1 . Humans can make do with scarves, coats and gloves in cold weather. Some animals can hibernate (冬眠) for the winter. A new study finds that reptiles (爬行动物) and birds do something that is similar to hibernation, but a little different. In very cold weather, their body temperatures greatly drop into an energy-saving state in order to survive. The ability to thermoregulation (体温调节) for reptiles and birds is possible.
In Texas, where the city of Beaumont reached a low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit last month, it looked as if alligators (短吻鳄) had died of cold — yet alive in iced-over water. By ensuring their long noses stayed above the water line, the cold-blooded creatures were able to lower their body temperatures to survive the sudden short period of very cold weather. The process, in the case of cold-blooded animals like reptiles, is called brumation — it’s like a short state of hibernating. While in this state, reptiles become sleepy and they can go for a long time without eating or drinking. For example, alligators can be in brumation from just a few hours to months.
Like reptiles and mammals, birds can go into a state called torpor in order to save energy under very cold conditions. “Torpor is somewhere between a short sleep and hibernation,” said Justin Baldwin, a PhD candidate in biology at Washington University in St. Louis. Baldwin studied 29 species of hummingbirds living in Colombia. Researchers found that hummingbirds can enter into deep or shallow torpor, depending on several factors, including their size and weather conditions. In deep torpor, the birds are much more likely to be affected by disease. And what’s more, they would be easily harmed by their enemies.
Some bird lovers want to help the birds when they are in torpor. For example, the Bird Alliance of Oregon offers a few tips on how to keep the birds from danger.
1. What does the new study show?| A．Body temperature is important for animals. |
| B．Thermoregulation exists in reptiles and birds. |
| C．Reptiles and birds’ thermoregulation is unusual. |
| D．Body temperature drops greatly during reptiles and birds’ sleep. |
| A．They are active in brumation. | B．They are dead in cold weather. |
| C．They face extinction in cold weather. | D．They eat and drink nothing in brumation. |
| A．They can get enough sleep. | B．They may harm other birds. |
| C．They may waste plenty of energy. | D．They may be under threat. |
| A．Risks of animal hibernation. |
| B．His opinions of the study about birds. |
| C．Some detailed measures to protect the birds in torpor. |
| D．Other problems raised by cold weather. |
2 . It was a clear night. Finally came the big game and the boys were
Our team had a perfect start, and the scoring moment was repeatedly shown on a huge screen. However, looking out Andy’s way, I was shocked to see Andy looking straight up at the
“Come on, Andy.
Thank goodness, the big kid in the other team made a mistake. Our team had been
Andy ran up to me at the
Andy’s eyes were glowing (发光) with
“Yes, ” I said. “Well, one inning (局) to go. Hit a home run (全垒打)!”
“Okay!” said Andy, and he ran back to his
I suddenly realized it was nice that my son would take time out to appreciate the
Andy hit a triple (三垒打) in that last inning. But I still wish I had
| A．nervous | B．scared | C．curious | D．ashamed |
| A．undoubtedly | B．unexpectedly | C．unavoidably | D．unacceptably |
| A．electric | B．friendly | C．casual | D．relaxing |
| A．flee | B．hide | C．feed | D．strike |
| A．audience | B．screen | C．sky | D．ball |
| A．relying | B．focusing | C．commenting | D．reflecting |
| A．Fall down | B．Calm down | C．Wake up | D．Stand up |
| A．replaced | B．punished | C．warned | D．spared |
| A．meeting | B．break | C．corner | D．entrance |
| A．blame | B．comfort | C．entertain | D．tease |
| A．anger | B．relief | C．delight | D．regret |
| A．teammates | B．fans | C．parents | D．stars |
| A．truth | B．kindness | C．routine | D．wonder |
| A．difficult | B．likely | C．precious | D．important |
| A．recorded | B．filmed | C．seen | D．followed |
3 . German physicist Albert Einstein is one of the most famous scientists of all time, the personification of genius and the subject of a whole industry of scholarship. In The Einsteinian Revolution, two experts on Einstein’s life and his theory of relativity — Israeli physicist Hanoch Gutfreund and German historian of science Jürgen Renn — offer an original and penetrating (犀利的) analysis of Einstein’s revolutionary contributions to physics and our view of the physical world.
By setting Einstein’s work in the long course of the evolution of scientific knowledge, Gutfreund and Renn discover the popular myth (谬论) of Einstein as an unconventional scientific genius who single-handedly created modern physics-and by pure thought alone.
As a large part of the book explains, Einstein typically argued that science progresses through steady evolution, not through revolutionary breaks with the past. He saw his theory of relativity not as something from scratch, but a natural extension of the classical physics developed by pioneers such as Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei and English physicist Isaac Newton in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as nineteenth-century physicists.
