1 . In a world first, scientists have cloned a rare, endangered Przewalski's horse named Kurt at San Diego zoo in the US. Little Kurt looks like any other baby horse as he plays happily in his pen(围栏).
He isn't afraid to kick or head butt anyone who gets in his way and when he's hungry, dashes over to his mother for milk.
Scientists have cloned nearly two dozen kinds of mammals. The first was Dolly the sheep in the UK in 1996. Other species include dogs, cats, pigs, cows and polo ponies and, in China in 2018, a monkey.
The zoo sees Kurt's birth as a milestone in efforts to restore the population of the horse also known as the Asiatic Wild Horse or Mongolian Wild Horse. The small animals ( they stand only about 1.2m to 1.5m tall) are believed extinct in the wild and number only about 2,000 in zoos and wildlife habitats. Their limited gene pool puts them at a reproductive disadvantage.
“This horse is expected to be one of the most genetically important individuals of his species,” Bob Wiese, chief life sciences officer at San Diego Zoo Global, which operates the zoo, said in a statement. “We are hopeful that he will bring back genetic variation important for the future of the Przewalski's horse population. ”
Although only 2 months old Kurt's birth was made possible in 1980 when cells were taken from a 5-year-old male horse and put in deep freeze at San Diego's Frozen Zoo facility. His father died in 1998.
Kurt was named for Kurt Benirschke, who played a key role in founding the Frozen Zoo.
“A central belief of the Frozen Zoo, when it was established by Dr Benirschke, was that it would be used for purposes not possible at the time. ” said Oliver Ryder, director of genetics at San Diego Zoo Global.
Kurt was born at a veterinary(兽医的) facility in Texas,US,where he'll continue to live with his mother for most likely another year. Eventually he'll become part of the zoo's Przewalski's horse population, where it's hoped someday he'll become a father himself.
1. According to the passage, many mammals have been cloned except______.| A．Przewalski's horses |
| B．polar bears |
| C．monkeys |
| D．sheep |
| A．Because it will be the first one to live in the wild. |
| B．Because it is the only cloned one close to extinction. |
| C．Because it's expected to become the lead horse. |
| D．Because it may help recover the genetic variation. |
| A．He behaved differently from others when he was young. |
| B．He doesn't have a father as a cloned one in the laboratory. |
| C．The cells for cloning have been preserved for over 40 years. |
| D．Its name comes from the discoverer of the Przewalski's horse. |
| A．Protecting endangered animals that may be hard to save for the moment. |
| B．Providing necessary facilities to help people clone endangered animals. |
| C．Encouraging people to insist on their purposes that may hard to achieve. |
| D．Forming a central belief that it would be useful someday in the near future. |
2 . The pandemic (流行病）has left a lot of families in financial difficulty. Not only have many found it difficult to pay bills, they’ve also had to deal with huge unpaid debts. Thankfully, one very kind-hearted doctor, Omar Atiq, from Arkansas decided to forgive the $ 650,000 debt that his patients still had to pay.
Dr. Omar Atiq closed his clinic in Pine Bluff after 30 years of offering patients radiation therapy (治疗），and CAT scans. While putting his affairs in order，with the help of a debt collection agency, Dr. Atiq realized that his patients were really struggling to pay off their debts. “So my wife and I，as a family，thought about it andlooked at forgiving all the debts. We saw that we could do it and then just went ahead and did it.”
The reasoning behind the decision comes from his understanding toward those he's seen suffer throughout his years as a doctor： “Since I started practicing，I’ve always been rather uncomfortable with sick patients not only having to worry about their own health, quality of life, their longevity，their families and their jobs but also money. That’s always concerned me.” Atiq’s wife, Mehreen, shares his caring nature and supported her husband in his decision.
So Omar sent the following letter at Christmas to around 200 of his patients： Although various health insurances pay most of the bills for the majority of patients，the deductibles (自负额） and co-pays can be burdensome. Unfortunately, that is the way our health care system currently works. My clinic has decided to forgive all the debts owed to the'clinic by its patients.
Omar, the father of four children who are also doctors or becoming doctors, seems to have always put the patients first. “I have never refused to see a patient，not for lack of health insurance or funds nor for any other reason. Tve always considered it a high honor and privilege to be someone’s physician — more important than anything else，’’ Omar shared with the local media.
