1 . Human activity is changing the surface and temperature of the planet. But new research shows it is also changing the sound of the Earth’s oceans and seas.
Scientists say the changes in the sounds of our oceans and seas affect many marine(海洋) animals—from very small fish to huge whales. Sound travels “very far underwater,” Francis Juanes told the reporter. Juanes is an ecologist at the University of Victoria and co-writer of the recent research published in a magazine. “For fish,” he explained, “sound is probably a better way to sense their environment than light.”
Sounds help fish and other marine animals survive. They use sounds to communicate with each other. Sounds also help some ocean animals find food and avoid their hunters. Many ocean animals use sounds to find good places to give birth. However, increased noise from humans is making it harder for these animals to hear each other. The noise comes from shipping traffic, underwater oil and gas exploration, offshore construction, and other noisy human activity.
“For many marine species, their attempts to communicate are being masked by sounds that humans have produced,” said Duarte. The marine ecologist at the Red Sea Research Center co-wrote the paper with Juanes. The Red Sea, Duarte said, is one of the world’s most important shipping passages. It is full of large ships traveling to Asia, Europe, and Africa. Some fish and other animals, he said, now avoid the noisiest areas. Also, the overall number of marine animals has gone down by about half since 1970. In some parts of the ocean, scientists now record “fewer animals singing and calling than in the past—those voices are gone,” said Duarte.
Juanes and Duarte examined studies and research articles about changes in noise volume(音量) and frequency in the world’s oceans. Then they put together a detailed picture of how the ocean soundscape is changing and how marine life is affected.
Climate change, the researchers found, also affects physical processes that shape ocean sounds. These include such things as wind, waves, and melting ice.
Some studies suggest that noise may cause hearing loss of marine animals. Besides, many marine animals are showing higher levels of stress due to noise, which might also affect the immune(免疫) system.
Scientist Juanes says sound pollution may be easier to deal with than other ocean threats. “In theory,” he said, “you can turn down or turn off the sound immediately. It’s not like plastics or climate change, which are much harder to undo.”
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Sound noise may result in hearing loss of human beings. |
| B．Sound pollution killed most of the marine animals in the Red Sea. |
| C．Sound noise can influence the communication of marine animals. |
| D．Sound is unlikely to be a better way to sense their environment than light. |
| A．Channel. | B．Address. |
| C．Industry | D．Company. |
| A．what is the main cause of climate change |
| B．what should be done to reduce sound pollution |
| C．how to record changes in noise volume and frequency |
| D．how to enhance the immune system of marine animals |
| A．The Future of Oceans Exploration |
| B．The Changes in the Sounds of Oceans |
| C．Sounds Help Marine Animals Survive |
| D．Humans are Making Oceans Too noisy |
2 . About IVHQ
At International Volunteer HQ, we bring people from all walks of life together to make a difference on the adventure of a lifetime. Established in 2007, we have grown to become the world’s leading volunteer travel company, working in over 50 destinations around the world and placing thousands of volunteers abroad every year.
We’re focused on providing affordable volunteer travel experiences that are responsible, safe and high quality. Our programs heighten global awareness and cultural understanding through the skills and expertise taken by volunteers to their host communities, and through the experiences and lessons that volunteers take back to their own countries and cultures.
How IVHQ Works
IVHQ provides affordable volunteer programs by partnering with organizations based in each of our program countries. We believe this is the best approach to international volunteering.
First, local organizations are in the best position to see where volunteers are genuinely needed. The staff in these organizations are locals, they have been raised in the area and know it inside and out.
Second, partnering with local organizations reduces the costs associated with hosting volunteers, making programs more affordable. This means more people are enabled to volunteer and that enables greater social outcomes to be achieved.
Why Volunteer Abroad with IVHQ
Having supported thousands of people to volunteer abroad since 2007, IVHQ is proud to be the most popular volunteer travel organization for international volunteers. One of the major strengths of IVHQ is our careful selection process in choosing our partner organizations and the high quality volunteer programs that we offer through these partners. Every program that IVHQ offers has been personally inspected by IVHQ. We have experienced the programs first-hand, we have assessed the local teams and we have provided comprehensive IVHQ training to all of our local teams.
How to Get Started
Want to make a difference? Click this simple step-by-step guide to choose the perfect volunteer program and secure your place with IVHQ. We’re here for you from start to finish.
