When Kurt Benirschke started collecting skin samples from rare and endangered animals in 1972, he didn’t have a plan on what to do with them. As a researcher at the University of California San Diego, he believed that one day the tools would be developed to save those animals. A few years later, he moved his collection to San Diego Zoo, and called it the Frozen Zoo. Today, the Frozen Zoo is the world’s largest animal cryobank (生物冷库), with samples from over 10,500 individual animals from 1,220 species.
Since the Frozen Zoo was founded, Oliver Ryder, a geneticist at San Diego Zoo, says many achievements have been reached in the field of genetics, starting with the cloning of the first animal -- a sheep named Dolly in 1996. Since 2001, four endangered species have been cloned using genetic material from the Frozen Zoo: the Indian Gaur, a humpbacked Asian wild ox; the Banteng, a Southeast-Asian species of cattle; Przewalski’s horse and the Black-footed ferret.
In recent years, the clock has been ticking for many species in danger. According to the WWF Living Planet Report 2020, as a result of loss of habitat due to human activities, one million species -- animals and plants -- are threatened with extinction over the coming decades and centuries. With the current rate of biodiversity loss, some scientists believe collecting samples from species that might not be here tomorrow is a scientific must-do.
One of the main challenges will be persuading conservation agencies that cryobanking is a reasonable strategy and worth funding. “Many of us are doing this without any national or government support beyond donations,” says Lisa Yon, an associate professor of zoo and wildlife medicine at the University of Nottingham. “Cryobanking is increasingly being recognized as an important resource, so it’s a bit puzzling that there isn’t more funding support.”
1. Why did Kurt Benirschke start the Frozen Zoo?| A．To attract more visitors. | B．To find new tools for research. |
| C．To sell samples more conveniently. | D．To help save endangered animals. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Unclear. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．Biodiversity is in great danger. | B．WWF is working with the Frozen Zoo. |
| C．Wildlife population is getting bigger. | D．The Frozen Zoo has stored 1,220 species. |
| A．The efforts of Kurt Benirschke. | B．The development in cloning. |
| C．The importance of the Frozen Zoo. | D．The problem of genetic technology. |
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【推荐1】83-year-old Antonio Vicente has spent the last four decades of his life fighting against the trend. As Brazilian landowners cut down rain forests to make room for profitable plantations(种植园) and cattle grounds , he struggled to bring the jungles of his childhood back to life.
“When I was a child, the peasants cut down the trees to make grasslands and charcoal, and the water dried up and did not come back,” he told the reporters. “I thought:‘Water is valuable, no one makes water and the population will not stop growing. What is going to happen? We are going to run out of water.’”
With only some donkeys and a small team of hired workers, Antonio Vicente set about bringing back the forest to his land. What started out as a weekend hobby soon became a permanent way of life , and Antonio recalls often spending whole days and nights in his young jungle, surrounded by rats and foxes, and eating banana sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Over the last 40 years, he has planted an estimated 50,000 trees on his 31-hectare land, which now make up a small but unique area of rain forest, and a haven for wildlife.
As the forest grew, the water returned, and Antonio says that there are now over 20 water sources on his land that were no longer there when he bought it. Then the animals started making a home there. Today, the forest is alive with the sounds of birds and insects living there, and more species are settling in every year.
“There are toucans(巨嘴鸟)，all kinds of birds, squirrels, lizards, and even the boars are returning,” 83-year-old Vicente says. “If you ask me who my family are, I would say all this right here, each one of these that I planted from a seed.”
1. What do we know about Antonio Vicente?| A．He is a Brazilian landowner. |
| B．He worked on his land alone. |
| C．He brought some jungles back to life. |
| D．He had no family except some animals. |
| A．They wasted much water on farming. |
| B．They focused on short-term profits. |
| C．They cared much about the environment. |
| D．They relied heavily on rain forests for a living. |
| A．Trap. | B．Disaster. |
| C．Shelter. | D．Balance. |
| A．thanks for his family |
| B．affection for his forest |
| C．deep love for rare birds |
| D．pride as a successful farmer |
【推荐2】THE WORLD’S RAREST LEOPARD
THESE BIG CATS GET A NEW CHANCE AT SURVIVAL.
