One night, as I was driving down the road, I found something was sitting in the middle of the road. A few seconds later, I realized I was looking at a large turtle (海龟). Afraid of it being crashed by cars, so I pulled over, ran across the road and dragged the turtle to safety. But I’d made one big mistake.
I had heard that the best way to pick up a turtle without hurting it was picking it by the tail in order not to get bitten. So I’d made that big mistake. While the turtle turned out OK generally, I was determined to figure out how to move a turtle properly. I needed to find someone who dealt with turtles. I found the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. I talked to Dr. Sue, its Executive and Medical Director.
Dr. Sue told me that the organization dealt with a number of aspects of turtle conservation, including rescue, settlement, birth programs, research, and education. Sue explained that southern Ontario is home to a vast majority of turtles in Canada, but is also one of the vastest road networks of the country.
“Ninety percent of injured turtles brought in are caused by cars. These turtles spend a lot of time on land. And they do travel many kilometers on land for a variety of reasons, to find a nesting spot, or to hang out for the summer or winter. Turtles know where they want to go. So, just keep them going in the direction they want to go and you may have saved a turtle’s life,” Dr. Sue said.
Once an injured turtle arrives at the center, there are medical facilities (设备) ready to go, including an X-ray machine. That’s when the team gets to work with healing injuries, and help their patient.
1. Why did the author stop the car?A.To help the turtle. |
B.To see the thing clearly. |
C.To prevent a car accident. |
D.To find something good. |
A.It got hurt by people previously. |
B.It was injured a little bit. |
C.It was run over by a car. |
D.It lost its direction. |
A.Leaving the turtles alone. |
B.Making Ontario home to turtles. |
C.Changing the road conditions. |
D.Helping turtles find nesting spots. |
A.The director. | B.The driver. | C.The author. | D.The turtle. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Best Parks to See Wildlife
A recent report from a vacation site listed the total number of species and sizes of several well-known national parks. Here are some of them to see the widest variety of animals.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Number of species per square meter: 317
Located 20 miles southwest of Cleveland, Ohio, Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a mixed ecosystem of forest and wetlands sheltering a variety of animals. From the boardwalk at Beaver Marsh, watch for water-loving mammals or snapping turtles (鳄龟) that can weigh as much as 55 pounds each. More than 200 bird species live in the park.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Number of species per square meter: 286
The representative for Carlsbad Caverns is the Brazilian free-tailed bat. Every summer, hundreds of thousands of the furry, big-eared creatures live in these caves in southeastern New Mexico, attracting crowds at sunset with their spectacular out flight. The Brazilians are one of the 17 bat species that nest at Carlsbad. You might also encounter wild pigs and cave swallows.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Number of species per square meter: 242
The Atlantic Ocean meets the Maine coast at this popular park on Mount Desert Island, providing habitat for wildlife with feet and flippers (鳍状肢). From the shore, scan the water for the heads of harbor porpoises (鼠海豚) and gray seals.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Number of species per square meter: 219
In western Colorado, the 2, 722 feet between this park s canyon edge and the Gunnison River below support numerous wildlife habitats. Experienced climbers and hikers who adventure into the inner canyon find collared lizards and mule deer.
1. Which park has the largest number of species per square meter?A.Acadia National Park. | B.Carlsbad Caverns National Park. |
C.Cuyahoga Valley National Park. | D.Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park |
A.Watch crowds of flying bats at sunset. |
B.Observe 17 swallow species nesting in the city. |
C.Play with turtles weighing over 55 pounds. |
D.Meet wild pigs in forests and wetlands. |
A.Cave swallows. | B.Gray seals. | C.Mule deer. | D.Free-tailed bats. |
【推荐2】When pups are between 2 and 3 months old, their mothers will abandon them for any number of reasons. With no mother to watch out for them, infant(婴儿) mortality of pups under one year skyrockets(飞涨) to around 90%. So, only about 10% of motherless, homeless pups survive.
