【推荐1】Q: Last night I saw a comedian on TV making a joke about “old people smell”. I’d never heard of it before, so I did research and was worried to see that people say old people have the same bad smell. Now I’m worrying-do I smell? And if so, how can I get rid of it?

-Edith, 76

A: Thank you for your email. I can certainly smell something, and I’m afraid to say that it’s the unpleasant odour of ageism. I doubt a comedian would dare say something like this about any other group of people. The fact that they feel able to do so shows how ageism is one of the last acceptable intolerances in our society. It’s morally wrong to group people based on their age. So, to answer your question: no, old people don’t smell. Body odour is the result of various factors. One thing I would note is that as we age, we tend to sweat less. As a result, sometimes older people don’t think they need to wash as frequently, especially when combined with mobility problems—meaning they find it difficult getting in and out of the shower, not realising that they can still have body odour without sweating. There is also the issue of incontinence. While this can affect people of any age, it’s more common in old age and is also associated with a smell. There are plenty of treatments for incontinence, so this isn’t something that should arise. I’m sorry to say, but some doctors just blame incontinence for part of getting older. It’s not. The idea that old people smell just feeds into this, but my view is if someone does smell of urine due to incontinence, then this is the failure of doctors to provide adequate help. It’s to do with their incontinence, not their age.

-Dr Max Pemberton

1. According to the text, what is Edith’s top concern?

A．A comedian’s joke about “old people smell”

B．Uncertainty of the research about getting old.

C．Methods of getting rid of body odour from ageism.

D．Worry about old people having the same bad smell.

2. What would Dr Max Pemberton probably agree with?

A．Many factors contribute to elders’ body odour.

B．Sweating less cannot be avoided as people age.

C．Some doctors are to blame for elders’ incontinence.

D．It’s acceptable for comedians to group people by age.

3. Dr Max Pemberton tries to persuade Edith mainly by ________.

A．showing understanding	B．commenting on comedians
C．offering practical advice	D．analyzing possible reasons

4. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．An academic paper.	B．An autobiography.
C．A health column.	D．A medical treatment plan.

【推荐2】Is an electric vehicle right for you?

Many people will ask themselves that question for the first time this year. Prices are falling, battery range is rising and mainstream brands are adding new EVs at a breakneck pace.

Here are three things anybody seriously considering buying an EV should know:

1. The price to install a 240v charger

Anybody who owns an electric vehicle needs a 240-volt charger at home. With one, you can recharge overnight, so you start every day with the equivalent of a full tank.

Just a few years ago, home 240v EV chargers cost $2,500-$3,000, including installation, but prices have declined as competition grows with the number of EVs on the road.

2. The time it takes to charge

About 80% of miles driven in EVs are powered by electricity charged at home, but you’ll need to charge elsewhere occasionally. That’s when charging time becomes a big deal, but how long it takes depends on a couple of factors.

First, voltage from the charger. Getting 250 miles of range in seven hours from a 240v charger is fine when you’re charging overnight at home, but it’s a deal breaker if you’re going 300 miles for a weekend getaway. In that case, you’ll want to look for a 400v DC fast charger. They’re not as common as 240v public chargers yet, but they’re becoming more widespread.

There’s another factor: the on-board charger. It regulates how fast the battery can accept electricity. A vehicle with a higher-capacity on-board charger accepts electricity faster.

3. Where to charge

Good route-planning apps will help you find chargers on a road trip.

“Most people have no idea how many public charging stations are within, say, a 10-or 15-mile radius(半径) because they’re small, people don’t look for them or even don’t know what to look for, and they’re rarely signposted,” said journalist John Voelcker, who has studied EVs and charging exhaustively.

4. On the horizon

If an EV doesn’t meet your needs now, watch this space. They’re coming closer, but large numbers of gasoline vehicles will remain in production for years. Beyond that, companies will keep making spare parts for oil-burners for decades.

1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The price of installing a home EV charger has remained stable in the past few years.

B．It’s quite easy to identify the public charging stations with the help of striking signposts.

C．Popular brands are introducing new EVs at an incredibly fast rate.

D．An electric vehicle can’t provide the same amount of energy as a completely filled fuel tank.

2. The underlined phrase “watch this space” in the last paragraph probably means “________”.

A．give up the plan to purchase an EV

B．make space for an EV

C．find an alternative to EV

D．keep an eye out for future developments

3. This passage is mainly intended to ________.

A．illustrate the factors charging time depends on

B．offer advice on purchasing an electric vehicle

C．look forward to the future of electric vehicles

D．explain the reason for the falling prices of electric vehicles

【推荐1】A record surge in the creation of marine protected areas has taken the international community close to its goal of creating nature refuges on 17% of the world’s land and 10% of seas by 2020, according to a new UN report. Protected region snow cover more than five times the territory of the US, but the authors said this good news was often undermined by poor enforcement. Some reserves are little more than “paper parks” with little value to nature conservation. Atleast one has been turned into an industrial zone. More than 27m square kilometres of seas (7% of the total) and 20m sq km of land (15% of the total) now have protected status, according to the Protected Planet report, which was released on Sunday at the UN biodiversity conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Almost all of the growth has been in marine regions, most notably with the creation last year of the world’s biggest protected area: the 2m sq km Ross Sea reserve, one-fifth of which is in the Antarctic. The no-fishing zone will be managed by New Zealand and the US.