Slowly stalking down the snowy hillside, the Amur leopard watches its prey through the trees. In the clearing below, a sika deer munches on tree bark, one of its few remaining food sources during the cold Russian winter. The leopard crouches, its body so low to the ground that its belly fur brushes the snow. Suddenly it bounds and springs forward, tackling the deer from 10 feet away. With a deadly combination of speed, strength, and stealth, the Amur leopard seems like it has everything it needs for survival. But not long ago — after decades of habitat loss and poaching — these endangered cats almost went extinct. Thanks in part to a newly established national park, however, Amur leopards are clawing their way back from the brink.
Disappearing Act
Most people think of leopards prowling African savannas, but the spotted predators are found in many different countries and habitats. They’ve adjusted to life in grasslands, jungles, deserts, and freezing, hilly landscapes. It’s there — along the Russian-Chinese border — that Amur leopards live, adapting to their chilly climate with bushier fur and longer legs to trudge through the deep snow.
Although Amur leopards thrive in freezing temperatures, by the late 20th century the human population moving into their habitat shrunk their California-size range by a huge 98 percent, trapping the animals in a stretch of land less than half the size of Puerto Rico. Poachers roamed the space that remained, killing the cats to sell their coats. In 2000, conservationists were stunned when a new count of Amur leopards estimated that only 30 were left in the world (though it was based on a study done by counting tracks, which isn’t the most reliable method). “These animals were going extinct,” biologist Dale Miquelle says. “Some of us were afraid it was too late to save them.”
Their solution? A new national park dedicated to protecting the endangered cat. But first, scientists had to convince the government that this was something worth doing — and that it could be done.
1. In paragraph 1, the Amur Leopard will be almost extinct because ________.| A．the sika deer had moved their habitat to snowy hillside |
| B．human have hunted the leopard for decade |
| C．they can’t endure the chilly cold environment |
| D．the national park established |
| A．The leopards. | B．Human beings. | C．The poachers. | D．Leopards’ nature enemies. |
| A．It’s too late to save them. |
| B．They should convince the government to get human far from the habitat. |
| C．They should hurry to establish a national park. |
| D．They should let the government legislate to stop poaching. |
【推荐3】Thirty years ago, Switzerland-based artist Klaus Littman came across a profound drawing titled The Unending Attraction of Nature. The drawing, by Austrian artist and architect Max Peintner, displays a scene in which nature is so detached from the environment that it becomes just a patch(块), preserved for entertainment.
“When I first saw the pencil drawing, I was fascinated. I knew that one day this work would be the starting point for a major art project in public space,” says Littmann.
Now, decades later, Littmann has fulfilled the vision with the installation(艺术装置) of FOR FOREST: The Unending Attraction of Nature. Making the lines between art, architecture and nature unclear, the installation sets a native central European forest in the midst of 30, 000 person Worthersee football Stadium in Klagenfurt. With nearly 300 trees planted, some weighing up to six tons each, it's Austria's largest public art installation to date.
In the face of climate crisis and deforestation, FOR FOREST comes with a more pressing urgency. As explained in a statement about the installation, “In support of today s most pressing issues on climate change and deforestation, FOR FOREST aims to challenge our view of nature and question its future. It seeks to become a memorial, reminding us that nature, which we so often take for granted, may someday only be found in special space, as is already the case with animals in zoos.”
The actual creation of the manmade forest was overseen by landscape architect Enzo Enea and his company, Enea Landscape Architecture, which includes a range of species in it. It was opened on September 8 and one can imagine it already attracting surprised and happy creatures to the field.
However, the installation will close on October 27. In a short video about the work, Littman says his objective is never to make something that will last forever; rather, he says, “My objective is for this picture to remain in people's head for a lifetime.”