1. According to the passage, we can learn that IVHQ ________.| A．is the largest and most popular international adventure agency |
| B．has helped promote international cultural exchange and understanding |
| C．is experienced and has already made huge profits since it was established |
| D．has provided various and expensive volunteer programs all over the world |
| A．Comprehensive and practical. | B．Reliable and affordable. |
| C．Environmental friendly and cheap. | D．High-quality and adventurous. |
| A．A fashion magazine. | B．A science newspaper. |
| C．A website. | D．A guide booklet. |
3 . Technological change is everywhere and affects every aspect of life, mostly for the better. However, social changes brought about by new technology are often mistaken for a change in attitudes.
An example at hand is the involvement of parents in the lives of their children who are attending college. Surveys on this topic suggests that parents today continue to be “very” or “somewhat” overly-protective even after their children move into college dormitories. The same surveys also indicate that the rate of parental involvement is greater today than it was a generation ago. This is usually interpreted as a sign that today’s parents are trying to manage their children’s lives past the point where this behavior is appropriate.
However, greater parental involvement does not necessarily indicate that parents are failing to let go of their “adult” children.
In the context (背景) of this discussion, it seems valuable to first find out the cause of change in the case of parents’ involvement with their grown children. If parents of earlier generations had wanted to be in touch with their college-age children frequently, would this have been possible? Probably not. On the other hand, does the possibility of frequent communication today mean that the urge to do so wasn’t present a generation ago? Many studies show that older parents—today’s grandparents—would have called their children more often if the means and cost of doing so had not been a barrier.
Furthermore, studies show that finances are the most frequent subject of communication between parents and their college children. The fact that college students are financially dependent on their parents is nothing new; nor are requests for more money to be sent from home. This phenomenon is neither good nor bad; it is a fact of college life, today and in the past.
Thanks to the advanced technology, we live in an age of bettered communication. This has many implications well beyond the role that parents seem to play in the lives of their children who have left for college. But it is useful to bear in mind that all such changes come from the technology and not some imagined desire by parents to keep their children under their wings.
1. The surveys inform us of ________.| A．the development of technology |
| B．the changes of adult children’s behavior |
| C．the parents’ over-protection of their college children |
| D．the means and expenses of students’ communication |
| A．parents today are more protective than those in the past |
| B．the disadvantages of new technology outweigh its advantages |
| C．technology explains greater involvement with their children |
| D．parents’ changed attitudes lead to college children’s delayed independence |
| A．Technology or Attitude? |
| B．Dependence or Independence? |
| C．Family Influences or Social Changes? |
| D．College Management or Communication Advancement? |
4 . In many cultures, it is considered unlucky to spill salt. Fortunately, many cultures also have a solution to the problem, which usually involves throwing a pinch of salt over your shoulder. It may seem confusing to modern humans, but knowing that salt was once incredibly valuable can change this perspective.
For thousands of years, salt was an extremely rare commodity. It was difficult to obtain so that the price was very high. Many trading routes were set up to carry salt, people were paid in salt, and salt was sometimes worth more than its weight in gold. Therefore, spilling salt was considered wasteful.
Because of its high value, salt was also associated with friendship and good fortune. Offerings of salt were included in many religious ceremonies, and people might bring salt to a new home for good luck. These associations would have suggested that it would be bad luck to spill salt, since it would seem to violate salt’s fortunate properties.
Salt is also an excellent preservative. It prevents food from going bad. As such, it came to be linked with health and longevity. In some cultures, spilling salt was thought to reduce one's well-being. In Britain, for example, each spilled grain was said to represent a tear, while in Germany spilled salt awakened the devil, bringing misfortune.
The fear of spilling salt was also adopted into the Christian faith. It is said that Judas spilled salt at the Last Supper, and since he later turned out to be the betrayer of Christ, spilled salt is considered unlucky by many Christians.
Should you be unfortunate enough to spill salt, you might throw a pinch over your left shoulder to blind the Devil.
1. Spilling salt was probably thought to bring bad luck because ________.| A．it was a Christian faith | B．salt was linked with misfortune |
| C．it would decrease one’s lifespan | D．salt was always expensive than gold |
| A．Protector. | B．Flavor. | C．Medium. | D．Solution. |
| A．To introduce the history of salt. | B．To show ways to avoid misfortune. |
| C．To explain the beliefs about spilling salt. | D．To entertain readers with some anecdotes. |
5 . Do you know you can learn to program computers at any age？ People might think you need a special mentality to learn computer programming， but anyone can learn. There are even programming languages created for kids. Scratch is a visual programming language developed by MIT. It is designed to teach kids aged 8 and up how to write code. They use easily combined block commands and start programming right away!
