1 . Mars is no stranger to life. Seven U. S. spacecraft have successfully landed there, and all of them took microbes to the planet’s surface(though the bugs probably did not survive for long). Yet the world’s space agencies continue to maintain strict spacecraft sterilization (消毒) procedures in the hope of minimizing the spread of Earth life beyond our planet. For decades this idea — known as planetary protection—is widespread. Now, some scientists say, these procedures are preventing the search for life beyond Earth by raising costs and preventing innovative missions-without meaningful benefits.

Of all missions to Mars to date, only the Vikings, the first trip to the Red Planet, were intended to test for life. Spacecraft that went later did not have that ability. But a future mission will, and the protectionist thinking goes, a spacecraft might not be able to distinguish between a life form native to Mars and one with origins on Earth. In July 2013 astrobiologists Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Alberto Fairen argued against this in Nature Geoscience.

“If Earth life can thrive on Mars, they almost certainly already do,” the authors write. “If they cannot, the transfer of Earth life to Mars should be of no concern, as it would simply not survive.”

With clear evidence of a water y history and some signs of water present, Mars could be where we find life in our solar system. And with the development of Curiosity’s precise landing system, we can finally reach the mysterious parts of the planet. But it’s these areas that require a craft sterilization process.

In the 1970s Vikings 1 and 2 revealed what seemed like a dead planet, so planetary-protection requirements were relaxed. Now, with more knowledge of Mars’ environment, missions set to visit areas with evidence of flowing water below the surface have to meet the strict-and more costly- Vikings standards.

Finally, there’s the philosophical problem of what responsibility, if any, we have to other planets and any life we leave there. The truth is we’re never going to be able to fully protect Mars if we intend to explore it. And spreading is simply what life does.

“If we want to survive for a long time, we have to expand beyond Earth,” Schulze-Makuch says. “There’s no other way.”

1. Strict spacecraft sterilization procedures are meant to ______.

A．decrease the costs of space exploration

B．help the search for life forms beyond Earth

C．contribute to innovative missions in the universe

D．prevent Earth life being transferred to other planets

2. Planetary-protection requirements were relaxed in the 1970s because ______.

A．there was no preclse landing system

B．Mars was considered to be a lifeless planet

C．the mysterious parts of Mars remained unknown

D．flowing water was found below the surface of Mars

3. Dirk Schulze-Makuch and Alberto Fairen are most likely to agree that ______

A．Mars is now on the edge of being destroyed

B．human beings are too ambitious to expand beyond Earth

C．there is no need to worry about bringing Earth life to Mars

D．we need to be responsible for keeping Mars what it is like now

4. Schulze-Makuch takes a(n)______attitude towards planetary protection.

A．optimistic

B．relaxed

C．debatable

D．negative

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. authorities   B. conflicts   C. increasingly   D. infected E. invisibly F. oddly G. outbreaks   H. present   I. subjected   J. suspected   K. unexpected

Deadly virus approaches tigers

India’s most important tiger conservation body is to investigate growing concern that Asia’s wild tigers are     1     to a deadly new disease.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority is to fun d a study of Canine Distemper Virus(CDV) in six of the most important areas for the species, which could confirm a problem that a few experts have     2    for a number of years.

There have been     3    of CDV in wild tigers in other areas. According to Dr Dale Miquelle of the Wildlife Conservation Society, quite a few tigers were either killed or seriously affected by a disease that was probably CDV in 2010. And the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve has also reported a(n)     4     decline in tiger numbers.

CDV may also exist in the tiger population in Sumatra, where animals have been reported to be behaving     5    and losing their fear of humans.

Dr John Lewis of the British charity Wildlife Vets International is helping the Sumatran    6    to fight the risk by training local vets in what he calls “the world’s first tiger- disease monitoring program”.

Lewis also believes that the way CDV changes tigers’ behavior could be a factor where tiger- human     7    are an issue. This could be true of the Sundarbans, a large area shared by India and Bangladesh where man-eating is spreading.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that tigers are     8    with CDV. In 2004, it killed 1,000 lions in the Serengeti in Tanzania, and as wildlife reserves are    9    surrounded by people with dogs, the problem is only likely to get worse.

But as Miquelle told BBC Wildlife, “Very few people were aware of the potential threat, let alone looking for it, even if it is     10    in the system. But at least now they are.”

3 . Nothing compares with the joy of coming home to a lovely pet. Besides keeping one company, pets may also decrease stress, improve heart health, and even help children with their social skills. Over the past 10 years, researchers have been looking at what the possible effects are.

