Happiness of dolphins
For those of us who’ve ever been to a marine(海洋的) park, the best part was probably seeing the beautiful and friendly dolphins.
And the luckier people among us may have even had the chance to swim with these amazing creatures.
At the same time, however, we can’t help but think that these animals would be happier in the wild, rather than be forced to perform for humans in captivity(囚禁).
According to a recent study though, we needn’t think like that.
The study, which was published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science, was led by scientist Isabella Clegg, who carried out her research at a dolphinarium(海豚馆) in France.
As the first of its kind, the study’s aim was to look at captivity from the animals’ point of view, according to BBC News.
Over the course of three years, Clegg and her team put together a series of experiments to figure out how captive dolphins felt about their lives.
“We wanted to find out what activities in captivity they like most,” she told BBC news.
There were three kinds of experiment: one in which the dolphins were left alone, one in which toys were added to their pool, and one in which a human played with the dolphins.
It was found that of the three types of experiment, the dolphins seemed to enjoy playing with humans the most.
“Their leaping(跳跃) from the water during training, and their curious approaches to the edge(边沿) of the pool appeared to be enthusiastic(热情的).” wrote BBC News science correspondents Victoria Gill.
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean dolphins are happier in captivity than they are in the wild.
According to wildlife and nature platform One Green Planet, being raised in captivity could actually be harmful for dolphins.
“By being born into captivity, they will never learn the skills necessary to survive in the wild. This means that any animal that is born in captivity can never be sent back into the wild,” it wrote on its website.
But while this may be true, at least it seems that captive dolphins still enjoy happy moments with humans.
1. What can we learn about the study on captive dolphins?| A．It was carried out in a dolphinarium in the UK. |
| B．It was the first study on captivity’s influence on animals. |
| C．It compared the behavior of captive dolphins and wild dolphins. |
| D．It studied the feelings of captive dolphins. |
| A．with toys. | B．with humans. |
| C．by themselves. | D．with other sea animals. |
| A．They may not be able to survive in the wild. |
| B．They may be less healthy than wild dolphins. |
| C．They may live an unhappy and lonely life among humans. |
| D．They might be unwilling to return to the wild. |
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【推荐1】Time to load up some popular games: new research indicates pigs possess the mental capability to play video games. The study, published in Frontiers In Psychology, tested the ability of four pigs（Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony and Ivory)to play a simple joystick(操纵杆）game with their noses, moving a cursor(光标）to four targets on the screen. Although the animals didn’t demonstrate the skills to win a round any time soon, they did show an understanding of some elementary games.
Performing well above chance, the pigs appeared to recognize the movement of the cursor was controlled by the joystick. The fact that they did so well despite a lack of flexible fingers is “extraordinary”, according to the researchers.
“It is no small achievement for an animal, to grasp the concept that the behaviour they are performing is having an effect elsewhere. That pigs can do this to any degree should give us pause as to what else they are capable of learning and how such learning may impact them,” said Purdue University’s Dr Candace Croney, the study’s lead author.
Researchers also noted that while the pigs could be taught to play the game using food as positive motivation, they also responded well to social interaction. In fact, when the game was made more challenging and the pigs became unwilling to participate in, “only oral encouragement by the experimenter” would see training continue.
These findings are the latest to highlight the intelligence of pigs. Not only have they been shown to use mirrors to find hidden food, but studies have also demonstrated how pigs can be taught to “come” and “sit” after oral commands.
“As with any sentient(有感觉力的）beings, how we interact with pigs and what we do to them impacts and matters to them,” Croney said. “We therefore have a moral duty to understand how pigs acquire information, and what they are capable of leaning and remembering, because it ultimately offers the potential for how they understand their interactions with us and their environments.”