Today， even small computers can do complex calculations quickly， but they need clear commands in binary（二进制. form. A programming language is a series of commands with special syntax that is converted into binary， the machine language. Different programming languages are used to convert code into binary for different applications， like creating websites or controlling the brakes in your car.
There are many different ways to write code， but they all share some basic principles. Once you understand those principles， the sky is the limit. Bill Gates， the founder of Microsoft， started coding when he was 13. He created a simple program to play tic﹣tac﹣toe. According to Gates， all you really need to get started is a basic comprehension of addition and subtraction.
Programming is now used for everything from creating apps to running household appliances.
The demand for programmers is growing. To help people to create their own code， nonprofits like code.org and major companies like Google have created free resources to help teach basic programming. Using the popular game Minecraft or characters from Star Wars， anyone， even kindergarteners， can start learning how code works. But these resources aren't just for kids， people can start at any age.
Maybe you are thinking to yourself，"I'll never get a job as a programmer. Why should I learn to code？" There are a number of answers to that question. Above all， as technology becomes more and more prevalent， reading and writing code will be a way to understand how the world around you works.
Just like reading and writing in any language， the first things you learn will be simple and even crude. But stay diligent， learn a little every day， and soon you will find yourself programming a computer to do things you would never do by hand. Then you might just become a programming convert.
1. Even small computers can do complex calculations if they have________.| A．clear commands in the machine language |
| B．special syntaxes |
| C．a series of commands |
| D．different applications |
| A．ways of coding |
| B．success of Bill Gates |
| C．key to writing code |
| D．content of basic rules |
| A．Those who want to learn to program should have professional knowledge. |
| B．People can learn basic programming with some free resources. |
| C．Reading and writing code is a way to show how you understand the world. |
| D．Learning how to program computers will cost a lot of money. |
| A．To promote Scratch to kids. |
| B．To discuss the importance of programming. |
| C．To explain how to program a computer. |
| D．To encourage people to learn programming. |
6 . Sam was born with a bone disease. He has never walked. His bones are so fragile that they can break if he just coughs or sneezes.
When Sam was young, he was always breaking bones. He never liked fireworks. A sudden loud bang would scare him so much that he could break some bones. Sam’s family had to learn how fragile he was. When he was a baby, it was very difficult for them.
No one knew much about what would happen to Sam. His friends grew taller, but he didn’t. Sam didn’t let how he looked worry him. “How we look on the outside,” he said, “is only a small part of who we are.”
Sam wanted to do everything that his friends did. Doctors put metal pins in his legs to make them stronger, but the pins didn’t help him walk. So Sam needed wheelchairs. Sam had wheelchairs to take him to different places. He had some wheelchairs for going over sand and others that would take him over muddy, rocky places.
Once, Sam’s wheelchair got stuck in some mud. There was no one around to help him, so he had to crawl home on his stomach.
Sam has been to many places in the world. He has been down rivers and in rainforests. If he couldn’t get somewhere in his chair, people would carry him.
One day, when Sam was in the mountains, his wheelchair broke. He knew a lot about chairs, but he couldn’t fix this one. Then, he had an idea. He would invent a new and different wheelchair. So Sam invented a chair that he can do everything in. Sam’s wheelchair, the EZi-Riser, can go as high as a bench and as low as the ground. It can move around in small places. Now, many people around the world are using his wheelchair.
Sam will always be small. He will never be able to walk. But he says, “There is always a way to do everything. It may not be the way most people do things. It may take a while to work it out, but there is always a way.”
1. What can we learn about Sam?| A．He grew taller than his friends. |
| B．He was worried about how he looked on the outside. |
| C．He liked playing with fireworks when he was young. |
| D．He has had serious bone disease since he was born. |
| A．his wheelchair got stuck in some mud |
| B．his wheelchair broke while in the mountains |
| C．he wanted to go down rivers and rainforests |
| D．he intended to help more people in the world |
| A．Helpful and honest. | B．Careful and friendly. |
| C．Strong-willed and creative. | D．Warm-hearted and humorous. |
7 . A unique positioning technology POINTER is being developed to pinpoint firefighters inside buildings where other positioning technologies fail.
“Even with all of the advances made in firefighting technology, we still lose far too many firefighters each year,” said Greg Price who leads S&T’s first responder research and development programs. “We want them to know that we have their backs, that we are working to give them the tools they need to ensure their own safety. POINTER is one of those life-saving solutions.”
