1 . When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.
After studying agriculture, medicine, and fisheries in college, John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria (细菌)? Which kinds of fish can eat cancer-causing chemicals? With the right combination of animals and plants, he figured, maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco-machine.
The task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge (污泥). First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little, these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks, John added the sludge.
He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.
Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse — like facility that treated sewage (污水) from 1,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.
“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”
1. What can we learn about John from the first two paragraphs?A.He was fond of traveling. | B.He enjoyed being alone. |
C.He had an inquiring mind. | D.He longed to be a doctor. |
A.To feed the animals. | B.To build an ecosystem. |
C.To protect the plants. | D.To test the eco-machine. |
A.To review John’s research plans. | B.To show an application of John’s idea. |
C.To compare John’s different jobs. | D.To erase doubts about John’s invention. |
A.Nature can repair itself. | B.Organisms need water to survive. |
C.Life on Earth is diverse. | D.Most tiny creatures live in groups. |
2 . Climate experts have warned about the many ways a warming planet can negatively affect human health.
One long-held prediction that appears to be coming true — according to the results of a study recently published in Nature Scientific Reports — is how climate change might enhance
Vibrio vulnificus (创伤弧菌) flourishes in salty or brackish waters above 68℉. Infections are currently rare in the U.S., but that’s likely to change. Using 30 years of data on infections, scientists at the University of East Anglia in the U.K. found that Vibrio vulnificusis
“We’re seeing the core
Based on the latest data on how much the world’s water and air temperatures will rise, the scientists predict that by 2081, Vibrio vulnificus infections could reach every state along the U.S. East Coast. Currently, only about 80 cases are reported in the U.S. each year; by 2081, that could go up to over three-fold, the authors say.
Such a proliferation could have serious health consequences. Vibrio vulnificus kills approximately 20% of the healthy people it infects, and 50% of those with weakened immune systems. There is little evidence that antibiotics can
Warming sea temperatures aren’t the only reasons behind the rise of Vibrio vulnificus. Hotter air also draws more people to the coasts and bays, bringing them into closer contact with the bacteria.
“The bacteria are part of the natural marine environment, so I don’t think we can
To alert people to the growing threat,
Vbrio vulnificus is so
Lake says the expansion of Vibrio vulnificus is concerning for public health since the bacteria are now invading waters closer to heavily
A.Even if | B.Except when | C.The instant | D.In case |
A.numbers | B.ranges | C.coverages | D.concentrations |
A.failure | B.fatality | C.survival | D.acid |
A.ranging | B.varying | C.expanding | D.shifting |
A.distribution | B.launch | C.community | D.sample |
A.principle | B.lead | C.principal | D.hit |
A.boost | B.accelerate | C.contain | D.remove |
A.harms | B.damages | C.injuries | D.wounds |
A.relieve | B.dissolve | C.resolve | D.erase |
A.conscience | B.awareness | C.panic | D.alert |
A.monitoring | B.processing | C.managing | D.delivering |
A.sensible | B.vital | C.vulnerable | D.sensitive |
A.populated | B.dense | C.paralleled | D.bordered |
A.reaction | B.interaction | C.intervention | D.relativity |
A.rather than | B.except for | C.such as | D.other than |
3 . Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach by providing clues to who people are, who they are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer’s background, personality, status, mood, and social outlook.
Since clothes are such an important source of social information, we can use them to
People tend to
In the workplace, men have long had
A.add to | B.deal with | C.set aside | D.focus on |
A.assumes | B.appreciates | C.minimizes | D.assesses |
A.in terms of | B.because of | C.instead of | D.regardless of |
A.agree on | B.count on | C.negotiate about | D.hesitate about |
A.specialties | B.accomplishments | C.characters | D.lifestyles |
A.comfortable | B.competent | C.sacred | D.outgoing |
A.uniforms | B.costumes | C.gloves | D.pajamas |
A.Moreover | B.However | C.Therefore | D.Otherwise |
A.imitated | B.resisted | C.evaluated | D.anticipated |
A.long - lasting | B.good - looking | C.light - hearted | D.well - defined |
A.are uncertain about | B.are distracted from | C.are keen on | D.are ashamed of |
A.consistent | B.fashionable | C.diversified | D.innovated |
A.critically | B.casually | C.favourably | D.honestly |
A.frequent | B.concrete | C.moderate | D.heavy |
A.get | B.spare | C.survive | D.maintain |
4 . For some people,music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes(音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.
As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music sets them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret,a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn't involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can't see. certain colors.
Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed(诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say,” No thanks, I'm amusic,'“says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”
1. Which of the following is true of amusic?A.Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them. |
B.They love places where they are likely to hear music. |
C.They can easily tell two different songs apart. |
D.Their situation is well understood by musicians. |
A.dislikes listening to speeches |
B.can hear anything nonmusical |
C.has a hearing problem |
D.lacks a complex hearing system |
A.her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier |
B.she were seventeen years old rather than seventy |
C.her problem could be easily explained |
D.she were able to meet other amusics |
A.Amusics' strange behaviours. |
B.Some people's inability to enjoy music. |
C.Musical talent and brain structure. |
D.Identification and treatment of amusics. |
5 . Some personal characteristics play an important role in the development of one’s intelligence. But people fail to realize the importance of training these factors in young people.
The so-called ‘non-intelligence factors’ include one’s feelings, will, motivation, interests and habits. After a 30-year study, American psychologists
Some parents are greatly worried when their children fail to do well in their studies. They blame either genetic factors, or laziness, but they never take into
It is clear that the lack of cultivation of non-intelligence factors has been a main
If we don’t start now to
A.came out | B.found out | C.made out | D.worked out |
A.in itself | B.by itself | C.itself | D.on its own |
A.Though | B.Nevertheless | C.However | D.Moreover |
A.believing | B.studying | C.cultivating | D.developing |
A.effect | B.comment | C.consideration | D.preparations |
A.poorly | B.properly | C.successfully | D.dependently |
A.ever | B.even | C.still | D.more |
A.put | B.get | C.handle | D.give |
A.afraid | B.ahead | C.aware | D.ashamed |
A.difficulty | B.question | C.threat | D.obstacle |
A.intelligent | B.characteristic | C.psychological | D.physical |
A.practise | B.regulate | C.strengthen | D.urge |
A.intelligence | B.diligence | C.cultivation | D.performance |
A.projects | B.warnings | C.suggestions | D.decision |
A.fully | B.greatly | C.very | D.highly |
6 . How do you teach a monkey new tricks? Labs have proved difficult places to train monkeys to respond to different sounds, but in the forests of Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park, researchers were astonished how quickly one species of monkey adapted its behavior to a new sound.
Julia Fischer at the German Primate Center in Gottingen and her team flew drones over a community of green monkeys in the area, to see what they made of a new flying object in their environment. They responded instantly, making alarm calls to warn one another of the potential new threat.
The vocalizations were distant from the ones they made in response to models of leopards and snakes, but almost identical to calls made by a related species of monkey about eagles. The results suggest a hardwired response to the perception of an aerial threat and the use of that specific call.
They monkeys adapted so quickly to the mechanical noise that they began scanning the skies and making the calls even when the sound of the drone was played from the ground. The monkeys were never seen issuing alarm calls in response to birds of prey in the area, suggesting that the birds they usually see aren’t considered a threat. The drones, however, seemed to be perceived as dangerous. “It’s certainly disconnecting, unpredictable, something they’ve not seen before, so it makes sense to alert everybody,” say Fischer. She says she was “blown away” by how rapidly the monkeys appeared to learn. “The listeners are smart. It’s almost impossible to get a monkey in a lab to do an audio task. It isn’t clear why such learning is harder in a lab environment,” she says.
The study involved a year’s worth of fieldwork by a team of eight, who flew the drone about 60 meters above the monkeys. The research wasn’t without incident. Fisher had to duck inside a shelter made of palm leaves at one point, after a baboon ran to attack the leopard model she was holding.
Vervet monkeys in East Africa are related to green monkeys. They have been closely studied for the different calls they make in response to a variety of predators, including pythons, leopards, baboons and martial eagles.
The expectation for the green monkey study was that they would stay silent. come up with a new alarm call or produce one similar to the velvet monkeys’ eagle call. Fischer’s bet was on the eagle call option, and she was proved right. The vocalization appears to be highly conserved by evolution. “It teaches us about how different their vocal communication system is from ours,” says Fischer. “There is a very limited level of flexibility.”
1. What can be learned about green monkeys’ behavioral adaptability to a new sound?A.They made sounds similar to a new flying object. |
B.They alerted each other to possible danger. |
C.They responded as though they had seen eagles. |
D.They scanned the sky for the source of the sound. |
A.compare the different sounds made by the monkeys |
B.specify the monkeys’ extraordinary adaptability |
C.illustrate these birds pose no threat to the monkeys |
D.prove drones are more appealing to the monkeys |
A.The study conducted by Fischer and her team was painstaking. |
B.Monkeys differ greatly in their ability to adapt to a new sound. |
C.Researchers have unlocked why monkeys learn quickly in nature. |
D.Monkeys turn out to be quite flexible in their vocal communication. |
A.Unbelievable—Monkeys Should Make Different Sound! |
B.How Do Monkeys Get New Tricks? |
C.Monkeys See Drones... |
D.Vervet Monkeys vs Green Monkeys |
The Greek myths are almost a myth themselves.
