1 . Sometime back, after a six-year-old lioness named Magigi repeatedly killed cattle, Botswana authorities caught and moved her into Central Kalahari Game Reserve, far from people. Magigi spent most of her time within the reserved protective boundaries, but after a year she escaped outside and was shot dead by a farmer. New research Maude and his colleagues have conducted confirms that Magigi's unfortunate story is common for many relocated lions. For decades, wildlife managers in a number of African countries have used such a kind way to deal with lions that repeatedly kill livestock (牲畜).But the new research shows that after lions are moved, most continue to kill livestock and endanger villagers' living.
Across Africa, lion numbers have fallen by 43 percent in the past two decades, to as few as 23,000 animals today. About 3,000 remain in Botswana. The sharp declines are primarily driven by development-lions now occupy just 8 percent of their historic habitat. With less space set aside for conservation, lions are more frequently coming into contact with humans. These are usually farms, expanding around the edges of the protected areas. The lions eat livestock, which negatively impacts the livelihood of the farmers in these rural areas. Without a proper way to prevent these attacks, the dinners often turn to deadly force, shooting or poisoning the lions, which has resulted in the decrease in lion population.
Rather than trying to move lions, wildlife conservationist Glyn Maude says, emphasis should be placed on reducing the chances of lions encountering and killing livestock in the first place. Many preventative measures are being tested in various African countries, including hiring lion guardians (护卫者) to monitor these big cats, creating lion-proof fences, sending out lion text alerts, and teaching herders to keep livestock away from high-risk areas.
1. Why was Magigi moved to a reserve?| A．To stop her from being caught. |
| B．To prevent her from killing cattle. |
| C．To get her to stay with her family. |
| D．To train her to get along with people. |
| A．Illegal wildlife trade. | B．Human-lion conflict. |
| C．A natural disaster. | D．The lack of food in their habitat. |
| A．Lions will be fenced in to avoid meeting people. |
| B．The relocation of lions has proven to be effective. |
| C．Prevention is the cure for lions' attacking livestock. |
| D．It's impossible for lions to live with humans in harmony. |
| A．Big Cats' Relocation Proving Deadly |
| B．Lions Shot Dead after Attacking a Man |
| C．The Tragic Story of a Magical Lioness |
| D．Conservation Status of the African Lion |
2 . The era of intelligent home is on the way... A smart pet-flap based on lift door technology that lets pets in — but keeps foxes out —has been made public at the world’s largest tech conference. The MyQ Pet Portal is the latest tool to promise to revolutionise petkeeping.
For $2,999 owners get a new door featuring sliding doors that are unnoticeable when closed. The family pet is equipped with a Bluetooth collar that sends a signal to the sensor hidden in the door which then informs the owner.
A smart phone app allows the owner to choose whether to open the door, with a video and audio stream (音频流) enabling the owner to see and talk to their pet. “ It is a solution for homeowners who want to keep the security and the appearance of their home in good condition while providing their pets with the freedom to play on demand,” the company claims. MyQ is owned by Chamberlain Group, a US company specialising in garage doors.
The door comes with an “auto-close and lock system” that triggers after the dog goes through to ensure that no other pets or foxes can use it. There is also the option to let a dog open the door automatically when it approaches, without the need for the owners’ approval.
Samsung revealed a robot called Bot Handy that can, it is claimed, pick up laundry, load the dishwasher, set the table, pour wine, and fetch drinks. There was also an app or voice-controlled bathtub from Kohler, a US maker of bathroom products, which attempts to make the spa experience at home possible. The tub, costing up to $8,700, can connect to voice assistants such as Alexa that will tell it to run the water, adjust the temperature or release scents.
1. What is the MyQ Pet Portal based on?| A．The bluetooth technology. |
| B．The lift door technology. |
| C．The latest robot technology. |
| D．The voice-controlled technology. |
| A．By pushing the door itself. |
| B．With a sensor in the collar. |
| C．By sending a signal to its owner. |
| D．With the auto-close and lock system. |
| A．By comparing data. |
| B．By analyzing the reasons. |
| C．By giving typical examples. |
| D．By presenting various ideas. |
| A．The revolution of keeping pets. |
| B．The advertisement for sliding doors. |
| C．The application and promotion of a smart app. |
| D．The introduction to home intelligent products. |
3 . Japanese officials say they are pleased with the quality of the asteroid (小行星) material collected by a spacecraft and returned to Earth.
