1 . Gold, oil and diomand are obviously worth a lot. But some valuable products are less obvious -- and much more off-putting. New research has shown that the waste produced by seabirds could be worth nearly half a billion dollars annually.
That's because seabird feces(排泄物), also known as guano, can be used as commercial fertilizer and is vital for contributing nutrients to marine ecosystems. In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of seabirds and protecting their habitats, scientists set out to quantify(量化) the contributions of seabirds and show the cost of declining seabird populations by valuing their waste.
Its value is estimated at more than $473 million each year and possibly much more, according to a new paper published today in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
"Guano production is an ecosystem service made by seabirds at no cost to us -- I can go to an island, collect the guano, and sell it at market price as fertilizer," study coauthor Marcus V. Cianciaruso, an ecology professor at the Federal University of Goiás in Brazil, said in a press release. "Because there is this scientific and biological importance, it's possible to quantify seabird ecosystem services in a language that the general public and policymakers can begin to understand."
Although only a few seabird species produce guano that is currently commercialized in Peru, Chile and other countries, the waste of other birds contributes vital nutrients to marine ecosystems and is also important for coastal economies.
In coral reef ecosystems, the nutrients from guano can increase the number of reef fish by up to 48%. That's important for fisheries and tourism in places like the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. "We made a very conservative estimate that 10% of coral reef fish stocks depend on seabird nutrients," said Plazas-Jiménez. "According to the United Nations and the Australian government, the annual economic returns of commercial fisheries on coral reefs is over $6 billion. So 10% of this value is around $600 million per year."
1. Which of the following word can best replace the word “off-putting” ?| A．exciting | B．discouraging | C．flexible | D．disgusting |
| A．Policymakers have understood the value of protecting seabirds very well. |
| B．The waste of seabirds can bring severe pollution to the ecosystem. |
| C．Seabirds can assist us in cleaning the environment. |
| D．Valuing seabirds’ waste can help people realize the importance of seabirds. |
| A．Giving examples | B．Providing figures |
| C．Making comparison | D．Analyzing cause and effect |
| A．Environmental Protection Counts |
| B．Waste can be Worth Millions |
| C．Fisheries Catch a Break |
| D．A New Business |
2 . What do you usually do to comfort your friends when they are feeling sad or depressed? You probably pat them on the back or shoulder, or maybe you give them a big, warm hug.
We used to think that knowing when and how to comfort others was an ability that only humans have. But scientists have discovered that apes （猩猩）have this ability, too. Two researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, US, went to an Ape Protection Centre in Congo to study bonobos （倭黑猩猩）,which are closely related to humans.
The researchers analyzed the bonobos' reactions after more than 370 cases of stressful situations, such as fights and losing temper, and found that some bonobos rushed to hug those that were screaming after being attacked, just like humans would have done.
However, researchers said that not all bonobos were able to comfort others. In the protection centre, many bonobos are orphans （孤儿）whose mothers were killed by hunters. They were found to be more anxious in times of tension and have greater difficulty controlling their own emotions, malting them worse at reaching out to help friends in need.
"Orphans, who have not had the benefit of a mother helping them handling their emotions, are much worse al comforting others,” Professor Frans de Waal, one of the researchers, told The Telegraph. "Bonobos with moms were able to curb their negative emotional reactions more quickly. Therefore, they pay more attention to others.” This pattern mirrors the way that human children have been found to react. Those who seem more capable of handling their own emotions—for example, the ones who can calm themselves down more quickly after upsetting experiences—are usually better at expressing their concerns for others .
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Orphan bonobos never give a hand to friends. |
| B．There were 370 bonobos involved in the research. |
| C．Moms play a significant role in handling kids' emotions. |
| D．The ability to comfort others is unique to human beings. |
| A．express | B．observe | C．hide | D．control |
| A．A science journal | B．A travel leaflet |
| C．A literature review | D．A science fiction |
| A．To uncover the mystery of Apes. |
| B．To inform readers of a new study. |
| C．To provide better protection for Apes. |
| D．To compare human behaviors with Apes. |
3 . Peter Shankman travels for a living, delivering speeches around the country. The last thing he wants to do in his spare time is travel from his home in New York.
