1 . Bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food: from almonds (杏仁) to berries and the alfalfa (苜蓿) that feeds dairy cows. Our diets and agricultural economy hinge on a healthy bee population.
However, rapid declines in bee population around the world put additional stress on an already unstable food supply by depressing yields and agricultural efficiency. While bee biologists do not foresee upcoming food system collapse without honey bees, we do know that agriculture would quickly become unrecognizable—and much more limited.
Farmers are on the frontlines of the economic impacts of bee decline. For example, the cost of almond pollination (授粉) has nearly tripled since colonies began collapsing in 2004, costing that industry over $83 million per year.
The causes behind recent bee declines are not a “mystery”. Independent scientists now largely agree that bee declines are caused by a combination of several factors, including: poor nutrition, habitat loss and pesticide (杀虫剂) exposure.
In the last several years, pesticides — both alone and in combination with other pesticides — have emerged as a key catalyst (催化剂) behind this disturbing phenomenon, both because of their direct toxicity to bees and their indirect and cascading effects.
Scientists know that individual bees can be acutely poisoned while flying through pesticide-contaminated planter dust in a recently planted corn field. More commonly, they are chronically poisoned at sublethal (亚致死) levels by eating and drinking contaminated pollen, nectar and water over time. Bees are then more likely to get sick.
As an indicator species, honey bees are sounding an alarm that we ignore at our peril. Among their lessons: industrial agriculture has gone off the rails. The pesticide treadmill has kicked into high gear with a class of dangerous systemic pesticides—while regulators were asleep at the switch. So let’s keep the heat on decision makers to take meaningful action.
1. What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Cut down. | B．Contribute to. | C．Depend on. | D．Go against. |
| A．The impact of rapid declines in bee population. | B．The role of farmers in agriculture. |
| C．The ignorance of the effect on food system. | D．The cost of almond pollination. |
| A．Poor in nutrition. | B．Economic impacts. |
| C．Loss of habitat. | D．Exposure to pesticides. |
| A．To express sympathy for the affected farmers. | B．To show the factors resulting in the bees’ crisis. |
| C．To explain a key catalyst to the bees’ problem. | D．To urge decision makers to take action for bees. |
2 . Lightning can strike anyplace on Earth. In fact, there are about 6,000 lightning strikes every minute, which is more than 8 million strikes every day. The risk of being struck by lightning is low, but the consequences of lightning strike injuries are serious. Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you might still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors.
Avoid water.
Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact with water during a thunderstorm.
Do NOT use anything connected to an electrical outlet (电源插座), such as computers, game systems, washers, or stoves. Lightning can travel through electrical systems, radio and television reception systems, and any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete.
Don’t use corded (有线的) phones.
Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm. Do NOT use them.
Follow the safety measures above can minimize your risk of being injured indoors on lighting days. Don’t take it for granted that only outdoor activities can put you in a dangerous place. Keep it in mind that inappropriate indoor activities can also be disastrous.
| A．Here are some tips to keep safe and reduce your risk of being struck while indoors. |
| B．In addition, follow up on the latest information about the storm. |
| C．However, it is safe to use cordless or mobile phones during a storm. |
| D．Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches. |
| E．Some outdoors measures can keep you safe and prevent you from being attacked. |
| F．Lightning can travel through a building’s water pipe system. |
| G．Don’t touch electronic equipment. |
3 . Sea ice in the Antarctic (南极) area fell to a record low this year. The drop is a result of rising temperatures worldwide. And there is no quick method to make up for the ice drop, and the recovery (恢复) has a long way to go, scientists said recently in a new study.
Antarctica’s smallest summer ice cover fell further to a new low in February. This year’s sea ice minimum (最小值) is 20 percent lower than the average (平均值) over the last 40 years. The sea ice loss equals an area nearly 10 times that of New Zealand.
The warming of Earth’s surface driven by the burning of coal, gas and oil has made Antarctica more likely to suffer from extreme (极端的) events. And the result is almost “certain” to get worse, the study said. Climate change will “lead to increases in the size and rate”of heat waves, broken ice shelves and drops in sea ice, it said.
