A six-year-old longing to keep a unicorn in her backyard figured she’d get the hard part out of the way first.
Last November, Madeline wrote a letter to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control with a straightforward request. “Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response.”
Director Mayeda replied two weeks later. The department does in fact license unicorns, she said, under certain conditions. Those include polishing the unicorn’s horn at least once a month with a soft cloth, feeding it watermelon at least once a week, covering it with only nontoxic and biodegradable sparkles and giving it regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows. And, because unicorns are indeed very rare to find, the department is also giving Madeline a toy unicorn to keep her company during her search, as a token of appreciation.
“It is always rewarding to hear from young people who thoughtfully consider the requirements of providing a loving home for animals,” Mayeda wrote in the letter. “I like your sense of responsible pet ownership to seek permission in advance to keep a unicorn in Los Angeles County.”
Mayeda told the Washington Post that this is the first time the department has received a request for a license for a unicorn or any mythical creature. They were impressed with the first-grader for wanting to ask permission in the first place, and doing her research to work out how to go about that. She and her colleagues deal with a lot of “life-and-death” issues on the job, whether that’s seeing cases of animal abuse or animals hurting people or making decisions about having to put down dangerous or sick animals. So Madeline’s letter has considerably brightened their spirits, and she is due to visit the department this week to discuss her unicorn license application. Safe to say, she’s in for a magical surprise.
1. Why did Madeline write the letter?| A．To apply to visit a unicorn. | B．To learn to provide animal care. |
| C．To ask permission to keep a pet. | D．To figure out how to find a unicorn. |
| A．Her application was disapproved. | B．Requirements should be met for the license. |
| C．She was presented with a live unicorn. | D．Guidance was given for her search. |
| A．Imaginative. | B．Sensitive. | C．Flexible. | D．Convincing. |
| A．Because it is the first application letter for a pet. |
| B．Because animal protection is a life-and-death issue. |
| C．Because they are worn out with their daily work. |
| D．Because they are touched with the girl’s deeds. |
相似题推荐
Tigers are different from others in the cat family: they like water and often jump into rivers to swim. Some tigers live in very cold places in North Korea, Russia and China. Other tigers live in warmer places—in India and parts of Southeast Asia.
But now all tigers are in danger. Some people kill tigers to use their skins for clothes, and their bodies for medicine. There is also less and less land for tigers to live in.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。
1. The is the largest wild cat in the world.
| A．lion | B．tiger | C．panda | D．bear |
| A．eating meat | B．drinking water |
| C．swimming | D．climbing trees |
| A．Asia | B．Europe | C．Africa | D．America |
| A．some people kill them |
| B．the weather becomes warmer |
| C．they have less land to live in |
| D．both A and C |
| A．Tigers usually go out to look for food at night. |
| B．The tiger can kill a big animal very quickly. |
| C．The tiger covers the dead animal with leaves if it can’t eat it up. |
| D．Tigers like to hunt for food in small groups. |
【推荐2】A team of scientists says that playing sounds underwater can get fish to return to areas with severely damaged coral reefs(珊瑚礁）.
In an experiment, they found fish returned after hearing recordings of the sounds of a healthy ocean reef. The scientists placed underwater speakers in areas where coral had been dying in Australia’s northern Great Barrier Reef. They played the sounds over a period of about six weeks in 2017 and studied the results. The team reported that twice as many fish arrived in areas where the sounds of healthy coral were played.The sounds also led to a 50 percent increase in the number of species present in the area, the researchers found. Among the arriving fish were species that feed on all major food sources.
The researchers noted the importance of having many different kinds of fish return to the area. Different species of fish perform many activities that support the ocean environment and sea life. “Damaged reefs have a higher chance of recovery if they have healthy fish populations,” the scientists wrote in the report.
Steve Simpson is a professor at the University of Exeter who helped lead the research. He said in a statement that “healthy coral reefs are remarkably noisy places. ” They contain the sounds of many kinds of shrimp, fish and other sea creatures. Young fish listen for these sounds when they are looking for a place to settle, Simpson said.
