1 . A sleepover (过夜) program, which is designed to make kids believe that their favorite toys enjoy reading, can help encourage children to pick up more books, a new study suggests.
Toys sleepover programs are designed to get children interested in books. Children take their toys to a library for the night. At this point, workers and volunteers take photos of the toys which explore the library and read books. The next day, the children collect their toys and the photos of what the toys did during the night. They are given the books their toys chose to read.
It was found that before the sleepover the children did not spend time looking at the books in their play area at preschool. Immediately after the sleepover, the number of children who read to the toys was higher than the number who did not, but after three days the effect decreased gradually.
The researchers also tested a method for sustaining the effect. They reminded the children of the sleepover a month later, by hiding the toys and showing them the photos again the next day. This simple method brought an increase in the number of children reading to their toys.
The study proves for the first time that children who take part in sleepover programs read picture books to their toys more. “We wanted to know if there really was an effect, and if so, how long it lasts. Surprisingly, not only did the children show interest in the books, but they also began to read to their toys. This means that a new behavior pattern appeared that the children hadn’t had before. We did not expect anything like this,” said one of the researchers.
Reading is important for the development of children’s language skills and imagination. When parents read to their children, it is a passive way of reading for the child. However, when children read to their toys, it is a more active, self-directed way of reading, helping them develop into more active readers, researchers said.
1. What is the purpose of the sleepover program?| A．To develop children’s language skills. |
| B．To help children to sleep well. |
| C．To encourage children to read more. |
| D．To guide children to form a good sleeping habit. |
| A．Go around the library with their toys. |
| B．Sleep with their toys. |
| C．Read together with their toys. |
| D．Take their toys to the library. |
| A．keeping | B．testing | C．surveying | D．showing |
| A．Children showed no interest in the books. |
| B．The effect of the sleepover program could last long. |
| C．Children began to read to their toys on their own. |
| D．Whether the sleepover program had an effect remained unknown. |
2 . Most sea turtles, whales and fish may have plastic in their bodies. To determine the various forms and colors of this material in marine animals, Marga Rivas at the University of Almeria in Spain and her team analyzed data from 112 studies published in the past decade. These looked for microplastics and larger macro plastics in marine species globally.
Of the studies, 80 examined the gastrointestinal tracts (胃肠道)of animals to see what they had taken in. The others also looked at wider animal tissues to identify plastics that end up in other parts of the body. After examining all of the data, Rivas and her team concluded that 66 per cent of sea turtles have white-colored macro and microplastics in their systems, while 55 percent have a distinct class of plastic called microfibers, which are shed by some fabrics (织物). The high amount of white plastic in turtles was unsurprising, says Rivas, given that plastic of this color, particularly larger pieces, may resemble jellyfish, a large part of the animals' diets.
Microfibers were also present in 80 percent of whales and dolphins - and white macro and microplastics in 38 percent of them. The researchers also concluded that clear fiber microplastics are probably the most common form of this waste that is taken in by large marine animals globally. Rivas and her colleagues also discovered that the animals with the highest rates of plastic were those in the Mediterranean and the northeast Indian Ocean.
“The Mediterranean is the most contaminated sea in the world, so we expected to find these results,” says Rivas. Marine plastic pollution has increased roughly 10-fbld since 1980, and Rivas says the problem is worsened by inadequate water treatment systems. In parts of India and the southeast Mediterranean, waste water isn’t adequately treated or recycled, she says. This means that microfibers shed by fabrics in washing machines, and larger pieces of rubbish, enter the sea. “It’s possible to introduce management strategies to control these huge threats,” says Rivas.
1. How did Rivas and her team conduct the study?| A．By doing comparative experiments. |
| B．By analyzing data from previous studies. |
| C．By determining the forms and colors of plastics. |
| D．By looking for plastics in global marine animals. |
| A．White plastic looks like the food sea turtles consume. |
| B．More while plastic was in the sea than that of other colors. |
| C．White plastic is the most common form of the plastic waste. |
| D．White microfibers from fabrics were abundant in the oceans. |
| A．Researched | B．Conserved | C．Examined | D．Polluted |
| A．Health. | B．Lifestyle. | C．Science. | D．Education. |
3 . In the past 50 years, the amount of water in the open ocean with zero oxygen has increased more than four times. In coastal water bodies, including the river mouth and seas, low-oxygen sites have increased more than 10 times since 1950. Scientists expect oxygen to continue dropping even outside these zones as the Earth warms. To stop the decline, the world needs to control in both climate change and nutrient pollution.
