1 . The sixth mass extinction of life on the Earth is unfolding more quickly than feared, scientists have warned. More than 30 percent of animals with a backbone — fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals — are declining in both range and population, according to the first comprehensive analysis of these trends.
Around a decade ago, experts feared that a new range wipeout of species was appearing. Today, most agree that it is underway — but the new study suggests that the die-out is already growing fast.
The loss of biodiversity has recently accelerated. Several species of mammals that were relatively safe one or two decades ago are now endangered, including cheetahs, lions and giraffes, the study showed.
There is no mystery as to why: our own ever-expanding species — which has more than doubled in number since 1960 to 7.4 billion — is eating, crowding and polluting its planetary cohabitants out of existence. By comparison, there are as few as 20,000 lions left in the wild, less than 7,000 cheetahs, 500 to 1,000 giant pandas.
The main drivers of wildlife decline are habitat loss, over-consumption, pollution, other species, disease, as well as hunting in the case of tigers, elephants, rhinos and other large animals prized for their body parts.
Climate change is thought to become a major threat in the coming decades, with some animals — most famously polar bears — already in decline due to rising temperatures and changing weather patterns.
1. What does the underlined word “underway” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Doing. | B．On-going. |
| C．Increasing. | D．Keeping. |
| A．The extinction reasons of the wild animals. |
| B．The disappearance of the wild animals is approaching. |
| C．The extinction of the wild animals is becoming faster. |
| D．The rising temperatures lead to the extinction of the wild animals. |
| A．Protected. | B．Endangered. |
| C．Comfortable. | D．Wonderful. |
| A．Climate change. | B．Humans’ hunting. |
| C．Loss of living areas. | D．Various illnesses. |
2 . Smart cities are coming. And you can be sure that hackers (黑客) won’t be very far behind. We’ve already gotten a glimpse of that future, as cities across the globe start to use technology to connect their services and people in ways that were science film just a few years ago. They are using sensors to collect data — such as traffic, garbage collecting, and road conditions —and then using that data to deliver services to more people and more efficiently.
But this rush to become a smart city has a major weakness: The more connected a city is, the easier it is to cyber-attacks. Hackers have, in recent years, effectively held cities hostage through ransom ware (赎金器), sometimes damaging critical systems for months at a time. The damage can cost millions to repair, as Baltimore and Atlanta have discovered.
And this is just the beginning. As cities add connectivity to their streetlights, power grids, dams, transit lines and other services, they are adding more targets that are possible to be hacked. What’s more, as additional information on people is collected, officials worry the result —lots of data could attract nation-states or terrorists who could use the data to launch physical and cyber war.
What cyber security lesson can’t be taught in this hack? For example: Don’t open email attachments from unfamiliar sources; don’t click on unrecognized links; don’t leave sensitive information visible on the walls or surfaces of your office.
But let’s just stick to the most important lesson: The information you share on social media can be used to profile and target you, whether that’s by engineering click bait (点击诱饵) aimed at your particular interests, guessing your password based on your birthday or figuring out your schedule and travels so that an intruder can access your home or office.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
1. What did people use to think of smart cities?| A．It was the product of science. | B．It was sure to be popular. |
| C．It existed in imagination. | D．It improved people’s life. |
| A．Introduce the harm of hackers. |
| B．Show the danger of a smart city. |
| C．Add some background information. |
| D．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| A．It is convenient to provide service. |
| B．It is certain to bring about progress. |
| C．There are actually potential dangers. |
| D．There’s competition in high technology. |
| A．Describe. | B．Protect. | C．Impress. | D．Fund. |
3 . What does it say about the future of meat when the country’s largest processor of chicken, pork, and beef buys a stake(股份) in a start-up that aims to “perfectly replace animal protein with plant protein”?
Tyson Foods announced this week that it purchased a 5 percent stake in Beyond Meat, the Southern California-based food-tech start-up that made headlines earlier this year with its veggie burger that reportedly cooks and tastes like real beef.
To be sure, Beyond Meat’s meatless creations have yet to take the country by storm. Although the 100 percent plant-based burgers have achieved plenty of positive press since they appeared for the first time in May, so far they’re only available at Whole Foods stores in seven states. Even though the company’s “chicken” strips, “beef” pies, and meatless frozen dinners are available nationwide, Beyond Meat is hardly a household name.
That may be what makes the news of Tyson’s investment all the more noteworthy. While the two companies declined to give details about the deal, it’s doubtful that Tyson’s 5 percent stake made much of dent(凹陷) in the meat giant’s coffers(金库).The company posted $41.4 billion in sales last year; prior to the deal with Tyson, Beyond Meat had reportedly raised $64 million in project capital funding—about what Tyson earns before lunch on any given day.