Unlike positioning technologies such as GPS or radio-frequency identification, POINTER doesn’t use radio waves. Though radio waves offer a reliable means to determine your location in a relatively open space, they can become unpredictable if you go indoors or find yourself surrounded by high buildings. This may be minor annoyance when trying to find the location of an appointment, but it could be a life-or-death situation when trying to locate firefighters in a burning building.
The POINTER system is composed of three parts: a receiver, transmitter, and base station. The firefighter wears the receiver, which is currently the size of a cellphone but expected to become much smaller after further development. A transmitter that can be attached to emergency vehicles outside the building generates the MOS fields, which travel through the building, pinging any receivers located inside over range of about 230 feet (70 meters) in the current version of the system. This range can be extended but isn’t needed in most fire-service applications. The receivers detect the fields determine their 3D location, and then send that data back outside the building to a laptop (the base station). Visualization software shows where the firefighters are in 3D space within an accuracy of a few inches. Not only can POINTER help firefighting teams locate team members through walls, MOS fields can also determine the orientation of the receiver.
“This is a very exciting technology that adds another dimension to firefighters’ situational awareness,” said JPL’s Ed Chow, the POINTER program manager, “Firefighters can be tracked in real time and, if they become unresponsive, their team members can see if they are trapped under debris or if they are injured so a rescue can be mounted.”
The POINTER team is now planning to carry out a live webcast of a technical demonstration inside a two-level single-family home in Pasadena, California, near the campus of Caltech, which manages JPL for NASA. Further field tests in a variety of firefighting scenarios are being planned through 2021, and a commercial version of POINTER will be made available to fire departments in 2022.
1. Why does the author quote what Greg Price said?| A．To emphasize the necessity and importance of developing POINTER. |
| B．To introduce the advances made in firefighting positioning technology. |
| C．To compare the advantages and disadvantages of POINTER and GPS. |
| D．To demonstrate the reliability of POINTER to locate firefighters inside buildings. |
| A．Sending messages to. | B．Adding dimension to. |
| C．Protecting the safety of. | D．Shutting the connection with. |
| A．how POINTER is tested | B．what POINTER is |
| C．why POINTER is developed | D．how POINTER works |
| A．It may be only a dream. | B．It will serve NASA only. |
| C．It will come into use soon. | D．It may have passed field tests. |
8 . When Arun Krishnamurthy was a teenager, he witnessed a pond near his home filling up with garbage. The damages to the pond inspired him to become a conservationist.
In 2007, Kirshnamurthy founded the Environmental Foundation of India (EFI) — a group that restores freshwater lakes and ponds across India. The team works to remove garbage and restores the natural habitats of birds, frogs and native plants, giving wildlife a chance to return. Over the last 13 years, EFI has carried out restoration work on 112 lakes and ponds.
EFI’s primary goal is to restore lakes and ponds, but the organization’s work also benefits India’s water supply, because restoring water body helps groundwater recharge. In fact, groundwater is critical to India, accounting for 80% of its water supply. However, exploitation — for domestic and agricultural use reducing reserves at a worrying rate.
The government needs to take action, but Krishnamurthy believes individuals also have a significant role to play. That’s why he wants to raise awareness of water’s importance in people’s daily lives. He points to the fact that groundwater in India is used for free, and a lot of it is wasted.
Currently, EFI is facing a challenge when it comes to waste disposal. Up to 95% of the solid waste it collects from the ponds ends up in landfill. Krishnamurthy says EFI is investigating options for reusing and recycling more of the garbage.
But despite different challenges, he feels hopeful not only for India but for the world. He urges people everywhere to pay attention to the dumping of waste and needs of wildlife. “With the right intentions”, says Krishnamurthy, “everyone can make an impact on our planet.”
1. Why was the Environmentalist Foundation of India founded?| A．To restore freshwater lakes and ponds across India. |
| B．To remove garbage and help groundwater recharge in India. |
| C．To build birds, frogs and native plants natural habitats in India. |
| D．To give wildlife chance to return and improve water supply in India. |
| A．How to develop water for domestic use. |
| B．How to deal with the solid waste effectively. |
| C．How to collect waste and meet the needs of wildlife. |
| D．How to remove the garbage from the lakes and ponds. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Uncertain. | C．Sympathetic. | D．Positive. |
9 . A character in one of Shakespeare's plays once said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." Any of these could apply to the modern day sportsmen. Many still argue about the nature of talent. Some claim that people are born to be sportsmen, while others say it is only through devotion and hard work that they achieve their abilities. Arguably though, it is not until their talents are acknowledged by the public that they truly have greatness fallen upon them.
