Putting more green space around a school may help students develop some mental abilities, a study suggests. Researchers tested students repeatedly over the course of a year on attentiveness (专注力)and working memory, which is the ability to keep something in mind temporarily for performing a task. On the whole, students whose schools were surrounded by more green space improved more than pupils from schools with less green space.
The study tracked more than 2,000 students in 36 primary schools in Barcelona, Spain. The pupils were in the second to fourth grades when the study began. Green space may help mental development by reducing air pollution from vehicles, according to an article by the researchers that included pollution data from the schools. It may also help by reducing noise and encouraging physical activity, researchers said.
Policy makers should know that “more green around the school is better for cognitive development and that they should make sure that kids can see and play in green areas,” one author Mark Nieuwenhuijsen said. “Existing urban schools should think about replacing concrete or other hard surfaces with green space,” he suggested, “and even a few trees may help.”
The researchers used satellite images to group schools according to how much green space appeared on the school grounds and within about 55 yards of the school property. Their analysis showed that differences in socio-economic factors between schools did not account for the study outcome.
Sally Augustin, a psychologist, said the results made sense to her. She said the results fit with previous findings that views of nature help children and adults lower stress and perform mental tasks better.
1. What does the text mainly tell us?| A．Green space makes schools more beautiful. |
| B．Schools are lack of green space for students. |
| C．Students’ mental abilities need to be improved. |
| D．Green space is good for students’ mental abilities. |
| A．Moved. | B．Helped. | C．Followed. | D．Found. |
| A．More trees should be planted for kids. |
| B．Noise should be cleared near the school. |
| C．Kids should be encouraged to play more sports. |
| D．Air pollution should be reduced from vehicles. |
| A．To show a different opinion. |
| B．To introduce another interesting study. |
| C．To present Augustin’s view about the study. |
| D．To make the findings of the study more convincing. |
| A．Health. | B．Education. | C．Nature. | D．Technology. |
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【推荐1】They say the average person makes 35,000 decisions a day. Yet in her new book, How Woman Decide, Therese Huston explores a widespread phenomenon that many women fail to notice. “There’s a huge double standard when it comes to how men and women are viewed as decision-makers,” explains Therese, a psychologist from Seattle University. Therese decided to write the book after looking at her bookshelf: At one end, there were bestselling books about how to be a clever decision-maker — all written by men and featuring interviews with men like athletes. At the other end were books aimed at women on gaining leadership skills and confidence.
“Once those women are at the table, will their decisions be taken as seriously as men’s?” Therese wondered. “Men are respected as decision-makers more than women, especially in the workplace, largely because there’s this cultural belief that women are unable to make smart choices at work.”
So, Therese set out to pick apart the stereotypes to see what scientific research had found. “Scientific research shows that men and women struggle with decision-making equally. The only disadvantage I found was that during the teenage years — teenage girls are more indecisive than teenage boys. Otherwise, there’s little difference between the genders.”
However, there are some differences. “Women are more collaborative,” says Therese. “A female boss is more likely to ask the opinions of those around her when making a choice. Women ask for input, which helps make better decisions. However, this is often seen as a weakness rather than a strength.”
Therese also found that during times of stress, men and women make different choices, and the outcomes are often better when women are involved.
Study after study backs this view up. Neuroscientists Mara Mather and Nicole Lighthall from the University of Southern California studied the way men and women make decisions and found that in times of stress, they react very differently.
During their study, which involved playing a virtual gambling game, they found that when the females became stressed, they made smart decisions — quitting while they were ahead or taking safe bets. But when the men became stressed, they did the opposite, risking everything for a slim chance of a big win.
