A task called “Operation Noah’s Ark” was carried out to cage (装笼子) and ship hundreds of birds off Pine Island in Florida after it was hit hard by Hurricane (飓风) lan.
The government called on people of Pine Island to give up their homes because of damaged roads, including a broken bridge that prevented deliveries of food, gas and other life-supporting supplies.
But Will Peratino and Lauren Stepp did not want to leave and give up their 275 parrots at the Malama Manu Sanctuary. “We would not give them up. I would never leave them. Never,” Stepp told The Associated Press. “If they cannot be fed or watered, they will die. And I can’t live with that.”
The birds had been relying on food donated by wildlife officials since Hurricane lan hit, but the supply of fruit, peanuts and other foods would soon be hard to come by because of the broken bridge and the lack of gas on the island.
Bryan Stern, the founder and leader of Project Dynamo, said his team had saved at least six dogs and three cats before Tuesday’s massive rescue (救援). “Our saved animal numbers are small compared with the number of the 100 cages of parrots that we are about to save,” Stern said, before carrying out the rescue task. “Will and Lauren own the preserve, and their hearts and souls are in the birds. So they’re going through their own suffering from the hurricane and having to rebuild their lives. They lost all kinds of things.”
The volunteers were not about to let that happen. For several hours, the volunteers used nets and their hands to put the birds into cages. “To have every bird safe is a huge task,” Peratino said. “I mean, it’s almost impossible to do. So the help we’ve gotten has been priceless.”
1. Why did the officials ask people to leave the island?| A．The destroyed homes needed rebuilding. | B．The parrots no longer needed their help. |
| C．There were no roads to deliver goods. | D．A more powerful hurricane would come. |
| A．To repair their house. | B．To carry out their experiment. |
| C．To help with the rescue. | D．To take care of their parrots. |
| A．A new home will be built for Peratino and Stepp. |
| B．Many more animals need to be saved. |
| C．Parrots are more important than other animals. |
| D．All animals will be taken away in cages. |
| A．It was meaningful. | B．It was not worth the risk. |
| C．It encouraged more people to take part. | D．It turned out to be fruitless. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Community Development Projects Overseas
The aim of Community Development projects abroad in Temple Conservation, DIY and more is to improve poorer local communities. You can do them as part of your work experience, gap year or career break. Or just as a volunteering holiday.
South Africa
Time :1st, March --31st, May 2018
Registration fee: $ 65
Maintenance / Handyman / DIY skills, this project would love to have you! The project is truly unique ....you will assist an Animal Rehabilitation Center that desperately needs any help it can get and you will be benefiting the animals at the same time! And, of course, the location is very unusual. And finally, conservation are lovely people to work with!
Sri Lanka:
Time :1st,May --31st, July 2018
Registration fee: Free
Buddhist Temple Repair and Construction Project in Kandy
Rebuild and repair Buddhist temple in and around Kandy. This unique and fascinating project offers an opportunity to learn about Sri Lankan construction using traditional manual methods, without using modern machines.
Work includes construction, repairing temples, cleaning in and around temples, interacting with children and villagers and helping the Temples arrange Community Centers for the village youths. You will also assist with the repair of paintings and sculptures inside the temples.
Zimbabwe:
Time :1st, October-31st, December , 2018
Registration fee: $ 120
Community Healthcare and Medical Project in Gweru gain basic medical experience in local clinics and play a role in HIV/AIDS education and awareness. You will be able to get involved in not only this clinic but others in the nearby area as well. You do not need to be qualified in any particular area. You will work with children from the ages of 3 to 6 years. It is a very worthwhile, enjoyable placement.
1. What can we know about Community Development project?| A．They can better poorer local community. |
| B．They bring you a chance to travel abroad. |
| C．They can make you understand foreign countries well. |
| D．They can make you more experienced in your future work. |
| A．People with experience of caring for animals. |
| B．People who are experienced in painting. |
| C．People with experience in treating AIDS. |
| D．People with rich travelling experience. |
| A．It will be directed by experienced expert. |
| B．The repair work can only be done by hand. |
| C．All work will be done through modern machines. |
| D．The construction workers do not have to be experienced. |
| A．The community and education. |
| B．Food and environments. |
| C．Health and medicine. |
| D．Animals and resources. |
| A．They all charge some fees. |
| B．They all need particular experience. |
| C．They all need you to be good at foreign languages. |
| D．The length of the working time of the three is the same. |
【推荐2】When a group of college students put their sorrows into action, they never imagined the project would fuel a nationwide movement to help deal with hunger and control on food waste.
