George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.
Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him worldfamous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the wellknown musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazzinfluenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirtynine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.
1. Many of Gershwin's musical works were ________．| A．written about New Yorkers | B．composed for Paul Whiteman |
| C．performed in various ways | D．played mainly in the countryside |
| A．It proved jazz could be serious music. |
| B．It attracted more people to theatres. |
| C．It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra. |
| D．It caused a debate among jazz musicians. |
| A．He studied with Nadia Boulanger. | B．He created one of his best works. |
| C．He argued with French critics. | D．He changed his music style. |
| A．The death of Gershwin was widely reported. |
| B．Many of Gershwin's works were lost. |
| C．A concert was held in memory of Gershwin. |
| D．Brain cancer research started after Gershwin's death. |
| A．Serious and boring. | B．Talented and productive. |
| C．Popular and unhappy. | D．Friendly and honest. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Which city would you prefer to visit, London or Paris? London had welcomed 16.8 million foreign visitors in 2014, compared with 15.2 million visitors to Paris, according to a new report released by UK research firm Euromonitor International in January.
Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, is very proud. “With so many fascinating museums, the best theater scene in the world, more green space than any other European city, numerous top sporting venues, a low crime rate and much else besides, it is no wonder that people from all over the globe are flocking (蜂拥) to London in record numbers. These figures prove that London is without doubt the greatest city on the planet,” he told The Telegraph.
However, Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo, is not as pleased. “London is in some ways a suburb of Paris,” she said. The Huffington Post used the word “bickering” to describe these back-and-forth insults (侮辱). It refers to arguments about unimportant things, like small children fighting over a toy, or lovers arguing over the TV remote.
France and Britain are separated only by the English Channel. For centuries, they fought over territory (领土). But in fact, Paris and London are very similar. Both are centers of fashion and the arts. Even their most famous landmarks are a little similar — the Palace of Versailles outside Paris and Buckingham Palace in London, for example.
That’s the trouble – they’re as good as each other. As the Daily Mail put it: London and Paris are “head-to-head” in their battle for supremacy. In fact, visitors to these great cities love them equally.Hidalgo also wrote an article in The Telegraph, but changed her words slightly: “London is a suburb of Paris and Paris is a suburb of London.” Does this mean these two cities could one day “grow up”, stop bickering, and become friends.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?| A．Paris welcomed more foreign visitors than London did last year. |
| B．Anne Hidalgo didn’t respond to Boris Johnson’s remarks about London. |
| C．Boris Johnson is too modest when talking about the characteristics of London. |
| D．The author thinks it meaningless to argue whether Paris is better than London or vice versa. |
| A．jealousy | B．quarreling |
| C．embarrassment | D．misunderstanding |
| A．showed an objective attitude toward London and Paris. |
| B．avoided comparing London with Paris. |
| C．displayed Paris’ beauty in many different ways. |
| D．defended her idea that Paris is better than London. |
【推荐2】Amphora are clay jars originally invented in Egypt. They were so useful for storing and transporting wine at the time that they were eventually adopted by all of the cultures around the Mediterranean. It’s uncertain when they first arrived in Rome, but Greek colonists in southern Italy may have been the first to introduce them.
Previously, wine had been stored in leather sacks, but amphora offered several advantages to the Romans. They were airtight, strong, relatively lightweight, and had two large handles that made them easy to carry, an important feature at a time when almost everything had to be transported by hand.. Like modern wine bottles, aphora had long, narrow necks that limited the amount of wine exposed to the open air. Similar to modern wine bottles, most amphoras became gradually thinner at the end. It made them easy to bury in the ground, which kept them cool during the warm months.
Sealing up the top of an amphora was a major difficulty and a variety of methods were used. The Egyptians stopped theirs with leaves and reeds covered with clay. The Greeks and Romans used rags and cork sometimes. None of these techniques provided an airtight seal, so Aleppo Pine resin（松脂）was used to seal the gaps around the top. It became so popular that resin was sometimes added to the wine in order to improve its flavor. The Roman writer Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century, recommended adding resin to wine and believed resin made from trees in the mountains created a better aroma than resin made from trees in the lowlands.
Though each amphora was constructed by hand, they were surprisingly uniform. Roman amphoras held one cubic foot of liquid, exactly seven gallons, and eventually became a standard unit of measurement throughout the Roman Empire. Unlike Greek amphora, Roman amphoras were not decorated. Before it dried, each amphora was given a stamp with the name of the workshop where it was manufactured or the workshop’s owner. Once the amphora was filled, its weight and contents were painted on the side.
