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 . Norway aims to discover new resources beneath the sea, but its push into mining has raised environmental concerms.
Norway could license companies for deep-sea mining as early as 2023. That could place it among the first countries to harvest seabed metals. Copper, zinc and other metals are in high demand for electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar energy centers. However, that could also place Norway on the front line of controversies over the environmental risks of mining the world’s unexplored seabeds.
Norway recently announced it was carrying out an environmental study needed to start mineral exploration and mining. Once that is completed, the govemment plans to have public comments on its environmental study and on a proposal to open areas for exploration and production by the end of 2022.
The demand for minerals is being driven by what are often called “clean” technologies. But the process of getting those minerals from the seabed could cause environmental problems.
Environmentalists including Britain’s David Attenborough have called for a temporary (暂时的) stop to deepseabed mining until more is known about how it affects sea life. The environmental group Greenpeace called for a total ban in a recent report. In another report, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, known as the Ocean Panel, also called for greater knowledge about the effects of deep-sea mining. The Ocean Panel is cochaired by Norway and has 14 member states that want to shape policy on the world’s oceans.
Norway is known as a major oil producer. But, the country of 5. 4 million people wants to find something to replace its top industry that is better for the environment and can grow in the future.
The move toward deep-sea mining follows three years of expeditions(探险). The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, which carried out the work, said it found copper, zinc, cobalt, gold and silver. The expeditions also discovered large armounts of lithium and the rare earth metal scandium used in electronics and metal mixtures.
1. What does the underlined word “controversies”in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Power. | B．Benefits. |
| C．Arguments. | D．Popularity. |
| A．Decide mining areas. | B．Ask for people’s opinions. |
| C．Start seabed mining at once. | D．Take action to protect nature. |
| A．Unsupportive. | B．Positive. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．Earning more money. | B．Controlling the areas. |
| C．Developing clean energy. | D．Learning about sea resources. |
3 . You spend a third of your life asleep, a certain part of which involves dreaming. But most often, you don’t remember any of your dreams.
While the exact reason of why we can hardly recall our dreams is not fully known, scientists have gotten some insight into memory processes during sleep, leading to several ideas that may explain our forgetfulness.
You are awake, but is your hippocampus(海马体) awake? When we fall asleep, not all the brain’s regions go offline at the same time. Researchers have found one of the last regions to go to sleep is the hippocampus, a structure in brain that is important for moving information from short-term memory into long-term memory.
“If the hippocampus is the last to go to sleep, it could very well be the last to wake up,” said Thomas Andrillon, a neuroscientist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. “So, you could have this window where you wake up with a dream in your short-term memory, but since the hippocampus is not fully awake yet, your brain is not able to keep that memory,” Andrillon told Live Science.
While this might explain why dream memories are so fleeting, it doesn’t mean that your hippocampus has been inactive throughout the night. In fact, this region is quite active during sleep, and appears to be storing and caring for existing memories to strengthen them, instead of listening for incoming new experiences.
Sometimes your dreams are just not memorable? Do you remember what you were thinking about this morning when brushing your teeth? Our minds wander(游离) all the time, but we get rid of most of those thoughts as unimportant information. Dreams, especially ordinary ones, may be just like daydreaming thoughts and believed by the brain to be too useless to remember. But dreams that are more vivid, emotional and coherent(连贯的) seem to be better remembered—perhaps because they cause more awakening, and their organized story makes them easier to store.
If you are interested in improving your dream recall, there are a few tricks to try. One is drinking water before bed, because it will make you wake up at night to use the bathroom. These middle-of-the-night awakenings are frequently accompanied by dream recall. Repeatedly reminding yourself that you want to remember your dreams may increase your chances, and so does keeping a dream journal, some studies have suggested. Upon waking up, hang on to that fragile(脆弱的) dream memory: keep your eyes closed, stay still and replay the dream memory, until your hippocampus catches up and properly stores the memory.
1. What can we learn about dreams from the passage?| A．Dreaming means processing memory during sleeping. |
| B．Dreams come from your hippocampus. |
| C．Dreams are sometimes useless for us to remember. |
| D．We need special trainings to recall our dreams. |
| A．you are forgetful and poor in remembering things |
| B．your dreams are vivid, emotional and coherent |
| C．your hippocampus is active in receiving new information |
| D．your brain needs to start up to move dreams into long-term memory |
| A．Inactive. | B．Short-lived. |
| C．Significant. | D．Slight. |
| A．Improve the ability of your hippocampus to catch up information. |
| B．Keep reminding yourself of the need to remember your dreams. |
| C．Record what you can remember in your dreams upon awakening. |
| D．Think back on the things in your dreams directly after you wake up. |
| A．To tell the importance of dreams. |
| B．To explain our forgetfulness in dreams. |
| C．To present some methods to recall dreams. |
| D．To analyze how our brain deal with information. |
4 . Photo Research
“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of better stuff.” Photographer Jim Richardson shared it with others. He spends a great deal of time doing photo research, looking for great locations to shoot.
Seeing a wonderful place is bread-and-butter photography—it’s just part of the job. Getting there is only half of any great photograph’s story. The other half is how the photographer prepares to capture the subject once in front of it. It is believed that groundwork is part of photography, as essential as knowing exposure and lighting or recognizing the decisive moment to take the shot. Research sounds like a boring task for many photographers, while for others digging into a subject in advance is part of the pleasure.
Philosophically, photographers seem to divide along that line. On one side are those who desire only to be in the moment. On the other side are the planners. They would never dream of going out the door without a full list of how they’re going to approach the shoot. Actually, there is a third group nowadays. They just take photos of the whole scene and do all the creative work in Photoshop after the event. Most photographers do both: research carefully to prepare their schedule and then act in the moment once on site.
Photographers should do a lot of research in order to get ready for a photographic trip. This includes creating a file for each location they are due to visit. They start a file for each place and begin to make a list of the pieces of information. Knowing what the place looks like in advance is invaluable, so it is good to hit several Internet photo sites. Besides clueing them into the photographic possibilities of the location, this can also show what angles have already become overused and which they should therefore avoid. But photographers will also find angles they didn’t expect from locations they hadn’t imagined. Armed with these they will be better prepared to push the boundaries of what they expect.
“Above all, I’ll look for places and events that are seasonal and timeless. I open my mind to what might make a great subject for a picture,” Jim said. “Most travelers tend to think only of places they’re visiting, without looking deeper into culture, history or meaning. I try to get in time with the rhythm of the place and in tune with its melody. But most of all I just want to be ready. If I’m ready, I can just about count on being lucky.”
1. What does the underlined word “capture” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Identify. | B．Record. | C．Arrange. | D．Explore. |
| A．They are unable to decide on the best plan of action. |
| B．It is possible for them to adopt flexible ways of working. |
| C．The third group is not as imaginative as some of the others. |
| D．Some of them refuse to try to understand the way others work. |
| A．Sound preparation is a must for a satisfactory photo. |
| B．One should create photo sites in a photographic trip. |
| C．Taking photos requires vivid imagination in advance. |
| D．It is essential to do photo research in central locations. |
| A．he feels good to visit those historical places |
| B．he refuses to spend too much time in one place |
| C．he is careful about choosing the right place to visit |
| D．he likes to go to places that few people bother to visit |
5 . As online technology advanced, web sites, podcasts, and blogs became powerful sources of information that allowed everyone to stay updated on any subject imaginable. Although all of these information sources remain popular, there's a new king of media and it's online video.
There are many reasons why online video has increased suddenly over the past few years. The first is increasing data speeds. It wasn't until recently that people everywhere had fast enough online connections to enjoy high-definition （高清）videos. However, once faster Internet speeds were provided, people quickly fell in love with online videos. The second reason why online videos have become so popular is convenience. Watching videos requires less effort and energy than reading through paragraphs of text after a day of hard work. Videos also seem to provide more satisfaction, as people prefer to connect with people they can hear and see, as against the words of some author whom they know little about.
Advancing digital technology has also helped, as it has made sharing videos easier and more convenient than ever. High-powered smartphones and more affordable video cameras allow anyone to easily record an event or give a few comments about a scorching topic that is on their mind. Meanwhile, sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and Ustream allow users to quickly upload their videos and share them with friends, family, and the general public if they wish.
Last but not least, advertising. Companies have made it easy for people to get rewarded for creating popular videos. Some people with large enough fan bases can even make a very wealthy living by uploading a few videos every week.
The future also looks bright for companies who post online video ads. In fact, new software allows them to watch viewers' emotional reactions to their content through the users' webcams （网络摄像机）.They'll be able to see whether users laugh, cry, or feel bored during videos, so they can adjust their ads. This should prove extremely helpful, as there will be millions of videos competing for viewers' attention.
1. Why do some people prefer watching videos to reading after work?| A．It helps them review the news. |
| B．It helps them get information with relative ease. |
| C．It provides them more information. |
| D．It helps them save time. |
| A．Unusual. | B．Future. | C．Hot. | D．Social. |
| A．It will enable them to better understand what customers enjoy. |
| B．It will let more viewers see the advertisements they make. |
| C．It will cause viewers to create more popular videos. |
| D．It will make people like their videos. |
| A．Online Video: The New King of Media |
| B．Online Technology is Developing Fast |
| C．Online Video: A New Advertising Trend |
| D．Online Technology is Closely Related to People |
6 . Recently whenever I turned on my computer or my mobile phone, news about the great effect of Hurricane Harvey（哈维飓风）on thousands of people caught my eye. I saw many unfortunate events. However, there was also lots of bright news that showed the goodness of mankind. As a reporter, I reported many human-interest stories when doing my job, That’s why the story about the guys in the bakery（面包店）caught my eye.