1. Why is the painting The Unending Attraction of Nature mentioned?| A．To tell the source of Littmann's inspiration. | B．To list an example of the nature- themed art, |
| C．To describe Littmann's impression of nature, | D．To show Littmann's fine taste in modern art. |
| A．It has greatly promoted local tourism. | B．It is Austria's greenest artistic work. |
| C．It has preserved various rare plants. | D．It warns us of environmental issues. |
| A．It is a waste of time. | B．It is temporary. | C．It is of little popularity. | D．It is unrealistic. |
| A．A living artwork in a large stadium. | B．An environment-friendly painting. |
| C．A permanent private art installation. | D．An artificial forest for entertainment. |
【推荐1】Despite public health campaigns to highlight the many problems with sugary drinks, we drink them by the liters, about 42 liters per person a year. But, not everyone consumes them. Two new studies throw light on the fact that some of us are more vulnerable to the harms of sugary drinks than others.
In the first study, 128 young adults completed a computer test evaluating their attitudes about soft drinks, measured against their soft drinks consumption. The researchers found that the more individuals had an evaluative prejudice (unconscious positive judgment of soft drinks in this case), the more soft drinks they consume. Besides, the inability to control our impulses (冲动)—say, to buy a nice-tasting soft drink though we know it’s unhealthy—was also a factor in increased consumption.
A second study explored the negative impact of the soft drink market on public health. Soft drink corporations have multi-billion dollar advertising and marketing budgets aimed to “create, maintain and increase consumer demand around intangible (无形的) benefits (e.g. enjoyment, happiness, social status).” These campaigns are “increasingly being directed at disadvantaged groups”, including children and adolescents generally, minority groups and people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods. “These population groups are more likely to be influenced in making choice related to consumption, ” added the Deakin University researchers.
Soft drinks, even “zero-sugar” ones, are typically high in calories, are of little nutritional benefit and lack micro-nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. A major problem with drinks is that people don’t consume fewer calories from food despite getting the extra energy from soft drinks. “By contrast, if you give people flavored milk or some food such as bread, they will decrease their intake of other foods so that the total amount consumed is the same,” says public health nutritionist Rosemary Stanton.
“By giving children sweet drinks at an early age, we give them the expectation that thirst will be happily satisfied by something sweet,” says Stanton. “Humans have satisfied their thirst mainly with water for millennia and that is what we need to get back to.”
1. “Some of us are more vulnerable” underlined in paragraph 1 refers to people who ______.| A．never drink soft drinks | B．drink less soft drinks |
| C．drink more soft drinks | D．produce soft drinks |
| A．A 18-year boy who always drank water in his childhood. |
| B．A successful businessman who works in soft drink industry. |
| C．A black American who makes his decisions all on his own. |
| D．A white young girl who has a strong evaluative prejudice. |
| A．they make people eat more | B．they have no nutritional benefit |
| C．they lack micro-nutrients | D．they reduce the intake of milk |
| A．Teaching people how to resist impulses. | B．Banning soft drink advertisements. |
| C．Never giving children sweet food. | D．Drinking water when we are thirsty. |
【推荐2】Blue-light-filtering glasses (滤蓝光眼镜) have become an increasingly popular solution for protecting our eyes from electronic screens’ near-inescapable glow — light that is commonly associated with eyestrain (眼疲劳). In recent years they’ve even become fashion statements that are recognized by celebrities and ranked in style guides. But a recent review paper shows such glasses might not be as effective as people think.
The paper, published last week in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, analyzed data from previous trials that studied how blue-light-filtering glasses affect vision tiredness and eye health. The study’s authors found that wearing blue-light-filtering glasses does not reduce the eyestrain people feel after using computers.
“It’s an excellent review,” says Mark Rosenfield, a professor at the State University of New York College of Optometry, who was not involved in the study. “The conclusions are no surprise at all. There have been a number of studies that have found exactly the same thing, that there’s just no evidence that blue-blocking glasses have any effect on eyestrain.” He adds that the new review reinforces the fact that there is virtually no evidence that blue-blocking glasses affect eyestrain despite them being specifically marketed for that purpose. As for using blue-light-filtering eyeglasses for eye health, for now, Rosenfield says, “there’s nothing to support people buying them”.