The effects of the Earth’s warming on Antarctica and the surrounding ocean have been uncertain. Scientists have had problems measuring how much the Earth’s warming is altering the thickness of Antarctic ice.
But from events such as the fast drop in sea ice, it is “scientifically reasonable” to suppose that extreme events are going to become worse as temperatures rise worldwide, said Martin Siegert of the University of Exeter, another study co-writer.
Siegert described the temperature increase as completely surprising. Siegert added that luckily the event had happened during the Antarctic winter, instead of summer, or it would have caused melting (融化) on the surface of the East Antarctic ice cover, which has so far been saved from melting.
Siegert used the term “fragile”, meaning easily broken or damaged, to describe Antarctica. “Antarctica is fragile as an environment, but extreme events test that fragility,” he said.
1. What do the scientists think of the recovery of Antarctic sea ice?| A．It is hopeful. | B．It is difficult. |
| C．It is on its way. | D．It can’t be prevented. |
| A．To explain the size of sea ice loss. | B．To show the position of ice cover. |
| C．To describe how far Antarctica is. | D．To state sea ice is connected to New Zealand. |
| A．Adding. | B．Pressing. |
| C．Changing. | D．Protecting. |
| A．Antarctic sea ice is recovering too slowly. |
| B．The Antarctic ice cover is continuously moving. |
| C．The environment of Antarctica is easy to break. |
| D．Extreme events happen in Antarctic summer. |
Kay Day, an 87-year-old UK woman, loves elephants. But Day, who suffers from dementia(痴呆), rarely leaves her nursing home room and hasn’t seen a real elephant for a really long time. Until now.
Day is so fond of elephants that her room is full of elephant photos and toys. She dreamed of seeing an elephant up close again but never thought it would happen. On Wednesday, August 9, 2023, Day’s dream became a reality after her nursing home took her on a special trip to the Whipsnade Zoo.
The nursing home collected money to be able to realize Day’s dream. “Day doesn’t join in many activities and tends to spend quite a lot of time alone,” said the nursing home manager. “So when we sat and discussed wishes, we found out she would love to see an elephant. When we found the Elephant Experience at Whipsnade and contacted them, we said we should make her dream come true!”
Day was so excited about going to the zoo that she marked off the days on her elephant-themed calendar. Day’s carers telephoned her family and asked them to come along on the trip to support her on that exciting day.
Since the Whipsnade Zoo is a protection zoo that is working to protect wildlife as well as connect people with nature, the staff runs a lot of programs including various animal experiences and “Be a Keeper” days.
Day often told people around her that she would like to pet and feed the elephants herself as she did many years before. And she said that the elephants’ trunks (象鼻) are her favourite part of the huge animals. “It’s such a wonderful feeling to have an elephant take some food out of your hand, put it in his trunk, curl (卷起) it up and put it in his mouth, ” she told the reporter when she was interviewed.
注意: 1. 续写词数应为150个左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The day for going to the zoo finally came.
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The moment arrived when Day was able to meet the elephants up close.
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5 . Kids want to spend their summer vacations having fun in the sun with their friends. Reading may not even be on their list. But if you add a lovely dog, that could make reading a pleasant activity.
Now a new study found that reading to dogs helps to improve reading ability because dogs provide a nonjudgmental and supportive atmosphere(氛围).
Three educators from the college decided to look at new ways to get kids to read more after the Education Ministry expressed concern over a great drop in reading scores in fourth-grade students.
These students had reading difficulties because they did not go through school in person during the last three years. They missed out on reading practice with their peers(同龄人)during the second and third grades.
“We want to find an original way that would encourage students to practice their reading,” Har-Zvi, head of the special-education track and senior lecturer at the college said. “And to create that encouragement, we decided to do experiments with dogs.”
