The green and red watermelon is a sweet, refreshing summer snack. But it wasn’t always so sugary or brightly colored. So what did watermelons originally taste and look like, and from where did they come?
The fruit isn’t from the Fertile Crescent of ancient Mesopotamia, as so many other domesticated (家养的) crops are, research shows. Susanne Renner, a scientist, and her colleagues carried out comprehensive genetic sequencing (基因测序) of the domesticated watermelons — the kind you might find on supermarket shelves — along with six wild watermelon species.
“We found the modern genomes (基因组) of the domesticated watermelon are more closely related to the Sudanese wild type than any other that we analyzed,” she said. The Sudanese wild watermelon has some obvious differences from the domesticated version. “The flesh is white and not very sweet, and it’s mainly used as animal feed,” Renner said. Nevertheless, the genetic similarity between the two species led the researchers to conclude that the Sudanese fruit is probably a precursor (前身) to the red and sweet domesticated watermelon.
It’s likely that ancient farmers grew non-bitter varieties of the wild watermelon and thus increased its sweetness over many generations through the domestication process. The red color is probably also thanks to artificial selection, in which farmers likely favored and selectively bred red fruit.
We already knew that the ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamun was buried with watermelon seeds 3,300 years ago, yet that isn’t sufficient proof of a domesticated, sweet watermelon. But then, Renner found an image of a watermelon-like fruit on an ancient Egyptian tomb painting, thought to be more than 4,300 years old. In a separate tomb, another image showed the watermelon cut up in a dish alongside other sweet fruits. This realization, coupled with Renner’s genetic findings, suggests that the watermelon was most likely domesticated around that time either in Egypt or within trading distance of the ancient empire.
“Historically speaking, that’s a very significant finding,” said Hanno Schaefer, a professor of plant biodiversity. “It’s becoming clearer that we’ve greatly neglected the North African region. We’ve focused too much on the Fertile Crescent and we need to invest more resources into studying the agriculture of North Africa.”
1. What can we learn about the Sudanese wild watermelon?| A．It is brightly colored and sugary. |
| B．It is consumed mainly by animals. |
| C．It has no connection with the domesticated type. |
| D．It has more differences than similarities to the domesticated type. |
| A．More resources will be devoted to agriculture research in South Africa. |
| B．The domesticated watermelon has a history of at least four thousand years. |
| C．The domesticated watermelon probably developed from the Sudanese type. |
| D．Few domesticated crops are from the Fertile Crescent of ancient Mesopotamia. |
| A．The history of the Sudanese wild watermelon. |
| B．Where wild watermelons actually come from. |
| C．The characteristics of domesticated watermelons. |
| D．How domesticated watermelons came into being. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Tolerant. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If you’ve ever watched a dog sleep, you’ve probably wondered if animals dream. It’s a difficult question. We still don’t know exactly why humans dream, or why dreams might be important. Studying animal dreams is even harder.
Animal dreams might be very interesting. “I think dreaming gives us a way to relate many human cognitive abilities to animals, such as emotion, memory, and even imagination,“ says David M. Pena-Guzmán, who recently authored When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness.
We know monkeys have emotions, but consider spiders, which a recent study suggests may experience REM-like sleep and even dreams. The thought of spider dreams sounds outlandish, but it may be true.
“We have this idea of dreams being an imaginary process with something crazy in it,” says Matthew Wilson, a neurobiologist at MIT. “But when we look into animal models, we’re simply trying to understand what goes on during sleep that might influence learning, memory, and behavior.”
Cats were some of the first animals studied in dream research. Michel Jouvet, a pioneer of sleep studies, proved that cats dreamed in the 1960s.
In REM sleep, human muscles don’t move much despite the brain activity that powers our dreams. The body doesn’t act out our dreams no matter how real they seem. Jouvet learned that, in cats, a part of the brain called the pons seemed to control REM sleep and produce partial paralysis. By removing parts of the pons, Jouvet found with their brains deep in REM sleep the cats began to move as if awake, hunting, jumping and fighting against unseen threats. This provided a window into what was happening in the cats’ sleeping brains.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if actual dreams were found in animals, and I think finally we’ll be able to show that scientifically,” Stanford neurobiologist Philippe Mourrain says. “We’re not the only species able to remember and learn.”
1. What is the point of studying animal dreams?| A．To improve animals’ sleeping quality. | B．To find a scientific way to raise animals. |
| C．To learn about animals’ cognitive abilities. | D．To understand the importance of humans’ dreams. |
| A．Special. | B．Strange. | C．Meaningful. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．Cats dream in a way different from humans. |
| B．The pons is what keeps cats still in REM sleep. |
| C．Dreams have very little to do with cats’ behavior. |
| D．Cats are more active in sleep than when they’re awake. |
| A．They will be proved by further research. |
| B．They are more confusing than people think. |
| C．The present research is still far from satisfactory. |
| D．There is a long way to go before they’re understood. |
【推荐2】Are Sports Drinks Good or Bad for You?