1. What can we learn from Paragraphs 1 and 2?| A．Pigs have the potential to play games well. |
| B．Pigs have noses as flexible as human hands. |
| C．Pigs possess the mental ability we didn’t know. |
| D．Pigs know well about what they are playing. |
| A．Playing joystick games so well. |
| B．Realizing the effects of their acts. |
| C．Carrying out tasks with their noses. |
| D．Following human oral commands. |
| A．Less challenging video games. |
| B．A nice treat before the experiment. |
| C．Severe punishment if necessary. |
| D．Inspiring words from experimenters. |
| A．They reflect the needs to interact more with animals. |
| B．They offer humans ideas of how to live with animals. |
| C．They encourage us to explore how pigs interact with us. |
| D．They show us how pigs interact with their environments. |
【推荐2】To some, a cow’s burp (打嗝) might seem like a small thing. But in New Zealand, cows outnumber people by two to one. There are only five million people in New Zealand, which is home to 10 million cows and 26 million sheep.
Cows do not easily digest the grass they eat — instead, they ferment (发酵) it in their stomachs. The process releases a lot of gas. So, every time someone eats beef or drinks milk, the process of getting that product comes at a high cost to the environment. The cows produce methane (甲烷) gas. While the gas does not last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it has a much stronger effect on global warming.
The scientists in New Zealand are working on ways to reduce the amount of gas that comes out of the cows.They are considering changing the food the animals eat or putting a device on the cows to change the methane into something innocuous. There is also talk of feeding the cows a kind of special red seaweed or giving them a food addition that would help them digest the grass.
In addition, farmers want a solution. That is because New Zealand has announced plans to tax farmers whose animals produce too much methane gas. The farmers say they will be affected if the tax plan goes into effect.
A farmer running a farm in the town of Featherston,in the Wellington Region, is trying to get more milk from each cow. The increased efficiency means he does not need as many cows, which in turn reduces the amount of methane coming from his farm. At a farmer level, he is doing his bit to help save the planet.
The fight against methane is serious in NewZealand. The country promised to reduce the gas produced by farm animals by up to 47 percent by the.year 2050.
1. Why does cows’ burping become a problem in Name Zealand?| A．The cows consume much grass. |
| B．New Zealanders prefer milk. |
| C．The number of the cows is too large. |
| D．The cows have the digestive problem. |
| A．Harmless. | B．Useful. |
| C．Rare. | D．Inexpensive. |
| A．They can’t afford the rising costs. |
| B．They will raise fewer cows. |
| C．They can’t increase milking efficiency. |
| D．They will face a heavier burden. |
| A．Climate Change: Cow Burping Is to Blame |
| B．Methane Gas: The Fight Against It Is Serious |
| C．Global Warming: New Zealand Targets Cow Burps |
| D．Cow Burping: Scientists Look for Ways to Stop It |
【推荐3】One swallow (燕子) may not make a summer but seeing or hearing birds does improve mental wellbeing, researchers have found.
The study, led by academics from King’s College London, also found that everyday encounters with birds boosted the mood of people with depression, as well as the wider population.
The researchers said the findings suggested that visits to places with a wealth of birdlife, such as parks and canals, could be prescribed by doctors to treat mental health conditions. They added that their findings also highlighted the need to better protect the environment and improve biodiversity in urban, suburban and rural areas in order to preserve bird habitats.
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, tracked 1,292 participants’ everyday encounters with birds last year via a smartphone app called Urban Mind.
Over the course of two weeks, the participants, from the UK, Europe, the US, China and Australia, were required at random intervals to record how they were feeling, including whether they were happy or stressed, whether they could see trees, and whether they could see or hear birds.
The researchers found that participants’ average mental wellbeing scores increased when they saw or heard birds, including among those who disclosed they had been diagnosed with depression.
This beneficial effect also lasted beyond the moment of encountering birds, with higher levels of mental wellbeing noted by participants who did not see or hear birds the next time they recorded their mood.
However, this positive effect did not persist if the participants did not encounter birds during the subsequent assessment of their mood, which the researchers said indicated “a possible causal link effect of birdlife on mental wellbeing”.