But that’s exactly what the Farmlink Project has done since 2020, bringing together hundreds of young volunteers to rescue nearly 77 million pounds of excess food and deliver it to those in need. The organization’s efforts help farmers, the environment, and people struggling to feed their families all at once.
“In the United States, 40 million Americans don’t have enough food to eat. They don’t know where their next meal is going to come from,” said Aidan Reilly, who co-founded Farmlink. “Meanwhile, in the United States, we’re throwing out over 100 billion pounds of food every year.”
Back in 2020, Reilly and his childhood friend James Kanoff were reading and watching news about food shortages, and they learned that area farms were forced to destroy excess produce that they couldn’t sell, especially with restaurants, schools and hotels closed. Reilly, Kanoff and a core group of friends worked together over Zoom, texted and e-mailed to contact farms coast to coast. “We didn’t really set out to start a nonprofit,” Reilly said. “We just thought, ‘There’re so many people suffering, if we can figure out one way to help, then that’ll be great.”
In California, they found a farmer who had 13, 000 eggs that could be donated, and Reilly offered to do the pickup and delivery himself. That was the first of many more deliveries. With “we’ll come to you” as their catchphrase (标语), the group rented U-Haul trucks and attempted to do all the food pickup and deliveries themselves.
“We had a lot of small problems in the beginning,” Reilly said. “We broke axles (车轴), loaded in 40, 000 pounds of potatoes in a wrong way and had to try to drag them out by using another truck and a rope. But we made it work.”
“Farmlink has worked with more than 100 farms and 300 communities in the US, rescuing and moving enough food to distribute more than 64 million meals,” Reilly said.
1. What can we learn about Farmlink Project from the text?| A．It was launched by some college students. | B．It helps relieve American poverty. |
| C．It cooperated with the farms worldwide. | D．It is supported by the government. |
| A．The produce was of poor quality. |
| B．Nobody came to purchase the produce. |
| C．The farmers refused to sell it at a low price. |
| D．Food shortages were no longer a problem globally. |
| A．They were lacking in experience. | B．They overloaded the supply. |
| C．Their navigation aids didn’t work. | D．The vehicles were inadequate. |
| A．Americans faced a food shortage crisis. |
| B．Farmers in poor areas worried about food waste. |
| C．Volunteers delivered farm produce to those in need. |
| D．Students took action to tackle hunger and food waste. |
【推荐3】Small Ways You Can Donate Money To Charity
There are plenty of innovative ways that you can help people in need, even when money is tight. Here are just a few unique ways to give.
Food Angel, Hong Kong
Food insecurity has become a global problem for families. In Hong Kong, the people behind the Food Angel program collect 45 tonnes of edible surplus food each week that grocery stores, restaurants and individuals would otherwise dispose of. That includes fresh fruits and vegetables and other perishables (易腐烂的食物) that aren’t normally accepted in food-donation boxes.The impact is significant: Volunteers make and serve around 20,000 meals and distribute more than 11,000 other meals and food packs every day.
Frigos Solidaires, France
Imagine if those in need could help themselves to food with anonymity (匿名) and dignity. Frigos Solidaires, or Solidarity Fridges, was started with that aim by Dounia Mebtoul, a young restaurateur in Paris. Now, 130 fridges installed in front of places such as shops and schools offer free food to the hungry across France.
Stuff A Bus, Canada
In Edmonton, the transit service parks vehicles in front of supermarkets for its annual “Stuff a Bus” campaign each November. Volunteers collect food and cash donations from shoppers to fill buses bound for food banks. Since its start in 1995, the campaign has collected 553,000 kilograms of food and roughly half a million dollars.
Rice Bucket Challenge, India
Heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge? You take a video of yourself dumping a bucket of ice water over your head, then nominate (指定) three more people to do the same. In some versions, the participant donates $100 if they don’t complete the challenge.
“I thought it was an amazing way to raise awareness of ALS and raise funds,” recalls Manju Kalanidhi, a journalist in Hyderabad, India. But it didn’t make sense in her country, where water is too precious to waste, even for a good cause. Then in 2014, it hit her: Why not make it a Rice Bucket Challenge to fight hunger? “I gave a bucket of rice to someone in need and clicked a photo. I shared it on Facebook and said, ‘This is a Rice Bucket Challenge.Why don’t you do it, too?’” Participants donate a bucket of rice to an individual or family — no, it’s not dumped — take a photo and post it on social media with a message encouraging others to do the same.