Oxygen is a must to life in the oceans. The drop in ocean oxygen is among the most serious effects of human activities on the Earth’s environment.
This is the first time for the scientists to take such a deep look at the causes, consequences and solutions to low oxygen worldwide, in both the open ocean and in coastal waters. About half of the oxygen on the Earth comes from the ocean. However, combined effects of nutrient loading and climate change are greatly increasing the number and size of “dead zones”in the open ocean and coastal waters, where oxygen is too low to support most sea life.
In areas traditionally called “dead zones”, like those in Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, oxygen drops to levels so low that many animals have trouble in breathing and die. As fish run away from these zones, their living areas become smaller and smaller. But the problem goes far beyond “dead zones”. Even smaller oxygen drops can hold up the growth in animals, reproduction and lead to disease or even death. Low oxygen also can cause the release of dangerous chemicals. While some animals can thrive in dead zones, overall biodiversity falls.
1. What does the underlined word “decline” mean ?| A．Increase. | B．Drop. | C．Keep. | D．Double. |
| A．10%. | B．25%. | C．40%. | D．50%. |
| A．The oxygen in these areas is too low for the animals to live. |
| B．Ships are easy to break down and sink in these areas. |
| C．There are no animals living in these areas. |
| D．Many people died in these areas. |
| A．All animals living in the sea need oxygen. |
| B．Climate change can help cut down the dead zone. |
| C．Fish grow faster and better in low oxygen area. |
| D．Human activities have many bad effects on environment. |
| A．Dead zone in water is becoming larger. |
| B．Oxygen in water is necessary for sea animals. |
| C．The drop in ocean oxygen causes bad effects. |
| D．Low oxygen can cause the release of dangerous gas. |
4 . There is a Website called the “World Database of Happiness”. It combines and analyzes the results of hundreds of surveys from around the world that have been conducted on life satisfaction. Most of the findings are predictable, but a few are surprising.
The database makes it clear that there is not a strong connection between material wealth and general satisfaction. It is a cliche to say that money can’t buy happiness, but the old saying seems to be supported by research. Many people still believe that gaining riches will be the answer to all their problems, yet they are probably mistaken.
Studies have been carried out on people who got sudden wealth, such as lottery winners. In most cases, after the initial joy had worn off, people were not left with a sense of lasting happiness. In fact, they tended to go back to the way they felt before they became rich.
If material wealth does not bring happiness, then what does? Perhaps happiness has something to do with where you live. The authorities at the World Database on Happiness have surveyed levels of happiness in different countries. Obviously, people in America, Canada, and Singapore are very happy; people living in India and Russia, not surprisingly, are not happy.
Other surveys consistently point to the importance of relationships. Family relationships in particular seem to be the key to long-term happiness. The website suggests that falling in love and having children are two of the situations that bring the greatest happiness.
Nowadays people look to technology as another source of satisfaction. People increasingly spend more time alone watching TV or surfing the Internet rather than spending time with family. Can technology truly make people happy? It is too difficult to tell, but one thing is sure: If the website’s research is right, time spent with your family is a better investment than time spent making money.
1. The Website World Database of Happiness is designed to______.| A．share stories of happiness | B．find out the reason for happiness |
| C．conduct surveys around the world | D．tell interviewees how to be happy |
| A．Traditional custom. | B．Proved theory. |
| C．Famous report. | D．Popular belief. |
| A．An unhappy man who has won a lottery in Singapore. |
| B．A student who has three high-income part-time jobs in India. |
| C．A mother who stays with her family everyday in America. |
| D．A Russian falling in love with a soulmate recently. |
| A．Levels of happiness vary from country to country. |
| B．Making money is not the only way to happiness. |
| C．It is uncertain whether technology make people happy. |
| D．A good family relationship is the key to lasting happiness. |
| A．Neutral. | B．Dissatisfied. | C．Supportive. | D．Doubtful. |
