Think of a monarch butterfly (帝王蝶), and a unique image pops up: black-and-orange wings, with some white spots around the black edges. Those white spots may actually help monarchs complete their long-distance migration by changing the airflow around their wings. This is the new idea of a team of researchers that has analyzed hundreds of monarch wings collected along their migration routes.
“If you have larger white spots, you’re simply more successful at reaching Mexico,” says Andy Davis, a researcher. He and his colleagues believe that the pattern of color could interact with sunlight to create some temperature differences on the wing that can change airflow, easing the butterflies’ flight.
Monarch butterflies definitely need to fly well to complete their annual fall migration of up to 3,000 miles. Monarchs from as far north as Canada fly south every fall all the way to some mountain top sites in central Mexico. Most research on butterfly coloring focuses on its use as a warning to predators (捕食者). Since monarchs eat milkweed that contains poisons, their bright orange color serves as a signal that they’re unpleasant prey (猎物).
Andy Davis had studied the black-and-white patterns on migrating birds, and concluded that black coloring could affect temperature and airflow in ways that might improve their flight performance. So the researchers decided to look at the black-and-white pattern in the edge of monarch wings. What they found is that the wings of the summer monarchs that aren’t migrating have less white, while those that are migrating but haven’t made it all the way to Mexico have more. And monarchs that successfully reached Mexico have even more white.
“It is a totally new idea,” says Marcus Kronforst, a biologist. “I’ve worked on butterfly color patterns my whole life, but it’s never crossed my mind that it might influence how the butterflies fly. I do think that this aerodynamic (空气动力学) explanation is exciting. It’s definitely different. But I just think there are potentially some other explanations that could be explored.”
1. What is the new idea of monarch butterflies’ white spots?| A．They serve as a warning to predators. |
| B．They improve butterflies’ flying performance. |
| C．They attract the attention of butterfies’ mates. |
| D．They help butterflies hide in their surroundings. |
| A．By changing the flow of air. |
| B．By making butterflieslighter. |
| C．By guiding migratingbutterflies. |
| D．By turning sunshine into energy. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Skeptical. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．Monarch butterflies migrate the longest distance |
| B．Monarch butterflies use airflow to help their flights |
| C．Monarch butterflies have more white spots than others |
| D．Monarch butterflies’ white spots may help them fly farther |
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【推荐1】Cats don't avoid people who upset their owners, proving they're just as disloyal as we always suspected, a new study confirms. The study will be a blow to enthusiastic cat lovers across the country, as their kitty friends appear to have lived up to their reputation of being aloof and uncaring. But dog owners can cheer that man's best friend still has their back.
Having previously showed that dogs avoided a person who behaved negatively towards their owner, researchers tried the same experiment with cats to see how they reacted. For the study, cats watched as their owner tried unsuccessfully to open a transparent container to take out an object, and then requested help from a person sitting nearby. Some people helped the pet owner and others didn't, before they all offered food to the animals.
In the dog experiment, most dogs preferred not to take food from people who didn't help their owners. But cats weren't phased and showed no preference between helpers and passive bystanders, eating food from whoever offered it.
The study's 'lead author Hitomi Chijiiwa wrote: “One possible reason for domestic cats showing no sign of a negativity bias(偏见) might be that cooperation is not typical of this species. Whereas dogs are known to cooperate with humans and conspecifics(同类) in various real and experimental contexts， the same is not true of cats. Domestic cats originated from a less sociable ancestor than did dogs, and they have not been subjected to artificial selection for cooperation with humans. However,group hunting did not evolve in small cats, because the size of their typical prey items remained unchanged even as cat communities grew bigger."
“Thus,cats can be considered as at least potentially 'social' and 'flexible' in terms of social structure, but not 'cooperative'. The ability to evaluate others based on indirect experiences might be restricted to more cooperative species.”
1. What does the underlined word “aloof” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Distant | B．Aggressive |
| C．Sensitive | D．Greedy. |
| A．They tend to show no preference for food. |
| B．They are likely to wait for food without doing anything. |
| C．They refuse to eat food from those offending their owners. |
| D．They don't care about food givers' attitude to their owners. |
| A．They originated from a less flexible ancestor. |
| B．They lack the ability to directly evaluate others. |
| C．They haven't been trained since their domestication. |
| D．They haven't evolved through cooperation with humans. |
| A．By referring to previous findings. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By analyzing cause and effect | D．By explaining a concept. |
【推荐2】A New Zealand council （市议会）has announced a month-long road closure in order to allow a sea lion and her pup to reach the ocean safely.