1. Which one can help people in need get food without hurting their pride?| A．Food Angel, Hong Kong | B．Frigos Solidaires, France |
| C．Stuff A Bus, Canada | D．Rice Bucket Challenge, India |
| A．It is an amazing way to raise awareness of ALS. |
| B．It was inspired by the Ice Bucket Challenge. |
| C．A bucket of rice is given and dumped. |
| D．A bucket of water is donated for a good cause. |
| A．To explain how important to help people in need. |
| B．To inspire readers to start a non-profit organization. |
| C．To introduce some creative ways to give away. |
| D．To appeal to readers to donate money to charity. |
【推荐1】The health of millions could be at risk because supplies of medicinal plants are being used up. These plants are used to make traditional medicine, including drugs to fight cancer. “The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster,” says Sara Oldfield, secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
Most people worldwide rely on herbal(草药制的) medicines which are got mostly from wild plants. But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out, according to the report from the international conservation group Plantlife. Shortages have been reported in China, India, Kenya, Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda.
“Over-harvesting does the most harm, though pollution and competition from invasive species(入侵物种)and habitat destruction all contribute. Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants, not caring about sustainability(可持续性),” the Plantlife report says. “Damage is serious partly because they have no idea about it, but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized.” Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew(紫衫)and the African cherry, which are used to treat some types of cancer.
The solution, says the report’s author, Alan Hamilton, is to encourage local people to protect these plants. Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed. In Uganda, the project has kept a sustainable supply of low-cost cancer treatments, and in China a public-run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time.
“Improving health, earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants,” says Hamilton. “You have to pay attention to what people are interested in.”
Ghillean Prance, the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection. “Not nearly enough is being done,” he told New Scientist. “We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us.”
1. Which of the following is NOT the cause of the loss of medicinal plants?| A．Unorganized harvesting. | B．The greenhouse effect. |
| C．The invasion of foreign plants. | D．The disappearing habitat. |
| A．the local people are harvesting medicinal plants quietly |
| B．people hardly realize the medicinal value of the plants |
| C．not many people know the seriousness of what is happening to the plants |
| D．people suffering from cancer are dying without being noticed |
| A．Businessmen are only keen on making profit from the plants. |
| B．The project carried on in Uganda has failed because of poverty. |
| C．The local people are encouraged to protect the plants. |
| D．A number of medicinal species are in danger of extinction. |
| A．Worried. | B．Unconcerned. |
| C．Positive. | D．Impatient. |
【推荐2】When Zhou Longshan started filming birds 10 years ago at Baiyangdian Lake, a major wetland in northern China, he just wanted to record his favorite species—egrets. Then, things snowballed. In the following years, the teacher became a bird-watcher, a volunteer ranger at the lake, a photographer documenting over 110 bird species and an educator popularizing bird-related information among students.” Sharing bird-protection knowledge with children can make them feel the beauty of their hometown and the importance of birds, and help them cultivate the habit of protecting birds from an early age,” he says.
Over time, Zhou’s interest in birds continued to grow. In 2021, he was appointed as a bird observer by the natural resources bureau (自然资源局) of Anxin county, responsible for conducting regular patrols (巡逻) and popularizing bird-related knowledge. To monitor birds, Zhou would ride a bike to Baiyangdian almost every day before dawn, whatever the weather. He would record the birds appearing at the lake, along with their locations, where they fed and when they migrated, thus providing reference data for staff members of the natural resources bureau of Anxin county.
Although Zhou takes delight in the role, there are still many challenges. Sometimes, he has to navigate earth embankments on his bike. One summer day in 2021, he fell into a ditch with water more than a meter deep, resulting in water damage to his cellphone.
However, these difficult episodes have not undermined Zhou’s love of birds. Over the years, he has taken more than 100,000 pictures of the birds at Baiyangdian. During his spare time, he reads books on China’s birds, talks with other enthusiasts and university professors, and updates his WeChat official account to introduce Baiyangdian to a wider audience.
These days, Zhou’s schedule is growing busier. In addition to his regular patrols near the lake, he is sometimes invited to local schools to give lectures, keeping students informed about birds and how to protect them. Zhou will retire next month. “I will continue patrolling the lake and photographing the birds to contribute to the protection of birds in my hometown,” he says.