Andrea Mechelli, professor of early intervention in mental health at King’s College London, said, “We need to create and support environments, particularly urban environments, where bird life is a constant feature. To have a healthy population of birds, you also need plants, you also need trees. We need to nurture the whole ecosystem within our cities.”
He added that the positive effect of bird encounters on people with depression was significant because many “interventions that help so-called ‘healthy people’ don’t work for individuals with mental health issues”.
Mechelli said, “We know exercise makes everyone feel better. But it’s incredibly challenging to motivate someone with depression to exercise. Whereas contact with bird life is something that, perhaps, is feasible.”
1. Which of the following will the researchers probably agree with?| A．People will feel better if they go to parks every day. |
| B．Greater value should be attached to conserving birds and their habitats. |
| C．A large population of people with depression encounter birds every day. |
| D．Doctors treating mental illnesses should visit places with a wealth of birds. |
| A．To clarify a doubt about the research process. |
| B．To analyze the data of the research participants. |
| C．To give a further explanation of the research method. |
| D．To provide more supporting evidence for the research results. |
| A．Practical. | B．Difficult. | C．Advisable. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．Regular Visits to Parks Boost Our Mental Wellbeing |
| B．Bird and Birdsong Encounters Improve Mental Health |
| C．Human Activities Have a Great Impact on Bird Species |
| D．Bird Habitat Protection Changes People and the Planet |
【推荐1】Starting from July 1, the summer holiday is expected to bring 750 million trips made by rail passengers, about 15 million more than the same period in 2020, according to China State Railway Group. A recent report published by an online travel agency predicts that the number of trips made by air passengers this summer will return to normal levels of around 120 million. China’s tourism market is looking forward to a revival during the two month summer holiday.
While COVID-19 cases have been reported from time to time in some areas, the tourism market will see a sharp rise this summer. This is due to the efficient vaccination (接种疫苗) program and strict pandemic (疫情) control measures, said Cheng Chaogong, head of a research center.
According to the industrial report, as consumer confidence continues to improve, more than half of tourists want to have a family trip during the summer holiday. Also, 37.2 percent have chosen to travel with other family members. The survey result is a positive sign for the tourism market, since family travel was the main summer tourism model of previous years, the report said.
Rising airfares and hotel bookings also proved people’s growing enthusiasm for traveling during the summer holiday. By the end of June, hotel bookings for the summer holiday had increased by 30 percent compared with the same period of 2020.
Among the most popular destinations were Chengdu in Sichuan province, Kunming in Yunnan province, Harbin in Heilongjiang province, Shanghai and Beijing, according to the website.
In addition, red tourism, which refers to the visits to historical sites with a modern revolutionary legacy (革命遗产), remained a popular choice for travelers as this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China.
1. What does the underlined word “revival” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Loss. | B．Challenge. | C．Recovery. | D．Chance. |
| A．People are eager to get out and relax. |
| B．The pandemic has been under control. |
| C．People are tired of staying at home. |
| D．The tourist industry offers various chances. |
| A．To show the tourism is going to pick up. |
| B．To prove people are fond of traveling. |
| C．To state the pandemic has an impact on tourism. |
| D．To predict the pandemic will come to an end soon. |
| A．Pandemic: not a threat anymore |
| B．Red tourism: a rising industry |
| C．Changes in consumption view take place |
| D．Summer holiday gives tourism an upturn |
【推荐2】Anxious thinker. Loner. Wallflower. These are some negative comments for “introvert” (内向者), showing a common mind-set in America. Actually they just interact differently; they do well when given time alone to think and prefer close conversations.
American society is ruled by the “Extrovert Ideal (外向理想型)”: successful people take risks and always voice their opinion, whether or not they know what they’re doing. The problem is that people value this ideal so much that they often ignore meaningful opinions from the quieter introverts. Isn’t there something problematic about having to get our thoughts out before we finish thinking about them?
