1 . Scientists have created a new app designed to identify dangerous mosquitoes based on sounds the insects make. The app, called Abuzz, is aimed at helping fight major diseases spread by mosquitoes.
Haripriya Vaidehi Narayanan is one of the researchers who helped develop the app. Narayanan told VOA that anyone with a mobile phone could use the app to identify mosquitoes. “If they see a mosquito around, they just take out their phone, open up the app, point their phone towards the mosquito and hit the record button,”she said. “Then, when the mosquito flaps its wings and starts flying around, it makes that noise, that annoying buzzing noise. That noise is what gets recorded by the Abuzz app.” she added.
Many diseases that mosquitoes carry do not have cures or vaccines. So, targeting the flying insects is the best way to control them. “The most important step is to know where the mosquitoes are,” Narayanan said.
Traditional methods for hunting mosquitoes are costly and can take a very long time. The process also requires labor-intensive trapping as well as trained scientists to identify the insects.
Manu Prakash is a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University and a lead investigator on the project. He says that out of about 3,500 different mosquito species, only about 40 are dangerous to humans. Prakash says the goal of the project was to find out whether the mosquitoes around a person's house are just an annoyance, or whether they are possibly dangerous.
When mosquitoes move their wings up and down, they produce buzzing sounds. But each kind of mosquito makes a slightly different buzzing noise. The app records these sounds. Users of the app can get an answer by recording as little as one or two seconds of the buzzing sound. The app compares this recording to a collection of other recordings. It then predicts which species of mosquito it is most likely to be.
By making use of mosquito information worldwide, the app can help build maps of where dangerous mosquitoes are. This can help scientists and health officials identify areas where disease is likely to break out and where to target mosquito control.
1. Why is it important to locate mosquitoes?| A．Because they are very small and hard to find. |
| B．Because diseases carried by them are a big problem. |
| C．Because mosquitoes flap their wings very quickly. |
| D．Because the buzzing noise of mosquitoes is annoying. |
| A．Compare it to a database and identify its species. |
| B．Make a somewhat different buzzing noise. |
| C．Release some chemicals to kill the mosquito. |
| D．Draw a map of the place where the mosquito was. |
| A．It can help people control the number of mosquitoes. |
| B．It can help people avoid some species of mosquitoes. |
| C．It can help predict where mosquito-carried diseases are most likely to occur. |
| D．It can help record the mosquito hiding places very quickly. |
| A．The Different Species of Mosquitoes in the World |
| B．New Ways to Fight Disease Caused by Mosquitoes |
| C．How to Identify Sounds Made by Different Mosquitoes |
| D．A New App That Can Identify Dangerous Mosquitoes |
2 . Do you still remember the haze（雾霾）in the winter? So many people got terribly ill during or after the haze.
Spend less time outdoors.This is the most effective way for self-protection in such bad weather.With PM2.5 increasing 103mg per cubic meter,residents will risk a 2.29% increase of death,which experts found out in 2012.If you have to get out,avoid riding bicycles.
Close your windows.Experts advice residents to avoid opening windows at home.If you have to ,avoid the time when smog is at its densest（浓的）.
Smoke less.
| A．Wear masks. |
| B．Pay attention to other daily things. |
| C．Also avoid rush hours,when pollutants will be denser. |
| D．That’s because haze does harm to the health of people. |
| E．Cigarettes could cause more particulate matters,which are included in PM2.5 . |
| F．Take more fruits and vegetables instead,which are good for lung,spleen（脾）and kidney（肾）. |
| G．For residents who use air-conditioner,make sure your apartment has enough oxygen indoors. |
3 . A 3-year-old boy who was lost in the woods for two days is now safe at home with his family. But Casey Hathaway told his rescuers that he was not alone in the rainy, freezing cold woods. He said he was with a friend — a bear.
The child went missing on January 22. He was playing with friends at his grandmother’s house in the southern state of North Carolina. When the other children returned home but Casey did not, the family searched the area for almost an hour before calling the police. Police formed a search and rescue team to look for the young boy in the nearby woods. But two days went by and still — no Casey.
Then on January 24, someone called the police saying he heard a child crying in the woods. Police followed up on the information and found Casey at about 9 ：30 that night. They pulled him out of some briar. He was in good health. Casey told the rescuers that he had hung out with a black bear for two days, a bear he called his "friend".
Sheriff Chip Hughes spoke with reporters from several news agencies. He said Casey did not say how he was able to survive in the woods for three days in the cold, rainy weather. However, the sheriff said, “ He did say he had a friend in the woods that was a bear that was with him. ”
Hundreds of people helped in the search and rescue efforts, including some 600 volunteers, federal police and members of the military. Officer Hughes told reporters that at no point did he think Casey had been kidnapped.
His mother Brittany Hathaway talked with reporters from a local news agency and thanked everyone who joined the search for her son. “ We just want to tell everybody that we’re very thankful that you took the time out to search for Casey and prayed for him, and he's good, ” said his mother. “ He is good, he is up and talking. He’s already asked to watch Netflix. So, he's good …"
1. When did Casey get lost?| A．On January 24. |
| B．After a 911 call. |
| C．Before his playmates came. |
| D．After he left his grandmother's house. |
| A．He survived with the help of a bear. |
| B．The rescuers rescued him from a bear. |
| C．Someone offered key information to find him. |
| D．He was eventually found by officer Hughes. |
| A．To report the detailed situation. |
| B．To show her gratitude and relief. |
| C．To invite everyone to watch her child. |
| D．To appreciate searchers and the bear. |
| A．A news report. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A diary. | D．An advertisement |
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be：Their family ties are not as close as ours. When children grow up，they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely. But pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.
1. The passage mainly talks about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ .
| A．how to keep disease from pets |
| B．pets in Canada |
| C．how to take good care of pets |
| D．life of the old in Canada |
| A．they don’t love their parents any more |
| B．they can only find jobs far from their parents |
| C．their parents’ houses are too small |
| D．they wouldn’t depend on their parents any more |
| A．Peoplebuyanimal foodonlyattheanimalfood stores. |
| B．Pets eat better than people. |
| C．Almost every family has a birdcage in his house. |
| D．Any bird can come to the bird feeders to eat. |
