【推荐1】It is not always easy to understand animal behavior, especially when it’s related to other species. For decades, researchers have observed orcas (虎鲸) attacking and even killing porpoises (鼠海豚) in the Pacific Northwest. But it confuses people that these expert hunters don’t eat them. So what’s going on here?

Southern Resident orcas are a different population of orcas that live in the Pacific Northwest. The lives of these orcas are closely tied to those of the salmon. So if the salmon disappear, so too will the orca. But despite their preference for the salmon, these whales are known to attack and kill other smaller marine mammals (海洋哺乳 动物) without eating them.

To better understand this unusual behavior, an international team of researchers did a research and examined more than 60 years of recorded interactions between Southern Resident orcas and porpoises in the Salish Sea.

“Why don’t the Southern Residents just eat porpoises instead?” Deborah Giles of Wild Orca said. “It’s because fish-eating killer whales have a completely different ecology and culture from orcas that eat marine mammals. So we must conclude that their interactions with porpoises serve a different purpose, but this purpose has only been a guess until now. ”

According to Giles and her colleagues’ work, the orca may be attacking the porpoise as a form of social play. It is possible these large animals may be attacking the smaller mammals as a way to build up social cohesion (凝聚力). Similarly, the behavior could represent hunting practice, by which the orcas are practising their teamwork and cooperation skills for hunting salmons. Finally, the behavior could be a way of “mismothering” where the orca see the smaller porpoises as weaker or ill and so in need of care.

This work highlights the need for the protection of salmon populations in the area as well as the orcas’ entire hunting range. The threat to the salmon’s future is not just a threat to a single species, but an entire ecosystem.

1. Why did an international team of researchers do their study?

A．To find out a way to protect porpoises.

B．To make sure the reason why some orcas attack salmon.

C．To solve the problem of marine mammals’ living environment.

D．To better understand the strange behavior of Southern Resident orcas.

2. What is Southern Resident orcas’ favorite food?

A．the porpoise.	B．the marine mammal.
C．the salmon.	D．the whale.

3. According to Giles’ research, which may be a reason for the orcas’ attacking porpoises?

A．It’s a kind of social play with porpoises.

B．It is a practice to kill porpoises as their food.

C．The orcas may dislike the smaller porpoises.

D．It’s a way for the orcas to practice their hunting skills.

4. What probably is the writer’s attitude to the research?

A．Positive.

B．Indifferent.

C．Doubtful.

D．Uncertain.

【推荐2】Barred owls (大林鸮猫头鹰) are a large species native to eastern North America, but they began moving west at the start of the 20th century. By 1973, large numbers of barred owls had arrived in the western state of Washington. Later they moved south into Oregon and California.

In parts of the Pacific Northwest, the owls are now believed to be causing a drop in the population of a smaller, less aggressive bird: the northern spotted owl. In many ways, the barred owl is the spotted owl’s worst enemy. The barred owl has more babies per year and eats the same animals, like squirrels and wood rats. And their numbers are now larger in many parts of the spotted owl’s traditional territory (领地).

David Wiens is a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. He and other officials are doing something unusual to protect spotted owls: killing barred owls. It is an experimental program. More than 2,400 barred owls have already been shot.

Wiens is the son of a well-known bird expert and grew up with the fascination for birds. He has mixed feelings about the program. “It’s a little distasteful, I think, to go out killing barred owls to save another owl species,” he says. But he adds, “We knew that barred owls were out competing spotted owls and their numbers were growing too fast.”

To catch barred owls, officials put digital (电子的) bird callers on the ground. Then they step back and wait as several sounds from the devices fill the air. All of this happens in the dark of night. Barred owls dislike other birds in their territory, so they will fly down and chase other owls out. That is when Wiens and his team try to shoot them.

1. What’s the main problem with spotted owls?

A．They have no food.	B．They have more babies each year.
C．They are hunted by man.	D．Barred owls take many parts of their territory.

2. Why are barred owls being killed?

A．They are eating the spotted owls.

B．They are killing each other to survive.

C．They are putting the spotted owls in danger.

D．They are destroying large areas of forests.

3. Why did the officials put digital bird callers?

A．To kill barred owls.	B．To puzzle barred owls.
C．To protect barred owls.	D．To frighten barred owls.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Keeping the Balance of Nature	B．Preventing Birds from Playing Fair
C．Protecting Birds in Danger	D．Killing One Animal to Save Another

【推荐3】ANIMAL BODY LANGUAGE

Human beings are not only ones who communicate.     1     Here is a quick look at how some of our animal friends send messages to us and to each other.

    2     When a dog is happy, its ears will stand up and its eyes will be wide open. The dog will start barking. moving its tail, and running around in circles or jumping up and down to show you that it wants to play. A dog that is afraid will lay on its back and close its eyes. The dog may show its teeth and lower its body so that it is close to the ground. The dog may also shake, and it will put its tail between its legs. When a dog is angry, its main body language is showing its teeth and growling (低声叫). The dog will try making itself look as big as possible. The tail will stand straight out from the body.

Elephants also use noises and body language to express themselves. An elephant’s sense of smell is highly developed. An elephant can smell how another elephant is feeling and even tell if it is sick. The elephant’s nose, or trunk, is also used to make noises and to welcome other elephants. Different noises have a variety of meanings they can mean “I am hungry”, “I am angry”, or “Good to see you!”     3     If an elephant spreads its ears, it means “Watch out! “To show friendship, elephants will touch each other with their trunks and stand close to each other, putting their heads together.