“We have seen an enormous expansion in the past two years. There is now more marine protected area than terrestrial, which nobody would have predicted,” said Kathy McKinnon of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. “I think we’ll continue to see a substantial increase, I’d guess, to at least 10% in the near future.”

The UN convention on biological diversity says it has received national commitments for an additional 4.5m sq km of land and 16m sq km of oceans to be given protected status in the next two years. This would put it on course to achieve one of the key aims of the 2010 Aichi biodiversity targets.

“This is the target with the most progress. In an ocean of bad news about biodiversity loss and eco-destruction, it is important to highlight that progress, though we still have a lot more to do to ensure not just the quantitive target but the effectiveness of the management,” said CristianaPașca Palmer, the head of UN Biodiversity.

The creation of protected areas has not been enough to halt a collapse of species and ecosystems that threatens civilisation. Since 1970 humanity has wiped out 60% of mammal, bird, fish and reptile populations, with a dangerous knock-on impact on food production, fisheries and climate stability.

Protected areas are important refuges from this wave of extinctions but many are underfunded and poorly policed. Only one in five have provided management assessments to the UN, which has raised questions about the viability of the rest.

Naomi Kingston, of UN environment world conservation monitoring centre, said: “There is a race to deliver on Aichi target 11. It is fantastic that countries are coming with more ambition, but not if it is just a number without substance.

“Some areas that have been reported to us as protected areas have been completely built over. We need datasets to define which areas are paper parks and which are real.”

Developing nations have better reporting standards because many are obliged to provide regular assessments in order to qualify for funds from the Global Environment Fund. By contrast, many wealthier nations devote few resources to monitoring.

Discussions will focus on a new, more flexible category for community land that is used by locals for both agricultural production and wildlife conservation. In Africa, Asia and Latin America, this is a model that has often helped improve biodiversity because residents — often from indigenous communities — live closely with nature and have an interest in protecting it.

1. What promotes the achievement of the goals of marine nature reserves?

A．Poor management of marine protected areas.

B．Loss of biodiversity and ecological destruction.

C．Rapid growth in the number of marine protected areas.

D．Commitments in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

2. What impact does the establishment of “paper parks”have on protected areas?

A．They have promoted the expansion of marine protected areas.

B．They have little value for nature conservation.

C．They all turn into industrial zones.

D．They will slow down the collapse of ecosystems.

3. According to the passage, what is Kathy McKinnon’s point of view?

A．NewZealand and the United States regulate fishing-ban zones.

B．In the near future, the number of marine refuges will increase by at least 10%.

C．The quantity and management quality of marine refuges are equally important.

D．Many countries have ambitions to achieve Aichi 11.

4. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．A recorded surge in the creation of marine protected areas.

B．Developing countries may receive funding from the Global Environment Facility.

C．The Increase of marine refuges and the views of relevant personnel.

D．Achieving Aichi 11 Goal.

【推荐3】An extremely rare disease called monkeypox is spreading around the world. More than one thousand cases have been reported in at least 30 countries, according to the World Health Organization. The countries that are reporting monkeypox now are countries that do not normally have outbreaks of monkeypox. Since first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has rarely spread elsewhere, so these unusual cases outside the African continent, which experts viewed as “rare”, have caused global concerns.

Monkeypox often begins with fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion. Usually a patient develops a rash within one to three days, often beginning on the face and then spreading to other parts of the body. The illness usually lasts two to four weeks. Monkeypox is spread when you come into contact with an animal or a person infected with the virus. Anyone can get monkeypox. It would be extremely dangerous for monkeypox to occur in a pregnant woman. However, it’s more common in children. Of cases in Africa, 90% were among children under 15 years old.

How does monkeypox compare to COVID-19? Actually, monkeypox is far less transmissible. “One big difference is that people will know they have monkeypox due to the symptoms, meaning they’ll likely be isolated and see a doctor once they know they’re sick. COVID-19 is much more deceptive. One of the hardest things about COVID-19 is that there was a lot of transmission where you were infectious to other people and you didn’t even know it,” said Dr. Nicholas Lehnertz, medical specialist with the Minnesota Department of Health.

There is no specific treatment but vaccination against smallpox has been found to be about 85% effective in preventing monkeypox. Godwin Mollel, Tanzania’s deputy minister for health, said that even though monkeypox has not been detected in the country, people should make preparations for the disease. “I advise members of the public to avoid touching or eating a sick animal as well as touching any object used by a sick animal or person. The ministry continues to monitor disease trends and take appropriate control measures,” he said.

1. What makes people concerned about monkeypox?

A．It is difficult to treat.	B．It is an entirely new disease.
C．It has caused many cases of death.	D．It spreads outside the African continent.

2. Who are most likely to get monkeypox?

A．Elderly people.	B．Pregnant women.
C．Children under 15 years old.	D．People infected with COVID-19.

3. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．COVID-19 is more deadly.	B．COVID-19 is not easily noticed.
C．COVID-19 can be infected by various routes.	D．COVID-19 takes patients longer to recover from.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The prevention of monkeypox.	B．The symptoms of monkeypox.
C．The importance of vaccination.	D．The growing trend in monkeypox.