The authors highlight how classical physics cannot be separated cleanly from modern Einsteinian physics. The book also includes substantial sections on Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo whose methods inspired Einstein. When Einstein considered himself as standing on their shoulders, he meant that, without their contributions, he would not have formulated (阐述) the theory of relativity.
The Einsteinian Revolution is an important and thought-provoking (引人深思的) contribution to the scholarly literature on Einstein and his surprising scientific creativity between 1905 and 1925. Gutfreund and Renn might not have given the final answer as to why Einstein, of all people, revolutionized physics in the way that he did. But they argue in fascinating detail that, to understand his genius, one must take into account not just the earlier history of physics but also the history of knowledge more broadly. Although not always an easy read, the book will interest physicists and historians alike.
1. According to the popular view, how did Einstein create his theory?| A．By generating ideas on his own. | B．By standing on giants’ shoulders. |
| C．By carrying out experiments. | D．By cooperating with other physicists. |
| A．With previous knowledge. | B．From the very beginning. |
| C．From learning from others. | D．Up to a certain standard. |
| A．Their ideas were rejected by Einstein. |
| B．Their devotion to physics impressed Einstein. |
| C．Their research contributed to Einstein’s success. |
| D．Their hard work deserved the worldwide respect. |
| A．It opens a door to physics for beginners. |
| B．It gives a brief glimpse of Einstein’s legendary life. |
| C．It bridges the gap between readers and the greatest minds. |
| D．It offers a wider perspective to understand Einstein’s genius. |
4 . Camel Conversation
A mother and a baby camel were lying around under a tree.
Then the baby camel asked, “Mom,
The mother camel considered this and said, “We are desert animals and we have the humps to
The baby camel
The mama
The baby paused, and then asked, “Why are our eyelashes (睫毛)
The mama responded, “Those long thick eyelashes
The baby camel thought and thought. Then he said, “I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for
We were given all
Don’t sit around in a zoo. Use your gifts and talents to help
| A．why | B．how | C．whether | D．where |
| A．drink | B．flow | C．bring | D．store |
| A．few | B．little | C．less | D．much |
| A．missed | B．wished | C．asked | D．thought |
| A．arms | B．hands | C．feet | D．legs |
| A．replied | B．asked | C．wanted | D．yelled |
| A．sea | B．desert | C．garden | D．yard |
| A．thin | B．weak | C．long | D．short |
| A．depend | B．prevent | C．stop | D．protect |
| A．when | B．although | C．as | D．because |
| A．flying | B．walking | C．covering | D．driving |
| A．desert | B．zoo | C．country | D．city |
| A．worthy | B．expensive | C．special | D．seasonal |
| A．disturb | B．differ | C．disgust | D．desire |
| A．others | B．another | C．other | D．else |
5 . Nanako Hama gets a lot of mail, mostly from strangers who live in her home city of Tokyo. In light envelopes, they send locks of their hair, hoping to recycle it.
People generate a huge amount of hair waste. Nearly all of that waste ends up in landfill, where it can release harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
But hair possesses useful qualities and it’s a shame to simply throw it away. That’s why people all around the world, like Hama, have been collecting hair and finding innovative ways to recycle it, including making mats (垫子) out of it for removing oil leaks,
Hama is part of the nonprofit Matter of Trust (MoT) members working at more than 60 centers dotted across 17 countries, using machines to make hair donated from local salons and individuals into square mats, which are then used to clean up the floating oil.
“Hair is particularly well-suited for this,” says MoT co-founder Lisa Gautier, “That’s because its rough sort of outer layer lets oil stick to it.” MoT’s mats have been used in major oil leaks, including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 2007 Cosco Busan incidents.
In a 2018 study, Murray, an environmental scientist at the University of Technology Sydney, in Australia found that mats made of recycled human hair could absorb 0.84 grams of oil onto its surface for every gram of hair — significantly more than polypropylene (聚丙烯), a type of plastic that’s typically used to clean up floating oil.
Besides, hair is also useful as fertilizer (化肥). Hair contains a relatively high nitrogen (氪), a chemical element crucial for plant growth, and each lock of hair is made of roughly 16 percent of this essential nutrient. Last year, more than 560 gallons of liquid fertilizer made from human hair was sold to farmers in northern Tanzania and the feedback from the farmers has been very encouraging.
“It’s just a great way to use hair in a productive way. Hair is an answer literally hanging in front of our eyes-for oil and soil, ” Hama says.
1. What can the mat made of human hair do?| A．Clear the sea of oil. | B．Improve soil. |
| C．Take in harmful gas. | D．Prevent oil leaks. |
| A．Its color and strength. | B．Its length and amount |
| C．Its structure and component. | D．Its weight and flexibility. |
| A．To state a fact. | B．To support a point. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To clarify a concept. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Optimistic. | C．Doubtful. | D．Negative. |
6 . I was the only kid in college with a reason to go to the mail box, because my mother never believed in email, or cell phones in general. I was literally waiting to get a letter to see how the weekend had gone, which was usually the warmest comfort for me.