1. When did Atiq realize his patients’ inability to pay off their debts?| A．As the debt collection agency helped him. |
| B．When he was collecting the debt in person. |
| C．After he clearly knew the details of the debt. |
| D．After he found out the pandemic was serious. |
| A．His responsibility. | B．His wife’s support. |
| C．His sympathy. | D．His medical practice. |
| A．He values his patients and his job. |
| B．He works together with his children. |
| C．He will start another clinic in the future. |
| D．He thinks that being a doctor is profitable. |
| A．Dr. Atiq has made a very important decision. |
| B．Dr. Atiq removes his patients' financial burden. |
| C．Dr. Atiq has contributed a lot to the medical field. |
| D．Dr. Atiq has set a good example for all the doctors. |
3 . Win an Interview with NYT Bestselling Author J. Elle
In addition to your private online Zoom interview, you will also win a print copy of her book, Wings of Ebony, a PDF copy of the book, and the chance to have your interview published in Teen Ink.
How to Enter:
1. Follow Teen Ink on Instagram(teen. ink)
2. Comment two of your potential questions for J. Elle on our contest post, or email them to contests@teenink.com
3. We will be choosing the winner based on these questions so do your best!
About the Book:
Wings of Ebony is part of YA fantasy books about a black teen goddess named Rue who must rise up against racist gods, who poisoned her block with drugs, violence, and crime. It extends a unique perspective on racism, privilege, cultural appropriation, and community.
About J. Elle:
J. Elle is a former teacher to inner-city students, and the founder of "Your Story is Your Power," a creative writing workshop that empowers teen voices. From growing up poor to being a first-generation college student, Elle's perseverance and passion for empowering others dates back to her first career in education, teaching tweens and teens from traditionally underserved areas to fight for their dreams. She drew inspiration for the novel from her own experience growing up poor, which is clearly reflected in her book.
1. What will the winner get?| A．A face-to-face interview with Elle. |
| B．A book with J. Elle's signature. |
| C．A PDF copy of Wings of Ebony. |
| D．A published copy of Teen Ink. |
| A．entries. | B．comments. | C．emails. | D．questions. |
| A．Her love for teaching. |
| B．Her experience in poverty. |
| C．Her dream of writing. |
| D．Her education in college. |
4 . Honeybees can’t swim, and when their wings are wet, they can’t fly, either. But Chris Roh and other researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that when bees drop into bodies of water, they can use their wings to produce little waves and slide toward land-like surfers who create and then ride their own waves.
As with many scientific advances-Isaac Newton’s apple or Benjamin Franklin’s lightning bolt-Dr. Roh’s experiment began with a walk. Passing Caltech’s Millikan Pond in 2016, he observed a bee on the water’s surface producing waves. He wondered how an insect known for flight could push itself through water.
Dr. Roh and his co-worker, Morteza Gharib, used butterfly nets to collect local Pasadena honeybees and observed their surf-like movements. The researchers used a wire to restrict each bee’s bodily movement, allowing close examination of their wings. They found that the bee bends its wings at a 30-degree angle, pulling up water and producing a forward force. Bees get trapped on the surface because water is roughly three times heavier than air. But that weight helps to push the bee forward when its wings move quickly up and down. It’s a tough exercise for the bees, which the researchers guess could handle about 10 minutes of the activity.
The researchers said the surf-like movement hasn’t been documented in other insects and most semiaquatic insects use their legs for propulsion, which is known as water-walking. It may have evolved in bees, they-predicted.
Dr. Roh and Dr. Gharib have imagined many practical applications for bees’ surfing. One plan is to use their observations to design robots able to travel across sky and sea. “This could be useful for search and rescues, or for getting samples of the surface of the ocean, if you can’t send a boat or helicopter,” Dr. Gharib said.
1. What does the author intend to show by mentioning Newton and Franklin?| A．Roh’s admiration for them. | B．Roh’s chance discovery about bees. |
| C．Their outstanding talent for science. | D．Their similar achievements in discovery. |
| A．The air weight. | B．Its leg extension. |
| C．The water movement. | D．Its continuous wingbeat. |
| A．Fast flight | B．Driving force. | C．Pulling speed. | D．Explosive power. |
| A．Honeybees can surf to safety. | B．Bees help scientists make inventions. |
| C．Insects can adapt to the environment. | D．Nature is a helpful guide for discovery. |
5 . The paper, published in May by the Journal of Marketing Research, analyzed purchases made from a single large European retailer and found that free shipping did encourage customers to buy more. But it also increased purchases of items that historically have higher return rates, such as clothing or products from lesser-known brands. Thus, returns also increased as a result of the promotions, to the point where profits were erased.
