1 . On a boat near Costa Rica, a team of marine biologist is helping a turtle. The animal is having trouble breathing, and the team discovers why—there is something inside its nose. A scientist tries to extract the object, but the turtle cries in pain. Finally after eight long minutes, a long object is pulled out. It is a 10-centimeter plastic straw.
The video of the turtle's rescue has been viewed millions of times on YouTube. It has helped raise awareness of a growing problem: The world's seas are full of plastic. Since 2000, there has been a huge increase worldwide plastic production, but we recycle less than one-fifth of it. A lot of this plastic waste' ends up in the ocean. Today, scientists think about 8.1 billion kilograms goes into the sea every year from costal regions. Most of this plastic will never break into little pieces.
This ocean plastic hurts millions of sea animals every year. Some fish eat plastic because it is covered with sea plants, and it looks and smells like food. “In some cases, eating sharp pieces of plastic can seriously hurt sea animals and even result in death,” says marine biologist Matthew Savoca.
Plastic is useful to people because it is strong and lasts a long time, but this is bad news for sea creatures who eat or get stuck in it. According to Savoca, Single-use plastics are the worst.” These are items that are used only once before we throw them away. Some common examples include straws, water bottles, and plastic bags. About 700 sea species have been caught in or have eaten this kind of plastic. Luckily, the turtle survived and was released back into the ocean. How will plastic affect sea animals in the long term? “I think we’ll know the answers in 5 to 10 years’ time,” says an expert from Columbia University. But by then, another 25 million tons of plastic will already be in the ocean.
1. Which of these questions is answered in Paragraph 1?| A．Where was the scientist from? |
| B．When did the incident take place? |
| C．What was the cause of the turtle's pain? |
| D．How did the scientists remove the object? |
| A．The video. | B．The turtle. | C．YouTube. | D．The Plastic. |
| A．Because sea animals consume plastic. |
| B．Because more plastic is produced than recycled. |
| C．Because plastic can be dissolved in the sea quickly. |
| D．Because other places are already full of plastic waste. |
| A．Single-use plastics are people's favorite. |
| B．Plastic waste can cause deadly damage to sea animals. |
| C．More than 700 sea species can survive the ocean plastic. |
| D．The ocean’s plastic problem will be solved in a decade. |
2 . Let’s face it.You’re likely reading this article in an effort to avoid some other tasks you’re procrastinating (拖延) to learn how to stop procrastination, but the clock is ticking. So why can’t you seem to get rid of that?
Though the psychological causes are still debated, there’s a human tendency to over or underestimate the value of a reward based on its temporal proximity (时间接近). This is often referred to as temporal discounting. For example, if I offered you$100 today or 110 in a month, most would take the hundred and run. But what if instead I offered you 100 dollars in a year or 110 in a year and one month, you might say to yourself if I can wait a year I can wait the extra month.
But the time and value difference are the exact same in each example. It turns out that human motivation is highly influenced by how near the reward is meaning the further away the reward is the more you discount its value. So being online is more appealing than preparing for your test. The problem is surfing the Internet provides many small quick and continuous rewards unlike your test scores which are a future one.
So how do you overcome the urge to put off so many tasks?
Unfortunately there is no definite answer, but try rewarding yourself with a timely snack or other enjoyable activities. The Pomodoro Technique makes use of a timer to work for 25 minutes straight and when you’ve done this give yourself the reward with a 5-minute break. Then start the working clock again, Gradually increasing the amount of work time you put in will improve your time management skills.
It’s been shown that creating a costly deadline is also an effective way to manage your working habits. And try to enjoy the process of achieving something instead of thinking only our minutes of suffering.
1. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．This article. | B．Procrastination. | C．An effort. | D．The clock. |
| A．interesting | B．accurate | C．understandable | D．influential |
| A．It helps them kill time faster. |
| B．It offers them more information. |
| C．It supplies instant rewards to them. |
| D．It strengthens the bond between friends. |
| A．Rewarding yourself with a future gift. |
| B．Increasing the amount of work time. |
| C．Ignoring the process of doing the task. |
| D．Paying dearly for your procrastination. |
3 . Medicine is not only a human invention. Many other animals, from insects to birds to nonhuman primates (灵长类), have been known to self-medicate with plants and minerals for infections and other conditions. Behavioral ecologist Helen of the Borneo Nature Foundation has spent decades studying the island’ s orangutans (红毛猩猩) and says she has now found evidence they use plants in a previously unseen medicinal way.
During more than 20,000 hours of formal observation, Helen and her colleagues watched 10 orangutans occasionally chew a particular plant (which is not part of their normal diet) into a juice and then rub it into their fur. They spent up to 45 minutes at a time rubbing the mixture onto their upper arms or legs. The researchers believe this behavior is the first known example of a nonhuman animal using an external pain-killer.
Local people use the same plant—Dracaena cantleyi (龙血树), an unremarkable-looking bush with stalked leaves—to treat aches and pains. Helens, co-authors studied its chemistry. They added chemicals from the plant to human cells that had been grown in a dish and had been artificially stimulated to produce cytokines (细胞因子), an immune system response that causes inflammation (炎症) and discomfort. The plant chemical reduced the production of several types of cytokines. The scientists reported the finding in a study published last November in Scientific Reports.
