1 . The populations of common animals are just as likely to rise or fall in number in a time of accelerating global warming as those of rare species, a study suggests.
Until recently, scientists were still accumulating data on how animal populations were shifting over time globally across the different regions of the planet.
Making use of the newly available data, a team of University of Edinburgh researchers studied nearly 10000 animal populations recorded in the Living Planet Database between 1970 and 2014 to provide a new perspective on animal population change. These include records of mammals, reptiles, sharks, fish, birds and amphibians.
The team found that 15 percent of all populations declined during the period, while 18 percent increased and 67 percent showed no significant change. Amphibians were the only group in which population sizes declined, while birds, mammals and reptiles experienced increases. The overall decline in amphibians makes them a priority for conservation efforts, researchers say, as their loss could have knock-on effects in food chains and wider ecosystems.
Gergana Daskalova, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said, “We often assume that declines in animal numbers are prevalent everywhere. But we found that there are also many species which have increased over the last half of a century, such as those which do well in human-transformed landscapes or those which are the focus of conservation actions.”
Dr. Isla Myers-Smith, also of the School of GeoSciences, who co-authored the study, said, “Only as we bring together data from around the world, can we begin to really understand how global change is influencing the biodiversity of our planet.”
1. With the global temperature rising, what happens to the animals?| A．Rare animal species tend to decline. |
| B．Common animal species tend to increase. |
| C．Global wanning is accelerating with the loss of animal species. |
| D．The population of common animals changes just like rare ones. |
| A．By analyzing existing information. | B．By studying animals，behavior. |
| C．By comparing different studies. | D．By recording the data of animals. |
| A．Sharp. | B．Common. | C．Steady. | D．Relative. |
| A．Objective. | B．Optimistic. | C．Subjective. | D．Pessimistic. |
2 . As the saying goes,’ time waits for no man’. Time is always against us, and we just can’t stop it. Maybe that’s why some of us are always running late for appointments, But if timekeeping is not what you’re good at, don’t stress. There might be a good reason for your lack of punctuality.
People’s attitudes to being on time vary. Some clock-watch and make sure they’re exactly on time for a meeting. It is, after all, rude to be late, and if you can make it on time, why can’t everyone else? But if, like me，you want to make every second count, you might try to squeeze as much as you can into the time you have available. However, when your schedule doesn’t run to plan, your punctuality inevitably slips.
People who lack promptness have been described as ‘time benders’. Author Grace Pacie told the BBC that “they’re the people who don’t want to be late, but they have a strange resistance to being early, and they don’t allow enough time.” They assume their journey to an appointment will always go smoothly, and the train will always be on time!
Perceptions of unpunctual people are almost always negative — even if sometimes wrong. Writing for the BBC, Laura Clarke says: Being consistently late might not be your fault. It could be your type. The punctually-challenged often share personality characteristics, such as optimism, low levels of self-control, anxiety, or a preference for thrill-seeking, experts say. It is also possible that people are late so as not to be noticeable and to avoid the anxious wait for others to turn up.
Maybe we latecomers should make more of an effort and follow the advice I heard to no ‘try’ to be on time but ‘decide’ to be on time. But I know if a meeting or a deadline really matters, then I’ll be there. Otherwise relax, even if others are blaming you!
1. The text is meant to _____.| A．tell us to avoid being late | B．tell us why we are late |
| C．tell us the importance of punctuality | D．tell us to try to be early rather than late |
| A．who don’t want to he late |
| B．who don’t allow enough time |
| C．who have a strange resistance to being early |
| D．who lack punctuality |
| A．be pessimistic | B．be negative |
| C．make every second count | D．have low levels of self-control |
| A．punctual people | B．unpunctual people |
| C．trying to be on time | D．deciding to be on time |
3 . As the effects of climate change become more disastrous, well-known research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
That strategy, called solar climate intervention (干预) or solar geoengineering, involves reflecting more of the sun’s energy back into space — abruptly reducing global temperatures in a way that imitates the effects of ash clouds flowing out from the volcanic eruptions. The idea has been considered as a dangerous and fancied solution, one that would encourage people to keep burning fossil fuels while exposing the planet to unexpected and potentially threatening side effects, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters.
