1 . Popcorm Park Zoo is not like most zoos. It is a very special place.
This unusual place was not originally a zoo. At first it was called the Forked River Animal Care Center. The workers there looked after lost or unwanted cats and dogs. Today the center is part of the zoo, but now many other kinds of animals are helped there, too.
The changes to the center began in 1977 when a raccoon(浣熊)needed help. One of its front paws(爪子)had been badly hurt. The workers cared for the animal. Finally it was better, but it could not care for itself. The raccoon was allowed to live there. Then a hurt deer was brought there for help. It, too, stayed there after it got well.
Once people heard about the wonderful work being done at the center, they began taking all kinds of hurt or homeless animals there. Soon it was no longer just a home for cats and dogs. So many animals were living there that it became more like a zoo.
Popcorn Park Zoo got its funny name because many of the animals there like to eat popcorn made without oil or salt. The popcorn is sold there to help make money to care for the animals. People buy the popcorn to feed the animals as a treat.
Popcorn Park Zoo now looks after more than 200 kinds of animals. Many of them live freely there. Some of the gentler ones, such as goats, sheep, geese, and deer, walk among the visitors who come to see them. Others are kept in large closed-in areas almost like their natural homes. All the animals there get care and love.
1. Before 1977, the center was a home for .A.lost or unwanted cats and dogs |
B.hurt or homeless raccoons and goats |
C.lost or unwanted deer and sheep |
D.hurt or homeless raccoons and geese |
A.They changed its front paws. |
B.They cured it and let it live there. |
C.They sent it back to its home. |
D.They built another home just for it. |
A.treat the visitors | B.reward the workers |
C.trick the animals | D.raise money |
A.They all live in closed-in areas. |
B.Some of them can walk out of the zoo freely. |
C.All of them are taken good care of. |
D.Some of them have already returned to nature. |
2 . “A beautiful field of flowers can be a rather noisy place. It’s just that we can’t hear the sounds.” Scientists at Tel Aviv University have conducted a six-year experiment, proving that plants make noise in certain stressful situations.
Plants produce a high frequency (频率) clicking sound, and when short of water, or damaged, the clicks become far more regular. They also made different sounds, depending on whether they were thirsty or injured. “Each plant and each type of stress is related to a specific sound,” said Professor Lilach Hadany, who led the research study.
Focusing particularly on tomatoes, wheat and corn, the plants were placed in a soundproof(隔音的)room and recorded by microphones. Some plants were starved of water, others cut, and a control group was left undamaged. The researchers used an algorithm (算法) to separate the noises, suecessfully telling the difference between the sounds depending on whether they were dry or cut. The algorithm did this in a greenhouse setting which included far more surrounding sounds, but it was still able to recognize the particular cries for help of the plants.
On average, the human ear can hear sounds up to around 20kHz, while the sounds produced by plants are in the 40-80kHz region, far beyond our hearing. “The sounds made by plants can’t be heard by humans but can probably be heard by various animals, such as bats, mice and insects,” Hadany tells us. Though this has yet to be proven, it’s possible that these creatures use this information to choose which plants to eat.
A study led by Reda Hassanien of China Agriculural University in Beijing years ago, also proved that plants reacted to sound waves, with some plants greatly increasing their yield. While evidence shows that plants can react to sounds, there’s no evidence today that they can actually hear them.
1. What can we know from the six-year experiment?A.Plants of different types make the sound of the same frequeney. |
B.Plants produce more regular sound in certain stressful situations. |
C.Plants make sounds with a much lower frequency when stressed. |
D.Plants make the sound of the same frequeney whatever the situation. |
A.To record the sounds. | B.To control the sounds. |
C.To produce the sounds. | D.To identify the sounds. |
A.Plants can hear each other’s cry for help. |
B.Animals can hear the sounds made by plants. |
C.Plants can make sounds and respond to sound waves. |
D.Animals decide what to eat based on the sounds plants make. |
A.Sounds That We Can’t Hear |
B.Beautiful Songs from Plants |
C.Plants React to Different Types of Stress |
D.Plants Talk, Especially When Stressed |
1. When will the first storm arrive?
A.Today. | B.This weekend. | C.Next week. |
A.New York City. | B.Saint Paul. | C.Boston. |
A.People traveling on foot. | B.People driving on the road. | C.People celebrating by the water. |
A.Sunny. | B.Snowy. | C.Windy. |
4 . Even if you live a green lifestyle at home,it's possible to ignore that travels may be harmful to the environment. Here are some steps you can take to reduce the harm that comes from traveling.
