1 . Working in a pet hospital, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound(爱尔兰猎狼犬) named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very
I examined Belker and found he was
Before the procedure, Shane seemed so
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s
Shane, who had been listening quietly,
He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a
A.familiar | B.careless | C.hopeful | D.concerned |
A.discussion | B.choice | C.wonder | D.request |
A.hearing | B.dying | C.tired | D.cured |
A.something | B.nothing | C.anything | D.everything |
A.agreed | B.escaped | C.recovered | D.survived |
A.beside | B.beyond | C.off | D.without |
A.devoted | B.felt | C.saw | D.cared |
A.devotion | B.accident | C.extinction | D.experience |
A.happy | B.calm | C.nice | D.excited |
A.knew | B.asked | C.doubted | D.imagined |
A.peacefully | B.regularly | C.briefly | D.faithfully |
A.pain | B.injury | C.death | D.disaster |
A.thinking | B.studying | C.talking | D.quarreling |
A.faster | B.shorter | C.longer | D.worse |
A.shouted | B.advised | C.begged | D.complained |
A.gave away | B.took over | C.worked out | D.turned to |
A.disappointed | B.cheated | C.shocked | D.expected |
A.reality | B.headline | C.suggestion | D.explanation |
A.good | B.clear | C.simple | D.rich |
A.commanded | B.continued | C.answered | D.admitted |
2 . Maggie, a girl of thirteen years old, lived on the west coast of the United States. She had never experienced an earthquake before; she only prepared for it. As long as she could remember, preparing for an earthquake was common at her school. Her family had made plans as well in case of a natural disaster.
One day, Maggie arrived home from school at the usual time. However, it was not the same as usual. She was home alone. Her mom would be driving home on the busy freeway and her dad was to arrive at the airport. He was coming home from a two-week business trip.
After finishing her homework, Maggie felt a little hungry, so she went to the kitchen to find something to eat: Just then she felt a shake, then the violent shaking. Maggie quickly ran under the large table in the dining room. The sounds of breaking glass and the crashing of many things were deafening, and Maggie hugged herself in fear.
After what seemed like a very long time, the earthquake appeared to be over. Maggie could hear the sound of water rushing below her in the basement. And there was the smell of natural gas in the air. Maggie knew where the main water valve(阀门) was and how to turn it off. Dad had ever shown her before.
Slowly and carefully she came out from under the table. The once tidy home was then almost unrecognizable. Walls had fallen down and many things in the room were in a mess. As Maggie approached the open basement door, she could see the steps. Carefully she made her way down into the dark basement.
While placing her feet firmly on the floor, Maggie felt a sudden pain as a large wood hit her head and shoulder. She fell unconscious onto a pile of boxes. An hour later, she woke up and found her parents beside her. She was happy that she was still alive!
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?A.Earthquake are the main natural disasters in the US. |
B.Maggie’s parents taught her how to survive in an earthquake. |
C.Earthquakes occur often in the west of the US. |
D.Magpie has some self-help knowledge in earthquakes. |
A.Very loud. | B.Quite familiar |
C.Very distant | D.Quite strange. |
A.She was the only child in her family |
B.She was not afraid at all during the earthquake. |
C.She was hurt on the way to turning off the water valve. |
D.She had experienced an earthquake before. |
A.A story of a girl in an earthquake. | B.The importance of preparing for an earthquake. |
C.The ways to escape from an earthquake. | D.The danger of an earthquake. |
The heat wave that broke high temperature records in five European countries a week ago is now over Greenland,
Melting
Greenland, the world’s
4 . I strongly believe that individual actions make a difference to our environment. I’ve been a vegetarian for more than two decades, choose to be child-free partially because I can’t justify my genes’ importance over the shocking amount of resources needed for raising another American, and haven’t owned a car in four years. Those things, over time, will absolutely reduce my impact on our beautiful world, and the more people do them, the greater the impact is.
But it’s not nearly enough.
While I will continue to do my part to fight climate change, I have to wonder why there isn’t an equal effort by those who have the biggest impact. According to a recent report, 71% of greenhouse gases are produced by just 100 companies. Surely, working to minimize their emissions (排放物) will do far more, much faster than me talking people’s ears off on Facebook about eating less meat. After all, I have been doing that kind of work for 20 years now, and we are still headed towards climate disaster.
