Have you ever wondered what wild animals do when no one is watching? Scientists have been able to record the “private” moments of wildlife with leading-edge technology. Low-cost, dependable and small modern cameras are of big help.
Cameras placed in hard-to-reach places have taken videos of everything from small desert cats to later snow-loving felines (猫科动物) in the northern Rocky Mountains. These cameras are important tools to learn new information on wildlife.
Some videos help scientists see the effects of climate change. For example, the desert animal javelina (矛牙野猪) and the tree-loving coatimundi (南美浣熊) have been caught on cameras north of their normal home. This could mean global warming is enlarging their living area northward.
Researchers use cameras, along with Global Positioning Systems or GPS. They attach GPS devices to animals living in or around Yellowstone National Park. Then they can record their movements, or migrations (迁移). These cameras can be left in the wild for days, weeks or even months. They can provide information on how many animals are moving over a given period of time.
Putting those cameras in place requires careful planning. Videos recorded by those cameras can show details about animal behavior. However, they have their problems too. Animals such as wolverines (狼獾) and bears sometimes attack them. Scientists do not know if the attacks are the result of anger or interest. Also, the devices have become popular tools to help hunters look for animals. Some people argue that it is unfair to use the cameras that way. Even with such problems, wild cameras are clearly important scientific tools in researching wild animals.
1. Which of the following helps scientists know about climate change?| A．How active wild animals are. | B．What wild animals eat. |
| C．Where wild animals go. | D．When wild animals move. |
| A．Tools. | B．Maps. | C．Pictures. | D．Videos. |
| A．They may make wild animals fight with each other. | B．They may make wild animals puzzled. |
| C．They may attract only a few wild animals. | D．They may bring danger to wild animals. |
| A．Cameras record animals in the wild | B．Cameras become popular in the wild |
| C．Animals no longer have secrets | D．An invention makes animals mad |
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【推荐1】In early September, Sally and Jon Watkinson found something unusual on their dog’s back. A baby possum (负鼠) held on to the coat of their dog, Kato. “Kato seemed to barely notice it was there,” Sally posted on Facebook. “It’s most surprising that Kato was not barking madly at it.”
The couple spent the day searching for a safe place to drop off the possum. After looking for wildlife rescue organizations, they eventually brought their dog into the vet with the animal still attached. The vet staff removed the baby, which they determined to be a little girl, to a wildlife career. Although wildlife rescuers are trying to locate the baby’s mother, they have been unsuccessful so far.
Only a day later, it happened again — on the same dog. “UPDATE!!! It happened again!!!” Sally updated on Facebook. “Today I found Kato again with another baby possum, this time on his actual back.” According to Sally, this possum seemed to be digging into Kato more, but again the dog didn’t seem to mind. “This time, the vet nurse nearly fell off her chair when we turned up,” Sally said.
In her post, Sally added that the initial possum was doing well. The second possum was a boy who was also sent to a wildlife shelter. According to the nurse, possums usually deliver babies of two or three, so the Watkinsons need to keep their eyes open for a third possum rider.
In the comments, Sally said that she thinks the possum will be okay. “He’s probably not quite weaned (断奶) yet but seemed well enough and was struggling on for dear life,” she wrote. “I think he found the right dog for that.”
Commenters added that this isn’t the first time a dog adopted a possum. Dog owners told stories of possums “riding” their dogs and following their dogs around. If you own a dog, check its fur for possible riders.
1. Why was the couple surprised at their dog?| A．It mistook a possum as its child | B．It reacted beyond their expectations. |
| C．It didn’t notice an animal on its back. | D．It looked after a possum as its mother. |
| A．She had expected it. | B．She burst into laughter. |
| C．She was nearly scared to death. | D．She could hardly believe her eyes. |
| A．The mother of the possums might appear. |
| B．The dog might get tired of another possum. |
| C．The same thing might happen to the dog again. |
| D．The Watkinsons might turn to the shelter for help. |
| A．Common. | B．Funny. |
| C．Unusual. | D．Mysterious. |
【推荐2】Elephants are the largest land mammals on Earth, and understanding them better could lead to some incredibly large breakthroughs in science. Researchers are doing a deep-dive study on elephant trunks, with the aim of improving the future of robotics.
