1 . The world’s most popular animals are in more danger than we realize, according to a new study. A survey of the Public’s Knowledge suggests many people are unaware that the animals they consider “inviting” are under threat in the wild. These include lions, elephants, tigers and other animals which frequently appear in branding and advertising.
The idea of “inviting” species has come up recently in Conservation Biology, explains Dr. Franck Courchamp, the study’s lead author. “There is a regular claim that the most ‘inviting’ species are attracting most of the time and resources. I started wondering whether this was true and followed by better results in conservation,” he told BBC News.
Using an online survey available in four languages, researchers asked the public to name the wild species they considered most attracting. They also looked at how frequently animals were represented on zoo websites, and on the covers of Disney and Pixar films. Additionally, the team had volunteers in France catalogue their meeting with virtual (虚拟的) populations of the 10 most “inviting” animals over the period of a week. They saw an average of 4.4 lions in cartoons, magazines and other sources each day, suggesting that people are likely to see two to three times as many “virtual” lions in a year as there are lions in West Africa. “Mostly I think because people see giraffes and lions every day of their life, they unconsciously think they are in abundance,” Dr. Courchamp said.
Despite their abundant media representation, nine of the animals on the list are classed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. When researchers asked survey participants whether they thought these animals were endangered, almost half of the participants thought that critically endangered gorillas (大猩猩) were not under threat.
As for this, Dr. Courchamp proposes a solution. Companies would donate money to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in return for using the animals in their branding or advertising. “I think it’s not so unrealistic,” says Dr. Courchamp. “There are already some companies that do that. Jaguar is in partnership with Panthera, an organization protecting wild cat species. Lacoste also made a campaign recently where they replaced their logo with images of endangered species.”
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The ten most attracting animals. |
| B．The importance of saving wild animals. |
| C．Animals’ images needing more attention. |
| D．Animals’ attraction harming their conservation. |
| A．the media | B．their preferences |
| C．the IUCN Red List | D．other participants’ opinions |
| A．Relieved. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Excited. |
| A．Raising people’s environmental awareness. |
| B．Asking big companies to organize campaigns. |
| C．Funding conservation by trading animals’ images. |
| D．Appealing for cooperation in NGOs for animal protection. |
2 . Airport Express
With the Airport Express, you are never far from town. There is a train every 10 minutes, ready to rush you between the airport and Hong Kong Station in the heart of the shopping and commercial district in about 24 minutes. Or travel to the Asia WorldExpo in just 1 minute from the airport.
Airport Express service hours
Mon.—Fri.: 5:50 a.m. to 1:15 a.m.
Sat.—Sun.: 5 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Tickets
There are three types of tickets for travelling to and from the airport: Single Journey Ticket, Round Trip Ticket and Same Day Return Ticket. Single Journey Ticket and Same Day Return Ticket are valid (有效的) on the day of issue. Round Trip Ticket is valid for 30 days from the day of issue. You can also use the Octopus Card for the Airport Express. (The Octopus Card is an electronic storedvalue ticket and it can be used on most public transport. The fare will be deducted from the storedvalue card each time, so you do not have to carry heavy coins. The card is valid for three years after value has been added.)
Travel tips
●Children under 3 travel for free.
●Passengers travelling on the Airport Express are now able to write emails and do online searches with WiFi service.
●For more information about the Airport Express, please visit www.hongkongairport.com or call 0085221818888.
1. What is good about the Octopus Card?| A．It saves money for its users. | B．It is sold in every store. |
| C．Its validity is unlimited. | D．It avoids its users carrying coins. |
| A．Hong Kong Station is just 1 minute distance from the airport. |
| B．Single Journey Ticket is acceptable for 30 days. |
| C．Children are free of charge for tickets. |
| D．Passengers can surf the Internet in the Airport Express. |
| A．To provide suggestions about the Airport Express. |
| B．To promote the Octopus Card. |
| C．To inform readers of the Airport Express. |
| D．To introduce the Airport Express schedule. |
3 . When you don’t have a car and need to get around, are you more likely to call for an Uber or Lyft, or a cab? Last Friday, Lyft — the ride-sharing company, went public as its stocks (股票) started trading on the market. Lyft has become the first big initial public offering of the “gig economy” age. While the company is not making profits yet, it is changing the meaning of work. What is gig economy and what makes it so appealing?
Gig works are independent contracts (合同) or part-time jobs such as Uber. In the gig economy, companies hire independent contractors instead of full-time employees. This is different from traditional companies where full-time workers hold a lifetime career. In the past, only small companies hired contractors, while today, employers like Amazon and Google rely on temporary workforce. These companies save costs as they are not legally required to provide healthcare benefits, retirement savings or paid time off to gig workers.