Why should so much of the solution to global warming be on the shoulders of individuals?
When President Kennedy decided we needed to beat the Russians to the moon landing, he didn’t encourage housewives to figure out bow to get there. He got the smartest and most talented people together to solve the challenges. NASA got us there, with lots of hard work and late nights, and also full encouragement and funding from the US government.
But this is not the case with climate change. Big companies are let off the hook while we take on the huge burden of dealing with the emissions of the biggest and most powerful. That strikes me as just plain unfair. The serious threats of climate change require an all-hand-on-deck response. Corporations need to do their part, because I can’t do it on my own.
1. Why does the author choose not to have a child?A.America doesn’t have large amounts of resources. |
B.A child can’t justify the importance of her genes. |
C.She tries to avoid the trouble of raising a child. |
D.She wants to reduce her impact on the environment. |
A.Minimizing companies’ emissions. |
B.Recommending a vegetarian diet. |
C.Talking with friends on Facebook. |
D.Heading towards climate disaster. |
A.To praise housewives’ contribution. |
B.To remember a former president. |
C.To stress the importance of government’s role. |
D.To encourage NASA to take on the challenge. |
5 . For centuries, historians and archaeologists have defined periods of human history by the technologies or materials that made the greatest impact on society — like the Stone Age, Bronze Age, or Iron Age. But what age are we in now? For some researchers, according to Atlas Obscura’s Cara Giamo, that question can be answered with one word: plastics.
“Plastic has redefined our material culture and the artifacts we leave behind. It will be found in stratified (分层) layers in our trash deposits (沉积层)” That’s according to archaeologist John Marston.
The wide variety of synthetic polymers (合成聚合物) would not exist if it weren’t for human action. Since the first plastic polymers were invented, about six billion tons of plastics have been made and spread around the planet, from forests to oceans ever since the first plastics polymers were invented.
Plastics are one of the most significant changes that humans have made to the Earth’s makeup. Most plastics don’t easily degrade. This only adds to the problem. Recycling isn’t an adequate solution. Not all types of plastic are easily recyclable. And there are only a few recycling plants that can process all varieties of plastic.
According to Debra Winter, writer for The Atlantic, this means that many of the materials thrown into recycling bins can cross the planet several times before they are processed. They are made into produce rugs, sweaters, or other bottles. Although millions of tons of plastic are recycled every year, millions more end up in landfills or the ocean. The problem has reached the point where it’s possible that in just a few decades there might be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fishes.
“Plastics have a supposed life span of over 500 years, it’s safe to say that every plastic bottle you have used exists somewhere on this planet, in some form or another,” Winter writes.
The damage may already be done. It may be too late for human populations worldwide to change their plastic-using ways. So the Plastic Age might soon take its place next to the Bronze Age and the Iron Age in the history of human civilization.
1. Why do people call our age the Plastic Age?A.Because plastics are not naturally made. | B.Because humans create plastics. |
C.Because plastics influence the world greatly. | D.Because historians and archaeologists think so. |
A.They are recycled | B.They are degraded |
C.They are thrown away | D.They are made into bottles |
A.Human beings are in the Plastic Age | B.Plastics have ruined our environment |
C.We must stop using plastics altogether | D.Plastics are significant to human development |
On the morning of July 14, 1960, the young woman Jane Goodall arrived at the Gombe National Park. She had brought a tent, a cup, a pair of binoculars and her mother. A group of local men met the strange pair of women and helped carry their camping equipment. Then, around 5 pm, somebody reported that they had seen a chimpanzee. Straight away, Jane set off into the forest to find her first chimpanzee.
After many months of difficult work she made three important discoveries: chimpanzees ate meat, they used tools to get food and they also made tools, Jane wrote her findings in diaries and she began to publish articles in journals such as National Geographic magazine. After a while, scientists and experts started reading her studies and Jane was offered a place at a university. After more years of research she became Doctor Jane Goodall in 1966.