Reading to pets encourages kids to acquire confidence and interest in reading, according to the pet food company Purina. That’s not only because the practice of reading to dogs is used in home-schooling to help the kids acquire reading ability, but also because pets are comforting and nonjudgmental. Einat Artzi, whose daughter took part in the experiment, told Ynet that her daughter Michaela ”has loved dogs from a young age. Her experience of reading to dogs greatly increased her desire to read, and in her opinion, it improved her reading abilities. All in all, the experience of introducing dogs into the classroom made her feel comfortable and safe, and she began to enjoy going to school. Michaela is now considered one of the top readers in her class and has a very rich vocabulary. Thanks to this, we also took in a dog.“
1. What led three educators to try to get kids to read more?| A．Kids’ difficulty in making friends. | B．Teachers’ passive teaching methods. |
| C．Their worry about students’ health. | D．Concerns of education leaders. |
| A．The quiet listening of the dogs. | B．The kids’ love for the dogs. |
| C．The parents’ joining them. | D．The guidance from the teachers. |
| A．It made her fall in love with dogs. | B．It bettered her reading ability greatly. |
| C．It improved her relationships with others. | D．It allowed her to take a dog to school. |
| A．Dogs Are Good Friends to Kids | B．Kids’ Reading Scores Are Dropping |
| C．Dogs Help Make Kids Better Readers | D．Kids Studying at Home Brings Problems |
Imperial Mountain Resort in Chengde used to be the resort of emperors of Qing Dynasty. Situated in the city of Chengde in northeastern Hebei Province, the resort is
Surrounded by lakes, forest and mountains, it is China’s
The resort and the 12 Buddhist temples at its periphery (外围) were built during the Qing Dynasty. It served as the second political center of the Qing imperial court
7 . When the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) began last Friday, Steve and Janet Kistler of Hart County, Kentucky, joined in. They’ve done so every year since the now-global tradition began 25 years ago.
For Moira Dalibor, who teaches math at a school, this was the first count. She led a group of students and parents to an arboretum (植物园) for an exercise in data-gathering. They were among hundreds of thousands of people around the world counting and recording over four days. Last year, about 385,000 people from 192 countries took part in the GBBC.
This global data goes into the eBird database used by scientists for research on bird populations, which have declined sharply overall in past decades. It’s part of a rise in “citizen science” projects in which volunteers collect data about the natural world for use by researchers.
Many bird-watchers use eBird year-round, and it has collected huge amounts of data — often between 1 million and 2 million bird checklists a month from around the world in the past couple of years, says Becca Rodomsky-Bish, the project’s leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, in Ithaca, New York. “Observing birds is a good way to connect with the natural world. Birds are everywhere. You don’t have to leave your house. They will come. And they’re charismatic because they’re fun and interesting to watch.”
This is how it works: Participants watch birds, whether that means looking out of the window for 15 minutes or taking a longer trip to a nature area. Organizers recommend the Merlin bird ID app to distinguish birds by size, shape, song or other characteristics. Many participants also carry field guides and binoculars (双筒望远镜) along with their phones. They then enter the findings into the eBird app. Those numbers help researchers track the ups and downs of various species, which then help determine the direction of conservation efforts.
Dalibor prepared her classes with information about local species and practiced with the Merlin app. The kids recorded bird sightings with pencils and drawing boards, and parent volunteers entered those numbers on phones.
1. Why did Dalibor lead her students to an arboretum?| A．To do exercise for health. | B．To observe different plants. |
| C．To practice their math skills. | D．To collect information about birds. |
| A．Attractive. | B．Beautiful. | C．Rare. | D．Shy. |
| A．To record their findings. | B．To identify different birds. |
| C．To help determine the birds’ habitat. | D．To track the ups and downs of various species. |
| A．Great Backyard Bird Count: a strange activity |
| B．Watching birds contributes to students’ education |
| C．Moira Dalibor: a pioneer and responsible teacher |
| D．Great Backyard Bird Count shows power of citizen science |
8 . As temperatures soar, electric bills often go through the roof. That’s because people tend to turn on their air conditioners during the long, hot summer months.