Animals can offer comfort and support. Dogs are especially good at this. They’re sometimes brought into hospitals or nursing homes. Ann Berger, a researcher at the NIH Clinical Center, teaches the patients with serious diseases about mindfulness to help decrease stress and manage pain. “Mindfulness includes attention, awareness, etc.,” Berger says, “all those are things that animals bring to the table. People kind of have to learn it, while animals do this innately.” Researchers are also studying the safety of bringing animals into hospital settings because animals may bring people more germs (病菌). A current study is looking at the safety of bringing dogs to visit children with a certain kind of illness. Scientists will be testing the children’s hands to see if there are dangerous levels of germs brought by the dog after the visit.

Dogs may also help in the classroom. One study found that dogs can help children with ADHD, a disease related to attention. Researchers divided children with ADHD into two groups. The first group of kids read to dogs once a week for 30 minutes. The second group read to toys like dogs. After 12 weeks, kids who read to the real animals showed better social skills. They also had fewer behavioral problems. “Animals can become a way of building a bridge for the social communication,” says Griffin, a child development expert at NIH. He adds that researchers are trying to better understand these effects and whom they might help.

While pets may bring many health advantages, an animal may not work for everyone. Recent studies suggest that living with pets at an early age may help protect young children from developing allergies (过敏), but for people who are allergic to certain animals, having pets in the home can do more harm than good.

Researchers will continue to explore the many effects of having a pet. They are trying to find out what’s working, what’s not working, and what’s safe.

1. When the author says “animals do this innately” in paragraph 2, he probably means ______.

A．animals learn from humans to do this	B．animals teach people to stop doing it
C．animals are born to be able to do this	D．animals learn to do this as humans do

2. What does the study about dogs in the classroom tell us?

A．Reading to real dogs could help kids improve behavior.

B．Researchers brought dogs there to attract kids’ attention.

C．Dogs have poorer social skills than the kids with ADHD.

D．Toy dogs work as well as real dogs in accompanying kids.

3. What can we learn about the researchers in the passage?

A．They still have a long way to go in exploring pets’ effect.

B．They don’t doubt the safety of using animals in hospitals.

C．Berger helps patients to gain the ability to cure themselves.

D．Griffin doesn’t agree that dogs improve children’s reading.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Pets’ Various Work	B．The Power of Pets
C．Pets as Assistants in School	D．Patients’ Call for Pets

4 .

The connection we have to cats is so strong it feels almost as though they can read our thoughts, study our moods, and even judge how to behave based on our needs. But what really goes on in their sweet, furry heads?

Research suggests that cats don’t necessarily see us as any different from them. While cats understand that their human caretakers are larger than they are, they continue to behave around us in the same way as if they were around other cats. The only key difference is that cats meow to humans, not other cats.

Owners wondering about what the cats are thinking about should turn to cat body language. Since these are the ways your cat primarily communicates with you, studying their body language can help you understand then on a deeper level and you may start with tails:

We may think we have great insight into “cat thinking”, but we may never fully understand them. There exist lots of misunderstandings about cats, most notably:

*Cats try to be alien and prefer to be alone. No! They are actually social animals who hope for close relationship.

*Purring (making a low continuous sound) only means happiness…In fact, it can also suggest pressure, fear, or pain.   Keep an eye out for illness, and be prepared in the case of an unexpected accident.

*Cats scratch (抓) to anger people. Wrong again! Cats need to act out this to give themselves great pleasure and comfort.

A recent study concluded that cats, when given a choice between playing with certain toys or having interactive fun with a human being, decisively choose to play with a person. For us here at Cat Care of Vinings, it’s two-sided!

As always, please call us with any questions or concerns. Or, let us know what you believe cat thinking is all about!

Tags: Cat Thinking     Cat Thoughts     My Cat’s Brain     What Does My Cat Think Posted in: The Cat’s Meow Previous: A Pun-fact Match: The Keys to Successful Cat Adoption Next: Your Guide to Fourth of July Cat Safety

1. We may find this passage from a ______.

A．newspaper

B．poster

C．magazine

D．website

2. If the owner gives the cat its favorite food, what will it probably do?

A．Keep its tail low.

B．Hook its tail.

C．Hide its tail.

D．Shake its tail.

3. The cat may prefer to ______.

A．interact with people	B．purr to suggest anger
C．keep away from man-made toys	D．scratch to attract attention

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A awareness       B. clear       C. encourage       D. ignore E. immediate       F. limiting       G. redesigning       H. significantly I. team       J. theme       K. unlikely

Go Recycling

No one looking at the state of Earth in 2023 can be in any doubt that we are facing three serious environmental problems: climate problem, loss of biodiversity (生物多样性) and pollution of air, soil and water. To solve the problems, we increase the use of electric cars,     1     greener eating and reduce plastic use. However, sometimes these solutions can be opposite to the expected goals. For instance, creating space for biofuel crops to give off fewer pollutants and greenhouse gases can, in fact,     2     increase the cutting down of trees. That means in most cases solutions aiming at one problem each time are     3     to be effective. And, what is perhaps lacking is a(n)     4     of how interlinked these problems are.