So for the fifth year in a row, Shankman is donating hundreds of thousands of miles to people in need-----those who can’t afford to buy a flight, but intend to be with sick loved ones, or a parent who would like to see a faraway child.
Shankman posts his contest on the social media site Imgur, and other Imgur users vote for winners of Shankman’s miles. After the initial year of the giveaway, other travellers started seeing Shankman’s posts on Imgur and began donating their miles to his contest, multiplying the gift.
One of those donors is Rhys Ford, whose reason for donating her extra miles to Shankman’s “Home for the Holidays” giveaway is simple and heartfelt. “ There are many of us who have so much, and there are others who are far away from their family and can’t make it back for financial reasons,” she said.
Shankman said one of the big advantages of giving away his miles is that it allows him to pass along a lesson about giving to his son. Shankman’s goal, he said , is to help children and adults with ADHD(多动症) realize that they are not broken, but gifted.
“They just need to learn how to channel and use that power. I have ADHD, but I believe it is a huge part of my success,” said Shankman.
“People ask me how I verify the stories of people who win the free miles,” Shankman said. “And I tell them, ‘I can’t.’ But if someone goes to all this trouble to get a free trip somewhere, maybe this will help them in some way. As long as my miles keep adding up, I’m going to continue to give them away.
1. How are the winners of Shankman’s miles chosen ?| A．People vote on them on the Internet. |
| B．Shankman chooses them by himself. |
| C．The social media site decides on them. |
| D．They ask for Shankman’s help in person. |
| A．Shankman’s speech | B．Her kindness. |
| C．Her own experience | D．Her simple mind. |
| A．His ADHD gets treated. | B．He becomes more famous. |
| C．He can stay at home much longer. | D．he gets a chance to influence his son. |
| A．Tell | B．Collect | C．Check | D．Know |
4 . Layton Guenther recently took a break from work to talk about moving from a wealthy neighborhood near New York City to a farm on Long Island. “Farming----where I grew up----was a very unusual career choice，” said the 32-year -old American.”But everybody belongs to the land in their own way. None of us should feel separated from it.”
Guenther was brought up in a rich town outside New York， where most people never think about working on a farm. Today Guenther grows potatoes， pumpkins，wheat and other crops at Quail Hill， New York. She is one of a growing number of college-educated Americans in their 20s and 30s who are changing the face of organic farming.
In the United States organic farming is a growing industry. Some of the best-known organic farms on Long Island are operated by women. Women make up a little more than 37 percent of all organic farmers nationwide. They represent 36 percent of all commercial farmers. Experts predict women’s share in farming is likely to increase. One reason organic farmers are more popular is that their smaller size means less money is needed to support them. The average organic farm is around 141 hectares， compared to 178 hectares for a commercial farm.
These new young farmers chose organic farming because of their desire to have an influence on society.
Guenther said that the farmers meant to protect natural resources for future generation， to fight against climate change and to feed their community good and healthy food.
Although organic farming is growing quickly， it comes with high labor costs and at times smaller harvests than commercial farming. So it can be a difficult business for new farmers. “When I look now at the starting of the farm， it seems really audacious，”Guenther said.”But in that environment ，in2008， everyone had lost their jobs and there was no work. So it didn’t feel strange to start something new，” she said.
1. What do we know about Guenther from the first two paragraphs ?| A．She had no farming background. |
| B．She hoped to become a wealthy farmer. |
| C．She dreamed of farming during childhood. |
| D．She created the age of organic farming in America. |
| A．It is smaller in size. | B．It is modern farming. |
| C．It has lower labor costs | D．It produces better harvests. |
| A．To deal with unemployment | B．To make a difference to the world |
| C．To experience a different career | D．To have healthy and natural food |
| A．Rewarding | B．Exciting | C．Promising | D．Daring |
5 . I am a person who has always loved reading. For me, it is easy to get lost in a book and return to the world a couple of hours later having been on an adventure. As a 6-year-old, I could be found reading Harry Potter, a difficult book for a 6-year-old but I enjoyed it all the same. Now, as a student, it is harder to find the time to read books for pleasure; however, I relish the summers where I have the time to read to satisfy myself. Growing up, it soon became clear that spelling for me was not difficult and I had a wide vocabulary. This is because I began reading from such a young age.
