The masked shrew is one of the smallest mammals(哺乳动物) in North America, only a few inches long. However, it recently made a giant jump. Over the past few decades, the tiny shrew has migrated more than 4,000 feet on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. And it’s not the only one.
Studies in other parts of the world have suggested that mountain animals are climbing higher. Lead study author Christy McCain, an ecologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, and her co-authors Sarah King and Tim Szewezyk wanted to show it is true in the Rockies.
The new study looked at 47 different species of small mammals in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. First, the researchers studied the small mammal samples (样本) collected in Colorado over the last few decades and built a database on where these mammals were typically found and how high up. Next, they conducted a series of field surveys in the Colorado Rockies, counting small mammals and recording where each species is found today. They then calculated how much each mammal population has moved over the last few decades.
They found that 26 of the 47 species studied had moved upward over time. Masked shrews were among the species with the largest jumps, climbing a total of about 4,500 feet. McCain noted that species with the largest upward jumps tend to share some important characteristics. Most of them are animals specifically adapted to cold weather. 11 of the 47 mammal species actually shifted downward. McCain noted they may be less sensitive to mountain warming. Six species do not appear to have changed at all. And four species have completely disappeared from the mountains in the period between the 1980s and now.
“This is the first indication,” McCain said, “that large animal communities are responding to climate change.” The findings are consistent with the conclusions of other studies around the world — that mountain ecosystems are sensitive to climate change and wildlife in these places is already responding to the pressure, both of which can urge humans to change the current situation.
1. Why did Christy McCain and her team do the study?| A．To collect data of mountain animals. | B．To urge humans to change the situation. |
| C．To prove the previous conclusions. | D．To assess the effects of climate change. |
| A．Many species have disappeared. | B．None have shifted downward. |
| C．Those going higher are sensitive to cold. | D．Many are affected by climate change. |
| A．A wake-up call. | B．A climate reminder. |
| C．A pressure response. | D．A situation changer. |
| A．Mountain mammals climb higher to beat the heat. |
| B．Cold-adapted species suffer a lot in the Rockies. |
| C．Climate change is making the Rockies unlivable. |
| D．Small mammals are vital to mountain ecosystems. |
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【推荐1】Prairie dogs（草原犬鼠）are native to the prairies of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They are actually a type of squirrel named for the place where they live and the warning call they give when they are threatened（威胁）, which sounds similar to a dog’s bark. One of the amazing things about prairie dogs is the way that they live in “towns.” These towns can contain many hundreds of prairie dog families.
Prairie dogs like to live with other prairie dogs, so they join together to make prairie dog towns. These are collections of prairie dog families that can cover one or two square kilometers. Prairie dog towns are big because each family lives in their own tunnel（地道）system, which is usually 10-30 meters wide. Families are usually made up of 1 male, 2 to 4 females, and their children. When the young prairie dogs reach three years of age, they leave home to found their own families on the edges（边缘）of the town.
Prairie dog tunnels usually have several chambers. These chambers are like rooms in a house. Female prairie dogs use them when they give birth and when they raise their babies. The other chambers are used by the family for sleeping. To make them comfortable, prairie dogs separate the chambers by lining the walls with grass. The tunnels are also used for protection when prairie dogs are threatened by other animals. For this reason they are designed with two or more holes serving as doors.
Prairie dogs like living in towns and they even make social visits to each other. When two friendly prairie dogs meet, they greet each other with a kind of kiss. However, the male prairie dogs defend the borders of the family’s tunnel system against enemies. Prairie dog towns have conflicts, social gatherings, and cooperation just like a human town, which makes them very interesting.
1. What do we know about prairie dogs?| A．They are group animals. | B．They bark like squirrels. |
| C．They are an endangered species. | D．They are wild dogs living on grasslands. |
| A．By giving the meaning of chambers. | B．By describing how chambers are built. |
| C．By classifying the contents of chambers. | D．By comparing chambers to human homes. |
| A．To let in fresh air. | B．To make it comfortable for sleep. |
| C．To run away from dangerous enemies. | D．To avoid being crowded in and out. |
| A．social life | B．social structure | C．hunting habits | D．living environment |
【推荐2】Old tennis balls are being used in an unusual way to help us learn more about one of the rarest mammals(哺乳动物)in the country.
Harvest mice are only about 2 inches(5cm)long.This spring and summer，wildlife experts are encouraging people to report sightings of harvest mice so that records can be built up about numbers and locations can be made.
