A. alternative B. astonishing C. computerized D. contribution E. developing F. rate G. modified H. perfect I. reject J. relevance K. sufficient |
Using animals to test drugs intended for humans is controversial, with critics arguing there are other ways to ensure new medicines are safe and effective. But the scientists who carry out the research say animal studies remain necessary. Statistics indicate that in the UK around three million mice are being used for research and tens of millions worldwide.
Despite the difference in appearances, the genetic similarities with humans are
Animal Defenders International (ADI) is one of the groups that campaigns for an end to the use of animals in research. “We would argue that it is extremely outdated, and not very good science for humans,” says Fleur Dawes of ADI. Ms. Dawes believes the suffering that the animals go through does not legalize their
However, Dr. Wells from Mary Lyon Centre (MLC) says they are constantly trying to
If we
Fleur Dawes agrees one alternative is not enough. But she says, “By combining the different alternatives, you can actually get a much better picture that is of much better
2 . 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.experience B. associated C.position D.claim E.accompanied F.conducted G.duration H.preserve I.breeze J.representative K.weighed |
One of the British royal traditions is that the king or queen can
Several years ago, when I was living in London, I went along to
The Uppers themselves are a mix of old boys and younger men-all dressed in uniforms. They paddle their way upriver in a fleet of wooden boats, shiny with gold detailing. Flags flutter behind them in the
The small fleet is
Not long after, the traditional call goes out: “All up!” it’s the first catch of the day. The Uppers carefully
3 . 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 |
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 |
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 |
A.optimistic | B.relaxed | C.debatable | D.negative |
Are we greening our cities, or just greenwashing them?
Architecture and urban design is chasing a green fever dream. Everywhere you look, there are plans for “sustainable” buildings, futuristic eco-cities and aquaponic farms on the roof, each promising to add a green touch to the modern city.
All of these are surely good ideas at some level. They are trying to repair some of the damage our lifestyle has done to the planet. But, despite the rhetoric of reuniting the city with nature, today’s green urban dream is too often about bringing a technologically controlled version of nature into the city and declaring the problem solved, rather than looking at the deeper causes of our environmental and urban problems.
One of the most striking examples is Apple’s “spaceship” campus now under construction in Silicon Valley. Though it seems to be sustainable and energy efficient—80 percent of its 175-acre site is preserved for landscaping, it is by any measure a huge, expensive and massively resource-intensive project. As a suburban white-collar workplace, it must include vast garages for 13,000 Apple employees. Thus, it will leave no smaller environmental footprint than a traditional office park.
Designing a perfect green building or eco-city isn’t enough to save the world. Although our buildings, like our cars, have been inefficient environmentally, architecture isn’t directly responsible for humanity’s disastrous environmental impacts. An economic system based on the destruction of nature is the real problem. No green building can help us repair the ecological damage we have caused, nor can any number of aquaponic farms bring us back to the real nature.
Instead of adding “nature” to the urban lifestyle, architects may work to design better relationships between our cities and nature, and to promote just relationships between the people in them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . How to Care for Your Tree
1. Water the newly planted tree. Once the tree is planted, water it and keep up a
Water the tree every day for several weeks to let the
Water as necessary for the conditions in your area.
If you are planting fruit or nut trees for a small home orchard, continue to water weekly for the
2. Use mulch (覆盖物). Considering adding a layer of mulch
Cover the planting hole with 1-3 inches of shredded hardwood or leaf mulch. Keep the mulch at least 12 inches away from the trunk
Mulching around the tree will
3. Prune the tree if necessary. If there are any broken, dead, or diseased limbs on your tree,
4. Enjoy the tree as it grows over the years. Appreciate its
You’ll need to make sure that you water your plant to keep it thriving. You want to achieve
Watering your tree with a steady stream from a garden hose for about 30 seconds should be sufficient. The soil should feel moist at all times and mulch will help retain the moisture.
