Horses are picky eaters
Horses have an even better sense of smell than humans do. When horses raise their noses and open their nostrils (鼻孔), their nervous system allows them to sense smells we can’t sense. This might explain why they refuse dirty water and carefully move around meadows, eating only the tastiest grasses, experts say.
Whale says thanks
In 2018, a whale expert spotted a humpback whale trapped in a fishing net and spent an hour freeing it. Afterward, in an hour-long display of thanks, the whale swam near their boat and leaped into the air about 40 times.
Pandas like to be naughty
Is there anything more lovely than a baby panda, except maybe a human baby? In fact, baby pandas sometimes behave like human babies. They sleep in the same positions and value their thumbs. Pandas are shy by nature for its shy behaviors such as covering its face with a paw or ducking its head when confronted by a stranger.
A cat honors its owner
Paper towels, and a plastic cup are just a few of the gifts that Toldo, a devoted three-year-old gray-and-white cat, has placed on his former owner Iozzelli Renzo’s grave every day since the man died in September 2018. Renzo adopted Toldo from a shelter when the cat was three months old, and the two formed an inseparable bond. After Renzo passed away, Toldo followed the coffin to the cemetery, and now “stands guard” the grave for hours at a time.
1. What can horses do to pick delicious grasses?| A．Feel them. |
| B．Taste them. |
| C．Smell them. |
| D．Observe them. |
| A．They are clever. |
| B．They have a grateful heart. |
| C．They are active and lovely. |
| D．They have a good sense of smell. |
| A．The whale |
| B．The cat. |
| C．The horse. |
| D．The panda. |
2 . Western monarch butterflies(帝王蝶) spend their winters on the central California coast. A few months later, they produce young in the Central Valley and as far north and east as Idaho. But where they go in between remains an open question to biologists. Therefore, a group of biologists call on anyone who spots a monarch north of Santa Barbara this spring to get a quick shot and email them the photo with a date and a location.
“Something’s going on in early spring,” said Cheryl Schultz, a professor at Washington State University Vancouver. Winter survival isn’t the problem in the short term, but they don’t know whether the monarchs are not making it to producing places, not finding plants to feed themselves along the way, she said.
The Western monarch population stood in the millions in the 1980s. In 2017, an annual count found 200,000 butterflies. In 2018, the number fell to about 30,000 — a figure that held steady last year. The monarchs’ decline is part of a larger trend among dozens of butterfly species in the West. What exactly caused the decline? Biologists attach it to a variety of reasons. Many chemicals are sprayed on the milkweed monarchs will feed on. Climate change also plays a role in challenges facing monarchs. Yet, they’re not nearly as threatening as those leading to loss of their living room. Farms used to have rough borders that were grounds for the plants monarchs love and live in. However, newly applied practices pushed crops to the edge of fields.
“Butterflies often have good years and bad. We do think there’s potential to turn the situation around,” Dr. Schultz said. And she said she saw two reasons for that. First, the population decline seen in 2017-2018 wasn’t repeated last year. And second, she’s seen butterfly populations recover before.
1. Why do the biologists need the public’s help?| A．To confirm monarchs’ producing places. |
| B．To find how monarchs survive the winter. |
| C．To address the unknown about monarchs. |
| D．To know the distance that monarchs cover. |
| A．New farming practices. | B．Lack of healthy food. |
| C．Wide use of chemicals. | D．Severe climate change. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Worried. | D．Cautious. |
| A．What Is Happening to the Monarchs | B．Why the Monarchs Are Flying Away |
| C．Where All the Monarchs Have Gone | D．How the Monarchs Adapt to Nature |
3 . It’s generally believed that a useful method to be successful is to copy the success of other persons’.
If you can’t copy someone else’s success, then how can you learn from other people? Well, one thing you can do is learn from their attitudes towards their life and work.
| A．So you must believe in yourself and be yourself. |
| B．Also you should recognize the limitations of your heroes. |
| C．The big problem of copying success directly is that it generally can’t be done. |
| D．Find someone who inspires you and who has achieved the things you want to achieve. |
| E．Meanwhile, limit your own creative thoughts and your own ideas. |
| F．Knowing where others have made mistakes prevents you from making similar mistakes. |
| G．Model yourself on other successful people and you’re sure to be successful, right? |
4 . A Guangzhou-based company that runs the world's largest factory of mosquitoes used to control the species signed agreements Tuesday to control mosquitoes in Beitun, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Guangzhou Wolbaki Biotech Co will help Beitun city in Xinjiang's Altay prefecture(地区) fight mosquitoes. The Altay region is one of the world's four places with the largest mosquito population, said Xu Longquan, deputy mayor of Beitun.