John Wilson Ocean Drive in Dunedin will be closed after the New Zealand sea lions made their home at a nearby golf course （球场）and started "regularly crossing the road to get to the beach," according to a Facebook post from Dunedin City Council.
“You can still visit the area on foot or by bicycle, but please give the sea lions lots of space," continued the post.
Locals applauded the decision, and one even called for the closure to be made permanent.
“No dogs should be on the beach, either," wrote Gaylene Smith. "We need to protect our beautiful sea life?"
Dogs are known to attack sea lions, and Chisholm Links Golf Course, where the sea lions have made their home, also posted advice to dog walkers in a Facebook update.
"We’re lucky to have sea lions on our coastline and we need to share the space with them, as this is what makes our coastline so unique!" wrote the course on Facebook.
The council went on to explain that New Zealand sea lions are endangered, and are one of the world’s rarest species of sea lion.
There are an estimated 12,000 New Zealand sea lions left, according to the Department of Conservation. Under local law, anyone who kills a sea lion could face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to NZ$250,000 (US$178,000).
1. What decision has the Dunedin City Council made?| A．Closing an ocean drive for a month. |
| B．Closing the nearby beach temporarily. |
| C．Forbidding entry into a golf course. |
| D．Forbidding walking dogs outside. |
| A．By informing on TV. |
| B．By posting on Facebook. |
| C．By advertising in a newspaper. |
| D．By sending out notices. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Critical. |
| A．They are under legal protection. |
| B．They are a common species. |
| C．They are afraid of humans. |
| D．They are being killed by dogs. |
【推荐3】The words “protect animals” appear everywhere in books and on screens, because some animals are even in danger of dying out. But sometimes the reality can be a little different from what people read or watch.
About 300 black bears were killed in Florida, the US, in October, 2015. It’s been the first bear hunt in the state since 1994. Local officers explained that the black bear population (族群) had grown to 3,500 and become a menace to local people. In the past two years, bears have hurt at least four people in Florida.
Months ago, the Swiss government allowed the locals to kill a wolf. This was because the wolf killed 38 sheep, and it was a great loss to some local farmers. Days ago in China, three old men were caught by the police for killing a sorrow (鬣羚), a kind of protected animal. They said they killed the animal because it ate the plants they grew.
However, these stories don’t always mean that animal protection stops because of human interests especially when it is related to economic (经济的) development. A man named Zhou Weisen set up a wild animal base in Guilin, Guangxi. He saved over 170 tigers and about 300 bears. His base also offered jobs to local people.
“There may never be a standard answer to the question of whether we should give more attention to the environment or human development,” said Robert May, a British expert at Oxford University. “But we shouldn’t put either one to one side, as the future is uncertain.”
1. What does the underlined word “menace” in the second paragraph mean?| A．Chance. | B．Challenge. |
| C．Gift. | D．Danger. |
| A．3,500 black bears were killed in Florida. |
| B．The wolf can’t be killed in Switzerland. |
| C．The sorrow is protected in China. |
| D．Three old Chinese men’s loss was made up for. |
| A．Protecting animals needs hard work. |
| B．Zhou was good at feeding wild animals. |
| C．Zhou had a good relationship with local people. |
| D．Protecting animals can bring economic development. |
| A．Humans can kill animals when their interests are harmed. |
| B．We should pay more attention to the future than the present. |
| C．We should consider both the environmental and human interests. |
| D．It’s easy to find proper ways to solve environmental problems. |
【推荐1】This Christmas, Renate Bello, 56, will spend the holiday taking care of her neighbor’s dogs in Easthampton, Mass. It’s the same way she spent Thanksgiving. Without any family or close friends nearby, holidays can be an especially lonely time, she said. For her, pet sitting is a joy, and one way that she copes with solitude.
“I know a number of people,” she said. “But they are not necessarily people I would call up to say, ‘Let’s go hang out.” Ms. Bello owns a medical billing business that often requires long hours at home, which contributes to her isolation. “I don’t have any life, and I need to find that balance”, she said. But taking friendships to the next level can be difficult, Ms. Bello added. Sometimes, she admitted, she feels “inadequate” — like an out-sider.