Check soil moisture by digging about 2 inches below the surface and then use your
A.native | B.particular | C.regular | D.positive |
A.twigs | B.barks | C.trunk | D.roots |
A.Give | B.Take | C.Think | D.Look |
A.when | B.why | C.how | D.what |
A.life | B.color | C.shape | D.beauty |
A.related to | B.due to | C.owing to | D.according to |
A.around | B.across | C.beside | D.along |
A.so | B.and | C.or | D.if |
A.protect | B.provide | C.plant | D.grow |
A.for which | B.which | C.that | D.on that |
A.water | B.remove | C.treat | D.handle |
A.color | B.landscape | C.shade | D.scene |
A.as long as | B.even if | C.in spite of | D.in terms of |
A.unity | B.fact | C.chance | D.balance |
A.ruler | B.finger | C.hand | D.stick |
A. prevented B. stubbornly C. banning D. attention E ignore F. fortunately G. overlooked H. track I. extend J. solution K. bowing |
Climate protests drew millions around the world in September. Many of the Democratic presidential candidates have rolled out ambitious plans to cut carbon while making the economy greener. And yet a leading cause of climate change remains persistently
The clothing and footwear industry is responsible for 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Without intervention (干预), the industry’s impact on the climate is on
Clothes are easy to
But
But fashion can’t go green by itself. It won’t even make a dent (凹痕) in the problem without international cooperation and mainstream
The clothing industry, like most industries, is also
Consumers have an important part to play in making fashion sustainable. We can work to
We need activists, journalists, scientists and academics who focus on sustainability to include clothing in their work. And we need government action and innovative policy that addresses the global impact of the stuff we buy. For example, France has passed a bill
But first we need all people who care about climate change to understand that they’re part of the problem and the
On Horseback Among the Eagle Hunters
A. bond B. covered C. outwardly D. demanding E. famed F. currently G. deserted H. traditionally I. accessing J. extent K. tending |
Nine-year-old Dastan, the son of a Kazakh (哈萨克族) eagle hunter, rode his pony alongside mine, running effortlessly without a saddle (马鞍) and giggling at my attempts to show my pony some affection. Surrounding us was the vast,
I spent almost three years living and working in northern Iraq, where I
Deep in the Altai Mountains, the Kazakh people have for centuries developed a special
In recent generations, many Kazakh families have migrated from the countryside to the country’s urban areas. This is partly because of the difficulties in
Training and caring for golden eagles is just one aspect of an animal herder’s life. Others include training young horses,
A. claimed B. evacuate C. fabrics D. regular E. significantly F. sink G. rainstorms H. similar I. initially J. swallowing K. thought |
“It was a wave of water,” says Oulimata Sambe. She points out the still-sodden(湿透的) armchairs, muddy wardrobe and the water stain a metre and a half up the wall in her small house in Ngor, a fishing village within Dakar, the capital of Senegal. “I had two grandkids on my bed, I had to
Unusually heavy rains have become
Yet
9 . The Grey’s Anatomy doctors are navigating the patients that have kept them on our screens for some 400 episodes of the show. But in this episode, for the first time, the
But can seeing the realities of climate change affecting characters on the screen help us relate
Non-profit storytelling consultancy Good Energy believes it can. It is among a small but growing number of organizations
The Good Energy Playbook’s suggestions are appropriately wide-ranging: characters with climate anxiety and those fighting against injustice; utopian (乌托邦的) narratives that explore climate solutions; storylines that quietly
The playbook was created by Good Energy founder Anna Jane Joyner, “It started as a personal
Many research studies looked at the impact introducing climate stories had on viewers, and found it prompted greater concern about climate change. It also
Climate stories, then, seem like a pretty good idea. But these sorts of narratives have been few and far between. Julie Doyle, professor of media at the University of Brighton in the UK, says climate change has
It’s time to break the climate silence, says Doyle. “Mainstream media has tended to follow rather than lead, and it would be great if mainstream media could lead this.” Day-to-day mentions of climate change in media are especially important because, while blockbuster climate films can have a positive impact on awareness and action, the effect is sadly
A.resistance | B.background | C.response | D.application |
A.fictional | B.scientific | C.educational | D.theoretical |
A.logical | B.moral | C.occasional | D.spiritual |
A.differently | B.effortlessly | C.reluctantly | D.systematically |
A.depending on | B.referring to | C.identifying with | D.calling for |
A.restore | B.feature | C.demonstrate | D.sponsor |
A.reflect | B.maintain | C.eliminate | D.strengthen |
A.integrate | B.reverse | C.initiate | D.publish |
A.transition | B.campaign | C.achievement | D.association |
A.transferred | B.promoted | C.shifted | D.underestimated |
A.For example | B.As a result | C.On the contrary | D.In addition |
A.narrative | B.character | C.plot | D.memory |
A.explored | B.competed | C.struggled | D.appealed |
A.narrow-minded | B.ever-changing | C.short-lived | D.far-sighted |
A.resumes | B.fades | C.deepens | D.increases |
A.In order to protect the weak and old ones. |
B.In order to show beautiful shape of them. |
C.In order to maintain physical strength. |
D.In order to keep teamwork spirit. |
A.How the birds decide the order of the group. |
B.How the birds decide the route of the group. |
C.How the birds decide the time of flying of the group. |
D.How the birds decide who takes charge of the group. |
A.Birds’ ability to keep order. | B.Birds’ flying pattern as a team. |
C.Birds’ intention to migrate. | D.Birds’ skills to tell directions. |