I am drawn to the peace and pure beauty of primary nature. Being in it heightens my perceptions and narrows my focus. As I concentrate on the surroundings, an inner stillness fill me and helps mega in a sense of place. This was the case when I packed my camera equipment and explored some of Europe’s old-growth forests to highlight these unique environments that have remained untouched for centuries, despite threats of human disturbance.
The visits were often challenging because of unfavorable weather conditions and the distances I had to cover while going multiple times to the locations for a good picture. But the joy of the experience always prevailed. Hiking off trail through the foggy laurel forests of Madeira, I was enveloped by trees that may have been up to 800 years old and whose trunks provided me with shelter when clouds released a sudden down-pour. It felt like entering a holy space.
Wandering in the Scots pine forests of northern Sweden and the mountain tree lines of southern Norway rewarded me with the sense of freedom I always get in the Scandinavian wilderness. The beech (山毛榉) stands rising from the steep slopes of Italy kept me in awe of the power that forests protected from development can possess. I feel honoured that I was allowed access to explore and photograph these wonderlands.
Except Russia, only about 2 percent of the forest areas in Europe are primary, or have never been cleared, reflecting a dazzling richness of life that once filled vast wooded ecosystems. Most of the areas are now protected, but as the human population continues to grow—with disastrous impacts on the planet and its living creatures—the future of these forests is far from certain. I hope that they will still be standing for many centuries more.
1. Why does the author like to explore the forests in Europe?A.To help protect the vast ecosystems. | B.To experience the beauty and peace. |
C.To improve his skill of taking photos. | D.To enjoy the feeling of being challenged. |
A.Won out. | B.Piled up. | C.Ran out. | D.Faded away. |
A.Most forests in Europe are kept as what they were. |
B.People have free access to these primary forests. |
C.The increasing population causes the destruction of forests. |
D.The author prefers the trees of Norway to the beech stands in Italy. |
A.Hopeful. | B.Concerned. | C.Uninterested. | D.Not clear. |
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【推荐1】While diving in the Mediterranean with his daughters, Enzo was in the water preparing to dive. He felt a gentle push on his back and turned to see a male dolphin waving to him. The dolphin dove, and Enzo followed. About 12 meters down, Enzo was led to the dolphin’s mate, who had become trapped in a fishing net and would soon drown. Enzo quickly surfaced and returned with his daughters and a couple of diving knives. They freed the dolphin and helped her to the surface.
Although Enzo held several free-diving records, it was the lives of sea creatures that concerned him most. Enzo devoted his life to educating the world about the link between healthy seas and healthy humans. He often quoted words of a famous musician named Vangelis: “Until a man learns to respect and speak to the animal world, he can never know his true role on Earth.”
Enzo recalls of his dolphin rescue, “As soon as she (the dolphin) was on the surface, after breathing out foam and blood, she gave birth to a dolphin calf (幼崽) under the watchful eyes of her mate.”
Enzo and his daughters marveled (感到惊奇) at the miracle they had just witnessed. While they were still in the water, the male dolphin circled around and touched its beak (喙) to Enzo’s cheek, like a kiss of gratitude.
The world is full of opportunities that lead to miracles if we only follow those pushes. Next door is a neighbor who needs a smile and a conversation, a child who needs a little comfort, or a young mom who just witnessed her own miracle and would love to share it with you.
1. Why did the male dolphin approach Enzo?A.To make friends with him. | B.To ask for help. |
C.To play with his daughters. | D.To warn him of the danger. |
A.By listing figures. | B.By making classification. |
C.By making a comparison. | D.By quoting a famous man’s words. |
A.The male dolphin’s love to his wife. | B.The gratitude from the dolphin. |
C.The birth of the dolphin’s child. | D.The hurt from humans. |
A.A Kind Man Dived Deep To Rescue A Dolphin |
B.The Love Between Animals Is Admirable |
C.A Dolphin Tried To Save His Own Baby |
D.We Should Attach Importance To Dolphins’ Health |
【推荐2】Rainforests, it turns out, are not created equal. Take the Amazon rainforest, an area that covers about 7 million square kilometers. But within that huge expanse are all kinds of ecological zones, and some of these zones, says Greg Asner, are a lot more crowded than others.
“Some forests have many species of trees,” he said, “others have few. Many forests are unique from others in terms of their overall species composition…” And all of these different small areas of forest exist within the giant space that is the Amazon Rainforest.
