I really enjoy autumn’s display of golden leaves, but as a bird lover in the UK, the real thrill at this time of year is the arrival of migratory birds(侯鸟) from Iceland, Siberia and Canada.
The UK is lucky—in winter, we get a wide variety of birds heading here to escape tough conditions further north. And in summer, we are visited by birds from Africa such as swallows and cuckoos(杜鹃) that make the most of our long, light days for having their young. While the long flights are undoubtedly impressive, there are some species that fly considerably further, spending much of their lives at the extreme ends of Earth.
The Arctic tern(北极燕鸥) has the world’s longest migration: a round-trip of 35,000 kilometers annually. Arctic terns break up their long journeys though, so if you are looking for, he world’s longest non-stop flyer, that record is held by the bar-tailed godwit(斑尾塍鹬).
So why do birds migrate? It makes sense to head somewhere warmer for winter, but it can be harder to explain why some African species then return to Europe for summer when food is still plentiful in their wintering grounds. It could be because there is less competition here, or because our longer, cooler days are useful. Some trips are even harder to explain. For example, the ancient murrelet(海雀) flies almost 8,000 kilometers from Canada to China , despite very similar conditions.
Although there is still much we don’t know, we do know that our changing climate is making birds lose the benefits of such long journeys. Arctic terns survive on sand eels(沙鳗) when they arrive in the Shetland Islands. In 2004, the UK saw a sudden drop in sand eels due to climate change. The islands usually host more than 20,000 pairs of Arctic terns, but didn’t see a single chick survive to adulthood that summer. I have so much admiration for the world’s furthest fliers, and I just hope they can cling on and that we can come to fully understand them.
1. Why do some birds travel to the UK from Africa in summer?| A．To search for more food. | B．To escape the heat in Africa. |
| C．To enjoy the warmth in the UK. | D．To take advantage of the longer days. |
| A．The Arctic tern. | B．The swallow. |
| C．The bar-tailed godwit. | D．The ancient murrelet. |
| A．Puzzling. | B．Relaxing. | C．Impressive. | D．Unnecessary. |
| A．The author’s admiration and pity for Arctic terns. |
| B．The impact of climate change on migratory birds. |
| C．What people should do to protect migratory birds. |
| D．How Arctic terns find food during their migration. |
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【推荐1】Your dog is as smart as any two year old, according to a new study. Dogs bring much happiness to their owners, and even improve human health. Most two-year-olds keep us busy in life - an important part of living a long and happy life. According to Stanley Coren, Ph.D.of the University of British Columbia, our dogs are smarter than we thought.
Dr. Coren reviewed many studies to find out that dogs are as smart as 2 to 2.5-year-olds. Forget about one word orders - according to Coren, the smartest dogs can learn up to 250 words. Most dogs understand an average of 165 words. “The upper limit of dogs, ability to learn language is partly based on a study of a Border Collie named Rico who showed knowledge of 200 spoken words，and ‘fast-track learning,’ which scientists believed to be found only in humans and language-learning apes (猿).”
Dogs are also great at tricking. During play, they have the ability to trick humans and other dogs in order to get treats. “And they are nearly as successful in tricking humans as humans are in tricking dogs,” says Coren.
Dogs can also count to four or five, which might explain how they know when their toys are missing. Coren explains, “Their astonishing flashes of smartness and creativity are reminders that they may not be Einsteins, but are sure closer to humans than we thought.”
Animals can do much to keep us happy, healthy, and protect us from harm. Stories of dog heroes can be found using a simple Internet search. Pets teach us sense of duty, keep us from loneliness,and can help with treatment of the disabled.