1. What does an amphora look like?A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．It improved the flavor of wine. |
| B．It proved the best cover for amphoras. |
| C．It made amphoras last a longer time. |
| D．It was used for decoration by women. |
| A．They had beautiful designs. |
| B．They had rough appearances. |
| C．They were of the same size. |
| D．They were a symbol of status for the Romans. |
| A．Market. | B．Smell. |
| C．Sound. | D．Picture. |
【推荐3】Barcelona's famous Segrada Familia is finally set to get a building licence, 137 years after work on the still uncompleted church began.
Construction on the UNESCO World Heritage basilica(长方形基督教堂), which is Barcelona's most visited tourist attraction, began in 1882 based on a design by architect Francisco Lozano. However, when he stepped down, architect Antoni Gaudi took over the design in 1883. The building won't be finished until 2026-one hundred years after the architect was killed by a streetcar in the city. His body was buried in a room under the floor of the Sagrada Familia.
To get its paperwork rubber stamped, the church authorities have agreed to finally pay the government a∈36 million fee for a building permit. Gaudi was told to get the paperwork processed, but the architect failed to do so—proceeding with construction regardless. The money from the church's permit will be used to upgrade transport links and beautify the area. Gaudi and his works have become symbols of Barcelona, the capital city of Catalonia, northeast Spain.
Gaudi played an active role in directing the construction of the Sagrada Familia until his death in 1926. He would often request that work be modified and adjusted until it was exactly what he had in mind. However, interpretation of the designs by present day architects is particularly challenging because of the nature of the existing designs.
The unfinished building is called a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and it is perhaps the most unique and mysterious building in the style ever constructed. The popularity of the site with tourists has helped fund the push to complete the church and pay for the paperwork.
1. What do we know about the Segrada Familia?| A．It has been completely constructed. |
| B．It was first designed by Antoni Gaudi. |
| C．It will get a building permit in 2026. |
| D．It began to be built 137 years ago. |
| A．He wished to be buried in the church |
| B．He is remembered as a great architect. |
| C．He didn't know a permit was necessary. |
| D．He is to blame for the unfinished church. |
| A．Its unusual design style |
| B．Its two famous architects. |
| C．Its special building materials. |
| D．Its illegal construction paperwork |
| A．in the support of the government |
| B．by reducing construction costs |
| C．with the aid of tourist income |
| D．through donations from architects |
The first envelope was sent to a victim support group. It contained €10,000 with a cutting from the Braunschtveiger Zeitung about how the group supported a woman who was robbed of her handbag； similar plain white anonymous (匿名）envelopes, each containing €10,000, then arrived at a kindergarten and a church.
The envelopes keep coming, and so far at least €190,000 has been distributed. Last month, one of them was sent to the newspaper’s own office. It came after a story it published about Tom, a 14-year-old boy who was severely disabled in a swimming accident. The receptionist at the Braunschweiger Zeitung opened an anonymous white envelope to find 20 notes of €500 inside , with a copy of the article. The name of the family was underlined.
"I was driving when I heard the news,” Claudia Neumann, the boy’s mother, told DerSpiegel magazine. “I had to park on the side of the road； I was speechless. ”
The money will be used to make the entrance to their house wheelchair-accessible .and for a course of treatment that their insurance company refused to pay for.
“For someone to act so selflessly, for this to happen in such a society in which everyone thinks of himself, was astonishing," Mrs. Neumann said. Her family wonder whether the donator is a Robin Hood character, taking from banks to give to the needy.
Henning Noske, the editor of the Braunschweiger Zeitung, said： “Maybe it is an old person who is about to die. We just do not know. ” However, he has told his reporters not to look for the city’s hero, for fear that discovery may stop the donations.
1. The Braunschweiger Zeitung is the name of .
| A．a church | B．a bank | C．a newspaper | D．a magazine |
| A．The donation amounted to €190,000. |
| B．The donation was sent directly to his house. |
| C．The money will be used for his education. |
| D．His mother felt astonished at the donation. |
| A．the donator is a rich old man |
| B．the donation will continue to come |
| C．the donation comes from the newspaper |
| D．the donator will soon be found out |
| A．Money Is Raised by the Newspaper |
| B．Newspaper Distributes Money to |
| C．Unknown Hero Spreads Love in Envelopes |
| D．Robin Hood Returns to the City |
【推荐2】The moment he saw an organ, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart knew what to do with it, Aged six, already skilled at the clavier（键盘乐器）, he came across pedals （踏板） and stops for the first time in an Austrian church. Within moments he was playing an accompaniment and composing on the spot freely. In the following year, 1763, an official in Heidelberg was so astonished by his organ-playing that he had a plate carved for his church to mark the boy's visit. Mozart composed his first symphony at eight.