Meadows and grassland are animals'traditional homes but as farming methods change over time，the habitats are being lost and numbers are thought to be declining．
Old tennis balls，complete with penny－sized holes，make a strong and popular choice of home for the mice and around 200 are available for surveyors to distribute and monitor，after being donated by a local tennis club.
The project，supported by the Leicestershire County Council，is thought to be the biggest of its kind ever run in Leicestershire.
County Council wildlife expert，Helen O'Brien，said，“Little is known about the creatures'present situation locally so we need people to look in tall grass and fields and send in their information.The information will help us track numbers and tell us where we need to focus our attention to safeguard(保障)their future.”
Anyone interested in getting involved(参与)，can pick up tips and learn more about harvest mice on a training day.This is taking place between 7：30 p．m.and 9：30 p．m.on Monday，14th June at the County Council's Environmental Resource Centre in Birsall.People living in Leicester，Leicestershire and Rutland can get involved with the survey or book a place on the training day by calling Gareth Price at 0116－267－1950.
1. The underlined word“declining”in Para.3 is closest in meaning to________．| A．dropping | B．increasing |
| C．keeping | D．moving |
| A．donate food for harvest mice |
| B．keep harvest mice as pets at home |
| C．raise more cats to kill harvest mice |
| D．collect information about harvest mice |
| A．the training is going to be provided on July 14 |
| B．the training about harvest mice will last two hours |
| C．only people living in Leicester can get involved |
| D．Gareth Price will be the trainer on the training day |
| A．Harvest mice like old tennis balls |
| B．The importance of tennis balls |
| C．The rarest animal：harvest mice |
| D．Harvest mice's homes are being lost |
【推荐3】From Black Beauty to The Chronicles of Narnia, films and books have often shown the friendships that can develop between humans and horses. Lots of real-life stories have shown that horses seem to have a special understanding of humans. However, until a recent study, nobody knew if horses really recognized different human emotions.
A team of researchers set out to see what horses can understand. They used a test that is often used to see how much babies understand about the world around them.The team brought 28horses into a room, one by one. Each was shown a picture of a happy human and a picture of a sad human. At the same time,a recording of a happy or sad voice was played.The test showed that horses can recognize different emotions by looking at facial expressions and hearing the tone of people’s voices and matching the two up.When the voice didn’t match up with the picture, the horses seemed to be puzzled: they looked at the picture for longer, as if they knew that something wasn’t right. However, the researchers still don’t know if the horses actually understand what it is to be sad or happy.
Scientist Océane Liehrmann, from the University of Turku in Finland, worked on the study. She said,“You could imagine that they have a particular box in their mind labelled (贴标签)’human sadness’ containing the characteristics of both a sad face and a sad voice.”
It’s also thought that horses prefer to spend time around happy people because they spent longer looking at the pictures of happy people.The researchers now want to see if horses can recognize other negative human emotions.
1. Why did the author mention two films at the beginning?| A．To lead the readers to the topic. | B．To introduce the films to the readers. |
| C．To compare the films with the real life. | D．To advise the readers to relax themselves. |
| A．hear different sounds | B．communicate with humans |
| C．recognize different pictures | D．understand human emotions |
| A．Sad | B．Happy. | C．Puzzled. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．Because horses like to hear loud laughter. |
| B．Because horses can recognize people’s sad emotions. |
| C．Because horses spent more time on the pictures of happy people. |
| D．Because horses understand what it is to be sad or happy for people. |
【推荐1】Jennifer Fish, a weather forecaster may soon be replaced by something truly fishier---the shark.
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
Laura Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.
If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish (猫鲨), for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory---resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”
“I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand---but it certainly opens the way to more research.”
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal (潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish---none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic (模拟) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.
1. The passage is most probably taken from .| A．a short-story collection | B．a personal diary |
| C．a research paper | D．a popular science magazine |
| A．Jennifer Fish is not fit for her job. |
| B．Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled. |
| C．Sharks may be used to predict bad weather. |
| D．Laura Smith will become a weather forecaster. |
| A．monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes |
| B．measuring the air pressure of weather fronts |
| C．recording sharks’ body temperature |
| D．removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system |
| A．A popular way of forecasting weather. |
| B．Biologists, interest in the secrets of sharks. |
| C．A new research effort in predicting storms. |
| D．Laura Smith’s devotion to scientific research. |
【推荐2】Recently, a team of young researchers in Panama has found a special ant species that rapidly repairs any damage to its host tree.
The events leading to the discovery began in mid-2020, when Alex and his friends would kill time by shooting clay balls at trees with a slingshot. They targeted the thin Cecropia trees to make the task more challenging. Things went well until one clay ball accidentally hit a tree trunk, leaving a clean exit and entry wound.