With this acknowledgement of their "greatness" come all the trappings of modern day celebrity：money, power, influence and responsibility. For better or for worse, like it or hate it, modern sportsmen are the role models of children everywhere. These children will grow up admiring their heroes, devoting their lives to copying their every move, and wanting above all to be like them. Due to this fascination，particularly with the massive influence of the media, it is more important than ever for these sportsmen to acknowledge their responsibility.
In the past few months alone, there have been many examples of questionable behaviors from sports icons. Sport stars of the present day are often mirroring the very worst aspects of society, a fact that the self-righteous(自以为是的) anger of the modern press has been quick to point out. It would be wrong for us to expect sportsmen to be saints. It would also be wrong for us to think that their behavior is markedly different from the sportsmen they grew up watching, but with the all-seeing eye of modern media it is a different world，and different standards must be expected.
Of course there is no obligation for sportsmen to be good role models. There are no prison sentences, no fines, no community service—unless their behaviors are illegal. Unless they break the law, it is entirely up to them as to whether or not they think their behavior is appropriate. Furthermore, measuring the true influence their decisions have on their followers is absolutely impossible. Some will rise against their idols, seeing them in a new light and condemning their actions. Others may copy their heroes' actions, using them as a shield when accused of the same crimes.
It is undeniable that the actions of sportsmen will influence the lives of those who worship them. Modern day sportsmen are almost ideals of today's world, and their actions are watched carefully by millions over the world. Some may complain against it, denying their influence on these children's lives. Others may be aware of it but not respect it, while many may both be aware of it and respect it. In a word, you do not choose whether you are a role model. All you can do is to decide how to act when greatness is thrust upon you.
1. In Paragraph 1, the author tries to emphasize________.| A．sportsmen become great when their gifts are recognized by people |
| B．sportsmen achieve greatness through their devotion and efforts |
| C．different ways for sportsmen to achieve success and greatness |
| D．the core characteristic to become great sportsmen nowadays |
| A．role models usually have positive influence on their fans |
| B．sportsmen have the right to behave freely within the law |
| C．all the fans will follow their heroes' actions |
| D．no obligation is given to sportsmen |
| A．palled off | B．removed from | C．related to | D．forced on |
| A．To advise the media to choose proper events to report. |
| B．To inform the public that sportsmen are no role models. |
| C．To remind the sportsmen of their social responsibilities. |
| D．To argue that sportsmen should not be expected as herons. |
10 . Shakespeare Week is the annual national celebration of Shakespeare in primary schools, organized by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Since its launch in 2014, over eight million primary school children have had first experiences of the world’s greatest writer. This year, Shakespeare Week runs from 16 to22 March and has a theme of art and design. It's free to register and to access the hundreds of resources on the Shakespeare Week website, including videos, plays, poetry, storytelling, debate, art and much more, providing children with first experiences of the world’s best-known writer.
Create a Shakespeare portrait
We're working with some of the nation's best-loved children's illustrators to contribute a portrait of William Shakespeare. Participants can see their artworks in a fabulous online exhibition. They can imagine their own William Shakespeare, plan and decide how they would like to represent him. Here are some suggestions:
·Make an abstract Shakespeare, Draw a sketch of Shakespeare and then use a tablet to take photographs of the portrait. Create a selection of images that show a range of thoughts and emotions.
·Children can enter their Shakespeare portraits in a competition to win the chance to have their works exhibited during Shakespeare Week. They will also receive an art workshop for their class from great artists.
Recreate Shakespeare's hometown
Some of the buildings that Shakespeare would have walked past and indeed lived in are still standing in Stratford-upon-Avon. If you can't make it along. why not recreate a miniature Stratford-upon-Avon? We offer a simple art activity created for Shakespeare Week by artist Jennie Maizels. Children can follow her step-by-step video and use the downloadable resources free on the website. It is a simple but effective tracing and copying activity, exploring watercolor and fineline pen painting and drawing techniques.
Design a storyworld
Participants can work with other children to design a “narrative environment” or “storyworld” that picks out a key or magical moment from one of Shakespeare's stories. This will offer them a great chance to explore Shakespeare's world.
Why not take your children to join us? You won't regret it!
1. Shakespeare Week________.| A．requires a registration fee | B．has a history of more than 10 years |
| C．is a yearly competition about Shakespeare | D．offers learning materials about Shakespeare |
| A．meet with popular illustrators | B．have his work shown in public |
| C．run an art workshop for his class | D．visit Shakespeare's birthplace for free |
| A．parents with kids | B．students of arts |
| C．Shakespeare's fans | D．newspaper journalists |
