Conservationists go to war over whether humans are the measure of nature’s value. New Conservationists argue such trade-offs are necessary in this human dominated era. And they support “re-wilding”, a concept originally proposed by Soule where people reduce economic growth and withdraw from landscapes, which then return to nature.
New Conservationists believe the withdrawal could happen together with economic growth. The California-based Breakthrough Institute believes in a future where most people live in cities and rely less on natural resources for economic growth.
They would get food from industrial agriculture, including genetically modified foods, desalination intensified meat production and aquaculture (水产养殖), all of which have a smaller land footprint. And they would get their energy from renewables and natural gas.
Driving these profound shifts would be greater efficiency of production, where more products could be manufactured from fewer inputs. And some unsustainable commodities would be replaced in the market by other, greener ones-natural gas for coal, for instance, explained Michael Heisenberg., president of the Breakthrough Institute. Nature would, in essence, be decoupled from the economy.
And then he added a warning: “We are not suggesting decoupling as the pattern to save the world, or that it solves all the problems.”
Cynics (悲观者) may say all this sounds too utopian, but Breakthrough maintains the world is already on this path toward decoupling. Nowhere is this more evident than in the United Sates, according to Iddo Wernick, a research scholar at the Rockefeller University, who has examined the nation’s use of 100 main commodities.
Wernick and his colleagues looked at data carefully from the U.S. Geological Survey National Minerals Information Center, which keeps a record of commodities used from 1900 through the present day. They found that the use of 36 commodities (sand, iron ore, cotton etc.) in the U. S. Economy had peaked.
Another 53 commodities (nitrogen, timber, beef, etc.) are being used more efficiently per dollar value of gross domestic product than in the pre-1970s era. Their use would peak soon, Wernick said.
Only 11 commodities (industrial diamond, indium, chicken, etc.) are increasing in use (Greenwire, Nov. 6), and most of these are employed by industries in small quantities to improve systems processes. Chicken use is rising because people are eating less beef, a desirable development since poultry cultivation has a smaller environmental footprint.
The numbers show the United States has not intensified resource consumption since the 1970s even while increasing its GDP and population, said Jesse Ausubel of the Rockefeller University.
“It seems like the 20th-century expectation we had, we were always assuming the future involved greater consumption of resources,” Ausubel said. “But what we are seeing in the developed countries is, of course, peaks.”
1. What does the underlined word “trade-offs” refer to in the first paragraph?| A．The difficult situation of economies growth. |
| B．The profitability of import and export trade. |
| C．The balance between human development and natural ecology. |
| D．The consumption of natural resources by industrial development. |
| A．They believe that mankind should limit economic growth. |
| B．They believe that mankind is the master of the whole universe. |
| C．They believe that mankind should live in forests with rich vegetation. |
| D．They believe that mankind will need more natural resources in the future. |
| A．Natural resources cannot support economic development. |
| B．All resource consumption in developed countries has reached a peak. |
| C．More resource consumption will not occur in a certain period of time. |
| D．Excessive resource consumption will not affect the ecological environment. |
| A．Urbanization and re-wildness. |
| B．Human existence and industrial development. |
| C．Commodity trading and raw material development. |
| D．Socioeconomic development and resource consumption. |
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【推荐1】Rising water temperatures and the increasing levels of carbon dioxide in our oceans are killing our beautiful coral reefs at a surprising speed. Add the current extreme weather pattern, and things look even worse.
So what makes coral so sensitive? Although it may be hard to believe, corals are not plants, but animals. The colorful reefs we admire so much happen to be skeletons(骨骼) given up by hundreds of thousands of polyps(珊瑚虫). To survive, these animals live with an algae(海藻). The coral polyps give the algae a home and then the algae provide the polyps with their bright color and food.
But the rising water temperatures are causing the coral polyps to lose their algae friends. As a result, the corals are not only losing their food source but also their beautiful colors.
The disappearance of the coral not only makes humans lose the chance to admire the beautiful coral reefs. It also removes a natural barrier which protects shorelines from storms and also fewer living places for fish and other sea animals.