When the workers at a Mexican bakery chain in Houston were trapped inside the building for two days, they didn't sit there feeling sorry for themselves. They used their time wisely after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. While waiting for the eventual rescue that came on Monday morning, the four workers decided to make as many loaves of bread as possible for people around the neighborhood. They talked to their manager about their plan over the phone and the manager agreed.
The flood water rose in the street outside. They took advantage of their emergency power supply to bake bread. They used more than 4,200 pounds of flour（面粉）to create hundreds of loaves and sheets of sweet bread. Although the water kept rising, they continued baking to help more people. By the time the manager managed to get to them, they had made so much bread that they took the loaves to lots of emergency centers across the city for people affected by the floods.
The store manager, Brian Alvarado, told The Independent, “They've done more than they should have done. And what they had done has lit a light for people. I feel lucky to have them work in the bakery.”
Whenever a disaster occurs, nobody should feelforlorn. Instead, we should stay hopeful and take positive action to save ourselves and help others. Our acts of kindness will make a big difference to the people in the world as well as the world itself.
1. Why did the story in the bakery draw the author’s attention?| A．It was helpful in choosing a good job. |
| B．It made him/her interested in baking. |
| C．It could bring him/her much money. |
| D．It showed the goodness of mankind. |
| A．They tried to get people out of water. |
| B．They set up emergency centers to help. |
| C．They offered to make bread for people. |
| D．They let homeless people live in the bakery. |
| A．He found them lucky. | B．He was proud of them. |
| C．They were experienced. | D．They were shy but brave. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Confident. | C．Serious. | D．Angry. |
7 . I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. "But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth."
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us, I was "too emotional". But she lived "on the surface".
As years passed, I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family, I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer; none came.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace. It seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of Her desk told me, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and a one — page letter, folded and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.
1. The passage shows that___________.| A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to the author |
| B．Mother was too serious about everything the author had done |
| C．Mother cared much about the author in words |
| D．Mother wrote to the author in careful words |
| A．deep understanding | B．difference between ideas |
| C．free talks | D．part of the sea |
| A．She had never received the letter. |
| B．For years, she often talked about the letter. |
| C．She didn't forgive her daughter at all in all her life. |
| D．She read the letter again and again till she died. |
| A．My letter to Mother | B．Mother and Children |
| C．My Mother's Desk | D．Talks between Mother and me. |
8 . Some people say global English is no longer just controlled by British or American English,but is running free and developing uniquely local forms.Can you figure out the following terms?
“I like your smile,but unlike you put your shoes on my face.”This is a way of saying“Keep off the grass.”Or“people mountain,people sea”,which means“very crowded”.
These examples are what we call Chinglish.When it comes to Chinglish,if all you know is“good good study,day day up”,you will be considered“out man”.
Nowadays,more Chinglish words have been created,for example,a Chinese idiom is translated as“smilence”,a combination by the English word smile and silence.
Chinglish usually offers a humorous look at misuses of the English language in Chinese street signs,products,and advertising.They are favoured by some English speaking tourists and visitors.Dominic Swire has been living in Beijing for a couple of years.“I think many Chinese people complain about the Chinglish and badly translated English.But you know,sometimes for us foreigners,it’s actually quite charming to see them.I think if the translations of English in China were all perfect,then something would be lost from Chinese culture.”
However,Chinglish will probably become a“cultural relic”in the near future.Beijing has made a comprehensive plan to improve foreign language services and correct Chinglish within five years.“It is very ridiculous to see Chinglish on the signs in some scenic spots.And they are a kind of barrier for communication between Chinese and people from other countries,”a Beijinger said.
Some Chinese university experts side with Chinglish.They argue that English has absorbed elements from other languages such as French and Spanish in its growth,and now it’s Chinese’s turn.
