71-year-old retired brick worker Joao, who lives in an island village just outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, found the small Magellanic penguin lying on rocks at his local beach in 2011.The penguin was covered in oil and running out of time fast. Joao rescued the penguin, naming him Din, cleaned the oil off his feathers and fed him a daily diet of fish to rebuild his strength. After a week of recovery, Joao attempted to release the penguin back into the wild. However, Din had already formed a family bond with his rescuer and wouldn’t leave.
“He stayed with me for 11 months and then, just after he changed his coat with new feathers, he disappeared,” Joao recalls. “I love the penguin like it’s my own child and I believe the penguin loves me,” Joao told Globo TV. “No one else is allowed to touch him. He pecks them if they do. He lies on my lap, lets me give him showers, and allows me to feed him.”
Professor Krajewski, a biologist who interviewed the fisherman for Globo TV, told The Independent: “I have never seen anything like this before. I think the penguin believes Joao is part of his family and probably a penguin as well.”
However, environmentalists warn that, while hundreds of the Magellanic species are known to naturally migrate thousands of miles north in search of food ,there has been a worrying rise in the phenomenon of oceanic creatures washing up on Brazil’s beaches. Professor David Zee from Rio de Janeiro’s State University said the increase is due in part to global climatic changes. Professor Zee added that sea animals face increased danger from leaked tanker oil.
Luckily the ending for Joao and Din has been a happy one, even though it is illegal in Brazil to keep wild animals as pets.
Professor Krajewski said: “Professionals who work with animals try to avoid relationships like this occurring so they are able to reintroduce the animal into the wild. But in this single case the authorities allowed Din to stay with Joao because of his kindness.”
1. Why does Din swim a long distance to a beach in Brazil every year?| A．To avoid being killed. | B．To meet his rescuer. |
| C．To escape from ocean currents. | D．To find much more fish. |
| A．He was dying. | B．He was running on the beach. |
| C．He was resting on a rock. | D．He was cleaning oil off his feathers. |
| A．He is not allowed to keep the penguin as a pet by the authorities. |
| B．He overprotects the penguin by keeping him away from others. |
| C．His contact with the penguin is encouraged by professionals. |
| D．His kindness wins the penguin’s trust. |
| A．The environmental impact on wildlife. | B．The love between humans and wildlife. |
| C．The tendency of wildlife to bond with humans. | D．The protection of threatened wildlife by mankind. |
2 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”
Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."
Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”
Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.
It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.
In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.
1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?| A．She was bored with the job. | B．She was disappointed with life. |
| C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life. | D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Liberating. | C．Eventful. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To encourage bicycle traveling. | B．To make her investment profitable. |
| C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff. | D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes. |
| A．A tough path to fame. | B．An adventure across Africa. |
| C．The benefits of green travelling. | D．The story behind the birth of Apidura. |
3 . Every week in China, millions of people will sit in front of their TVs watching teenagers compete for the title Character Hero, which is a Chinese-style spelling bee. In this challenge, young competitors must write Chinese characters by hand. To prepare for the competition, the competitors usually spend months studying dictionaries.
Perhaps the show’s popularity should not be a surprise. Along with gunpowder and paper, many Chinese people consider the creation of Chinese calligraphy(书法) to be one of their primary contributions to civilization. Unfortunately, all over the country, Chinese people are forgetting how to write their own language without computerized help. Software on smart phones and computers allows users to type in the basic sound of the word using the Latin alphabet. The correct character is chosen from a list. The result? It’s possible to recognize characters without remembering how to write them.
But there’s still hope for the paint brush. China’s Education Ministry wants children to spend more time learning how to write.
In one Beijing primary school we visited, students practice calligraphy every day inside a specially decorated classroom with traditional Chinese paintings hanging on the walls. Soft music plays as a group of six-year-olds dip brush pens into black ink. They look up at the blackboard often to study their teacher’s examples before carefully attempting to reproduce those characters on thin rice paper. “If adults can survive without using handwriting, why bother to teach it now?” we ask the calligraphy teacher, Shen Bin. “The ability to write characters is part of Chinese tradition and culture,” she reasons. “Students must learn now so they don’t forget when they grow up.” says the teacher.