To prevent these important animals from disappearing, a team of researchers are attempting to raise ‘super’ corals.
They began by selecting certain coral species that seems to have got used to the changing ocean conditions. Then they made them even more adaptable to warmer water. Once ready, the researchers plan to transplant the coral into Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay.
This sounds simple, but they are not sure that it will work because coral is sensitive to touch and also develops very slowly and infrequently. Also, past attempts to remove coral have failed because they were either eaten by fish or died of disease.
Though there exist these dangers, researchers believe there’s no other choice to prevent the reefs from disappearing. Tom Oliver, a scientist says, “The question is not ‘can they do it?’, but ‘can they do it fast enough?’”
1. Which fact might surprise people according to the text?| A．Corals come in different colors. |
| B．Corals are not plants but animals. |
| C．Corals are sensitive to water temperatures. |
| D．Coral reefs can protect the coast from storms. |
| A．The failure to raise them. |
| B．Too much sunshine. |
| C．The polluted sea water. |
| D．The loss of algae friends. |
| A．Remove. | B．Admire. |
| C．Export. | D．Exchange. |
| A．Corals are of great use to people. |
| B．People are trying to prevent corals disappearing. |
| C．Human activities are affecting the growth of corals. |
| D．Coral polyps depend on an algae for color and food. |
【推荐2】Otters, are cute, this no one can deny. They have big eyes, short and flat noses and claws (爪子) like tiny hands. They look even cuter when they wear hats and throw food balls into their mouths as if they were bar snacks, like Takechiyo, a pet otter in Japan. Documenting Takechiyo’s funny behavior has earned his owner nearly 230,000 followers on Instagram, a photo-sharing app.
Takechiyo’s fame reflects a craze across east and South-East Asia for keeping the cute creatures as pets. Enthusiasts in Japan visit cafés where they pay to hug them; Indonesian owners parade their pets around on leads or go swimming with them, then share their pictures online. But these enjoyable photos mask a trade that is doing a lot of damage. Even before they became fashionable companions for humans, Asia’s wild otters faced plenty of threats. Their habitats are disappearing. They have long been hunted for their coats, or killed by farmers who wish to prevent them consuming fishes. The pet trade, which began picking up in the early 2000s but appeared to speed up a few years ago, has made things worse. The numbers of wild Asian small-clawed otters and smooth-coated otters, two species that are in highest demand, have declined by at least 30% in the three decades to 2019.
The international agreement that governs trade in wildlife, known as CITES, now prohibits cross-border trade in these species. But laws banning ownership are often poorly implemented, as in Thailand, or full of holes, as in Indonesia. And the otter-keeping craze has been dramatically improved by the internet, says Vincent Nijman of Oxford Brookes University. In 2017 TRAFFIC, a British charity that monitors the wildlife trade, spent nearly five months looking at Facebook and other social-media sites in five South-East Asian countries. During that time, it found around 1,000 otters advertised for sale online.
In any case, otters do not even make particularly good pets. Every year the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, a charity in Indonesia’s capital, receives some ten otters from people who have struggled to look after them. Faizul Duha, the founder of an Indonesian otter-owners’ group, admits that his two animals emit a “very specific” (read: fishy) smell. They bite humans and chew on furniture. Their scream can be heard blocks away. And their cages need cleaning every two-to-three hours. That is how often they empty their bowels (肠道).
1. The function of the first paragraph is to ________.| A．present the main idea | B．introduce the main topic |
| C．set readers thinking | D．illustrate the writer’s point |
| A．The demand for pet otters. | B．The disappearance of otters’ habitats. |
| C．The popularity of otter coats. | D．The decrease of fishes. |
| A．the laws that prohibit cross-border trade are strict in Asia |
| B．social media plays a significant role in the online otter trade |
| C．people usually give up otters because they are endangered |
| D．otters are suitable pets because they are friendly to humans |
| A．advertise for a photo-sharing app |
| B．introduce the popularity of pet otters |
| C．discourage the illegal otter pet trade |
| D．describe the characteristics of otters |
【推荐3】Babies are surrounded by human language, always listening and processing. Eventually, they put sounds together to produce a “Daddy” or a “Mama”. But what still confuses neuroscientists is exactly how the brain works to put them all together.