Youthful promise often declines. With Mozart the opposite was true. Through him classical music may have found its most ideal expression. As Jan Swafford writes in his outstanding biography, Mozart's compositions displayed “a kind of effortless perfection so easily worn that they seem almost to have written themselves”. He drafted quickly, often without needing to revise. He “could express delight by the yard”. A man of his time, Mozart was equally at home composing for the concert salon or the opera stage.
He is the subject of many biographies, but the leading one, by Hermann Aber, is 100 years old and 1, 600 pages long. Safford, himself a composer and a programme-writer, offers an updated and authoritative life, easy to understand, beautifully written, and full of critical judgments and sharp notes on the works.
Mozart' s way with melody （旋律） and keen view of human nature-his letters reveal an almost Dickensian ability to paint characters-combined to promote opera from desserts to a serious medium, the author argues. “His wisdom, his ability to observe people and their weaknesses, his fascination with the craze for love - al this made him the perfect composer" of the form, Mr Swafford thinks.
He was admired in his time. Most of his music stuck to conventional structures yet went over the heads of the average listener. Legend has it that his most important fan, Emperor Joseph II, reacted to one performance with an impressive comment: “Too beautiful for our ears, my dear Mozart!”
1. What does paragraph 1 mainly discuss?| A．The true origin of the symphony. |
| B．Musical instruments in Mozart's time. |
| C．Mozart's remarkable talent for music. |
| D．A friendship between Mozart and an official. |
| A．They sounded perfect. | B．They expressed his criticism. |
| C．They were created hurriedly. | D．They should be performed outdoors. |
| A．By comparing contemporary musicians' works. |
| B．By giving professional and accessible comments. |
| C．By including the remarks of Emperor Joseph II. |
| D．By referring to other writers' constructive advice. |
| A．Creating music for folk stories. |
| B．Inspirations for Dickens' works. |
| C．Reforms of conventional structures. |
| D．Transforming opera to a serious art form. |
【推荐3】Charles Darnay was arrested again. Lucie, his wife was very worried.
“This is a desperate time,” said Sydney Carton. “We need to have a friend in the prison that will help us, and I think that Basard here will be that friend.”
“Why should I be your friend?” asked John Basard.
“I could begin telling people that you were and may still be a spy for England, the enemy of France. What do you say?”
“You are my sister’s friend,” Basard argued. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want to upset her.”
“I think the best thing to be done for her is to get rid of her brother,” said Sydney calmly. “I have another reason that you should help me. I think I know your friend in the wine shop.”
“No, no, that’s not possible. He is French!”
“He spoke very good French, but there was something strange about him. I think it may have been Cly.”
Now Basard laughed.
“No, no, Cly has been dead and buried for several years. He was buried in London, I helped to put his body in the coffin, and I can show you his burial certificate.”
Suddenly, Jerry Cruncher stood up, next to Basard.
“If you put him in his coffin, who took him out of it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that he was never in it! All you buried was rocks and earth!”
Sydney Carton rubbed his chin. “If we tell people that you have been talking to another England spy, and one who is supposed to be dead. I am sure that you will go to the guillotine, Basard. What do you say now?”
“What do you want?”
“Can you go in and out of the prison whenever you want?”
“Yes, I can. The guards know me and trust me.”
“Come into the other room with me. I need to talk to you in private now,” said Carton.
Jerry and then Basard were sent out.
Left in the room now were Carton and Lorry, sitting and looking into the fire.
“You are a good man and a true friend,” said Carton. “I am sorry that I could not do more than one visit to Charles.”
Then Sydney Carton continued.
“You are an old man, Mr. Lorry, and many people respect you. You have lived a useful life, and you will be missed when you are gone.”
“I have only done my job,” replied Mr. Lorry. “I am just an old bachelor, and nobody will miss me when I die.”
“Lucie will cry for you, and little Lucie will cry for you, too.”
“Yes, that’s true, thank God!”
“If nobody cried for you, then that would make all your years of work a waste of time, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, you are right, Mr. Carton.”
