The woods are turning orange. Drifts of dry leaves are growing on forest floors and flying into street corners. From a distance, it is beautiful. But the air is still warm and summery. This turning and leaf fall is not the usual gradual preparation for winter in temperate zones(温带) but a stress response by trees trying to preserve water. We are now in a false autumn, caused by heat and drought. And it feels wrong.
There is, therefore, something deeply disturbing about such a graphic alteration of familiar rhythms, Droughts are not unknown to the UK, of course, and too many parts of the world are certainly familiar with far more severe versions. But increasingly they are occurring in the context of a climate emergency, and record-breaking heat. And the beauty of a false autumn, specifically, has an emotional effect, a deep weirdness, something mysteriously suggestive of evil or danger
Cultures across the world contain ceremonies for the propitiation(宽恕) of the weather; a sense of responsibility for the natural world—and the belief that it will punish us if we fail it—is as old as humanity. One of the reasons why the Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s 1798 poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is so effective is the directness with which it links the shooting of an albatross(信天翁)—the destruction of innocent wildlife—to a terrible change in the weather: no rain, just burning, death-dealing sun. We may not understand the mechanism, but at an instinctual(本能的) level it feels right.
And in a similar way it has not really been a surprise to hear that birds are struggling. In London, young swifts (雨燕) were seen falling out of the sky. Fewer—and too early—nuts and berries mean some animals will not live through this winter. Older trees, with their longer roots, will hopefully survive, but young trees may not—all that promises further warming. There will always be a degree of uncertainty about the causes of specific weather events, but we cannot deny that we have not taken care of the albatross. Now we must hope we are doing enough to make sure that these fearful golden days are pot an autumn of autumns.
1. According to the passage, what is a disturbing sign of “a false autumn”?A.Tree leaves are turning orange and fall gradually in winter. |
B.Birds are struggling to fall out of the sky in London. |
C.People worldwide are careless of droughts and heat in the UK. |
D.Nuts and berries-ripen earlier but yield less than before. |
A.Because people across the world sympathize with the albatross. |
B.Because it directly links destruction of wildlife to extreme weather. |
C.Because we are certain about how the weather shifts instinctually. |
D.Because he is an established Romantic poet curious about nature. |
A.This autumn must be seen as a warning to take instant action. |
B.Plants and animals are bound to survive in spite of their fear. |
C.The writer appreciates and looks forward to such golden days. |
D.Abundant environmental protection has already been ensured. |
A.Optimistic. | B.Concerned. | C.Humorous. | D.Ironic. |
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【推荐1】Concerns about microplastics are not new. They’ve been growing for more than a decade. Over the past two years, however, many creative solutions have emerged to address the problem on a local level. Still, experts say there’s a need for a huge effort if we want to curb (控制) the global issue.
The term microplastics was coined in 2004 by marine ecologist Richard Thompson after he discovered tiny bits of plastic littering British beaches. Since then, scientists have found microplastics nearly everywhere. Even inside us. According to a 2021 study in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the physical presence of plastic inside the body poses a potential problem. Plastic’s chemical additives might also affect different species’ tissues and organs. However, there is disagreement as to how much microplastics harm species, including humans.
For a global view of this vast issue, Duke University scientists created a public database to track plastic removal innovations. For instance, the Hoola One is a vacuum that internally separates microplastics from organic materials. In Amsterdam, scientists have introduced the Bubble Barrier in canals, a device that creates a wall of bubbles to send submerged plastic to the surface. Hong Kong Polytechnic University researchers presented a unique idea — a bacteria biofilm that could attract and trap microplastics before they flow into rivers and oceans.
But “if you have a technology that would capture microplastics before they enter our waterways, that would be ideal,” says Zoie Diana, who added 40 new inventions this year. That’s where Alain Marty, chief scientist at the biochemistry start-up Carbios, comes into the picture. In a 2020 Nature article, Marty and colleagues describe how they engineered an enzyme (酶) to break down plastic efficiently. “Industries could employ that in their manufacturing processes so that nearly all of their material could be reused to create products. Marty’s discovery is a breakthrough in the right direction, though preventing microplastics by reducing our plastic use also matters,” says Diana. “We really want to turn off the tap.”
1. What can we learn about microplastics?A.They didn’t exist until 2004. |
B.They can be easily tracked down. |
C.They remain a matter of worldwide concern. |
D.They do more harm to other species than humans. |
A.By giving examples. | B.By making comparisons. |
C.By referring to another study. | D.By presenting research findings. |
A.The enzyme can solve industries' productivity problems. |
B.Taps should be prohibited for fear of the spread of microplastics. |
C.A decline in plastic use is no less important than Marty's discovery. |
D.Microplastics-capturing technology can rid waterways of microplastics. |
【推荐2】A new project in the Caribbean is setting out to save coral reefs(珊瑚礁)- and the world. The Ocean-Shot Project, spearheaded by climate scientist Dr. Deborah Brosnan, launched in 2021 to develop a “massive, first-of-its-kind” coral reef restoration initiative in the Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda.
