1 . For 234 years, the bald eagle has been an official symbol of the U.S. It is, after all, the national animal. But in May, 2016, the former President Barack Obama signed a law naming the bison (野牛) the national mammal. Since then, the eagle has had to share its perch.
The North American bison has long been a symbol of the West. “No other native animal tells America’s story better. It is a long-lasting symbol of power, Native American culture, and the Western wildness. At one time, tens of millions of bison lived in North America. For Native American communities, bison were a source of food and clothing. Bison were at the very heart of their traditional way of life,” says Missouri congressman William Lacy Clay Jr.
That way of life changed in the mid-1800s. People began to travel west and hunt bison. Some hunted for the same reason as Native Americans did. But others killed bison for sport. In 1894, it became illegal to kill bison. But it was almost too late. By the early 1900s, fewer than 1,000 wild bison remained in America.
Some people realized the animals needed to be saved. President Theodore Roosevelt, William Hornaday — the first director of the Bronx Zoo, in New York City — and others formed the American Bison Society. The group was to bring back the bison. Native American tribes and locals also joined the fight. By the mid-1930s, bison were no longer in danger.
Today, there are about 500,000 North American bison. They live in all 50 states. “Only about 30,000 of those animals are living as truly wild bison. Others live on protected lands or in zoos,” says Pat Thomas, the associate director of the Bronx Zoo.
Thomas says naming the bison the national mammal was an important step in making sure the animal is well protected. “This recognition is beginning to complete the circle,” he says, “from a time when there were millions of wild bison, to when bison were hunted until they nearly died out, to the beginning of the recovery.”
1. What does the underlined word “perch” in Para 1 mean?| A．High place. | B．Dish. | C．Story. | D．Famous name. |
| A．Bison have become popular worldwide. |
| B．Bison were protected well in North America. |
| C．The bison plays an important role in America. |
| D．The bison is far more important than the eagle. |
| A．It succeeded in saving bison. |
| B．It introduced a new law on bison. |
| C．It fought with Native American tribes. |
| D．It brought back bison to the Bronx Zoo. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Uncaring. | C．Doubtful. | D．Supportive. |
2 . Please do not feed native animals
The native animals in this park have enough natural food to survive.
You might think that you are being kind to the native birds and animals by giving them your food, but feeding them or leaving rubbish around that they might eat is cruel, not kind!
Remember:
Feeding animals can make them sick because sometimes our food contains something that native animals cannot easily digest. They can become weak and more likely to catch a disease.
When the animals become accustomed to being fed by people or finding food in rubbish, they can easily lose the ability to hunt and find food for themselves when they need to.
Animals that rely on being fed by humans may become aggressive. They gather near areas of high human activity such as campsites and walking tracks. Animals have been known to fight over food and bother people in the area.
Feeding animals can encourage them to look for food in residential areas or nearby farms, which is dangerous for both the animals and residents.
Please be a friend to our native birds and animals.
Take your remaining food and rubbish with you.
Feeding animals is an offence under By-law 457 and can result in a＄250 fine.
1. What harm does feeding animals cause?| A．It may threaten their lives. | B．It may weaken their hunting ability. |
| C．It may limit their freedom and growth. | D．It may lead to environmental pollution. |
| A．An oral warning. | B．An economic loss. |
| C．A cleanup punishment. | D．A ban on entering the park. |
| A．A research paper. | B．A nonprofit’s notice. |
| C．A travel guide. | D．A park’s announcement. |
3 . A herd of wild Asian elephants in Southwest China's Yunnan Province has been away from its home for two months, with its current direction of travel showing the animals have no intention of returning. The elephants have attracted global attention after they advanced about 500 km to the north from their original habitat in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture(辖区) in the province to enter Kunming. It's the furthest that a herd of wild elephants from Xishuangbanna has ever travelled from its habitat.
As the herd has moved too far from its original habitat, and Yunnan has entered the rainy season making it difficult to cross rivers, it is extremely unlikely that the herd will return to its original habitat at any time soon, said Zhang Li, a field wildlife biologist and professor at Beijing Normal University. “The best solution is to find a new and more suitable habitat for the herd and guide them there, away from crowds, to reduce the possibility of human-elephant conflict,” Zhang said.
Previously, it was supposed that wild elephants were leaving their habitat because the local ecology had been damaged, but some experts pointed out that the migration of elephants northward instead proved that Yunnan's ecology has progressed in recent years.
“The range of Asian elephants in China had expanded from two prefectures and three counties in the 1990s to three prefectures and 12 counties by the end of 2020, which also indicates that the areas suitable for Asian elephants are increasing,” Chen Fei, director of Asian Elephant Research Center,State Forestry and Grassland Administration of China said.
Researchers have shown that wild animals undertake long-distance migration depending on the connectivity of the landscape and environmental conditions. The Asian elephants were able to reach Kunming unimpeded(无障碍的) because of the restored forests and farmland along the way, Chen added.
