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 . Journey to the West
If you have a dream, go for it.
My dad talked of the jewel in China’s western part, Tibet Autonomous Region. Tibet was a region I wanted to see and discover but its remoteness and my inability to find the right time to go delayed my journey. After a few talks with my dad, we decided to take a pause in our lives for a few weeks in July 2019 to start an amazing adventure.
We started our journey on a Saturday morning at the Guangzhou train station in south China. We started the first leg of the journey admiring the mysterious mountains of south China. The next day it changed quite suddenly to the dry, waterless landscape of central-west China as we passed through Shanxi and Gansu provinces. That evening we arrived at Xining, Qinghai Province, where we got onto the Xining-Lhasa train.
We were greeted on the train with Tibetan yogurt. The train signs were also written in Tibetan, the beautiful handwriting matched its environment and people. The following afternoon we arrived in Lhasa. Lhasa, one of the highest-altitude cities in the world, is a gem hidden on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We started our tour of the jewel by exploring the palace and watching local people do morning prays and dances in the park. Overlooking the Jokhang Temple, we enjoyed an amazingly beautiful breathtaking view, just like we had been in the fairyland. It’s a stunning (令人震惊的) golden temple in the middle of old Lhasa, which we visited next before wandering in the old quarters and Barkhor Street in the evening. Barkhor Street is the ideal place to try local food and buy local products.
The following day, we started our journey to the Qomolangma base camp by road from Lhasa. Along the way we stopped to admire the beautiful Yamdrok Lake, a huge freshwater lake that is one of the three largest sacred lakes (圣湖) in Tibet. Yaks (牦牛) in blankets and bells at the lake made for a picturesque impression of perfect countryside Tibet.
About a week later, the highlight came in the afternoon when we arrived at the Qomolangma base camp. We were staying in a guesthouse just next to the base camp. After dropping off our backpacks, we headed straight outside to see the magnificent Mt Qomolangma. There it was, the top of the mountain peeking through the clouds, astonishing us with its unbelievable height. We enjoyed the mountain waves and saw the beautiful clouds separated until the sunset over the peak, feeling I would have regretted for the rest of my life if I hadn’t made the journey.
1. The author wanted to go to Tibet Autonomous Region because _____.| A．his father wanted him to travel there |
| B．his father thought it was worth visiting |
| C．he was interested in the mysterious place |
| D．he wanted to go to the farthest place of China |
| A．Jokhang Temple | B．Barkhor Street |
| C．Yamdrok Lake | D．Mt Qomolangma |
| A．smart genius | B．precious stone |
| C．unique temple | D．beautiful grassland |
| A．beautiful views are worth the risk you take |
| B．if you have a dream, you should try to make it happen |
| C．you can finally achieve your dream if you put your heart on it |
| D．traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books |
3 . Emperor Penguins
Emperor penguins are considered the most beautiful and the largest of all penguins. They are amazing birds. They are good survivors, excellent swimmers and great parents. Do you know where we can see them?
You are absolutely right! Antarctica. Only Antarctica!
Antarctica is the continent which is the most southern area of land on the Earth and is mostly covered with ice. It is colder, drier and windier than any other place on the Earth. The lowest temperature can reach -89.2℃. In order to survive the extremely tough environment, emperor penguins have to cooperate. They crowd together to protect themselves from the wind and keep warm. Meanwhile, they take turns to move to the relatively warm inside.
Emperor penguins live on a diet which consists of different types of fish and other kinds of sea life. To find food, these birds, which are unable to fly, can dive much deeper than any other kind of penguin. Their dives often reach about 244 metres, and they can even dive to more than 535 metres when necessary. They can remain under water for almost 18 minutes, longer than any other kind of penguin.
Emperor penguins have a very hard time bringing up their babies. They have to go to great lengths to care for their children. After laying an egg, the tired female emperor penguin will leave the family behind to feed at sea, while the male is left to take care of the egg. For two months, the father, whose duty is to keep the egg safe and warm, carries his egg around on his feet and will give up eating until the mother returns. He does not sit on the egg like many other birds, but stands and balances it on his feet. Thus he is at the mercy of the Antarctic weather. When the mother returns from the sea, sometimes up to 60-80 kilometres away, she throws up some of the food for the chick and takes the male's place to look after it. The father then takes his turn to feed at sea. Cooperative parenting at its finest.
By December, during the Antarctic summer, when the ice begins to break up and open water appears, the young emperor penguins are now ready to be excellent survivors, good swimmers and great parents on their own. What an amazing cycle it is!
1. The underlined word "cooperate" in the third paragraph means ___________.
| A．work together | B．fight against cold |
| C．protect themselves | D．move to warm places |
| A．feed on only certain types of fish |
| B．live in the most terrible weather conditions |
| C．are amazing birds that can both fly and swim |
| D．stay in water 18 minutes longer than other penguins |
| A．great parents who sit on eggs to keep them warm |
| B．the most beautiful and the largest birds in the world |
| C．good survivors and they move to warm places in winter |
| D．excellent swimmers and they can dive deeper than other penguins |
| A．the chicks break up the eggshells in summer |
| B．an Emperor Penguin lays several eggs at a time |
| C．the male Emperor Penguins hatch the eggs in winter |
| D．the chicks are ready to live on their own one year later |