1. What can we call Chinglish?| A．English words which get new Chinese meanings. |
| B．The Chinese words which are difficult to translate. |
| C．The words combining English vocabulary and Chinese grammar. |
| D．The local words preventing foreigners from learning Chinese well. |
| A．Saying nothing but to smile. | B．Smiling without being noticed. |
| C．Laughing at somebody. | D．Knowing little about speech. |
| A．It can show the humour of Chinese. | B．It will attract more foreign tourists. |
| C．It helps him to learn Chinese well. | D．It seems part of Chinese culture. |
| A．Because it has become a unique bridge between Chinese and English. |
| B．Because Chinglish is a chance to enrich Chinese and English. |
| C．Because it improves the understanding between Chinese and foreigners. |
| D．Because Beijing is determined to get rid of Chinglish signs. |
9 . Opera for Beginners
Many people think that opera is boring, difficult to understand and unpleasant to listen to. They only see strange people singing in a foreign language and wearing funny costumes. They're too quick to judge and a lot of people have believed stupid ideas about opera without ever actually seeing one. If one takes opera seriously, with an open heart, and goes to several good live performances, I don't see any reason why he or she would dislike or hate it. The following tips can help you learn to enjoy opera.
First of all, if you are new to opera, start with a short, well-known title, such as The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart. In the beginning, avoid difficult operas with complex storylines. If your first experience is not fun, then you will expect all operas to be boring. Moreover, before going to a performance, do a little bit of homework: learn the story of the opera. If you know about the main characters and the story before you start watching, it will be much easier to understand what is happening on the stage. Finally, the most important way to enjoy opera is to keep an open mind. If you believe that you will enjoy watching opera, then you will most likely enjoy it. Think of opera as a live TV show. Opera shows the same things—love and hate, good and evil and humans and nature—that are found in many of today's popular movies and best-selling novels. In fact, many of these movies and novels use stories copied from famous operas!
Opera is full of catchy, wonderful melodies （旋律）. It's full of drama and laughter. It's full of wonder and life. Opera can be fun to watch, and it allows the audience to experience different cultures. Many people have enjoyed it for hundreds of years, and by following the tips above, you can enjoy it, too. Indeed, opera will change the minds of the people who once hated it. And most importantly, as one of the most diverse art forms out there, opera helps you appreciate different performance styles from all over the world.
1. Many people think that opera is boring because ______.| A．it is like a TV show | B．they know little about it |
| C．they dislike its storylines | D．its music style is old-fashioned |
| A．To start with a long opera. | B．To learn to sing an opera. |
| C．To master a foreign language. | D．To get familiar with an opera's story. |
| A．have the same writer | B．share a similar story |
| C．teach people about lifestyles | D．help people keep an open mind |
| A．Various. | B．Humorous. | C．Ancient. | D．Exciting. |
10 . The COVID-19 pandemic has spread far and wide. Because of this, countries around the world have implemented containment measures(实施遏制措施)to help stop the virus in its tracks. As more and more people stay inside to stay safe, the outside world seems to have become much quieter. In fact, scientists have seen this change in their research, too.
Seismologists–scientists who study earthquakes–have heard less seismic(地震的)noise recently. Seismic noise is made from vibrations(震动)in the ground that are caused by things like ocean waves and human activity, such as construction work and traffic. This noise makes it difficult for scientists to pick up seismic activity that is made at the same frequency.
Thomas Lecocq,a scientist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, located in Brussels, was the first to notice this phenomenon.
According to Lecocq, the amount of seismic noise in Brussels has been reduced by about 30 to 50 percent since mid-March. Interestingly enough, this is around the same time Belgium started its containment measures.
Because of this reduction in background noise, scientists like Lecocq have been able to pick up on smaller earthquakes that some seismic stations–like the one in Brussels–wouldn’t have been able to before.
This phenomenon isn’t unique to Brussels, though. Once Lecocq shared his findings online, seismologists from all over the world echoed similar findings.
Celeste Labedz, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, mentioned in a tweet that Los Angeles also experienced less background noise.
Researchers from the UK, France and New Zealand also noted a decrease in background noise since containment measures were put in place.
These global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus have helped to shed light on seismic activity that may have gone unnoticed. It also shows that people are listening to health officials and following lockdown guidelines.
“From the seismological point of view, we can motivate people to say,‘ You feel like you’re alone at home, but we can tell you that everyone is home.…Everyone is respecting the rules.’Lecocq told CNN.
1. What did seismologists find out recently?| A．More smaller earthquakes are likely to happen. |
| B．Less seismic activity has been detected recently. |
| C．Seismic noise is caused by vibrations underground. |
| D．Reduced seismic vibration makes Earth quieter. |
| A．More data on smaller earthquakes is being collected. |
| B．More seismic noise is being picked up. |
| C．Scientists will shift their focus to smaller earthquakes. |
| D．Future big earthquakes can be more accurately predicted. |
| A．questioned | B．demanded | C．explored | D．repeated |
| A．human activities cause more seismic noise than ocean waves. |
| B．The drop in seismic noise is unique to Europe. |
| C．The phenomenon proved that people are following the lockdown rules. |
| D．Many seismologists wanted tighter restrictions for their research. |