1. What can we learn about the wild Asian elephants from paragraph 1?| A．They got lost on their way home. |
| B．They moved for a better living place. |
| C．They went to Kunming in search of food. |
| D．They kept heading north after leaving their home. |
| A．To guide them to a better habitat. |
| B．To provide them with some local food. |
| C．To send them back to their original home. |
| D．To improve the local environment for them. |
| A．Asian elephants are losing their habitats. |
| B．More forests and farmland need to be restored. |
| C．The destruction of the local ecology is worsening. |
| D．Environment affects the migration of the Asian elephants. |
| A．Pessimistic | B．Objective | C．Optimistic | D．Indifferent |
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy came and
In the
Finally, the boy returned. "Sorry, my boy,
5 . Coffee is probably the world’s least expensive success power tool. Coffee builds better teams and increases your leadership ability. Coffee also increases your immunity. It increases focus and drive and may even increase your lifespan.
Unfortunately, we may not be enjoying the benefits or pleasures of coffee too much longer. According to ecologists, there’s a good chance that in 20 or 30 years, the varieties of coffee that we drink today will be extinct. And we’ll be drinking either a coffee substitute or some almost-coffee hybrid that vaguely resembles the drink we enjoy today.
The problem, of course, is the pace of climate change. Successful coffee cultivation has three preconditions: 1) a warm, highly stable tropical climate with altitudes that keep air temperature between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius, 2) rich soil full of natural nutrients, and 3) an ecological environment that’s pest and disease resistant.
Coffee is a crop that is only grown in a thin band called the “coffee belt” close to the equator. It simply won’t grow anywhere else. Unfortunately, the “coffee belt” is extremely vulnerable to climate change. If the air is too cold or too hot, it prevents the growth of the coffee plant.
Climate change also creates environmental stress, which spreads parasites, pests and plant diseases. All of these increase the fragility of the coffee crop and create the possibility of a species-destroying rot.
Almost all the coffee cultivated in the world today is one of two species, arabica or robusta, either of which might be wiped out in this way. There are other species of coffee, and scientists are hoping that, if worse comes to worst, a different species can be bred into coffee.
Unfortunately, almost all of these species exist only in Ethiopia, a country that climate change is already hammering. As the environmental nonprofit USAID points out:
“Ethiopia is one of the world’s most drought-prone countries. The country is confronted with numerous development challenges that exacerbate its weakness facing climate change including increases in temperature, unstable rainfall and unpredictability of seasonal rain, and increased incidences of drought and other extreme events.”
In other words, even as climate change threatens coffee as it exists today, climate change is also eating away at the root source to which we might turn to for replacement species.
What to do? Well, take the time to savor each cup of coffee you drink. Beyond that, stop electing and enabling climate change deniers.
1. What is the author’s feeling about the future of coffee?| A．Helpless. | B．Bored. | C．Happy. | D．Worried. |
| A．A tropical climate. | B．Rich soil. |
| C．Increasing temperature. | D．Stable rainfall. |
| A．remove | B．worsen | C．decrease | D．accept |
| A．Change Climate for Coffee |
| B．Enjoy Coffee While You Can |
| C．Benefits from Coffee Drinking |
| D．Conditions for Coffee Planting |
Four men once came to a wet place in the roadless forest to fish. They cast their tent upon pine-clothed rocks. On sweet-smelling branches they slept the sleep of unsuccessful fishermen, for the sun made them lazy and the rain made them wet in turn. Finally they ate the last bit of bacon and the last wonderful cake.
Immediately a little man volunteered to stay and hold the camp while the remaining three should go miles to a farmhouse for supplies. They looked at him dismally (沮丧地). “There's only one of you — the devil is your brother,” they said and disappeared down the hill. Then night came and the three had not returned. The little man sat close to the campfire and added branches. Suddenly he heard the coming rustle (沙沙声) of the dead leaves. The little man arose slowly to his feet, his clothes refused to fit his back, his pipe dropped from his mouth, and his knees struck each other. “Hah!” he cried. A low voice replied and a bear paced into the light of the fire. The little man supported himself upon a tree and recognized his visitor — a bear.
The bear was obviously an experienced fighter, for its fur had become deep yellow with age. There was confidence in his small pace and in his shining eyes. It rolled back its lips and exposed its white teeth. The fire enlarged the red of its mouth. The little man had never come across the terrible animal before and was too scared to breathe. “Ah!” The bear interpreted this silence as a gladiator (角斗士). It approached cautiously and slowly. As it came near, the boots of fear were suddenly upon the little man's feet. He cried out and then ran around the campfire. “Ho!” said the bear to himself, “this thing won't fight — he runs. Well, let me catch him.” It started strongly around the campfire. The little man screamed and ran violently. Twice around they went.