Elephants’ trunks are both delicate and strong — they are capable of grasping a single leaf but can also carry nearly 600 pounds. And scientists argue that these multifunctional trunks — called proboscis are incredible inspiration for the next generation of bio-inspired (仿生) robots.
“Classical robots are extremely good for performing a specific task for which they’ve been designed. If you want that robot to do something a little different, it will fail,” said Michel Milinkovitch, a professor of the physics of biology at the University of Geneva.
In new research, scientists explained how elephants can move their trunks with almost unlimited degrees of freedom, combining about 20 basic movements to carry out more complicated movements. “Elephants have sort of a toolkit of simple movements, and they can combine these simple movements to complex trajectories (轨迹),’’ Milinkovitch said. “They can adapt to the object you give them.” The study also found that elephants can form “pseudo-joints” with their trunks, similar to the structure of a human elbow (肘) and wrist.
“It’s also a feeling of wonder just looking at these amazing creatures,’’ Milinkovitch said, noting that African forest elephants and African savanna elephants are endangered species, “We also hope to increase awareness of the conservation of this very unique animal,” he said. “There are a lot of principles that we can learn from nature; it’s not just there for our happy life— it is really an incredible source of engineering principles.”
1. What is the inspiration of elephants trunks for bio-inspired robots?| A．They are too strong to break easily. |
| B．They are adaptable to different tasks. |
| C．They are long enough to carry out tasks. |
| D．They are good at performing simple tasks. |
| A．Humans should treasure the happy life. |
| B．Humans should apply engineering principles. |
| C．Elephants in the world are on the edge of extinction. |
| D．Raising awareness of animal conservation is significant. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A news review. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A tourist brochure. |
| A．Time to Protect Elephants |
| B．Elephants, Trunks and Robotics |
| C．What Strange Elephants’ Trunks |
| D．Inspiration for Scientific Breakthrough |
【推荐3】The state of the world’s plants is not strong. One in five plant species faces the risk of disappearance, according to a report. And such loss of plant variety could have destructive influences on our own plant uses.
“Plants are extremely momentous to human beings,” said Kathy Willis, science director at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, who led the new report. “Plants provide us with everything--- food, fuel, medicine, and they are unbelievably important for our climate controlling. Without plants we would not be here.”
The good news is that deforestation rates around the world have decreased to a great extent since the 1950s. However, this first-ever report on the health of plant species around the world shows that there is much more to be done.
The report, named the “State of the World’s Plants”, estimates that there are now about 390,900 plant species known to science. And some 21 percent of those plants are in danger of disappearance. “The positive side is that we’re still discovering lots of new plants, about 2,000 each year, new plants for food, for fuel and for drugs,” said Dr Willis. “The bad side is that we’ve seen a huge change in land cover, mainly driven by cultural activity, with a little bit of climate change in there as well.”
Human activity has a significant effect on the risk of plant disappearance. As humans cut down forests to clear space for agriculture, towns and cities, vast stores of biodiversity (生物多样性) are lost.
Losing the diversity of plants could also be a problem for human use. Not only could this affect our own food supply directly, it could also affect the food web. If a plant-eating animal loses some of its food supplies, that change could affect the food chain.
1. What does the underlined word “momentous” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Crucial. | B．Available. |
| C．Bottomless. | D．Replaceable. |
| A．About 20. | B．About 2,000. |
| C．About 82,000. | D．About 390,900. |
| A．Nature climate change. | B．Loss of vital food bases. |
| C．Destructive human activity. | D．Pollution of the environment. |
| A．To show a big change in land cover. |
| B．To appeal to people to protect biodiversity. |
| C．To reveal some harmful human behavior. |
| D．To introduce some endangered plant species. |
【推荐1】Chocolate could soon be a thing of the past, after scientists warned that the cacao plant, from which chocolate is made, could be extinct within 32 years.