During the seventies, Jane found that chimpanzees can also be violent. She wrote in one diary,“ I thought the chimps were nicer than we are. But it is proved that they are not. They can be just as awful”
A different problem developed in Gombe in the 1980s. Because of the progress of clearing forests, there were only about a hundred chimpanzees living in Gombe by the end of ten years. Jane realized that something had to be done so that chimpanzees and humans could live together, so she set about helping the local community to grow more trees in the region.
After 1989, Jane left her career in Gombe. Firstly, she started travelling and giving lectures. She protested (反对) about the cruelty to chimpanzees used in medical research laboratories. She also set up reserves for chimps which survived.
Nowadays, she spends about 300 days a year giving interviews, talks and lectures, meeting with government officials and raising money for the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues her research. She has very little spare time left but she still spends part of every year in the forest in Gombe, watching her chimpanzees.
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7 . In habitats across the planet, animals periodically drop everything to walk, fly or swim to a new place. Some animals such as whales and geese learn migration paths by following their parents. Others, including small songbirds, gain the distance and direction of their migration within their genetic code. And some animals use a combination of genetics and culture to guide their migration.
Another group of migrators does not quite fit either model, and researchers have only recently started to figure out how they find their way. The Cory’s shearwater is an oceangoing seabird that migrates over the Atlantic every year. The young do not migrate with their parents, so culture cannot explain their journeys. And the exact paths vary wildly from individual to individual, making genetics equally unlikely.
Cory’s shearwaters are long-lived, rarely producing young successfully before age nine. This leaves an opening for learning and practice to develop their migration patterns. Researchers call this the “exploration-refinement”, and until now it has been hypothetical (假设的) because of difficulties in tracking migratory animals’ movements.
But a team of researchers has done that by attaching small geolocators to more than 150 of the birds aged four to nine. They found that younger birds traveled longer distances, for longer periods, and had more diverse paths than older birds. “We finally have evidence of the ‘exploration-refinement’ for migratory birds,” says Letizia Campioni, who led the study. Younger Cory’s shearwaters are able to fly just as fast as the adults——but they do not, suggesting that the young do more exploring, which gradually fades as they mature and settle into a preferred course.
“Although it may seem less efficient than other strategies, exploration refinement could be beneficial to birds and other organisms in a rapidly changing world due to unpredictable man-made changes,” says Barbara Frei. “It might be safer to repeat a behavior that was recently successful than to rely on patterns that were perfected long ago but might no longer be safe.”
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?A.It describes animals’ habitats. | B.It compares different species. |
C.It talks about migration models. | D.It introduces a tracking technology. |
A.The opening for learning and practice. |
B.The unique living habit of Cory’s shearwaters. |
C.The process scientists track Cory’s shearwaters’ movements. |
D.The way Cory’s shearwaters form their migration patterns. |
A.They travel as much as adult birds. | B.They lower the speed for exploration. |
C.They move in a predictable manner. | D.They look for a course with their parents. |
A.Exploration refinement contributes to birds’ adaptability. |
B.Man-made changes make migration easier. |
C.Animals make a safer journey via a fixed track. |
D.A combination of strategies assures migration success |
8 . A five-year-old dog named Kelsey has been praised as a hero for helping to save the life of her owner who slipped in the snow and broke his neck.
The man, Bob, was alone when he left his farmhouse on New Year’s Eve to collect firewood.Expecting a journey of only several meters, Bob was wearing just long johns (衬裤), a shirt and slippers when he went outside, although the temperature was around -4℃.
After the accident, he was unable to move in the snow. Fortunately, Kelsey came to his assistance.
“I was shouting for help, but my nearest neighbor is about 400 meters away, and it was 10:30 p. m.,” Bob explained. “By the next morning, my voice was gone and I couldn’t yell for help, but Kelsey didn’t stop barking.”
Kelsey’s companion kept him warm by lying on top of him. She licked his face and hands to keep him awake. “Kelsey kept barking but never left my side,” Bob recalled. “I knew I couldn’t give up and that it was my choice to stay alive.”