The results suggest that orangutans use the plant to reduce inflammation and treat pain. Such findings could help identify plants and chemicals that might be useful for human medications.
1. What does “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Birds. | B．Local people. |
| C．The ten orangutans. | D．The researchers. |
| A．It can produce cytokines. | B．It is effective as a pain-killer. |
| C．It is a special looking bush. | D．It can lead to inflammation and discomfort. |
| A．Orangutans mainly live on the particular plant. |
| B．Orangutans are the first animals to use a pain-killer. |
| C．Helens findings can be of great use for human drugs. |
| D．Helens co-authors added the chemicals from human cells to the plant. |
| A．By analyzing data. | B．By sharing experiences. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By giving examples. |
4 . As we all know, most animals only perform tricks when given treats. However, Kim, the world’s first spider to learn a skill, needs no stimulus (刺激物) to do what she loves—jumping from different heights and distances— upon the instruction of a team of scientists from the University of Manchester.
While the idea of training a spider might sound evil, the researchers’ motives were purely scientific. They are trying to unlock the secrets behind the jumping spiders’ extraordinarily high leaps to catch prey (猎物) or to escape their enemies. A better understanding of the spiders’ leaps would help experts develop more efficient flying and jumping robots.
The scientists found that Kim could gather enough force in her legs to jump more than six times the length of her own body from a stationary position. What was even more amazing was that she always landed perfectly. For shorter distances, Kim used a lot of energy, resulting in quick leaps, which the researchers believe probably increases her chances of catching fast-moving prey. The farther the distance, the less extra energy was used, resulting in slower but precise leaps.
Previous studies have indicated that spiders use both their muscles and hydraulic (液压的) pressure—a mechanism by which blood is transferred to their extended legs—to push them off the ground. However, in Kim’s case, her leg muscles alone appeared to be generating enough force for the liftoff. The researchers now intend to do further research to comprehend fully not just the spiders’ jumping technique, but that of other insects as well. “We are familiar with robots that are aimed at taking over human functions, but there are millions of insects in the world that perform specific functions that we have interest in adapting to robotics,” says Nabawy, the leading engineer of the researching team.
1. What is the purpose of scientists’ researching the jumping spider?| A．To have fun and relax. | B．To help develop robots. |
| C．To get rid of spiders. | D．To protect this species. |
| A．To jump high enough. |
| B．To land more precisely. |
| C．To catch fast-moving prey. |
| D．To increase chances of escape. |
| A．Jumping technique. | B．Leg muscle. |
| C．Further research. | D．Energy for liftoff. |
| A．Jumping Techniques Used by Jumping Spider |
| B．Jumping Spider Inspired Creating Robots |
| C．Animals Perform Tricks if Provided with Treats |
| D．The World’s First Spider That Jumps on Demand |
5 . Is there a way to turn back the aging process in people? For centuries, people have been looking for a “fountain of youth.” The idea is that if you find a magical fountain, and drink its water, you will not age.
Researchers in New York did not find an actual fountain of youth, but they may have found a way to turn back the aging process. It appears that the answer may be called the hypothalamus, which is part of your brain. It controls important body activities, including growth, the way we process food and so on. Researchers found that hypothalamus neural stem cells (干细胞) also influence how fast aging takes place.
Dongsheng Cai was the leading researcher in a study on aging in mice. He and his team reported their findings. “when the hypothalamus starts aging, particularly the loss of hypothalamus stem cells, so does the body.” he said.
Using this information, the researchers began trying to activate (激活) the hypothalamus in laboratory mice. The results show that the treatment slowed aging in the animals. “When we injected the hypothalamus stem cells to the middle-aged mice, the mice aged slowly and they could also live longer.”
But these results were just from studying mice in a laboratory. If the mice can live longer, does that mean people could have longer lives? The next step is to see if the anti-aging effects also work in human beings. If so, they say the findings could lead to new ways to help doctors identify and treat age-related health problems.
1. Why does the author mention the “fountain of youth” in the first paragraph?| A．To explain what the “fountain of youth” is. |
| B．To introduce the hypothalamus. |
| C．To show how to find the “fountain of youth”. |
| D．To help people find the “fountain of youth”. |
| A．The brain. | B．The aging process. |
| C．Hypothalamus. | D．The stem cell |
| A．They have found a way to turn back the aging process. |
| B．The brain controls growth, reproduction and the way we process food. |
| C．The decrease of hypothalamus stem cells can lead to aging. |
| D．The finding has been applied to human beings. |
| A．The Secret of Youth |
| B．A New Discovery about Aging |
| C．The Ways of Slowing Down Aging |
| D．Hypothalamus — the Fountain of Youth |
6 . Tayka Hotel De Sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $95 a night
Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床垫) and blankets).The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $240 a night
Why it’s cool: Riding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps of the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.
Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer.(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)
1. What is the similarity of the four hotels?| A．Being expensive. | B．Being beautiful. |
| C．Being natural. | D．Being unique. |
| A．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B. |
| B．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner. |
| C．The name of the hotel. |
| D．The name of the hotel owner. |
| A．Tayka Hotel De Sal |
| B．Green Magic Nature Resort |
| C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B |
| D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel |
