Scientists researching climate change in Antarctica are studying penguins in an effort to better understand the area’s environmental health. The scientists are measuring the growth and development of the penguin population on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula.“We are counting penguin nests to understand how many penguins are in a colony, producing young every year, and whether that number is going up or down with the environmental conditions,“ said Alex Borowicz. He is an ecology researcher at New York’s Stony Brook University.
The work is not easy for climate researchers in the icy,faraway reaches of Antarctica. But penguins are easier to follow than some other kinds of animals because they nest on land. Their black bodies and wastedroppings can also be identified against the area’s white background.
Michael Wethington,another researcher from Stony Brook,told Reuters the penguin population can represent overall climate conditions and the health of the area’s whole ecosystem.The researchers say countsof individual penguins can be combined with data from satellite images to get a more complete picture of how the animals are progressing.
Gentoo penguins-with bright orange beaks and white markings on their heads-prefer open water without broken pieces of ice floating around. So when temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula began rising during the latter half of the 20th century,gentoo populations moved south.Gentoo penguins don’t like sea ice. They mostly forage(觅食)over the continental shelf and don＇t go far out to sea. As sea ice has decreased along the western side of the peninsula,gentoos seem to have gotten used to the changed conditions. But those same conditions have been worse for the Adelie penguin species. This is because the Adelies depend on sea ice for feeding and reproduction.
“When we find Adelie penguins, we typically know that sea ice is nearby,”Stony Brook’s Wethington said. He added that whenever researchers see sea ice decreasing or disappearing,they also see Adelie penguin populations plunge.Even though Adelie penguins are increasing in number overall, some populations have fallen by more than 65 percent,researchers say.
1. Why do scientists studying climate change in Antarctica study penguins?| A．To offer them better protection. |
| B．To learn more about the conditions of Antarctica. |
| C．To find out about the penguin population. |
| D．To have a clearer idea of their living habits. |
| A．Their various species. |
| B．Their unusual hunting ways. |
| C．Their unique eating habits. |
| D．Their nesting habit and body color. |
| A．They are quite adaptive. |
| B．They are in great danger. |
| C．They tend to hunt far out to sea. |
| D．They have a preference for sea ice. |
| A．Rise steadily. |
| B．Swing violently. |
| C．Drop sharply. |
| D．Grow swiftly. |
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【推荐1】Hundreds of hours of survey footage has revealed a rare mammal in the south-west of Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil. Wildlife camera traps have recorded footage of a giant anteater(食蚁兽) wandering through scrubland in Espinilho State Park in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is the first time since the 1890s that this large mammal has been seen in the southwest of the state. Experts think the anteater came from Ibera National Park in Argentina, where a major re wilding project has been underway since 2007.
The anteater was spotted by Brazilian biologist Fabio Mazim as he was reviewing hundreds of hours of footage for a wild if e survey. “The animal seems to be in very good condition and established in the area,” says Mazim. “At the moment it is impossible for us to determine whether it is male or female, one or even several different individuals.”
According to WWF Brazil, the species was once present in all Brazilian states. It is now threatened with extinction in all regions of the country and has been lost from some states entirely. The main causes of the population decline are the damage and loss of occupied zone, hunting, road accidents and forest fires.
Giant anteaters were first l reintroduced to I bera National Park in 2007 by Rewilding Argentina. Since the start of the project, 110 anteaters orphaned by road accidents or illegal hunting have been released, and several generations now live in Ibera Wetlands. The discovery in Rio Grande do Sul state, along with additional sightings over a 100 km range, suggests that Ibera’s giant anteaters are colonizing other regions.
For the next stage of the project, researchers will try to find out if there are more individuals in the area, and determine what their favoured habitat(栖息地) is. “We intend to seize the individual sighted in Espinilho State Park, collect biological samples (样本) for genetic analysis, and compare them with the populations that exist elsewhere in Brazil.” says Flavia Miranda, a biologist who has been studying the species for 25 years.
1. How was the giant anteater discovered?| A．Through cooperation with WWF Brazil. |
| B．Through a wild adventure in Espinilho State Park. |
| C．By catching the animal for a bioresearch. |
| D．By examining picture recording for a wildlife survey. |
| A．Lack of genetic variety. |
| B．Loss of living areas and natural disasters. |
| C．Climate change and natural destruction. |
| D．Competition for resources with other species. |
| A．A major rewilding project by Re wilding Argentina. |
| B．The establishment of a protected area for anteaters |
| C．A reproductive program focused on prisoned anteaters |
| D．An anti-hunting campaign sponsored by WWF Brazil. |
| A．Releasing the giant anteater back into the wild after a health check. |
| B．Shifting the giant anteater to Ibera National Park for further studies. |
| C．Trapping the giant anteater to compare genetic samples with other populations in Brazil. |
| D．Observing the giant anteater from a distance to understand its behavior better. |
【推荐2】Researchers based in the greater Yellowstone National Park area have found a new way to identify mountain lions-also referred as pumas- by using facial recognition. And it is proving to be effective to monitor these creatures that are highly elusive. “Mountain lions are really hard to directly observe.” said Peter Alexander, a research biologist leading the research project.
One tool they once used is a camera trap, which is attached to something along the animal’s regular path. When motion is detected, the trap gets a shot of the mountain lion as it passes by. The cameras even have an infra-red (红外线的)flash for nighttime photos without disturbing the animal.
Researchers around the world use this type of tool to estimate population numbers of species. But according to Alexander, there’s a problem with this method when it comes to ID’ing mountain lions.
All mountain lion around the world have light, sandy colored fur down their sides. The scientific name for a mountain lion, Puma concolor, literally translates to “one color”. This lack of unique coloration (自然花纹)on the their body sides means researchers like Alexander can’t usually tell if one puma crosses a camera trap five times, or if five individual animals pass by.
However, it’s a different story with their distinctive facial markings. Alexander and his team added some devices to their camera traps so that when motion was detected, a puma kitten call was played. This noise reliably attracted passerby pumas so that they looked up long enough for the camera trap to grab a shot for facial recognition.
Compared to the traditional side angle camera trap, the new attention-getting device was about 92% more accurate. This work was recently published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.
This study is an important step to being able to more confidently identify and track animals. Getting head images of mountain lions also opens up new opportunities to involve AI techniques. Alexander says that this new camera trap method could be used for tracking other wild animals that lack distinguishing side colors but have unique features elsewhere.
1. What does the word “elusive” underlined in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Difficult to detect. | B．Impossible to control. |
| C．Reasonable to understand. | D．Convenient to identify. |
| A．Their unnoticeable body feature. | B．Their large movement range. |
| C．Their failure to set off the flash. | D．Their lack of a long state of rest. |
| A．To identify each puma by tracking their movement. |
| B．To help get head images of pumas for facial recognition. |
| C．To attract more puma kitten to pass by and be photographed. |
| D．To engage pumas’ attention for highlighted body side photos. |
| A．It is a revolutionary invention. | B．It will have promising applications. |
| C．It helps greatly advance AI techniques. | D．It is more convenient than traditional ones. |
【推荐3】Anxious Animals
Our pets can get stressed by many things such as new places, changes in routine, new people, new additions like a baby or another pet to the home, and loud noises such as fireworks.
• Yawning
• Panting—with a curled tongue
• Pacing back and forth
• Licking their lips
• Ears pinned back
• Dilated pupils or red around eyes
• Whites of eyes showing (whale eye)
• Loss of appetite
• Backing away from someone
• Tail tucked between their legs
• Cowering (shrinking or crouching)
• Diarrhoea or more toileting
• Shivering (not cold or excited)
• Growling, flashing teeth, snapping or biting.
HOW TO HELP:
Give your pet time away
Avoiding or removing your dog from a stressful situation will help. Create a space away from children or a bed for them where they won’t get disturbed.
Exercise your dog
Stay nice and calm
Many dogs are very sensitive to their owner’s emotions and react to them. If your dog is stressed, keep calm and don’t panic or raise your voice as this might add to your pet’s stress levels.
This can help keep their mind focused and distracted from things they find stressful.
| A．How to tell if your dog is stressed and what to do |
| B．Keep your dog entertained |
| C．Signs a dog might be feeling stressed or anxious include |
| D．The signs can be easily missed or misunderstood by the animal’s owner |
| E．These mean they urgently want something to stop |
| F．As dogs have a strong sense of smell, changes to the smell of their home can concern them as well. |
| G．Dogs love their walks! |
【推荐1】Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbours whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected,_he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered.He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbours, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”．Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group's religious beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.
1. Which of the following has little relationship to Sweetest Day?| A．Visiting sick people of the hospital. |
| B．Visiting children who have lost their parents. |
| C．Giving friends small gifts. |
| D．Giving flowers to sweethearts. |
| A．They give money. | B．They give gifts. |
| C．They send regards. | D．They offer help. |
| A．remembered | B．hated | C．paid little or no attention to | D．disappointed |
| A．To introduce a tradition. |
| B．To encourage people to celebrate a festival. |
| C．To explain the importance of a special day |
| D．To tell the history of a festival. |
【推荐2】It’s been well over a year since COVID-19 first appeared. Although the virus continues to be a problem in many parts of the world, things are starting to turn back in our favor with the help of vaccines (疫苗).
Vaccine development started in February 2020, when it became clear to scientists that a solution to the pandemic would need a global effort to vaccinate as many people as possible. Of course, this would take great effort, since vaccines typically take years to develop. However, COVID-19 needed faster development. The first COVID vaccine — the Pfizer vaccine — was approved by UK health authorities on Dee 2, 2020.
However, these vaccines must be stored at very low temperatures, which is not possible everywhere. In response, Chinese companies like Sinopharm and Sinovac have developed vaccines using dead viruses instead of spike proteins. These vaccines can be kept at regular temperatures.
As it stands now, vaccines are being rolled out all over the world, with millions of people being vaccinated every day. In China, as of May 4, 285 million vaccine doses (剂量) had been given so far. Meanwhile, the US has given out 247 million doses, according to Our World In Data. The UK now stands at 50 million doses.
Although there have been rumors about vaccines being unsafe, the majority of people seem to realize the importance of vaccination for building mass immunity (大规模免疫) in order to stop the virus from spreading.
Zhang Wenhong, China’s leading expert on infectious diseases, said it’s good that the world has come to understand that the vaccines will protect us. Zhang added that human beings belong to one family. Vaccines are a kind of medicine that we all must share in order to stay safe and healthy.
1. According to the first paragraph, which is still a problem all over the world?| A．The virus. | B．The hunger. | C．Vaccines. | D．Temperature. |
| A．Pfizer vaccine. | B．Sinopharm. | C．Sinovac. | D．Spike proteins. |
| A．Vaccines take many years to develop. |
| B．COVID-19 appeared in many parts of the world. |
| C．Vaccines are widely used all over the world. |
| D．Different ways to store vaccines at regular temperatures. |
| A．证据 | B．研究 | C．谣言 | D．憧憬 |
| A．the virus will disappear soon |
| B．the patients all come from one family |
| C．we should work together to fight against the virus |
| D．we know where the virus come from very clearly |
【推荐3】The discovery of the Komodo Dragons is one of the most important zoological (动物学的) surprises of the 20th century. Before 1912 it was completely unknown and it was believed that there were no more large lizards (蜥蜴) in the world. Then, in that year, a party of fishermen stopped at an almost completely-unknown small island in a group of islands. The fishermen brought back stories of a huge, prehistoric animal living there. The island’s name was Komodo. The largest of these lizards was over ten feet from nose to tail. Komodo dragons have also been discovered on several neighboring islands.
Are the dragons dangerous to humans? Yes. A Swiss tourist who sat down to have a rest while the other people of his tour group went ahead was attacked and eaten by a dragon. All that was left was a piece of his camera. A number of other people have been killed by dragon attacks over the years. The dragons can eat up to 80 percent of their own weight in a single meal. Their attack way is to wait behind trees, then rush forward and give a single large bite to the person or other animal. Most Komodo dragons prefer wild boar (野猪) or deer as their meals, but they will try to attack and get almost every other animal they can find, including other dragons. The largest dragons weigh around 150 kilos. Though the Komodo dragons can see well, they do most of their hunting based on smell. A dragon can recognize a certain smell from several miles when the wind is right. They will hunt when they have to, and these large lizards are more than happy to get an already dead animal when they come across one.
1. How was the Komodo dragon discovered?| A．Scientists had been looking for it and found it |
| B．It was found by chance by some fishermen. |
| C．Some fishermen looked for it on an island. |
| D．It was discovered by some tourists. |
| A．only on Komodo | B．on several islands near Komodo Island |
| C．on many islands in the world | D．on all the islands near Komodo Island |
| A．when people attack them, they will fight back |
| B．humans are their favourite food |
| C．they will attack and eat humans if they find them |
| D．they are much bigger than people |
| A．deer | B．humans | C．trees | D．Komodo dragons |
| A．always hunt by smelling |
| B．never hunt by looking with their eyes |
| C．can always smell something several miles away |
| D．hunt with both their noses and eyes |
