Alaska officials have canceled several crab (螃蟹) harvests, like the fall Bristol Bay red king crab harvest, in a conservation effort that sent shock waves through the crabbing industry in the region. The fall red king crab harvest was canceled for the second year because of the low number of mature female crabs, which can indicate the health of the broader population. For the first time on record, officials delay the winter harvest of snow crab.
The decision comes after stark population declines of the animals. Data from an NOAA eastern Bering Sea survey shows a 92% decline in overall snow crab abundance from 2018 to 2021. The population declined by 83% from 2018 to 2022 as some small crabs entered the population in 2022, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Last year’s snow crab harvest was 5.6 million pounds, the smallest in over 40 years. Snow crab populations dropped after a 2019 Bering Sea warming, and the causes of the population crash are probably stresses from the warmer water and increased threats from predators (捕食者).
“Management of Bering Sea snow crab must now focus on conservation and rebuilding given the condition of the stock (库存),” the Alaska Department of Fish and Game said in a statement.
Bering Sea crab harvests as recently as 2016 earned $280 million. A fleet of about 60 boats from Alaska, Washington and Oregon typically pursue the crab, and each boat employs about six people.
“It’s going to be life-changing, if not career-ending, for people,” said Dean Gribble, a crab boat captain who has fished for snow crab since the late 1970s. “A lot of these guys with families and kids have no options other than getting out. That’s where the hammer is going to fall—on the crew.”
1. Why did Alaska officials cancel several crab harvests?| A．To save the animals. | B．To narrow the market. |
| C．To increase the price. | D．To reform the industry. |
| A．Entire. | B．Small. | C．Sharp. | D．Annual. |
| A．Praise the fishermen’s great work. | B．Add some background information. |
| C．Summarize the previous paragraphs. | D．Introduce a new type of well-paid job. |
| A．The policy is a total failure. | B．The locals should stay at home. |
| C．The fishermen will be hit hard. | D．The snow crab has been in danger. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】People asked to imagine how flooding or droughts would affect particular people or places were more likely to engage in environmentally friendly actions．
Many people view climate change as a distant threat． But having them imagine the tangible （有形的） consequences of resulting droughts or floods may help change this idea and encourage proenvironmental behavior， a new study suggests．
Researchers asked 93 college students to read a report on temperature anomalies （异常），floods and other climate change-related events that have affected the island． The scientists then asked 62 of the participants to write down three ways in which such phenomena might impact their future lives． Half the people in that group were instructed to imagine such situations in detail． The remaining 31 students did not complete either the writing or imagining steps， acting as a control group．
All the participants then rated their ideas of climate change risks by responding to questions such as "How likely do you think it is that climate change is having serious impacts on the world？" They used a scale from 1 （"very unlikely"） to 7 （"very likely"）． The average score was higher among subjects who had been asked to envision detailed situations than among those who had not． The results were later confirmed in a second experiment involving 102 participants．
Participants in the first experiment who had imagined the effects of climate change were more likely to say they would use air conditioning in an energy-saving manner． In the second experiment， nearly two thirds of people in the visualizing （想象） group signed up to help clean a beach， compared with 43 percent in the nonvisualizing one． And when offered a choice of a vegetarian （素食主义的）or nonvegetarian lunch box， nearly half the visualizers selected the environmentally friendlier meatless choice-compared with about 28 percent of the nonvisualizers．
The researchers did not track people to see if they behaved differently in their day-to-day lives-something further studies should examine， says study co-author Wen-Bin Chiou． Moreover， the research ''should be done again in other places with other populations，" says Robert Gifford， a professor of psychology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia， who was not involved in the work．
The findings could be applied to raise public concern about climate change， Chiou says． For example， he suggests that news reports about the phenomenon could include vivid descriptions of its effects on people，s lives and ask readers to imagine experiencing such impacts． Having virtual-reality demonstrations （展示）in local science museums of the consequences of climate change would be another way of putting the research into practice， Chiou adds．
1. Which of the following statements about the study is true？ ______| A．Only one experiment was carried out for the study． |
| B．Professor Robert Gifford played a key role in the study． |
| C．The control group only completed the writing step in the experiment． |
| D．Participants asked to imagine detailed effects scored higher than those who weren't． |
| A．it is true of other populations in other places |
| B．more money will be donated to the people affected by climate change-related events |
| C．people choose vegetarian lunch boxes in their daily lives |
| D．climate change will cause people to think about joining in a control group |
| A．the government call on people to live a low-carbon life |
| B．people use air conditioning in an energy-saving manner |
| C．people experience possible effects of climate change through virtual reality facilities |
| D．news reports provide vivid descriptions of the effects of climate change on peoples5lives |
| A．different people may have different reactions to climate change |
| B．different forms of climate change may affect people's ideas in different ways |
| C．people may change their behavior after thinking about the vivid impacts of climate change |
| D．college students show great concern for the people affected by climate change |
【推荐2】Have you ever had the feeling that you can’t think when there is too much noise around? Did you ever think a fish could experience that feeling too? A recent paper published in Science titled “Soundscape (声景) of the Anthropocene Oceans”, combined over 10,000 scientific papers, confirming that undersea life knows that exact same feeling, more often than not. Anthropogenic (人为的) ocean noise, also known as underwater noise pollution, has created a dramatic impact on marine life due to “human-caused” activity within and neighboring our oceans.