1. Therese Huston wrote the book How women Decide because she finds that ____________.| A．Women are less respected as decision makers. |
| B．Women are not equally treated in workplaces. |
| C．Women are unable to make smart choices. |
| D．Women are poor at making big decisions. |
| A．Men can make quicker decisions than women. |
| B．Women easily get stressed when making decisions. |
| C．Women are likely to ask for input when making decisions. |
| D．Teenage girls are less able to make decisions than teenage boys. |
| A．Women show less confidence in times of stress. |
| B．Men tend to make risky decisions in times of stress. |
| C．Men demonstrate great bravery in times of stress. |
| D．Women quit making decisions when ahead in games. |
| A．Women are brilliant as decision makers. |
| B．Men are weaker in making smart decisions. |
| C．We should give up all cultural beliefs about gender. |
| D．Great difference exists between the two genders in decision-making. |
【推荐2】“I’ve never met a human worth cloning，” says cloning expert Mark Westhusin from the cramped confines of his lab at Texas A&M University. “It’s a stupid endeavor.” That’s an interesting choice of adjective, coming from a man who has spent millions of dollars trying to clone a 13yearold dog named Missy. So far, he and his team have not succeeded, though they have cloned two calves and expect to clone a cat soon. They just might succeed in cloning Missy later this year — or perhaps not for another five years. It seems the reproductive system of man’s best friend is one of the mysteries of modern science.
Westhusin’s experience with cloning animals leaves him vexed by all this talk of human cloning. In three years of work on the Missyplicity project, using hundreds upon hundreds of canine eggs, the A&M team has produced only a dozen or so embryos carrying Missy’s DNA. None have survived the transfer to a surrogate mother. The wastage of eggs and the many spontaneously aborted fetuses may be acceptable when you’re dealing with cats or bulls, he argues, but not with humans. “Cloning is incredibly inefficient, and also dangerous，” he says.
Even so, dog cloning is a commercial opportunity, with a nice research payoff. Ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1997, Westhusin’s phone at A&M College of Veterinary Medicine has been ringing busily. Cost is no obstacle for customers like Missy’s mysterious owner, who wishes to remain unknown to protect his privacy. He’s plopped down $3.7 million so far to fund the research because he wants a twin to carry on Missy’s fine qualities after she dies. But he knows her clone may not have her temperament. In a statement of purpose, Missy’s owner and the A&M team say they are “both looking forward to studying the ways that her clone differs from Missy.”
The fate of the dog samples will depend on Westhusin’s work. He knows that even if he gets a dog viably pregnant, the offspring, should they survive, will face the problems shown at birth by other cloned animals: abnormalities like immature lungs and heart and weight problems. “Why would you ever want to clone humans，” Westhusin asks, “when we’re not even close to getting it worked out in animals yet？”
1. Which of the following is TRUE about animal cloning?| A．Few private cloning companies could afford it. |
| B．Few people have realized its significance. |
| C．An exact copy of a cat or bull can be made. |
| D．It is becoming a prosperous industry. |
| A．Mr. Westhusin is going to clone a dog soon |
| B．scientists are pessimistic about human cloning |
| C．human reproductive system has not been understood |
| D．rich people are only interested in cloning animals |
| A．is stupid and should be abandoned |
| B．has been close to success |
| C．should be taken cautiously |
| D．is now in a dilemma |
【推荐3】Many of the threats currently facing our oceans, such as rising temperatures and pollution, are widely understood. However, there are a number of relatively unknown emerging issues that are poorly understood in terms of their potential impact, whether good or bad, on marine environments. Several are linked to the exploitation (开发) of newly in-demand ocean resources.
In the hope that early identification will support scientists, conservationists and policy-makers to address these new challenges in plenty of time, 30 experts in marine and coastal ecosystems have proposed a list of the 15 issues most likely to have a significant impact on ocean biodiversity over the next five to ten years. Here, we will take a closer look at one of those issues.
In coastal seas around the world, the water is growing darker. This darkness, caused by increasing amounts of sediment (沉积物) and nutrients, is a relatively little-studied phenomenon, but a potentially serious cause for concern.
A range of activities are responsible for coastal darkening. Rainwater runoff from agricultural land carries fertilizers, animal waste and sediment into rivers that march into the sea. Increasing rainfall and permafrost (永久冻土) melting (both the result of human-driven climate change) also cause sudden increases in ocean nutrient levels, leading to light-blocking algal blooms (藻华) . Digging and bottom searching stir up seafloor sediments.
Light influences marine life in a surprising number of ways. It passes through seawater, heating it and generating currents, and is absorbed by the large quantities of microscopic phytoplankton (浮游植物) upon which most marine life depends. Even moonlight, 400,000 times fainter than sunlight, is responsible for the nightly movements of many of the oceans’ tiniest inhabitants and, every year, hundreds of coral species spawn (产卵) at the same time, triggered by the light of a full moon.