1. What can we learn about the Character Hero?| A．It’s open to people of all ages and all walks. |
| B．It’s the most-viewed TV programs in China. |
| C．It aims to spread Chinese culture to the world. |
| D．It draws great public attention across the country. |
| A．Chinese people don’t refer to dictionaries very often. |
| B．Chinese people no longer use brush pens or practice calligraphy. |
| C．Chinese people are using the Latin alphabet instead of the characters. |
| D．Chinese people needn’t write by hand as often with the help of technology. |
| A．necessary for adults to survive in China |
| B．a requirement made by the Education Ministry |
| C．helpful to keep Chinese tradition and culture alive |
| D．an ability to be developed only when you are students |
| A．A news report. | B．A science report. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．Children’s literature. |
4 . That morning, I dropped our eldest at kindergarten and returned home to let our two younger children play while I worked on my medical report. It was a wonderful chance to work from home, but it hit me that my career in hospital wasn't making a difference in anyone's life. I needed something that would stretch my limits and push me to grow. My career enabled me to work from home. I could work from home, and become a foster mother, providing safety for a child who needed it desperately.
On Monday morning. I picked up the phone and dialed the number I had Googled for the nearest Department of Children's Services. The man on the other end was receptive to my questions and explained the next step of training, involving eight weeks of classes designed to prepare and educate foster parents. We continued through all the classes, the home visits, background checks, and seemingly endless steps.
Five long months after we were approved, the phone rang. In the middle of the night, I woke my husband and rushed to East Tennessee Children's Hospital. Our placement was waiting for us in the emergency room, sick and lack of nutrition. It didn't take long for us to realize the full depth of her suffering. Six months later, her half-brother came to us by our request. We now had five children under our care.
On August 12, 2016, our family of seven walked into a small courtroom. The children's lawyer and social worker were there. With just a few words, our adoption was finalized. These two amazing children weren't going home, because they were already home. We are their forever family, and they are our forever children. We may not be able to change the entire world, but we have changed the world entirely for our new children.
1. How did the author feel about her hospital work?| A．Lacking of motivation. | B．Filled with challenge. |
| C．Highly motivating. | D．Unusually Demanding. |
| A．She felt sympathetic for abused children she knew. |
| B．She wanted to make a difference in other people. |
| C．She felt confident about her ability to raise children. |
| D．She experienced training to raise children properly. |
| A．The child to be adopted. | B．The need to get trained. |
| C．The approval of adoption. | D．The official at the hospital. |
| A．To put the adopted kids elsewhere. | B．To receive another adopted child. |
| C．To make the adoption officially legal. | D．To begin the kids' adoption in her home. |
5 . Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen, it is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone. It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year. He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He says he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person.” said the 30-year-old man.
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything”. He said, “The feeling of having overcome something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19thcentury explorer John Muir once said. “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.
1. Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?| A．Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone. |
| B．It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries. |
| C．It is comfortable to travel around without a friend. |
| D．Traveling abroad helps people to find new things. |
| A．you have to make things on your own. |
| B．it is hard for you to prove yourself to others. |
| C．you can only depend on yourself whatever happens. |
| D．it will finally build your character. |
| A．He started traveling alone at an early age. |
| B．He was once shot in the arm. |
| C．He used to work as a salesman. |
| D．His website will inspire others to travel alone. |
| A．Travel Abroad | B．Travel Alone |
| C．Travel Light | D．Travel Wide and Far |
6 . A new device works like a solar panel, except that it doesn't harvest energy from the sun. It absorbs energy from the cold night sky.
A prototype(原型)of the device produced enough electricity at night to power a small light bulb. A bigger version might one day light rooms or charge phones. It also could power electronics in remote or low-resource areas that lack electricity.
The device makes use of the temperature difference between Earth and outer space.It then uses that difference to create electricity. As long as one side of it is cooler than the other, the generator can produce electricity.The cooler side faces the sky and is attached to an aluminum plate. That plate is sealed beneath a transparent(透明的)cover and surrounded with insulation(隔热材料)to keep out heat.The bottom of the generator is attached to an exposed aluminum plate. That plate is warmed by the local air. At night, the top plate can get a couple of degrees Celsius cooler than the bottom of the generator.
Researchers tested a 20-centimeter prototype one clear December night in Stanford,California. The generator produced up to about 25 milliwatts of power per square meter of device. That was enough power to light a small light-emitting diode, or LED bulb. Further improvements might increase its production to at least 500 milliwatts per square meter. To do that, the system might need more insulation around the cool top plate.
The device also could help power remote weather stations or other environmental devices,says Aaswath Raman. He is a materials scientist who worked on the device at the University of California, Los Angeles. This may be useful in polar regions that don't see sunlight for months at a time,Raman says. “If you have some low-power load and you need to power it through three months of darkness, this might be a way.”