So Asner, using the signature technique called airborne laser-guided imaging spectroscopy, began to map these different zones from the air. “By mapping the traits of tropical forests from above,” he explains, “we are, for the first time, able to understand how forest composition varies geographically.”
The results show up in multicolored maps, with each color representing different kinds of species, different kinds of trees, the different kinds of chemical they are producing and using, and even the amount of biodiversity, the animal and plant species that live within each zone.
Armed with this information, Asner says decision-makers now have “a first-time way to decide whether any given forest geography is protected well enough or not. If not, then new protections can be put in place to save a given forest from destruction.”
Asner says the information is a great way for decision-makers to develop a “cost-benefit ratio type analysis.” Conservation efforts can be expensive, so armed with this information, government leaders can ensure they are making the most of their conservation dollars by focusing on areas that are the most biologically diverse or unique.
The next step, Asner says, is to take his project global, and to put his eyes even higher in the sky, on orbital satellites. “The technique we developed and applied to map Peru is ready to go global.” Asner said. “We want to put the required instrumentation on an Earth-orbiting satellite, to map the planet every month, which will give the best possible view of how the world’s biodiversity is changing, and where to put much needed protections.
1. Unequally-created rainforests refer to the fact ______.A.how crowded they are |
B.where they are located |
C.when they came into being |
D.what kinds of species they have |
A.The cost to conserve forests. |
B.The chemicals needing for certain forests. |
C.The forest areas needing special protection. |
D.The number of animals living in a forest. |
A.To send a satellite to map the world. |
B.To track the change of biodiversity in the world. |
C.To develop technology for mapping the globe. |
D.To advertise his project around the world. |
A.Using eyes in the sky to map biodiversity. |
B.Making a map of big forests in the world. |
C.Learning about the biodiversity of Amazon forest. |
D.Protecting the forest from being destructed. |
【推荐3】It was a cold winter. The wind blew all night and the snow was blinding. When morning came, my three children and I got up and made our way to the windows. As we looked out the window, we saw that the henhouse was gone. Our three hens had been blown away.
I looked at the emptiness outside. Then I saw all three chickens sat around the edge of a white bucket. How was this violent wind not blowing them into the field beyond? I quickly pulled on long snow pants and heavy winter coat, wrapped a scarf and stuck my feet into very large boots.
I shouted at the wind as it blew. I was alone, struggling in the snow. They stared out the window into the vast white sea of snow, their eyes peeled for any sign of movement. Outside I heard the sound of my boots as I braved the elements.
The snow circling around me, I steadily made my way to the soft cluck-cluck-cluck sound my hens always made. When I reached them, I saw that their little feet were holding on to the edge of the bucket, heads bent forward and away from the wind. I gently lifted each hen and put it carefully into the warm inside. Then I began the freezing walk back to the small shed directly behind our house. One by one I laid my chickens on the cold floor, and they began to cluck softly.
As I shut the shed doors, my eyes went directly to the window where my children were watching. They jumped up and down cheering, and so did I! I wasn’t some dragon slayer (屠龙者) from a fairy tale. I was simply a mom, but the look on my children’s faces told me that they thought I was a hero mom.
1. What was the author’s feeling when seeing all three chickens sitting around the bucket?A.unbelievable. | B.frightened. | C.ashamed. | D.confident. |
A.By shouting at the henhouse. | B.By wearing protective clothes. |
C.By searching for the white bucket. | D.By following the sound of the hens. |
A.The author struggled to be a hero. |
B.The author enjoyed herself in the snow. |
C.The author’s children liked dragon slayers. |
D.The children watched their mother all the way. |
A.Hero in the snow. | B.Hens in trouble. |
C.Weather in extreme. | D.Kindness in need. |
【推荐1】In the wake of President Trump's decision to remove America from the Paris Climate Agreement, you’d be forgiven for feeling a little pessimistic about the future of the planet.
With reports of huge cracks appearing in the Antarctic ice and the rising of some coastal areas, fears that preventing the two degree heating of the planet might be a pipe dream - our planet is increasingly getting worse. Everything looks and sounds grim.
Fortunately though, there are some good news stories on the horizon; with many of them coming from China. The country has been leading the way when it comes to ‘green living’ in recent years, with the government announcing it had completed the construction of the world's largest floating solar farm.
Now, in an attempt to restrain the production of toxic(有毒的) gasses, the country is continuing to pave the way with the construction of one of the world's first ‘forest cities’. Designed by Stefano Boeri, who you might remember also designed two vertical skyscraper 'Forests', the city is at present under construction in Liuzhou, Guangxi Province.