Sports drinks are electrolyte-enhanced drinks.
There are also energy drinks that are often, and unfortunately, confused with sports drinks. Energy drinks typically contain large amounts of caffeine. Many contain other legal stimulants. These energy drinks could reduce tiredness and enhance performance in the short term.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children and teenagers do not use energy drinks. Parents should keep in mind that there are other drinks that contain caffeine, and that many sports drinks contain very high levels of caffeine that would be far more than the daily recommended amount.
| A．Many energy drinks are used in studies |
| B．However, they are not sports drinks and should not be used |
| C．Many ingredients in these energy drinks are marketed as “natural” |
| D．Energy drinks can be dangerous when consumed in large quantities |
| E．Consuming sports drinks shouldn’t be saved for the late stages of the race |
| F．Therefore, it’s best for children to avoid sports drinks with added caffeine |
| G．Their main purpose is to restore water and electrolytes lost during heavy exercise and sweating |
【推荐3】The benefits of regular exercise are well documented but there’s a new bonus to add to the ever-growing list. New researchers found that middle-aged women who were physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, and as they did, it came on a decade later than less sporty women.
Lead researcher Dr. Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said : "These findings are exciting because it’s possible that improving people's cardiovascular （心血管的）fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia. "
For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak （最大值的） cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.
A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher. A total of 92 women were in the medium fitness category; and 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.
These women were then tested for dementia six times over the following four decades. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia. Five percent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of the women with medium fitness and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.
"However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association. More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important. " She also admitted that a relatively small number of women were studied, all of whom were form Sweden, so the results might not be applicable to other groups.
1. What is on the ever-growing list mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．Positive effects of doing exercises. |
| B．Exercises suitable for the middle-aged. |
| C．Experimental studies on diseases. |
| D．Advantages of sporty woman over man |
| A．To predict their maximum heart rate. |
| B．To assess their cardiovascular capacity |
| C．To change their habits of working out |
| D．To detect their potential health problems |
| A．It aimed to find a cure for dementia. |
| B．Data collection was a lengthy process. |
| C．Some participants withdrew from it. |
| D．The results were far from satisfactory. |
【推荐1】Simple facts about the British currency
The British currency has two units—the pound and the penny. 100 pennies make £1.
Currency paper notes are £5，£ 10，£ 20 and £ 50. The different notes are quite similar in size and appearance，so be careful! £50 notes are not common，and many shops will not accept them, because of the danger of false money.
Coins are £2. £1.50p. 20p. 10p. 5p. 2p and 1p.
In Scotland. Scottish banks issue their own bank notes of various values. British and Scottish notes and coins are interchangeable. However, you might find some unwillingness in the South of England to accept Scottish notes even though areas near Scotland will happily accept them. We therefore recommend that you exchange or spend any Scottish currency before leaving Scotland.
In conversation and shops, people often do not say "pounds". Something which costs £ 6.50 would usually be described as "six fifty". For things which cost less than one pound, people may say "pence", but often they say "pee", meaning "p". For instance. "That is ninety-nine pee". The larger coins will often be called, for example, "a fifty pee", or "a fifty pee piece".
Best ways of obtaining British money
You can change cash and traveller's cheques at British Banks, building societies (these are similar to banks). larger Post Offices, larger Travel Agents, some larger Tourist Information Centres. American Express, and Bureaux de Change.
Be careful, as some cost more than others! You will probably pay much more at Bureaux de Change at airports and in the centre of London.
Banks, building societies and travel agents will usually charge a fixed percentage fee, about 3%, with a minimum of fee of £2.50. Or it might be 2%, with a minimum fee of £3. Some, such as the Halifax Building Society, may charge a £2 handing charge, plus 1% fee. It is worth looking around. Larger post offices charge only a 1% fee, minimum £2.50, so they can be a good place to go.
1. What notes should you avoid while exchanging for British money?| A．£5 notes. | B．£10 notes. |
| C．£20 notes. | D．£50 notes. |
| A．£83. | B．£8.30. | C．83p. | D．8.30p. |
| A．British Banks. | B．Building Societies. |
| C．Larger Travel Agents. | D．Larger Post Offices. |
【推荐2】You know how wonderful you are, and you know that others know how wonderful you are, but what do you do when admiration crosses over the line into jealousy? For most teens there will come a day when you realize that one of your friends is jealous and that this jealousy is hurting your friendship. When this happens it can seem like there is nothing that you can do, but the good news is that there is. Don’t let jealousy spoil your relationships. Tackle it head on and you might be back to normal much sooner than you think.