Without mothers, how are these abandoned pups supposed to survive? For the study, researchers Clive Wynne at Arizona State, Nadine Chersini at Utecht University, and Nathan Hal at Texas Tech University brought in 51 college students and asked them to rate the attractiveness of headshots(头部特写) of puppies at different ages.
The pups peaked at different ages, but they were all ranked likable between six to eight weeks, since newly abandoned pups are competing with each other for human heartstrings(怜悯), evolution says they should be most likable around 6 and 11 weeks. This is around the time they are weaned (断奶) and let go of by their mothers.
There are a few characteristics that humans find particularly adorable across species: big, forward-facing eyes, floppy and unstable limbs (肢), and a soft, rounded body shape. We’re also keen to scream when animals have large heads in comparison to their bodies, and this reaction goes back to evolution.
Called kinderschema (婴儿萌), these qualities are also apparent in human babies and necessary for their survival. The characteristics activate the decision-making part of the brain to encourage you to protect and nurture the baby. At the same time, the brain’s pleasure center releases dopamine (多巴胺). With these two reactions, your brain makes you want to protect the baby and rewards you for doing so. With your protection, the baby can survive.
1. What does the underlined word "mortality" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Birth rate. | B.Injury. | C.Growth. | D.Death rate. |
A.To get their mothers' love. | B.To draw their mothers' attention. |
C.To get human's love and protection. | D.To get food and milk. |
A.Some characteristics of humans | B.Comparison between animals and humans |
C.Some characteristics of being adorable. | D.Description of some species |
A.They can encourage you to make a decision. |
B.They have some qualities in common with pups. |
C.They can't survive without mothers' protection. |
D.They have similar brains as pups. |
【推荐3】People have long watched moths (飞蛾) and other flying insects flock to streetlamps, lights and flames. These insects appear attracted by the light. But a new study suggests they may just lose track of which way is up.
Previous theories say light probably blinds flying insects so that they get trapped by the light, or maybe they interpret light at night as a place to fly for a quick escape. Now the new study suggests flying insects instead turn their backs to the sky’s light to keep their feet pointing toward the ground. Insects naturally turn their backs toward light. But when that light is from an artificial source, it may affect their sense of direction, leading to them flying in circles or diving toward the ground.
At a field station in Costa Rica, Samuel Fabian, an entomologist from Imperial College London in England and his teammates set up hanging and standing lights, and then used high-speed cameras to track wild, flying insects including moths and flies. Some circled the lights endlessly, and others flew sharply upward, losing speed until they couldn’t fly any higher. When the light source pointed up, some insects turned around and headed for the ground. During the flight, the insects always kept the lights at their back even if they’d end up crashing. Crash landings were common when the team lit up a white sheet on the floor. But not when a white sheet — stretched into a height above the floor—was bathed in diffuse (漫射) light, much as the sky would be, insects flew through the area without getting trapped by the light.
The team also observed some species in a lab. Moths and dragonflies generally behaved like the wild insects, and they kept the light at their backs. However, in the lab, fruit flies, like oleander hawk moths — which can fly in the dark — could fly over LED lights without being thrown off course. In the wild, though, the moths still crashed. Maybe this is because, Fabian says, the insects can sometimes control their response to light, or over time, they might learn to avoid artificial light.
1. Why do insects naturally turn their backs toward light?A.To get close to the light. | B.To escape being caught quickly. |
C.To protect their feet better. | D.To track where the ground is. |
A.Artificial light at night could put insects on a crash course. |
B.Artificial light signaled an escape route for the insects. |
C.The insects had a better sense of direction. |
D.The insects were flying toward the light. |
A.To stress the importance of the study. | B.To prove the previous theory. |
C.To tell the existence of the exception. | D.To explain the flight pattern. |
A.Artificial Light Makes Insects More Adaptable | B.Insects May Lose Track near Artificial Light |
C.The Ways to Get Rid of Light Pollution | D.Insects Learn to Fly for a Quick Escape |
【推荐1】My name is Alice. Early last year, I was troubled by an anxiety that crippled (削弱) my ability to do anything. I felt like a storm cloud hung over me. For almost a year I struggled on, constantly staring at this wall that faced me. My perfectionist tendencies were the main root of this: I wanted to be perfect at whatever I did, which obviously in life is not possible, but it consumed me.