So when I moved to New York and got sucker-punched in the face by depression, I did the only thing I could think of — writing letters like my mother for strangers. I blogged about those letters and crazily promised I would write a hand-written letter to whoever asked me to.
Overnight, my inbox became this harbor of heartbreak-a single mother in Sacramento, a girl being bullied (恐吓) in rural Kansas. . , all asking me to write them a letter and give them a reason to wait by the mailbox. And this is how the act The World Needs More Love Letters was born, fueled by those trips to the mailbox. But the thing about these letters is that most of them have been written by people, who have grown up into a paperless world where some best conversations happen swiftly on a screen.
I’ve been carrying this mail crate (大木箱) with me these days, which is a magical icebreaker. So I get to tell total strangers about a woman whose husband was traumatized (受精神创伤) from war in Afghanistan, and how she left love letters throughout the house as a way to say, “Come back to me. ” And the man, who had decided to take his life, tonight slept safely with letters just beneath his pillow, handwritten by strangers who were there for him.
These are the kinds of stories that convince me that letter-writing will always be needed, even in these days, because it is an art now, all of it: the signing, the scripting, and the mailing.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The author didn’t believe in e-mail. |
| B．Mom had been cheated by letters from strangers. |
| C．Communicating by writing letters was Mom’s favorite. |
| D．The author was attached to receiving letters from Mom. |
| A．The letters’ comforting effect on people. | B．Her intention of providing professional aid. |
| C．The positive influence of modern technology. | D．Her mother’s fear of modern communication. |
| A．It melts ice easily on a cold day. | B．It serves as a tool for magic tricks. |
| C．It encourages people to recover from traumas. | D．It helps to start a conversation with passers-by. |
| A．Passion for Writing. | B．Priceless Family Letters. |
| C．Love Letters to Strangers. | D．The Art of Writing Letters. |
7 . Green Line Performing Arts Center
Upcoming Programs:
First Monday Jazz Series: Crosswind
Monday Feb 4 | 7-9 pm
First Monday Jazz is a free monthly event showcasing local Chicago jazz artists.
Green Light Series: South Side Story Time
Sunday Feb 17 |10-11 am
Bring your kids to listen, learn, sing, dance, and interact! South Side Story Time is a small gathering that centres on readings for its young attendees along with the chance for their parents to socialize. Open to families with children of all ages.
Sistergirls and Freedom Fighters: Stories in Celebration of Women’s Power and Grace
Wednesday Feb 20 |7-8 pm
Join us for an evening of storytelling featuring the dynamic singing, in the Spirit by Emily Hooper Lansana.
This performance will highlight a range of stories that demonstrate women’s creative and political genius from folk heroines to Nobel Peace Prize winners.
Family Saturdays: Art together
Every 1st Saturday of the Month | 3-5 pm
Explore your child’s artistic curiosity with hands-on art workshops designed to stimulate creativity and play. These interdisciplinary workshops are exciting for the entire family, offering activities from music to arts and crafts. Come to learn something new! Appropriate for families with children. Registration is encouraged.
Follow Arts + Public Life on Facebook for more event details and a full list of all upcoming performances.
1. When can people enjoy jazz in February?| A．At 8 pm every first Monday. | B．At 4 pm every other Saturday. |
| C．At 7 pm every first Wednesday. | D．At 9 pm every other Monday. |
| A．It lasts two hours. | B．It is organized by Emily. |
| C．It is a prize-winning performance. | D．It celebrates women’s achievements. |
| A．Activity types. | B．Event frequency. |
| C．Target participants. | D．Registration requirements. |
8 . Sharks have been swimming in the ocean for millions of years. They were on Earth even before dinosaurs! At the top of the world’s ocean’s food chain, sharks help keep the population of other ocean animals in balance. A large drop in the number of sharks can cause serious problems for all ocean animals. Saving sharks makes sense!
Many people are afraid of sharks. But most sharks are harmless. Only a small percentage of sharks are known to attack humans. They adapt well to new habitats and eat whatever is available. However, today, sharks are in trouble. Nearly one third of the 400 shark species are in danger of extinction, largely due to over-fishing. Each year, tens of millions of sharks are caught and killed just for their fins. The fins are used to make shark fin soup.
Humane Society International(HSI) joined with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program and Beijing Zoo to protect sharks. An exhibit at the zoo, “The Price Behind the Taste — Protect Sharks. Don’t Eat Shark Fins”, was designed to tell people that shark finning is cruel and unnecessary. It’s hoped that the activity will help put an end to the practice.
Shark fin soup is also eaten in the United States. In fact, the numbers of some shark species in US waters have dropped 90 percent in the last 30 years. To slow the fall, laws against the sale of shark fins have been passed in several states, including Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and California.