Once it is completed, the new city will reportedly host 30,000 people and - thanks to the abundance of trees and plants - will absorb almost 10,000 tons of CO2, 57 tons of pollutants per year and produce about 900 tons of oxygen annually.
The city will achieve these rather impressive figures thanks to roughly a million plants from over100 species, as well as 40,000 trees being planted in facades over almost every surface imaginable.
1. What is the main course of the phenomena mentioned in paragraph1?A.The decision of the President Trump. | B.The big cracks in Antarctic ice. |
C.The rising of the global temperature. | D.The nightmare of our planet. |
A.It shows the talent of the designer - Stefano Boeri. |
B.It is designed to control the emission (排放) of harmful gases. |
C.It can absolutely lead to a better skyscraper. |
D.It means that people will have a toxic place to live in. |
A.The benefits of the construction of the city. | B.The good life experience of the locals. |
C.The green surface of our planet. | D.The pollutants caused by the CO2. |
A.Anew trend of living in China. |
B.Different lifestyles in different places of China. |
C.Conflicts between people and the environment. |
D.The efforts made by China to change the climate change. |
【推荐2】Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your choice of sport might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemical and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses in good condition .This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.
1. What do we know about golf from the passage?A.It is not played in Portugal and Spain at all. |
B.It causes water shortages around the world. |
C.It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. |
D.It needs water and energy to keep its courses in good condition. |
A.it is free | B.it benefits our health |
C.it is resource-saving | D.it gets people close to the nature |
A.Cycling in a mountain. | B.Working out in a gym. |
C.Swimming in a sports center. | D.Playing golf in the countryside. |
【推荐3】Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your choice of sport might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemical and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.
1. Which of the following does the author most probably like?A.Doing yoga in a gym. | B.Playing table tennis in a sports center. |
C.Driving a motorbike on the street. | D.Running around a lake. |
A.By listing numbers. | B.By comparison. |
C.By analyzing causes. | D.By quoting experts. |
A.compare the two types of sports |
B.teach us how to make sport greener |
C.call on us to take up green sports |
D.introduce different types of sports |
【推荐1】Open AI released an advanced AI chatbot named Chat GPT on November 30, 2022. It is a large language model that can be used for natural language processing tasks. It has reached 100 million users just two months after launching, causing much discussion on online platforms.
One of the key features of Chat GPT is its ability to generate human-like text responses to prompt(提示). This makes it useful for a wide range of applications, such as responding to questions in online forums(论坛), challenging incorrect premises, rejecting inappropriate request, or even creating content that is tailored to the given task. For example, GPT technology can help people write code quickly and accurately, and also help reduce the risk of errors, as it is capable of generating code that can bested and used immediately. Looking at the actual use of ChatGPT just from the standpoint of 2022, it is absolutely amazing. “ChatGPT is scary good. We are not far from dangerous strong AI”. Elon Musk tweeted.
But with such praise also came concern regarding its potential usage in academic settings. Could the chatbot inspire more student to cheat? “While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success,” said schools spokesperson Jenna Lyle.
When interviewed about their own limitations, this language model replied: one Limitation of large language models is that we are not capable of understanding the context or meaning of the words we generate. They can only produce text based on the probabilities of certain words or sequences of words appearing together, based on the training data we’ve been given, and the data was only updated to 2021.This means that we can’t provide explanations or reasoning for our responses, and we may not always generate responses.
1. What can we learn about the ChatGPT according to the text?A.Its function is only limited to chat. |
B.It was a hit once launched. |
C.It can understand the meaning of the words they generated well. |
D.It can respond to any request. |
A.Supportive. | B.Unconcerned. | C.Doubtful. | D.Unfavourable. |
A.Because it could not access the latest events happening after the updated time. |
B.Because it can not understand the context or the meaning of the words. |
C.What you typed into the dialog box was not enough. |
D.Chat GPT thought the topic was an inappropriate request. |
A.To remind people to be cautious about the dangerous strong AI. |
B.To introduce the advantages of the ChatGPT. |
C.To introduce the advanced AI chatbot ChatGPT. |
D.To describe the disadvantages of the Chat GPT. |
【推荐2】Humans are born and wired to compete with one another. People compare how many “likes” they have on social media. Billionaires envy multibillionaires. The legendary NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt once stated, “Second place is just the first loser”.