One day, I attended a presentation by wildlife conservationist Grant Brown at my high school. His presentation not only awed and inspired me, but also helped emerge an inner desire to make a difference in the world. I joined a pre-presentation dinner with him and that smaller setting allowed me to slowly build up my courage to speak one-on-one with him — an idea that had seemed completely impossible. This first contact was where my story began.
A month later, Brown invited me to attend the World Youth Wildlife Conference. Looking back, I now see that this would be the first in a series of timely opportunities that my old self would have let pass, but that this new and more confident Alice enthusiastically seized. Shortly after I received his invitation, applications to join the Youth for Nature and the Youth for Planet groups were sent around through my high school. I decided to commit to completing the applications, and soon I was a part of a growing global team of young people working to protect nature. Each of these new steps continued to grow my confidence.
I am writing this just six months since my journey began and I’ve realized that my biggest obstacle (障碍) this whole time was myself. It was that voice in the back of my head telling me that one phrase that has stopped so many people from reaching their potential: I can’t. They say good things come to those who wait; I say: grab every opportunity with everything you have and be impatient. After all, nature does not require our patience, but our action.
1. Why did Alice feel anxious?A.She behaved badly. | B.She used to over-consume. |
C.She was short of inspiration. | D.She was in pursuit of perfection. |
A.At a presentation. | B.At a dinner. |
C.At a conference. | D.At a journey. |
A.Making her confident. | B.Making her imaginative. |
C.Motivating her creativity. | D.Strengthening her wisdom. |
A.Action is the only way to knowledge. | B.Patience is a cure of anxiety. |
C.Believe in yourself and take action. | D.Facts speak louder than words. |
【推荐2】A Lesson from the Elder
Grandfather was an elder Cherokee Native American who had a wrinkled, nut brown face and kind dark eyes. His grandson often came in the evening to sit on his knee and ask the many questions that children ask.
One day the grandson came to his grandfather with a look of anger on his face and the following story. “Father and I went to the store today and because I helped him, he bought me a present — a jack-knife. I went outside to wait for father and to admire my new knife in the sunlight. Some town boys came by and saw me. They surrounded me and started saying bad things. They called me dirty and stupid and said that I should not have such a fine knife. The largest of these boys pushed me back and I fell over one of the other boys. I dropped my knife and one of them picked it up and they all ran away laughing. I hate them. I hate them all.”
The elder Cherokee, with eyes that had seen too much, lifted his grandson’s face so his eyes looked into the boy’s face. Grandfather said, “Let me tell you a story. I, too, at times, have felt a great hate for those who have taken so much with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down and does not hurt your enemy. It is like drinking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if two wolves are inside me...
It is a terrible fight.
One wolf is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense is intended. It will only fight when it is right to do so and in the right way. This wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, modesty, kindness, friendship, sympathy, generosity, truth, and faith.
The other wolf is full of anger. The littlest thing will set off his fiercest temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so much.
It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing. This wolf represents fear, envy, greed, self-pity, guilt, lies, false pride and superiority.
Sometimes, it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me for both of them try to control my spirit. This same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person too.”
The boy looked into his grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied ...
“The one you feed.”