Last week, officials from Japan described the samples (样品), which were collected from the Ryugu asteroid in July 2019. Ryugu sits more than 300 million kilometers from Earth. Japan’s unpiloted Hayabusa2 spacecraft removed the material after making a hole into the asteroid.
The space agency said the July 2019 mission (任务) aimed to collect samples from below the surface of Ryugu. During an earlier operation in February 2019, Hayabusa2 collected material from a different part of the asteroid. The second collection effort resulted in sample pieces as big as 1 centimeter. The black material looked similar to charcoal and was very hard. It did not break apart when picked up or poured into another container.
Earlier this month, space officials described the samples Hayabusa2 removed on its first mission as smaller, sandy pieces. They were collected from the surface of Ryugu. Hayabusa2 was launched in December 2014 and arived near Ryugu in June 2018. The Japanese space mission aims to use the samples to learn more about how our solar system formed.
To get the second set of samples in July, Hayabusa2 used an impactor to knock the asteroid’s surface. The aim was to collect material unaffected by space radiation or other environmental conditions. The size differences suggest different hardness of the bedrock of the asteroid. One possibility is that the place of the second touchdown was a hard bedrock and larger particles broke and entered the container.
Hayabusa2 is now on another mission to a smaller asteroid, called 1998KY26. The Japanese government expects the aircraft to take 11 years to reach that asteroid. Hayabusa2’s new mission aims to study possible ways to prevent large meteorites (陨石) from hitting Earth.
1. What are these asteroid materials used to do?| A．Study how the solar system was born. | B．Determine the movement of asteroids. |
| C．Study the environment on the asteroid. | D．Uncover when the asteroid was formed. |
| A．To discover new planets. | B．To fetch more materials in space. |
| C．To travel around the solar system. | D．To explore ways to protect the earth. |
| A．They were collected in the same place. | B．They both were black and hard. |
| C．They came in different shapes. | D．They were of equal weight. |
| A．Japan Makes Progress in Studying Solar System |
| B．Japan Is Pleased with Latest Asteroid Samples |
| C．The Secret of an Asteroid Comes to Light |
| D．The Earth Faces Threats from Space |
4 . If you're British or live in a Commonwealth nation, Christmas doesn't end on December 25.The day after Christmas is known as Boxing Day, and the relaxing holiday is a chance to allow the celebration for one more restful day.
But its name has nothing to do with the sport of boxing, and unlike the popular idea, did not appear from a need to return unwanted gifts or clean up trash produced by Christmas gifting.
There are several theories as to how that charitable tradition became known as "boxing".Some historians link the use of the term to boxes of donations that were laid in churches during the pre-Christmas season of Advent in the early days of Christianity during the second and third centuries A.D.The day after Christmas, the boxes were opened and the money was given away to the poor.
Another possible story for Boxing Day has to do with a tradition that formed in 19th century Victorian England, where servants sacrificed（牺牲）time with their own families to cater to their employers on Christmas.On the day after Christmas, employers would give the servants a rare day off and send them home with leftovers from the family's Christmas feast for their service.
Though the reasons are lost to history, Boxing Day charity eventually fell out of tradition---and was replaced with physical and material pleasures.Today, the holiday is linked with sports, with major football rugby, and cricket matches and horse races taking place on December 26.
December 26 is also a big shopping day throughout the UK and the Commonwealth.The holiday kicks off what is known as " Boxing Week" , during which retailers（零售商）try to move old stock and shoppers compete for one last bargain of the year.In recent years, though, the American tradition of Black Friday---massive sales that take place the day after Thanksgiving each November---has become popular in the United Kingdom and has largely overshadowed Boxing Week.
1. What kind of festival was Boxing Day probably in the beginning?| A．A charitable festival. | B．A religious festival. |
| C．A sports festival. | D．A business festival. |
| A．Take care of. | B．Depend on. |
| C．Put up with. | D．Pick up. |
| A．It has become an online shopping day. |
| B．It has been replaced by Black Friday. |
| C．It only covers popular sports events. |
| D．It has become less important than before. |
| A．When Did Boxing Day Come into Being? | B．Why Did People Celebrate Boxing Day? |
| C．How Is Black Friday Celebrated in the UK? | D．Why Is Black Friday Popular in the UK? |