Concerned that he had caused permanent damage, Alex went back to examine the tree the following morning, accompanied by his father William, an entomologist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). To their surprise, the hole had been completely mended! Curious to find out what was going on, Alex and his friends enlisted in the STRI’s volunteer program.
The teens, as instructed, drilled holes in the Cecropia trees and then carefully documented what followed. The young scientists found that in 14 of the 22 cases, groups of Azteca alfari ants immediately gathered in the damaged area and instantly got to work without a break. The industrious insects, using material from the trees, significantly reduced the size of the hole soon. In most cases, the gap was completely filled up within 24 hours.
The sand-colored insects’ harmonious relationship with the Cecropia trees has been known for many years. The trees provide the ants with food and shelter. In return, the insects protect their leaves from plant-eating animals. However, their repair skills — which researchers suspect have been developed fixing damage caused by the sharp nails of the sloths that frequent the trees — had never been seen before.
“This project allowed us to experience first-hand all the complicated details behind a scientific study. It was really a great learning experience,” said Alex.
Alex and his team, who recently published their findings, still have one riddle to solve. They aren’t sure why the insects didn’t repair all the holes. Understanding this selective behavior is something they hope to explore in the future — stay tuned!
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The fun of playing outdoors. | B．The cause of the new findings. |
| C．The intention of using a slingshot. | D．The reason for targeting the Cecropia trees. |
| A．Curiosity. | B．Optimism. | C．Confusion. | D．Uneasiness. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Sorrowful. | C．Hardworking. | D．Impatient. |
| A．Whether ants are expert at tree repair. | B．How ants fix damage to their host trees. |
| C．Why ants merely repair certain tree holes. | D．What relationship ants keep with the Cecropia trees. |
【推荐3】For years, pediatricians have recommended that young children watch no TV, or as little as possible, because it can lead to problems in school and behavior issues.
When preschoolers watch educational programs instead of violent TV shows, they tend to be more compassionate and less aggressive, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
The study
Families were given monthly TV guides listing educational programming for their area: shows such as " Dora the Explorer", "Super WHY", "Sesame Street" and "It's a Big Big World”,
“This is the first study to try to change the viewing habits of preschool kids," says Dr. Vic Strasburger, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. "That's one of the significances of this study.''
The results
After a year, researchers found that children watching less violent and more child-appropriate shows scored better on tests that measured cooperation, a willingness to share or compromise.
| A．TV brings more benefits to children nowadays. |
| B．Parents were also encouraged to watch TV with their kids. |
| C．About 600 families were employed and assigned to one of two groups. |
| D．More and more families realize letting children less watch TV is quite good. |
| E．Parents then increased educational viewing from about 30 to 43 minutes a day. |
| F．Now a new study admits that children are sitting in front of the TV a lot longer. |
| G．They also had fewer incidents of aggressive behavior such as yelling and hitting. |
【推荐1】The custom of flying a piece of cloth high in the sky began more than 2,000 years ago in China. Since then, kites have been served in many fields, like doing scientific experiments, powering boats, taking pictures from the air and much more. In fact, kite-flying is a great way to clear the mind.
When Americans Kay and Larry Day found a store selling kites nearly 20 years ago, they decided to buy a few kites for their family. For fun, Larry bought one for himself. “He went out and flew it and decided he needed to go back and get a better one,” Kay remembered. Since then, she and her husband have loved kite-flying. They own many kites and plan trips around flying them. They also organize a kite-flying event each winter in their hometown in Iowa. “I’m at peace when I’m flying a kite,” said Larry.
Nic O’Neill, president of the American Kite-fliers Association said that kite-flying can be done alone or with friends and family. Kites appeal (有吸引力) to people who like to create works of art or to those who like to combine kite-flying with music. O’Neill said, “Part of the reason I love flying kites is that I have to risk trying and not succeeding. The best way to learn is to go out, undo the string (细绳) and let your kite fly. The perfect condition includes a nice steady wind and a place away from trees and buildings.”