The strain we may feel while staring at our phone or computer screen too long is likely to be caused by multiple factors, such as bad habits or underlying conditions, an associate professor of vision science at the University of Melbourne, Downie says. She argues that how we interact with digital devices contributes more to eyestrain than screens’ blue light does. Changing the frequency and duration of screen usage and distancing one’s eyes from the screens might be more important in reducing discomfort, Downie says. She adds that people who experience eyestrain should see a doctor to assess whether they have an underlying health issue such as far-sightedness or dry eye disease.
1. What can we know about blue-light-filtering glasses from the text?| A．They can improve eyesight. | B．They may not reduce eyestrain. |
| C．They can promote eye health. | D．They can help to cure eye diseases. |
| A．A great many professors were involved in the study. |
| B．Blue-blocking glasses on the market are harmful to eyes. |
| C．The finding of the study comes as a surprise to the public. |
| D．Data from previous trials help the study a lot. |
| A．Denies. | B．Opposes. | C．Strengthens. | D．Evaluates. |
| A．Wear blue-light-filtering glasses. | B．Have an examination in the hospital. |
| C．Stop staring at the screen for ever. | D．Focus on the frequency of phone usage. |
【推荐3】A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those who want a good night’s sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off—if it is milked from a cow at night.
Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety.
The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder that made from cows which are milked both during the day and at night.
Those who are given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those who are fed with the milk which is collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.
Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.
While the effect of cow milk which is harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who are struggling to fall asleep at night.
Previous studies have also indicated that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.
Milk is also sugar-free and additive-free(不含添加剂) with nutritionists recommending skimmed milk as the best choice before bed because it is the least fattening. The more fat you take in before bedtime, the greater burden you will put on your body at night.
1. According to the text,the mice that were fed with daytime milk ________.| A．started sleep more easily | B．woke up later |
| C．were less active | D．were more anxious |
| A．It’s been tested on mice for ten times. | B．It’s used in sleeping drugs. |
| C．It exists in milk in great amount. | D．It can make people more energetic. |
| A．Because it contains calcium. | B．Because it is the least fattening. |
| C．Because it contains sugar. | D．Because it is full of fat. |
| A．Milk Drinking and Health | B．Fat, Sugar and Health |
| C．An Experiment on Mice | D．Night Milk and Sleep |
【推荐1】Ne Zha, the most successful film in the summer of 2019, has become the all-time highest-grossing (票房之冠) animation (动画) film in China. After the box-office success of Ne Zha, Yang Yu, the director of the film has risen to fame overnight.
Yang, who has himself struggled for more than 10 years in his career is somewhat of a real-life model for the main role in the film. Yang was born in a doctor’s family. As his parents thought a hospital job would be stable, Yang studied medicine in college. But his interest in animation changed his life. When most of his classmates chose to work as medical professionals after graduation, Yang stayed at home for three and a half years to make a short animation film. Yang recalls that period was like “living in a space station”, as his routine activities were limited in their small family apartment.
A turning point came in 2009, when Yang’s directorial debut (处女作), See Through, was quite a hit after it was released. The film got more than 30 awards at home and abroad.
The success inspired him to establish an animation studio in Chengdu, but in the following six years. Yang struggled to get help to fund an animation film. In 2014, Coloroom Pictures reached out to him for a film on the mythological (神话的) figure Ne Zha.
Hiring around 1,600 members from over 20 animation companies, the film took five years for production, with Ne Zha’s new screen image—a boy with ugly teeth and dark circles around his eyes. It was a big change because over the past 40 years, Ne Zha had been played by handsome actors in TV dramas and movies. “We wanted a breakthrough and wished to convey a message that it’s the inside personality that decides who you are.” Yang explains.
1. What do we learn about Ne Zha directed by Yang Yu?| A．It has become the highest-grossing film in China. |
| B．It has already earned over 4.9 million yuan so far. |
| C．Its success made its director very famous. |
| D．It is the most successful film in the world in 2019. |
| A．A director. | B．A doctor | C．An actor | D．A teacher. |
| A．Character | B．action | C．language | D．appearance |
| A．You can not judge a book by its cover. | B．An early bird catches worms. |
| C．A friend in need is a friend indeed. | D．Actions speak louder than words. |
【推荐2】Sign language, the primary form of communication of the deaf community, has been in use for hundreds of years. You're probably most familiar with American Sign Language, but sign language is used all over the world and has nearly 150 variations. Sign language interpreters can be seen everywhere from classrooms and graduation ceremonies to major sporting events.