“We lose more coral reefs in a day that we can restore in a decade,”Brosnan said. “Our progress towards protecting coral reefs——which ultimately protect us——is too slow. So Ocean- Shot Project is about literally rebuilding the reefs, the architecture of the reefs, for the future. ”
What sets this project apart from other coral reef restoration projects is its focus——the architecture of the reef itself. While many initiatives prioritize saving the corals, Ocean-Shot Project tacks on the additional focus of developing the base for those corals to grow and thrive.
“Coral secretes(分泌) calcium carbonate, creating a sort-of concrete around itself that becomes the structure for the reef. But that process can take hundreds and thousands of years,”Brosnan said. And with coral bleaching(白化) events only predicted to become more intense in the coming decades as global and ocean temperatures warm, this can be a problem for reefs that need to be able to recover.
“What we’re doing is we’re saying, ‘let’s learn from the corals, let’s learn from nature,’”Brosnan said. “And let’s make this happen quickly.”
To make that happen, her team is creating reef structures in a lab and then planting them in the ocean, a process that Brosnan likened to“gardening”. The team is also planting“resilient corals”among the structures that have already survived several bleaching events. Previously, her team deployed their first set of these structures, called modules, into the ocean around Antigua and Barbuda. And it’s already seeing significant success.
“We saw a whole ecosystem start to recognize these reefs as home and just move right on in. So what it told us is that if we provide the living structure, the ecosystem will respond in return,”Brosnan said.
1. What is the purpose of Ocean-Shot Project?A.To restore coral reefs. | B.To build home for corals. |
C.To prevent coral bleaching. | D.To develop a new coral reef. |
A.The whole ecosystem is in great danger. |
B.Coral reefs are easy to lose and tough to restore. |
C.Our progress in protecting nature is too slow. |
D.The focus of the Ocean-Shot Project is to save corals. |
A.Its aim. | B.Its duration. |
C.Its focus. | D.Its influence. |
A.Controllable. | B.Controversial. |
C.Adventurous. | D.Significant. |
【推荐3】For animals that spend most of their lives in the high trees, gaps in the forest might as well be the Grand Canyon. These gaps are especially hard on gibbons (长臂猴); although larger males can leap across some gaps, females and the young can be cut off from food, companions, and even potential mates. Now, a new study suggests a couple of strong ropes could really help bridge the gap.
Gibbons are at risk of extinction across Southeast Asia, largely because of habitat loss. With about 30 individuals left, the Hainan gibbon is considered the rarest primate (灵长类) on Earth. All of these animals live on the Hainan Baw angling National Nature Reserve. In July 2014, a typhoon caused landslides across the reserve, creating gaps in the forest that were difficult for these primates to cross.
To help reconnect the habitats, professional tree climbers set up an artificial “bridge” made of two mountaineering-grade ropes across a 15-meter-wide valley. Nearly 6 months later, the gibbons started to use the bridge to cross the gap, researchers report today in Scientific Reports. The team documented 52 crossings of a group of eight gibbons, with most walking along one rope while holding on to the second rope for support, which the scientists named “handrail”. The gibbons also shimmied underneath the ropes using all arms and legs to the opposite side.
Conservationists previously built artificial bridges to help other species such as the Bornean orangutan and the Javan slow loris. But this is the first example of the rare Hainan gibbon using them. The rope bridges could be a short-term solution to reconnect disjointed (脱节的) habitats, the researchers argue. Combined with efforts to provide enough natural forest cover.
1. Why were rope bridges constructed according to the text?A.To aid all gibbons to cross gaps. |
B.To increase gibbons’ habitats. |
C.To save gibbons from being endangered. |
D.To provide food and company for gibbons. |
A.Rarely are gibbons seen for the population decline. |
B.Habitat loss was to blame for gibbons’ dying out. |
C.Gibbons couldn’t cross gaps caused by a typhoon. |
D.The natural disaster may have posed a threat to gibbons. |
A.Lifted. | B.Grabbed. | C.Swung. | D.Spread. |
A.The reasons for gibbons’ dying out | B.The importance of saving gibbons |
C.The measures to save gibbons | D.The solution to gibbons’ habitat loss |
【推荐1】Sports accounts for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract views from particular sections of the general public, and then they have sold audiences to advertisers.
An attraction of sports programs for the major U.S. media company is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons — the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming. Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract male viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance.
Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings(收视率) are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars, business and personal computers, and holiday trips. This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of “company cars” and computers. With such viewers, these programs don’t need high ratings to stay on the air.