The great dramatists Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides drew on the myths, and even comic strip authors —
Greek myths came from oral stories. In the beginning, people told these tales to
The names and the stories
We feel pain in our hearts
The everyday life of western culture
In English, we say someone who makes money easily has “the Midas touch”. But often, character from Greek mythology, who turns
8 . It was a cold night in Washington, D.C., and I was heading back to the hotel when a man approached me. He asked if I would give him some money so he could get something to eat. I’d read the signs: “Don’t give money to beggars as most of them are swindlers.” So I shook my head and kept walking.
I wasn’t prepared for a reply, but with no hesitation, he followed me and said, “I really am homeless and I really am hungry! You can come with me and watch me eat!” But I kept on walking.
The incident kept bothering me for the rest of the week. I had money in my pocket and it wouldn’t have killed me to hand over a dollar or two even if he hadn’t been a real beggar. On a freezing cold night, no less, I assumed the worst of a fellow human being.
Flying back to Anchorage, I couldn’t help thinking of him. I tried to reason my failure to help by supposing government agencies, churches and charities were there to feed him. Besides, you’re not supposed to give money to beggars.
Somewhere over Seattle, I started to write my weekly garden column for The Anchorage Daily News. Out of the blue, I came up with an idea. Bean’s Cafe, a local charity service kitchen, feeds hundreds of hungry local people every day. Why not try to get all my readers to plant one row of vegetables or flowers in their gardens for Bean’s? Plant a row for Bean’s. It’s clean and simple.
We didn’t keep records back then, but the idea began to take off. Folks would fax me or call when they took something in. It’s food for the spirit and comfort for my conscience.
In April 1995, the Garden Writers Association of America(GWAA) held their annual meeting in Anchorage and after learning our program, Plant a Row for Bean’s became Plant a Row For The Hungry. The idea then was to have every member write or talk about planting a row for the hungry, which brought the program to national attention.
As more and more people participated, new variations cropped up. Many companies gave free seeds to customers and displayed the logo for the program. Donations poured in. It was then that I could really stop feeling guilty.
1. The underlined word “swindlers” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.A.policemen | B.writers | C.cheaters | D.beggars |
A.Because he didn’t show fair respect to a beggar treating him badly. |
B.Because he could have helped a hungry man but he passed by. |
C.Because he believed that no people begged because of real hunger. |
D.Because he thought that charity work was the government’s duty. |
A.He set up a local kitchen to help the poor. |
B.He planted a row of vegetables for charity. |
C.He called on people to donate money to the Bean’s. |
D.He initiated the idea of Plant a row for Bean’s. |
A.The beggar gave up the first time he was turned down by the author. |
B.The author invented the program inspired by the Anchorage Daily News. |
C.GWAA expanded the program concept and made it nationwide in 1995. |
D.The program was later taken over by some seeding companies. |
A. double B. intense C. pressures D. stock E. agriculture F. trapped G. withdrawal H. availability I. drive J. expanding K. rising |
Throughout history, people have fought bitter wars over political ideology, national sovereignty and religious expression. How much more
Less than three percent of the planet’s
Global
10 . Over the centuries Shakespeare’s plays have gained a reputation for being difficult to understand. But if his work is experienced on stage as Shakespeare intended, then it can become much clearer. In fact 95% of the words used in Shakespeare’s plays are the same words we use today.
The meanings of some words have altered significantly,
So what can Shakespeare’s plays tell us about how people really spoke at this time? And did anyone really speak like his characters? The lines spoken by Corin to Rosalind and Celia in As You Like It probably weren’t
The first thing to remember about Shakespeare’s work is that he wrote plays to entertain. They are
For instance, in As You Like It when Corin, the shepherd, talks of love, his lines are beautiful and poetic – but
Another example of how the theatrical style enriched Shakespeare’s text can be seen in the structure of his lines. According to the practice of the time, Shakespeare wrote his poems in iambic pentameter(抑扬格五音步) so it was
We can come close to this thanks to “original pronunciation” which is a system of
So through Shakespeare’s plays we can
A.otherwise | B.furthermore | C.however | D.hence |
A.creative | B.significant | C.limited | D.practical |
A.critical | B.typical | C.proud | D.afraid |
A.valuable | B.outstanding | C.efficient | D.dramatic |
A.reflect | B.mean | C.sign | D.signal |
A.luckily | B.essentially | C.generally | D.naturally |
A.construct | B.produce | C.function | D.illustrate |
A.easier | B.worse | C.wiser | D.slower |
A.Falling into | B.Varying from | C.Agreeing to | D.Sticking to |
A.By contrast | B.For example | C.What’s more | D.In consequence |
A.structure | B.style | C.rhythm | D.form |
A.speech | B.writing | C.communication | D.symbol |
A.fit | B.devote | C.apply | D.input |
A.keep up | B.find out | C.take on | D.bring about |
A.lost | B.difficult | C.ongoing | D.global |