But. as global warming continues, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters, some researchers and policy experts say that concerns about geoengineering should be outweighed by the imperative to better understand it, in case the consequence of climate change become so terrible that the world can’t wait for better solutions.
One way to cool the earth is by injecting aerosols (气溶胶) into the upper layer of the atmosphere. where those particles reflect sunlight away from the earth. That process works, according to Douglas MacMartin, a researcher at Cornell University.
“We know with 100% certainty that we can cool the planet,” he said in an interview. What’s still unclear, he added, is what happens next. Temperature, MacMartin said, is an indicator for a lot of climate effects. “What does it do to the strength of hurricanes?” he asked, “What does it do to agriculture production? What does it do to the risk of forest fires?”
Another institution funded by the National Science Foundation will analyze hundreds of simulations of aerosol injection, testing the effects on weather extremes around the world. One goal of the research is to look for a sweet spot: the amount of artificial cooling that can reduce extreme weather events without causing broader changes in regional rainfall patterns or similar impacts.
1. Why do researchers and government agencies work on cooling the earth?| A．To prevent natural disasters. | B．To win more time to reduce gas emissions. |
| C．To imitate volcanic eruptions. | D．To encourage more people to bur fossil fuels. |
| A．More volcanoes will throw out. |
| B．More solar energy will go into space. |
| C．More disasters will endanger the future of the world. |
| D．People will keep burning fossil fuels to keep warm. |
| A．He thinks more research remains to be done. |
| B．He is optimistic about the effect of cooling the earth. |
| C．He is concerned about the reduction in agriculture production. |
| D．He disapproves of the practice of solar climate intervention. |
| A．The rainfall pattern of a region. |
| B．The modest drop in temperature. |
| C．The number of extreme weather events. |
| D．The injection amount of aerosol. |
4 . We’ve all heard exercise helps you live longer. But a new study goes one step further, finding that a sedentary(久坐不动的) lifestyle is worse for your health than smoking and heart disease.
Dr. Wael Jaber, a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study, called the results "extremely surprising."
"Being unfit in an exercise stress test has a worse prognosis(预后), as far as death, than being a smoker," Jaber told CNN. "We've never seen something as noticeable as this and as objective as this. "
"It should be treated almost as a disease that has a prescription, which is called exercise," he said.
Researchers studied 122,007 patients who took exercise stress tests at Cleveland Clinic between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 2020 to measure death rate relating to the benefits of exercise and fitness. Comparing those with a sedentary lifestyle to the top exercise performers, he said, the risk associated with death is "500% higher. "
What made the study so unique, beyond the number of people studied, he said was that researchers weren't relying on patients self-reporting their exercise. "This is not the patients telling us what they do," Jaber said. "This is our testing them and figuring out objectively the real measure of what they do. "
Researchers have always been concerned that "ultra(高强度的)" exercisers might be at a higher risk of death, but the study found that not to be the case.
The benefits of exercise were seen across all ages and in both men and women, "probably a little more noticeable in females," Jaber said. "Whether you’re in your 40s or your 80s, you will benefit in the same way. "
1. Which statement is true according to the study?| A．High levels of exercise can cause higher death rate. |
| B．The death rate of those with lowest exercise is 12%. |
| C．Being unfit has higher risks of death than smoking. |
| D．Sedentary lifestyle is the major cause of heart disease. |
| A．a habit hard to remove | B．a method to solve a problem |
| C．a treatment given by a doctor | D．a plan to take exercise regularly |
| A．The long period of the tests. | B．The number of the researchers. |
| C．The objective tests and calculations. | D．The self-reporting of the participants. |
| A．Ultra exercise does no good to our health. | B．Women should take more exercise than men |
| C．Exercise is the best way to treat heart disease. | D．Patients should be encouraged to exercise daily. |
5 . A strong coffee after a poor night's sleep is the kick-start many people need in the morning but new research suggests that it might be best to have a bite to eat first.