In one part of the paper, during the typically four-week periods when free shipping was offered, online order volumes rose 11%. But when the cost of returns was compared with the sales proceeds(收入), the authors calculated that on balance the results for the promotion periods amounted to an average 0.7% loss.
In one analysis that ran for two months, the researchers found that the return rate for customers who bought low-risk products — like office supplies, or products from well-known brands — averaged about 22%.
In another analysis, the researchers attempted to better understand motivations of online shoppers by measuring their attitudes toward free shipping. They found two things were happening. First, consumers saw free shipping as compensation for taking a risk on a product. Second, feelings of gratitude for having shipping costs eliminated(消除) made them happy and thus more willing to make a risky purchase.
Prof. Neslin advises companies to look at whether their own free-shipping promotions are profitable before they launch such campaigns. Also, he advises companies to identify which products get returned more often than others and try to provide customers with more information about those products, so they can make more-informed choices.
1. What erased the profits according to the first paragraph?| A．The risky customers. | B．The European retailer. |
| C．The returned items. | D．The lesser-known brands. |
| A．Consumers risked purchasing a product when free shipping came along with it. |
| B．Free shipping encouraged customers to buy products from well-known brands. |
| C．Online order volumes rose only when free shipping was offered as compensation. |
| D．Purchases of office supplies also increased during the typically four-week periods. |
a. Design profitable free-shipping promotions.
b. Make sure they have shipping costs removed.
c. Provide more information about their products.
d. Distinguish products with higher returned rates.
| A．abc | B．abd | C．acd | D．bcd |
| A．Low-risk products. | B．Return rates. |
| C．Increased purchases. | D．Free shipping. |
6 . An Edinburgh inventor has created a fully biodegradable bottle that is made from paper and a secret combination of plant materials, and it could help save the planet's oceans from plastic pollution and can also be eaten by sea creatures.
The Edinburgh-based Durham University chemistry graduate James Longcroft started a non-profit bottled water company two years ago. He wanted to put all his profits into a charity that provided clean drinking water to countries in Africa.
However, after concerns about the environmental impact of plastic bottles, Mr. Longcroft decided the Edinburgh and London-based company, Choose Water, should go plastic-free. So he came up with a new type of water bottle—a waterproof paper bottle.
“The outside is made from recycled paper, but the inside has to be waterproof, and provides strength so the bottle would keep its structure, and keep the water fresh,” Mr. Longcroft said.
When the bottle is thrown in the ocean the degrading process begins within hours leaving the bottle totally degraded (分解)within weeks. The steel cap breaks down within a year.
Mr. Longcroft now believes these novel bottles could revolutionise the industry and says the cost of producing the bottle is around 5 pence more than one made from single-use plastic.
“The main difficulty we face is breaking into a saturated (饱和的)market and competing with an old industry,” he said. “Changing an industry will be a big uphill battle, but with the support from the public, we will change the way we look at bottled water.”
Researchers warn that eight million tonnes of plastics currently find their way into the ocean every year which will stay in the environment for centuries.
“We really want to get our bottles on shelves and into people's hands as soon as possible—if we can stop even one plastic bottle ending up in the environment it will be worth it,” said Mr Longcroft.
1. What is special about the bottle?| A．It can be recycled. | B．It is plastic-free. |
| C．It purifies sea water. | D．It can be used for food. |
| A．To raise money for charity. | B．To keep the water fresh |
| C．To reduce ocean pollution. | D．To prompt the sale of bottled water. |
| A．They face stiff competition to enter market. |
| B．They are more costly than plastic ones. |
| C．They still lack in the public support. |
| D．They take a long time to break down. |
| A．Cutting down on plastic pollution. | B．Providing clean water to the public. |
| C．Stopping the use of the plastic bottles. | D．Getting people to accept the new bottles. |
7 . A cheap printed sensor could transmit wildfire warnings. Wildfires have recently destroyed regions across the world, and their gravity is increasing. Hoping to reduce harm, researchers led by Yapei Wang，a Chinese chemist of Renmin University, say they have developed an inexpensive sensor to detect such fires earlier with less effort.