Gig work appeals to different people for different reasons. For some, it affords flexible timings and for otliers who are looking for full-time jobs, it provides a source of income to support themselves. Some people work a full-time job and supplement (补充) their salary with gig jobs such as driving for Uber or Lyft.
Joining the gig economy may be simple, but maintaining a steady career is easier said than done. Gig work comes with unsteady pay and workloads. You're your own boss. It sounds fun, but when you have no self-control and an unsteady job, you might splurge all your money the first week and live on bread pieces for the rest of the month! Besides a strong sense of responsibility, gig workers have to stay up to date to get companies to hire them.
Despite the challenges gig workers face, nearly 60 million Americans are part of this workforce. As this number grows, we have to see how society and companies adapt to this new world of work!
1. What can be learnt about Lyft from the passage?| A．It has built up a large fortune. |
| B．It marks the arrival of gig economy age. |
| C．It employs a fixed number of full-time workers. |
| D．It appeals to people as a means of public transport. |
| A．People seeking for a steady income. |
| B．Those desperate to get paid vacations. |
| C．People in need of flexible working hours. |
| D．Those concerned about retirement accounts. |
| A．Spend money freely. | B．Deposit money automatically. |
| C．Earn money quickly. | D．Allocate money randomly. |
| A．Gig workers have to face some potential challenges. |
| B．Gig workers have to possess some much-needed qualities. |
| C．The appearance of gig companies will solve the job problems. |
| D．People should adjust to new work trends with the rise of gig companies. |
4 . One in five women and one in eight men are becoming more tired and less productive, according to a new Australian study on mobile phone use.
Led by the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, researchers surveyed 709 mobile phone users across the country aged 18 to 83 and asked them a series of questions based on a similar study 13 years ago. Identifying a phenomenon "technoference (科技干扰)", researchers discovered a significant increase in people blaming their devices for losing sleep, becoming less productive and even getting more aches and pains".
According to the study's lead author Dr Oscar, the issue is so bad that 24 percent of women and 15 percent of men are now considered to be " problematic mobile phone users". "When we talk about technoference, we're referring to the everyday intrusions (侵入)and interruptions that people experience due to mobile phones and their usage," he said. "Our survey found technoference had increased among men and women. For example, self-reports relating to the loss of sleep and productivity showed that these negative outcomes had significantly increased during the last 13 years. This finding suggests that mobile phones are potentially increasingly affecting aspects of daytime functioning due to lack of sleep. "
Compared to a 2005 study, "technoference" issues for 18 to 24-year-old experienced a surprising 40. 9 percent rise, while those aged 25 to 29 also recorded a dramatic increase of 23. 5 percent.
Oscar said that with the number of smartphone users around the world expected to surpass 2. 5 billion before the end of this year, the problem of "technoference" could get even worse. "The speed and depth of smartphone take-up makes our population particularly vulnerable to some of the negative consequences of high mobile phone use." he said. "Rapid technological innovations have led to dramatic changes in today's mobile phone technology, which can improve the quality of life for phone users but also result in some negative outcomes. "
1. How are people affected by technoference according to the text?| A．It makes people addicted to communicating online. |
| B．It pushes people to work at a fast pace. |
| C．It causes people to sleep less at night. |
| D．It brings negative outcomes to people of all ages. |
| A．Young women. | B．Young man |
| C．Children. | D．Seniors. |
| A．Widely spread. | B．Easily hurt. |
| C．Deeply devoted | D．Absolutely accustomed. |
| A．The increasing side effects of smartphones. |
| B．Ways to solve technoference problem. |
| C．Smartphones and people's happiness. |
| D．The popularity of smartphones. |
5 . Sometimes life can seem challenging (挑战的) and we usually get the feeling of “the grass on the other side is always greener”! We usually feel upset with the troubles that life throws at us.
The best thing to do at that point of time is to close our eyes and start counting of all the blessings in life that God has given us.
If we think deeply, our life is full of blessings that we hardly recognize. Listening to the singing of birds early in the morning, we realize that there are many people who spend their life in a world that is silent while many others spend their lives in a world that is dark and may have never seen a rainbow or the setting sun.
When you go out for a drive, pull down the window and look at the poor beggar standing under the hot sun, begging for filling his hungry stomach. We get three meals a day without realizing its importance. Isn’t that a blessing?
Whenever you are sad, look at the eyes of your parents and family filled with love and concern for you. There are many people who have never experienced the love of a family. Isn’t that a blessing?
As Mother Teresa once said, “We don’t need to do great things. We need to do small things with great love”.
The key to a happy life is when we consider others problems to be our own and try to help them. When we love people without any expectations and help them, our heart is filled with a sense of happiness and peace seeing the smile on their face.
So the next time whenever life knocks you down, close your eyes and…start counting!