To figure it out, a team of researchers turned to a frequent stand-in(代替)for babies when it comes to language learning: the song-learning zebra finch(斑胸草雀). “We’ve known songbirds learn their song by first forming a memory of their father’s song or another adult’s song. Then they use that memory to guide their song learning,” said Neuroscientist Todd Roberts. “It's been a long-term goal of the field to figure out how or where in the brain this memory is. This type of imitative learning that birds do is very similar to the type of learning that we engage in regularly—particularly when we’re young, we use it to guide our speech learning.”
Roberts and his team had a feeling that the interface(交叉区域)between sensory areas and motor areas in the brain was critical for this process, and they focused on a group of brain cells called the NIF.
“In order to prove that we could identify these circuits, we thought if we could implant a false memory.” First, they used a virus to cause the neurons(神经元)in the birds’ NIf to become sensitive to light. Then, using a tiny electrode as a flashlight, which activated(激活)the neurons. The length of each pulse of light corresponded with the amount of time the neurons would fire. And the birds’ brains took that time period as the length of each note.
Soon enough, the birds began to practice the notes they had learned, even though they never really heard the sounds. Amazingly, the birds produced them in the correct social situations. The researchers say this is the first time anybody has found exactly a part of the brain necessary for generating the sorts of memories needed to copy sounds.
“This line of research is going to help us make out where in the brain we encode memories of relevant social experiences that we use to guide learning. We know that there are several neurodevelopmental disorders in people that have really far-reaching effects on this type of learning.”
1. The zebra finch is researched because its song-learning mode ______.| A．is like the way babies learn speed |
| B．decides whether it will sing songs |
| C．helps it to say “Daddy” or “Mama” |
| D．reflects its talent for imitating its father’s song. |
| A．The interface in the brain. |
| B．Imitative learning type like birds. |
| C．Guidance from adults. |
| D．The way of regular learning. |
| A．a bird only sings what it heard before |
| B．The brain produces tiny electrodes. |
| C．Birds are sensitive to flashlights. |
| D．Scientists activated some neurons by using an electrode. |
| A．A change in our way of listening and processing. |
| B．A chance to have relevant social experiences. |
| C．A better knowledge of the secrets of learning. |
| D．Identification of neurodevelopmental disorders. |
【推荐1】No one will be surprised to hear that the arts are under fire in this day and age. We view the arts as something of a hobby, something that’s fun but certainly can’t pay the rent. Do we really need art in our lives?
It seems as though the loss of art in daily life is a sad fact of life, but it doesn’t have to be.
Most of all, we need art in our lives as it gives us a form of self-expression.
So, do we need art in our lives? Many people would say no, but the art they’re thinking of is the art you see in galleries.
| A．Art also gives us insight into the world. |
| B．Art doesn’t have to be something that everyone understands. |
| C．There are actually a lot of practical uses for art for many people. |
| D．Art is much more accessible and is truly needed in everyday life. |
| E．Being able to talk about our feelings is essential to staying healthy. |
| F．We use art to express ourselves, showcase talent, and grow as people. |
| G．Whatever you like to do in your spare time, you’re probably creating art. |
【推荐2】Humans’ overconsumption of resources is a leading contributor to global climate change, says University of Arizona researcher Sabrina Helm. Therefore, it’s increasingly important to understand the choices consumers make and how those decisions affect the health of a planet with limited resources. In a new study, published in the journal Young Consumers, Helm and her colleagues explore how materialistic values influence pro-environmental behaviors in millennials, who are now the nation’s most influential group of consumers.