It can be hard to walk up to a friend and ask them what the problem is, but if you want to save your friendship you’ll have to do just that. Don’t approach them and ask why they are jealous of you (unless of course you want to appear totally conceited), just take some time alone with them and let them know that you’ve been feeling like there’s been something coming between you. If they refuse to respond, then use the opportunity to explain how you have been feeling. Chances are that something you say will strike a nerve and your friend will open up as well.
When you figure out what is annoying your friend, ask him or her what (s)he thinks would make the situation better. If, for example, (s)he says that (s)he feels like (s)he doesn’t get to spend any time with you because of your being off with your new friends from the swim team then maybe you could invite her along the next time or block off one day a week for just the two of you. Remember, though, that whatever solution you decide on should be a compromise. Don’t limit your own talents or opportunities simply because your friend is unhappy. Try instead to include him or her in your new life and see how that works out.
Even the best of friendships can be tinged by jealousy. This destructive emotion is rarely productive and can turn best friends into worst enemies. Before taking extreme action, chat with your jealous friend to see if the two of you can work out a compromise. If you can’t, be prepared to know exactly how far you will go to keep your friend and how far you won’t.
1. According to the author, the jealousy emotion is________.| A．normal | B．destructive |
| C．productive | D．extreme |
| A．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know you think there’s something between you. |
| B．Spending some time with him/her and letting him/her know how you feel. |
| C．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her what the problem is. |
| D．Walking up to him/her and asking him/her why he/she is jealous of you. |
| A．friendship | B．relationship |
| C．jealousy | D．admiration |
| A．Jealousy can turn best friends into worst enemies. |
| B．There’s always a solution to solve the problem of jealousy. |
| C．You should go a long way with your friend to work out a solution. |
| D．You may lose a friend to keep your own gifts, chances or self-development. |
| A．to explain what causes jealousy |
| B．to offer some advice on making friends |
| C．to introduce the way to cope with a jealous friend |
| D．to explain how destructive the jealous emotion is |
【推荐3】Every day on the respiratory ward(呼吸道病房)at one of Kyrgyzstan’s biggest hospitals, Temiraly kyzy, a 24-year-old nurse, puts on the music and leads her patients to dance.
This involves a range of body movements and leaves everyone smiling — but Temiraly kyzy is not doing it for fun. The dance is part of a treatment programme offered to people with COPD — a common, preventable and treatable lung condition.
COPD develops from midlife onwards;symptoms(症状)include breathlessness, cough and tiredness. It is one of the top three causes of death worldwide. Globally, there are 3 million deaths a year from COPD but this number is expected to rise to 5. 4 million by 2060.
Treatment for COPD in many countries involves inhalers and antibiotics(抗生 素). In Kyrgyzstan, these medicine can cost more than a monthly salary. In 2016, Sooronbaev, director of the National Centre and his team started experimenting with pulmonary rehabilitation(肺疾病康复), a physical exercise programme designed for people with lung conditions.
Over the years, the programme has expanded and now it is already in use in three hospitals. Apart from lectures and patient support groups, there is a system of physical exercise, including volleyball, walking, cycling on exercise bikes and dance.
The transformative effect has been obvious.“I remember one woman who was 63, ”a doctor says.“She cried because she had severe shortness of breath, coughed all the time. She was really depressed. ”She was invited to take part in the programme and the results surprised him.
“Afterwards, she was like a flower-she smiled and her body language was more active. That sticks in my mind.”
Sooronbaev wants pulmonary rehabilitation to be available throughout the country from this year. Patients who have experienced the programme are being trained to teach others, and Sooronbaev and colleagues are going to speak at medical conferences to inform other healthcare professionals about their progress with the programme.
1. Why does the author mention Temiraly kyzy’s story?| A．To show the hardship of being a nurse. |
| B．To stress the significance of happiness. |
| C．To call on patients to dance to music. |
| D．To introduce a new approach to COPD. |
| A．The recovery rate of COPD. | B．The severity of COPD. |
| C．The treatments for COPD cases. | D．The various symptoms of COPD. |
| A．It has proved to be effective. | B．It needs more tests on patients. |
| C．It is a financial ourden for COPD patients. | D．It is widely practiced in Kyrgyzstan. |
| A．The programme will be extended. |
| B．The programme is being taught in schools |
| C．The programme will be difficult to practice. |
| D．The programme lacks professional support. |
【推荐1】Living among trees, plants and flowers can fill your life with beauty. And if you are a woman, it can also help you live longer. Researchers found that women who live in homes surrounded by plants appear to have lower death rates than women who live in areas with fewer plants.