A study has found that drinking coffee first can have a negative effect on blood sugar control - a risk factor for diabetes （糖尿病）and heart disease.
“We know that nearly half of us will wake in the morning and, before doing anything else, drink coffee --- subjectively the more tired we feel, the stronger the coffee,“ said Professor James Betts, at the University of Bath in the UK.
For their study, researchers at the University of Bath got 29 healthy men and women to take part in three different overnight experiments, with at least a week between them.
In one, the participants had a normal night's sleep, roughly from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and were asked to consume a sugary drink on waking in the morning. They then experienced an interrupted night's sleep, where the researchers woke them every hour for five minutes by sending them text messages to which they had to respond — and upon waking were given the same sugary drink.
On another night, participants experienced the same sleep interruption, but this time were first given a strong black coffee 30 minutes before consuming the sugary drink.
They found that one night of interrupted sleep did not worsen the participants' blood sugar and insulin （胰 岛素）responses when compared to the normal night's sleep-- although previous research suggested that losing many hours of sleep or many nights of poor sleep could have a negative effect. However, strong black coffee consumed before breakfast actually increased the blood sugar response by around 50% — suggesting that relying on coffee after a bad night to stop feeling sleepy could limit your body's ability to tolerate the sugar in your breakfast.
1. What does the underlined word “kick-start" in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．A kind of sport. | B．A kind of power. |
| C．A kind of medicine. | D．A kind of belief. |
| A．The duration of sleep. | B．The blood sugar response. |
| C．The sugary drink. | D．The intake of coffee. |
| A．A normal sugary drink. |
| B．A normal night's sleep. |
| C．An interrupted night's sleep. |
| D．A cup of strong black coffee. |
| A．By comparing the results. |
| B．By listing some examples. |
| C．By surveying the participants. |
| D．By referring to some documents. |
6 . Killer whales, or orcas, are known for their severe attacks on sea animals but they have never posed a threat to humans. However, since late July, the normally social animals have been intentionally attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
The strange behavior first surfaced on July 29, 2020, when a 46-foot boat was repeatedly attacked for almost an hour by nine orcas, causing the boat to rotate(旋转) 180 degrees and having its engine switched off. Since then, over 30 more similar incidents have been reported. On September 23, 2020, Spain's government banned boats of less than 50 feet in length from sailing in the 60-mile stretch of the Atlantic coastline between Ferrol and the Estaca de Bares Cape, where the attacks have been occurring.
Researchers across the world are trying to explain the orcas' behavior. Some believe it could be a result of the overfishing of the bluefish tuna - the orcas' primary food source -which has left the area's killer whales starving and unable to feed their babies. "I saw them look at boats carrying fish. I think they know humans are somehow related to food shortages, "says Ken Balcomb, senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research in Washington, USA. The environmentalists believe the sudden increase in boat traffic and fishing activities, after months of absence due to restrictions on human activity last spring, could also be contributing to the agitation.
However, Alfredo López, a biology professor in Galicia, Spain, thinks the attacks are defensive measures the orcas adopted to protect themselves against boat injuries. The researcher came to this conclusion after looking at the of the videos of a few incidents and noticing that two of the young killer whales involved had serious injuries. Hopefully, the experts will be able to find a way to restore the harmony between the animals and the humans soon.
1. What do we know about orcas in paragraph 1?| A．They are friendly to humans. | B．They have changed their behavior. |
| C．They are famous for hunting skills | D．They have met tough living conditions. |
| A．Ken Balcomb. | B．The environmentalists. |
| C．Alfredo López. | D．Spain's government. |
| A．The attacks. | B．Food shortages. | C．The overfishing. | D．Human activities. |
| A．How do killer whales attack humans? |
| B．Why Are Killer Whales attacking Boats? |
| C．How can we live in harmony with animals? |
| D．Why are boats banned from sailing on the sea? |
7 . Imagine a world where you move around in front of a personal computer in your own sound space. You listen to your favorite songs, play loud computer games or watch a movie — all without other people hearing the sound and without headphones.
That is the possibility presented by “sound beaming”, a new technology from Noveto Systems, an Israeli company. On Friday, the company introduced a desktop device that sends sound directly to a listener without the need for headphones or a special receiver.
