1 . Humans can make do with scarves, coats and gloves in cold weather. Some animals can hibernate (冬眠) for the winter. A new study finds that reptiles (爬行动物) and birds do something that is similar to hibernation, but a little different. In very cold weather, their body temperatures greatly drop into an energy-saving state in order to survive. The ability to thermoregulation (体温调节) for reptiles and birds is possible.
In Texas, where the city of Beaumont reached a low of 18 degrees Fahrenheit last month, it looked as if alligators (短吻鳄) had died of cold — yet alive in iced-over water. By ensuring their long noses stayed above the water line, the cold-blooded creatures were able to lower their body temperatures to survive the sudden short period of very cold weather. The process, in the case of cold-blooded animals like reptiles, is called brumation — it’s like a short state of hibernating. While in this state, reptiles become sleepy and they can go for a long time without eating or drinking. For example, alligators can be in brumation from just a few hours to months.
Like reptiles and mammals, birds can go into a state called torpor in order to save energy under very cold conditions. “Torpor is somewhere between a short sleep and hibernation,” said Justin Baldwin, a PhD candidate in biology at Washington University in St. Louis. Baldwin studied 29 species of hummingbirds living in Colombia. Researchers found that hummingbirds can enter into deep or shallow torpor, depending on several factors, including their size and weather conditions. In deep torpor, the birds are much more likely to be affected by disease. And what’s more, they would be easily harmed by their enemies.
Some bird lovers want to help the birds when they are in torpor. For example, the Bird Alliance of Oregon offers a few tips on how to keep the birds from danger.
1. What does the new study show?| A．Body temperature is important for animals. |
| B．Thermoregulation exists in reptiles and birds. |
| C．Reptiles and birds’ thermoregulation is unusual. |
| D．Body temperature drops greatly during reptiles and birds’ sleep. |
| A．They are active in brumation. | B．They are dead in cold weather. |
| C．They face extinction in cold weather. | D．They eat and drink nothing in brumation. |
| A．They can get enough sleep. | B．They may harm other birds. |
| C．They may waste plenty of energy. | D．They may be under threat. |
| A．Risks of animal hibernation. |
| B．His opinions of the study about birds. |
| C．Some detailed measures to protect the birds in torpor. |
| D．Other problems raised by cold weather. |
2 . Sharks have been swimming in the ocean for millions of years. They were on Earth even before dinosaurs! At the top of the world’s ocean’s food chain, sharks help keep the population of other ocean animals in balance. A large drop in the number of sharks can cause serious problems for all ocean animals. Saving sharks makes sense!
Many people are afraid of sharks. But most sharks are harmless. Only a small percentage of sharks are known to attack humans. They adapt well to new habitats and eat whatever is available. However, today, sharks are in trouble. Nearly one third of the 400 shark species are in danger of extinction, largely due to over-fishing. Each year, tens of millions of sharks are caught and killed just for their fins. The fins are used to make shark fin soup.
Humane Society International(HSI) joined with the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program and Beijing Zoo to protect sharks. An exhibit at the zoo, “The Price Behind the Taste — Protect Sharks. Don’t Eat Shark Fins”, was designed to tell people that shark finning is cruel and unnecessary. It’s hoped that the activity will help put an end to the practice.
Shark fin soup is also eaten in the United States. In fact, the numbers of some shark species in US waters have dropped 90 percent in the last 30 years. To slow the fall, laws against the sale of shark fins have been passed in several states, including Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and California.
1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us?| A．Ocean animals are at the top of the food chain. |
| B．Sharks play an important role in the ocean. |
| C．Sharks are an old species in the ocean. |
| D．Sharks are being caught and killed. |
| A．they often attack humans |
| B．their food is being polluted |
| C．they are being caught for food |
| D．their habitat is being destroyed |
| A．shark finning |
| B．shark protection |
| C．the program of HIS |
| D．the exhibit at Beijing Zoo |
| A．There are 400 shark species in the United States. |
| B．It’s illegal to eat shark fin soup in the United States. |
| C．Most sharks are not interested in a human for dinner. |
| D．Sharks are very particular about their habitats and food. |
3 . A kitchen garden produces vegetables for delicious, healthy meals. It doesn’t have to be right outside the kitchen door, but the closer it is, the better.
Planting a garden: where, when and how. Make a garden plan of what will be planted, where, when and how.
When and how much to water your garden. Vegetables are made mostly of water.
Garden maintenance: keep an eye on it. Sun and rain willing, fast growers such as radishes (萝卜) and salad greens will begin to produce crops as early as 20 to 30 days after planting. Check on them regularly so you get to harvest them before someone else does.
| A．Choosing garden crops |
| B．Getting ready for garden site |
| C．The easier it is for you to get into the garden |
| D．So you need to ensure your plants have enough water |
| E．You show an interest in how to produce multiple harvests |
| F．To do this, you need to get familiar with all kinds of crops |
| G．Besides, protective barriers and organic products can prevent pests and diseases |
位置：伦敦市中心。
旅游价值：著名的旅游景点；是文化,音乐和艺术的中心。
特色：中国传统古建筑；吸引人的中餐馆，菜品丰富多样；招牌上有英文和中文
交通：交通便利，大概步行 15 分钟就可以把整个唐人街游览一遍。
人口：来自于不同的国家。
Welcome to BBC Learning English. I am Sun Chen, the host of today’s programme In this programme, we will take you around London’s Chinatown.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________So until next time, it’s goodbye from both of us at BBC Learning English.