1. Why did Zhou start taking photos of birds at first?| A．To share bird-protection knowledge with children. |
| B．To cultivate the habit of protecting birds. |
| C．To keep track of his favorite species. |
| D．To become a volunteer ranger at the lake. |
| A．He rode a bike to Baiyangdian every day before dawn. |
| B．He went to Baiyangdian in all weathers. |
| C．He recorded all the birds along with their locations. |
| D．He provided reference data for natural resources bureau. |
| A．He didn’t meet any challenges while doing the job. |
| B．He reads books about birds all over the world in his free time. |
| C．He is invited to local schools to give lectures every day. |
| D．He uses social media to introduce Baiyangdian to more people. |
| A．Enthusiastic and controlling. | B．Knowledgeable and persistent. |
| C．Farsighted and reserved. | D．Considerate and stubborn. |
【推荐3】Many people maybe suffering from “plant blindness”, mainly because they don’t spend enough time in the great outdoors, a new study suggests. Researchers from the University of Exeter say the phenomenon (现象) basically involved a lack of awareness and appreciation of native plants. Study author explains that humans are not naturally bad at understanding plants, and that plant blindness is “curable” through people’s close contact with plants.
For the study, researchers read 326 articles published in academic journals. Most of them showed people were more interested in and paid more attention to information about animals and plants. However, they did not find evidence that this is an in born (天生的) human characteristic. Instead, it seems to be the result of our less experience with nature in urbanized environments. Nowadays, our increased reliance on urban services and cash economies means that exploring plants does not seem to be indispensable to us, making us strange to plants.
Study showed it was common for children, especially younger kids, to consider plants not as good as animals and not to be able to identify many species. The team also found a difference in plant awareness among teachers and students, particularly primary school teachers who did not study science further at college. Older people had a better understanding of plants, which might be because they were more likely to have nature-related hobbies.
Researchers note that modernization or urbanization has a negative impact on our plant knowledge. Going to work and school also reduces the time we spend in the natural environment. Those factors also reduce the time we spend with family, indicating grandparents do not pass on so much knowledge about plants to their grandchildren.
“People living in highly industrial countries have a plant attention shortage due to a decline in relevant experience with plants,” says study author Dr. Bethan Stagg. “People living in rural communities in low-and-middle-income countries are more likely to have great plant knowledge due to more dependence on natural resources. Interestingly, economic development doesn’t necessarily lead to the knowledge being lost if communities still have access to bio-diverse (生物多样性的) environments. The key is to show some direct benefits of plants to people instead of the indirect benefits,” Dr. Be than Stagg adds.
1. What can we know about plant blindness according to the study?| A．It is due to people’s limited contact with plants. |
| B．It is an in born human characteristic. |
| C．It is common among older people. |
| D．It is far from curable. |
| A．Harmful. | B．Friendly. | C．Invisible. | D．Necessary. |
| A．Ways of passing down plant knowledge to later generations. |
| B．Negative impact of modernization on the environment. |
| C．Significance of communicating with family members. |
| D．Causes of people' slack of plant knowledge. |
| A．The key to avoiding “plant blindness” is to show the indirect benefits of plant knowledge. |
| B．People living in rural communities are less likely to have great plant knowledge. |
| C．People in highly industrial countries usually have less knowledge about plants. |
| D．Urbanization can make people pay more attention to biodiversity. |
【推荐1】Microsoft has announced a policy requiring its contractors to offer employees a minimum of 12 weeks' paid parental leave to care for a newborn baby, paying them up to $1,000 a week. The policy, which affects US- based companies that do work for the technology company and have more than 50 employees, will be rolled out over the next year. It will affect people including the company's cafeteria workers, door keepers and IT support staff.
Microsoft said it was inspired by a new Washington state law for paid parental leave taking effect in 2020. The new law only applies to contractors' and suppliers' employees in that state, so Stahlkopf, the company's general counsel, said they wanted to expand it so it wouldn't leave thousands of valued contributors outside of Washington behind.
The new policy will bring the parental leave benefits of affected contractors in line with those of full-time employees, who also get 12 weeks' paid parental leave, while birth mothers get an additional 8 weeks' paid time off.
"The case for paid parental leave is clear,” said Stahlkopf, in a blog post, citing various studies showing that it improves productivity, morale and retention of new mothers, “Further, when men and women have the opportunity to take paid leave, it can help counteract gender caregiving stereotypes and promote equity in the home and office,” added Stahlkopf.
Ellen Bravo, co-director of Family Values@ Work, a group that promotes paid leave, praised Microsoft for the move. “We applaud Microsoft for the leadership they've given in the fight for paid leave,” Bravo told CNN. “At the same time, we have to ensure the time spent, caring babies does not remain a workplace benefit dependent on who you work for or where you live.”
Microsoft has been under pressure to improve working conditions for contractors after some workers unionized in 2014 and started pushing for benefits like paid leave. In 2015, Microsoft announced it would require its suppliers to give their workers at least 15 days' paid time off.