Tyson is doing pretty great. The company reported record third-quarter earnings per share in August and says that it expects overall meat production to increase 2 to 3 percent during the next financial year. But like a big oil company shelling out cash to invest in wind power, Tyson’s toe-in-the-water move to team up with a start-up devoted to bringing more plant-based protein to American dinner tables seems to suggest the meat industry is starting to see which way the winds are blowing.
Sales of plant-based protein, which totaled an estimated $5 billion last year, continue to pale compared with the market for meat in America—but vegetarian alternatives to meat are booming, with sales growing at more than double the rate for food products overall. The steady drumbeat of news about the negative health impacts, environmental problems, and animal welfare concerns associated with meat consumption appears to be sinking in. According to a survey released in April, more than half of Americans surveyed said they plan to eat more plant-based foods in the coming year.
1. Beyond Meat’s veggie burger made headlines probably because __________.| A．it makes perfect use of animal protein |
| B．it uses high tech in the making process |
| C．it tastes as good as a genuine beef burger |
| D．it represents the diet trend in South California |
| A．It is the creator of the country’s first 100 percent plant-based burgers. |
| B．It has been well received as its products are available nationwide. |
| C．It is far from being a match to real food processing giants like Tyson. |
| D．It provides high-quality dining experience in selected Whole Foods stores. |
| A．seem unimportant |
| B．seem white |
| C．seem weak |
| D．seem faint |
| A．Meat will still take over the market in spite of other alternatives. |
| B．A major American meat company is betting on plant-based protein. |
| C．Tyson and Beyond Meat work together to build a global meat giant. |
| D．Plants have been found to contain protein that does more good to human beings. |
4 . At one point in June last year, Zeng Jiapeng was more than 10,000 yuan in debt to a smart phone app. The 23-year-old Shanghai citizen pays for his online purchases of food, clothes, and travel with Huabei, a virtual credit card that's part of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s spreading stable of e-commerce. His spending often used to go beyond his only source of income: the 8,000-yuan monthly allowance from his parents. He tried to repay the debt in installments(分期), even borrowing from Jiebei, another Alibaba-owned credit service, but eventually his mother and father had to help him out.
Zeng’s story is typical of members of China’ Generation Z. These young consumers, born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, have little income and therefore actually no credit history. Yet they have easy access to credit from a variety of banks, financial-tech companies, and peer-to-peer (P2P) Lenders(网络借贷平台), plus other channels that are unregulated. The spending habits of the young in particular are causing concern. In some cases the younger generation is being tempted to overconsume via credit secured through technology. Unsecured consumer lending has expanded 20% a year in China since 2008. The amount of consumer finance available through the Internet will more than double, to 19 trillion yuan, by 2021, from 7.8 trillion yuan last year. Official data showed that almost 70% of China’s 50 million P2P borrowers were younger than 40.
As for Zeng, he’s trying to be a little more frugal, even though he is now trying to earn a little by himself. “I deliberately set the credit limit at a lower level,” he says, “so that hopefully I can better match my income with spending.”
Regulators(监管部门)last year launched a breakdown on peer-to-peer lending, which, besides being a source of easy credit, had also become a popular investment vehicle. The sector has shrunk to less than half its peak size as a result of forced shutdowns.
1. What can we learn about Zeng Jiapeng from the first paragraph?| A．He was in debt because he bought smart phone app. |
| B．He likes purchasing goods on the app Huabei of Alibaba Group. |
| C．He always spent more than he earned from his salary in the past. |
| D．He depended on his parents to support him to repay his debt. |
| A．Impractical | B．Hardworking | C．Avoiding waste | D．Relying on others |
| A．hopeless | B．unreasonable | C．controlled | D．sensible |
| A．Overconsumption—A Bad Habit |
| B．China’s Generation Z—Hooked On Credit |
| C．Chinese Youth In the E—commerce Age |
| D．Zeng Jinpeng’s Financial Crisi |
5 . A heart-stopping video shows that a group of hikers were able to keep their cool as a curious black bear approached them—and one even stayed composed enough to snap a selfie （自拍）.
The black bear pulls one of the women by the leg with its paws（爪子）,moving towards her across the path as she tries to remain completely still. When the frightening animal stands up on its legs to smell her, the fearless walker can be seen taking a photo with the wild animal as it breathes down her neck.
The incident is reported to have happened on a path in Chipinque Ecological Park, Mexico, and the clip （剪辑片段）has had millions of views since being shared on social media. With the bear particularly interested in one member of the group, another walker remains frozen with her back to the animal as she stares still into the trees.
