【推荐1】When Lake Palcacocha, a glacial (冰山的) lake in Peru, suddenly burst in 1941, releasing 8 to 10 million cubic meters of water, the resulting flood killed an estimated 6,000 people, and the water destroyed about a third of the town Huaraz 23 kilometers away. “That town has been rebuilt in the same location, and now it’s more populous. That’s particularly scary,” says Robinson, a disaster risk specialist in New Zealand. This example shows how the danger from such glacial lake outburst floods (or GLOFs) isn’t just a physical disaster, but varies with the local population level and the availability of government support in the region. Robinson and his colleagues have used satellite data to identify 1,089 river basins containing glacial lakes globally. As the team reported in Nature Communications, they found that about 15 million people worldwide are exposed to potential GLOF impacts.

The high mountain regions of the Himalayas are well known for GLOFs, but the team found similar dangers in the Andes, although there are relatively fewer studies of that region. And then there’s Bhutan, where the number of people who would be affected by a GLOF is low compared with larger countries, but it’s a high percentage of the population. “The way to think about that is, if you have a GLOF, how many people have you got to respond? In Bhutan, you could have a single GLOF that affects a large proportion of the country,” Robinson says.

GLOFs are tightly linked to climate change. But as glaciers recede, growing populations move closer to them. Restricting climate change will help slow the growth of glacial lakes, but each location varies in geology and politics, requiring a different combination of early warning systems, engineering solutions, and land-use planning. “There’s no single solution, and what is appropriate in one location may not work in another,” Robinson says. His team’s goal is to help focus research efforts on the most potentially dangerous glacial lakes, and to show that those lakes won’t burst.

1. What does Robinson think especially scary?

A．A glacial lake will be a popular destination.

B．Government support worsens GLOF effects.

C．Huaraz has been rebuilt in its original place.

D．The burst of Lake Palcacocha can’t be predicted.

2. How does Bhutan differ from larger countries in case of a GLOF burst?

A．A large percentage of the population will be affected.

B．The government is ready to make timely response to it.

C．Many studies and predictions have been made about it.

D．People are usually relocated in a safe place after a burst.

3. What does the underlined word “recede” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Continue.

B．Decrease.

C．Clear.

D．Accumulate.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．GLOFs Form a Threat to Human Life

B．Men React Actively to GLOF Bursts

C．Glacial Lakes Face Mixed Solutions

D．Researchers Hold Back GLOF Bursts

【推荐3】A Recipe for Avoiding Disaster

Every log cabin homeowner has had those “what if” thoughts. What if conditions become so dry that a wildfire starts near my cabin? What if the rain is so relentless that the lake outside my doorstep begins to overflow its banks? What if tornado-fueled winds threaten to destroy everything I’ve created?

    1    . That’s the bad news. The good news? There are ways you can use your landscaping to minimize the damage that extreme weather can cause and still have an attractive yard all at the same time. Here are a few tips for using your outdoor resources in a way that can lessen the impact of a natural disaster on your log home:

WILDFIRES: The key to keeping fires from damaging your home is regular maintenance with a focus on how fires spread. Begin by removing dead plants like trees and shrubs promptly and trimming (修剪) any branches that overhang the property or have close contact with the log walls.     2    . It’s also a good idea to install irrigation in a 50-foot radius around your home to help create a fireproofing perimeter.

FLOODS: A massive amount of flooding that leaves your house and yard in standing water is a tall order in terms of prevention strategies, but more moderate flooding can be stopped with a few simple landscaping tricks.     3    . You can create extra drainage (排水系统) through the use of strategically placed stones and bushes that direct water away from the foundation.

TORNADOES: To minimize the damage caused by the sudden gusts tornado weather brings, be sure to keep trees and shrubs trimmed.     4    .

A．The best way to begin is to grade your soil so that it slopes downward and away from your home in all directions.

B．Make every effort to prevent fire spread as soon as possible.

C．Never leave piles of brush or leaves near the house because they can burn easily.

D．What you should do is to gather standing water to help with water absorption.

E．There’s nothing you can do to prevent those extreme scenarios from happening.

F．Also, check to ensure any yard ornaments (like birdbaths, pots or statues) are heavy enough to withstand the strong force.

【推荐1】How do we come to make sense of our daily lives? How can we gain a strong grasp of who we really are and how we fit in the world? And how can we naturally connect to important ones in our lives? “Life stories are one of the prime tools we have for understanding ourselves and the world around us.” says Robyn Fivush, a professor at Emory University.

Humans are natural storytellers. We use stories to understand our present, draw insights from our past, and anticipate the future. Thus, storytelling is basic to our lives. As a form of rich engagement between family members, family storytelling should be valued more. Sharing bedtime stories and talks after school, or walking through an event that left a young child crying—these are all opportunities for parents and children to become closer through warmth, understanding and support. Fivush and her colleagues have underscored the value of storytelling in parenting. The ways parents support children’s emotions and help them retell more vivid, richly detailed stories have lasting impacts on children’s cognitive(认知的)and emotional development.

Children and teenagers learn how to talk about their lives from family stories. An early example is learning how to present a detailed story with a beginning, a middle, and an end—to give it a clear structure. Further, they learn what is appropriate to talk about or avoid and what feelings are appropriate to share over dinner or out with others.