As the clarity of seawater is reduced, light is prevented from entering the water column. At moderate levels, coastal darkening can have positive impacts, such as limiting coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) , but the benefits are few. Darkening could change species’ behaviour, distribution and even composition, profoundly altering their ecosystems and ability to store carbon. Poisonous chemicals such as methyl mercury (甲基汞) , which is broken down by sunlight, could spread higher up the food chain, reaching the fish that we eat.
1. What do we know about the less-known emerging issues?| A．Their impact has been well known by most people. |
| B．Several may affect the ocean biodiversity greatly in the future. |
| C．All are related to the exploitation of ocean resources. |
| D．The early identification has addressed these new challenges. |
| A．Water from rivers gets into the sea. |
| B．People show little concern about the coast. |
| C．The phenomenon is relatively little-studied |
| D．Amounts of nutrients and sediment increase. |
| A．More coral bleaching. |
| B．Stable species’ behavior. |
| C．Unsafe seafood for humans. |
| D．Rapid breakdown of chemicals. |
| A．Coastal Darkening |
| B．Rising Temperatures |
| C．Marine Biodiversity |
| D．Responsible Activities |
【推荐1】Charles Darwin once said “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life”. If you live one hundred years, that is only equal to twelve-hundred months-and when you break it down even further into days, hours and minutes, it gets more frightening. Why is this relevant? Well, quite simply put: life is short. Spending eight hours every day in a sleep means you’re losing a third of your life to bed. So, the question is: is eight hours the exact amount we need, or is it just a myth?
While most scientists agree that between seven and nine hours a night is the optimal amount, this is just a rough estimate. In truth, it’s a little more complicated than that. It seems that the amount of sleep you need depends upon your age-with infants needing much more than adults. What does seem apparent is that around seven and a half hours’ sleep is a good amount. In a study conducted at the University of Surrey Sleep Research Centre, the effects of sleep were monitored.
One group slept for six and a half and the other for seven and a half hours per night. While some findings were predictable-irritation and lower concentration in the group who slept less, there were some more surprising findings. The genes of people who had less sleep were affected. Genes associated with inflammation (炎症), the immune system and stress response became more active. The team also observed increases in the activity of genes related to diabetes (糖尿病) and risk of cancer.
One of the biggest issues is that myths regarding sleep are constantly perpetuated. For example, have you ever heard that you can train yourself to need less or no sleep? It’s simply not true. We will always need a certain amount of sleep-eight hours might not be the exact sweet spot, and there are factors like age to take into consideration, but one thing is true-there is a certain amount we do actually need.
1. What does the Charles Darwin quote mean?| A．Spend an hour sleeping is important. |
| B．Sleeping is valuable and should be valued. |
| C．Life is short and don’t waste any time. |
| D．Eight hours is the right amount of time spent in sleeping. |
| A．The gene. | B．The Age. | C．The gender. | D．The pattern. |
| A．focus on things more attentively | B．lose weight easily |
| C．deal with stress actively | D．suffer diseases easily |
| A．Preserved. | B．Challenged. | C．Refused. | D．Resisted. |
【推荐2】Raina Jain's STS project started in science class. Her teacher challenged teen and her classmates to find global problems in the news that lacked solutions. Raina, 17, zeroed in on colony collapse disorder in bees. This happens when worker bees abandon their hive, eventually causing the hive to die.
Raina visited a beekeeper, a friend of her parents. She wanted to observe this problem up close. “Every year, he loses 60 percent of his hives,” she learned. “That shocked me.”
Parasites play a role in colony collapse disorder. A chemical called thymol can help rid bees of the parasites. Beekeepers often leave out a thymol containing substance. Bees can apply it to themselves while cleaning. But that substance doesn't work the same way at all temperatures, Raina notes. On hot days, for instance, it releases higher levels of thymol-amounts that might harm bees. The substance also might limit bees' ability to fly.
Raina wondered if there was a better way to protect bees. She developed her own thymol-containing substance. Then she designed a 3D- printed beehive entrance that would coat the bees. She tested how fast her substance would degrade in the sun and wind by applying the substance to bee models. Raina even kept a beehive in her backyard to test the substance's effectiveness.