The researchers focused on two main categories of pro-environmental behaviors: reduced consumption, which includes actions like repairing instead of replacing older items; and “green buying,” or purchasing products designed to limit environmental impacts. The researchers also looked at how engaging in pro-environmental behaviors affects consumer well-being.
More materialistic participants, the researchers found, were unlikely to engage in reduced consumption. However, materialism did not seem to have an effect on their likelihood of practicing “green buying.” That’s probably because “green buying,” unlike reduced consumption, still offers a way for materialists to fulfill their desire to get new items, Helm said.
Study participants who reported having fewer materialistic values were much more likely to engage in reduced consumption. Consuming less was, in turn, linked to higher personal well-being and lower psychological suffering. Green buying—which may have some positive environmental effects, although to a smaller degree than reduced consumption—was not found to improve consumer well-being, Helm said.
The take-home message for consumers: “The key is to reduce consumption and not just buy green stuff. Having less and buying less can actually make us more satisfied and happier,” Helm said. “If you have a lot of stuff, you have a lot on your mind,” she said. “For example, it requires maintenance and there’s a lot of burdens of ownership, and if you relieve yourself of that burden of ownership, most people report feeling a lot better and freer.”
Helm and her colleagues additionally looked at how materialism affects millennial consumers’ proactive financial behaviors, such as budgeting and saving. Examining financial behaviors alongside pro-environmental behaviors provides a picture of how young adults proactively deal with resource limitations in two contexts: environmental and financial, Helm said.
As expected, Helm and her colleagues found that those who reported having more materialistic values engaged in fewer proactive financial behaviors than their less materialistic counterparts (对应的人). The researchers also found that, consistent with previous studies, proactive financial behaviors were associated with better personal well-being, life satisfaction and financial satisfaction, as well as lower psychological suffering.
Understanding how materialistic values impact consumer behaviors, and how those behaviors in turn affect personal and environmental well-being, is important, Helm said. However, she acknowledges that for many consumers, shifting behaviors to be more financially proactive and consume less will be challenging.
1. What do we know about pro-environmental behaviors?| A．They are a cause of climate change. |
| B．They lead to a more satisfying life. |
| C．They vary in different age groups. |
| D．They are affected by materialism. |
| A．ownership of green products brings a sense of happiness |
| B．materialists prefer practicing green buying to buying less |
| C．green buying helps control people’s desire to buy new items |
| D．buying less and green buying have similar effects on people |
| A．Replacing older items. | B．Developing new resources. |
| C．Buying greener products. | D．Being careful with expenses. |
| A．When people develop proactive financial behaviors. |
| B．Which financial behaviors lead to mental well-being. |
| C．Why it is hard to change people’s financial behaviors. |
| D．How materialistic values influence financial behaviors. |
【推荐3】It's not an urban legend: crime rates do in fact rise in the summer in the U.S. A study found that, with the exception of robbery and auto theft, rates of all violent and property crimes are higher during the summer than during other months. The study examined data collected during 8 years, which included violent and property crimes that did not result in death, both reported and not reported to the police.
The data show that, though the national crime rate dropped by 70 percent during recent years, seasonal spikes in summer remain. In some cases those spikes are 12 percent higher than rates during seasons in which the lows occur. The phenomenon confuses many criminologist and they wonder why.
Some reason that increased temperatures, which drive many out of doors and leave windows open in their homes, raise the amount of time when homes are left empty. Others point to the effect of students on summer vacation who are otherwise occupied with schooling during other seasons, while some argue that suffering heat-induced discomfort simply makes people more aggressive and likely to act out.
Although these elements possess certain persuasive power, their rationality is called into question when cases in winter are put on the map. Why aren’t the rates in winter falling if heat related factors are to blame for the summer spike? Contrarily, the matter should be viewed from social and economic angles rather than on solar terms.
Numerous studies have shown that rates of criminal behavior among young adults drop when their communities provide them with other ways to spend their time and earn money. This was found to be true in Los Angeles, where gang activity was reduced when community centers for teens were thriving and active. And generally speaking, the connection between economic inequality and crime is robustly documented for the U.S. And why summer sees a worse situation? It’s probably because it’s even harder for youngsters to land jobs that provide for life necessities.