Noveto Systems gave The Associated Press (AP) a chance to test its SoundBeamer 1.0 before its introduction. The AP’s Louise Dixon writes that listening to the device is like something from a science fiction movie.The sound seems so close that it feels like it is inside your ears while also in front, above and behind them.
Noveto expects the device will have many uses. Office workers could listen to music or conference calls without others hearing. People could play a game, a movie or music without waking up others in the same room. Because the device does not use headphones, it is possible to hear other sounds in the room clearly.
The device uses a 3-D sensing module that finds and follows the ear position of the listener. It sends ultrasonic waves (超声波) to create sound pockets by the user’s ears. The 3-D method creates sound on all sides of the listener, therefore the listeners feel completely transported into the scene.
By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when he moves his head. It is also possible to move out of the sound beam's path and hear nothing at all.
While the idea of sound beaming is not new, Noveto was the first to launch the technology.
According to the chief executive officer Christophe Ramstein, a “smaller” version of the device will be ready for release to consumers next year.
1. What does the underlined word “possibility” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．The listener may put on music to block out other sounds. |
| B．The listener may hear sound only for him or her without using headphones. |
| C．The listener may enjoy songs or movies without being interrupted by others. |
| D．The listener may have the ability to pick up some special sounds. |
| A．Amazing. | B．Impossible. |
| C．Strange. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．It places the listener on the scene to hear the sound. |
| B．It fixes a sound beam’s path which can not be changed. |
| C．It follows the listeners around to send and receive sounds. |
| D．With 3-D tracking technology, it sends ultrasonic waves to the target listener. |
| A．To promote the SoundBeamer. | B．To introduce a new sound device. |
| C．To recommend new headphones. | D．To explain a technical phenomenon. |
8 . People of all cultures have special stories they pass down. Aboriginal (土著的) Australians have a long history of telling stories. They call it “Dreaming”. Many Dreaming stories are thousands of years old.
Europeans came to Australia in 1788. At that time, Aboriginal people had been there for 60,000 years. There were 270 tribes (部落), and each one spoke a different language. Only tribal members were allowed to take part in Dreaming. If they drew symbols during Dreaming, tribal members had to erase them. Most people drew these symbols in the dirt. That way, they could erase them after Dreaming.
When Europeans moved into Australia, they wanted the Aboriginal people to become more like them. In 1959, they built a town called Papunya. They asked Aboriginal tribes to move there. In Papunya, the Europeans hoped the Aboriginal people would become part of European culture. However, Aboriginal people wanted to hold on to their own cultures. That was difficult in Papunya. The tribes were also living with each other for the first time. Slowly, parts of each tribe’s culture began to die out. Today, only 18 of the 270 languages remain strong.
Still, Aboriginal people held on to their Dreaming stories. In 1971, a group of students in Papunya shared their stories with each other during an art class. Their teacher noticed what they were doing. He wanted them to use the symbols in their artwork.
However, they wanted to protect their tradition. To do so, they hid their Dreaming symbols in the dots of each painting. That way, only other people from their tribe could truly understand the message of the painting. Soon, the practice of Aboriginal dot painting (点画) became widespread. Aboriginal dot paintings can’t be fully understood by outsiders. However, many still enjoy the paintings as art. Dot painting became popular in the late 20th century. Today, Aboriginal artists continue to conceal their Dreaming symbols.
1. What do we know about Dreaming stories?| A．They were kept secret from other tribes. |
| B．They interested the Europeans very much. |
| C．They were created to fight the Europeans. |
| D．They were about the Aboriginals’ history. |
| A．Some of their tribes disappeared forever. |
| B．Some of their tribes’ culture disappeared. |
| C．All the tribes began to speak the same language. |
| D．The tribes couldn’t live a peaceful life together. |
| A．A teacher. | B．The Europeans. |
| C．Aboriginal artists. | D．A group of students in Papunya. |
| A．Use. | B．Change. | C．Hide. | D．Paint. |
9 . We all know it is important for students to get a good night’s sleep every night. They aren’t able to do their best unless they sleep well. Most experts agree that the proper number of hours is eight, and this has been accepted as common sense for as long as I can remember. However, I was young once and I know that most of you get much less sleep than that-and sometimes this affects your schoolwork.
