Hatching a theory

Just as dinosaurs characterized the cretaceous (白垩纪的) period, which ended with their extinction 66 million years ago, and mammals made up the Holocene (全新纪), which extends to the present day, many scientists believe we need to designate a new geologic age, called the Anthropocene,     1     reflects the impact of humankind on the planet. That raises the question: What will constitute     2     (noticeable) feature of the Anthropocene in the fossil record?

It’s likely to be chicken bones, according to a study by Carys Bennett, from the U.K.’s University of Leicester, and colleagues     3     (publish) last month in Royal Society Open Science.

Humans eat a lot of chicken, which means a lot of chicken bones are being buried, and many of them are likely to survive in fossilized form. According to Bennett’s paper, 65.8 billion chickens were killed globally in 2016, and     4     22.7 billion live birds await this fate today. The “biomass” of all poultry is 10 times greater than of all wild birds     5     (put) together.

We’re not just eating a lot of poultry; we’ve also put our mark on the birds themselves.     6     chicken consumption started taking off in the 1950s, the size and shape of the species—their skeleton, bone chemistry and genetics—have changed completely from their wild ancestors. The rapid growth of chicken’s leg and breast muscle means that its organs, including the heart and liver, are proportionally smaller. We     7     (shorten) the life span of broiler chickens, which can no longer survive without “intensive human intervention,” the authors write.

Because we engineered the species, and because it has become such a major feature of food consumption, it will     8     (consider) a marker of the Anthropocene, Bennett predicts. “The significance of the post-mid-20^th-century chicken is that it is the first really good example we have     9     what paleontologists (古生物学家) call a new “morphospecies”—that is, a distinctive kind of skeleton that    10     be identified as a fossil—that appeared in the Anthropocene and became hugely abundant pretty well around the world,” she says. “In the future, humans will find and use chickens as a marker of our age.”

Honking cars, blasting stereos and babbling neighbors are     1     (whole) affecting people’s daily life: consider it all part of the symphony that plays daily on New York City streets. Everyone knows the city is loud, and a losing war against noise     2     (wage) for a long time. Now they have a new weapon     3     (invite) to many citizens: noise cameras.

The cameras     4     (pair) with a sound meter to detect noise of at least 85 decibels (分贝) from a source 50 ft or more away have recently been fixed on certain streets in Manhattan’s wealthy Upper West Side. It’s part of a program run by the city’s department of environmental protection.

However, Erica Walker, who studies the joint     5     community noise and health, believes most noise   comes from poor city planning rather than individual bad actions, and that noise cameras are merely Band -Aids for a more systemic issue. Actually,     6     (far) research still needs to be done on the economic effects of noise cameras. The public is supposed to zero in on the dangers and economic costs of noise pollution     7     can blight some proceeds and urge that appropriate actions     8     (carry) out.

On the other hand,     9     lecturer at Columbia University expressed concern about the surveillance (监视) capabilities of noise cameras. “It is being tried for the possibility     10     (leak) privacy still. Does this present a   privacy risk for residents of the city? ” she held the question.

On the basis of a new report by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP), environment pollution remains the largest threat to human     1    (healthy). The GAHP is make up of more than 80 members,     2    seeks to raise international attention to pollution issues and help governments create solutions     3    (fight) the problem.

The GAHP said that more than 90 percent of the pollution-related deaths occur in developing countries. The report noted that such deaths remain a “neglected”(被忽视的）issue,     4    (particular) in low and middle-income countries. In the GAHP report     5    (publish) in 2017, India and China had     6     largest total number of pollution-related deaths. They     7     (follow) by Nigeria ,Indonesia and Pakistan.

In addition , the report has shown that pollution raises the risk of heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and other condition. It also said pollution brings     8    (serious) consequences worldwide than smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as wars and violence.

Rachael Kupka, GAHP’s acting director ,says the good news is that controls already exist to help reduce the harmful effects     9    pollution. For example, governments in many countries have taken     10     (measure) to control the emission from vehicles.