【推荐3】Iman, the last Sumatran rhino(犀牛) in Malaysia, died in 2019 — bringing the endangered species one step closer to extinction. Now, Malaysian scientists are hoping to use tissues and cells from Iman and other dead rhinos to bring the population back.

“Before the three rhinos (the last survivors in Malaysia) died, we got their cells, and the cells are still alive — which is why I’m quite confident,” Dr. Lokman said. “If we don’ t have any cells, or have just tissue that isn’t living anymore, we wouldn’t be able to do anything. But now we have a living thing that we can use.”

The cells came from the rhinos’ hearts, lungs and brains. What is the most important is that the team collected stem cells (干细胞). One possible approach is to develop these stem cells into an egg（卵子）and sperm (精子), to create an embryo (胚胎) that will be placed into a surrogate mother (代孕母亲). She will likely be another rhino, either a Sumatran rhino from another country or another species. The other method is to take the egg of a surrogate animal, remove the nucleus (细胞核), and join it with a Sumatran rhino’s body cell. This technique was famously used to clone Dolly the sheep in 1996. Dr. Lokman and his colleagues are trying both ways. The team is still in the early stages; next, they need to find a suitable surrogate female.

Sumatran rhinos are listed as critically endangered by the World Wildlife Fund. There are less than 80 alive in Indonesia and Thailand. The fall in the population was first caused by hunting. Later, the situation was worsened by the loss of habitats and human activity. Unfortunately, there are now only five remaining rhino species worldwide, and all are threatened. Some sub-species have already died out; the western black rhino was declared extinct in 2013. And it is a pity that the last male northern white rhino died in 2019.

1. What makes it possible for the team to bring the Sumatran rhinos population back?

A．They have collected three rhinos living cells.

B．They have carried out similar experiments before.

C．There is a baby Sumatran rhino living in Malaysia.

D．There are still some cells alive in the dying rhino.

2. What do the two methods have in common?

A．Both have been used for Dolly.	B．Both change the cell’ s nucleus.
C．Both involve a surrogate female.	D．Both rely on the Sumatran rhinos’ stem cells.

3. What feeling does the author express in the last paragraph?

A．Her admiration for cloning technology.

B．Her satisfaction with the scientists’ efforts.

C．Her disappointment at protection measures.

D．Her deep worry about the rhino population.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia has died.

B．Scientists hope to clone Sumatran rhinos.

C．Stem cells are giving birth to new rhino babies.

D．Sumatran rhinos are listed as critically endangered.

【推荐1】Imagine living in a cool, green city alive with parks and threaded with footpaths, bike lanes and buses which transport people to shops, schools and service centers in a matter of minutes.

This fancy dream is behind the idea of the 15-minute city, where all basic needs and services are within a quarter of an hour’s reach, improving public health and lowering vehicle emissions.

Artificial intelligence could help urban planners realize that vision faster, with a new study from researchers at Tsinghua University in China demonstrating how machine learning can generate more efficient spatial layouts (空间布局) than humans can.

Automation scientist Zheng Yu and his colleagues wanted to find new solutions to improve our cities which are fast becoming blocked. They developed an AI system to tackle the tough tasks of urban planning and found it can produce urban plans that outperform human designs by about 50 percent in three aspects: access to services, green spaces and traffic levels.

Starting small, Zheng’s team tasked their model with designing the urban area only a few square kilometers in size (about 3×3 blocks). After two days of training, the AI system searched for the ideal road designs and land use to fit with the concept of the 15-minute city and local planning policies and needs.

While the AI model has some capabilities that could extend its use for planning larger urban areas, designing entire cities will be more complex. Drafting a neighborhood consisting of 4×4 blocks contains twice as many planning decisions as designing 3×3 blocks, the researchers said. But automating even a few steps in the planning process can save huge amounts of time: the AI model can compute in seconds certain tasks that take human planners between 50 to 100 minutes to work through.

Rather than AI replacing people, Zheng and his colleagues think their AI system can work as an “assistant” to urban planners, who could generate concept designs optimized (优化) by the system, and reviewed, adjusted and evaluated by human experts based on community feedback.

1. According to the text, which of the following is NOT a benefit of the “15-minute city” concept?

A．Better public health.	B．Lower vehicle emissions.
C．Decreased access to green spaces.	D．Fast and convenient service.

2. Which major issue in cities did Zheng Yu and his team want to address?

A．High levels of pollution.	B．Limited access to public services.
C．Shortage of affordable housing.	D．Rising crowding and traffic problems.

3. What can be concluded from the text about the AI model’s capabilities?

A．It can design entire cities efficiently.

B．It takes longer to train for larger urban areas.

C．It can complete tasks much faster than human planners.

D．It is limited to planning only a few square kilometers at a time.

4. What’s the best title for this passage?

A．Designing better cities with AI

B．The 15-Minute City: A Dream or Reality?

C．Improving Public Health with Greener Cities

D．The Role of Machine Learning in Urban Design

【推荐2】What to Do If Your Child Can’t Sleep

Sleep issues are not particular to infants and toddlers, but can linger well into the school-going age bracket. If parents have reached the stage where their older child doesn’t sleep well, they may feel resigned to the situation – and it’s true that the older the child is, the more difficult it may be to change deeply rooted sleep associations and expectations – but there’re still some things you can do.

Sleep strategies – Explain: Talk to your child about the changes that you intend to make. Do this during the daytime, on a walk or over lunch. Let your child be involved in the decisions to give them a sense of control over the situation. Ask for their input, suggestions and their own impressions of what they would like their bedtime to include. Then rearrange the bedroom together, or simply choose the books and pajamas.

Environment: Make sure your child’s bedroom is a calm, safe place. Avoid too many distractions or stimulating activities in advance of sleep. Keep electronics and televisions out of the bedroom and limit their use at least 1-2 hours before bedtime, as using gadgets shortly before sleep can make it difficult for your child to “switch off”. If lots of non-sleep time is spent in the bedroom, the room itself does not represent the big separation that is sleep.

Diet and exercise: Outdoor exercise and fresh air are significant components to healthy sleep, and at least one hour a day is the recommendation. Don’t do this too close to sleep time though, as that’s when you need to be helping relax your child’s body, not stimulate it.

A growing child will need good sleep, so they need three structured meals and plenty of water throughout the day. But sugary or processed foods should be avoided. Allow them time to digest the food they’ve eaten before having them go to bed, although warm milk can help promote sleep.

1. According to the article, the underlined word “bracket” in paragraph 1 probably means _____.

A．a kind of basket	B．a particular range
C．a kind of relationship	D．the name of an age group

2. According to the article, why should parents involve their children in the decision-making about sleep issues?

A．To strengthen their connection with their children.

B．To warn their children that they should sleep well.

C．To inform their children that some changes about their sleeping habits will be made.

D．To make the children feel they have the ability to make their own decisions about their sleep issues.

3. If parents want their children to sleep well, which food should they try not to give their children?

A．Boiled eggs.	B．Candy bars.
C．Warm milk	D．Homemade dumplings.