My advice for you as English learners would be to read the books that you have often read in your own language in English. Reading, stories especially, is a great way of improving your vocabulary and spelling without noticing as you are lost in the story. For me, I have read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in French and am currently reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Spanish. This is a really useful way of being able to read in another language because I know the story so well in English, it is easy to follow the story in the foreign language even if I do not understand every word.
This is another important point: it is not necessary to understand every word. If you understand the meaning of the sentence, each word is not necessarily important. Sometimes it is impossible to translate directly from one language to another. Quite often, if a word is used several times in a text, you can gain your own meaning from it and it makes much more sense than if you tried to translate it in the first place.
Give it a try. If you like reading you could be opening up a whole new world of literature.
1. What can we learn from the author’s reading experiences?| A．He often spent hours taking an adventure. |
| B．He didn’t like Harry Potter any more with aging. |
| C．He could spare enough time reading for fun as a student. |
| D．Reading helped him a lot since his early age. |
| A．Spend. | B．Lose. | C．Enjoy. | D．Hate. |
| A．Reading English stories you’re familiar with in your own language. |
| B．Reading Harry Potter in different languages. |
| C．Translating word by word. |
| D．Understanding the story in your own language. |
| A．Better Ways to Read stories. |
| B．The Benefits of Reading. |
| C．How to Improve Spelling and Vocabulary. |
| D．Is It Necessary to Know Each Word? |
6 . Trees are useful to man in three very important ways: they provide him food, wood and other products; they give him shade; and they help to prevent drought and floods.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. In his eagerness to draw quick profit from the trees, he has cut them down in large numbers.
Two thousand years ago, a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire but, without its trees, its soil became bare and poor. When the empire fell to pieces, the country found itself faced by floods and starvation.
Even though a government realizes the importance of a plentiful supply of trees, it is difficult sometimes to make the people realize this. They cut down the trees but are too careless to plant and look after new trees. So unless the government has a good system of control, or can educate the people, the forests will slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that there will be fewer trees. The results are even more serious. For where there are trees, their roots break the soil up, allowing the rain to sink in, and also bind the soil. This prevents the soil from being washed away. But where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away on the surface, and this causes floods and the rain carries away the rich top soil in which crops grow. When all the top soil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert.
1. Trees are useful to man mainly in three ways, the most important of which is that they can .| A．keep him from the hot sunshine |
| B．protect him from drought and floods |
| C．make him draw quick profit from them |
| D．enable him to build warships |
| A．to wash away | B．to make stay together |
| C．to make wet | D．to improve |
| A．tell people the use of wood |
| B．tell people the function of tree roots |
| C．warn that man mustn’t destroy forests any more |
| D．explain how trees help to prevent drought and floods |
7 . Some people like modern art, while others say that it is rubbish. But a cleaner who works in the Tate Britain Gallery in London isn’t able to tell the difference. The woman, whose name isn’t known, mistook a work of art by the German painter Gustav Metzger for a bag of rubbish, and threw it out with other bags. The plastic bag, which contained pieces of paper and cardboard, was later recovered outside the gallery, but the artist thought that it was too badly damaged to be put on show again, and so he found another bag. 78-year-old Mr. Metzger explained that the exhibit, which he said was a copy of a similar work he had created in 1960, was meant to show that all art is temporary (暂时的).
Embarrassed officials at the museum said that they had had to call a meeting with cleaners to explain which things should not be touched. They would not say whether Mr. Metzger would be paid for the incident. However, to make absolutely sure the same thing would not happen again, they decided to cover Mr. Metzger’s work every evening with a coloured cloth. In this way cleaners arriving after the gallery had closed to the general public would realize that they should not touch it.