1. How do dogs bring happiness and health to humans according to the author?| A．By doing funny tricks. | B．By keeping their owners busy. |
| C．By serving their owners. | D．By playing with the children. |
| A．He understands one-word orders. |
| B．He uses words like a 2.5-year-old. |
| C．He is Coren's favorite subject for study. |
| D．He shows a high level of language ability. |
| A．It is as good as an ape's. |
| B．It is close to that of humans. |
| C．It shows their smartness. |
| D．It leaves a lot to be studied. |
| A．Dogs are smarter than we thought. |
| B．Dogs do well in tricking for food. |
| C．Dogs are people's faithful friends. |
| D．Dogs can speak human language. |
【推荐2】A nation-wide honeybee crisis is under way in the United States. Lately bees have begun to rapidly disappear in24 states across the country. For reasons unknown, bees are flying off in search of nectar and pollen and simply never returning to their colonies.
Bees are extremely social insects; they never desert their young or bee queens. Researchers argue that bees are most probably dying during their search for nectar. A range of theories is also investigated, including a virus and poor bee nutrition. Researchers are looking into a group of pesticides that were banned in European countries to find out whether the chemical preparations(still used in the U. S.) are somehow causing damage to bees' born ability to find their way back home. According to yet another theory, the losses may have resulted from a massive attack by mites, which have repeatedly damaged bee colonies in the past.
The bees disappear as pressure has been building on the U. S. bee industry. The costs to maintain hives are continuously rising. The bee business becomes less profitable as a result. According to estimates by the Agriculture Department, the number of hives has dropped by a quarter over the last twenty years, and the number of beekeepers decreased by half. Beekeepers also have to deal with the problem of suburban spread as they search for areas where bees can hunt for nectar to stay healthy and feel good during the pollination season.
A terrible epidemic breaks out in The Plague, a novel by Albert Camus, shortly after hundreds of dead rats are discovered all over the town. The recent bee mystery, already nicknamed a "colony collapse disorder" by U. S researchers, seems to somewhat resemble the situation described in the novel. We can only hope that the "bee plague" will not take shape of a problem of global proportions.
1. What does the text mainly tell us?| A．terrible epidemic breaks out in America. |
| B．The reason for honeybees' disappearance. |
| C．Measures should be taken to solve the problem. |
| D．The tragedy of mysterious disappearance of America's honeybees. |
| A．Bees are not fond of living together. |
| B．The scientists have found out the reason for bees disappearance. |
| C．Probably, the losses may result from their colonies being damaged. |
| D．It is likely that the bees die while looking for nectar. |
| A．240. | B．200. | C．120. | D．60. |
| A．Because they think the bee plague will kill them. |
| B．Because they believe man will be defeated in the end. |
| C．Because they think the US bee industry is going to come to an end. |
| D．Because they fear the coming of the disaster described in the novel. |
【推荐3】In Northwestern Italy, rice farms are employing bats. Bats are the foremost known predators of insects that are active at night, including several pests that can be found in rice fields. "The idea is that what is needed to achieve sustainable food production is what we already have, but has been ignored for a decade," says Laura Garzoli, 2017 winner of BCFN Young Earth Solutions.
“It has been predicted that, globally, 50 percent of pest species have become pests because chemicals killed their natural predators. There is no sustainability in the long term if there are no conservation efforts,” says Garzoli.
Since 2017, Garzoli, along with colleagues from the National Research Council has fixed 60 artificial bat roosts in three rice fields in Northwestern Italy. Now, they are collecting bats’ waste to analyze their diets at these sites and to gain insight into the insects living in these areas.
“In Italy, there are 34 bat species, each feeding on a variety of insects —each bat species has its preferred insect snack,”—says Garzoli. Bats can eat up to one-third of their body weight each night, which means they can consume thousands of insects per night. They are also flying hunters — they can prey on new non-native pest species.
Garzoli is committed to developing an awareness of the importance of bats in the ecosystem. "Their usefulness has been acknowledged in several countries — not only do they contribute to protecting crops, but they are important pollinators. Bats still get bad press in the news, in particular concerning the spreading of virus diseases, says Garzoli to Food Tank. She explains, "Many bat species are nowadays facing the risk of extinction.”
Garzoli is also drafting a best practice guide for farmers outlining habitat management techniques for sustainable production.