Current detection methods rely heavily on human watchfulness, which can delay an effective response. Most wildfires are reported by the general public, and other alerts come from routine foot patrols and watchtower observers. Passing planes and satellites also occasionally spot something，but “the fire first appears on the ground,” Wang says. “When you see the fire from the sky, it is too late.”
The team says its new sensor can be placed near tree trunks' bases and send a wireless signal to a nearby receiver if there is a dramatic temperature increase. That heat also powers the sensor itself, without replacing batteries. The team printed the substances onto ordinary paper to create a sensor for just $ 0.40.
But improving coordination among the different agencies involved in firefighting is even more crucial to address, says Graham Kent, an earthquake expert at the University of Nevada, Reno, who was not part of the study. Kent is director of ALERTWildfire, a network that uses cameras and crowd sourcing to watch for fires in California, Nevada and Oregon. “The whole way that you respond to a fire until it's put out is like a ballet,” he says. “You'd have to choreograph (设计) it just so, with resources precisely allocated at the right time and place from detection to confirmation to assignment to extinguishment (熄灭). Fire detection is just step one.”
Wang says his team's next steps are to extend the device's signal range beyond the current 100 meters, which can limit practical use, and to develop a protective shield for it. The Transmitter’s effectiveness, he notes, will also need to be tested in the field ahead.
1. What does the underlined word “gravity” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Pull. | B．Extinction. |
| C．Popularity. | D．Seriousness. |
| A．Its price remains high. | B．Its batteries are replaceable. |
| C．It can reduce firefighters' pain. | D．It can detect fires earlier and easier. |
| A．Firefighting is easy but crucial. |
| B．Technology is the key to extinguishing a fire. |
| C．Putting out a fire is a cooperative and orderly activity. |
| D．The resources of fire detection are precisely allocated. |
| A．Limiting its use. | B．Reducing its signal range. |
| C．Improving and testing it. | D．Getting it on the market ahead of time. |
8 . A sheet of transparent new material at a University of Maryland lab looks like it might be plastic. But it's actually wood — and it could eventually be used to make energy efficient windows or even see-through buildings.
Compared to glass, wood has lower thermal conductivity(导热系数),and it's lighter, stronger, and more environmentally friendly. The idea is to employ the material in buildings. With a window made from transparent wood instead of glass, for example, a building would take less energy to heat and cool. Because of the structure of the wood, the windows could also reduce glare from the sun while allowing in natural light.
Researchers have experimented with transparent wood in the past, but the new method is more sustainable. Other methods usually soak the wood into a chemical compound to remove lignin(木质素),part of the wood that gives it structure. But this can weaken the wood, and it produces waste that is hard to recycle. The researchers adjusted the process so it doesn't fully remove the lignin. By brushing hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)over the wood and leaving it under a UV light, they removed only the parts of the lignin that give it color. The result is transparent wood that can be coated in epoxy(环氧树脂).
It's just one o£ a number of ways scientists and engineers are rethinking how we can use this renewable resource in construction. Skyscrapers made entirely out of wood are gaining popularity in cities around the world. And scientists recently discovered a technique to grow wood in a lab, opening up the possibility of using wood without having to chop down a forest.
The transparent wood is 50% stronger than previous transparent wood and could even be used to build load-bearing walls in a building. It could also potentially be used in other ways, such as layers used in solar cells. A new spin-off company called Invent Wood is working to commercialize the technology.
1. Which feature of the wood makes temperature more stable in buildings?| A．It is harder. | B．It has lighter weight. |
| C．It is more eco-friendly. | D．It has lower thermal conductivity. |
| A．To remove lignin. | B．To strengthen wood. |
| C．To give wood structure. | D．To give wood color. |
| A．Controversial. | B．Promising. | C．Irreplaceable. | D．Impractical. |
| A．To commercialize the transparent wood. |
| B．To promote a new building material product. |
| C．To raise the public awareness of environmental protection. |
| D．To introduce the transparent wood, a new construction material. |
9 . When I was 6, my elder brother brought me to the local BMX(自行车越野) track to ride in a kid’s race for the first time. The hill out of the starting gate looked so scary and step that I backed off. My parents took me back for another try the next week. I fell almost immediately but still managed to win the second place. I’ve loved racing ever since.