1. The boy was angry because ________.A.he was not satisfied with his present | B.his back was badly injured in a fight |
C.he had waited for his father for too long | D.his jack-knife had been taken away by some boys |
A.“hate” is healthy | B.“hate” hurts oneself |
C.“hate” is complicated | D.“hate” harms one’s enemies |
A.We should feed the two wolves equally. |
B.Living in harmony with others is important. |
C.Our feelings should be expressed at the right time. |
D.The choices we make determine who we will become. |
As soon as she recovered, Hill traveled to California. There she saw ancient redwood trees, which are the largest trees in the whole world. The wood from redwood trunks is very hard. So the Pacific Lumber Company cut down many of the huge redwoods to use for construction. There are not many forests of these trees left. Many environmental activists want to protect the remaining trees. The redwoods are very important to the environment.
In 1997 Hill learned a group called Earth First was working to protect a particular group of trees. They decided to send someone up into a redwood tree, hoping this would stop the company from cutting the trees down. Julia Butterfly Hill volunteered.
Hill lived in the tree for over two years without ever coming down. Her home was a 6-by-8-foot tree house, 180 feet up. It is always cold and wet in a redwood tree. There were even very serious winter storms while Hill was in the tree. The wind and cold almost knocked Hill out of the tree. But she did not fall — she survived.
Finally, after years of arguing, the company decided to protect Luna, the tree Hill lived in. They signed an agreement to never cut down this huge redwood tree or the trees around it. When Hill put her feet on the earth again, she began to cry. But from that moment on Hill hasn’t stopped working to protect the environment.
1. Julia Butterfly Hill traveled to California _____.
A.to find a new job |
B.to build a tree house |
C.with the hope of joining Earth First |
D.in expectation of doing something meaningful |
A.because they might fall over at any time |
B.because they had great economic value |
C.to protect other trees in the forest |
D.to make space for constructions |
A.comfortable | B.cool | C.tough | D.satisfying |
A.She has a sense of social responsibility. |
B.She failed to protect the redwood tree. |
C.She built a new house in the forest. |
D.She is a self-centered woman |
【推荐1】For a long time, I kept a selection of books on a shelf next to my bed that I called my “heart books”. To qualify for a place on the shelf, a book had to be not only one I loved, but one that mattered. There was one book that never made it onto that shelf, though I read it in high school: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.
I can still remember the day I bought it. It was summer and I must have been 14 or 15. Desperate to get out of my house, I rode my bike into town and walked into the bookstore. I was going through the shelf of books on writing and it caught my eye. I picked it up, read a few pages, and bought it. Then I took it with me to a park, read the first few chapters, and opened my notebook to write.
It’s a fairly straightforward writing book. Goldberg’s method is simple: you choose a topic, set a timer, and write for 10, 15, or 20 minutes without picking up your pen. Free writing, timed writing, writing topics: anyone who has taken a creative writing class may have encountered these things. It’s not earth-shattering. There was nothing particularly new or unusual about the book so I can’t say why it attracted me so much. But it changed everything. I went from being someone who enjoyed writing to being a writer.
During my teen years and early twenties, following Goldberg’s method was at the core of my identity. No matter where I was or what I was doing, I filled notebooks. When I eventually started writing fiction, I did the same thing. The “I” in my notebooks became someone else, but I held to the same practice.
This writing practice led me to a writing group in Boston. It led me to my current career. It led me, in so many ways, to myself. Becoming a writer allowed me to become so many other things: an activist, a business owner, a farmer, a baker. . . Writing is where I found my confidence. It was where I became curious about the world. From that, everything else has followed.
1. How did the author encounter Writing Down the Bones?A.By following a selection of “heart books”. |
B.By referring to a book list about writing. |
C.By recommendation of Natalie Goldberg. |
D.By seeking writing books on a bookshelf. |
A.Remarkable. | B.Useful. | C.Controversial. | D.Amusing. |
A.It inspired the author to be a writer. |
B.It was the first novel the author read. |
C.It made the author start to love writing. |
D.It is one of the books the author reads most. |
A.What is the author’s life like right now? |
B.What did the author do in the writing group? |
C.How has the writing practice shaped the author? |
D.Why did the author give up the writing practice? |
【推荐2】Everybody, at some point in their lives, has experienced failure. It could be something as simple as not getting the job you wanted, or getting fewer marks even after hard work. But what makes you is not your failure, but how you get back up after being hit.