We should realize that a key     5     linking all the three problems is waste. The root cause of global warming is CO₂, a waste gas. The seas are polluted by plastic and other waste products. We     6     forests, among other things, to grow more food — much of which goes to waste.

A shocking figure lies at the heart of our special report on our world — of the more than 100 billion tons of things that humans use each year, hardly 10% is recycled. That makes it obvious a full-range war on waste should be paid     7     attention. The situation requires our speedy moving away from the way of thinking — “take, make, throw” — towards a more recyclable one, which means we should begin     8     the products and when they reach the end of their useful lives, they can be recycled.

Solving the three problems calls for a huge transition with joint efforts. Governments must take the lead by introducing laws with the purpose of rewarding green practices, such as the     9     of waste. Industries can reduce, re-use and recycle wherever possible, and     10     themselves with suppliers and the like-minded to realize recyclable business models.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

How to Water Plants

All plants need water. The watering of plants plays a major role in helping plants grow healthily. It seems simple but actually requires many considerations.

Let’s take a close look at the water plants need first. Plants     1     grow in places with low rainfall require more water. And plants     2     ability to adjust themselves to dry conditions is strong can live with less watering.

When it comes to tools, a garden pipe (管子) long enough to reach the furthest part of the garden     3     (prefer). This ensures enough water is provided for the plants and helps to make watering much     4     (easy).

An inexperienced gardener may water a little each time but several times a day. This is undesirable     5     it does not help roots to grow deep. Besides, we’d better avoid watering in full sun     6     the leaves won’t lose water quickly from the surface.

7 . A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts (冷暖空气团接触的锋) to determine whether an individual pressure area is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity. They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal a summary picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time.

All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately. Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day “outlook” which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30-day outlooks are based upon an analysis of the upper air levels which often set the stage for development of air masses, fronts and storms.

Considerable effort is being exerted today to achieve more accurate weather predictions. With the use of electronic instruments and satellites, enormous gains have taken place recently in identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations (气象站). Experiments are also in progress for weather modification (改变) studies. But the limitations of weather modification have prevented meteorological results except in the seeding of super-cooled, upslope mountainous winds which have produced additional orographic (山岳形态) precipitation on the windward side of mountain ranges. Nevertheless, they have provided a clearer understanding of the fundamentals of weather elements.

1. By reading weather maps, students majoring in geography can .

A．design a project of weather modification

B．interpret the weather condition before the time of observation

C．obtain data on atmospheric conditions over a wide area

D．survey ever-changing fronts in local meteorological stations

2. A thirty-day forecast is determined by examining________.

A．daily weather maps	B．upper air levels
C．satellite reports	D．changing fronts

3. The observation of weather conditions by satellites is helpful because ________.

A．electronic instruments are used

B．it enables man to alert the weather

C．it makes weather more time-consuming

D．information not be obtained readily otherwise can be gained

4. At the present time, experiments are being conducted in________.

A．controlling and influencing weather

B．determining density of pressure groups

C．30-day “outlooks”

D．predicting storms

8 . It’s 2076 and the skies are looking decidedly milky. On windy plains and in parts of the seas that have been turned over to wind farms, a different kind of tower has been built alongside the turbines (涡轮). They take in CO₂ out of the atmosphere. Vast parcels of land have been given over to forest. Trees are grown, harvested and burned for energy in power plants that don’t let CO₂ escape to the atmosphere. Instead, emissions are captured and driven underground. Powdered minerals are put into the water to absorb CO₂ and reduce ocean acidification.

All these technologies are a desperate action to reverse more than two centuries of greenhouse gas emissions. But they are not entirely up to the task and, anyway, we are still releasing greenhouse gases. “I think it’s very likely that in 60 years we’ll be using both technologies,” says John Shepherd of the University of Southampton, UK. He is referring to the two flavors of geoengineering: absorbing CO₂ out of the air and using a sunshade to reflect some of the sun’s rays back out into space.

There is no denying that climate talks are going too slowly and not so smoothly. Even if industrial emissions were to drop rapidly — a big if — some sections pose an intractable problem. We have no real replacement for aeroplane fuel and feeding people demands intensive agriculture, which accounts for a quarter of global emissions.

Computer models suggest there will be winners and losers. While a sunshade could lower global average temperatures to pre-industrial levels, there would be regional differences. Northern Europe, Canada, Siberia and the poles would remain warmer than they were, and temperatures over the oceans would be cooler. Global warming is predicted to make wet regions wetter and dry ones drier. Models suggest a sunshade would correct this, but, again, not in a uniform way.