Disney Pixar’s animated film Finding Nemo educated us about the ocean, and specifically within the ordinary world of a clown fish. A fact many may not know is that clown fish spend the first part of their lives as larvae (幼体), drifting with the current of the ocean until they become strong enough to swim against it. Once they are powerful and strong, they head home in sheltered coral reefs. There is only one drawback-the fish can’t physically see the reef, but they can hear it. The only problem is, if they can’t hear it, will they ever make it home?
Our anthropogenic ocean noise, such as cargo ships, ship and boat propellers (螺旋桨), surfing, deep sea mining, etc. are causing destruction of marine life. According to Time, sound is the sensory signal that travels the farthest through the ocean. Anthropogenic noise drowns out the natural soundscapes, putting marine life under immense stress. Altogether, this stress then affects their general health, disrupts their behavior, physiology, reproduction and, in extreme cases, causes death. Marine life can adapt to noise pollution, however, only if they can escape it. This only renders further complications of forcing species to leave their traditional breeding regions or their families.
Now, what if we told you there is already a solution? Multiple solutions, ideas and designs are currently in the works or already exist to reduce and reverse the damage of anthropogenic ocean noise. As Time explains, from wind-powered ships to noise-reducing propellers, floating wind turbines and “bubble curtains” that muffle construction noise, the solutions are already available and in some cases, cost-effective. The authors of the paper hope it will catch the attention of policymakers, who historically speaking, have ignored the matter still to this day.
Of all the challenges ocean creatures are battling, luckily sound pollution is the easiest compromise (妥协方案) humans can make. Once the noise has decreased, marine life will be able to better manage everything else it is up against.
1. What do we know about “Soundscape of the Anthropocene Oceans”?| A．It analyses how sound travels in the ocean. |
| B．It discusses different types of ocean pollution. |
| C．It explores the effects of noise pollution on sea life. |
| D．It studies how sea animals communicate with each other. |
| A．present their life cycles |
| B．show how terrible their living conditions are |
| C．introduce a famous animation about the ocean world |
| D．stress the importance of natural soundscapes to sea life |
| A．Reduces. | B．Causes. | C．Solves. | D．Prevents. |
| A．publicize the knowledge of soundscape |
| B．regulate human’s activities on the ocean |
| C．emphasize the importance of animal protection |
| D．draw people’s attention to anthropogenic ocean noise |
【推荐3】A Malawian woman, Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, was recently awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa — the world’s leading award for grassroots environmental activists.
Gloria Majiga-Kamoto was then working for a local environmental organization with a program that gave goats to rural farmers, who would use the goat waste to produce low-cost, high-quality organic fertilizer (肥料). The problem? The thin plastic bags covering the Malawian countryside. “We have this very common street food, chiwaya, which is salty and served in little blue plastics,” Majiga-Kamoto says. “Goats eat the plastic for salty taste and they die because it blocks the ingestion (摄食) system.” For her, this was the moment when it all changed. All of a sudden, she started noticing how plastics were everywhere in the Malawian environment and food system-affecting people’s living and health.
“I remember back in the day when we’d go to the market and buy things like fish, you’d get it in newspapers,” the 30-year-old says. But thin plastics took off in the last decade or so as new producers sprung up in Malawi, selling products like thin plastic bags at cheap prices. In fact, the Malawian government decided to ban the importation, production and distribution of single-use plastic in 2015. But before the ban could go into full effect, Malawi’s plastics-producing industry appealed to the country’s High Court against the ban, causing it to be suspended.
When Majiga-Kamoto and her fellow environmentalists heard about this, they were annoyed. She organized marches and rejected the plastic industry’s argument that the ban would hurt Malawi’s economy — and even debated with an industry spokesman on TV. Finally in 2019, Malawi’s High Court ruled in favor of the ban. The following year, the government began closing down illegal plastic producers.
Michael Sutton, executive director of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, said, “Majiga-Kamoto’s fight with the plastic industry is a perfect example of the spirit of the prize.”
1. What made Majiga-Kamoto realize the problem?| A．Her experience with plastic-eating goats. |
| B．Her discovery of goat waste everywhere. |
| C．Her doubt about the safety of street food. |
| D．Her care for the farmers living in poverty. |
| A．It used to be extremely rich in fish. |
| B．It advocated using thin plastic bags. |
| C．It failed to ban single-use plastic at first. |
| D．It relied heavily on the plastic industry. |
| A．To put the ban into effect. |
| B．To support the government. |
| C．To back the plastic industry up. |
| D．To promote Malawi’s economy. |
| A．Humble. | B．Generous. | C．Patient. | D．Committed. |
“I have two kids in college, and I want to say ‘come home,’ but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education,” says Jacobs.