Once, a young school boy was caught in a fire accident in his school and was assumed that he would not live. His mother was told that he was sure to die, for the terrible fire had destroyed the lower half of his body. Even if he were to survive, he would be lame(瘸)throughout his life.
But the brave boy did not want to die nor did he want to be lame. Much to the amazement of the doctor, he did survive. But unfortunately from his waist down, he had no ability to act. His thin legs just hung there, lifeless. Eventually he left the hospital. But his determination to walk was unshakable. At home, when he was not in bed, he had to stay in a wheelchair. One day, he threw himself from the chair and pulled himself across the grass, dragging his legs behind him. He reached the fence, raised himself up and then began dragging himself along the fence, firmly determined. He did this every day, with faith in himself that he would be able to walk unaided. With his iron determination, he did develop the ability to stand up, then to walk on and off, then to walk by himself and then to run.
He began to walk to school, and then run to school, to run for the joy of running. Later in college he was on the track team.
In February 1934, in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, this young man who was not expected to survive, who would surely never walk, who could never hope to run-this determined young man, Dr. Glenn Cunningham, ran the world’s fastest mile.
A good example of the power of positive thinking and faith in one’s self, Glenn Cunningham continues to be an inspiration for many, and his story, a brilliant evidence to how one can regain his courage even when all difficulties are piled.
1. The first paragraph is intended to ________.A.function as a brief introduction | B.make preparations for statement |
C.describe an unforgettable event | D.present an argument |
A.Glenn was able to walk with his own great effort. |
B.Great determination could make a difference to Glenn. |
C.There was a slim chance that Glenn could survive. |
D.Glenn could live a normal life with the upper half of his body. |
A.Glenn took recovery exercise in hospital. |
B.Glenn inspired people with his moving story. |
C.Glenn won the first place in Marathon. |
D.Glenn organized a track team in college. |
A.Strengthen determination | B.Stand up after failure |
C.Go after dreams | D.Failure is the mother of the success |
【推荐3】I believe that having a voice in something you put effort into will build you into a stronger person. All the time, I had grown as the one to be taken advantage of, only because I was the one willing to help others.
When I was in high school, I grew tired of the same routine daily, and wanted to be given a challenge. At the beginning of my fresh year, I was selected to be a drum major for the school band. A drum major is the leader of the marching band during rehearsals(排练)and in performances. But I did not know how to take on the actual job for the first time. So I watched many videos on how to act better, though I couldn’t do it very well.
One day, the band was rehearsing again, but no one had memorized their music. Frustrated that the music was just so-so, I lost my temper and then opened my mouth, saying how unacceptable it was because we had been ranked in first place as the best marching band. The moment I had finished my speech on how we should focus better, all jaws were dropped. Even I was surprised: it was the first time that I had opened my mouth about something I cared about. Because of that, I lost some friendships, but developed even stronger relationships with people who wanted to follow my footsteps.
In my last two years of high school, I became known as one full of confidence in any situation. I was the first one to volunteer and the happy one to lend a hand. I learned to have a voice by being chosen to lead the marching band and became stronger through losing and making new connections. And I influenced those youngsters to become a better person than they were yesterday.
1. As a freshman in high school, the author________.A.had a desire for a different life |
B.got tired of helping other people |
C.found it easy to be a drum major |
D.felt it frustrating to lose his temper |
A.Shock. | B.Admiration. |
C.Envy. | D.Confidence. |
A.Modest and cautious. |
B.Considerate and decent. |
C.Outgoing and optimistic. |
D.Hardworking and confident. |
A.Learn to help others |
B.Learn to have a voice |
C.Build up relationships |
D.Respond to challenges |