Over-stressing the Extrovert Ideal can lead to unwise decisions. In one case, several introverts, who tend to be more careful and think more, pointed out warning signals before the economic downturn of 2008. But the decision makers — often the bold, risk-taking types —ignored their opinion. People say introverts often overthink every decision. Yes, maybe we think before we speak. But is that really so bad?
Of course, social skills are important for everyone. But the misunderstanding about how introverts work creates a cultural bias (偏见). Required class participation at school often leads to students shouting out whatever thoughts come to their mind, too pressured by their participation grade to take the time and think of a meaningful response. During the Covid-19quarantine, some of my classes started using Parlay, a website that allows for discussions through anonymous (匿名的) written comments. I saw that many of my classes were able to have deeper conversations this way, freed from the pressures of having to speak up on the spot. So encouraging a balanced variety of learning methods can reduce the existing bias.
Society seems to think only the loud and outgoing ones can make a difference. But Rosa Parks was known for being “soft spoken” and “timid.” Gandhi said, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” So please, give us introverts a chance to change the world in our own quiet way!
1. What is the author’s attitude towards the “Extrovert Ideal”?| A．Objective. | B．Doubtful. | C．Favorable. | D．Unclear. |
| A．The benefit of the Extrovert Ideal. | B．The introverts’ poor social skills. |
| C．The harm of over-valuing extroverts. | D．The extroverts’ ways of decision-making. |
| A．requiring no class participation | B．providing online learning platforms |
| C．allowing different learning styles | D．conducting free classroom discussions |
| A．Brave. | B．Lazy. | C．Easygoing. | D．Shy. |
【推荐3】I thought I was pretty good at teaching myself—until I read Tara Westover’s Educated. Her ability to learn on her own blows my right out of the water. I was thrilled to sit down with her recently to talk about the book.
Tara was raised in a Mormon survivalist home in rural Idaho. Her dad had very non mainstream views about the government. He believed doomsday was coming and that the family should interact with the health and education systems as little as possible. As a result, she didn’t step foot in a classroom until she was 17, and major medical crises went untreated. (Her mother suffered a brain injury in a car accident and never fully recovered).
Because Tara and her six siblings worked at their father’s junkyard from a young age, none of them received any kind of proper homeschooling. She had to teach herself algebra and self-studied for the ACT, which she did well enough on to gain admission to Brigham Young University. Eventually, she earned her doctorate in intellectual history from Cambridge University.
Educated is an amazing story and I get why it’s spent so much time on the top of the New York Times bestseller list. It reminded me in some ways of the Netflix documentary Wild. Wild Country, which I recently watched. Both explore people who remove themselves from society because they have these beliefs and knowledge that they think make them more enlightened. Their belief systems benefit from their separateness, and you’re forced to be either in or out.
But unlike Wild, Wild Country—which revels in the strangeness of its subjects. Tara is never cruel, even when she’s writing about some of her father’s most fringe beliefs. It’s clear that her whole family, including her mom and dad, is energetic and talented. Whatever their ideas are, they pursue them.
Tara’s process of self-discovery is beautifully captured in Educated. It’s the kind of book that I think everyone will enjoy, no matter what genre you usually pick up.
1. What does the author think of Tara’s self-teaching?| A．unbelievable | B．not bad | C．doubtable | D．impossible |
| A．There are altogether six children in the family. |
| B．Tara’s dad often holds mainstream beliefs about the government. |
| C．They are a Mormon family living in the urban area of Idaho. |
| D．Tara did not receive formal education until 17. |
| A．To highlight that Educated is an amazing story worth reading. |
| B．To analyze the content of it. |
| C．To show that Educated is one the top of The New York Times bestseller list. |
| D．To introduce a documentary to the reader. |
| A．novel | B．science fiction | C．biography | D．news report |