In spring and summer, when the snow on the Altay Mountains melts, water from reservoirs (水库)runs into forests and meadows（草地）and forms swarms(沼泽) and pools that become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Xu said.
Between May and August, which is a local tourism peak season, the number of mosquitoes soars（激增）, annoying local residents and tourists, he said.
Although efforts are made every year to control mosquitoes, it is hard to tackle the problem at the root.
Guangzhou Wolbaki chairman Xi Zhiyong, who is also director of the Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control and Prevention at Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University, has led the research on using mosquitoes to eliminate mosquitoes.
In the research, male mosquitoes are infected with Wolbachia, a bacterium that exists widely in many insects, including mosquitoes.The eggs produced by female mosquitoes that mate with Wolbachia-infected male are infertile(不能生殖的) and that helps lead to reduced mosquito numbers.
Xi also said :“ The company will apply this kind of method to the control of mosquitoes in Beitun, hopefully, we will help improve the life of locals and tourists’experience.”
1. What does the underlined words “breeding grounds” mean?| A．Fields that have swarms and pools. . |
| B．Places to reproduce. |
| C．Someplace near water. |
| D．Places mosquitoes like. |
| A．Altay region has the largest mosquito population. |
| B．Mosquitoes have become a problem because of climate change. |
| C．The mosquito problem may not have affected the local tourism. |
| D．Water and temperature are the factors for the thriving（兴盛）of mosquitoes. |
| A．a biological method. |
| B．other animals. |
| C．some chemicals. |
| D．whatever they can. |
| A．Mosquitoes－a major problem in Xinjiang, |
| B．Wolbaki Biotech Co －a mosquito control company. |
| C．A mosquito control company gets contracts in Xinjiang. |
| D．Efforts to control mosquitoes in Beitun,Xinjiang. |
5 . In spring 2016,Liza Goldberg asked scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center if she could do research there. There was a problem, though. She was just 14 years old, and NASA's internship(实习) program only accepts students starting at age 16.
David Lagomasino and Temilola Fatoyinbo are NASA satellite experts. They saw Liza’s request. In it,she talked about how she had studied trees in her own backyard to learn about climate change. The two NASA scientists were impressed. “This girl sounds great,’’ Lagomasino remembers saying. “Let’s bring her in.” They made a special role for her outside the internship program.
Lagomasino and Fatoyinbo thought Liza could help them use satellite data to map mangroves(红树林), a small tree that grows in muddy forests on the coastlines of many tropical(热带的) countries. Mangroves are very important as they store huge amounts of carbon, which makes them helpful for fighting global warming. They are also home to fish that millions of people depend on for food.
Less than two years later, Liza has developed what might be the world’s first satellite-based system to determine where mangroves are in trouble. The work uses data from four satellites. It covers mangrove growth and loss, rainfall, agriculture and city growth.
Lagomasino and Fatoyinbo brought Liza in during the summer before she started high school. The teen had seen mangroves only once before, during a trip to Fort Myers, Florida. Soon, she would see many more,at least on her computer screen.
Liza learned that half of the world's mangroves had disappeared. She was shocked and motivated to do something. I wanted to create some kind of solution,she said. She would even work during school breaks or at home on her projects. Liza's hard work is starting to pay off. Already, environmental groups are eager to use her system to make their work more effective.
Now that she has turned 16,Liza has finally joined NASA's official internship program.
1. Why was Liza outside the internship program at first?| A．She knew little about global warming. |
| B．She didn't show her talent properly. |
| C．She didn't meet the required age. |
| D．She lacked the experience of data-collecting. |
| A．They are food for fish. |
| B．They keep a balanced ecosystem. |
| C．They forecast climate change. |
| D．They are commercial crops. |
| A．The data. | B．The satellite. | C．The system. | D．The work. |
| A．It will lead to a future job with NASA. | B．It took up her school time. |
| C．It earned her fame. | D．It is fruitful. |
6 . Thirty female contestants, all older than 30, took part in a reality show this summer, competing for five places in a performance group.
The program immediately became a hot topic nationwide, as the entertainment industry in China traditionally favors women in their early 20s or even younger.
Named Sisters Riding the Winds and Breaking the Waves, the show premiered (首映) on June 12 on Hunan Television and Mango TV, a livestreaming platform.
Actresses Ning Jing, 48, and Christy Chung, 50, along with singers Zhang Hanyun, 31, and Yu Kewei, 37, were among the contestants. A panel (专门小组) of coaches joined the show, including a well-known actor, the head of a music company, a celebrity manager, a music director and a stage director.
The first episode attracted more than 15 million viewers and sparked heated debate online. The contestants showed their dancing and singing abilities with solo and group performances.