1. What does the author intend to tell us?| A．True happiness lies in achieving wealth. |
| B．Blessings should be treasured in our life. |
| C．The singing of birds can make us happy. |
| D．Love from our family gives us courage to face life. |
| A．however happy we are, we never seem to be satisfied |
| B．though we are rich, we are poor in mind |
| C．we can have a better life if we work harder |
| D．there exists a greener grass on the other side |
| A．We have already known that life is filled with blessings. |
| B．It is a blessing to have three meals a day. |
| C．It’s natural to see a rainbow or the setting sun in life. |
| D．Mother Teresa calls on us to do great things in life. |
| A．Troubles in Life | B．Secrets of Life |
| C．A Sense of Happiness | D．Count Your Blessings |
6 . My love for libraries blossomed when I joined the public library. From the age of 8 I was allowed to walk from my home to the downtown library, housed above the police station. Once the librarian gave me my first membership card, I could enjoy a range of books, which started with Little House in the Big Woods. I was addicted instantly, and this love of libraries and reading would change my life, allowing me to one day create a safe space for high-school kids, too.
By the time I was in high school, I could read the authors that we were studying in class, including Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Emily Bronte. During the summer months, I got caught up in Gone with the Wind.
When I studied English literature at university, I thought it was time to build my own library. For the next 40 years, I continued to collect books. Until one day, I realized that all my books had become a part of the house, like wallpaper.
Toward the end of my teaching career, I became a teacher-librarian at my old high school, where I had first learned English literature. This position enabled me to regain my love and appreciation for libraries. I had a generous budget for my classes, so I searched for novels that would interest my teenage audience and hopefully spark a love of books. Fantasy, science-fiction, graphic novels -I bought almost any type of books that my students wanted to read. I bought sofas and comfortable chairs, turning the library into a safe public space, for everyone.
In doing so, I realized that the library isn’t just a place to do research. They are, in fact, places that offer an opportunity to connect with the past, present and future. All that is required is a tiny bit of curiosity. Libraries are places that should be full of life. They help us adjust to the world, and their doors must be kept open to everyone for free!
1. What inspired the author to set up a library for students?| A．Some well-known classics. |
| B．His early experience of reading. |
| C．The suggestion of a librarian. |
| D．The book: Little House in the Big Woods. |
| A．In primary school. | B．In high school. |
| C．During university years. | D．After leaving college. |
| A．What his career was like. |
| B．Where he stored his books. |
| C．Why school kids loved reading. |
| D．How he improved the school library. |
| A．A private library | B．Read with curiosity |
| C．A librarian’s life | D．More than just books |
7 . A snowboarder was feeling lucky to be alive yesterday after a helicopter rescue(直升机营救).
Ben Akintola, 30, was snowboarding in the French Alps under a clear blue sky in the afternoon when a large amount of snow fell down the side of the mountain. He didn’t have time to escape(逃脱) and it hit him with full force and knocked him senseless.
He woke in the night in total darkness. He was lying on an icy rock. Amazingly, he still had a mobile phone signal(信号), so he called a friend a thousand kilometers away in Britain. His friend called the French rescue services.
“I was waiting for what seemed like hours on that rock. I was beginning to give up hope when I heard the sound of a helicopter. It was circling around in the darkness, looking for me. I was trying my best to wave my mobile around. Fortunately the helicopter pilot saw the light.”
“I was overjoyed when the helicopter headed my way. It stayed above me and began lowering a rope.”
Ben was in hospital last night but he was not being treated for any serious injuries. He’s looking forward to going home today.
The French rescue services said: “We were very pleased that we were able to save Ben. The risk of snow slide off-piste(非滑雪场地的) is much higher at this time of year. All snowboarders and skiers should stay on the ski runs and not go off-piste. Ben was very lucky.”
1. What happened to Ben?| A．He got lost in the French Alps. | B．He had a snowboarding accident. |
| C．He was separated from his friends. | D．He was knocked down by falling rocks. |
| A．from his friend | B．in the early afternoon |
| C．after receiving his call | D．when seeing his mobile |
| A．It made him strong in the darkness. | B．It caused him to hope for the best. |
| C．It was shorter than he expected. | D．It was a little discouraging. |
| A．A Lucky Escape | B．A Rocky Mountain |
| C．Risks of Snowboarding | D．French Rescue Services |
8 . Not all bad emotions (情感) are necessarily bad. In fact, they can direct your behaviour in useful ways. If you’re stuck in traffic, anger with the situation might motivate you to find an alternative route (线路), which will then relieve your stress. But anger is less useful if you’re in the same situation, but stuck on a motorway with no option to alter directions.
Emotions have physiological effects, such as raising the level of cortisol in your bloodstream, which can affect your health. Indeed, a new study, published in Psychology and Aging, shows that high levels of anger are associated with poor health in older people.