Researchers at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported the finding. They looked at the information from one of the largest and oldest investigations of the women’s health: the Nurse’s Health Study. It began 40 years ago. It now has information on nearly 200,000 women.
For the new study, the team looked at the death rates of more than 100,000 women between the years 2000 and 2008. Then the researchers compared the death rates of these women to the plants around their homes. The researchers also considered other things, such as the age of the women, money they earn and race. They also looked at whether or not the women smoked.
The study found that the death rate among women who lived in the greenest spaces was 12% lower than those from the least green areas. The researchers were surprised to find such a strong connection between high vegetation levels and low death rates.
The study suggested that living among trees, flowers and other plants lowered levels of depression. Researchers said women in greener areas spent more time with other people and exercised more. It is common knowledge that plants can help the environment in many ways. The new finding also suggested ways to the government and the city planners to grow even healthier living areas.
1. How did the researchers divide the women in the study?| A．By their money. | B．By their different ages. |
| C．By their habit of smoking. | D．By the number of plants around them. |
| A．more and more women will plant trees |
| B．it will be a must to build houses with trees around |
| C．the new finding may influence future living conditions |
| D．the government will take action to make women healthier |
| A．Women should grow flowers at home |
| B．Plants may help women live longer |
| C．Women must exercise more to keep healthy |
| D．The bad environment causes high death rates |
【推荐2】Zhu Dejun’s first job after graduating from college was as a road design engineer in his hometown, Alshaa League, North Chin’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region(内蒙古自治区). In 2011, when Zhu was conducting a road survey along with his colleagues, he saw a plant that he didn’t recognize. Later, Zhu learned that the plant was a saxaul (灌木梭梭) tree which is an excellent tree species for sand fixation and afforestation (造林) in desert areas. Known as a desert guardian, a fully grown saxaul tree can hold together a 10-square-meter patch of desert land, according to Zhu.
Zhu quit (辞去) his job at the design institute in 2014 and joined a nonprofit organization, the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology Conservation, or SEE, in the same year, concentrating on dealing with desertification (沙漠化) .During the past eight years, Zhu has been leading a team from SEE to plant saxaul trees in sandy areas in Alshaa League and other places of Inner Mongolia.
In 2014, the SEE launched a project titled “one million saxaul trees”, aiming to reach that number from 2014 to 2023, turning the desert of more than 133, 330 hectares (公顷) back into a satisfying ecosystem. By the end of 2018, half of the organization’s goal had been achieved. In 2016, Ant Finance cooperated with SEE to introduce the Ant Forest platform, not only encouraging people to choose “a low-carbon way” of shopping, traveling and living, but also to help control desertification.
Through the participation of a greater number of online users, who grow virtual trees, the SEE Foundation, set up in 2008, has been providing subsidies (补助金) for local herdsmen and farmers while also offering technological support to plant saxaul trees in desert areas. Now, Zhu is the head of the foundation’s project to fight desertification. He also gives lectures about saxaul trees and the fight against desertification at schools, hoping to raise awareness among young people.
1. What did Zhu Dejun do first after graduation?| A．Here searched on saxaul trees. |
| B．He joined a nonprofit organization. |
| C．He found ways to fight desertification. |
| D．He focused on road design engineering. |
| A．They are easily taken care of. |
| B．They can grow fast in deserts. |
| C．They are perfect for holding water. |
| D．They can fight desertification effectively. |
| A．They teamed up with Ant Finance. |
| B．They planted one million saxaul trees. |
| C．They held online lectures on desertification. |
| D．They encouraged donation from online users. |
| A．By providing subsidies. | B．By raising awareness. |
| C．By planting trees online. | D．By offering technological support. |
【推荐3】How to create an indoor garden
If you’re looking for a way to brighten up your home, consider creating an indoor garden.
Know the type of plants you want
Deciding is probably the hardest part when it comes to creating an indoor garden because there are just so many plants to choose from. Start by thinking about what type of plants you want.
Get the right potting soil and containers
Now that you know what type of plants you want, it’s time to get the right potting soil and containers. Make sure to get a potting mix that is specifically designed for indoor plants.
Choose a bright location Once you have your plants and pots, it’s time to choose a location for your indoor garden.
In addition to watering, you’ll also need to add substance to your plants about once a month. This will help them grow and stay healthy. Just be sure to follow the instructions on the package. Don’t overdo it.
| A．Give fertiliser monthly. |
| B．How exactly can we make one? |
| C．Follow the instruction correctly. |
| D．But don’t worry, we’re here to help. |
| E．This will help your plants grow strong. |
| F．Do you want something that will blossom? |
| G．Look for a spot in your home that gets a lot of natural light. |