I read an article in a teachers’ magazine recently. They did a study of 848 students in a senior school. Worryingly, the results suggested that teenagers are facing a new problem. They may go to bed and get up at proper times but a growing number wake up in the middle of the night, not to use the bathroom or have a snack but because of FOMO-the fear of missing out!
According to the article, schoolchildren suffer because of an increasing trend to wake up during the night to check social media. Afraid of missing a message or chance to take part in a discussion, teens wake up at all times of the night to go online and join up with social groups. All this happens when they should be sound asleep.
The report gives some worrying numbers. 23% of 12-to 15-year-olds wake up nearly every night to use social media. Another 15% wake up at night once a week for the same reason. As a result, one in three students are constantly exhausted and unable to do well at school.
So, I’d like to ask you to be responsible when it comes to social media. Be brave and turn off your phones and computers at night. The world won’t end and your social media will be waiting to greet you in the morning. I give you my word that you won’t have missed anything important.
1. What is the new trend among teenagers?| A．They get up too early in the morning. |
| B．They wake up at midnight to go online. |
| C．They wake up at night to get something to eat. |
| D．They have difficulty in falling asleep again at night. |
| A．A fear of going online. |
| B．A need to go out all the time. |
| C．A fear of losing touch on social media. |
| D．A need to use the latest technology. |
| A．disappointed | B．surprised | C．confused | D．tired |
| A．Uninterested | B．Supportive | C．Concerned | D．Doubtful |
10 . Beijing resident Hou Lixin started eating meal replacement products in February when she wanted to lose weight. She bought various meal replacement products online and ate them for more than a month.
“Most of them don’t taste good, but at least they have low calories and are convenient to buy, store and cook,” she said, adding the product she consumed gave a strong sense of fullness.
Hou is by no means alone. Meal replacement products, or substitutes for regular meals that can fill you up with low-calorie intakes, appear as a potential big market in China, driven by Chinese consumer’ demand for products that can help in weight control and offer convenience, experts said.
The most common meal replacement products include powders, liquids, shakes, porridges and energy bars containing fiber, protein, vitamin, minerals and other nutritious content.
The meal replacement market is at the early stage of competition and there is big room for future development, like in the United States and Japan. Euromonitor International, a market research company, said sales revenue of meal replacement products in China hit 57.17 billion yuan in 2017 and is expected to reach 120 billion yuan by 2022. More fast-moving consumer goods giants are partaking in the market action. PepsiCo’s oat brand Quaker released a new shake product in June. A major Chinese snack brand Bestore released 27 meal replacement products in August.
Jia Jianbin, secretary general at Chinese Cereals and Oils Association, told CCTV reporter that despite its possible effectiveness that many people believe, this way of weight loss may bring greater harm as it breaks the balance of nutrition and food. As a result, it can only be a temporary move, not a long-term use.
“Cereal meal replacement powder, for example, is mainly composed of carbohydrates (碳水化合物), which have enough calories，but the vitamins and minerals are not enough. Instead, it is better to soak oatmeal (燕麦片) in milk, which may be more nutritious and more economical,” said Gu Zhongyi, a dietitian of the Beijing Dietetic Association. “Meal replacements can be an alternative for busy workers, but they are no substitute for a balanced diet, and try not to eat more than one meal a day.”
1. The author quotes the example of Hou Lixin to _________.| A．show an efficient way to lose weight |
| B．promote the meal replacement products |
| C．introduce the topic of meal replacement products |
| D．arouse readers’ interest in the meal replacement products |
| A．Because they are highly recommended by health experts. |
| B．Because they are helpful to control weight and bring convenience. |
| C．Because they have a large market share in the food market. |
| D．Because they provide various forms and flavors for the consumers. |
| A．Participating. | B．Advertising. |
| C．Experimenting. | D．Cooperating. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Confused. |