Shepherd fears all this will feed into international arguments. He imagines some kind of global council where governments seek a climate that meets their needs. Some might prefer a slightly warmer temperature, for tourism or agriculture. But nations whose coral reefs (珊瑚礁) draw in visitors will probably want more CO₂ absorbing technologies.

In spite of all these concerns, most scientists hold that revolutionary technology and people’s awakening can shine a light on solutions in ways that are impossible now. There is undoubtedly a long way to go when we address problems facing mankind, but we can always anticipate something.

1. What is described in the first paragraph?

A．Future scenery and farming methods.

B．The development of transport technology.

C．The serious pollution problem in the very near future.

D．Future technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2. The word “intractable” in paragraph 4 most probably means “______”.

A．solvable	B．untypical
C．tricky	D．existing

3. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．climate talks haven’t achieved the expected results

B．industrial emissions will decrease greatly in 60 years

C．technologies to reduce CO2 emission aren’t used properly for now

D．sunshades outshine intensive agriculture at capturing CO2 emissions

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Effective CO2 absorbing technologies have come into wide use.

B．With greenhouse gas reduced, global warming can be addressed.

C．Future climate will improve with human efforts but threats still remain.

D．Future climate will restore to a normal state with advanced technology.

9 . An interesting study found capuchin monkeys (僧帽猴), like humans, are guided by social emotions. Try paying one monkey with grapes and another with cucumbers for the _______ amount of work and you may be surprised at the results! The monkey who got the cucumbers will probably _______ working for you. He may even throw out the cucumbers, even though monkeys are usually _______ to receive them, says Sarah Brosnan, a psychology professor at Georgia State University.

That experiment by Brosnan and Frans de Wall published in 2003 in Nature was one of the first to show that animals may have an assessment for _______ — a moral sense that many researchers previously thought only humans possessed. Since then, many results have suggested that animals — particularly those that depend on _______ for their survival may have an inborn sense of justice.

Social animals, which are interdependent for a living, will _______ share rewards with others who worked toward the same goal. “The built-in sense didn’t develop first in humans. It’s possibly something that began in social species, and _______ to us.” Brosnan said in an interview.

One study _______ that some animals particularly the ones that hunt together divide up the rewards. Another study even finds that animals will occasionally deliver a better reward to a partner than they themselves _______. In research by Brosnan and her colleagues published in American Journal of Primatology, two capuchin monkeys had to work together to pull a plate of food to their cages. But before they began pulling, the monkeys had to decide which one would get a grape and which one would get an apple slice. ________ fighting over the grape or always letting the leading monkey eat it, the animals generally vary roles on the way, so they both earned some grapes and some apple slices, Brosnan found. In cases where the ________ monkey always got the good food, the other monkey were likely to give up participating. More often than not, it preferred to ________ a reward than be paid unfairly.

According to Brosnan, that tendency to share rewards fairly probably developed as a result of the way capuchins work together to hunt. “If we are hunting and I am not giving you much of the kill, you would be better off finding another ________,” she says.

However, interpreting animal behavior through human eyes can be ________, observes Marc Hauser, a Harvard psychology professor and evolutionary biologist. In the cucumber-grape study, for example, the monkeys could have ________ the cucumbers simply because they were annoyed that they didn’t get a grape once they saw it.

1.

A．various

B．enormous

C．equal

D．superb

2.

A．risk

B．restart

C．quit

D．fancy

3.

A．mature

B．content

C．passive

D．shocked

4.

A．stability

B．reputation

C．endurance

D．fairness

5.

A．necessities

B．rewards

C．emotion

D．cooperation

6.

A．naturally

B．barely

C．surprisingly

D．occasionally

7.

A．evolved

B．communicated

C．delivered

D．referred

8.

A．denies

B．predicts

C．indicates

D．suspects

9.

A．discover

B．receive

C．expect

D．present

10.

A．Instead of

B．Thanks to

C．Regardless of

D．Prior to

11.

A．diligent

B．dominant

C．generous

D．outgoing

12.

A．save

B．admire

C．share

D．refuse

13.

A．partner

B．role

C．hunt

D．task

14.

A．critical

B．pessimistic

C．problematic

D．marvellous

15.

A．set aside

B．thrown away

C．held onto

D．aimed at

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。1.

A．To help the man learn more about the gardener.

B．To show the value of taking advice in gardening.

C．To publicize the attractiveness of Dorset Gardens.

D．To inform people of more guidelines for gardening.

2.

A．By attending a college course.	B．By visiting Kew Garden.
C．By listening to talks on gardening.	D．By reading Margery Fisher’s book.

3.

A．It was full of creative angles.	B．It made her famous in the town.
C．It occupied a rather small area.	D．It was near her house in Somerset.

4.

A．Because it’s full of plants given by her friends.

B．Because it’s visited and appreciated by tourists.

C．Because it’s where she spends much time with others.

D．Because it’s an outdoor classroom for biology students.