Yang Chang, who works for a media company in Beijing, said: "Bringing these women together arguably contributed to making the most interesting reality show of the year. It sends a message that although we live in a youth-obsessed (着迷的) culture, there's still something to be said for the enduring appeal of women who are established and experienced."
Molly Tang, another fan of the show, who is approaching 30, said: "The women are very cool, fashionable and attractive. They have their own styles, rather than following a trend. I really admire their courage in breaking conventional stage or screen stereotypes (刻板印象)." She added that after watching the show, she is no longer afraid of becoming older.
1. Why did the program become a hot topic?| A．Because the contestants are traditional. |
| B．Because Hunan Television and Mango TV have huge influence on youngsters. |
| C．Because the female contestants are all old. |
| D．Because its contestants contrasted sharply with traditional shows. |
| A．5 contestants will be the final winners and form a group. |
| B．A music director and a stage director also joined in the show as contestants |
| C．The contestants performed singly and cooperatively. |
| D．Mr.Yang admitted that we live in a youth-obsessed culture. |
| A．Mr. Yang is not a fan of the reality show. |
| B．Mr. Yang favors the experienced entertainers more than the young ones. |
| C．Miss. Molly is in her 30s. |
| D．Miss. Molly got inspired and became more confident. |
| A．The older people get, the more attractive they become. |
| B．People get old, but gold will shine. |
| C．Never follow the trend. |
| D．It is never too old to learn. |
7 . My wife Mary began to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease over ten years ago. Due to her rapidly worsening condition, and because I was working full-time, I could’t
But she was safe and happy there.
In the past, it was always a joyful
I was
I replied with pleasant surprise, “This is a nice home.”
“Yes, it is,” she said. “Thank you.”
The above
| A．fix on | B．care for | C．rely on | D．stand for |
| A．guilty | B．certain | C．hopeful | D．cautious |
| A．Spreading | B．Celebrating | C．Understanding | D．Guaranteeing |
| A．ready | B．eager | C．able | D．willing |
| A．interest | B．advantage | C．association | D．alternative |
| A．surprise | B．treatment | C．honor | D．benefit |
| A．possible | B．responsible | C．appropriate | D．necessary |
| A．opportunities | B．rewards | C．memories | D．moments |
| A．trial | B．visit | C．inspection | D．adventure |
| A．secret | B．means | C．sign | D．answer |
| A．leave | B．resign | C．disappear | D．apologize |
| A．suggestion | B．statement | C．conclusion | D．appointment |
| A．upset | B．grateful | C．terrified | D．shocked |
| A．reminded | B．clarified | C．responded | D．interrupted |
| A．clearly | B．improperly | C．casually | D．patiently |
| A．resist | B．maintain | C．evaluate | D．reduce |
| A．bargains | B．dialogues | C．descriptions | D．explanations |
| A．powerful | B．available | C．meaningful | D．entertaining |
| A．forget | B．doubt | C．desert | D．stress |
| A．proves | B．matters | C．differs | D．bothers |
8 . IQ is set at around 20 years old and later effort will not improve it much, recent research finds. The complexity of people’s jobs, higher education, socializing and reading all probably have little effect on cognitive (认知的) ability.
Naturally, these activities have many other benefits, but little influence on IQ. However, education is particularly important at an early age when the brain is still developing. By early adulthood, though, most people’s IQ has settled down.
While some studies have suggested that cognitive activities in later life can improve IQ, Professor William Kremen, the study’s first author, thinks otherwise, “The findings suggest that the impact of education, occupational complexity and participation in cognitive activities on later life cognitive function likely reflects the opposite. In other words, they are largely the results of young adult intellectual capacity.”
The study included 1,009 men now in their 50s and 60s whose IQ was assessed when they were around 20 years old. They were given tests of abstract reasoning, verbal fluency and memory, along with other cognitive measures.
The results showed that most of the difference between the men’s IQs in mid-life was explained by the difference between them at around 20-years-old. In comparison, the complexity of the job they had, the intellectual activities they engaged in, and their education in the meantime hardly had any effect on their IQ. Brain scans also showed that IQ at age 20 was associated with the surface area of the cerebral cortex, which is the brain’s gray matter, the part that performs the higher functions of thinking, perceiving and language.
Most of the benefits of education for IQ likely happen before young adulthood, said Professor Kremen. “Our findings suggest we should look at this from a lifetime perspective. Improving cognitive reserve and reducing later life cognitive decline may really need to begin with more access to quality childhood and adolescent education.”