Grant Lovett began flying simple kites as a child, but moved on to costlier and more complex kites as an adult. Today, Lovett likes making his own kites. He builds them from strong, lightweight materials and products designed for sailboats. Lovett attends kite-making classes and looks for new models on the Internet. He makes kites of different shapes and sizes because flying conditions can be greatly different. He also notes that experience makes a difference, and so does the weather and he likes the happy feelings that he experiences when his kite moves through the sky. “It is really calming,” he said.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Kites have been used widely. |
| B．Kites have developed gradually. |
| C．Kites have been designed differently. |
| D．Kites have lost their popularity. |
| A．Excited. | B．Hopeful. | C．Peaceful. | D．Amazed. |
| A．The flying experiences. |
| B．The flying conditions. |
| C．The skills of making kites. |
| D．The materials for making kites. |
| A．Kite-Flying Is Fit for All Ages. |
| B．Kite-Flying Gets More Popular. |
| C．Kite-Flying Is a Traditional Sport. |
| D．Kite-Flying Gives a Lift to People. |
【推荐2】When you think of a national park, you generally picture fresh air and wild animals, right? Well, now you’re going to have to add tea shops and something called “the Underground” to your definition, because London, England has signed up to be the first “National Park City.”
London was founded by the Romans around 2,000 years ago and people have continually lived there since then. In all that time, however, nobody had the idea to replace all the parks with big box stores or high buildings, which means London already has a much lower urban density than most of the world’s cities. Nowadays about a third of the city is green space.
In July 2019, London announced its willingness to become the world’s first National Park City. Now the city is moving toward the goal of achieving 50% green space by the year 2050 by connecting and increasing public parks, greening unused parking lots and the private yards of existing and new houses, and fixing some green roofs on existing buildings.
“Encouraged by the aims and values of our rural national parks, the London National Park City is basically about making life better in the capital through both small everyday things and long-term thinking,” Daniel Raven-Ellison, who began the movement to make London a National Park City six years ago, said. “We’ve been doing that in London for centuries, which is why London is so green.” It’s about going further to make the city greener, healthier and wilder; making the city richer in wildlife.
London will have a much easier job achieving this type of green transformation than more densely-urbanized cities like Paris and New York, which have 10% and 27% green space, respectively. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible — the National Park City Foundation hopes to include 25 more cities in addition to London by the year 2025. Glasgow, Scotland and Newcastle upon Tyne in northeast England are both considering becoming National Park Cities.
1. What makes London more likely to become a National Park City than other cities?| A．Its smaller population. | B．Its locals’ requirements. |
| C．Its government’s strict law. | D．Its wider area of green space. |
| A．About 10%. | B．About 27%. | C．About 33%. | D．About 50%. |
| A．In Paragraph 1. | B．In Paragraph 2. | C．In Paragraph 3. | D．In Paragraph 4. |
| A．The values of newly-founded parks. | B．The importance of his movement. |
| C．The influence of green space on cities. | D．The preparation for setting up a movement. |
| A．London is leading the world in park construction |
| B．London becomes the world’s first National Park City |
| C．London is listed as the world’s most-visited city |
| D．London has built the world’s first underground park |
【推荐3】Dust storms don’t just happen in the middle of the desert.They happen in any dry area where loose dirt can easily be picked up.The sand blown into the air by the wind usually falls back down to the ground after a few hours.Smaller bits of particles (微粒) stay in the air for a week or longer and can be blown thousands of miles away.Dust from the Sahara desert is always blown across the Atlantic and keeps travelling as far as the Caribbean.
The scary thing about dust storms is that they can spread over hundreds of miles and rise over 10，000 feet (305 metres).They also have wind speeds of at least 25 miles (40 kilometres) per hour.Not strong enough to blow the feathers off a chicken but still something worth avoiding.
Don’t be surprised if you suddenly see a dust storm heading your way.Dust storms usually arrive without warning and move in the form of a big wall of dust.The dust makes driving impossible.Often they only last for a few minutes but storms usually leave serious car accidents behind.If you’re in a car during a dust storm, remind the driver to pull over and turn off the headlights.
In mild (轻微的) dust storms it’s still possible to walk around although you wouldn’t want to.You can’t see anything because of the dust particles flying around.It’s not just the dust you want to avoid.The wind carrying the dust will leave things looking like they were just hit by a tornado (龙卷风).The best thing to do is find safe cover in a building.
1. We can know from the first paragraph that .| A．dust storms mostly happen in the desert |
| B．dust storms usually last for a few hours |
| C．sand blown into the air can float for a few weeks |
| D．dust blown into the air can travel a long distance |
| A．the movement of dust |
| B．the speed of the wind |
| C．the power of dust storms |
| D．the harm of dust storms |
| A．Slow down. |
| B．Move to the side of the road and stop. |
| C．Turn on the headlights. |
| D．Drive on the side of the road. |
| A．people can see everything clearly |
| B．the wind is light |
| C．there is no need to avoid the dust |
| D．people still should take cover |