1. What inspired Microsoft to adopt the new policy?| A．A new law in Washington. | B．Its contractors' requirement. |
| C．Its full-time workers' proposal. | D．Its general counsel's kindness. |
| A．15 days. | B．8 weeks. | C．12 weeks. | D．20 weeks. |
| A．All employees should enjoy paid parental leave. |
| B．Only Washingtonians deserve paid parental leave. |
| C．Microsoft is under pressure to adopt the new policy. |
| D．Microsoft employees are so lucky to get paid parental leave. |
| A．The influence of a new Washington state law. |
| B．Microsoft improving working conditions for contractors. |
| C．Microsoft requiring contractors to offer paid parental leave. |
| D．The benefits of paid parental leave. |
【推荐2】Two American astronauts were greeted by more than a dozen private boats on Sunday as their SpaceX capsule landed safely in the Gulf of Mexico. A few boats went for a closer look at the capsule, which, aided by parachutes, gently hit the water off the coast of Florida. As the capsule bounced in the water, a recovery team instructed the boaters to stay away.
This raised concerns among NASA and SpaceX officials about security and safety procedures. The NASA administrator, Jim, acknowledged that the unprotected reception should not have happened. "If there is an emergency, the boats might have made recovery efforts, but there were poisonous smokes from the capsule. We need to do better next time," he said.
The Coast Guard waned boaters to stay clear of the area in a radio broadcast two hours before the splashdown, but many boaters ignored the requests and decided to enter the area, putting themselves in potential danger.
Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, the NASA astronauts, returned to Earth after nearly 64 days in orbit, most of them spent aboard the International Space Station. Their trip home was aboard the Crew Dragon, built by the private company SpaceX to transport NASA astronauts. The agency has relied on Russia for trips to space since the space shuttles were retired in 2011.
While the shuttles, like airplanes, landed on runways, SpaceX chose water landings, which NASA has not done since 1975, when the last of the Apollo modules went to space.
1. What were the boaters asked to do at the landing of the capsule?| A．Come to rescue the capsule. |
| B．Keep away from the capsule. |
| C．Take a photo with the capsule. |
| D．Warn others out of the landing area. |
| A．They were exposed to risks. |
| B．They were well organized. |
| C．They were scared of the capsule. |
| D．They dreamed of going to space. |
| A．The last of the Apollo modules went back to earth. |
| B．Water landings were introduced for space capsule. |
| C．The International Space Station was put to work. |
| D．NASA stopped using water landings for capsules. |
| A．NASA Begins to Send Spaceships on its Own after 45 Years |
| B．SpareX Capsule Made a Breakthrough by landing on Water |
| C．NASA Astronauts Returned to Earth after Working at ISS |
| D．Boats Entering Capsule Landing Area Raised Safety Concerns |
【推荐3】While most people were stuck at home last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling isolated, some young people were thinking outside the box and reached for the sky as they created an impressive work.
When Bilibili uploader Lin Xiao, had too many bags to carry, instead of asking someone for help, the then 18-year-old spent about nine months addressing the problem. He built a robot, which can follow him wherever he goes, and upon which he can ride. The robot’s name? Devil! The name comes from the background music Devil’s Swing (Remix) for the video game Bendy and the Ink Machine. It resembles a suitcase, which can follow Lin wherever he goes, day or night, and detect obstacles in its path. It can also be used for transport and even charges Lin’s electronic devices.
Lin did everything himself, from designing the robot with 3D modeling, manufacturing the physical parts and programming it, to assembling all the components and electronics. The robot has a steel structure, a 3D-printed plastic shell and two 2D laser and radar scanners. The brain of the robot is powered by Arduino, an open-source electronics platform, and computing and coding solutions from computer manufacturer Raspberry Pi.
Lin admits that Devil is not perfect, but he hopes that it can inspire his peers to believe “what you do matters” and that they can make a difference in people’s lives. He sees Devil as “a toddler who is learning to walk”.
Lin’s passion for robotics began in his first year at his high school, when a teacher, discovered his talent for working with computers. He provided full support to advance Lin’s skills and took him to various computer science competitions.
1. How did the robot get its name Devil?| A．From a video. | B．From an online game. |
| C．From a scientific fiction. | D．From a piece of music. |
| A．It looks like a suitcase. | B．It is entirely made of steel. |
| C．It can charge cellphones. | D．It can serve as a transportation tool. |
| A．Unsatisfied. | B．Hopeful. | C．Concerned. | D．Critical. |
| A．A young man thinking uniquely. | B．An impressive robot. |
| C．A young tech influential. | D．Lin’s passion for robotics. |
