Some places in the world are dry, and it hardly rains at all. In other places, it can rain for months without stopping. Too little rain, or too much rain can cause problems for living things.
The environment in a dry place looks different from one that gets lots of rain. One of the driest places on Earth is the Atacama Desert.
In the Atacama Desert there are very few clouds. This makes Atacama a good place to look at the stars. Some people think that parts of this desert don’t look like Earth at all.
One of the wettest places on Earth is in the East Khasi Hills in India. Here it rains for many months of the year. People go for a long time without seeing the sun. Then, after all the rain, there is a drought (干旱).
The climate is very important to every living thing. Living things have to learn how to survive (生存) in the climate they live in.
| A．People come from all over the world to see them. |
| B．Some places in this desert haven’t had any rain for hundreds of years. |
| C．During the rainy season it is very hard for people to go outside. |
| D．People hope to travel all over the world. |
| E．Scientists have set up a space station here. |
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Earthquake
Every 30 seconds there is an earthquake. But don't worry because most cannot be felt. Only a few big ones hurt people.
Many earthquakes happened in China, such as the big one in Sichuan. Thousands of people died in it. So it's important to know what to do when one hits. Here are some tips on how to stay safely in an earthquake.
If you are indoors during an earthquake, hide under a desk. Stay away from windows and anything that could fall on you.
If you are outdoors, move to a clear place. Try to be away from trees, signs, buildings and streetlights. These could fall on you.
If you are in a shop and far from the door, don't try to run to outside and rush for exits. Everyone will be doing that and you'll find it hard getting out. Don't get into a lift during an earthquake. Just hide under some strong covers near you.
When an earthquake has ended, be careful because after-shocks may still happen. These are just as dangerous as the earthquake itself. So stay under the desk until you make sure it's safe to get up.
If you are at home and you smell gas, open the windows and get out of the building as quickly as you can. A gas line in your house may be broken. This could be very dangerous.
Weather
Different weather makes people feel different. It influences health, intelligence and feelings. In August, it's hot and wet in the southern part of the USA. People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the northeast and the middle-west, it is very hot sometimes and very cold sometimes. People in these states have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.
The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 study by scientists showed that the IQ of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQ was 10% lower. The wind can help people have more intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often do worse on exams in the hot months of the year (July and August).
Weather also has a strong influence on people's feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold these months. They might feel unhappy during cold weather. But big people may have a hard time in hot summer. At about 18℃, people become stronger.
Low air pressure may make people forgetful. People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low-pressure days. There is "good weather" for work and health. People feel best at a temperature of about 18℃.
Are you feeling sad, tired or forgetful today? It may be the weather's fault.
1. Most earthquakes are too __________ to hurt people.| A．strong | B．weak | C．dangerous | D．heavy |
| A．go to a playground | B．stay under a tree |
| C．stand by the window | D．stand under the streetlights |
| A．rush to the door right away | B．run after the people quickly |
| C．rush to a lift to get down | D．hide yourself under a cover near you |
| A．how dangerous the earthquake is | B．how to be safe in an earthquake |
| C．we shouldn't be afraid of the earthquake | D．how does the earthquake come into being |
| A．Hot and wet weather | B．Feelings |
| C．Air pressure | D．High intelligence |
| A．a rain | B．very hot weather | C．a wind | D．low air pressure |
| A．people are very forgetful | B．people can't do their work well |
| C．thin people feel cold | D．people are in better health |
【推荐2】How’s the weather in your city? And what are you doing? I’m visiting my uncle John in New York City. He is a doctor and works in a children’s hospital here. It’s sunny and warm today. My two cousins are playing soccer in the yard. My uncle is reading a book at home.
—From Sally
I live in Paris. It’s hot now. Today is my birthday. My mother is cooking and my father is helping her. My sister is making a birthday cake.
—From Eric
I’m in Mexico. It’s cool and sunny, too. I’m surfing the Internet in the library. Lots of students are in the library. Some are reading and some are writing. They all study very hard.
—From Jane
1. What’s Sally’s uncle?| A．A teacher | B．A doctor | C．An engineer | D．A worker |
| A．Sally | B．Sally’s two cousins | C．Sally’s uncle | D．Sally’s two sisters. |
| A．In Mexico | B．In London | C．In New York | D．In Paris |
| A．Eric | B．Eric’s sister | C．Eric’s mother | D．Eric’s father |
| A．Sunny and windy | B．Sunny and warm | C．Cool and sunny | D．It’s rainning |
【推荐3】Now back to the news.
Chinese weather forecasters have warned that the freezing conditions affecting the North of the country, including the capital Beijing, are likely to spread further south in the coming days. Many provinces have been hit by snow blizzards.
At least 118 people have been killed and another 220 injured following an earthquake on Monday night in north-west China, state media report. Emergency workers are braving freezing conditions to try and help people in the high-altitude area.
Police are looking for a man and a woman in their early twenties who broke into a bank in the early hours this morning. The man is said to be very well-built, with very long dark hair. The woman with him is said to be small with short hair cut very close to her head. Anyone who has any information please give further details to the police.
The year of 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of China’s first manned space mission, with Yang Liwei becoming the first Chinese astronaut to go to space. Since then, another 17 astronauts have reached for the stars. But each astronaut has to receive the mind and body training for at least three and a half years before having the chance to go to space.