1. What can we know about the new device?| A．It gains energy from the sun. | B．It 's been widely used in life. |
| C．It is cooler than a solar panel. | D．It'll be popular in special areas. |
| A．Application fields of the device. | B．The developing process of the device. |
| C．The working principle of the device. | D．Significant effects of the device. |
| A．By putting more insulation around the top plate. |
| B．By using it in extremely cold and clear nights. |
| C．By making its bottom cooler than the top plate. |
| D．By powering remote environmental devices. |
| A．A Device Using the Cold Night Sky to Produce Electricity |
| B．A Device Bringing New Hope for Those in the Cold Night |
| C．The Difference Between a Solar Panel and a New Device |
| D．The Temperature Difference Between Earth and Outer Space |
7 . Hello and welcome to English with Lucy. Today we have another topic:“Four common British expressions.” Now, before we get started, make sure you connect with me on all my social media which is right here. You can subscribe to my YouTube. You can also like me on Facebook. And for my Chinese followers, I have my Weibo account as well.
Four Common British Expressions:
“A piece of cake.”
And this is very similar to “Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy,” which we've discussed in a former video. And basically, it means very easy. So I might come out of an easy exam saving, “That exam was a piece of cake. ”
“Break a leg!”
It actually looks really rather cruel, but I promise you it's positive. And “Break a leg!” means “Good luck!” So before a race, before a job interview, before a test, instead of saying “Good luck!” I might say “Break a leg!”
“It cost an arm and a leg.”
And this basically means something was really expensive. If I say, “My bag cost an arm and a leg,” I mean it cost a lot of money.
“To call it a day.”
And this means “to end a task”. So, for example, “I'm feeling a bit tired. I think I'll call it a day. ”That means “I think I'll stop here. Let's finish.”
Thank you so much for watching this program of “Four Common British Expressions.” I hope you like it, and I hope you've learned something.
1. How can Chinese listeners connect with Lucy?| A．With Wechat | B．Through Weibo | C．On Facebook | D．By YouTube. |
| A．Break a leg! | B．It cost an arm and a leg. |
| C．To call it a day | D．A piece of cake. |
| A．He/She will stop that day | B．He/She feels tired |
| C．Class is over. | D．It is daytime. |
8 . Recently it is said that a dog has received an award for picking up a number of beer cans, coffee cups, and other pieces of trash, helping clean up her neighborhood in the process. It's unclear if Daisy is aware of her service, but her help has not gone unnoticed, by any means.
In fact, it is reported that this nine-year-old dog has picked up more than 5,000 pieces of rubbish. Daisy has been collecting rubbish for the last eight years, at least two times a day. Coming from the city of Worcester in the United Kingdom, Daisy has become the first dog to receive an honor from the mayor(市长). Unlike other dogs, Daisy prefers sniffing around for beer cans, among other things. She carries them back home to her owner, Judy Owens, who then takes her pet's offerings and recycles them.
“I wish Daisy understood how special she was and the award just marks what a special little dog she is,” Judy said. “She started picking up rubbish when she was around a beer can and I think she discovered it by accident.”
“One day she just sniffed out a beer can, then began picking it up," she continued. “She gets very attached to rubbish, and she must think it's some kind of treasure.”
Daisy has become something of a celebrity in her town, often known as the dog that helps get rid of all the rubbish. Then, the mayor invited Judy and Daisy to come to his office. “When we arrived he told us that Daisy would be receiving the award because he wanted to make people more conscious of protecting the environment and to thank her for her contributions over the years,” Judy said. “It was such a surprise... Daisy thought this was great and went to sit on the mayor's chair with a beer can in her mouth. Everyone thought she was funny and started laughing.”
1. Why did the dog receive the award?| A．She had brought a lot of treasure to her owner. |
| B．She had kept all the city clean for eight years. |
| C．She had contributed a lot to getting rid of the trash. |
| D．She had made people aware of protecting environment. |
| A．By accident. | B．By force. |
| C．Through praise. | D．Through training. |
| A．Curious. | B．Excited. |
| C．Ashamed. | D．Thankful. |
| A．A dog owner trains her dog to pick up rubbish. |
| B．A dog receives an award for picking up rubbish. |
| C．A mayor gives an award to a dog in his office. |
| D．A mayor raises people's environmental awareness. |
9 . It is not easy to excite New Yorkers. This is one reason why actors and other famous people move to the city. They can live quieter lives and escape the paparazzi(狗仔队)photographers who would follow then in Hollywood.