Over half of the world’s chocolate comes from just two countries in West Africa—Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana—where the temperature, rain, and humidity provide the perfect conditions for cacao to grow. But the threat of rising temperatures over the next three decades caused by climate change, is expected to result in a loss of water from the ground, which scientists say could upset this balance.
According to the related data, a temperature rise of just 2.1℃ could spell an end for the chocolate industry worldwide by 2050. Farmers in the region are already considering moving cacao production areas thousands of feet uphill into mountainous area—much of which is currently preserved for wildlife. But a move of this scale could destroy ecosystems that are already under threat from illegal farming and deforestation.
Part of the problem, according to Doug Hawkins, is that cacao farming methods have not changed for hundreds of years. “Unlike other tree crops that have benefited from the development of modern, high yielding strains and crop management techniques to realize their genetic potential, more than 90% of the global cocoa crop is produced by small farms with unimproved planting material,” he said. “It means that we could be facing a chocolate decrease of 100,000 tons a year in the next few years.”
Now scientists at the University of California at Berkeley have teamed up with American candy company Mars to keep chocolate on the menu. Using the controversial(有争议的) gene-editing technology known as CRISPR they are trying to develop a type of the cacao plant capable of surviving in dryer, warmer climates. If the team’s work on the cacao plant is successful, it could remove the need for farmers in West Africa to relocate to higher ground, and perhaps even allow cacao to be grown elsewhere in the world.
1. What do we know about chocolate from the text?| A．Chocolate will disappear from the menu 30 years later. |
| B．Chocolate is mainly produced by African countries. |
| C．Chocolate will not be produced by 2050 because of climate change. |
| D．A new type of chocolate will be produced with the help of CRISPR. |
| A．The damaged ecosystem. |
| B．Water shortage caused by climate change. |
| C．The threat from illegal farming. |
| D．The changeable farming method. |
| A．Objective. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Supportive. | D．Negative. |
【推荐2】Due to climate change and changes in land use, wildfires are predicted to rise by up to 14 percent by 2030, 30 percent by 2050 and 50 percent by the end of the 21st century, and even areas previously unaffected by wildfires such as the Arctic face increased risk, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal.
The report, “Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires”, says that wildfires and climate change are “mutually worsening”. Wildfires are made more serious by climate change through increased drought, high air temperatures, low humidity, lightning and strong winds. Meanwhile, climate change is made worse by wildfires, mostly by damaging sensitive and carbon-rich ecosystems like rainforests.
Wildfires can threaten people’s health and lives, pollute water, destroy crops and reduce land available to grow food. Wildlife, as well as natural habitats, is also rarely spared (幸免). Costs of rebuilding the areas after they are struck by wildfires can be beyond the means of low-income countries. In developing countries, an increase in damaging wildfires may delay progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The publication calls on governments to adopt a new “Fire Ready Formula”, with two-thirds of spending devoted to planning, prevention, preparedness and recovery and with one-third left for response. Currently, direct response to wildfires typically receives over half of related expenditures (花费), while planning receives less than one percent. “We have to minimize the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities, and strengthen global commitment to fighting climate change,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director.
The restoration of ecosystems is an important means to reduce the risk of wildfires before they occur. Wetland restoration and the reintroduction of species, building at a distance from plants, and preserving open space buffers (缓冲物) are some examples of the essential investments in prevention, preparedness and recovery.