Although the competitive spirit may be as natural as breathing air, it does not always lead to human prosperity. On the contrary, left unmanaged, it can create misery for ourselves and others. Fortunately, there is a formula to solve this problem without unrealistically suggesting that we entirely dispense with our competitive urge: Instead of always going for gold, shoot for the bronze.
To expand on the wisdom of Earnhardt, although second place may be the first loser, third place can be the real winner — at least when it comes to happiness and longevity (长寿). Recent research suggested that the bronze winners appeared consistently happier on average than the silver medalists. Regarding the life span of all three medalist categories, it was found that the athlete whose best performance was silver lived to 72. Gold medalists beat this by a solid four years, living to 76. But first prize in longevity went to the bronze medalists, who lived to 78.
The study had a handy explanation for this distinction: “Dissatisfactory competition outcomes may badly affect health.” In other words, silver medalists see themselves as the first loser because they only look up to the top step, whereas the bronze winners compare themselves favorably with all the others who never made it onto the podium (领奖台) at all.
One of the problems with most competitions against others is that it tends to lower one’s inner motivation, and thus enjoyment. Decades ago, researchers showed this by asking people to solve puzzles and then measuring the interest they reported: They found the puzzles less rewarding when competing against others rather than against the clock. Simply having a time limit means competing against themselves — which is often more fun. The principle at work here is that trying to improve your own past performance provides a sense not of “winning” but of progress. And the only person to whom you will have to compare yourself is you.
1. What does the underlined words “dispense with” in paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Stick to. | B.Get rid of. | C.Depend on. | D.Take charge of. |
A.Treat competitions as all or nothing. |
B.Aim to outperform others in competitions. |
C.Check out others’ victories on social media. |
D.Compare themselves with those less fortunate. |
A.achieving personal bests | B.making peer comparisons |
C.gaining public recognition | D.pursuing downward competition |
A.Always Going for Gold | B.The Victory of Coming in Third |
C.Finding Satisfaction in Comparison | D.Second Place is Just the First Loser |
【推荐3】How do countries determine whose portraits to feature on their currency, and what does it tell us about their pasts? Here’s a look at banknotes from around the world and the stories behind their creation.
United States
In 1866, controversy erupted when the U.S Treasury issued a five-cent note bearing the portrait of Spencer Clark, the first chief of what is now known as the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Clark was not well liked by some members of Congress, who had accused him years earlier of fraud and “gross immortality.”
Following public outcry, Congress passed a law on April 7, 1866, which prohibited printing the “portrait or likeness of any living person” on the country’s currency. U.S. law still prohibits using the likeness of living people today, and even commemorative coins honoring a past president cannot be issued until two years after the president’s death.
In the modern era, the country celebrated past presidents and Founding Fathers on its currency-with portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Ulysses S. Grant and Benjamin Franklin gracing its banknotes.
New Zealand
New Zealand’s banknote design has been an unintentional reflection of New Zealand’s evolving self-image ever since it began issuing currency in 1934, according to historian Matthew Wright. The British dominion’s first banknotes reflected a split identity, bearing both British and local designs. The earliest series bore a portrait of Maori King Tawhaio, whose image was replaced in 1940 with Captain James Cook, the British explorer who “discovered” New Zealand.
New Zealand became a self-governing nation in 1947-yet in 1976, more than 20 years later, it was still proud of its association with Britain. Queen Elizabeth II displaced Cook on all banknotes, alongside native plants and birds.
By the late 20th century, however, New Zealand had begun to think of itself as a diverse and independent nation. In 1991, five years after winning full legal independence from Britain, New Zealand removed the Queen from all but its $20 bill and replaced her with remarkable New Zealanders-including women’s voting rights leader Kate Shepperd, mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, Maori political and cultural leader Sir Apirana Ngata, and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ernest Rutherford-who still grace the banknotes today.
1. Why did U.S. Congress ban the portrait of any living person on the currency?A.To solve a crime. | B.To issue a five-cent note. |
C.To honor a past president. | D.To stop public controversy. |
A.They are determined by the public. |
B.They include the portraits of outstanding figures. |
C.They symbolize the independence of the countries. |
D.They are closely associated with local environment. |
A.Historians affected it greatly. |
B.The process of it was complicated. |
C.New Zealand used to be a diverse nation. |
D.The banknote design experienced lots of tests. |
A.Ernest Rutherford. | B.Maori King Tawhaio. |
C.Queen Elizabeth II. | D.Captain James Cook. |