1. How did Sydney Carton ask John Basard to be his friend?| A．In a pleasing tune. |
| B．In an appealing tune. |
| C．In a threatening tune. |
| D．In a hesitating tune. |
| A．To give up the business of a spy. |
| B．To help Carton visit Charles. |
| C．To be a true friend of Sydney’s. |
| D．To go to the guillotine with Cly. |
| A．To show all people’s respect for his work. |
| B．To tell him of two Lucies’ cry for his death. |
| C．To wish he would help Lucie and her family. |
| D．To say good-bye to the faithful businessman. |
| A．Lorry deserved a father figure to Lucie. |
| B．People took pity on Darnay’s misfortune. |
| C．Barsad was unwilling to make friends with Carton. |
| D．Carton went to great lengths to rescue Darnay in prison. |
【推荐1】The remains of an ancient ape (猿) found in Bavaria suggest that humans' ancestors began standing upright millions of years earlier than previously thought.
An international team of researchers said the fossilized skeleton (化石骨骼) of a male ape that lived in the warm and damp forests of what is now southern Germany was quite similar to modern human bones. In a paper published by the journal Nature, they concluded that the previously unknown species — named Danuvius guggenmosi — could walk on two legs but also climb like an ape.
''The findings raise fundamental questions about our previous understanding of the evolution of the great apes and humans, '' said Madelaine Boehme, who led the research.
The question of when apes could walk on two legs has fascinated scientists since Charles Darwin first argued that they were the ancestors of humans. Previous fossil records of apes with an upright move — found in Crete and Kenya — dated only as far back as 6 million years. These apes are called Toumai.
Boehme, along with researchers from Bulgaria, Canada and the United States, examined more than 15,000 bones recovered from the archaeological remains found. Among the remains they were able to piece together were primate (灵长目动物) fossils belonging to 4 individuals that lived 11.62 million years ago. The most complete, an adult male, likely stood about 1 meter tall, weighed 31 kilograms and looked similar to modern-day bonobos, a species of chimp.
Like humans, Danuvius had an S-shaped backbone to hold its body upright while standing. Unlike humans, though, it had a powerful big toe that would have allowed it to grab branches with its foot easily.
Fred Spoor, a biologist at the Natural History Museum in London, called the fossil finds ''fantastic'', but said they would likely be denied or suspected by others, especially because they could challenge many existing ideas about evolution.
1. Where did the scientists find the fossilized ape skeleton?| A．Germany. | B．Canada. |
| C．Bulgaria. | D．Kenya. |
| A．It was a species of chimp. |
| B．It lived in Crete and Kenya. |
| C．It could walk with a backbone. |
| D．It existed much earlier than Toumai. |
| A．It is the most fantastic one. |
| B．It is a support to evolution. |
| C．It may cause lots of debate. |
| D．It denies the previous ideas. |
| A．Legend of Humans' Ancestors |
| B．The Secrets Uncovered from Fossils |
| C．The Oldest Example of Upright Ape Found |
| D．Recent Findings against the Theory of Evolution |
【推荐2】Nowadays, the most effective way to get power comes from burning fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. They are less costly than other forms of energy. But burning fuels releases carbon dioxide, known as CO2 gas. Scientists agree that increasing amount of CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere is partly to blame for the rising temperature. It's clear the change in the atmosphere can have a big effect on the weather condition around the world.
However, keeping extra CO2 from entering the atmosphere is a difficult process. It’s not enough to advise people to burn the fuels in a clean way. As a result, scientists are looking for the best method for capturing the gas and storing it away from the atmosphere. Some of this research is taking place in Norway. The Technology Center in Mongstad (TCM) is the largest facility in the world for major testing of the CO2-capturing technology.
Tore Amundsen is its chairman. He says TCM has produced important information since it opened. The center is connected to a nearby electric power plant. It treats the waste gas from the plant using the chemical solvent (溶剂) which attracts the CO2 molecules. Then researchers take the solvent with the CO2 molecules and boil it. In this way, they can separate CO2 from the solvent and use the solvent again to capture more CO2. TCM can help capture 90 percent of the CO2 from the waste gas. With the current state of technology, it will increase the cost of electricity between perhaps 30% to 40% when the technology is applied to a power plant.
Experts say the best way to store the captured CO2 gas is to place it below the surface of the ground. Scientists can use the pumping technology to put it into areas left empty after the removal of oil or natural gas. But TCM does not pump the CO2 it captures. Instead, it releases the gas into the atmosphere. Tore Amundsen says only highly developed industrial nations can afford the pumping technology. So far, only Canada has a power plant that pumps CO2 gas. In total, there are just a few similar power plants in the world.