After waking up, you may feel frustrated (沮丧) that you cannot recall the dreams you had last night. But recently researchers from Japan have trained an AI system to re-create images based on people’s brain scans. In the future, they hope that AI can be used to record imagined thoughts and dreams.
1. What do the underlined words “snow blizzards” in the first news mean?| A．Snowstorms | B．Sandstorms. | C．Snowmen. |
| A．Extreme cold sweeps across the north. |
| B．Earthquake kills more than 100 in north-west China. |
| C．In the future, AI may be able to help people to record imagined thoughts and dreams. |
| A．to teach us how to fight against the bank |
| B．to show us the physical appearances of the robbers |
| C．to ask us to give the police further details if someone has any information |
| A．Seventeen. | B．Eighteen. | C．Twenty. |
| A．In science magazines. | B．In art magazines. | C．In guidebooks. |
【推荐1】It’s a common belief that over time, pet owners start to look like their animals. Now comes the terrifying news that cats look up to their owners as role models and copy their behaviour.
Next time you reach for your fridge, think twice. If your cat is watching, she will probably overeat as well.
In a new study from the University of Messina, it turns out that indoor cats who live closely to their owners “mirror” the lives of their caregivers. They sleep at the same time, eat at the same time, and can even become more or less social depending on the behaviour of their owners.
“Cats are clever animals with a long memory,” Jane Brunt, director of the Catalyst Council, told Discovery News. “They watch and learn from us, noting the patterns of our actions, knowing where their food is kept and what time to expect to be fed, how to open the cupboard door that’s been improperly closed, and where their feeding and toileting areas are.” Because cats copy our habits, if you spend a lot of time raiding(搜刮) the fridge, your cat will return to its food bowl for that midnight snack, too. According to the study, this explains why “human and cat overweight rates often seem to match”.
We are not sure if drinking green tea and making sure you go to yoga will benefit(使受益) your cat, but based on the study, it sounds like sticking to a healthy eating and sleeping habit is best for both of you.
There’s a lot we can learn from our cats in return. “When they sit softly breathing, eyes half-closed, the sense of peace and calm that comes over us is like a private less on in inner meditation(冥想),”Brunt said. They’re probably pretty good at remaining calm.
So, according to science, though we think that cats are not close to us all these years, it turns out they are in fact learning from us and looking up to us. Scary, huh?
1. Why do cat owners start to look like their pet animals?| A．Because owners have looked after them for a certain time. |
| B．Because owners love their pets very much and they often looked at each other. |
| C．Because cats often eat the same kind of food as their owners. |
| D．Because cats regard their owners as role models and do what they do at home. |
| A．Cats can copy humans’ behaviors. | B．Cats are smart and have a long memory. |
| C．Green tea and yoga can benefit cats. | D．Humans can learn from cats in some way. |
| A．Humans’ keeping searching the fridge. |
| B．Humans’ drinking green tea and going to yoga |
| C．Cats’ copying humans’ habit of looking for food. |
| D．Cats’ going to their owners for food. |
| A．To remain peaceful. | B．To be able to copy. |
| C．To stay hungry. | D．To look up to friends. |
| A．Your cat can bring you pleasure | B．You are copying your cat |
| C．You can make your cat social | D．Your cat is copying your habit |
【推荐2】Is there a connection between music and language？According to recent studies，the answer is yes：
A recent study by researcher Kraus shows that playing a musical instrument can improve a person's hearing ability.
Schlaug, a doctor at Harvard Medical School，works with stroke（中风）patients. Because of their illness，these people cannot say their names，addresses，or other information normally. However，they can still sing.
Music improves concentration，memory，listening skills，and our overall language abilities.
| A．It can even help sick people get better. |
| B．In his study two groups of people listened to a person talking in a noisy room. |
| C．Music improves certain language abilities in the brain. |
| D．The violinists develop their memories by playing the violin. |
| E．Musicians hear better because they learn to pay attention to certain sounds. |
| F．Schlaug was surprised to find that singing words helped his patients to speak. |
【推荐3】Every year, nearly a million children in the world die because of unintentional injuries（意外伤害）, and the biggest killer is the traffic accident, according to a report from the Worldwide Health Organization.
The report says that traffic accidents, falling into water, fires, falls, and poisoning（中毒）are the five major causes of unintentional injuries. About 830000 children under 18 die and millions of children are injured every year.
The World Health Organization finds that roads are the most dangerous places for children, especially in developing countries. Because children in these countries haven’t learned about the dangers of road traffic, they are often not ready for the new roads that might be built through their villages.
In Asia, deaths are most often caused by bikes. It is usual to see a whole family on one bike in counties such as Vietnam. When they are knocked over, they will be badly injured and some may even die.
In the United States and other Western countries, injuries from road traffic accidents have been cut down through the use of safety seats for children and other safety measures. However, traffic accidents are still a major cause of deadly（致命的） injuries.
1. How many children die from unintentional injuries in the world every year?| A．Nearly a thousand. | B．A hundred. |
| C．A million. | D．About a million. |
| A．3. | B．4. | C．5. | D．6. |
| A．Roads. | B．Rivers. | C．Houses. | D．Bikes. |
| A．there are no traffic accidents in the United States |
| B．traffic is a major cause of injuries in the United States |
| C．there are ways to cut the number of traffic accidents |
| D．people can only be injured by traffic accidents |
| A．fires are more dangerous than falls and falling into water |
| B．many children die from unintentional injuries every year |
| C．developing countries have more traffic accidents |
| D．unintentional injuries happen only in developing countries |