This is not the first time that museum cleaners have had trouble distinguishing exhibits from rubbish. In 2001, in another London gallery, a cleaner threw away a work by the well-known British artist Damien Hirst. It was an arrangement of empty beer bottles, coffee cups, and ashtrays (烟灰缸), which were meant to show the disorder in the life of an artist.
However, cleaners don’t always throw things away—sometimes they clean them! This was the case with a dirty bath, which was on show in a gallery in Germany. Without asking what the bath was doing in the gallery, the cleaner simply cleaned it.
1. The woman cleaner threw away the plastic bag because__________.| A．the plastic bag was badly damaged |
| B．she didn’t recognize it was a work of art |
| C．she hated modern art and considered it rubbish |
| D．The exhibit on show was taken the place of by another bag |
| A．collecting | B．replacing | C．telling | D．exchanging |
| A．Mr Metzger would be paid some money for the incident. |
| B．Tate British Gallery will be closed to avoid the same mistake. |
| C．Artists often use rubbish to show how content they feel with life. |
| D．More than one cleaner threw away works of art in galleries. |
| A．Cleaner Mistakes Modern Art for Rubbish | B．Good Cleaners Make Mistakes |
| C．Damaged Modern Art Works | D．Dangerous Galleries and Cleaners |
8 . You’re enjoying a quiet evening at home when suddenly your neighbor’s dog starts barking(吠叫)and doesn’t stop. Sure, dogs need to bark every now and then, but if the barking is getting in the way of your daily life, you need to do something.
“Before you take action, make records of when the dog is disturbing,” says expert Sharon Schweitzer. “Record the dates and time when the barking appears to find out the features of the barking. Check them carefully and get your facts straight. You might notice the barking only happens when the owners are at work, or during thunderstorms.”
After two to three weeks, visit your neighbors with the facts. “Since you’re trying to keep a good relationship, you can’t go when you’re angry and frustrated,” says Schweitzer. Plus, your neighbors might not even realize the barking is a problem, for the worst noise may happen when they’re gone.
Explain the time when the barking gets bad, then suggest a way to solve the problem. “You can sit and complain all day, but that will go nowhere,” says Schweitzer. Ask if the dog can stay inside during the storm, or suggest a dog training class. Be open to compromise(妥协)because the owners might have other ideas about how to deal with the noise.
Befriending the dog could help. Have your neighbors introduce you to their dogs. “If they become more comfortable in your presence, they’re less likely to bark when they see you or when they’re in the backyard,”says Schweitzer. You might even be able to use commands such as “quiet” once the dog trusts you.
Avoid gossiping(说长道短)with other neighbors about the dog.“That’s when things escalate.” After all, most people will want to solve the problem.
1. What can you do first when the barking of your neighbor’s dog influences your life?| A．Bring the dog to a training class. |
| B．Show it to your neighborhoods. |
| C．Drive it out of your neighborhood. |
| D．Record the dates and time of the barking. |
| A．They may like the barking. |
| B．They all think their dogs are friendly. |
| C．They have been used to the barking of the dogs. |
| D．They may be out when the worst barking happens. |
| A．Become better. |
| B．Become worse. |
| C．Remain unchanged. |
| D．Become more personal. |
| A．Love me, love my dog. |
| B．Barking dogs seldom bite. |
| C．Good communication is a must. |
| D．Treat violence with violence(暴力). |
9 . When I was a child, I often saw my Grandma throwing bread that was no longer fresh to birds. Not surprisingly, this attracted few birds. Later on, we discovered bird food at the local store. Feeding garden birds in the UK has come a long way since then. Today, the birds can enjoy many kinds of food: from plant seeds to sunflower hearts and from cakes to meat balls. All this comes at a huge cost of about £200m a year. Sometimes, I wonder if we might be feeding our garden birds better than our kids. But maybe it’s worth it. Our generosity is having an important effect on the behavior and even evolution of these birds.