He added that reefs “become ghostly quiet” when they suffer destruction that is usually related to human-caused pollution. Coral damage can cause unappealing smells and sounds that drive shrimp and fish away. But the experiment suggested that the use of underwater loudspeakers was an effective way to get young fish to come back.
Andy Radford, a professor at University of Bristol,said the underwater sounds are a promising way to fight coral reef damage at the local community level. But he noted that other threats need to be, reduced as well. These include climate change, pollution and overfishing.
1. What did the scientists find in the experiment?| A．Twice as many fish arrived in the healthy coral areas. |
| B．The sounds led to a 50 percent increase in the number of fish present in the area. |
| C．Playing the sounds of healthy coral reefs is effective to save dying coral. |
| D．Damaged reefs can recover completely if they have healthy fish populations. |
| A．Human-caused pollution. |
| B．The unattractive smells and sounds. |
| C．Climate change. |
| D．Overfishing. |
| A．Healthy fish help recover the damaged coral reefs by swimming. |
| B．People reduce environmental pollution to save dying coral. |
| C．Scientists find a new way to protect the ocean environment and sea life. |
| D．Researchers use underwater sounds to fight coral reef damage. |
【推荐3】Japan is known to have higher than average rates of stomach cancer. Recently, the town of Kaneyama in Yamagata Prefecture decided to get its 6, 000 residents (居民) tested.
However, the frozen urine samples (尿样) are not tested in conventional ways. Instead, Professor Masao Miyashita and his team are using them in a trial to determine if specially trained cancer-sniffing dogs can accurately detect the disease. Though the study is still in its early stages, Miyashita is thrilled with the results. He said, “In our research so far, cancer detection dogs have been able to find signs of cancer with an accuracy of nearly 100 percent.”
Researchers have known about the animals’ superior sensory skills for decades. However, their ability to detect cancer in humans came to light in 1989, after a dog sniffed out early-stage malignant melanoma (恶性黑色素瘤) on a patient’s leg in London. Since then, scientists from many countries have conducted studies to test dogs’ great skill at identifying cancer chemicals.
While most dogs can be trained for the task, researchers say the best candidates are dogs that are precise, quiet, and perhaps even a little shy. The training process is similar to how dogs are taught to learn any trick — by rewarding them with treats! However, it takes much longer because the dogs have to learn to separate the “cancer scent (气味)” from the thousands of organic compounds (有机化合物) in the human body. Researchers begin by exposing the dogs to urine samples from people with cancer, people with other diseases, and patients with no health issues, Once the dogs are able to accurately identify cancer, they are further trained to detect particular kinds of cancer.
Successful as they may be, experts think dogs are unlikely to replace conventional tests. For one, it takes about seven years and costs as much as $45,000 to train a single dog. Klaus Hackner, a researcher and physician who studies dogs detecting cancer in breath samples at Krems University Hospital in Austria, is also not convinced dogs can be relied upon alone. Patients, therefore, have to receive further tests to confirm if they have the disease.
1. What do we know about the cancer-sniffing dogs mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．They have done a great job. |
| B．They are trained in a special way. |
| C．They can easily learn to distinguish cancer. |
| D．They can be seen in many Japanese hospitals. |
| A．Offer readers some advice. |
| B．Add some background information. |
| C．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| D．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| A．Smart and brave. | B．Active and faithful. |
| C．Strong and patient. | D．Careful and peaceful. |
| A．They should work as a team. |
| B．They need to receive more training. |
| C．They can replace doctors in detecting cancer. |
| D．They should be used together with traditional tests. |
【推荐1】For centuries, elephants have caught our admiration and imaginations, and it's easy to see why. The planet's largest land animals can stand up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 13, 200 pounds. But they're not just about brawn.
With their complex brains, elephants are incredibly clever and sensitive: caring for their families and capable of remembering faraway places and old friends. Ln fact, when elephants spot friends, they often show love by wrapping their trunks together or resting them on each other's foreheads. Trunks come in handy for more than just greeting. For instance, elephant babies suck （吮吸）their trunks for comfort, just as human babies suck their thumbs. Trunks are also handy for reaching high hanging food.