When growing up, we use our life stories to build complex and stable views of ourselves. Through stories about the traditions maintained over the years, we make connections between past successes and failures, our relationships, and the activities that hold meaning to us to develop our new identities. These identities reflect our roles as family members, community members, co-workers and so on, thus helping us have a more complete view of ourselves.

Having a lasting impact on ourselves and those around us, life stories are filled with meaning, insight, and value. By the way, what’s the story that stands out to you from a recent meal or chat?

1. Why does the writer ask three questions in the beginning?

A．To explain a general idea.

B．To give background information.

C．To introduce an argument.

D．To report the finding of a study.

2. What does the underlined word “underscored” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Cast doubt on.	B．Attached importance to.
C．Shown concern for.	D．Thought poorly of.

3. How can life stories help form a complete view of ourselves according to the writer?

A．By maintaining social ties.

B．By rebuilding our identities.

C．By connecting our past and future.

D．By learning from family members.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A review on a storybook.

B．An advice letter for social life.

C．A guidebook to parenting.

D．An essay on the value of storytelling.

【推荐2】What is the smelliest fruit on earth? Durians (榴莲), of course. But what makes this large spiky fruit from Southeast Asia so smelly? A team of researchers discovered the answer to this question recently. Their study explained which genes (基因) are responsible for the fruit's unique smell.

Thanks to the work of the scientists, we finally know why durians smell so unique. It's because of a gene called MGL，which can be found in other crops like cacao and cotton. Unlike other fruits that have just one copy of the gene, the durian has four, which are activated when the fruit is ripe.

According to the study, the MGL genes are involved in sulfur (硫磺) production. Indeed, they are the secret code to unlocking the smell of durians. In the wilderness, the smell serves an important purpose - survival. The fruit's special smell attracts animals, which eat and spread its seeds.

But of course, humans don't do this. So why do so many of us enjoy eating this unusual fruit? “It has a very rich and creamy taste. To us, it has a heavenly smell, and it melts in your mouth,” said professor Bin Tean Teh, the leading author of the study.

In some Southeast Asian countries where durians grow, the smelly fruit is not allowed on public transport and in many hotels. By identifying this MGL gene, scientists believe they could produce durians that don't smell as strong. This could increase its popularity. Those who hate it may love it, and those who love it may love it more.

However, not everyone is happy about the possibility of changing the smell of their favorite fruit. “A durian without its smell is nothing but an empty shell without its properties,” wrote Singaporean Richie Liang.

1. What did the study find?

A．Why people don't like durians	B．What kind of fruit smells good
C．How we make durians smell better	D．Which genes make durians smelly

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．The benefits of eating durians	B．The code to unlocking the MGL genes
C．The function of durians' smell	D．The disadvantage of the MGL genes

3. What does the underlined word “heavenly” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Smelly

B．Odd

C．Inviting

D．Familiar

4. Why do scientists intend to change durians' smell?

A．To help them survive better	B．To make them more attractive
C．To increase their profits	D．To protect them from harmful insects

5. What is Richie Liang's attitude towards changing durians' smell?

A．Opposed

B．Doubtful

C．Unconcerned

D．Supportive.

【推荐3】Now, people may feel it surprising that given rise to by technological advances, one growing nuisance(讨厌的东西)，is the “junk” telephone call. Actually, without further human assistance, those calls are distributed by machines which can be programmed to dial numbers automatically. Once a number is reached, the machine delivers a prepared sales voice or even records the receiver’s response.

The machine, which can call hundreds of numbers during a regular business day, does present some problems. Certain of the devices, particularly the cheaper ones, do not disconnect if the person called chooses not to listen and hangs up.

This has the potential to cause tragedy, as well as anger and inconvenience. Woman in the Midwest, for example, attempted to call a doctor for her mother, who had just collapsed with what appeared to be a heart attack. The phone did not present a dial tone but a recorded sales voice, which would not stop even after the woman hung up the phone. Fortunately, a neighbor’s phone was usable, and help was in place in time.

Certain models of the dialing devices can record orders for the product being sold. This has resulted in some bizarre situations. A family in Texas, for example, found that a $10,000 worth medicine was ordered by their healthy 75-year granny. Another family discovered that their three-year-old child, who didn’t know how to read, had subscribed to several adult magazines for which the parents were then being billed.

Many people regard the junk telephone call to be even more offensive than junk mail which is usually possible to recognize and discard without opening or reading it. A phone call, however, can’t be recognized as junk until it has been answered and at least a portion of the message heard. Some people have turned to the continuous use of answering machines on their home telephones while others find the answering machines equally objectionable as the junk calls. In reference to all the facts, some kind of regulation of the nuisance should be in place.

1. Who may apply a“junk”telephone machine to call according to the first paragraph?

A．Producers of “junk”telephone machines.

B．Telephone companies greedy for money.

C．Evil-hearted people doing that just for fun.

D．Businesses promoting their items or services.

2. What does the author want to present by giving the example of a woman in the Midwest?

A．Nice neighbors are treasures in one’s life.

B．Junk telephone machines are likely to do harm.

C．Telephones may break down at some critical moment.

D．Loads of phones are disturbed by junk telephone calls.

3. What does the underlined word bizarre in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Unusual

B．Accidental

C．Amusing

D．Mysterious

4. What is the author’s intention of writing this passage according to the last paragraph?

A．Appealing for the regulation of the junk phone call.

B．Discussing the potential risks of technological advance.

C．Showing how people feel annoyed at the junk telephone call.

D．Displaying the troubles resulting from the junk telephone call.