1. Why does the author speak of the Arctic?| A．To introduce the climate change of it. | B．To warn people of the wildfire damage. |
| C．To stress the importance of protecting it. | D．To show the rising tendency of wildfires. |
| A．Wildfires and climate change have bad effects on each other. |
| B．The researchers are pessimistic about wildfire control. |
| C．Prevention receives half of related spending currently. |
| D．Many governments have adopted the new “Fire Ready Formula”. |
| A．Wildfire control | B．Reconstruction costs |
| C．The wildfire damage. | D．The slowing progress. |
| A．Calling on more people to donate money. |
| B．Surrounding busy towns with thick forests. |
| C．Investing more money in putting out wildfires. |
| D．Restoring wetlands as well as wildlife species. |
【推荐3】The Greek historian Herodotus is said to have made one of the earliest lists of Seven Wonders of the World. These were man-made structures, including the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. More recent times saw natural alternatives to these wonders of classical architecture proposed: waterfalls, mountains, canyons, reefs. Dramatic landscapes, features and wildlife, and the pleasure and excitement they offer to visitors, are basics of tourism.
As environmental consciousness has risen, attitudes to such sightseeing have changed. Yes, it is exciting to visit remote forests or spot rare species. But travelling to distant destinations is carbon-intensive (碳密集的) when flights or long road journeys are involved, and conservation can be made more difficult as well as assisted by sightseers. There is a balance to be struck, and some governments and businesses around the world try to increase the benefits while reducing the harm. Colombia, for example, recently introduced laws aimed at promoting sustainable tourism. Based on this, its economy got prosperous (繁荣的) as well as the tourism.
Most of us understand better than ever that there are costs as well as benefits associated with exploring. One of the commitments made by an environmental campaign launched last month, “The Jump”, is to “holiday local”, taking short flights once every 3 years and long flights very rarely. Fortunately, the UK’s 15 national parks, 86 areas of outstanding natural beauty, and countless other landscapes that are without formal status, but still beloved, mean that there is no shortage of special places for domestic nature tourists to visit, while a lot of European beauty spots are accessible by rail.
One recent survey found that Windsor Great Park and Kew have become Britain’s most popular attractions. Visitor numbers at wildlife trusts are high, with waiting lists for beaver-spotting. Some companies that formerly ran foreign trips have adapted to the pandemic by taking people to watch dolphins and other marine life off British coasts instead.
As we face an environmental emergency that grows ever more dangerous, it is essential to develop appreciation for nature that surrounds us. In a small way, holiday outings to watch dragonflies, kingfishers or seals, or be surrounded by trees that are coming into leaf, could help us to focus on what matters.
1. Why are the lists of Seven Wonders mentioned?| A．To bring natural wonders into focus. |
| B．To show changes in architectural styles. |
| C．To reveal the rising popularity of tourism. |
| D．To compare historic and modern structures. |
| A．It made efforts to conserve rare species. |
| B．It banned sightseers from going to remote forests. |
| C．It introduced laws to increase the income of tourism. |
| D．It tried to make its tourism develop healthily and stably. |
| A．Relaxed. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．Nature tourism: “travel local” |
| B．Discovery of European beauty spots |
| C．International tourism: wait before setting out |
| D．Sightseeing leads to environmental emergency |
【推荐1】If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the younger people learn a second language, the better the effect is. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.
"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language," said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vanghan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. "Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible.(灵活的) " he said, "You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in: a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between 2 and 34. Reading, writing.and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn,the better. "Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world."explained the scientists.
1. The main subject talked about in this passage is ________.| A．science on learning a second language |
| B．man's ability of learning a second language |
| C．findings that language learning can help brain power |
| D．language learning and math study |
| A．say language learning is also a kind of physical labor |
| B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language |
| C．show the importance of using muscles when you learn a language |
| D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well |
| A．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is |
| B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language |
| C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effects on people's brain |
| D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time |
| A．researchers on language learning |
| B．people who are good at learning foreign languages |
| C．people who can speak two languages |
| D．active language learners |
【推荐2】The origin of coffee? I never really thought about it. When I was a kid, coffee was always around. My parents drank coffee, my grandparents drank coffee, and all the adults I knew drank coffee. I thought I would drink it too when I was older, and of course. I did.