Now, hundreds of beekeepers around the United States are helping Raina further test her invention. “Probably the hardest part of my project was to get people to actually use it”, Raina says. “It took time and thousands of emails. But now further data collection is underway.”
1. What does the underlined part in the first paragraph mean?| A．Avoided the field of. | B．Suffered from. | C．Knew nothing about. | D．Focused on. |
| A．To ask advice from him. | B．To do field observation of bees. |
| C．To ask for some bees for experiments. | D．To observe how a beekeeper raises bees. |
| A．artificial bees | B．bees raised by herself |
| C．the beehive in her backyard | D．the 3D-printed beehive entrance |
| A．Putting it into practical use. | B．Improving its effectiveness. |
| C．Finding out whether it works well. | D．Getting support for it from beekeepers. |
【推荐3】Orwell’s Impact on the World
Few writers have had such an impact on the thinking of the modern world as British writer George Orwell(1903—1950)．Orwell wrote many things on a variety of topics，for example，poverty in England in the 1930s during the Great Depression and his experience in the Spanish Civil War(1936—1939)．
But he is most famous for his works of fiction，Animal Farm(1945) and，especially，Nineteen Eighty-Four(1949)．These last books became especially influential in the West in the 1950s during the early Cold War years．
In Nineteen Eighty-Four，Orwell imagined a Britain of the future, modeled on the Soviet union. His chilling tale of Winston Smith，a regular man who comes into conflict with the government，was close to the fears of many people of the time．Ideas from the novel soon entered everyday culture，and are still in use today．“Big Brother”，for example，is a phrase from the book that refers to how authority is always looking over one’s shoulder.
Other phrases used in the novel, like “War is Peace” and “Freedom is slavery” are also still used now．Indeed，many people see Orwell’s book as warnings about what might happen if those in power become corrupted．
Even today，Orwell remains an influential voice. Often，writers achieve great fame and popularity，but they don’t affect how people live their everyday lives．For example, British author JK Rowling is a huge literary success, but people wouldn’t say that Harry Potter has affect the way people think about politics. For better or for worse, however, George Orwell has.
It’s because of Orwell’s influence on popular thinking that UNESCO’S Memory of the World Programme recently decided to include a collection of Orwell’s writings on its register．
The Memory of the World register is similar to UNESCO’s world heritage site program，which protects places and buildings and natural features in the world．According to its website，the idea behind the body is “that the world’s documentary evidence belongs to all” and should be “permanently accessible to all”．
University College London，which proposed the idea to UNESCO，said in its application that Orwell’s work “had a great influence on human thought in all parts of the world，an influence that remains potent today”．
1. What do we know about Orwell?| A．His most famous works were based on his own experience． |
| B．His books were well-received during the Cold-War． |
| C．He mainly wrote about imaginative, beautiful worlds． |
| D．His writings are often compared to those of JK Rowling． |
| A．The cruelty of war in the 20th century. |
| B．The serious effects of poverty in England. |
| C．People’s various conflicts with the government. |
| D．A corrupt UK government of the future. |
| A．share some of his classic ideas |
| B．show how he used language in a creative way |
| C．stress his ideas are still meaningful today |
| D．show how he described the dark side of society |
| A．They introduced a new way of writing． |
| B．They were a huge literary success． |
| C．They shaped political systems in Western countries． |
| D．They continue to have a great influence on human thought. |
The development of human society brings us opportunities as well as challenges. One of these challenges is how to live harmoniously with nature.
Millions of years ago, our ancestors realized that they were entirely dependent on nature. They made for themselves totems symbolizing plants or animals. By doing this they showed great respect for nature and also showed us that mankind and nature should not be divided as, they were originally one. Yet this delicate balance between humans and nature has long been ignored and now the damage is done.
Today, around the globe, as many as three species die every 60 minutes. “Species that become extinct are lost forever. We can't bring them back,” says biologist Stuart Pimm. At this rate, in the following 50 years, all known species could disappear. The collective actions of man are changing the course of rivers and streams and altering the atmosphere's protective ozone layer. These may bring an end to the lives of creatures on Earth. With the gradual extinction of a number of species, we are getting lonelier and taking 'a step closer to our own extinction.
