
According to the report, roadkill happened a lot from May to September. The animal’ increased reproductive (生殖) activity in summer and autumn is a possible reason. Besides, roadkill issues also topped in November and January. This may be due to the need to search for food during winter when food resources are few, Li said.
“There is no doubt that roadkill has contributed to the decrease of animal populations and must be taken seriously,” Li said. “We call on related departments to take measures such as speed limits and necessary traffic controls during top periods of animal activities. For animals such as cats and dogs that usually use the roads, fences can prevent them from entering traffic.”
1. What is paragraph 1 of the text mainly about?| A．The purpose of the study. | B．The method of the study. |
| C．The result of the study. | D．The background of the study. |
| A．Once every two weeks. | B．Once a week. |
| C．Three times every two weeks. | D．Twice a week. |
| A．Large animal birth rate. | B．Busier traffic. |
| C．Few traffic controls. | D．Animals’ demand for food. |
| A．Having speed limits. | B．Taking traffic controls. |
| C．Building fences. | D．Setting warning signs. |
【推荐1】Teenagers who spend hours in front of the television may have a poorer diet as young adults．
A study， which involved nearly 1，400 high school students found those who watched TV for five hours or more every day had less healthy diets than other students five years later． Why does this happen？ Should the parents take any measures？
On the one hand， people who spend a lot of time in front of the TV， especially teenagers， may snack （吃零食） more， and that may influence their long-term diet quality．
On the other hand， TV ads for fast food， sweets and snacks make teenagers eat more of those foods． TV time might also replace exercise time for some kids．
The researchers found a clear relationship between TV time during high school and diet quality of the young． While the heaviest TV viewers were eating the most junk food， those who'd watched fewer than two hours every day had the most fruits and vegetables．
As far as I am concerned， children should watch no more than two hours of television per day． And parents should set a good example by eating right， being physically active and curbing their own TV time．
1. According to the passage， heavy TV viewers are easy to ______ ．| A．eat more fruits |
| B．eat fewer vegetables |
| C．eat less junk food |
| D．eat more food high in calcium （钙） |
| A．adding | B．checking |
| C．controlling | D．stopping |
| A．They must watch TV with their children． |
| B．They should stop the children from watching TV． |
| C．They should pay attention to nutrition in diets． |
| D．They can't do what they don't want their children to do． |
【推荐2】The following are our monthly top picks among the recent nonfiction publication.
Four Battlegrounds
By Paul Scharre
Scharre examines the trends and expectations for the future applications of AI, whose battlegrounds are data, computing power, talent, and institutions. This study of the struggle over AI is well-written, widely sourced, and detailed. Readers knowledgeable about computer science will find it clarifying, while others will gain understanding of an important subject.
Saving Time
By Jenny Odell
With Saving Time, Odell aims at our concept of time. The idea of making as much output as possible from our time is fully rooted in modern life. Odell mixes cited research, philosophy, ecology, and history, finding the hidden markers of time along the highways and coast of her Bay Area home. Saving Time will find a long life on any library’s shelves.
Wisdom of the Wild
By Sheri Mabry
This title provides easygoing spiritual guidance inspired by everyday wonders of the natural world. Each section concentrates on an aspect of nature with a desirable quality, consisting of a one-page, science-based observation with advice and encouragement. Readers seeking inspiration will appreciate this charming offering.
Microjoys
By Cyndie Spiegel
During hard times, Spiegel began searching for a way to gently hold sadness in one hand and joy in the other. In a series of thoughtful essays, Spiegel begins with observations about various experiences, opening her heart to share emotional events made by what she calls “microjoys”. And finally, she urges readers to open their hearts and welcome glimpses (一瞥) of joy and beauty.
1. Whose book should you read if you are a fan of future technology?| A．Paul Scharre’s. | B．Jenny Odell’s. |
| C．Sheri Mabry’s. | D．Cyndie Spiegel’s. |
| A．Microjoys. | B．Saving Time. |
| C．Four Battlegrounds. | D．Wisdom of the Wild. |
| A．Getting life lessons from nature. | B．Pressing hard for more time in life. |
| C．Learning the power in the age of AI. | D．Finding the bright side when life is uneasy. |
【推荐3】ChatGPT has quickly become popular around the world because of its advanced conversational abilities. It can answer questions, do translations, give the main idea of articles and even write codes (代码) for a computer program. It is as good as a human inside a computer.
ChatGPT is making life very convenient. A time might come when people hand it some articles and it makes a well-made report. That could, however, mean job losses. After all, if a computer program can write codes, then it would make a programmer lose his job.
That may be a worry, but it is still too early to worry about that. ChatGPT has more advanced learning features, but it still follows the same technological way. Its biggest advantage lies in the ability to turn words into a language from an ocean of data, but it's still not that creative. AI can quickly draw a picture, but that picture will be based on pictures that it has seen. It can also write books about the future, but the books will be based on articles about the future that it has read.
In comparison, a human brain imagines the future and then tries hard to realize it. AI can imagine a future with faster spaceships, but it can't imagine a world of space as humans can.
So there is no need to worry too much. By being creative there will be plenty of chances for humans to win over AI.
1. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The world. | B．ChatGPT. | C．A computer. | D．A program. |
| A．By telling stories. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By listing numbers. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．It has its own creativity. |
| B．It has conversational abilities. |
| C．It has more advanced learning features. |
| D．It has the ability to turn words into a language. |
| A．Sports. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Business. |