1. Why would weekend afternoons become dead time without sport programs?A.Because there would be few viewers |
B.Because the advertisers would be off work. |
C.Because television programs would go slowly. |
D.Because viewers would pay less for watching television. |
A.holiday trips | B.sports viewing |
C.television shopping | D.expensive purchases |
A.their advertisers are carmakers |
B.their viewers are attracted by sports |
C.their advertisers target at rich people. |
D.their viewers can afford expensive cars |
A.Television ratings are determined by male viewers. |
B.Rich viewers contribute most to television companies. |
C.Sports are gaining importance in advertising on television. |
D.Commercial advertisers are the major sponsors of sport events. |
【推荐2】Maybe it is the fact that we do not know what we have got until we lose it, and it is also true that we do not know what we have been missing until it arrives.
It takes an hour to like someone, and a day lo love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone. Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back. Do not expect love in return; but if it does not, be content it has grown in you. Do not rely on one’s appearance; it can trick you. Do not rely on wealth;even that fades away. Rely on someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them. Dream what you want to dream;go where you want to go;be what you want to be,because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
The brightest future will always be basod on a forgotten past.You cannot go on will in life until you let your past failures and heartaches go off.May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,enough to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.The happiest of people do not necessarily have the of everything;they just make you th most of everything that comes along their way.Happiness waits of those who cry,those appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Always put yourself in others’ shoes.If you feel that it hurts you,it probably hurts the other person,too.
When you were born,you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.Live your life so that when you die,you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
1. In the last paragraph the writet is actually telling us that a person in the world should be one who .A.can accept the suggestions made by others |
B.can live happily and forget the past |
C.has made a lot of money for himself before he dies |
D.does good to other people and is respected and loved by them |
A.What to expect from life |
B.Where to go with other people |
C.How to treat our life |
D.How to get on well with other people |
A.If you give someone your love, you are sure to receive love in return. |
B.We often don’t know what we have lost until it happens someday. |
C.It is wise not to rely on anybody because you are likely to be cheated. |
D.If it takes you a short time to love someone, you will easily forget the person. |
A.you won’t do what will hurt other people |
B.you should put on other people’s shoes |
C.you should believe in other people |
D.you should depend on your imagination |
【推荐3】“New and improved. “These words are put in so many marketing campaigns that we tend to accept them as linked. But many new drugs aren’t an improvement over the best existing drug for a given condition, and the fast drug-approval processes in recent years have added to the uncertainty about their advantages.
A recent report in the British Medical Journal, “New Drugs: Where Did We Go Wrong and What Can We Do Better? “Analyzed the issue. The authors looked at 216 drugs approved between 2011 and 2017:152 were newly developed, and 64 were existing medicine approved for new uses. Only 25%offered a major advantage over the established treatment, and fully 58%had no confirmed added benefit to reduce symptoms or improve health-related quality of life.
“This doesn’t mean there’s no added benefit, “lead author Wissler said. “It just means we have no positive proof. Either we have no studies or have studies not good enough. “Wissler and her co-authors work for a German institute which evaluates new treatments and advises on whether the country’s health care system should pay a premium(补贴)for them. Such organizations, known as health technology assessment(HTA)agencies, work a little differently in the US, says Sean Tunisia researcher in Baltimore: “If payers think a new drug isn’t better than an existing drug, these agencies will require that hospitals try the cheaper drug first.”
Germanys HTA demands trials to prove that a new treatment beats the existing standard. This isn’t always practical. For one thing, such studies can be expensive and time-consuming, with no guarantee of success. Secondly, it can discourage companies from attempting to develop new alternatives. This is already happening. Drug developers are increasingly focused on areas where there are no good treatments to compete with, such as rare diseases.
This lack of meaningful data to guide patients is a major point of Wissler’s paper. With accelerated approval, there are more products approved, with a greater amount of uncertainty about risks and benefits. But there are other solutions besides drug trials. One idea is to require postmarked studies to track the effectiveness of newly approved drugs—a step too often neglected.
1. What message does the recent report convey?A.Improved drugs have advantages over old ones. |
B.Many new drugs have no improved advantages. |
C.Before 2017 no improvement was made to drugs. |
D.The approval processes for new drugs are too fast. |
A.Get hospitals to use the cheaper drugs. |
B.Remove government premium on them. |
C.Arrange financial support for the patients. |
D.Put new drugs on further trials and studies. |
A.Getting patients to depend on the government for support. |
B.Making drug companies think of illegal ways to cut cost. |
C.Holding companies back from improving existing drugs. |
D.Pushing companies to try alternatives for existing drugs. |
A.The Advantage of Existing Drugs |
B.A Dilemma with New Drug Alternatives |
C.Misunderstanding of New and Old Drugs |
D.People’s Preference for New or Old Drug |