I turned pro at 15, which isn’t possible now: You have to be 17 to compete professionally around the time I went pro, BMX became an Olympic sport and I decided to pursue it after high school. I’m the youngest woman with a professional title in the United States.
BMX isn’t judged on tricks or how you handle barriers, but it’s an extreme sport. It’s like horse racing mixed with riding a roller coaster. It starts with a huge burst of speed—I go 40 mph by the time. I’m two and a half seconds out of the gate. Then I try to come out in front of seven competitors at the end of the track, which includes 40-foot jumps. I keep chasing the high that comes from prestart nervousness, big jumps, and that feeling of crossing the finish line first.
Strength and balance are key in competition, so I work out at least five days a week to prepare. I do tons of resistance and agility(灵活) training, both on and off the bike. I also do mental drills with a sports psychologist to make sure I’m focused and confident going into competition. If I make a mistake on the course, I have to move on. Everyone is out to beat me; I need to concentrate on winning so my competitors can’t capitalize on an error and pass me!
I was so proud to win a silver medal at the Olympics in Rio, but I felt I was capable of gold, so that will push me to do better. I’m continually working to reach my potential in the sport. Until I feel completely satisfied, I’ll keep coming back.
1. What do we know about the author?| A．She withdrew from her first BMX race. |
| B．She became the youngest BMX rider in America. |
| C．Her parents forced her to turn BMX professional. |
| D．Her efforts resulted in BMX entering the Olympics. |
| A．jump highest | B．focus on other competitors |
| C．play tricks | D．keep balanced all the way |
| A．make up for | B．take advantage of |
| C．keep an eye on | D．take notice of |
| A．Proud and serious. | B．Ambitious and hard-working. |
| C．Optimistic and generous. | D．Independent and cooperative. |
10 . Many teachers believe frequent quizzes(小测验) help students better grasp classroom material. Crede, an associate professor of psychology, was skeptical that something as simple as a quiz could positively affect students’ academic performance. He decided to dig deeper and conduct an analytic study of existing research to see if there was any proof to the idea. What he discovered truly surprised him.
Crede analyzed data from previously published studies that examined 52 classes with almost 8,000 students, primarily college-level courses, to determine if frequent quizzes improved the students’ academic performance. Laboratory settings were kept out of the study because Crede wanted to observe whether similar studies from labs would apply to general classrooms.
Crede discovered that when students are quizzed over class material at least once a week, they tend to perform better on midterm and final exams compared to students who did not take quizzes. He also found that students who took frequent quizzes were less likely to fail the class, especially if they were struggling with the course content. Students who struggle the most in a class seem to benefit the greatest from frequent quizzes. The other surprising thing was how much quizzes helped reduce failure rates in classes. The chances of passing a class went through the roof where instructors used this. In addition to quiz frequency, another factor that seemed to positively affect students’ performance was immediate feedback from instructors. Also, quizzes that required students to answer with written responses proved more beneficial to their understanding of class material compared to multiple-choice questions.
Asking teachers to grade written quizzes daily or weekly may discourage some from carrying them out in their classes. Instead, it is recommended that instructors give online quizzes that can be automatically graded by a course management system. Quiz attributes(属性) proved insignificant in the study, including whether the tests were pop quizzes or planned, or if they were online or on paper.
1. What did Crede do to ensure his study’s accuracy?| A．He focused on what happened in classrooms. |
| B．He researched as many students as he could. |
| C．He made laboratory settings as real as possible. |
| D．He gave easy quizzes to make every student do well. |
| A．Frequent quizzes could remove students’ failure in classes. |
| B．Instructors’ feedback was more important than frequent quizzes. |
| C．Frequent quizzes were especially useful to the struggling students. |
| D．Multiple-choice questions shouldn’t be included in frequent quizzes. |
| A．Accessing the Internet less frequently. |
| B．Having too many exam papers to mark. |
| C．Being unable to get appropriate test materials. |
| D．Finding it hard to choose the right type of quiz. |
| A．Quizzes Stimulate a Passion for Creation | B．Quizzes Improve Academic Performance |
| C．Quizzes Create a Heavy Burden | D．Quizzes Increase Boredom |
