【推荐1】In 1982, when just 22 California condors(秃鹫) were left in the world, scientists caught the remaining population to breed the birds.     1    

Chris Parish, director of conservation at the Peregrine Fund, a partner in the official rescue program, said, “We have put lot of efforts into this --- lot of dollars and a lot of years of research behind the present success.     2    ”

Researchers began studying the birds in the 1940s. By the 1980s, experts began the slow process of catching, breeding and reintroducing the birds back into the wild. The population has since grown to more than 500.     3     Experts have found that the leading cause by far is lead poisoning. The birds often eat dead animals shot and left behind by hunters, and they sometimes eat lead ammunition (弹药) while picking at the meat.

It was the research that made the California government order that hunters shouldn’t use lead ammunition when shooting any wildlife anywhere in the state.     4     Nearly 9 in 10 hunters have either used non-lead ammunition or agreed to pull the remains of shot animals away. For Parish, it’s programs like that that must be developed.     5     “It’s not the bird that’s worth it,” he said, “It’s successfully showing the problem and solutions and acting on those solutions. That’s what we’re going to need. We’re going to need to have confidence in society that we can do it again. The California condor is far from the last species that will need to be saved.”

A．The population was small.

B．But the birds remain in danger of dying out.

C．Parish pointed to a pilot program in Northern Arizona.

D．Our final goal is a population that is able to continue by itself.

E．They are now found mainly in California, Arizona and southern Utah.

F．The fight for the California condor is bigger than just the one species.

G．Nearly forty years later, 1000 California condor chicks had been born.

【推荐2】During those barren winter months, with windows overlooking long-dead gardens, leafless trees, and lawns that seem to have an ashy look about them, nothing calms the uneasy nerves more than the vibrant green of plants surrounding the living spaces of one’s home. People browse through garden stores just to get a smell of chlorophyll (叶绿素) and to choose a plant or two to bring spring back into their winter-gray lives.

Now there is even more of a need for “the green,” in light of recent articles warning us of the dangers of chemicals that we, ourselves, introduce into our homes. Each time we bring clothes home from the cleaners, we release those chemicals into the closed-in air of our homes. Every cleanser releases its own kind of fumes.

Some of the chemicals are formaldehyde (甲醛), chlorine, benzene, styrene, etc. Read the labels on many home products, the ingredients aren’t even listed! During the winter, when those same windows are shut tight, we breathe in these chemicals—causing symptoms much like allergies (过敏). In fact, most people probably dismiss the effects of these chemicals simply as some allergy or other. The truth is that we are experiencing a syndrome that is called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Now, what has this got to do with green plants? Everything healthy! Research has been conducted with two types of plants that have actually removed much of these harmful chemicals from the air.

The two plants that seem to be the best bet for ridding one’s home of such chemicals are ferns (蕨类植物) and palms. These plants release moisture as part of photosynthesis and, as they do, pull chemicals from the air into their leaves. Even NASA has conducted some greenhouse experiments for long-term space exploration. Within hours, their plants [palms] had removed almost all traces of formaldehyde in the room. Both species of plants are ancient, dating back more than a hundred million years. Another trait they share is that they both live long lives, 100 years or more. This we expect from trees, but ferns and palms are plants; plants that can grow to 65 feet in the proper setting! Even their individual leaves live for one to two years [ferns] and one to nine years [palms]. Perhaps it is their primary qualities that have contributed to their ability to purify their environment.

1. Why does the author think we are in greater need of “the green” in our homes?

A．To bring our long-dead gardens back to life.

B．To get rid of harmful chemicals trapped there.

C．To make us feel calmer and less worried.

D．To serve as decorations as well as refresh us.

2. According to the passage, which of the following statement is TRUE?

A．The source of these chemicals released in our homes hasn’t been identified.

B．The chemicals can be removed immediately the two plants are put into use.

C．People tend to underestimate the effects of the chemical in the closed-in places.

D．People usually buy household products without referring to the ingredients on them.

3. As for the two plants, their primary qualities friendly to indoor environment include _____________.

A．the ability to absorb chemicals and live long

B．their adaptability to indoor environment

C．the fast growth and attractiveness of their leaves

D．the release of their moisture and fumes

4. Which of the following may serve as the best title of the passage?

A．Research in the New Millennium

B．Common Houseplants May Purify Your Home

C．Hidden Dangers in Your Home

D．NASA Experiment Finds the Cure

【推荐3】There is no need to head to the movie theater or download the video game app: Angry Birds can be found right in your backyard this summer—if you live in the suburb(市郊). Virginia Tech researchers recently find that birds that live in suburban areas exhibit significantly higher levels of anger than those living in country. The results were recently published in Biology Letters.