Bob spent 20 hours in the freezing cold. When he finally lost consciousness, his dog kept barking. Finally, hearing the barking, Bob’s neighbor discovered him at 6:30 p. m. on New Year’s Day and called the emergency services at once. When Bob arrived in hospital, his body temperature was below 21℃. However, doctors were surprised to find that he didn’t have any frostbite (冻疮). They believed it was because of Kelsey’s determination to keep him warm. Dr. Chaim Colen, the doctor who treated Bob, said, “His dog really saved him.He was very fortunate.”
Bob said he was very grateful to both Dr. Colen and his Kelsey. “They saved my life. They are truly heroes!”
1. What happened to Bob on New Year’s Eve?A.He left his dog alone in his farmhouse. |
B.He was praised for saving a dog owner. |
C.He broke his neck and couldn’t move. |
D.He heard his neighbor’s shouting for help. |
A.To keep warm. |
B.To stay alive. |
C.To keep Bob awake. |
D.To seek help from others. |
A.Helpful. | B.Fortunate. |
C.Grateful. | D.Friendly. |
A.A Neckbreaking Accident |
B.The Magic Night |
C.Warmth on a Winter’s Night |
D.Determination to Keep Alive |
9 . Afroz Shah, a lawyer in Mumbai, hasn’t had a weekend off in four years. But he hasn’t spent this time preparing for
His mission? Saving the world’s oceans from
It’s a calling he found in 2015 after moving to a community in Mumbai called Versova Beach. He had played there as a child and was
“The whole beach was like a
In October 2015, Shah began
For Shah, the work has always been a
He’s now spent 209 weekends on this mission,
“This world talks too much. I think we must talk
A.teaching | B.court | C.housework | D.cleaning |
A.river | B.soil | C.plastic | D.oil |
A.upset | B.excited | C.delighted | D.hesitant |
A.grown | B.changed | C.reserved | D.protected |
A.pure | B.golden | C.shiny | D.visible |
A.carpet | B.curtain | C.painting | D.photograph |
A.temporary | B.permanent | C.ugly | D.pretty |
A.sticks to | B.keeps off | C.gives back | D.ends up |
A.killer | B.cleaner | C.guest | D.decoration |
A.sweeping | B.attacking | C.visiting | D.beautifying |
A.pulling | B.thinking | C.picking | D.looking |
A.came | B.failed | C.went | D.spread |
A.involved | B.lived | C.stuck | D.paid |
A.easy | B.tough | C.personal | D.general |
A.known | B.regarded | C.decided | D.honored |
A.cause | B.case | C.position | D.fame |
A.requiring | B.rejecting | C.inviting | D.inspiring |
A.originally | B.finally | C.politically | D.theoretically |
A.fewer | B.less | C.better | D.worse |
A.honor | B.beauty | C.hope | D.love |
10 . Steven Stein likes to track garbage trucks. He says, “It’s hard to resist.” Stein’s strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including stuff that falls off garbage trucks as they run down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein’s current plans is defending an industry behind a source of trash: plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 million plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities are banishing (排除) them from checkout lines. The bags are outlawed in some places in the USA.
Facing these situations, plastic-bag manufacturers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume. “It’s important to base your decisions on facts,” says Stan Bikulege, CEO of Hilex Poly, which has hired Stein.
Among the bag makers’ argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that can take the place of plastic bags: reusable shopping bags. The sturdier a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. But this plan has another side. Longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make.
Environmentalists don’t agree with these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years. So are reusables our destiny? The answer is probably yes. And Andy Keller, inventor of reusable polyester (聚酯纤维) bags, says, ”If you can carry it out in your hands or put it back in your car, you don’t need a bag.”
1. The first paragraph serves as___________.A.an explanation | B.an introduction | C.a comment | D.a background |
A.To collect facts about shopping bags. |
B.To show plastic bags are eco-friendly. |
C.To research on people’s consuming habits. |
D.To prove plastic bags are better than people thought. |
A.They look a bit ugly. | B.They are easy to break. |
C.Their prices are comparatively high. | D.Their production is energy-consuming. |
A.Stronger. | B.Lighter. | C.Heavier. | D.Softer. |
A.Forget about plastic bags. | B.Paper bags are coming. |
C.Paper, plastic or neither. | D.A strange scientist. |