1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?| A．Ocean animals are at the top of the food chain. |
| B．Sharks play an important role in the ocean. |
| C．Sharks are an old species in the ocean. |
| D．Sharks are being caught and killed. |
| A．they often attack humans |
| B．their food is being polluted |
| C．they are being caught for food |
| D．their habitat is being destroyed |
| A．shark finning |
| B．shark protection |
| C．the program of HIS |
| D．the exhibit at Beijing Zoo |
| A．There are 400 shark species in the United States. |
| B．It’s illegal to eat shark fin soup in the United States. |
| C．Most sharks are not interested in a human for dinner. |
| D．Sharks are very particular about their habitats and food. |
9 . The news is everywhere. We can’t stop constantly checking it on our computer screens, but what is this doing to our minds?
The news is committed to laying before us whatever is supposed to be most unusual and important in the world: a snowfall in the tropics; a love child for the president; a set of conjoined (连体的) twins.
The news knows how to operate its own mechanics almost invisible and therefore hard to question. It speaks to us in a natural unaccented voice, without reference to its own perspective. It fails to disclose that it does not merely report on the world, but is instead constantly at work crafting a new planet in our minds in line with its own often highly distinctive priorities.
Why do we, the audience, keep checking the news? Fear has a lot to do with it. After even a short period of being cut off from news, our anxiety has a habit of building up. We know how much is likely to go wrong and how fast: an A380 may have its fuel line cracked and crash into the bay in flames, a virus from an African bat may leap the species barrier and enter a crowded Japanese commuter train, investors may pose a run on the currency and yet another seemingly ordinary father may call a violent end to the lives of his two beautiful young children.
The hum and rush of the news have flowed into our deepest selves. What an achievement a moment of calm now is, what a miracle the ability to fall asleep or to talk undistracted with a friend and what demanding discipline would be required to make us turn away from the messy news and listen for a day to nothing but the rain and our own thoughts. We may need some help with what the news is doing to us: with the envy and the terror, with the excitement and the frustration; with all that we’ve been told and yet occasionally suspect we may be better off never having learned.
1. What does news offer us according to the passage?| A．Its operating system. |
| B．Its preferred world. |
| C．Normal happenings worldwide. |
| D．Objective points of view. |
| A．worried about losing contact with updates. |
| B．anxious about building up a habit. |
| C．curious about an African virus in Japan. |
| D．interested in strangers’ extraordinary lives. |
| A．Talking with a friend is remarkable. |
| B．Listening to natural songs is absolutely impossible. |
| C．Preventing envy and terror is realistic. |
| D．Staying clear of the media is beneficial. |
| A．News is transforming our lifestyle secretly. |
| B．News is becoming a user’s manual. |
| C．News is filling us with growing fear. |
| D．News is enriching our life dramatically. |
10 . Traditions are customs and beliefs that form a part of our culture. They are practiced to remind us of our history and are passed down from generation to generation. Some traditions are interesting and widespread, while others are quite strange and practiced only by a small group of people. Continue reading to dig more into some interesting traditions from around the world.
Smigus Dyngus in PolandAlso known as “Wet Monday”, Smigus Dyngus is a unique tradition practiced in Poland, where people throw water at each other. It is celebrated annually on Easter Monday. The traditional way to do it is for boys to throw water at girls, and it is believed that the girl who receives the most water has the greatest chance of getting married.
Hanging coffins (棺椁) in Sagada, the PhilippinesThere is an old tradition in Sagada where people hang their coffins in stone caves. It was carried out by the Igorot tribe (部落) of Mountain Province. The people there believe this custom prevents large animals from taking the dead bodies, and also purifies or blesses the departed soul.
The Polterabend custom in GermanyFamily members and friends of future married couples meet at dinner, and break a lot of porcelain (瓷器). The couple is then asked to clean up the entire mess. This is supposedly to teach them the importance of unity and hard work, and bring good luck. Germans think this tradition is essential in making marriages last a lifetime.
Boryeong Mud Festival in the ROKThe Boryeong Mud Festival in the ROK is a fascinating and unique celebration that draws crowds from around the world. It is a major cultural event, attracting over a million visitors annually. People participate in various mud-related activities, including mud baths, mud wrestling and even a mud marathon. The festival features live music, food stalls, and wonderful street performances.
1. Why are the coffins hung in caves in Sagada?| A．To pray for good luck. |
| B．To protect the dead bodies. |
| C．To ensure a future reunion. |
| D．To conserve more land resources. |
| A．Smigus Dyngus. |
| B．Hanging coffins in Sagada. |
| C．The Polterabend custom. |
| D．Boryeong Mud Festival. |
| A．Throw water at girls. |
| B．Learn about Igorot culture. |
| C．Meet famous people. |
| D．Enjoy mud baths. |