“A possible reason for this is that these birds have less space but better resources to defend,” said Scott Davies, an expert at biological sciences in the College of Science. “Living near humans provides better food and shelter, but it also means more competition for these limited resources.”

The Virginia Tech and Radford University campuses served as the suburban sites due to their levels of human impact. Rural(乡村的) sites included Kentland Farm and Heritage Park. In these settings, the researchers played a recording of a male song sparrow(歌雀) and observed how the birds responded to a simulated(仿造的) intrusion from a neighbor.

Campus birds showed a higher level of aggression: they approached and remained near the speaker, beat their wings wildly, engaged in loud singing and then began to produce ‘soft song’—a term that researchers use to describe the quiet noise that a bird makes, which indicates an attack is to be launched soon.

Though rural birds still responded to a song intrusion, they did not respond as vigorously.

The researchers placed small leg bands on the birds to identify individuals, and recorded each individual’s responses twice, several weeks apart. The suburban birds reacted more fiercely on both occasions, showing that their increased aggression persists throughout a breeding season.

1. The study by Virginia Tech researchers suggests that ________.

A．there are more angry birds in suburban areas than in rural areas

B．angry birds prefer to live in suburban areas instead of in country

C．birds living in suburban areas tend to show a higher level of anger

D．birds in rural areas prefer to live near humans for food and shelter

2. The researchers measured the level of different birds’ aggression by ________.

A．recording the reactions of song sparrows to their neighbors’ intrusion

B．placing small leg bands on the birds to identify different individuals

C．observing the birds’ responses to a recording of male song sparrows

D．approaching the birds in order to listen to their soft and quiet songs

3. The underlined word “vigorously” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to ________.

A．mildly	B．violently
C．helplessly	D．gently

4. The purpose of the passage is to ________.

A．argue and persuade	B．compare and assess
C．discuss and examine	D．inform and explain

【推荐1】What kinds of rooms are your favorite spots for studying? We are going to guess that they are probably not painted bright red or yellow. But maybe they should be. Imagine. You are suddenly asked to prepare for an exam. You have two rooms to choose from. One is a pale blue, and the other is a bright red. Which one do you settle into for study? Is one going to get your brain fired up for learning, or let you relax into the best state of concentration?

According to researchers at Curtin University in Australia, it might be best to camp out in the bright red room when you are looking to store information. It might sound strange, since we often think of pale rooms — soft blues or light greens — are relaxing. And they seem to be: The Curtin University study showed that pale colors made participants feel more relaxed and calm, while bright colors increased heart rate. But calming and relaxing, it turns out, may not always be the best environment for deep concentration or knowledge gaining. Reading comprehension was much better in the bright rooms than in the pale rooms. Although participants reported that they generally preferred the pale rooms to study in as an approach to relax into work, the researchers saw just the opposite — that the bright - colored rooms seemed to lead to greater concentration.

While this might seem only surprising, the findings get into a rather controversial (有争议的) area of psychological study. The Yerkes — Dodson Law says that a little bit of stress is good for achieving best performance, while too much stress negatively affects it. The higher heart rate and the reports of the bright colors creating a heavy atmosphere might just suggest that a little stress was good for the brain.

1. What is the common idea mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．Pale colors appeal to all tastes.

B．Few people like bright red or yellow.

C．Light — colored rooms make you feel nervous.

D．Bright — colored rooms are not good for studying.

2. What might directly affect the research results according to Para 2?

A．How participants react to colors.	B．Participants’ preferences in colors.
C．What participants read in the rooms.	D．Time participants spent in the rooms.

3. What can be concluded from the study by Curtin University?

A．Higher stress leads to better performance.

B．Most people know how to make use of colors.

C．Stress is necessary when you want to concentrate.

D．Being relaxed is very important for people studying.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Findings about people’s favourite room colors.

B．Room colors can affect one’s academic performance.

C．Bright — colored rooms can create a heavy atmosphere.

D．Light — colored rooms help people feel relaxed into work.