When you think of sign language, you most likely imagine signers using their hands to form words and letters. However, hands are only one of the many different body language techniques that signers use to get their meaning across. In fact, much of the grammatical structure of sign language is not indicated by the signer's hands.
While the hands are responsible for forming the words themselves, markers called "non-manual elements" control much of the languages' grammatical structure. Non-manual elements (or markers) are body language techniques that don't use the hands. These include head movements, body positioning and facial expressions. Used together with the signs. these elements give sign language a subtle and extremely complicated grammatical structure. Linguist Andrea Lackner from Alpcn-Adria University in Austria did a study that shows just how important these non-manual elements are to sign language users.
The study assessed just how many different things non-manual elements can do. For this study, all participants were deaf users of Austrian Sign Language. They watched a video of someone using sign language, and they had to describe the purpose of each non-manual element. The results were very complicated. For instance, things as subtle as the direction of the signer's gaze can indicate whether or not a statement is hypothetical(假设的). A single head movement can indicate the emotion of a statement, a conditional or if situation, or a signer's feelings toward a hypothetical question. Body language is always important, but in sign language, it can change the entire meaning of a sentence!
1. What do signers use their hands to do mostly?| A．To know people's words and letters. | B．To understand people's meanings. |
| C．To form the grammatical structure. | D．To form words and letters. |
| A．Words, sign language and body language. |
| B．Head movements, body language and signs. |
| C．Head movements, body positioning and facial expressions. |
| D．Body positioning, facial expressions and signs. |
| A．The main function of the non-manual elements. |
| B．The importance of the non-manual elements. |
| C．The influence of body language on sign language. |
| D．The influence of sign language on body language. |
| A．Non-manual Elements Counts in Sign Language | B．Ways to Avoid Being Misunderstood |
| C．Grammatical Elements in Sign Language | D．The Importance of Sign Language |
【推荐3】When you were at school, were you ever told to stop daydreaming and concentrate? It was easy for your mind to wander if you weren’t interested in what you were learning or if you had better things to think about. Staying focused can still be a challenge in adult life, but understanding how to do it, and knowing what is distracting you, can help.
Scientists have looked at what makes us delay and found a number of ways to help us stay in the zone. One of the most obvious things is eliminating noise. Research by Science Focus magazine found silence is best for concentration, or a gentle background hum and coffee shop noise is great! It also found turning off notifications on your phone, or switching it off altogether, removes a major distraction and helps us focus on the task at hand.
Another possible cure for a short attention span is brain training. Psychologists and neuroscientists are increasingly interested in our ability to settle down and have looked at what we can change inside our head to make us concentrate. An article for BBC Future by Caroline Williams says that “Attention Researcher Nilli Lavie of University College London has found that making a task more visually demanding takes up more processing power and leaves the brain nothing left to process distractions.” So, keeping your mind busy might be the answer.
There are more practical tips to keeping your mind focused. These include making a list or timetable of the tasks you have to do, finding a workspace where you’re not tempted to do other things, or chewing some gum! It’s possible the movement in your mouth occupies parts of the brain that might otherwise get distracted.
But according to Science Focus magazine, distraction isn’t all bad. “If we were always so focused that we never got distracted, we’d miss potential changes, such as threats, in our environment. Distraction is vital for survival.”
1. Which of the following places is better to make you keep focused according to the research?| A．An unquiet library. | B．A crowded hall. |
| C．A classroom with loud noise. | D．A cafe with soft music. |
| A．To introduce a mental recovery. | B．To explain a cultural phenomenon. |
| C．To train our brain to concentrate. | D．To recommend an intelligent train. |
| A．Negative. | B．All-sided. | C．Doubtful. | D．Puzzling. |
| A．How to Stay Focused | B．The Harm of Distraction |
| C．The Benefits of Keeping focused | D．The Research about Distraction |