Elephants have back teeth the size of small bricks and tusks （长牙）.They use tusks to carry things, pull bark off trees, clear paths, dig for roots and water, fight enemies and impress other elephants. Unfortunately, it's those amazing tusks that put elephants5 lives at risk. The desire for tusk ivory is the reason why so many elephants have been killed.
From the days of ancient Egypt and Rome, elephant tusk ivory is valuable. Today, in many parts of the world ivory or “white gold" remains a symbol of wealth and status, especially in Asia. More recently, it's been used to make piano keys, and decorations. In order to get the ivory, elephants are killed. In 1979, there were an estimated 1.3 million elephants in Africa. By 2007 that number had dropped to between 472,000 and 690,000.
Did you know these surprising facts about ivory? Seven out of ten people in China don't know it comes from a dead elephant. With the spending power of a growing middle class in countries such as China, the demand for illegal ivory is increasing. Forty percent of people in the United Kingdom don't think elephants need to be harmed to take their tusks. And the United States is still the second largest market in the world for elephant ivory. If more people knew that every piece of ivory comes from a dead elephant, fewer people might want to buy ivory products. And less demand for ivory means more elephants will survive.
1. What does the underlined word "brawn" in the first paragraph mean?| A．lovable character. | B．human imagination. |
| C．brilliant mind. | D．physical strength. |
| A．They have good memories. | B．Their trunks are used to fight enemies |
| C．Their back teeth put their lives at risk | D．They touch their foreheads for comfort. |
| A．Most people in China know tusks come from dead elephants. |
| B．Most people in the UK think it's legal to get tusks. |
| C．Most people in Asia think ivory represents wealth and status. |
| D．Most people in the US today refuse to purchase ivory products. |
| A．To explain the importance of the elephant. |
| B．To call on people to protect the elephant. |
| C．To show the living habits of the elephant. |
| D．To persuade people to raise money for the elephant. |
【推荐2】The Vjosa River, one of the last wild rivers in Europe, has been declared a national park by the Albanian government, making it become the first wild river park on the continent.
Home to more than 1,000 animal and plant species, the river flows for 270 kilometers, from Greece, through Albania and into the Adriatic Sea. Giving the credit to no dams or other artificial barriers, it is rich in aquatic species and supports a large number of wildlife species, including otters, the endangered Egyptian vulture and the critically endangered Balkan lynx.
The wild river national park will include almost 13,000 acres of land, crossing most of the body of the country, with thousands of people living in its surroundings. The decision to establish the park is more important than people may realize. For years, the Vjosa’s fragile ecosystem has been under threat: at one point as many as 45 hydropower plants (水 电 站) were planned to build across the region. But thanks to the campaigning by environmental NGOs, the tiny Balkan nation was placed at the forefront of river protection.
Albania’s prime minister, Edi Rama, described the creation of the national park as a “truly historic moment” for nature as well as social and economic development. “Today we protect the only wild river in Europe once and for all,” he said. “This is about to change a mindset. Protecting an area does not mean that you make it in isolation from the economy.” He said national parks attract 20% more tourists compared with non-protected areas.
The park will cover the 118 miles of the Vjosa in Albania, three main tributaries (支流), and some land, including areas at risk of flooding. Phase II will add other tributaries. Unlike the IUCN's Wilderness Protected Areas, which limit the number of visitors, it will allow recreational tourism and some other activities such as local fishing, particularly for 60,000 residents in the catchment.
“We hope it will inspire others to come together to protect the wild places we have left, in a meaningful way,” said Ryan Gellert, Patagonia’s CEO, adding that the park was proof that the “destruction of nature did not have to be the price of progress”.
1. What makes the Vjosa River rich in wild species?| A．Sufficient water. |
| B．The government's policies. |
| C．The large area of fertile land. |
| D．The absence of human disturbance. |
| A．It helps to establish hydropower plants. |
| B．It relieves the power shortage in Albania. |
| C．It strengthens the protection of Vjosa's ecosystem. |
| D．It promotes the development of the local wild land. |
| A．Building the park is beneficial to the economy. |
| B．More wild rivers need to be protected in Europe. |
| C．Non-protected areas will inspire a boom in tourism. |
| D．Social progress comes at the cost of the natural environment. |
| A．It includes more tributaries. |
| B．It limits the number of visitors. |
| C．It covers areas at high risk of flooding. |
| D．It combines leisure activities with tourism. |
【推荐3】Barred owls(大林鸮猫头鹰) are a large species native to eastern North America, but they began moving west at the start of the 20th century. By 1973, large numbers of barred owls had arrived in the western state of Washington. Later they moved south into Oregon and California.