The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid from the schools, and each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (贷款) program. They will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators(管理者) expect to hear more families like the Jacobs. More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
At the same time, tuition（学费）continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade,
“If we go on this way for another 25years, we won’t have an affordable system of higher education,” says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. “The middle class families have been financing it through debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt.”
Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow uninterrupted.
1. How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?
| A．They asked their kids to come home. |
| B．They borrowed $20,000 from the school. |
| C．They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs. |
| D．They got help from the school and the federal government. |
| A．more families will face the same problem as the Jacobs |
| B．the government will receive more letters of complaint |
| C．college tuition fees will double soon |
| D．America’s unemployment will fall |
| A．They blamed the government for the tuition increase. |
| B．Their income remained steady in the last decade. |
| C．They will try their best to send kids to college. |
| D．Their debts will be paid off within 25 years. |
| A．provide most students will scholarships |
| B．dismiss some financial aid administrators |
| C．stop the companies from making student loans |
| D．go on providing financial support for college students |
【推荐2】A Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, will be the first man to fly on a SpaceX rocket for an about seven-day trip around the Moon as early as 2023, and he plans to bring six to eight artists along.
Maezawa, 42, will have been the first moon traveller since the last US Apollo task in 1972. He paid a large amount of money for the trip. “Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the Moon,” he said. “This is my lifelong dream.”
Maezawa is CEO of Japan's largest online fashion mall. He is the founder of ZOZO,a global company based in Japan where people can buy clothing online. His another hobby is collecting valuable works of modern art.
His love for art led him to decide to invite artists to come along. He said, “I would like to invite six to eight artists from around the world to join me on this mission to the Moon. They will be asked to create something after they return to the earth. These masterpieces will inspire the people who have dreams.”
The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American businessman who in 2001 paid some 20 million dollars to fly on a Russian spaceship to the International Space Station.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk described Maezawa as the bravest and best adventurer. “He stepped forward,” Musk added. “We are honored that he chose us.” Musk said he would not make known the price for the Moon trip, but said it would be “free for the artists”.
“This is dangerous, to be clear. This is no walk in the park,” Musk warned. “There is a chance something could go wrong.”
1. According to the text, Yusaku Maezawa__________.| A．will be the first space tourist in the world. |
| B．owns the world's largest online fashion mall. |
| C．has dreamed of travelling to the moon since childhood. |
| D．plans to spend seven days walking on the moon. |
| A．His strong love for art. | B．his dream of becoming an artist. |
| C．His hobby of collecting rocket models. | D．his idea of making a meaningful journey. |
| A．Create unusual art works after the journey. | B．Pay for their own journey. |
| C．Explore their imagination in space. | D．Inspire people to become dreamers. |
| A．tourists might go in a wrong direction. | B．tourists might lose their lives. |
| C．tourists are sure of their safety. | D．tourists have a chance to live in space. |
【推荐3】The 2021 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to the novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah, for his "compassionate insight of the effects of colonialism (殖民主义) and the fate of the refugee (难民)".
Gurnah is a Tanzanian writer who writes in English and lives and works in the United Kingdom. He was born in Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island off the east African coast. Zanzibar underwent a revolution in 1964 in which citizens of Arab origin were persecuted (迫害). Gurnah was forced to flee the country when he was 18. He began to write in English as a 21-year-old refugee in England. He has written numerous works that pose questions around ideas of belonging, colonialism, displacement, memory and migration.
He is one of the most important contemporary postcolonial novelists writing in Britain today and is the first black African writer to win the prize since Wole Soyinka in 1986. Gurnah is also the first Tanzanian writer to win.
Anders Olsson, chair of the Nobel committee, said that the Gurnah's novels abandon stereotypical descriptions and turn our eyes to a culturally diverse East Africa unfamiliar to many in other parts of the world.
Gurnah, who was in the kitchen when he was informed of his win, said that he believed it was a wind-up.
"I thought it was a prank (恶作剧)," he said. "These things are usually floated for weeks in advance, or sometimes months beforehand, about who are the runners, so it was not something that was in my mind at all. I was just thinking, I wonder who'll get it?"
"I am honored to be awarded this prize and to join the writers who have been superior to me on this list. It is overwhelming and I am so proud."
His longtime editor, Alexandra Pringle at Bloomsburg, said Gurnah's win was "most deserved" for a writer who has not previously received due recognition.
1. Why is Gurnah awarded the Nobel Prize in literature?| A．He has rich experience of life. |
| B．He is a productive author. |
| C．He has gained popularity among readers. |
| D．He explores the suffering caused by war and colonialism. |
| A．He lives in Zanzibar. |
| B．He is the first to win the Nobel Prize. |
| C．He used to be a refugee. |
| D．He adopts Arabic as his literary language. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Honored. |
| C．Delighted. | D．Proud. |
| A．It depended on luck. |
| B．It was an overdue recognition. |
| C．It made East Africa known. |
| D．It was an unfair decision. |