1.简述野生动物的现状；
2.野生动物减少的原因以及采取的措施；
3.呼吁大家保护野生动物。
注意: 字数控制在80词左右; 可以适当增加细节, 以使文章连贯。
提示词：减少 decrease 野生动物 wild animals
Save Endangered Animals
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. Where did Maxine get the idea to start a dog shelter?
| A．From a book. | B．From a neighbor. | C．From a dog lover. |
| A．It ran to the next door. | B．It looked lovely and happy. | C．It started being close to her. |
| A．The city government and dog lovers support her. |
| B．Her family gives her money. |
| C．She collects fees from neighbors. |
| A．Around 8 years old. | B．Below 10 years old. | C．Around 17 years old. |
1. How did the speaker feel when he got home?
| A．Tired. | B．Scared. | C．Relieved. |
| A．By ship. | B．By train. | C．By flight. |
| A．A plane hit the ground. | B．A tower fell in the earthquake. | C．Many people died in the earthquake. |
| A．In the morning. | B．In the afternoon. | C．In the evening. |
1. When is the report being broadcast?
| A．In the morning. | B．At noon. | C．In the afternoon. |
| A．A car accident. | B．The bad weather. | C．The road construction. |
| A．Change trains at East River Station. |
| B．Get a free pass for the blue line train. |
| C．Avoid taking trains to DuPont Circle. |
| A．Weather updates. | B．News on a bridge. | C．An interview with the police. |
9 . It has been over 150 years since the Great Chicago Fire. The 1871 fire killed an estimated 300 people. It turned the heart of the city, wood-frame buildings quickly constructed on wooden sidewalks, into ruins, and left 100,000 people homeless. Like the Great Fire of London in 1666, the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Great Chicago Fire reminds us that big cities can still be frail.
But that same night, about 250 miles north of Chicago, more than 1,200 people died in and around Peshtigo. It was the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. Survivors said the fire moved like a hurricane, jumping across Green Bay to light forests on the opposite shore.
Chicago’s fire came to be seen as a disaster that also led to the invention of steel skyscrapers, raised up on the city’s ashes. It has overshadowed the Peshtigo Fire. And for years, the two were seen as separate disasters. However, many of those houses and sidewalks that burned in Chicago had been built with trees grown around Peshtigo.
Chicago’s fire was long blamed - falsely - on an Irish-immigrant family’s cow kicking over a lantern. Some people thought the Peshtigo Fire started when pieces of a comet (彗星) landed in the forest, which has never been proven.
What we understand better today was that the Midwest was historically dry in the summer of 1871. When a low-pressure front with cooler temperatures rolled in, it produced winds, which can fan sparks (火星) into wildfires. The fires themselves generated more winds. Several parts of nearby Michigan also burned during the same few days ; at least 500 people were killed there.
At present, all of those fires on an autumn night in 1871 might help us see even more clearly how rising global temperatures and severe droughts, from Australia to Algeria to California, have made forests easier to burn, and people more likely to be harmed by the climate changes we’ ve helped create.
1. What does the underlined word “frail” in the first paragraph probably mean ?| A．Regularly enlarged. | B．Heavily populated. |
| C．Safely reached. | D．Easily damaged. |
| A．By presenting research findings. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following time order. | D．By making classifications. |
| A．A careless cow. | B．A passing comet. |
| C．A low-pressure front | D．A paper lantern. |
| A．To warn people of the forest fire threat. | B．To show signs of global warming. |
| C．To attract more tourists to Chicago. | D．To introduce an unknown city. |
10 . Back in 1973, out of concern that many of American native plants and animals were in danger of extinction, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. The law allows the government to decide species as either “endangered” or “threatened”. Once plants and animals are on the list, they can’t be harmed or harvested, and their living places can’t be changed or damaged in a way that kills, injures or weakens their ability to breed (繁殖), feed or perform other functions necessary for existence.
While environmentalists have thought the law is of great importance in history, mining and the agribusiness (农业综合企业) interests don’t think so. They argue that when an endangered animal is found on public land, the use of the land is strictly controlled, which can prevent farming, and other business use of the land. So, the recent US government has sought to change the way that the law is applied to reduce what it considers overprotection for threatened species.
But a study published in the journal PLOS ONE in January revealed that researchers looked at 31 different populations of ocean animals, and that they found that 78 percent of the mammals (哺乳动物) and 75 percent of the turtles increased their population size after receiving protection under the Act. What was even more impressive was that the number of Hawaiian humpback whales increased from just 800 in 1979 to more than 10,000 in 2005.
“We should celebrate the Act’s track record of reducing the harm from water pollution, overfishing, beach habitat loss and killing. Humans often destroy ocean ecosystems(生态系统), but our study shows that with strong laws and careful administration, we can also help them make a comeback.” said Shaye Wolf, a researcher of the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona.
1. What can we know about the Endangered Species Act in Paragraph 1?| A．It mainly focuses on protecting ocean species. |
| B．It covers almost all the details of wildlife protection. |
| C．It encourages people to raise wildlife in a careful way. |
| D．It asks the whole world to work together to protect wildlife. |
| A．The Act has limited the economic benefits of land. |
| B．Some land has got polluted due to the Act. |
| C．Some states refuse to follow the Act. |
| D．The Act fails to save enough endangered species. |
| A．Quite a lot of ocean animals’ population is still worrying. |
| B．The government failed to put some rare species on the list. |
| C．The Act turned out to be effective for ocean animal protection. |
| D．Whales benefit most from the Act after receiving protection. |
| A．More strict rules should be added to the Act. |
| B．Overfishing is the main threat to ocean animals. |
| C．The damage caused by human activities to the ecosystem is unavoidable. |
| D．Proper laws play a powerful role in environmental protection. |