In parts of the Pacific Northwest, the owls are now believed to be causing a drop in the population of a smaller, less aggressive bird: the northern spotted owl. In many ways, the barred owl is the spotted owl's worst enemy. The barred owl has more babies per year and eats the same animals, like squirrels and wood rats. And their numbers are now larger in many parts of the spotted owl's traditional territory.
David Wiens is a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, a federal agency that studies the Earth and its natural resources. He and other officials are doing something unusual to protect spotted owls: killing barred owls. It is a controversial, experimental program. More than 2,400 barred owls have already been shot.
Wiens is the son of a well-known bird expert and grew up with the fascination for birds. He has mixed feelings about the program. "It's a little distasteful, I think, to go out killing barred owls to save another owl species," he says. But he adds, “We knew that barred owls were out competing spotted owls and their numbers were growing too fast."
To catch barred owls, officials put digital bird callers on the ground. Then they step back and wait as several sounds from the devices fill the air. All of this happens in the dark of night. Barred owls dislike other birds in their territory, so they will fly down and chase other owls out. That is when Wiens and his team try to shoot them.
1. What's the main problem with spotted owls?| A．They are being starved to death. | B．They have more babies each year. |
| C．They are invaded by another bird. | D．They are hunted by man. |
| A．They are eating the spotted owls. | B．They are killing each other to survive. |
| C．They are putting the spotted owls in danger. | D．They are destroying large areas of forests. |
| A．To kill barred owls. | B．To puzzle barred owls. |
| C．To protect barred owls. | D．To frighten barred owls. |
| A．Killing One Animal to Save Another. | B．Keeping the Balance of Nature. |
| C．Protecting Birds in Danger. | D．Preventing Birds from Playing Fair. |
【推荐1】Chinese scientists have discovered a new water reservoir on the moon in the form of glass beads (珠子), which could have major significance for finding out the water content of the earth’s only natural satellite and potentially extracting them to support future lunar missions.
A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience last week revealed soil samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 lunar probe contained impact glass beads that held water in the form of hydroxyl——a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom. Hydroxyl ion (离子) is one of the most common ions found in water.
These glass beads are created when meteoroids (流星体) hit the moon’s surface, throwing up hot molten droplets which then cool and turn solid. They function like a sponge, soaking up hydrogen atoms carried by the solar wind to form hydroxyl, thus playing an important role in the water cycle of the lunar surface.
While each bead only holds a tiny amount of water, these glass balls can be seen everywhere on the moon and researchers estimated lunar soils could store as much as 270 billion metric tons of water. For decades, scientists thought the moon was bone dry until discoveries in recent years revealed its soil could hold water. “The moon potentially holding 270 billion metric tons of water is quite substantial, though it pales in comparison to the amount of water in the earth’s oceans,” said Hu Sen, a researcher from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and one of the key scientists behind the study.
These findings not only provide insight on the origins, storage, and transportation of water on celestial bodies without atmospheres, but they also may prove helpful for planning and building a sustainable human habitat on these planets, he added.
However, the specific origins of the water on the lunar surface remain a mystery. The study presented several potential sources, including solar wind implantation, the release of trapped gas when the moon was hot and volcanically active, and delivery by comets and asteroids.
1. What is the use of the glass beads?| A．Absorbing water. | B．Drying water. |
| C．Creating water. | D．Recycling water. |
| A．The moon was a dry place for decades. |
| B．The moon holds as much water as the earth does. |
| C．Scientists discovered the moon could store water. |
| D．The amount of water on the moon is comparatively large. |
| A．Trapped gas should be released. |
| B．Further research needs to be done. |
| C．Water sources have been identified. |
| D．Solar wind was implanted on the moon. |
| A．Future Habitat for Humans: the Moon. |
| B．New Discovery: Glass Beads on the Moon. |
| C．New Findings: Water on the Lunar Surface. |
| D．Future Missions: China’s Chang’e Lunar Probes. |
【推荐2】When rescuers were called to rescue a “little owl”, they did not expect to find one that was too fat to fly. A concerned citizen first spotted the poor bird lying helplessly. Even Rufus Samkin, whose team then took the team in on Jan.3, believed the bird to be injured. There were no wounds to be found, however, causing experts to believe the female owl was simply too wet to fly.