A third can be seen nervously fearing as the bear begins to approach her and shakes her hand in fear, but it circles back around to check out the first hiker for a second time. It pushes her off balance with its head before twice pawing at her legs as onlookers shout to try and warn the bear off.
The woman remains fearless as the animal isn't into her and continues walking up the path, giving the group an opportunity to make a swift exit.
It was shared on Twitter by former basketball player Rex Chapman, getting 2.7 million views, with the caption: "Oh, my goodness. She's a rock."
1. What does the underlined word "composed” mean in the first paragraph?| A．Calm | B．Confused | C．Amazed | D．Afraid |
| A．On seeing the black bear. | B．On the bear's pulling her leg. |
| C．On the bear's smelling her | D．On the bear's seeing her. |
| A．It was frightened. | B．It lost interest. |
| C．It got injured. | D．It was hungry. |
| A．A brochure. | B．A health magazine. |
| C．A research report. | D．A newspaper. |
6 . The first thing we notice about new people are their faces. The next time we see these people, we remember them because we remember their faces. This seems like a simple process. However, scientists found that it is not such a simple process. The section of the brain that is responsible for face recognition seems to work differently for different people. Some people have great difficulty remembering and recognizing faces, while others almost never forget a face.
Normal babies are born with a natural ability to recognize faces. In fact, their face recognition abilities are much better than their parents. Babies are highly skilled at face recognition at six months. But by nine months, they lose this skill, By nine months, a baby’s face-recognition skills are about the same as an adult’s.
Unfortunately, some people are not born with this ability to recognize faces. The part of the brain that is responsible for face recognition doesn’t work for them. This condition is called face blindness. People with very severe face blindness cannot even recognize their own faces. In fact, people with this condition can sometimes be frightened when they look in the mirror. They don’t recognize their own face, so for a second they are startled when they see this unfamiliar face.
Face blindness is not always severe. Scientists believe up to 10 percent of the population may be affected by face blindness to some degree, yet many people with mild face blindness might not even know they have it. They have no reason to know they are different from anyone else until someone points it out. This is similar to people with color blindness.
Colorblind people can’t see the difference between certain colors such as red and green, until someone tells them that green and red are two different colors.
There is no cure for face blindness. So for the time being. people with face blindness need to find simple techniques to compensate for their problem. They can try to recognize people by their hairstyle, their voice, or their glasses. Hopefully, in the future as scientists learn more about this condition, they will find a cure.
1. The first paragraph is mainly about ____________.| A．the way to improve one’s face-recognition skills |
| B．the fact that some people have face-recognition problems |
| C．the simple process of the brain to recognize others’ faces |
| D．the importance of face recognition in human communication |
| A．At birth. | B．In adolescence. |
| C．Half a year old. | D．Nine months old. |
| A．confused | B．surprised |
| C．excited | D．depressed |
| A．People need to take it seriously. | B．It affects a great number of people. |
| C．It can be cured in the near future. | D．Certain techniques can make up for it. |
7 . In 2018, Pakistan promised to plant ten billion trees in an effort to slow climate change and to save a land that has been destroyed.
That program, whose name is 10 Billion Trees Tsunami, has been taking effect slowly for the past two years, but it recently has received unexpected help from the coronavirus(新冠病毒). Many Pakistanis are suddenly unemployed, so the government has given them jobs as tree-planters. Unemployed day laborers have been turned into "jungle workers", planting trees for 500 rupees a day($3). It's not much, but it can help the unemployed get by.
As the coronavirus struck Pakistan, the 10 Billion Trees campaign was halted as part of social distancing orders put in place to slow the spread of the virus. But earlier this month, the government allowed the forestry agency to restart the program and create more than 63, 600 jobs.
The program is employing three times the number of planters as it normally does, and the planting season has been extended from May(its usual end)throughout June, in order to keep workers employed. All workers are being told to wear masks and keep two meters of distance from others.
Shahid Rashid Awan, project director for Punjab province, said the project hopes to reach 50 million trees this year. “We can absorb all the unemployed laborers and workers who have fled the cities and returned to their villages in the past few weeks.”
A study declared tree planting to be an effective way to store carbon, and if planted in large quantities around the globe, a powerful solution to climate change. While it won’t fix every climate-related problem we have, it can go a long way if done widely, which is exactly what Pakistan is trying to do with such impressive determination.
And the workers will benefit greatly, too. Not only are they able to earn money and support their families at a difficult time, but they’re outside in the fresh air, away from the potential health risks from more tightly-packed urban environments. It’s a brilliant idea that all country leaders should consider copying.