It’s concerning, then, that more than half of Americans say they are lonely, according to a 2021 poll. “We all feel lonely at times just like we all feel hunger or thirst,” Dr. Murthy, a psychologist from NYU, said. “There is no reason to be ashamed of being human.” Even those who have plenty of friends can experience loneliness.
Building relationships takes time. Try not to expect too much initially. “Often it takes a series of encounters,” said Charles T. Hill, a professor of social psychology at Whittier College. As you get to know people, ask yourself: Who can I connect with at a deep level? Who will be there for me? More often than not, we tend to connect with those who share commonalities with us. “If you’re a bookworm, don’t expect your next best buddy at the bar,” said Louise Hawkley, a research scientist who studies loneliness at NORC, a social research organization at the University of Chicago.
Volunteering is also a way to broaden our social networks that can feel less anxiety- provoking than, say, showing up at a party. In a study of 10,000 volunteers in Britain, about two-thirds agreed that volunteering had helped them feel less isolated.
“Lonely people have more control over the situation than they think they do,” Dr. Hawkley said.
1. What do we know about Ms. Bello?| A．She is a successful and independent entrepreneur. |
| B．She always puts her job before her family and friends. |
| C．She longs to build deeper connections with people. |
| D．She prefers dogs to humans on holiday occasions. |
| A．Lonely people are more likely to feel starved. |
| B．Loneliness is a universal human experience. |
| C．Feeling embarrassed of loneliness is unavoidable. |
| D．Denying loneliness contributes to better self-esteem. |
| A．lowering their expectation and being patient | B．going to parties as often as possible |
| C．socializing with people who share common interests | D．offering support to someone else |
| A．How to kill solitude for good | B．Loneliness: not the end of the world |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed | D．To socialize or not to socialize — that is a question |
【推荐2】When you go on a trip to America, you will see the word Motel on signs and notice boards. It is made up of “motor” and “hotel” and it is really a hotel for people who arrive by car (however, you don’t a need a car to stay at one). You have to pay when you arrive for your room, which usually has a bath. Meals are not provided but there will certainly be a cafeteria (自助餐馆). Americans eat a lot of salads and sandwiches. Along the main roads there are a lot of motels. Each tries to offer more than the others. Some provide television in every bedroom; others have swimming pools and so on. Motels are especially useful when you are in the country, far from a town or city. You will also find them in big national parks.
In these great national parks, you may meet guests you don’t expect to see. An American friend told me a short story. In the middle of a moonless night, she heard strange noises outside her motel window in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Thinking it might be a thief, she jumped out of bed, opened the door and crept towards a dark shadow. As she got close, she saw the thief. She was dreadfully frightened: it wasn’t a human thief — it was a big black bear. The bear was turning over some empty tins with its paws, looking for tasty bits of food. My friend decided to leave that particular thief alone!
There are also, of course, places called “rooming houses”, where they provide lodges (客房). You will see such signs as Tourists or Rooms Rent, and you could try one of these. A word of warning — looking for a room in New York during the tourist season is like looking for gold on the moon!
1. Motels provide all the following EXCEPT ______.| A．Bath | B．swimming pools | C．TV | D．meals |
| A．moved slowly | B．rushed out | C．threw away | D．ran fast |
| A．an interesting story | B．bears usually look for food at night |
| C．the experience of the author’s friend | D．we may meet animals in national parks |
| A．tourists can find gold there | B．it is difficult to find a room there |
| C．tourists can have a sweet dream there | D．there is a warning for tourists to New York |
【推荐3】Happiness is a choice. For every minute you are angry，you lose 60 seconds of happiness. Be happy. Be yourself. If others don't like it，then let them be.
Begin today by taking responsibility for your own satisfaction. Here are four ways to choose happiness:
1.
2. Be around the right people.
3. Help others when you're able. Care about people. In life，you get what you put in.
4. Let go when you know you should. Sometimes you have to be strong for yourself. Love is worth fighting for，but you can't be the only one fighting. People need to fight for you too. If they don't，you eventually have to move on and realize that what you gave them was more than they were willing to give you.
| A．Choose to be the best YOU can be. |
| B．Life isn't about pleasing everybody. |
| C．Relationships should help you, not hurt you. |
| D．Focus on what you have, not on what you haven't. |
| E．Some relationships and situations just can't be fixed. |
| F．A positive influence on others means a positive one on your own. |
| G．No one else has the power to make you feel small unless you give them the power. |