But there must have been a time before coffee. I don't remember coffee making an appearance in any of the Bible(圣经)stories I learned. Jesus changed water into wine, not coffee. Maybe if coffee had been around, he would have changed some of the water into coffee. Maybe that's what “B. C." in those timelines meant: "before coffee."
According to popular legend, the origin of coffee can be traced to a thousand years ago, when an Abyssinian(Ethiopian)goatherd(牧羊人)named Kaidi observed his goats dancing and jumping. When Kaidi investigated, he saw that the goats were happily eating the red berries（浆果)of an unfamiliar tree. Kaidi decided to try some, and when he did he joined the dancing goats and became “the happiest herder in happy Arabia''.
Some time later, a passing monk(和尚)observed Kaidi and the goats. When Kaidi told him about the berries, the monk thought they might be the answer to his prayers(祈祷). It seems that the monk was always falling asleep in the middle of prayers. When he ate the berries, he stayed awake. The unnamed monk came up with the idea of drying and boiling the berries. It came into the world. His fellow monks loved the new drink because it encouraged them to pray and it tasted good too.
So now that I know about Kaidi and his goats, if someday-in the far, far future, of course someone calls me an "old goat", I'll just smile, take another sip of coffee, and maybe do a little dance.
1. Why didn't Jesus change water into coffee?| A．Because Jesus didn't like coffee. |
| B．Because coffee didn't appear at that time. |
| C．Because it was not the right time to have coffee. |
| D．Because Jesus was better at changing water into wine. |
| A．Serious. | B．Objective. |
| C．Scientific. | D．Humorous. |
| A．a kind of new drink |
| B．a kind of food made by monks |
| C．a kind of soup needed to be boiled |
| D．a kind of drug encouraging people to keep awake |
| A．The Origin of Coffee. |
| B．The Development of Coffee. |
| C．The Popularity of Coffee in the World. |
| D．The Coffee-drinking Tradition in My Family. |
【推荐3】Knowing how to communicate well needs very personal attention between you and another human being. Is there a better way to learn how to communicate effectively? Yes, there is. Please follow the 3 basic steps below.
Relax and breath
Whether it’s a business meeting or a first date the first thing you must do in order to communicate is to relax.
When you relax you are in control. You control your reactions and your reactions do not control you. Breathing is central to relaxation. Take a few deep breaths and your body will begin to be more at ease. This will help you apply what you already know about how to communicate well.
Think and you will be prepared
Have you ever heard the old saying “think before you speak”? Well, it is true. By thinking ahead about how the conversation might flow you will be better prepared, more at ease and more confident.
Follow the flow of the conversation
If you are uncomfortable, being silent will only make it worse and make the other person uncomfortable as well. So when all else fails, follow through with small talk until a common topic appears.
A good way to keep a conversation going is to ask the other person questions. People love to talk about themselves and if you do this they will leave the conversation thinking very highly of you. Learning good communication skills is not something out of reach. If you make an effort, you will succeed.
1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．How to Communicate with Anyone You Meet |
| B．Preparation and Conversation |
| C．Personal Attention and Communication |
| D．How to Begin Your Conversation Effectively |
| A．to keep calm and relax yourself fully |
| B．to take as many deep breaths as possible |
| C．to make a good preparation for the conversation |
| D．to follow the flow of the conversation |
| A．Because it can help you keep excited and react quickly in the communication. |
| B．Because it will help you organize good sentences for your communication. |
| C．Because it can help you put your communication skills that you know into use. |
| D．Because no one likes to communicate with a nervous person. |
| A．keep silence in order to give the chance of speaking to others |
| B．speak freely so as to run across the topic you like |
| C．talk small things until you find a topic you both like |
| D．ask questions which you are interested in |