Dolphins are social animals.     4     An angry dolphin will sometimes hit its tail on the surface of the water. The movement and noise let other dolphins know that something is wrong. If a dolphin wants to send a message over a long distance, or if it wants to show how strong it is, it will jump high out of the water and land on its side, making a loud noise. A dolphin’s favorite activity is leaping into the air while playing with its friends. When dolphins are tired and need to rest, they will swim in small groups close to the surface.     5    

A．Dogs are human’s loyal friends.

B．If you see them doing this, you should not disturb them.

C．An elephant’s body language includes ear signals and gestures.

D．They live in groups and love showing each other their feelings.

E．Dogs use sounds, body movements, and their tails to communicate.

F．If an elephant senses its partner is falling sick, it will also make a noise.

G．Animals use body language to tell each other how they feel and what they think

【推荐3】In the long discussion of water on the Moon, a new study contradicts (与……相矛盾) some recent reports that say the Moon had water at the time of its formation. A group of researchers report in the journal Science that when the Moon was created, some 4. 5 billion years ago, there was not much hydrogen (氢气) on it, and therefore no water.

The researchers surveyed and evaluated this by analyzing chlorine (氯) isotopes found in lunar rock samples from Apollo missions. The range of chlorine isotopes in lunar samples was 25 times that found in samples from Earth.

“If the Moon had significant levels of hydrogen, as Earth did, this range would have been far less,” said Zachary D. Sharp, a scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the study’s lead author.

“The chlorine would have stuck together with hydrogen, forming compounds like hydrogen chloride, and escaped from the Moon’s surface,” he said. The abundance of chlorine indicates a lack of hydrogen and water.

“The amount of water on the Moon was too low for life to possibly have existed there,” he said.

Most scientists believe the Moon was formed when a large object struck Earth, breaking off a chunk (a vast piece) that has since orbited Earth.

On Earth, goes one theory, water was released as steam from molten basalts (玄武岩) over time, eventually forming bodies of water.

“An understanding of whether the Moon was dry or wet will help us understand how water appeared on Earth,” Dr. Sharp said.

1. A new study indicates that ______ on the moon.

A．there is plenty of water	B．water is unlikely to exist
C．water existed in the past	D．there is a little water now

2. The author would like to tell us ______ through the sixth paragraph.

A．why there is no water on the Moon	B．how the Moon was formed
C．when the Earth struck the Moon	D．where the Moon orbited

3. What does the underlined word “this” stand for in the second paragraph?

A．Neither hydrogen nor water on the Moon.

B．Too much chlorine isotopes on the Moon.

C．Not being much hydrogen, no water on the Moon.

D．More chlorine exists on the Moon than Earth.

4. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Zachary D. Sharp, a scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences was in charge of the new study.

B．Chlorine isotopes are 25 times on the Moon larger than on Earth.

C．The more abundant chloride, the shorter hydrogen and water.

D．The new study is beneficial to understand how water appeared on Earth.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．There is enough water and hydrogen on the Moon.

B．Hydrogen chloride easily escaped from the Moon’s surface.

C．The Earth had significant levels of hydrogen.

D．Water on Earth is directly from molten basalts.

【推荐2】"The transfer(转变)of responsibility for handling climate change to the country's top environmental monitor will help promote and improve the critical process." said an official.

Li Gao,director-general of climate change,Ministry of Ecology and Environment(生态环境部),made the declaration during a news conference on Wednesday in Beijing.

After years of effort,China has achieved unique results in dealing with climate change.The carbon and greenhouse gas we have let off has decreased a lot in the past years.This shows that China is achieving its goal of reducing pollution by 2020,Li said.

"This lays a good foundation for the country to achieve the goal it set for 2030.",Li said.

The transfer of duties of handling climate change to the ministry helps promote the country's efforts to control greenhouse gases and other pollution,he said.

The key task in handling climate change is to control carbon dioxide emissions(排放)from fossil fuels.Coal,a major source of energy in China,makes a great contribution to air pollution,he said.

The country has limited the expansion of industries with high energy consumption and pollution,promoted use of clean energy,and accelerated the adjustment of energy generation in its action plans for air pollution control in the past few years.These measures are also helping contribute to greenhouse emissions control,he said.

"Air pollution control measures in recent years have helped reduce the greenhouse gas emissions.The actions to improve air quality have played a significant role in helping us realize the goal of doing with climate change,"he said.

Meanwhile,controls over greenhouse gas emissions have also contributed to reduced air pollution.he added.

The transfer to the ministry provides a good way to handle climate change and control air pollution,he said."We will promote the work in our monitoring and setting of targets,as well as in policy making,"Li added.

1. Who will take responsibility for handling climate change?

A．Li Gao	B．The country's top environmental monitor
C．Beijing government	D．Ministry of Ecology and Environment

2. It can be inferred from the passage that China__________.

A．did not do well in dealing with climate change in the past years.

B．has already achieved its goal of reducing pollution by 2020

C．has made great progress in handling climate change.

D．will be unable to achieve the goal it set for 2030

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The transfer to the ministry helps increase greenhouse gases and other pollution.

B．The key task in dealing with climate change is to forbid using fossil fuels.

C．The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions have also helped reduce air pollution.

D．The country has limited the use of clean energy.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the transfer to the ministry?

A．doubtful

B．neutral

C．disappointed

D．optimistic