1. What does Kremen’s study mainly focus on?| A．Who has high IQ. | B．How is IQ improved |
| C．What determines IQ. | D．When is IQ fixed. |
| A．Higher education | B．The intellectual capacity around 20 years old |
| C．Occupational complexity | D．Cognitive activities in adulthood |
| A．To evaluate their IQ in mid-life. |
| B．To improve their cognitive abilities. |
| C．To introduce cognitive measures to them. |
| D．To find out reasons for their IQ differences. |
| A．Get engaged in complex jobs. |
| B．Keep on learning for a lifetime. |
| C．Have a high-quality adolescent education. |
| D．Join in as many cognitive activities as possible. |
9 . “Best space tacos(玉米卷饼) yet,” American astronaut Megan McArthur wrote on social media Twitter on Oct 30, with a photo of her smiling from ear to ear. The taco feast celebrated the first time peppers were successfully grown on the International Space Station.
Life as an astronaut is exciting, but that doesn’t include food. Astronauts have endured packaged food for decades. “If you store packaged food for a long duration, the quality, flavor and nutritional quality decrease, the vitamins degrade,” Gioia Massa of NASA Kennedy Space Center in the US told The Guardian. Growing food in space could be crucial for astronauts on long-duration missions.
“Growing colorful vegetables in space can have long-term benefits for physical and psychological health,” said Mat Romeyn, project scientist at NASA, in a statement. The benefits of growing vegetables in space are obvious, but how are they grown?
Though astronauts have been growing plants in space for decades , cultivating edible(可食用的) food without the benefits of gravity and natural light has been difficult . A plant growth system called Veggie has been used to grow plants on the space station since 2014, according to The New York Times.
The Veggie garden is about the size of a piece of luggage and typically holds six plants. Each plant grows in a “pillow” filled with clay and fertilizer. The “pillows” are important for distributing water, nutrients and air in a healthy balance around the roots.
In the absence of gravity, plants use other environmental factors, such as light, to guide growth. LEDs above the plants produce a light suited for the plants’ growth. According to NASA, Veggie typically glows pink, which enables plants to use both blue and red wavelengths more efficiently. Other spectrums(光谱) of light, like greens, yellows or oranges, are less useful for plants.
So far, US astronauts have successfully grown 10 different crops, including lettuce and radish, on the space station since 2015, according to CNN.
1. Which word can best describe the food consumed by astronauts in space?| A．Low-nutrition | B．Tasty-flavor | C．Poor-package | D．High-calorie |
| A．The shortage of crop varieties |
| B．The objection of the International Space Station |
| C．The lack of gravity and natural light |
| D．The long-duration missions |
| A．It can hold 10 different crops for a piece of garden. |
| B．It has been used to grow plants on the space station for nearly six years. |
| C．The “pillows” can provide plants with balanced water, nutrients and air. |
| D．Blue, red and orange lights are important for the growth of plants. |
| A．Life of American Astronauts on the Space Station |
| B．Success of Planting in Space |
| C．Benefits of Growing Vegetables in Space |
| D．Varieties of crops on the Space Station |
10 . After all the waiting, I finally received my first vaccine against COVID-19 in mid-April. So what did I do? I turned up the music and danced - with abandon, with joy and with relief. What is a 66-year-old woman doing dancing by herself? This is what I have been doing my entire life.
There was no real structure to my dancing: no lessons, competitions or prizes. As an only child, I spent hours dancing alone, when not reading on my bed. I would turn up the Telefunken console that my dad had brought back from Germany and played and replayed my favorite songs .
At Chatelard School, my strict British all-girls boarding school in the Swiss mountains, we teenagers threw off our uniforms and danced our little hearts out, barefoot in our nighties. Being against every rule, I was then sent to stare at a spot in the dark hallway, shivering in the same white nightie.
I have danced in moments of joy, but also of stress and anxiety. For me, it is a ritual. For me, dance is a release, a liberation, a joy, self-medication, and self-expression. For me, dance is always about losing myself in a feeling of liberation.
I look back on the role that Zumba played in helping me through sad times. It gave me the strength and courage to leave a marriage. When my father was dying of cancer, I cried through the classes, barely able to follow the instructor. During those last few years in my job, I turned up my Zumba activity that prepared me for those final days before early retirement.
But there was also joy: My Jimmy Choos danced with me at my daughter’s wedding. I danced to live music with my partner Ted at his birthday party, and there was that New Year’s Eve in Paris, where we danced on the tables.
1. What do we know about the author?| A．She developed a love for dancing in childhood. |
| B．She won first place in dancing in high school. |
| C．She started to take dance lessons at Chatelard School. |
| D．She decided to quit dancing after the vaccination. |
| A．Boredom | B．Ceremony | C．Escape | D．Burden |
| A．It was the author’s favorite type of dance. | B．It gave the author comfort after retirement. |
| C．It remined the author of her late father. | D．It encouraged the author to face difficulties. |
| A．To recall her golden teenage years in school. | B．To describe the benefits of dancing. |
| C．To express her passion for dancing. | D．To introduce the joy and tears dance brought her. |