1. How does the coronavirus influence Pakistan?| A．A lot of animals are starving. | B．Many people are out of work. |
| C．Much land is left unmanaged. | D．The government has lost power. |
| A．Agreed. | B．Discussed. | C．Stopped. | D．Doubted. |
| A．It has helped with employment. |
| B．It has persuaded people to plant trees in big cities. |
| C．Many laborers produce much less carbon dioxide. |
| D．It can contribute to fighting against climate change. |
| A．It serves as a good example. | B．It is not fit for other countries. |
| C．It is a waste of time and money. | D．It brings many economic benefits. |
8 . A 14-year-old killer whale named Wilkie has learned how to “speak” to humans. Wilkie, who lives at a whale aquarium（水族馆）in France, is able to imitate（模仿）a human saying “hello”, “bye-bye” and “one, two” after working with a team of researchers from the UK, Spain, Chile and Germany.
“Killer whales use their blowholes to make noises, almost like speaking out of your nose, so we were not expecting it to be perfect,” Jose Abramson, the lead author, told The Independent. “But we were surprised by how close it was.”
This isn’t the first time animals have learned how to imitate human sounds. Scientists have already made a record of animals like elephants，parrots，dolphins and beluga whales all imitating our words and noises, but it marks a first for killer whales.
Wilkie had already been trained to imitate the actions of a fellow killer whale. Once the scientists made her again learn how to mimic an action; they had her repeat four familiar sounds made by her 2-year-old calf（幼鲸），Moana. Next, they had her make five killer whale sounds she had never heard before, like a noise of opening the door. Then the researchers had Wilkie imitate the sounds made by a human and，finally，words like “ah ha” and her trainer’s name, “Amy”.
Wilkie was quickly able to imitate all the sounds and words, and she was even able to imitate some on the first try. Researchers said they had the first evidence that killer whales might be learning sounds by imitation, but they had no evidence that the killer whales understood what their “hello” stood for.
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．Killer whales are the first to imitate humans. |
| B．Killer whale Wilkie has been used to test other animals. |
| C．Killer whales are able to imitate the sounds of their children. |
| D．Killer whale Wilkie has learned to imitate some human sounds. |
| A．Wilkie enjoyed human sounds. |
| B．Wilkie lived so close to humans. |
| C．Wilkie made sounds different from human voices. |
| D．Wilkie made sounds quite close to those of humans. |
| A．Change. | B．Copy. |
| C．Arrange. | D．Compare. |
| A．Quick. | B．Kind. |
| C．Honest. | D．Brave. |
| A．whether Wilkie can make human sounds |
| B．whether killer whales can tell voices from noises |
| C．whether Wilkie can understand the words like “hello” |
| D．whether other killer whales can do the same as Wilkie |
9 . 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 |
10 . What better way to experience the history of a site than to have a hand in actually preserving it? This was the thought behind the founding of Adventures in Preservation(AIP) in 2001. The nonprofit's founders.Judith Broeker and Jamie Donahoe, were both long time preservationists and world travelers. They had seen a great many buildings in poor condition, as well as buildings that had been“restored" without the benefit of conservation expertise.
Twelve years on, they are still involved in the day-to-day management of the organization, supported by a volunteer staff located around the world, Judith' s favorite projects have long been the ones in Eastern Europe, and she enjoys opportunity to travel there each year. She, along with anyone else who's joined an adventure, always quotes their fellow jammers, as they' re called, as the highlight of each project. The groups are made up of people from all different ages, occupations, and cultures.Yet each time, they form a strong bond and work so well together that the work becomes fun. Which,after all, is the point of a working vacation, no?
Raising understanding of people's own heritage(遗迹) is another part of AIP projects. In many places, there is so much focus on the news that not only are heritage buildings being lost but so are the traditional building skills needed to keep them. By providing training and raising awareness of the importance of their heritage, AIP is helping keep both alive.
Next year, AIP has projects in Europe and the US. There will be even more projects the following year as projects currently under development in Ghana, Armenia, Ukraine and the US come on line. Each project is also an opportunity for travel, adventure, and personal growth, and AIP welcomes people from around the world to join a project and“"jam" with them.
1. For what major purpose was AIP set up?| A．To gain wonderful benefits. | B．To protect old buildings. |
| C．To hunt for experts. | D．To train fresh hands. |
| A．Machines. | B．Projects. | C．Colleagues. | D．Organizations. |
| A．Ambition. | B．Education. | C．Wealth. | D．Effort. |
| A．AIP' s boom(繁荣). | B．AIP' s eagerness. |
| C．AIP' goal. | D．AIP' function. |