So if officials want to address the summer spike in crime, they may act differently instead of aiming straight at crimes. Simply upgrading security and severely punishing offences almost produce void effects. Instead, be open to various options and they will find that development of job hunting agencies or community professional training centers are accompanying the drop of crime rate without seasonal exceptions. After all, bread always comes first for everyone.
1. What puzzles scholars studying crimes?| A．The rates of robbery and auto theft are lower than other violent and property crimes in summer. |
| B．The rates of crimes resulting in death are about the same in all seasons. |
| C．The crime rates not reported to the police are much higher during summer. |
| D．Crime rates in summer are higher than those of other seasons. |
| A．Increased temperature left houses easier for attacks. |
| B．The hot environment makes people more likely to be angered. |
| C．Youngsters find it hard to release energies at school. |
| D．People’s economic needs are not satisfied by the society. |
| A．Lengthen the school time to hold students in school during summer. |
| B．Enhance the safety mechanism during the summer |
| C．Take measures to encourage youth employment. |
| D．Frighten would-be criminals through harsh punishments. |
| A．Solar terms are responsible for the summer crime spike. |
| B．Crime rates in summer fall by 58 percent in the U.S. |
| C．LA criminal activities fall because of positive community programs. |
| D．The crime rates in winter are low due to low mobility in the season. |
【推荐1】This year marks exactly two centuries since the publication of “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus,” by Mary Shelley. Even before the invention of the electric light bulb, the author produced a remarkable work of speculative fiction that would foreshadow (预示) many ethical questions to be raised by technologies yet to come.
Today the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (Al) raises fundamental questions: “What is intelligence, identity, or consciousness? What makes humans humans?” What is being called artificial general intelligence, machines that would imitate the way humans think, continue to puzzle scientists. Yet humans remain fascinated by the idea of robots that would look, move and respond like humans, similar to those depicted on sci-fi TV series such as “Humans”. Just how people think is still far too complex to be understood, let alone reproduced, says David Eagleman, a Stanford University neuroscientist. “We are just in a situation where there are no good theories explaining what consciousness actually is and how you could ever build a machine to get there.”
But that doesn’t mean crucial ethical issues involving AI aren’t at hand. The coming use of autonomous vehicles, for example, poses thorny (棘手的) ethical questions. Human drivers sometimes must make split-second decisions. Their reactions may be a complex combination of instant reflexes, input from past driving experiences, and what their eyes and ears tell them in that moment. AI “vision” today is not nearly as sophisticated as that of humans. And to anticipate every imaginable driving situation is a difficult programming problem.
Whenever decisions are based on masses of data, “you quickly get into a lot of ethical questions,” notes Tan Kiat How, chief executive of a Singapore-based agency that is helping the government develop a voluntary code for the ethical use of Al. Along with Singapore, other governments and mega-corporations are beginning to establish their own guidelines. Britain is setting up a data ethics center India released its Al ethics strategy this spring.
On June 7 Google promised not to design or employ Al that would cause “overall harm,” or to develop Al-directed weapons or use AI for surveillance (监视) that would break international norms (规则). It also promised not to employ AI whose use would violate international laws or human rights.
While the statement is vague, it represents one starting point. So does the idea that decisions made by Al systems should be explainable, transparent, and fair.
To put it another way: How can we make sure that the thinking of intelligent machines reflects humanity’s highest values? Only then will they be useful servants and not Frankenstein’s out-of-control monster.
1. Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is mentioned because it________.| A．fascinates AI scientists all over the world |
| B．has remained popular for as long as 200 years |
| C．involves some concerns raised by Al today |
| D．has sparked serious ethical controversies |
| A．helps explain artificial intelligence | B．can be misleading to robot making |
| C．inspires popular sci-fi TV series | D．is too limited for us to reproduce it |
| A．can hardly ever be found | B．is still beyond our capacity |
| C．causes little public concern | D．has aroused much curiosity |
| A．AI’s Future: In the Hands of Tech Giants |
| B．Frankenstein, the Novel Predicting the Age of AI |
| C．The Conscience of AI: Complex but Inevitable |
| D．AI Shall Be Killers Once Out of Control |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
In their book Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living, Robert and Brenda Vale say keeping a medium sized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,000 km a year in a 4.6 liter Land Cruiser.