Make clear the environmental challenges. Every country has environmental challenges to deal with. For some,it is plastic bags,for others the amount of energy used on air conditioning or heating. Make sure you know them and act responsibly. Use water wisely,for example,when you are in dry countries.
A.Be as green as you are at home. |
B.Find eco–friendly accommodation. |
C.Eat locally grown foods as much as possible. |
D.Choose a green means of transportation. |
5 . Scientists in Antarctica have recorded, for the first time, unusually warm water beneath a glacier (冰川) the size of Florida that is already melting and contributing to a
The researchers,
It is
That is
“Warm waters in this part of the world, as
While scientists may not yet be able to definitively
A.rise | B.improvement | C.decline | D.development |
A.travelling | B.walking | C.living | D.working |
A.in | B.at | C.above | D.under |
A.unclear | B.uneasy | C.uncommon | D.unlikely |
A.dirty | B.deep | C.cold | D.warm |
A.familiar | B.controversial | C.ambiguous | D.significant |
A.acts | B.sees | C.views | D.regards |
A.taking off | B.passing on | C.holding back | D.writing down |
A.stronger | B.more | C.better | D.other |
A.remote | B.funny | C.strange | D.likely |
A.warning | B.notice | C.discussion | D.explanation |
A.pulled | B.thrown | C.brought | D.taken |
A.reporter | B.resident | C.fisher | D.researcher |
A.date | B.think | C.predict | D.answer |
A.character | B.factor | C.role | D.figure |
6 . The herd of 14 wild Asian elephants wandering around in southwestern China's Yunnan province successfully went through the last natural barrier on its way home and returned to its traditional habitat in Pu' er city on Friday.
At 1 am, the elephants, which had left their habitat in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, crossed the Babian River and entered Ning'er county in Pu' er city, one of the three major habitats of Asian elephants in Yunnan. The northbound trip, lasting about 18 months, finally ended without any harm to either the elephants or local residents. The herd departed from its traditional habitat in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous district last year and started traveling north in April. It passed through eight counties in the province during the journey. In June, it eventually reached the suburbs of Kunming, the provincial capital.
The herd started its journey with 16 members, but three of them dropped out, while two calves were born on the journey. In June, a bull elephant broke away from the group and wandered off on his own. In July, the bull elephant was lifted into a cage on the back of a truck and returned to Xishuangbanna.
The Asian elephant is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The animal, which can be found in the areas of Yunnan bordering Myanmar and Laos, is also under first-class State protection in China. Shen Qingzhong, a senior engineer from the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, said it's inevitable(难免的)that the elephants will make another journey in the future as migration is a normal activity for elephants. “Historically, Asian elephants used to live in many parts of the country. Migration is in their nature. It helps the species expand its territory and have more chances to improve its gene pool by mating with different groups,” he said.
The forestry department and the provincial government plan to develop a national park, which aims to provide habitat protection for the elephants and a balanced relationship with residents.
1. Which of the following is True?A.The elephants finally settled in the downtown of Kunming. |
B.The journey took the elephants over two years. |
C.The elephants' habitat is far away from Kunming. |
D.The elephants moved towards the south of Yunnan. |
A.13. | B.14. |
C.15. | D.16. |
A.Elephants can benefit from migration. |
B.Migration is an abnormal activity for elephants. |
C.Elephants have less chances to improve their gene. |
D.Elephants used to live in its territory. |
A.Elephants in Yunnan. | B.How to protect the elephants. |
C.The activities of the elephants. | D.Elephants return from the journey. |