1. Why do some species become pests according to Garzoli?| A．Their habitats are endangered. | B．Ineffective chemicals are widely used. |
| C．Their natural enemies die off. | D．People are unaware of their danger. |
| A．Bats' ability to manage insects. | B．The variety of bats’ diets. |
| C．The risk of increasing foreign pests. | D．The condition of bat roosts. |
| A．An increase in unknown diseases. | B．The introduction of new crops. |
| C．Their poor adaptability to artificial homes. | D．People's misunderstanding of them. |
| A．Turn waste into treasure | B．Say yes to bats |
| C．Applaud BCFN Young Earth Solutions | D．Unlock the secrets of rice farms |
【推荐1】Over a four-year period, Swiss researchers have developed a machine that can keep human livers (肝)alive outside of the body for one week.
Livers are among the most commonly transplanted (移植)human organs. Current technology can only keep human livers alive for up to 24 hours. It is reported that, in 2017, about 8.000 liver transplants were performed in the U.S., of which 360 used livers from living givers In addition, about 11,500 people were registered on a waiting list to receive a liver transplant. Keeping livers alive and functioning for longer periods could greatly improve the chances of survival for patients.
The researchers say the purpose of their “Liver4Life” machine is to perform what they call liver perfusion (灌注)operations outside of the human body. Perfusion is the process by which blood or other liquids are pumped through organs and tissue. The machine keeps the liver at the right temperature and moves it in a way that would be natural in the body. Using a pump to fill the liver with blood acting like a human heart, the machine also provides oxygen to the organ, controls red blood cell levels and removes waste.
The research team began their experiments with livers from pigs. After repeated testing and engineering development, they succeeded in getting the pig livers to survive for seven days with support only provided from the Liver4Life machine. They also discovered the system can work to repair damaged livers. The team is now planning its next step to transplant machine-treated organs into patients.
Pierre-Alain Clavien. leader of the research said in a statement. “This technology will greatly increase the number of livers available for transplant, improving the chances of survival for patients. The success of this unique machine opens the way for many new applications in transplantation and cancer medicine.”
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?| A．Introduce a brand new topic for discussion. |
| B．Provide some latest data about present liver transplants. |
| C．Show the urgency of tech improvement in liver transplants. |
| D．Remind readers concerned of the importance of a healthy liver. |
| A．The machine. | B．The liver. |
| C．The temperature. | D．The tissue. |
| A．It is among the most commonly used machines for liver transplants. |
| B．It is aimed to carry out liver perfusion operations in the human body. |
| C．It can perform several functions to keep the liver working normally. |
| D．It can be used to keep the pig livers alive for more than one week. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A first aid brochure. |
| C．A social web page. | D．A health magazine. |
【推荐2】One of the executives gathered at the Aspen Institute for a day-long leadership workshop using the works of Shakespeare was discussing the role of Brutus in the death of Julius Caesar. “Brutus was not an honourable man,” he said. “He was a traitor (叛徒). And he murdered someone in cold blood.” The agreement was that Brutus had acted with cruelty when other options were available to him. He made a bad decision, they said — at least as it was presented by Shakespeare — to take the lead in murdering Julius Caesar. And though one of the executives acknowledged that Brutus had the good of the republic in mind, Caesar was nevertheless his superior. “You have to understand,” the executives said, “our policy is to obey the chain of command.”
During the last few years, business executives and book writers looking for a new way to advise corporate America have been exploiting Shakespeare’s wisdom for profitable ends. None more so than husband and wife team Kenneth and Carol Adelman, well-known former advisers to the White House, who started up a training company called “Movers and Shakespeares”. They are amateur Shakespeare scholars and Shakespeare lovers, and they have combined their passion and their high-level contacts into a management training business. They conduct between 30 and 40 workshops annually, dealing with half a dozen different plays, mostly for corporations, but also for government agencies.
The workshops all take the same form, focusing on a single play as a kind of case study, and using individual scenes as specific lessons. In Julius Caesar, for example, Cassius’s sly provocation (狡诈的挑唆) of Brutus to take up arms against Caesar was the basis for a discussion of methods of team building and grass roots organizing.