It’s been predicted that by 2050 about 75 percent of the world’s homes could have air conditioners. If that’s true, the energy required to cool buildings will double. For that reason, researchers continue to look for solutions to keep air-conditioner usage to a minimum. Some innovations are being used already or are in the process of being developed. Certain building materials can feel cooler because of their ability to absorb heat and release it slowly. Other buildings use water cooling systems to cool them. However, these aren’t the only methods. Science has a few more tricks up its sleeve.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed the world’s whitest paint. This paint can keep a building’s exterior surface cooler than the surrounding temperature. On hot days, walls absorb heat and often become 10 to 20 degrees Celsius hotter than the air around them. But walls painted with Purdue’s white paint reflect 98.1 percent of the heat and send it back into space. This creates a cooling effect.
Purdue professor Xiulin Ruan believes that the super-white paint could have a more powerful cooling effect than many home air conditioners. Researchers hope to have the paint on the market in five to 10 years.
Yi Zheng of Northeastern University has created a “cooling paper”. This material reflects the sun’s rays while pulling heat out of a building’s interior, and the paper can be recycled. He and his team discovered that the paper helps bring down a room’s temperature by about 6 degrees Celsius. Zheng hopes that the cooling paper will someday be used on roofs and within building materials.
Now and in the future, perhaps some of these energy-efficient methods will make it easier to beat the heat.
1. Why does the author mention the air conditioners at the beginning of the passage?| A．To describe a fact. | B．To support an idea. |
| C．To provide examples. | D．To introduce the topic. |
| A．It has been on the market. |
| B．It is the world’s coolest paint. |
| C．Walls painted with it reflect most of the heat. |
| D．It can keep the whole building’s surface cooler. |
| A．The surface of a buildings is better covered with paper. |
| B．Buildings will be built mostly with cooling paper someday. |
| C．The cooling paper will be practical and eco-friendly building materials. |
| D．The cooling paper can bring down a room’s temperature more than air conditioners. |
| A．Purdue’s White Paint: A New Material to Cool Buildings |
| B．Cool Buildings: Innovative Ways to Keep Buildings Cool |
| C．Cool Building Materials: Solutions to Fight against Climate Change |
| D．Future Air Conditioners: New Energy-efficient Methods to Beat the Heat |
On the plains of northwest Oklahoma, you can see for miles: nothing but grass, masses of evergreen trees and steep red-rock canyons(峡谷). But with my telescope, I could see the helicopters, one after another clearly, dumping water on a wildfire in the far distance. I wasn’t concerned by the small cloud of smoke snaking skyward. It had to be at least 50 miles away, even across the South Canadian River.
That afternoon, my uncle Larry, my cousin Tony and I had driven to this 4, 000-acre farm for a three-day hunt. I took a few pictures of bushy trees and grand canyons. Then I sent some of them with my cellphone to my wife, Ande, who was 60 miles away. “There’s nothing to worry about. Just have a nice day.” I typed. She had seen the fire on the news and called a few minutes earlier to warn me. Anyway, I didn’t want her to be worried.
The wind had picked up, blowing hard from the southwest. We climbed into the vehicle, with Larry driving, to look for places to hunt the turkeys the next day. We headed north along a small road and stopped here and there to look for signs of turkeys.
We drove for about a mile before Larry turned to head back south, toward the farmhouse. As we did, my eyes went wide. A wall of flames was racing toward us, maybe three quarters of a mile away. “Get us out of here!” I screamed. Larry speeded up the vehicle, bouncing hard along the small road. How had the fire jumped over the river? The flames would be on us in no time. With a fence blocking the way, we jumped out of the vehicle. Then I made a phone call to Ande. “We’re surrounded by fire,” I shouted over the howling wind. “Call 911! We need a helicopter to get us out of here.” The connection went dead.
Paragraph 1:
I looked around, but I couldn’t see Larry and Tony.
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Paragraph 2:
When I woke up, I found myself in a helicopter.
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World Soil Day
As we all know, the
World Soil Day 2022 and its campaign, “Soils: Where food begins”, aims
Soil nutrient loss is a major soil degradation (退化) process threatening nutrition.
Our lives depend