Take the goldfinch for example. In the 1960s, this was a rare bird. Today, goldfinches can be seen in many gardens. Other new visitors include the spotted woodpecker, which has left its usual woodland for food on bird tables. Evolution is meant to progress slowly: over thousands of years. Yet during the past few decades, the beaks of many kinds of birds have become longer because birds with longer beaks can get more food, and then are more likely to live on.
Actually, the British habit of feeding garden birds goes back much further. During the sixth century, St Serf of Fife fed a robin in his garden; during the winter of 1890, workers in London were seen giving their lunches to songbirds. The real change took place in the 1980s, when a few farsighted businessmen realized that encouraging the British to be more generous to garden birds can help them make money. Therefore, various kinds of bird food and modern bird feeders were produced. As a result, the number of species using garden feeding stations increased very quickly, from about 10 to over 100. Then, in 2005, Springwatch came, which turned our love of garden birds into an entertainment show.
Is bird feeding completely good for birds? Not everyone thinks so. Studies by the Zoological Society of London have shown that by bringing together many birds, bird feeders may help the spread of disease. In Australia, some bird experts believe—probably wrongly—that bird feeding creates a “dependence culture”.
But we shouldn’t forget one major benefit of feeding garden birds—it connects millions of people to the natural world. This is especially important for people who seldom reach the wider countryside. As I write this, there comes some noise outside my window: several birds were singing and flying around in my garden. It’s a sight I could only imagine years ago, when feeding garden birds just meant throwing hard bread to them.
1. What does the author mean by saying the underlined part in Paragraph 1?| A．Feeding garden birds is a huge waste of money. |
| B．We spend quite a lot of money on the food of garden birds. |
| C．We should care more for our kids rather than garden birds. |
| D．Feeding garden birds can bring more joy than feeding kids. |
| A．These birds have given up traditional woodland. | B．Food for these birds becomes richer and better. |
| C．Longer beaks mean more chances of survival. | D．These birds grow faster than ever before. |
| A．It is completely good for birds. |
| B．It may help the spread of disease. |
| C．It connects more and more people to the natural world. |
| D．It may reduce birds’ ability to find food by themselves. |
| A．Annoyed. | B．Pleased. | C．Surprised. | D．Bored. |
10 . Tourism can be both good and bad. Yes, it brings in money for the local economy and creates lots of jobs for locals, but it may also bring some problems.
One growing problem is tourists who want to prove that they have visited someplace. Tourists have used paint, rocks, or even keys to write on the Luxor Temple in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, Stonehenge in the UK, memorial stones at the bottom of Qomolangma, and many, many other places. Thousands of tourists sites are being destroyed by tourists who “love them to death”. I have three words for people like this: please stop it. If you want to leave a mark on the world, do it by changing someone’s life with kindness and love. Pass kindness along to future generations, not destruction.
Another big problem in some places has been tourists disturbing the local people and life. Some tourists wander around and take pictures of local people without asking for their permission. For example, Chiang Mai University in Thailand and Yonsei University in South Korea have great numbers of tourists visiting their campuses and walking through their libraries and other public areas, taking pictures of students and disturbing their studies. I have three words for tourists like this: please be considerate. I have three words for people like this: please stop it.
The number of problems from tourists is endless: walking in large groups without considering others who need to walk by, crossing roads without observing local traffic laws, and many more. The only way to solve the issue of the terrible tourist is to make sure that you are not one! Be the best, kindest, most polite tourist possible. Remember, whenever you step outside your country’s borders, you are representing your country to the rest of the world.
1. What does the writer say is the only way to solve the problem of the terrible tourist?| A．Make sure that you are not one of those terrible tourist | B．Be the best and kindest tourist possible |
| C．Be the most polite tourist possible | D．All of the above |
| A．Impressing somebody. | B．Destroying something. |
| C．Annoying somebody. | D．Reviving someplace |
| A．As tourists, we can do what we like to do. |
| B．It is easy to solve the problems tourism brings. |
| C．Being taken photos makes local people happy. |
| D．Tourists have used paint, rocks or even keys to write on some attractions. |
| A．The number of problems from tourists is endless | B．Tourism brings some problems |
| C．Be a good tourist | D．Stop destroying |