1. What can we learn about the CO2 gas?| A．It is usually found in coal. |
| B．It leads to world climate change. |
| C．It is a new kind of energy. |
| D．It does good to the atmosphere. |
| A．sending it into the atmosphere |
| B．finding clean fuels to use |
| C．collecting it with technology |
| D．stopping people from burning fuels |
| A．It works well in treating the waste gas. |
| B．It’s the only center to study the CO2 gas. |
| C．It was set up by Tore Amundsen. |
| D．It helps the power plant save a lot of money. |
| A．can be used with oil or natural gas |
| B．should be put underground |
| C．must be allowed to go into the air |
| D．should stay in the chemical solvent |
【推荐3】Rats that eat high levels of a natural sugar known as fructose(果糖) seem to age faster than other rats-and the same could be true for people who eat too much sweet junk food, Israeli researchers said Monday.
Fructose, found naturally in honey and fruit, is used widely in foods ranging from soft drinks to yogurt. But while its sweet taste is popular, the sugar could cause wrinkles, the researchers said. Dr. Moshe Werman and Boaz Levi of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology fed large amounts of fructose to laboratory rats. Writing in the Journal of Nutrition, they said the fructose-fed rats showed changes in the collagen(胶原蛋白) of their skin and bones. Collagen basically holds the body together. The loss of collagen is what causes loose skin and deep wrinkles in older people.
The process affected, Werman’s team said, is known as cross-linking(交叉相连) . “Too much cross-linking makes the skin stiff, and these are the conditions that encourage wrinkled skin,” Werman said in a statement. He said the same could be true of people, although this has not been shown. “Americans are eating more and more processed foods such as baked goods, canned fruits, jams and dairy products that contain fructose,” Werman said. Other studies have shown that taking in high fructose may cause diabetes(糖尿病).
The rats Werman worked with were fed much more than the average adult person might eat in a day, which is standard in such experiments. The rats were fed 12.5 grams of fructose per kg of weight every day for a year.
1. In the experiments, if a rat was 0.25 kg , it may have been fed about grams of fructose every day for a year.| A．3 | B．4 |
| C．5 | D．6 |
| A．They don’t drink enough water every day. |
| B．Collagen in their body is lost. |
| C．They don’t take enough exercise every day. |
| D．Their daily foods do not contain enough fructose. |
| A．The fructose-fed rats only showed changes in the collagen of their skin. |
| B．Too much cross-linking makes the skin soft. |
| C．The amount of sugar the rats in Werman’s lab ate was larger than an ordinary adult might eat in a day. |
| D．It hasn’t been shown that taking in high fructose may cause diabetes. |
| A．Sugar-it could reduce collagen |
| B．Collagen-it could age you |
| C．Collagen-it could cause wrinkles |
| D．Sugar-it could age you |
【推荐1】A newly discovered lizard (蜥蜴) found in the Philippines has made scientists think there might be other never-before-seen creatures on that country’s islands. But scientists say those creatures might never be found because the islands’ rain forests are in danger.
The latest lizard was first spotted in 2001 when scientists saw local people of the island catch it for food. Scientists took some pictures of the lizard. Finally scientists caught a lizard themselves to study. They named the new lizard the Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor because it was discovered in the islands’ Sierra Madre Mountains. The 6.6-foot-long lizard has bright yellow markings that distinguish (区分) it from more boring-looking monitors. Its legs are mainly yellow, and its tail is black and yellow.
So how could scientists work in the Philippines’ rain forests for years without finding the new lizard? They say the Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor is unlike other lizards and their larger cousin, the Komodo dragon. All of those lizards are meat-eaters. But the new-found lizard eats fruit. That means it never has to come down out of the trees. Its uniquely colored skin, quiet manner, and treetop home helped it remain hidden from scientists’ view for many years.
The discovery of the Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor is making scientists realize that Philippines’ rain forests may hold many undiscovered species. But those species will not be found if the rain forests keep disappearing. Twenty years ago, forests covered about 35 percent of the Philippines’ land. But people have been encroaching on that land and building on it. Today, forests cover less than 25 percent of the country’s land.
The rain forests are a “conservation (保护) hot spot” that need to be protected, scientists say. “I hope we can make the new lizard a ‘poster child’ for conservation of the land,” said one scientist.