“We’re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog. We’ re just saying that we need to think about and know the ecological impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted.”
Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41 hectares of land, while growing and manufacturing a dog’s food takes about 0.84 hectares — or 1.1 hectares in the case of a large dog such as a German shepherd.
Convincing flesh eating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the sake of the planet is a non starter, the Vales say. Instead they recommend keeping “greener”, smaller, and more sustainable pets, such as goldfish, chickens or rabbits.
The book’s playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully “recycled”, by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die, may not appeal to animal fans.
Annoying as the idea may be, the question is valid given the planet’s growing population and limited resources, Robert Vale said.
“Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog. It’s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket,” he said.
“It’s about much more challenging and difficult issues,” he added. “Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things, you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself.”
1. The authors gave their book the playful title to________.
| A．make it amusing | B．create a vivid image |
| C．show writing skills | D．arouse people’ s concern |
| A．the amount of consumed land | B．the neglected ecological impact |
| C．some familiar examples | D．some actual figures |
| A．Going vegetarian. | B．Raising cats and dogs. |
| C．Using a cloth bag. | D．Keeping a greener life. |
| A．Manufacturers. | B．Drivers. | C．Animal fans. | D．The authorities. |
| A．Challenging. | B．Inspiring. | C．Inviting. | D．Touching. |
【推荐3】A new study has found that animals play dead for long periods of time in order to escape capture from their predators. How long they are motionless depends on the circumstances, but they can wait out their predators for quite a long time when their lives are in danger.
Animals stay still to avoid capture for different lengths of time. "Most interestingly, Charles Darwin recorded a beetle that remained motionless for 23 minutes. Antlions, our favorite study creature in this regard, set a record of 61 minutes," says lead author Nigel R. Franks from the University of Bristol.
Antlions are members of a large group of insects. Antlion larvae（幼虫）dig pits in loose soil and then aggressively attack ants and other small insects that fall into the sandy pits. In another study, researchers dug sandpits to understand the physics of how antlion larvae build their pits. As part of their research, they needed to weigh the individual larvae. When they put them onto the microbalance scale to weigh them, they noticed that the larvae remained motionless for long periods of time. "This made it 'a piece of cake' to weigh them but it aroused researchers' curiosity, 'What on earth were they playing at?'" Franks says.
The researchers found that the amount of time the antlions remained stationary after being disturbed was unpredictable and was often quite lengthy. In researching other animals, they found that how long they wait to move again can depend on factors such as hunger and temperature, but it always varies.
This unpredictability is absolutely crucial for their survival, Franks says. For example, if a bird visits these antlion pits and the larvae "play dead", the birds will fly around the antlions to see if they move. "Imagine if antlions always remained immobile for 5 minutes. In such a case, the predator could look for alternate prey（猎物）and then return to its original one when the time is up," he says. "If that happened, it would be a short life for the predictable antlion." But because the time is unpredictable, the birds leave and go find something else to eat. The predators turn their attention from the unmoving prey that no longer catches their eye to something nearby that is a better alternative.
1. What is the new study about?| A．Animals' hunting skills. |
| B．Animals' living conditions. |
| C．Animals' self-protecting behavior. |
| D．Animals' means of communication. |
| A．To introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| B．To offer supporting data for the discovery. |
| C．To make a comparison between the two studies. |
| D．To provide some background information on the study. |
| A．Unmoving. | B．Alarmed. | C．Energetic. | D．Motional. |
| A．By scaring away predators. |
| B．By distracting predators' attention. |
| C．By staying still for an uncertain amount of time. |
| D．By waiting for predators to be eaten. |