Although neither of the Adelmans is academically trained in literature, the programs contain plenty of Shakespeare tradition and background. Their workshop on Henry V, for example, includes a helpful explanation of Henry’s winning strategy at the Battle of Agincourt. But they do come to the text with a few biases (偏向): their reading of Henry V minimizes his misuse of power. Instead, they emphasize the story of the youth who seizes opportunity and becomes a masterful leader. And at the workshop on Caesar, Mr. Adelmans had little good to say about Brutus, saying “the noblest Roman of them all” couldn’t make his mind up about things.
Many of the participants pointed to very specific elements in the play that they felt to be related. Caesar’s pride, which led to his murder, and Brutus’s mistakes in leading the traitors after the murder, they said, raise vital questions for anyone serving in a business when and how do you resist the boss?
1. According to paragraph 1, what did all the executives think of Brutus?| A．Cruel. | B．Superior. | C．Honourable. | D．Rude. |
| A．help executives to understand Shakespeare’s plays better |
| B．give advice on leadership by analyzing Shakespeare’s plays |
| C．provide case studies of Shakespeare’s plays in literature workshops |
| D．guide government agencies to follow the characters in Shakespeare’s plays |
| A．To highlight the importance of catching opportunities. |
| B．To encourage masterful leaders to plan strategies to win. |
| C．To illustrate the harm of prejudices in management. |
| D．To warn executives against power misuse. |
| A．the Adelmans’ program proves biased as the roles of characters are maximized |
| B．executives feel bored with too many specific elements of Shakespeare’s plays |
| C．the Adelmans will make more profits if they are professional scholars |
| D．Shakespeare has played an important role in the management field |
【推荐3】The cooperation between the Ten cent’s Digital Culture Laboratory (DCL) and the Sichuan Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology is ground-breaking. Using digital technologies such as AI, big data, cloud computing, knowledge graphs and computer vision, thousands of pieces unearthed from the Sanxingdui are being scanned, analyzed and calculated to determine whether or how they can be pieced back together.
This greatly improves efficiency (效率) and presents new situations that may not have been possible through traditional means. A 4,500-year-old bronze statue from Sanxingdui, for centuries in broken and bent pieces, now appears in its impressive form. The restoration (修复) is an important development for archaeology—it’s digital.
The bronze statue shows a four-legged beast with a worshipper kneeling on its back. The beast and the kneeling worshipper were unearthed separately from two different holes in 2021. Through markings on the beast’s back and the worshipper’s knees, the team guessed they may have been part of the same statue.3D modeling and AI analysis of size, weight and balance helped the team to decide that the two belonged together. Computer vision aided in straightening the bent parts and filling in missing pieces, such as an ear and an arm.
Sanxingdui is believed to be part of the ancient Shu Kingdom. There is no written text on how the Shu people lived or why they disappeared. Clues to their existence come from relics. While some relics were discovered in the late 1920s, detailed archaeological excavations (挖掘) began only in the 1980s when the first two holes were unearthed. Six more came to light in 2021. All uncovered relics suggest a civilization not only technologically advanced, but also earlier than first thought.
“There is more to the work we are doing than just archaeology.” said Zhan Shu, Head of DCL. The project will include the Shu people’s history and culture into video games, music, and literature so that the past can be more related to the younger generations.
1. What can we know about the restoration of the bronze statue?| A．Digital technologies provided a new solution. |
| B．The restoration was completed by hand. |
| C．Traditional ways helped fill in missing parts. |
| D．Major parts were discovered in one single hole. |
| A．Its newly-found written text. | B．Its sudden disappearance. |
| C．Its excavation method. | D．Its archaeological value. |
| A．To provide relaxation means. | B．To reform music education. |
| C．To connect youths with history. | D．To highlight Shu technology. |
| A．Digital Technologies: Changing Archaeological Practices |
| B．Sanxingdui: The Lost Civilization of the Shu Kingdom |
| C．Uncovering the Secrets of Ancient Bronze Statue |
| D．Promoting Culture Through History Education |