We cannot exist without biodiversity. But how? What strategy can satisfy both immediate human needs and long-term environmental protection? The answer is the sustainable development that maintains economic growth and at the same time protects our environment. For example, conservationists have never stopped searching for ways to protect biodiversity. Thanks to their ceaseless effort, an increasing number of biological breakthroughs will benefit the survival of the species. More and more people realize what biodiversity means to us. And we do need a revival of the respect that our ancestors used to give to nature.
We shall always remember don't ask what nature can do for us; ask what wean do for nature.
1. How did our ancestors show respect for nature? (no more than 10 words)2. How many species are dying out every day globally today?(no more than 2 words)
3. According to the passage, what is sustainable development?(no more than 15 words)
4. What causes the increasing number of biological breakthroughs?(no more than 5 words)
【推荐2】Global warming is the increase of the earth’s average surface temperature due to the effect of greenhouse gases, for example, carbon dioxide, which trap heat that would otherwise escape from the earth. After the trees are cut down and more greenhouse gases are released, the “blanket” around the earth called the ozone layer (臭氧层), will get thicker. This catches more heat and makes the earth hotter. Luckily, there are many things that every citizen of the earth can do to help reduce the effects of global warming, and it’s never too late or too early for children to take action.
The children should learn what a carbon footprint is. A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon and greenhouse gases people make as they lead the daily life and go about the normal activities. In other words, the carbon footprint is a measure of the environmental impact (冲击) the life has. To live an environmentally friendly life that doesn’t contribute to global warming, people want to have the smallest carbon footprint possible.
Almost everything people do contributes to global warming and is related to fossil fuel consumption. These can be direct uses of fossil fuels, like riding in a gasoline-powered car, or indirect contributions to greenhouse gases, such as eating fruits or vegetables that have to be shipped from far way to reach their tables.
If a child wants to make a contribution to reducing global warming, he should ride a bicycle to the near park, school, his friend’s house, or anywhere else instead of taking the car. Or he may try to walk or jog, which is also helpful. In addition, although trains and buses often run on fossil fuels, on average, each person uses less energy and produces less pollution to run. Next time if children with their parents have to get around town or it’s too far to walk or bike, take the bus or other public transportation instead of asking for a ride.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．a brief description of carbon footprint. | B．The causes of global warming. |
| C．The protection of ozone layer. | D．The serious water pollution. |
| A．Useless. | B．Attractive. | C．Expensive. | D．Useful |
| A．Go to the near park by bike. | B．Avoid taking the car or cycling. |
| C．Eating fruits from far away. | D．Go around the town with parents by car. |
| A．What Can People Do To Use Less Energy? |
| B．Why Global Warming Affects Humans’ Life? |
| C．How Can Kids Help Reduce Global Warming? |
| D．How Does Carbon Footprints Measure Pollution? |
【推荐3】Living in the Valley
We had been living in our valley for sixteen months when we first realised the dangers that could exist in the surrounding hills and threaten our very survival. Until that time, we had felt safe and sheltered in our valley below the protecting hills.
Soon snow began to fall. Within a day it lay some 15 centimetres deep. It almost completely blocked out the lane and made the streamside path slippery and dangerous. But on the neighbouring heights the snow was much deeper and stayed for longer. Up there the wind was fierce.
And yet we knew that there was reason for us to worry. The snow and wind were certainly inconvenient but they did not really trouble us greatly.
In a short time the snow started to melt. Day after day, we watched clouds pile up high over the hills to the west Grey clouds extended over the valleys.
The snow was gradually washed away as more and more rain streamed from the clouds, but high up in the hills the reservoir (水库) was filling and was fast approaching danger level. And then it happened—for the first time in years the reservoir overflowed. There in the heights it was like the Niagara Falls, as the water flowed over the edge of the dam and poured into the stream below.
| A．We can thus enjoy, rather than fear, the huge clouds that hang over the valley. |
| B．Deep in our valley we felt only sudden fits of wind; trees swayed but the branches held firm. |
| C．It was the year when the storms came early, before the calendar even hinted at winter. |
| D．They twisted and turned, rising eastwards and upwards, warning of what was to come. |
| E．It was the river, the Ryburn, which normally flowed so gently, that threatened us most. |
| F．The river seemed maddened as the waters poured almost horizontally down to its lower stretches. |