But it was only after a thorough drying-off and complete checkup that they noted the real issue. The rescuers weighed the owl and concluded that she was “simply extremely obese” and couldn’t take off. This additional weight left her unable to fly, though experts began to wonder how she got so fat in the first place. Because it’s rather unusual for wild birds to reach such a state, they decided to keep her a few weeks and monitor her.
In the end, the rescuers assessed that it was simply a case of “natural obesity”. December 2019 was quite warm, which meant that there were many insects for the bird to feast upon. Indeed, the owl was discovered in a field that was “filled with field mice” due to the usual climate. “It’s been very mild here, and the owl is able to find foods easily,” Samkin explained. With the sudden food, “she absolutely ate much and got very fat. She had a lovely time, but went too far.”
The researchers consequently put the owl on a “strict diet” so she could shrink to a more “natural weight”. She was even put on a bit of exercise and encouraged to fly around. In the end, the bird was sent flying gracefully off into the British countryside at a much healthier and happier weight. Hopefully, this owl won’t come upon another feast of field mice—unless she wants another few weeks at the fat camp.
1. What did people think happened to the owl at first?| A．She was hurt. | B．She was trapped. |
| C．She was hungry. | D．She was wet. |
| A．She needed a thorough checkup. | B．She should be given a drying-off. |
| C．She was completed overweight. | D．She was simply extremely strong. |
| A．The especially warm weather. | B．The reducing number of insects. |
| C．The rich fields growing crops. | D．The lovely time the bird enjoyed. |
| A．Going on a diet and exercising. | B．Flying in the British countryside. |
| C．Visiting that fat camp again. | D．Enjoying her wonderful feast freely. |
【推荐3】Smoking in your own home in Thailand may now be considered a crime, if the smoke is considered harmful to other people in the house.
The new law, Family Protection and Development Promotion Act, aiming at controlling smoking at home which might be hazardous for others’ health living under the same roof, was initiated by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and was announced in the Royal Gazette on May 22, 2019. It came into force on August 20.
According to the centre for research and knowledge management for tobacco control, at the Faculty of Medical Science of Mahidol University, there are about 4.9 million households where one or more family members smoke. An average of 10.3 million people have unwittingly (不知不觉地) become passive smokers because they’ve been breathing smoke at home. Scientific studies show that passive smokers are at greater risk of being affected by cancer. Of 75 child patients from houses where smoking is practiced, 76% of them were found to have nicotine traces in their urine (尿液), with 43% of them having nicotine content exceeding (超过) permissible levels.
Smoking at home also “may lead to physical or emotional violence” because of aggressiveness when there is a lack of smoking, and might as well ruin relationships between smokers and non-smoker family members.
According to the new law, anyone who thinks they are affected by domestic smoking can report to government departments concerned so that officials will be sent to investigate and take legal action against the smokers. Once convicted (证明有罪的), the court may order a person to receive treatment to quit smoking in an attempt to protect the person’s family.
1. According to the new law, .| A．anybody must report to the officials once they are affected |
| B．officials will take legal action against all the people concerned |
| C．smoking in one’s own home in Thailand may now be considered a crime |
| D．the court may order a smoker to stop smoking to protect all non-smokers |
| A．Risky. | B．Beneficial. |
| C．Influential. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．By listing figures. |
| B．By giving examples. |
| C．By comparing the differences. |
| D．By explaining the reasons. |
| A．smoking anywhere in Thailand is considered a crime |
| B．passive smokers are more likely to have lung cancer |
| C．76% of the children in Thailand have nicotine traces in their urine |
| D．smoking at home may hurt other family members both physically and emotionally |