In desperation the little man flew into the tent.
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The little man went into giggling (咯咯笑).
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7 . As people get older, the types and numbers of friends they have tend to change. As young adults, humans have large groups of friends. With age, they often prefer to spend their time with just a few close, positive individuals. Researchers long believed that this aging attraction toward meaningful relationships was unique to humans, but a new study finds that chimps (大猩猩) also have similar tendencies.
Rosati and her colleagues used 78,000 hours of observations made over 20 years from the Kibale Chimpanzee Project in Uganda. The data looked at the social interactions of 21 male chimps between 15 and 58 years old. The researchers only studied male chimps because they show stronger social bonds and have more social interactions than female chimps.
Researchers found that wild chimpanzees share a similar pattern of social aging with humans. Rosati says, “They prefer strong, mutual social bonds and interact with others in more positive ways as they get older.” The older chimpanzees preferred spending more time with chimps that they had become friends with over the years. They would sit close to these long-time companions and groom (梳毛) each other. By contrast, younger chimps had more one-sided relationships where they would groom a friend, but the action wasn’t returned.
Older male chimps were also more likely to spend more time alone. The researchers said that they showed a shift from negative interactions to more positive ones, preferring to spend their later years in nonconfrontational (非对抗性的), positive relationships. Researchers call the preference a “positivity bias”.
Researchers theorize that chimps, like humans, are able to change their social focus as they age. “We propose that this aging pattern may be the result of shared changes in our abilities to regulate our emotions with age,” Rosati says. “This shared pattern between chimpanzees and humans could represent an adaptive response where older adults focus on important social relationships that provide benefits and avoid interactions that have negative consequences as they lose competitive fighting ability.”
1. What does the new study find about chimps?| A．Male chimps show more interactions than females. |
| B．Old chimps don’t care about friends as much as young ones. |
| C．Chimps concentrate more on meaningful relations with age. |
| D．Chimps share aging problems similar to human beings. |
| A．By studying the data provided by other researchers. |
| B．By making scientific investigations and observations. |
| C．By setting up models on the computer in the lab. |
| D．By monitoring both the humans’ and chimps’ behavior. |
| A．Inability to regulate emotions. |
| B．Eagerness to build closer relationships. |
| C．Loss of competitiveness in strength. |
| D．Failure to adapt to the changeable nature. |
| A．A short story collection. | B．A popular science magazine. |
| C．A graduate research paper. | D．A biology textbook. |
8 . “It has nothing in common with anything else on the Bund(外滩) "said Ben Wood, the American architect behind Shanghai's famous Xintiandi District, commenting on the Fosun Foundationafter its completion in 2016. "The great thing about the Bund is that it'sgrand. Perhaps a building that can stand out is needed here to show that acompany is progressive. But it's not grand.”
For now, however, the FosunFoundation ---a new theatre ---is proving popular with riverside tourists.
Located in the Bund FinanceCenter, the theatre was designed by co-operation of two world-known Britishdesign firms: Foster+ Partners and Heatherwick Studio. The architecturalhighlight is the outward appearance ---a golden, three-layered(层) steel bamboo curtain that hangs fromthe third floor. But what makes the architecture really unique is that it"dances" : repeatedly each day, the curtain slowly moves ---opens andcloses--- with music. This visual element, combining East and West, looks likeboth an ancient Chinese crown and a Western harp (竖琴). The building's ground floor entrancelooks unclear, but once inside, you'll see the space reveal a hall and cafe, and traditional Chinese theatres on the upper floors. Although there're onlyfour stories above ground, the building houses several music halls on its threeunderground floors.
“The opportunity to makesomething new in this culturally historic location was extraordinary, "said Thomas Heatherwick, Heatherwick Studio founder. "We tried to make itan interesting addition to show Shanghais mix of modern and historicarchitecture.”
The Fosun Foundation is only part of a bigger plan for this economicand cultural center in China. Along the Huangpu River, a massive waterfront artarea is being built. Shanghai hopes to play a larger role in the global artindustry in the coming years.
What Shanghai makes of thisnew riverside project remains to be seen. But with the Fosun Foundation open tothe public, the area's rapid transformation is bringing up discussions inChina's arts scene and beyond.
1. What did Ben Wood mainly talk about?| A．How to keep the Bund area progressive. |
| B．Why the Bund area doesn't stand out. |
| C．How to make the Fosun Foundation grand. |
| D．Why the Fosun Foundation doesn’t fit the area. |
| A．The colour of its appearance. |
| B．The material of the building |
| C．The movement of its curtain. |
| D．The music of a different type. |
| A．To improve its influence in arts. |
| B．To bring up more traditional buildings. |
| C．To strengthen its economic role. |
| D．To mix modern and historic elements. |
| A．Worried | B．Pessimistic | C．Cautious | D．Confident |