1. What is the scientists’ attitude to finding more new creatures in Philippines’ rain forests?| A．Interested. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Excited. | D．Supportive. |
| A．They caught one with the help of locals. |
| B．The locals gave one to scientists as a gift. |
| C．They found it from pictures taken by locals. |
| D．They noticed it when locals hunted the lizard. |
| A．It is a cruel meat-eater. | B．It is the largest lizard in Asia. |
| C．It spends most time in trees. | D．It looks like Komodo dragon. |
| A．Invading.(侵略) | B．Protecting. |
| C．Maintaining. | D．Deserting. |
In recent years some extreme weather events have arisen from global warming because of human activities, with studies indicating an increasing threat from extreme weather in the future. Scientists were certain that global warming is being caused mostly by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases and other human activities.
Its effects include warming global temperature rising sea levels and expansion of deserts in the subtropics (亚热带). Warming is expected to be greater over land than over the oceans and greatest in the Arctic, with the continuing loss of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely changes include more frequent extreme weather events including heat waves, droughts, heavy rainfall with floods, heavy snow-fall and species extinction due to great change of temperature. Bad effects on humans include the threat to food security from decreasing crop yields and the loss of populated (住人的) areas because of rising sea levels.
Possible responses to global warming are reduction of emissions (排放), adaptation to its effects, building systems resilient to its effects, and possible future climate engineering Most countries are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), whose objective is to prevent dangerous climate change. It has adopted a range of policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas and to assist in adaptation to global warming. It is agreed that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0℃ (3.6°F) relative to the pre-industrial level.
On 12 November 2019, NASA scientists reported that human-made carbon dioxide continues to increase above levels that have not been seen in hundreds of thousands of years: currently, about half of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels remains in the atmosphere and is not absorbed by vegetation and the oceans.
1. All of the following statements are mentioned as more frequent extreme weather events EXCEPT ________.| A．droughts | B．heat waves |
| C．heavy snowfall | D．great change of temperature |
| A．Bendable. | B．Inflexible. | C．Unchangeable. | D．Recoverable. |
| A．It is unlikely for us to deal with global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions adapting to its effects and climate engineering. |
| B．There are some efficient solutions to too much carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. |
| C．It is common that human-made carbon dioxide keeps on increasing greatly in the previous several centuries. |
| D．Future global warming should be limited to below 3.6℃. |
【推荐3】When you’re on a fishing boat, you may see flocks of birds following in your track, hoping to catch a snack. Now scientists say they can use those birds’ behavior to track illegal fishing boats.
Here’s how it works: Researchers attached data recorders to the backs of 169 albatrosses (信天翁) in the Southern and Indian oceans. The devices weighed only an ounce and a half, but they included a GPS and were able to detect the presence and intensity of radar signals coming from boats. That information was then transmitted by satellite, so the researchers could track the location of the birds-and thus the radar-emitting boats-in real time.
The scientists then cross-checked that data against the known locations of boats, gathered from a system that boats use to declare themselves, called the Automatic Identification System (AIS). And differences appeared frequently.
More than a third of the times the birds’ recorders detected radar signals, and therefore a boat, no such boat appeared in the official log (航海记录)—meaning that the vehicles had likely switched off their Automatic Identification Systems—something the researchers say probably happens in illegal fishing operations.
The work suggests birds could be an effective boat-monitoring tool—as long as illegal fishing operations don’t target the birds. Fortunately, such a task would be difficult.
“Around fishing vessels, you can get hundreds of birds at any one time that are all flying around. So it’s not really possible to target a specific bird. And the birds with recorders on are not marked in any way. So it’s difficult for fishermen to pick out a specific bird," said study author Samantha Patrick, a marine biologist at the University of Liverpool.
Patrick’s bigger concern is that albatrosses often get hooked on fishing lines. And though regulations have been established to protect against that happening—with success—illegal boats don’t necessarily obey. So scientists might be underestimating the risk posed to albatross populations. But this system could mean that those illegal boats may have a tougher time flying under the radar.
1. What behavior of albatrosses can be used to track illegal fishing boats according to scientists?| A．Seeking snacks on a boat. |
| B．Following a boat to catch food. |
| C．Monitoring the location of the boats. |
| D．Keeping an eye open for illegal activities. |
| A．To carry a GPS. |
| B．To record the birds’ behavior. |
| C．To help satellite transmit information. |
| D．To detect radar signals from boats. |
| A．They are probably fishing illegally. |
| B．They needn’t declare themselves. |
| C．They don’t want to emit radar signals. |
| D．They want to avoid being followed by albatrosses. |
| A．Birds—Humans’ Friends |
| B．Data Recorders—A Helper to Albatrosses |
| C．AIS—A System to Declare Locations of Boats |
| D．Albatrosses—A Tool to Monitor Illegal Fishing Boats |