The Canadian study did the study on 226 adults aged 59-93. They took blood samples to assess levels of chronic (慢性的) low-grade inflammation (炎症) and asked the participants to report any age-related chronic illnesses they might have. The participants also completed a short questionnaire about the level of anger or sadness they experienced in three typical days over a one-week period.
For the analysis, the researchers considered whether age could affect the results. They found that higher levels of anger were associated with inflammation and ill health in the oldest participants (aged 80 and above), but not the youngest ones (59-79 years). Sadness was not associated with inflammation or ill health in either age group.
The study is cross-sectional, meaning that it assessed a group of people at a single point in time. To get a fuller understanding of the relationship between bad emotions and health, we need studies that follow participants for a period of time — so-called prospective observation studies. Future studies should also take into account other factors that might relate, such as other emotions, stress and personality.
Although this new research shows a link between emotion and health in older age, we do not know whether anger causes inflammation and illness or whether health problems make people angrier.
1. What does the underlined word “alter” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Change. | B．Control. |
| C．Measure. | D．Operate. |
| A．To analyze their levels of health. |
| B．To fill in the form of questionnaires. |
| C．To know the levels of some inflammation. |
| D．To compare the change of anger in three days. |
| A．Anger is the greatest danger to health. |
| B．The influence of anger on illness is unclear. |
| C．People in poor health are easy to get angry. |
| D．Evidence is needed to prove the effect of health. |
| A．Adjusting Our Emotions Is Necessary |
| B．Bad Emotions Affect People’s Feelings |
| C．New Conclusions Make People Amazed |
| D．Anger Is Linked to Illness in Old Age |
9 . I love winter birds and I love photographing them in snow. That being said, I admit that I'm a fair-weather birder(猎鸟者).Worse, I'm a lazy, fair-weather birder. I don't like weather extremes, so when it's very hot or really cold, it is hard to get me to leave the comfort of home. In summer, I only photograph hummingbirds(蜂鸟)in my yard, and in winter, I try to only go out on relatively mild days. Most of my bird photography is done within an hour's drive of my hometown of Elmira, Ont. So it's all about finding a balance that works.
The winter of 2014 was a great year for snowy owls(雪枭)here in Woolwich Township. One day in early March, I was on my way home from work when I noticed a beautiful snowy owl sitting in a tree right at the crossing. I pulled over to admire him, and then kept heading home unwillingly.
Two hundred meters or so down the road, there were two more snowy owls in a field by a fence, and in the next field over, another on top of a fence post. I couldn't find words to express my feeling at that moment. Thus I rushed home, grabbed my camera and went right back out to get some pictures. It was one of the most magical local birding moments I've ever experienced.
When I'm looking for excellent opportunities to photograph snowy owls and other birds without spending dozens of hours searching for them-and if I'm lucky, finding one that's semi-cooperative-I head to the Canadian Raptor Conservancy (CRC) or the Mountsberg Raptor Centre. I've attended so many photo sessions at each of these fantastic facilities that I've lost count of.
1. What factor has the most effect on whether the author goes out to photograph birds or not?| A．Road conditions. | B．Personal emotion. |
| C．Weather conditions. | D．Time arrangement. |
| A．Sad. | B．Excited. |
| C．Untouched. | D．Proud. |
| A．Opportunities. | B．Moments. |
| C．Pictures. | D．Birds. |
| A．The author only photographs snowy owls. |
| B．The author can take excellent photos easily. |
| C．The author makes a living by photographing birds. |
| D．The author values each chance to photograph birds. |
10 . To me, life without music would not be exciting. I realize that this is not true for everybody. Many people get along quite well without going to the concert, and listening to the record. But music plays an important part in everyone's life, whether he realizes it or not. Try to imagine, for example, what films or TV plays would be like without music. Would the feelings, the moving plot, and the greatest interests, be so exciting or dramatic? I'm not sure about it.
Now, we have been speaking of music in its more common meaning----the kind of music we hear in the concert hall. But if we look at some parts of music more closely, we discover them in our everyday life too----in the rhythm of the sea, the melody of a bird in the woods and so on. So music surely has meaning for everyone, in some way or other. And, of course, it has special meaning for those who have spent all their lives working on playing or writing music.
It is well said, “Through music a child enters into a world of beauty, expresses himself from his heart, feels the joy of doing things alone, learns to take care of others, develops his mind and makes his body strong.”
1. What does the writer say more about in the text?| A．Life full of music. | B．The importance of music. |
| C．Life without music. | D．The development of music. |
| A．go to the concert instead of enjoying music |
| B．get along quite well without music |
| C．don't realize the importance of music |
| D．think music would be less exciting than films |
| A．flying | B．living |
| C．looking | D．singing |
| A．is very necessary for our everyday life |
| B．is very important, especially for children |
| C．can make our life exciting and dramatic |
| D．can enter another beautiful world |