But New York has a new media star. And this star is not living so quietly.
The star is a colorful Mandarin duck. The bird first appeared this month in a small body of water in Manhattan's Central Park.
Large crowds have gathered to see the duck. Reporters have been following its every move. The media attention on the duck has earned the name "quackarazzi"-a word combination of paparazzi and the sound a duck makes!
The duck has chosen to live in a costly pan of New York-just off Fifth Avenue, near the historic Plaza Hotel. There, hundreds of people turn up every day, hoping to see the bird show off its extremely colorful feathers.
Many people like the duck because its colors are like "sunsets," says New Yorker Joe Amato. He comes to the park nearly every day with his camera equipment.
Bird expert Paul Sweet heads a large collection of bird species at the New York-based American Museum of Natural History. He says there is nothing special about a Mandarin duck in Central Park. Central Park Zoo has its own Mandarin duck, he says. These ducks are often imported to the United States from Asia for use on private property.
Sometimes they escape, he said. Sweet said he believes this duck is an escapee. If it were wild, he added, traditional bird watchers-often called birders-would be "very excited." And they are not. "A lot of non-birders tend to see colorful birds as more beautiful," Sweet said. "But to me, it's no more beautiful than, say, a sparrow."
In this case, though, common New Yorkers get to decide what is beautiful. And they have clearly chosen this Mandarin duck.
1. What does paragraph 1 want to tell us?| A．Nothing can excite New Yorkers. |
| B．New Yorkers are hard to be attracted. |
| C．There are no actors or stars in New York. |
| D．Paparazzi photographers are popular in New York. |
| A．All New Yorkers. | B．Paparazzi photographers. |
| C．Reporters following the duck. | D．The bird experts. |
| A．This Mandarin duck is very special. |
| B．The birdwatchers are very excited. |
| C．The Mandarin duck got away from somewhere in U.S. |
| D．Paul Sweet believes the Mandarin duck is more beautiful than a sparrow. |
| A．Welcoming. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Resistant. | D．Unclear. |
10 . With their large glass windows and clear views of the hospital’s newest arrivals, it’s hard to imagine hospitals without newborn nurseries. But how did this slightly unusual concept of putting babies on show come into being?
Well, they’re not really for putting babies on show. Firstly, they were created as an area for nurses to take care of all of the new babies, separate from their mothers. Newborn nurseries have been around pretty much since moms started having babies in hospitals. In the early 1900s, hospitals replaced homes as the primary place to give birth. Hospitals built delivery rooms, and those wards had nurseries with windows.
According to Smithsonian.com, a 1943 publication gave two main purposes for the nurseries. The first purpose was to allow the relatives to see the new babies. The windows, however, were to keep the babies safe and clean while they were being admired by relatives. And that sanitary concern is right and reasonable. Babies’ immune systems are not yet developed, which has to do with the frightening reason you should be careful about letting people kiss your new baby. However, the Smithsonian.com article does admit that solid walls would be even more effective at keeping bacteria and viruses out than windows. Not to mention they would be more cost-effective. So, yeah... the primary purpose is still to look at the cute babies. Some hospitals would offer individual viewings so that relatives could have some quality time with their new member. In the mid- to late twentieth century, these nursery viewings were often the first time fathers got to see their new babies.
Today, though, the nurseries mean a lot to many hospital visitors and family members. Dotti James claims that "the nursery window has become a destination for patients and families from other parts of the hospital experiencing a health crisis...Standing outside the nursery, seeing the babies...can give hope to families trying to deal successfully with something difficult." It’s pretty much a universal truth that healthy babies are an immediate mood booster(令人鼓舞的事情).
1. What’s the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To present the answer to a question. |
| B．To summarize the whole passage. |
| C．To introduce the theme of the passage. |
| D．To provide background information. |
| A．Nurseries with windows are more cost-effective. |
| B．Safety is the main focus of newborn nurseries. |
| C．Kissing new babies may cause them harm. |
| D．Fathers were the last to see new babies decades ago. |
| A．Doubtful.. | B．Positive | C．Concerned. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To explain why hospitals set up newborn nurseries. |
| B．To stress the importance of newborn nurseries. |
| C．To show the benefits of newborn nurseries. |
| D．To state some misunderstandings of newborn nurseries. |
